The Girls: leggings // shoes // shirts
My Outfit: sweater // pants // shoes c/o
camera bag c/o // my camera
Where are my self-proclaimed momtographers? I am one of the annoying over sharing-shutter snapping-mamarazzi ladies you see at children’s events, er, well everyday in life. A few years ago, when I was pregnant with my first babe, my husband purchased a DSLR camera for me to photograph first moments of her and capture her growth. I quickly fell in love with my camera and vowed to learn how to use it! Fast forward 4 years and I can say that I’ve learned some great tips from photographer friends and deemed myself a momtographer.
What is a momtographer? Basically any mom that takes photos of her kids. Are 9347563 of the million photos on your phone of your kids? Yep, mine too (well and food…and outfits…) but seriously, it’s in our nature. I take too many pictures. I post too many pictures. I just love them!
I wanted to share a few tips for being a successful momtographer today and how to get started if you are interested! Plus, I’ll be sharing a little secret on how I know what cameras I like before I buy them! Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
- The Camera – You definitely need to decide on the camera that you want to use. I chose a DSLR because it has high resolution and is going to give you better quality photos. There are many mirrorless and point-and-shoot cameras that will give you quality if you are just looking to take photos for social media and printing, but if you are wanting a better quality and to take those photos to the next level you might want a DSLR. My first purchase is THIS STARTER CAMERA KIT. I am trying to decide between my next camera upgrade so if you have any suggestions between the Canon 7D and Canon 80D please talk to me about this! I also tried out this mirrorless camera over the week and am amazed at the quality without the bulky of a larger camera.
- The Lens – This is going to change your life once you figure out which lens you want. The lens is what changes the whole photo. My first lens came in the camera kit, but then I upgraded to the 50mm/1.8. It worked great for blog photos and portraits, but then I recently upgraded again to the 50mm/1.4 to get crisper photos.
- Shooting in Manual Mode – This is also life changing. I recommend either watching tutorials or taking a photography e-course to help you learn how to use that big, cool camera you have now! I took this course by Lissa Anglin Photography because she’s amazing and it helped me SO MUCH. Read my collaboration with Lissa in this post on how to take great photos of your kids.
- Editing Software – I edit my photos in LightRoom for blog photos and photos of my kids. I am pretty much self taught by YouTube and there are so many tutorials out there that give you great pointers. Choosing great presets and understanding lighting will help you a TON! I have so much to learn about editing, but I am finding my editing style slowly but surely. I haven’t tried to learn Photoshop, but I feel like I will eventually! I will be telling how I edit my iPhone photos in another post (but it’s super easy)!
- Confidence – Just get the camera out and start taking pictures! Don’t be afraid to take a bad photo! I’ve taken more bad photos than I have good photos! Honestly, when I need blog photos, I usually aim for 5 good photos and sometimes take over 500 to get those 5 photos! Don’t be afraid to play around with settings, try out new places and learn from bad photos!
- Try it Out – I recently learned that you can rent camera equipment to try it out before you purchase! I have tried out this 35mm lens from BorrowLenses and this mirrorless camera body from LensRentals. It’s almost like a buried secret because if you need a camera for an upcoming trip, you can just rent it for a few days! Another tip is: rent the camera to arrive on a Friday and choose 7 days. Then you will get the camera through the weekend and end up getting to use it for 8 days before returning – one day free! Score! If you decide you want to buy, you can get them directly from their site for a used price or there are tons of Buy/Sell/Trade groups that have quality cameras and lenses.
- Equipment – Now that you have the right equipment, you need a way to store it! I chose this camera bag from JoTotes because not only is it stylish but it keeps your expensive equipment safe! Also – grab this tripod + remote because it will change your life for taking photos (especially if you’re a blogger)!
- Just Dive In – Worried about getting started? Just do it! I promise you won’t regret having photos of your kids. Even if you are not confident to share those photos, just having the moments captured of your family is priceless!
I’d love to help anyone get started or give you the confidence to share those photos you’re taking! Please never hesitate to contact me through email or on my social channels if you have a question! I am no where close to being a professional, and I have a LOOOOONG way to go before I am happy with my photos. But, like I said somewhere up there in all of that mumble jumble….having photos of your kids (well, and yourself with your kids…so have those hubbies start snapping some photos too #InstagramHusband)…having those photos is priceless.
Everything that I’ve talked about in this post can be found in the tool below!
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Photos: BonBons Photography
