Last week I received an email from a friend that stuck with me. It was a group email to her friends asking for donations to the non-profit organization where she works: A Gift for Teaching. I knew a little bit about the place where she worked, but went to the website to learn more. That was it! I knew that I had to do something to help.

A Gift for Teaching is one of those small gems that make Central Florida shine so bright.  A Gift for Teaching distributes more than $35,000 worth of school supplies and incentives DAILY to the highest need schools and classrooms in Central Florida for FREE.  That’s incredible.  As we listen to the news of budget cuts, higher than expected enrollments, unemployment rising … isn’t it heartwarming to know there are great organizations out there that are doing something good?

So, I had to help.  They help kids … and families … and that’s what KarenLeslie Photography is all about. I met with my friend, Anne, yesterday and we came up with a really fun fundraising effort that benefits everyone.

Here’s how it works:

What? KarenLeslie Photography will hold mini photo sessions to benefit A Gift for Teaching.

A mini photo session is a mini version of our custom portrait session — both in time & cost.  For  $75 (over $200 value) you’ll get:

• 15 minute on location photo session at Loch Haven Park (natural light setting)
• Up to 2 people (for families, you can book 2 consecutive session times)
• 11×14″ art print of any image from your proof set
• Special pricing on additional products including digital files and holiday cards

Well, how does this benefit A Gift for Teaching?  It’s easy.  KarenLeslie Photography will give $50 of every mini session booked directly to A Gift for Teaching.

When? This event will take place Sunday, September 19th, 2010 from 8am – 6pm.  Sessions will be booked in 20 minute increments.  You MUST reserve your spot in advance; no walk-ins.

Where? Loch Haven Park, corner of Princeton St. & Mills Ave.  It is one of my favorite spots for natural light portrait sessions.  The old Florida oak trees are to die for there!

Who? ANYONE can participate.  Kids, families & dogs of all ages are welcome.  These mini sessions are perfect for:

• school portraits
• pet portraits
• maternity portraits
• Christmas card pictures
• family portraits (families must book 2 consecutive session times)
• engagement portraits
• mommy & me or daddy & me portraits
• updated profile photos for Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc.
• new headshots for work
• anniversary portraits
• best friend portraits

The best part is that you can help a Central Florida organization while getting something in return.  It’s truly a win-win situation!

How? Call 407.340.8088, email karenleslie @ mac.com, or send a request through the Contact form above to reserve your preferred session time.  We expect these sessions to fill up quickly, so its best to call early so you can have your preferred time.

Inspired to help some more?  Tell your friends and family about this great fundraiser.  Copy the link for this blog post and email it to everyone you know.  Post it on your Facebook page.  Twitter it. Tell your co-workers.  You can send them back to this blog post, or you can download a PDF flyer with all the same information to get the word out:  download flyer here.  The more people that know about this, the more money we can give to A Gift for Teaching, and the more students and teachers will benefit from FREE school supplies and resources.  You can directly impact someone’s future. How cool is that?

I originally met Retse through a mutual friend.  When her daughter was born, Retse started a freelance graphic design business, Retse Designs, so she could stay home with her daughter and still work.  Besides being a freelance graphic designer (who was the graphic designer during the first years of Playground Magazine), Retse started a children’s t-shirt business that turned into a fun family project: . Retse’s 7 year old daughter does most of the drawing of the adorable alphabet designs and her 5 year old son has become the resident colorer.  They also donate $1 from every shirt sold to a kids’ art related charity. Right now they are supporting the Foundation for Seminole County Public schools.  You can buy these t-shirts for your kids from her online store at: www.retsedesignsstore.com.

The t-shirts are ADORABLE.  I bought the “P is for Pumpkin” one last Fall.  Designs are printed on high-quality American Apparel t-shirts. The t-shirt quality is wonderful and they wash and wear extremely well.

So if you are looking for a cool way to support children in the arts plus get great clothes for your kids then check out the online store.  Custom orders are available please email retse@retsedesigns.com for more information (minimum quantities do apply).

