Tips & Tricks To Better Instagram Photos

Would you love to have better pictures in your Instagram feed?

It’s easy to improve your photos for Instagram and you can start by following these 7 simple steps.

1. Lighting is the key. Make sure your subject is facing a window if inside, but not in direct light – big & north facing windows are best. If you are outside, shoot in the open shade to avoid harsh shadows – buildings provide awesome open shade. Cloudy days are my favorite -it’s like a big filter in the sky Avoid shooting at night when possible, the low light availability causes blurriness in your images. Always have your subjects face the light!
2. Don’t use the Instagram camera. Instead, take your pictures with your camera’s phone or even using the Camera+ app. Both will create better images that have more clarity. Then select them from your photo album once you are in Instagram.
3. Use better editing apps. Instagram’s filters have been outdone by better apps including VSCO, Camera+, Photoshop Express, and many more. If you want to up your photography game, then you need better filters and editing options.
4. Get creative. Use angles, compositions, and even vary the distance from your subject. Don’t be afraid to take many pictures and just choose one. Playing around will stretch your creativity and help you develop more originality.
5. Add blur. Using the blur function within Instagram is a great mimic to the “shallow depth of field” that can only be created with DSLR cameras. But if you’re not shooting with a DSLR, then just add blur.
6. Avoid zooming in all the way with your camera phone – it will lead to pixellation because the lens in your camera phone is not equipped to handle that amount of zoom.
7. Make sure your compositions fit into the instagram square ratio. To make sure you have enough room left to right, you may have to take a step back to get in the square composition. You can always crop and adjust to the square ratio in your editing. Just remember that it’s easier to crop something out then to add something that isn’t there.
Here are some photos of my son using these Tips & Tricks To Better Instagram Photos.

 

I hope you learned something :)

And as always with photography: practice, practice, practice!

Holiday Lights, Long Exposures & Lens Distortions

I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season!

I for one, am glad the holidays are over and I can get back into a normal groove instead of going everywhere all the time. Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE the holidays: the energy, the decorations, the activities, the lights, the spirit of Christmas, the coming togetherness – ALL OF IT! But I find it exhausting, especially being a single mom trying to do it all.  I  like to settle down into a winter slumber, be cozy and focus inward. Over the holidays I found a new favorite thing to do with my camera, my 24-70mm lens and a tripod = long exposures at night with Christmas lights. Omgoodness, these are too cool and I had to share them! It all started by my boyfriend and I going to Detroit for the evening over the holidays. We went to Campus Martius Park downtown Detroit and fell in love with all it’s glory! The lights, the energy, the food, the shopping! We found a rooftop overlooking the park and took some stellar shots – I’m beginning to think he loves photography as much as I do! I just had to share long exposures of holiday lights at Campus Martius Park!

 

 Another favorite thing… long exposures at night with Christmas lights WITH lens distortions!  You have to check these out!! These are too fun to photograph and too fun to see the results! These are from local light displays. We drove around, found them and I jumped out of the car with my camera and tripod and fired away. It’s interesting to see how unique they are from photo to photo. I hope you love them as much as I do. Enjoy!

Photo of the Day {Temperance Childrens Photographer}

Have a GREAT weekend :)

Blissfield Railroad Days {Michigan Children’s Photographer}

I took my little guy to Blissfield Railroad Days to check out some trains. Boy, did we had a FUN day!!!

a quick shout out {a fabulous business}

This brought a smile to my face when I saw this adorable arrangement at my parents funeral. I seriously love this design from Beautiful Blooms by Jen. The AMAZING ladies are incredibly CREATIVE! Beautiful Blooms by Jen is a FABULOUS full service & local Florist that I am proud to call my friends!

Rest in Peace Mom

Maria “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and good courage. Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9
I am so saddened for losing my best friend and also so overjoyed for your new journey. I’ll see you again, check in on us every now and then.
I Love you!
Yvonne
 

The Victory Center Pretty in Pink Fashion Show

Every now and then I donate my services to a worthwhile charity. The Victory Center in Toledo, OH is just that!  For 15 years The Victory Center has been reaching out to cancer patients and their families… providing love, support, compassion, hope and laughter. 

I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this amazing event!!!

 

Need to Shed before the Wedding?

Okay, I admit it I have a personal trainer! Her name is Maria McKeand and she is awesome because doesn't hurt me during a workout (and laughs). Seriously, she cares about how I am feeling during my workouts and she pushes me further than I would normally push myself and without judgement. The really cool part is that I'm in not pain the next day or the day after BUT I do feel like I had a great workout!!! Another cool part of having Maria as a Personal Trainer is that she holds you accountable for your workout times and your weight loss goals. She is a woman and totally understands our parts and will target those womanly areas that seem to constantly need work - ugh! Check her out on facebook: McKeand Fitness
Maria offers group workout sessions for bridal parties (which can be totally fun with your besties) and this ensures that all your girls are in top notch shape for your day (and your photos). She is also doing a Bridal Boot Camp which is totally cool!!! You can workout with other Brides while sharing ideas, trade stories and get some great tips from fellow ladies going through the exact same thing you are. Why not connect with some new friends while working out?!?

