Setting up great photos is not as difficult as you might think. Of course, you’ve seen photos (and maybe taken a few) where the subjects in the photos are squinting into the sun, or have been washed out because of the wrong lighting, or maybe the subject of the photo isn’t as clear as you wanted.

Here are a few tips to help you when you’re setting up great photos.

Focus on one subject. Make that person or object the primary one when you’re setting up great photos. Don’t try to prioritize everything in one shot. Do you want to focus on the person or the landscape? If it’s the landscape you want to be primary, be sure the person or people in the shot aren’t obscuring some part of the landscape. If you want to focus on the person, bring them in closer to the camera and have the landscape be a gorgeous background.

Before you trigger the shutter, be sure to check to see that you’re not cutting off part of the landscape or part of the person. When setting up great photos, you want all of the subject you can get in the photo. Include more space around the person who is the focus. Cropping a photo is easier than photoshopping part of the person back in.

Be sure of your light source. When you’re setting up great photos, you don’t want to shoot into a light source. This will backlight the subject and wash out your photo. Sometimes, you can offset the light source by using a flash to light up the subject. This can work sometimes. You may have to experiment to see if the light source is too strong.

Always check your focus. Be sure your subject is in focus. When you’re setting up great photos, there’s nothing so disappointing than to see your subject out of focus in the final picture.

Change the camera angle for added interest. The idea is setting up great photos. Experiment with different camera angles for more drama and interest.

Use the environment to frame your shots. When setting up great photos you can use the land around you to frame the shots you take and add interest to your photos.

All these things and more make for more interesting and dramatic photos. Today, you want the best photographers available to take your photos. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.  

The history of photography as a medium of expression is only about two hundred years old. But the first use of a primitive camera happened in the early 11th century. It was used to study how light could be used to project an image onto a flat surface. But there have been found references to the camera obscura in texts from China around 400 B.C. and in the writings of Aristotle about 330 B.C.

Of course, these primitive ‘cameras’ could do little. The history of photography started coming into its own with the invention of processes using light sensitive chemicals. In 1727, silver salts were found to be sensitive to light.

The history of photography took a great leap forward in the 1800s. Metal plates were exposed to sunlight, then placed in a solvent. Eventually and slowly an image would appear. These first experiments with photographic images required about eight hours of exposure to light and faded quickly.

The daguerreotype process of fixing images onto a sheet of silver-plated copper was the next step in the history of photography. This process still required about 30 minutes of exposure and was considered the first practical process of photography.

A part of the process required polishing the silver and giving it a thin layer of iodine. This made a surface that was sensitive to light. Once the silver sheet was exposed to light for a few minutes, it was bathed in silver chloride. This step in the history of photography produced a lasting image that didn’t fade when exposed to light.

One drawback to the daguerreotype process was its inability reproduce images. Each image was unique.

It was later, around 1841, that the next step in the history of photography came about. An Englishman sensitized paper to light using a silver salt solution. When this paper was exposed to light, a negative image appeared. Contact prints that reversed the dark and light parts of the image could then be made.

Major steps in the history of photography then occurred. First was the dry plate process that replaced the wet plate and the need for multiple and dangerous chemicals.

Rollable film came next in the steps of the history of photography in 1889.

In the 1940s viable color film was introduced in the history of photography. The instant film camera was introduced in 1948. Since then, the steps in the history of photography have been great, culminating in the digital processes of today. Today, you want the best photographers available to take your photos. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments.

There are a number of reasons those first birthday photos are important. Whether your first or your third, your baby is growing up. Think about those milestones he or she has met in this first year.

Remember their first step? What about that first tooth? Or the first time they said Mama or Dada?

There are so many things your baby has accomplished this early in his or her life. Making sure those first birthday photos are well done marks a very significant milestone in his or her life.

And while you’re busy getting everything set up just right, the cake either ordered or baked, decorations just right, invitations sent out, you might just forget one very important thing: the first birthday photos.

And like so many parents now, you may not want to be stuck behind the camera instead of enjoying your baby on this momentous occasion. That’s a really good reason to hire a professional photographer for those first birthday photos.

All birthdays are special, but first birthdays are extra special. Just think, not long before you were holding that little one in your arms and now here he or she is, standing alone, walking, and seemingly all grown up already.

There are several things you can do to make that first birthday, and those first birthday photos, really special. For example: take a picture of your little one the night before as he or she is asleep. Put that in the baby book as the time he or she fell asleep as an 11-month old only to wake as a one year old!

Those first birthday photos can be made more special by making sure your baby has a good nap before the party. You want him or her to be on their best behavior. As soon as they see all those presents and all that great food, they may change from being your little darling!

Consider having a theme for the party. Not only will that provide for great first birthday photos, it will also make things easier for you.

An outdoor venue may be wonderful for the party, weather permitting. This will make for great first birthday photos, too.

Remember: the first birthday photos and the party are not for the baby. They’re for you and all of those who helped make the first year of your baby’s life so good.

You want the best photographers available to take your first birthday photos. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.  