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Retse and her family have been generous and given KarenLeslie Photography a 30% discount on any t-shirt order to share with YOU. Its really easy to get this discount. Either go to the KarenLeslie Photography Facebook page for the information, or make sure you’re on my mailing list (email me at karenleslie @ mac.com to get on the list). You have to go to the KarenLeslie Photography Facebook page or receive the email newsletter to get the promo code. Offer expires September 30, 2010.

**

Also, check them out Retse Designs on other social networks for the latest updates and specials:

• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/retsedesignstees
• Twitter: RetseDesigns

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Today I’m going to talk about some really simple rules to follow to take better photos of your kids (or dogs).  These rules are really so simple that anyone, with any kind of camera, can implement them immediately and you’ll be pleased with the results.

#1 Go Low

If you are photographing kids or dogs, get down on their level and take their photos.  The benefit of this is that a) it will give you a different perspective on your subject and b) it will allow you to connect better with your subject.  Simple ways to do this are to sit on the floor, lay on your belly, or you can even “cheat” a little bit and just hold your camera down at their level and snap away.

#2 Let Them Play

Do your kids run from the room every time they see you take out your camera? If you want your kids to be more cooperative when you take their photos, don’t make them “pose” or always have to look at the camera.  Just let them play.  You’ll be able to capture them as they truly are because they will completely forget you (and your camera) are there.  The goal here is to make the camera “invisible”.

#3 Patience. Patience. Patience.

When photographing kids or dogs, there is one thing that is absolutely essential: patience … and LOTS of it.  If you want good photos of your kids or pets, you just have to be patient; there is no way around it.  If your kids (or dogs) aren’t in the “mood” for photos, you might have to put your camera away and try another time.  Or, you might have to keep snapping to eventually get the picture you want.  That’s the good thing about digital cameras; once you’ve invested in the memory card, the photos are basically “free”.

When you put them all together….

I took these two photos today, just after naptime.  My daughter is at that age when photos are just about near impossible.  But, I followed my three rules above and I now have two of my favorite photos.  I sat on the floor of her room, let her play, and kept snapping.  I took just over 50 photos and have probably 5 that are keepers; and two that I love.

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If you like what you see in this week long series, you might be interested in taking one of my workshops. Stay tuned for more details on the workshops as the week goes on.

For the next week I’m going to share some basic tips on how to take better pictures.  It doesn’t matter what style of camera you have … how expensive that camera is … or what brand of camera it is.  These tips are for anyone looking to take better photos.  Stop by each day and learn something new.

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Speaking of cameras … Today I’m going to start with the basics: the camera.  As many of you have found, there are so many different camera brands, models and styles.  They range from very inexpensive, to a bit more pricey. I’m going to focus solely on digital cameras, not film cameras.  (Although film cameras are definitely not obsolete and making a small comeback.)  I’m going to go through the differences between digital SLR cameras and point-and-shoot cameras and then make some observations within each of those categories.

Point and Shoot Cameras

A point and shoot camera is designed primarily for simple operation.  Most offer autofocus, automatic systems for setting the exposure, and have flash units built in.  They are small and compact and fit easily in a pocket, purse or bag.  Point and shoot cameras are relatively easy to use and are perfect for taking your everyday photos.

Example of a "typical" point and shoot camera

Most point and shoot cameras do not have manual controls, which makes it a selling point for most consumers.  What this means is that the camera will have “pre set” functions that allow you to just take a photo and not have to think about “how” to take that photo.  On the downside, if you are really interested in learning more about photography — like how to take the photo you want — you may be somewhat unsatisfied with a point and shoot camera.

• Pros: small, compact and easy to use
• Cons: don’t allow manual functionality (for the most part); limited in what you can do; cannot change lenses

Digital SLR Cameras

A digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera uses a mirror system to direct light through a lens to an optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.  With a DSLR you have the ability to change lenses.  While some DSLRs do come with automatic functionality, it also has a true manual ability, allowing the photographer full control over the camera.  If you are serious about photography, a DSLR is the type of camera you want to be using.  DSLRs are larger and bulkier than a point and shoot camera.