Another way I am shedding (I've lost 20 lbs since Thanksgiving - whooo hoo!) is that I am on a program called Herbal Life. My friends at Outstanding Nutrition are helping me BIGTIME to get my health back in check. Whatever you need to lose, they are there for you (without judgement). The owners of Outstanding Nutrition (Sheryl & Terence Losey) used to be obese and decided to turn their life around and get their health back. Now they have never been healthier in their adult lives and are dedicated to help others to do the same! And I am on my way... I have 2 super yummy shakes a day and quality vitamins and it's pretty amazing - my skin looks awesome and I feel incredible (and I'm losing weight - which is rare for me because I have PCOS - more on that in later blogs)!!! This is what I am finding out: "Your body needs nutrients to function properly. Getting the right amount of these nutrients is necessary for a balanced nutrition, which provides fuel for your daily functions and can help you achieve a healthy, active lifestyle" pretty simple, huh? It just seems that we are all super busy in our lives that we don't make time to take care of our health the way we should - especially with planning a wedding and all the poor food choices out there! With Outstanding Nutrition, the shakes are super quick and pretty much mindless in "what am I going to have to breakfast & lunch?" - simple answer: a quick & easy & nutritious shake that fills you up! I'd rather grab a yummy shake than fast food drive thru any day! Outstanding Nutrition offers a quick and yummy alternative to "fast food" - their slogan is "Fast Food for Smart People" and it's soo true! I spend less $$$ at Outstanding Nutrition for a meal than I would spend at Taco Bell! Yup, it's less expensive and is sooo much better for you. Give them a try, each shake is about 300 calories and is loaded with protein! And the coolest part is that you can have a Wedding Cake Shake AND it's good for you :o) I took some photos while I was there, check them out:

October 2011

Meet my son Joe! (aka MoJo) He is my absolute LOVE and my favorite subject to photograph!!! October is my favorite month and I decided to share with you a few of the MANY photos that I take of MoJo. Can you tell he is a natural model? 

... or he's just REALLY used to the camera by now :o)  Enjoy~

Personal: Things I LOVE

Hello Blog world! I thought I should start my blog with the things I love~ After all I am surrounded by clients in love SO feel like I should share who, what, and why I LOVE the things I LOVE and what keeps me going in life. Sooooo, here we go....

Numero Uno: Jesus Christ
I have yet to get a photo of him personally, but I feel like He is in every photo I have ever taken. I LOVE taking photos therefore I feel He is there. He IS the definition of LOVE and without Him there is no Love~
This is my husband Brian and me. It is our very 1st photo of when we started dating and I absolutely LOVE this picture! It's nothing fancy, but it shows how happy we are :o)

These are my parents. Of course I love them, not because they raised me to the best of their ability and unconditionally but because they did it in a self-less manner as well. They always put us kids before their needs and wants, no matter what the cost. We had the very best of everything they could provide and they only wanted for us to be happy in return! I hope that I can live to up to those standards for my children.


These were my boys Lenny n Miles. I absolutely LOVE the way they would cuddle!!! Need I say more? :o) Both of them passed on and I miss them terribly! Their kitty cuddles were pretty sweet~

This is the beach Brian & I got married on. Isn't it just gorgeous??? It's located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The really cool part is that most of the locals that we talked to never even heard of this beach, it is pretty secluded and just perfect! Next is one of our wedding photos....


Here is my super cute, handsome and adorable husband Brian at Milan Dragway. He loves to drag race and I love to go and take photos of all the super cool cars and sweet people. We have an absolute blast every time we go.... here are some more shots at the track...

This is our 1966 Plymouth Barracuda with a small block Chevy. It kicks some serious butt!!! Check out the next few photos of him beating a motorcycle - which is very hard to do!


Next is our driver: 1968 Plymouth Barracuda. You can say we have a "pair-of-cudas" - he he! Brian found this car in total pieces and completely rebuilt it. The coolest part of it (besides the hemi engine inside it) is that he just finished it right before we met!!! Woot-woot, no work and all play! My FAVORITE thing to do is to go on day trips in the hemi car! I am currently learning to drive a stick shift sooooo hopefully one day soon I will be able to drive it out and about :o)

My baby boy, Joe! He is my absolute LOVE!!! I never thought that I could love someone sooooo much & I honestly never knew that kind of love ever existed until I saw him for the first time. He just takes my breath away~ These are his 1st year photos narrowed waaay down - I think I have over 3000 images of him so far...












I think this one is by far my favorite image of him so far. The next one is up there too. I just love the light and the feeling of his 1st Christmas is so prevalent!


Ok, so anyone that knows me knows that I am an avid gardener. I love planting and nurturing and seeing new blooms - it makes all that hard work in the beginning so worth it. Then to top it off I love taking photos of my "babies"! Here are some of my favorites:















Another love I have is biking! Not the kind with a motor, but an actual bicycle. I can ride for hours and hours. I put over 700 miles on my bike just last year, and this year I am hoping to hit 1,000 miles! We sometimes take day trips to different bike trails to change up the scenery a bit. My favorite place is just outside of Akron, OH (where I went to school), and in the fall makes it even better!



I love fall! Everything about it: the smells, the air, the light. I happen to find this leaf on one of our day trips.

Did I mention that I Love day trips? I LOVE day trips!!! Especially in the hemi car~ I love driving along and then pulling off the side of the road to take photos like these:




I love New York City! The architecture is absolutely amazing!!! I am truly a fan of the "center of the universe" (that's what the people from the city refer to it as)!


On our 1 year wedding anniversary we went to Hocking Hills in Ohio -it sits at the foothills of the Appalician Trail. In the springtime there is breathtaking imagery of all the waterfalls. The best part of our trip is that we brought home a little souvenir (lil Joe)!





So Blog world, that's about it for now. I will keep adding from time to time. Hope you check in every now and then!
Love~ Yvonne