Whether it is your first baby or any other number, you want to be sure to get plenty of newborn photos. Why newborns? Because babies change dramatically in the first one or two weeks of life outside the womb. What you see today will be gone tomorrow.

And if you don’t get those newborn photos in the first few days of life, too many other things will intrude on you. Trying to grab a few hours of sleep, feeding and changing the baby, being just too worn out to do much more will get in the way of taking those newborn photos that will mean so much later on.

And snapshots on the camera phone just won’t do.

Newborn photos deserve much better. They deserve a professional photographer.

When your baby is small, they sleep a lot. Those sleeping positions they curl into now won’t be there next week. It’s important to grab the newborn photos while you have the chance.

A major plus for having a professional photographer do your newborn photos is for both mom and dad to be in the pictures. Much of the time, one or the other of you will be taking the photos while the other holds the baby. This allows both of you to be in the newborn photos.

Another reason for newborn photos is: Memories. Later on, somewhere down the road, you will pull out those newborn photos and compare them to the toddler or school child or graduate you see.

Avoiding regrets is another reason for newborn photos. If you don’t have them done, later you’ll wish you did. Regrets hurt. Don’t allow yourself to do that to you.

There are a few tips to keep in mind when having newborn photos made by a professional. One is to be sure to keep the baby warm. Heating blankets before wrapping your newborn in them will help keep him/her/them comfortable. It helps to keep the squirms down.

Waiting to feed your baby until you get to the studio where your newborn photos will be done is also a good idea. A full belly equals a resting baby.

If at all possible, schedule your newborn photos to be done in the morning. Most babies are more cooperative at that time of day. Plus, newborns typically sleep better in the mornings.

You want the best photographers available to take your newborn photos. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.  

Having a baby is a life-changing event that should be preserved in maternity photos. Whether it’s the first or fourth, maternity photos will be a keepsake you won’t regret.

Being pregnant isn’t easy, and it brings changes to your body and mood that you may not want to have preserved in maternity photos. But once the baby has arrived and things settle down (as much as they will), you’ll be glad you have the photos to memorialize this blessed event.

Many times, the most uncomfortable things in life bring us the most joy afterward. Maternity photos are one way of remembering those uncomfortable times in the forthcoming times of joy.

Maternity photos are not just about a bump. They are reminders of a miraculous thing. Two people join together to make another person. There is little more miraculous than that.

Maternity photos are celebrations, also. You’re about to meet a brand new person that no one has met before. You’re also celebrating a relationship between you and your partner. In addition, you’re celebrating just how strong this body you have really is.

You’re celebrating what only a woman can do: Grow and nurture a completely helpless new person for 40 weeks and then bring him/her into the world.

Here are some tips for making those maternity photos the best you possibly can.

Timing is most important. Probably the end of your second trimester will be the best time for maternity photos. The baby bump is obvious and you still have the energy to get all dressed up and get out.

Choosing the right kind of outfit for your maternity photos is also very important. Loose, flowy dresses make for good photos. You’ll also probably want to bring along something that is tighter and shows off the baby bump for other photos.

You’ll want to pamper yourself for your maternity photos, too. Get your hair done and styled professionally, along with your makeup. You deserve it at this point, after all.

Choose your location for your maternity photos carefully. A location that is naturally beautiful will make your maternity photos really stand out. A place that has special meaning for you will make the photos more dear to you, as well.

You want the best photographers available to take your maternity photos. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.

In this digital age, the vast majority of the photos you take are probably taken on your cell phone. Many of them are blurry, off-center, or rushed. Too often there are far too few family photos that capture the essence of your family.

What are the things most often grabbed when a house is on fire and the people want to be sure these treasures are safe? Family photos.

But you can’t grab what you don’t have.

Unfortunately, most people don’t think about that until it’s too late. One of the most common, and comforting, things people do after losing someone they love is bring out the family photos and go through them.

This helps you remember and gain a tiny bit of comfort when that person is no longer around.

Of course, the process can also be upsetting. Not necessarily because the family photos reinforce the fact that the person is no longer here, but also because you may not find as many as you hoped.

When you look at those family photos, you feel a sense of pride in your family and you want to share them with others. You remember good times, you can travel back in time and re-live some experiences that mean a great deal to you, you’re reminded of how fast time passes, and you learn how to enjoy the time you have now with loved ones.

Family photos connect you with your past and show your kids you once were one like them. This helps your kids grow a connection with their family history, also.

It’s been proven that helping your kids see your family as a cohesive unit will build their self-esteem, their feeling of belonging, their sense of being loved.

Having family photos taken can become a time for bonding among the members of your family. The closeness, the touching, the being in the presence of those who are most important to you is very valuable.

These are just a few reasons for the importance of family photos.

You want the best photographers available to take the photos of your family. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.  

Last month we discussed some tips on displaying your photos so that they can be enjoyed and bring pleasure in your home. This month, we continue the discussion with more tips.

When displaying your photos, you need be aware of the glazing that is used. Glazing is the glass or other transparent material that allows your photos to be seen clearly.

