One of my absolute favorite activities is researching (and especially buying) new photography gear. There are few things that I enjoy as much as unwrapping (they are always well wrapped), setting up, and playing with a new lens or camera. 2012 is expected to be a very big year for new pro Canon equipment, with a new 5D/6D camera widely considered to be a matter of time and some new versions of workhorse L series lenses likely to come out as well. I check in occasionally with the gear gossip on CanonRumors.com and on photography forums, and I think about how much fun it is to get some fancy new stuff.

So now that the fall crazy is over (I think I’m down to ONE more 2011 session to blog), I thought that it would be fun to do a little series on photography for mamas (and daddies), following up on the Clickin’ Mamas workshops that we did in 2011 (and amenable to being read in the comfort of your climate controlled home, rather than in the sweltering/freezing temps that mamas have endured at our workshops so far).

Please feel free to leave comments here or on my FB page with your questions, your opinions, to let me know how useful this first installment is (or isn’t), to suggest future topics, etc. All of what follows is my opinion ~ there’s no photography gospel, but hopefully we can have a little fun talking clickin’, cameras, etc.

Beth’s Mini Guide to Buying a New Family Camera:

One thing that people talk a lot about that really is *not* a factor to worry much about: How many megapixels does the camera have? As long as you’re over about 5-6MP, that spec is not especially useful. Sensor size has more to do with image quality than megapixel count alone does, and you can actually get lower image quality by cramming too many MP on a small sensor. As a frame of reference, my first DSLR had 8.2MP and made nice 24×30 prints given that the file was good to start with. I took a workshop years ago with a man who made billboards from his images out of a camera with fewer than 6MP. Also, more megapixels = larger files = more taxing on your computer and more space required to store. Fine if you need them, but more isn’t necessarily better.

The Two Main Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Buy:
1) What is the main purpose of buying a new camera? (The more specific you can be about what you want to be able to do with your new camera, the better)
and
2) How much time do you want to invest learning how to use your new camera?

Some possible answers to Question #1:
* To get a camera that takes a picture immediately when I press the shutter button
* To get a camera that takes better pictures in _________ (gymnasiums, low light, dance recitals, etc.)
* To get close-up shots when I’m in the stands at my kid’s ballgames
* To get a camera that will allow me more control over the settings
* To get a camera that will allow me to get decent pictures on auto

Some possible answers to Question #2:
* 5 minutes and I’ll be drying my hair at the same time ~ did I mention that it needs to take good pictures on auto?
* Realistically, I’m willing to spend an hour or two learning a little about how the camera works while the battery charges.
* I see this as a major hobby and want a camera that will grow with me as I learn for at least a year or two.

The answers to these questions will help you get the best value for your budget when you buy a new camera.

Camera Phones:

Where Camera Phones Shine: I love my camera phone, and it’s (shhhh) a Droid model.

Source: http://android-apps.com/articles/report-htc-droid-incredible-to-receive-android-2-2-starting-august-18/

I nearly always have my phone with me, and that’s its strongest point. It lets me photograph little things that I would miss otherwise. I also love that a few clicks let me send a photo of D to Facebook, grandparents, etc. ~ so the fact that it’s there and it’s easy are big points in its favor. If you have an iPhone, extra cool points for getting to make Instagrams.

Drawbacks/Considerations: On the one hand, I truly believe that the photographer is the most important element in producing an image, and that any camera is just a tool. I have a fairly old film camera that I am really happy with in terms of image quality, and I’ve honestly seen loads of bad photographs from really capable cameras. I also love the collections of iPhone images that show just how much you can do with a camera phone. But my experience is that the image quality from my Droid in most cases doesn’t compare to snaps out of almost any real camera, and the more challenging the conditions, the worse my camera phone does. It doesn’t help the camera’s performance that the situations where I want it ~ those when I don’t have a real camera handy ~ are usually tough in terms of the subject (moving children) and the situation (often low/bad light where I have little time and little control). But if the proof is in the pudding, I’d say that the images out of my camera phone are instant pudding at best ~ good for having captured moments that I’d have missed otherwise but bad in terms of image quality.

