focal length: 50 mm
shutter speed: 1/60
aperture: f/2.5
ISO: 200
flash: fired

Can you tell all the shots I post where the flash was used are all from the same session? Yeah, that’s how lazy I am about getting out the flash. Now, it doesn’t mean that I don’t like to use it. I’m still amazed at how much light I can get from a flash bouncing off the ceiling with very low ambient light. I’m able to use a low ISO and a smaller aperture for greater depth of field, and still get a sharp picture. I really should pop on my flash more often. For those of you wondering, I have an SB-600 and SB-800 but yet to use the latter. At least I took it out of the box!

It’s kissy love today at SS. Sophie’s blessed to have grandparents who love her so much!

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

It’s 2:00am and I can’t sleep. Those long naps in the afternoon with my little one sure don’t help with my sleeping pattern. So I saunter over to Shutter Sisters to check out the Daily Click. They hand pick a photo from the Shutter Sisters Flickr group pool to feature on that section of their fabulous website. All the chosen photos are beautiful and inspirational and I love to peruse through them, admiring the talents of all the ladies who contribute.

I was shocked to see one of my recent photos there! I feel very honoured that they have chosen the photo above as one of their daily clicks. Thank you Shutter Sisters for making my day and for encouraging me to continue doing what I do.

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

*click to enlarge

focal length: 48 mm
shutter speed: 1/200
aperture: f/4
ISO: 200
flash: none

Sometimes I look at a photo and think, “Hmmm… some text might work here!” For certain photos, a little text could give it a bit more life. For this image, after I boosted the contrast just a bit, but not too much so that my highlights aren’t blown, I took the eye dropper for colour selection and clicked on the darkest purple on her shirt. Usually I use white text but that wouldn’t work here on a white background. When I add borders or stamps to photos, I like to use colours taken from the actual photo for a nice match. I positioned the text in the negative (empty) space on her left so it would float somewhere in the middle. I just eyeballed it based on the balance of the photo. What do you think? Does it work?

If you haven’t already tried it, why don’t you add a little text to one of your photos and share it here in the comments section! I’d love to see what kinds of word/photo combinations you can come up with!

Yummy fingers!

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

focal length: 58 mm
shutter speed: 1/125
aperture: f/4
ISO: 200
flash: none

I love shooting in natural light. I acknowledge that yes, flash can be wonderful, but natural light is so lovely. Granted, I didn’t shoot under direct sunlight so most of my light is reflected off of the white walls in my sun room. I like the simple colours against the white background. I did increase the exposure a bit as well as the contrast while processing this but that’s about it.

Mmm, watermelon! Sophie just devoured it after lunch today. Can you tell she likes it?

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.

*click to enlarge

focal length: 70 mm
shutter speed: 1/50
aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 320
flash: none

Kate left us to ponder about life and beyond. These days, we have been in awe of the life cycle and the intricacies of symbiosis while watching the Planet Earth series. Even this little bee has a lot to do with the balance of life on this earth. We need to appreciate all living things, big and small. They will affect your life in one way or another.

This is why I need a macro lens. I just can’t get in close enough with my zoom. There was this delicious looking bee hovering in an open area, perfect for a close up.

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.