There are different types of glazing. If you want to preserve your photos for many years, you may want to invest in conservation-grade material that will protect your photos from UV rays. This type of glazing is more expensive but may be worth it if displaying your photos is a very long-term project.

Another consideration to ponder when displaying your photos is whether to use glass or acrylic. Both have good points and not-so-good points.

For example, acrylic is more lightweight and resists shattering. On the other hand, it is more easily scratched than glass. Its light weight makes it better for shipping where weight equals cost.

Glass is a better choice because of the scratching factor. Also, it won’t become as charged with static electricity as acrylic. When acrylic becomes charged like this, every bit of dust and hair inside a fair distance will adhere to it.

Yet another factor to keep in mind when displaying your photos is the mounting board you use. Rigidity and quality are the two most important factors when choosing your mounting board.

You want to have a sufficiently rigid mounting board when displaying your photos to prevent buckling of your photo. In general terms, the thicker the mounting board, the better. Thicker boards won’t be affected as much by temperature and humidity. Be sure the thickness of the mounting board doesn’t exceed the depth of the frame’s rabbet.

Also, you will likely want to include a dust paper to the back of the frame when displaying your photos. This will keep out dust and other particles from the photo.

Be sure the wire and other equipment you use to secure your photo to the wall are of good quality. Displaying your photos can become a disaster if the wire and hooks securing them to the wall give way.

You want the best photographers available to take the photos you’re going to display. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.  

With the invention of cameras on cell phones, more photos are being taken on a daily basis. This brings up a related question of what is the best way of displaying your photos.

Certainly, you can post photos on social media and display them in that way. But that doesn’t give you the pleasure of viewing them as often as you’d like unless you spend a great deal of time looking at your computer or your cell phone.

Instead, consider having your photos printed and displaying your photos in your home.

There is still something very satisfying about having your precious photos out where you can handle them and hang them on the wall. Displaying your photos in this way also lends a feeling of warmth to your home and adds to the attractiveness of your home.

Displaying your photos can be as simple or as complex as you desire. Some of them will be perfectly all right placed in a nice frame and placed on your desk where you can enjoy them at your leisure. Others may lend themselves to being hung in prominent places in your home to be enjoyed by everyone who comes to see you.

Displaying your photos is a process that can take some time and investment to protect the photos and show them off in the best way. Possibly the first thing to take into consideration is the frame for your photo.

You want to match the frame to the style of your home or office. You don’t want frames that garishly stand out from the rest of your décor when displaying your photos. Simple designs are always acceptable. In fact, most galleries and museums use very simple frames for photos.

You want the focus of attention to be on the photo itself and not on the frame that protects it. Thus, you don’t want to use frames that distract from the photos themselves when displaying your photos.

In the same way, you want to be sure the color of your frames do not clash with the colors in your photos. It can help to use a computer to make a mock-up of what your photo will look like inside different frames. This will help you in selecting the proper frames for displaying your photos.

Next month, we’ll look at other aspects to be considered when displaying your photos.

You want the best photographers available to take the photos you’re going to display. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs.  

Especially at this time of the year, taking photos of kids is a major event. There are a number of things you need to keep in mind if you’re going to take your own photos of kids.

One major thing to do is get very familiar with your camera. Most phone cameras will take fair photos of kids but having a better camera will provide you with better photos. Know what your camera will do, both the basics and with additional gear you might have.

Be sure to know where all the bells and whistles, knobs and buttons are, and be sure to look through the menu of settings to get familiar with them.

To make those one-in-a-lifetime photos of kids, you need to be sure to have a burst function. This allows you to make a series of photos in a row. This way, you won’t miss that first smile or the T-ball swing their first time at bat.

Kids are fast. So, when you’re taking photos of kids you need a good autofocus and fast burst speed. You may want to consider a DSLR camera if you’re thinking about buying a new one because they’re faster and you won’t miss those just-too-cute moments.

So many times those really good photo moments happen in poor light conditions, too. The DSLR cameras will have longer lens and will make better pictures 90% of the time. This is true even if you just let the camera do everything in auto mode when taking photos of kids.

Be sure you know how to use the flash on your camera. Even when you’re taking photos of kids outdoors the flash can improve your photos.

Certainly, the autofocus function on your camera will allow you to make good photos of kids without doing much more than point and shoot. But you need to know how to use the manual mode also.

A good place to begin is the aperture priority aspect. This controls the f-number on your camera. Most of the time when taking photos of kids you’ll want a low f-number to let in more light to the camera. If you’re trying to get more than one kid in the photo, you’ll want a higher f-number to make the image sharper.

Shutter speed is another function to investigate when taking photos of kids. In general, fast kids need higher shutter speeds. When indoors or in low light, use slower shutter speeds. Play around with this, get very familiar with it, and practice.

Even you might be able to take your own photos of kids, sometimes you want the best photographers available. Pixel Perfect Photography in Amherst, NH, is the perfect place to capture the magic of your moments. Karen and Kiera are waiting to do their best for you. Call 603-672-8780 to schedule a time to get together and plan how they will meet your needs. They can even give you advice on taking your own photos of kids.