On a related note, most of us just don’t back camera phone images up (I’m a fanatical backer-upper, and I am not great about it with my phone, either). The portability that makes camera phones great also makes them even more vulnerable than other cameras to image loss (whether through memory failure, loss of the actual phone, or accidental drowning/smashing/washing/etc. Bottom Line: Great for quick shots of little things that you’d miss otherwise; not a substitute for a family camera in my opinion.

Point and Shoot Cameras:
(For my purposes, we’ll say that any small camera with a single lens that cannot be switched out is a p&s; prices range from $50-$600ish depending on features.)

Where P&S Cameras Shine: I think that these are the unsung heroes of photography today. If you want a portable camera that is meant to take good photographs on auto right out of the box, P&S cameras are a good option. Imo, DSLRs get the attention, but point and shoots come in a huge range of price points and offer all sorts of combinations of features that make them a great option for families. The best ones are in the price range of entry-level DSLRs and offer similar image quality and manual control. In that price bracket ($500-600 or so), you’ll get good low light performance, the ability to shoot in auto, semi-auto, and manual modes fairly easily, and very good image quality in a very small and portable package. In the $200-$400 range, you can find good image quality, a nice range of features, and cameras that are meant to be shot primarily in auto modes. Almost any of them will take better photographs than a camera phone while still being easy to throw in a purse, diaper bag, beach tote, etc. To me, that last concern is a big one ~ I’m mostly past the diaper bag phase (for a little while anyway), but I usually have a giant mom purse and a snack bag with me when I am out. I really have to think hard about whether to add an additional bag to carry my DSLR. And don’t even get me started about taking it on a plane.

Drawbacks/Considerations: The two main potential drawbacks, which vary with price and model, are shutter lag and sensor size. A long interval of shutter lag is a big problem if you’re photographing children and is probably the most common complaint that I hear from people looking to upgrade their cameras. The term refers to the time between your pressing the shutter button and the camera’s snapping the picture, and if your child is more than about 5 days old, you know that it is really annoying. You can find the shutter lag in the specs of cameras that you’re considering (quoted as a fraction of a second), but my advice is to try actual cameras with your actual children to see whether a camera you’re considering is fast enough. Some things that slow P&S cameras down ~ auto face/smile detection and red-eye reduction. Turn those off to see the best case scenario for a camera’s shutter lag (provided that you’re willing to leave the off in real life). Some P&S cameras have done a great job of controlling shutter lag, and others have a bad case of it. Very generally, less expensive cameras have a longer lag time. The smaller sensor size of P&S cameras is their other main possible drawback. The smaller sensors do affect image quality negatively (particularly in challenging circumstances like low light). The main question here is, again imo, is the image quality good enough for what you want to do? (That’s true for any camera.) In many cases I believe that the answer is yes, particularly with mid-range and higher-end models, given their other advantages.

Next installment: Entry-Level DSLRs

I had a great time yesterday meeting lots of Triangle mamas and their little ones at the first Fit Mama Fest held at the new Stroller Strides storefront space at Cary Towne Center (near Dillard’s). Jen, the owner of Stroller Strides of Raleigh, has done an awesome job transforming the space into a kid- and mama-friendly area for exercise, play, and yesterday’s big event.

If you’re a local mom, be sure to check out the Stroller Strides of Raleigh Facebook page for more information about the workout schedule, Body Back (a new fitness program to help mamas get back into shape months or years after having little ones), and kid-friendly events going on all the time. This organization and its events are one of my best local “finds” since becoming a mom ~ I’ve met lots of people I count as good friends (and co-conspirators as we team up to thwart tantrums in the mall).

Thank you to all of the moms who entered the drawing at my table yesterday. I’m excited to announce that Crystal won the A. E. Wiley Photography portrait session drawing, which includes a session and a matted, signed 8×10 Signature Print. Crystal ~ I just sent you an email with the details and am looking forward to photographing your little ones!

Here is the play by play of D choosing Crystal as our winner!