Example of a "typical" Digital SLR camera

• Pros: Manual control gives you, the photographer, more control over your images; interchangeable lens system
• Cons: large and bulky; more expensive

Megapixels

Let’s talk about megapixels for a second.  It is my personal opinion that camera manufacturer have used megapixels as a marketing feature for selling cameras.  Here is the truth: megapixels are only ONE of the features that determines camera quality.  Megapixels tell you how many pixels are in each image you take; and the more pixels, the finer the detail in your image.  However, how many megapixels you absolutely need depends on what you are doing with your images.  If you are uploading your images to a website (Facebook, Flickr, your blog), you don’t need that many megapixels because your images are not sized that large.  If you are printing out 4×6″ prints or 5×7″ prints to put in albums, or send to family & friends, you need a medium amount of megapixels (3 megapixels will be sufficient).  However, if you plan on printing very large images (16×20, 30×40), you will need a large amount of megapixels.  So, for most people who are printing small images (5×7″ and smaller) and uploading to websites, a camera with 3-4 megapixels is just fine.

Recommendations

When I’m looking for recommendations on electronic equipment, I like to consult review websites such as www.cnet.com or even the consumer reviews at www.amazon.com. My personal favorites in the two categories above include:

Point and Shoot:
Panasonic Lumix (there are several different sub brands of this camera and you can pick and choose the features you want). What I like about this camera is their use of the Leica lenses.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS I’ve had a previous generation of this camera and it was incredibly reliable. Good pictures. Very small and compact. The IS (image stabilization) feature is really nice.

Canon G11 This little camera has kind of the best of both worlds: its small and compact, but also has manual functionality on it so you can do more with the camera as a photographer.

Digital SLR:
For this category of camera, I recommend starting with the entry level camera in any of the different brands that offer SLRs: Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. If you are just starting out, the entry level models will give you the functionality that you need. Once you’ve mastered the functionality, you can then decide whether you want to upgrade the body of your camera, or put your money into more lenses. My theory always has been to buy the camera body that you can afford and put your money into good lenses. Entry level cameras for Canon and Nikon include…
Canon Digital Rebel XSi
Nikon D3000

When you purchase a DSLR, you also have to purchase a lens (or two or three). There are “kit” cameras that come with the camera body and a lens that is typically called a kit lens. Most often, the kit lens is one of their lower level zoom lenses. You can certainly go that route if you are just starting out so you can see what you might like about that lens. One lens that I always recommend to purchase because it is both inexpensive as well as decently good is a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Both Canon and Nikon make this lens. On the Canon side it is about $100. Nikon is about the same.

Note that I’ve provided purchasing links to amazon.com. I have purchased several cameras and lenses from Amazon and have been happy with my purchase. There are also local camera shops in town like Colonial Photo and Hobby and Harmon Photo. Those are good resources if you want to see the camera in person before buying it. You can also go to camera-specific websites like B&H Photo and Video and Adorama. Those are also well known and reputable websites.

I hope this gave you a good overview of different types of cameras. In the next week I’ll be specifically referring to point and shoot cameras and digital SLRs. I wanted you to know the differences in both before starting into the rest of the series. Some of the topics I’ll be covering this week include: taking better photos of your kids, seeing the light, technical aspects of photography, and more.

If you like what you see in this week long series, you might be interested in taking one of my workshops. Stay tuned for more details on the workshops as the week goes on.

Enjoy! xoxo,

Karen

Enjoy! xoxo,

Karen

This next photo is exactly why I LOVE working with natural light. See the rainbow? That was not digitally put in via Photoshop during editing … that was actually there! Isn’t that fun?

Enjoy! xoxo,

Karen

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Saturday, January 16, 2010

(session times start at 8:30am and end at 4pm)

I really enjoyed meeting you! I hope you had a good rest of your vacation,

xoxo,

Karen