The entries:

Making his selection:

We have a winner:

Showing off his choice:

Double-checking ~ Reminiscent of Florida in 2000:

Little Miss Curiosity is one of my favorite little people. She is sweet, cute-turning-beautiful, a talker, and most of all a lady of action. When I first met her, she reminded me of a gazelle ~ all legs and growing grace. At our session, she investigated Yates Mill, from the water to the leaves to the decking to the mill to the rocks, very thoroughly during our session this fall. I love photographing children at this age ~ she is just a tiny bit younger than my son ~ partly because it’s the time when their personalities really start to shine, partly because I love the challenge of getting a mix of expressions sans cheese, and mostly because it’s a precious stage where the last little bit of “baby” is giving way to toddler, and portraits offer a chance to hold on to the baby while looking forward to the emerging little person.

One of the coolest things about our planning for this session was that LMC’s parents brought up getting some shots of Mom and Dad in addition to our main focus of capturing some toddling adorable. I try to talk all parents into doing a few of these ~ how easy is it to be caught up in parenthood and to forget that you are married rather than partners in Raising Baby, Inc.? ~ so it was great to know that couple shots were also a priority. The last shot is one that I especially love because it is just fun to photograph a man who adores his wife. For myself, it is a little too easy to get lost in the day-to-day of running a household and a business, and I treasure the reminders that I actually am in love with this other person who lives at my house. The taller one too, not just the little one. Probably T and M have more perspective and don’t need these reminders quite the way that I do, but anyway I like to catch a guy looking like he is the luckiest man around because he found *this* woman and convinced her to marry him. Fortunately M looks like that a fair amount, so I got several opportunities.

As an aside, T has great portrait fashion ~ these are definitely on my 2011 list of best family photograph outfits. Everyone looks comfortable, stylish, like “them,” AND they mesh well with the environment.

So, without further writing from me, here are a few of my favorites from a recent session at Yates Mill (where all of the mill restoration and most of the tornado repairs seem to be complete).

I am processing a bumper crop of newborns, seniors and families that I photographed in September, but Amanda and Jose are headed out of the country shortly, and I wanted to get the tiniest of sneak peeks up for their families as soon as possible.

Their lovely wedding had a fabulous combination of perfect fall weather, abundant roses, and a fun and happy family ~ in short, it was a real celebration. Thank you so much for letting me share in your day.

I promise a full blog post soon (and lots of posts for my patient September families), but I wanted to share just one of my early favorites with you as you head to lands far, far away.

I had the best time photographing this family. A local group of photographers that I’m part of got together to play with off-camera flash in an urban setting ~ two things that I don’t often get to combine in my sessions ~ to create portraits for this family. I always gravitate to the kids, and these two were completely adorable. Very engaging, cooperative, and totally entertaining to chat with… They were pretty much my ideal subjects. Mom and Dad were very fun to photograph, too!

Thanks, Z Family, for making this such a great session and for giving me the opportunity to make some family portraits in downtown Raleigh. I know that you braved some bugs and debris, so hopefully the final product makes it worthwhile!

As always, you are welcome to copy and share these images via email and Facebook. Please leave the studio logo intact. They are sized for fast loading on the web and will not make acceptable prints.

When we first arrived, the sun was filtering through the clouds and hanging low in the sky, so I waited a bit on the flash so that I could photograph this…

I love what a hint of flash can do to open up a portrait as the sun is setting…

Or to allow me to shoot basically in the dark with a gravel path or a bumper crop of weeds for a backdrop…

Because you never know when adorable is going to turn a bit ornery and need its picture taken.

With the benefit of knowing that Hurricane Irene was less devastating than was forecasted and that we are fortunate just to have some brush and limbs in our yard, it was really kind of nice to have a day inside with nowhere to be and nothing that really had to get done. And with electricity, which we luckily kept with just some flickering.

There are things that I love about every season, but fall is my favorite, and even though this week is supposed to be hot (again/still), it is starting to seem like fall to me. It might be my amazing success buying fall clothes for D at Buttons and Bows, or it might be that I just added Sweet Potato Day at the State Farmers’ Market to my list of things I’m looking forward to in the next few months. The list already included The State Fair, wearing sweaters, chilly air, *some* football games, the start of ACC basketball season (!), leaves-turning-colors, trips to the mountains, and David’s birthday. And of course the height of portrait season.

AEWP Fall Portrait Schedule:

I’m taking a cue from a photographer friend who has simplified radically (she gave up Facebook!) as we head into the “busy season” for portraits so that I can savor photographing every session while also being more intentional about enjoying time with my family (some of whom have accused me of running upstairs to work before the last supper crumb has hit the floor ~ and been right).

So, in order to tame the chaos that seems to overtake me annually around Thanksgiving, I’ve decided that this is the year that I’m really going to set a schedule for myself and stick to it. And so (drumroll please):

I have one session left in September and a handful of dates each in October and November. Please shoot me an email to beth@aewileyphotography.com or call the studio at 919.624.1633 to schedule your 2011 session. If you are expecting, we will put your due date on the calendar and adjust based on your baby’s birthday choice : )

52 Project ~ The Letter K

It ain’t a good blog post without some images, so here are a few from what I mistakenly thought would be the toughest letter yet. Amazing what you see when you’re looking for it. These are all from the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, scene of the Wedding Photographic Society convention earlier this month.

Contest Update

I think that my love-hate relationship with Facebook might show : ) We are inching closer to the 400 mark, and I’ll give away a session to a contest blog post commenter chosen at random when we get there. I have also figured out a simpler, Facebook-approved way to host future contests where you can vote on submitted images directly on my FB page, without multiple steps, etc. and also without being spammed by a third party. Thank you so much for suggesting my page to your family and friends, and especially for recommending me personally. I know that I consider carefully the businesses that I recommend, and there is no higher compliment to give or get in my opinion. I am looking forward to sending my son off to “school” in about a week (one morning a week, anyway), I still find it a little bittersweet not to be headed off to a classroom myself, and I’ll really enjoy giving away that session when we hit 400.

August and the start of a new school year always feel like the real “new year’s” to me. It’s the time of year that I reflect, assess, make plans, and begin things anew. 2011 has been a big year of transition, personally and professionally. I’m so grateful for the clients who have become friends, for the friends who have become clients, and for everyone who has trusted me to photograph a moment that is important.

Last August, my personal life centered around my son, who was crab-crawling through the house and was still 100% my baby; professionally, I felt like a schoolteacher with no classroom to go to, no students to teach ~ frankly a little unmoored. This year, my son (though he will always be my baby) is a boy who runs everywhere and has just this week started using “I” to refer to himself as the independent little guy he is becoming; he heads to one-day-a-week preschool after Labor Day; and I am starting to feel like a photographer who truly loved teaching high school.

In the past month, I have photographed two precious newborns; I have heard my son say, “I play ball” and “I shoot basket” for the first time; I have lost a cousin who functioned like an aunt and lived like a feisty Southern woman; I have talked with a PhotoLegend about losing it all, making it big, and having a vision for one’s work and life; and I have photographed my mother being a grandmother.

So it seemed like it was only appropriate to do something kind of big for this year’s contest, because it has been a big year.

Those of you who know me well know that I love Facebook but am nearly confounded by its rules for contests. I think I’ve managed to stay on the right side of the rules again this year, with almost no administrivia for you and for me ~ except maybe cutting up the names to go into a drawing, and I secretly love stuff like that.

{The Contest}

Please “like” A. E. Wiley Photography on Facebook, ask your friends and family to “like” the FB page as well (to increase the value of the prize), and then comment on this blog post to be entered into the drawing (prizes outlined below).

The # of AEWP Facebook fans by 7:25 AM on August 25th (LRHS start time on the first day of school) will determine which of these prizes I give away. The winner will be selected randomly from comments on this blog (not from Facebook wall comments, though I love those).

400 Fans ~ Complimentary Session + 8×10 Signature Print
500 Fans ~ Complimentary Session + 11×14 Signature Print
And because I’m feeling crazy…
600 Fans ~ Complimentary Session + 5×7 Session Album
800 Fans ~ Complimentary Session + 16×20 Gallery Wrap
1000 Fans (!) ~ Complimentary session + 16×20 Gallery Wrap + 5×7 Session Album

{The Image ~ Because a blog post isn’t fun without one }

Fine Print: The complimentary session is subject to availability (I have just a few weekend sessions left in time for Christmas). You may schedule your complimentary session to take place any time between now and December 2012, subject to my availability. Your complimentary session may be done anywhere within 30 miles of Downtown Raleigh (unless you want to fly me somewhere, which is cool, too). If you are not in NC, you may give your session to someone who is local to Raleigh, or schedule it when you are visiting (again subject to availability). The complimentary session is for one nuclear family. No cash value for any of the prizes. Expires December 2012. Just to be super super clear, I will give away ONE of the prizes ~ the one that corresponds with the # of Facebook fans shown.

It is a privilege every single time that someone recommends me to a friend, and when said friend happens to have a home filled with love, antiques, a brand new BOB, and a visiting grandma who grows her own fruits and veggies, well, that’s a really good day before the first shutter click.

My grandmother used to have a sign in her kitchen that said, “A good hostess is like a swan ~ calm and serene on the surface, and paddling like h*ll underneath.” Being a new mom strikes me as presenting a lot of the same challenges. (Did I mention that this snuggly little bundle is less than two weeks old? Which, for those of you who aren’t into math, means that her mama delivered her less than two weeks ago.) But if this mama is paddling, it doesn’t show. Little Miss Sweetness is a happy, sleepy, thriving newborn whose mama has great timing and a reassuring calm that seems to pervade her home.

S&K, thank you so much for trusting me to capture Little Miss S’s photographic debut. She is simply wonderful. I have so many more, including quite a few in your lovely ivy, but these two just begged to be blogged.

~Beth

As always, please feel free to share these images via email, Facebook, etc. Please leave them as they are, with the watermark intact. They are sized for fast loading on the web and will not make acceptable prints.

Newborns are one of my favorite subjects to photograph, and I could not have asked for a more welcoming family or a more cooperative baby. N was a tiny bundle of happy, milky contentedness throughout our session, treating me to sweet sleepy grins and tiny little sighs as we wrapped her up and moved her this way and that. A big shout out to Mom, who got in touch on the day that N was born to set the date for her photographic debut (!), worked our portrait session into those hectic first few days of life (!!), and looked amazing to boot (no !s… I suspect that that’s your usual).

You guys did everything right to have a wonderful session, right down to adjusting the thermostat, and little N definitely did her part to show off her abundant cuteness. Thank you so much for the chance to photograph your beautiful bundle. She is obviously a treasure and very much loved. I can’t wait to show you the full gallery — J & Patton & N’s grandmother are pretty good looking in their own rights — but I wanted to share a few of my early favorites, and I’m a tiny bit biased toward mama-and-baby portraits. Congratulations again on your very photogenic miracle.

Please feel free to copy these images for sharing electronically. Please leave the watermark intact. These images are sized for optimal web-based use and therefore will not print acceptably.

Clickin’ Mamas — I’m so looking forward to meeting up with all of you at the Arboretum next week. I had a great time at the camera shop yesterday assembling a little prize for the winner of the scavenger hunt (oh yes — there’s a snapshot scavenger hunt).

The answer to last week’s inaugural snapshot challenge was: I lay in “dead bug” or “angel in the snow” position (thank you, Stroller Strides) and photographed him while he showed me his belly. (Scroll to the next post if you want to see the shot again.) You can just see the edges of my legs in the bottom corners of the snap. Moms of toddlers, you have not doubt noticed that children become camera aware around the time that they become steady walkers, and at that point posing them outside of a studio is virtually impossible. But they LOVE to show off their skillz — and their bellies — and you can use that to your advantage.

This week’s challenge is all about the light — the most important ingredient for any photograph. A point for the first mama to correctly name the main source of light in this photograph, and its direction.

If you can figure out how I got D to sit still to be photographed, that’s worth a point to the first mama to leave it in a comment here, too.

Session Scheduling Nuts and Bolts: Thank you so much for your kind words and referrals. We’ve had some crazy weather and germ-related reschedules, and May went from being full to being brimming — so grateful to be busy and so excited to photograph your families. With some of the rescheduling getting pushed into June, I went from zero to nearly full pretty fast — June has one weekend session available. I do try to squeeze in newborns, since the window for that sleepy sweetness is so short (two weeks max, and the earlier the better) and due dates aren’t exactly a science. If you’re expecting a summer bundle, now is the time to pencil in a tentative window for your newborn session.