You are currently browsing the archives for November, 2011.
by emily on November 29, 2011
My photo tip for today is to shoot in RAW if your camera supports it. (All DSLRs can do this.) I resisted for a really long time because I didn’t know how easy it was to do post-processing. After someone I met told me how easy it was, I finally tried it. Now, I regret all of the photos I didn’t take in RAW! I could have saved myself loads of work in PhotoShop and gotten much better results in many cases.
I have a Canon 5D Mark II camera so I use Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software that came with the camera. (It was the same software bundled with the Canon Rebel XT too.)
Basically, a RAW file doesn’t throw away any information, so you can easily change the white balance, or lighten or darken or change the contrast or tones without make it look weird. 
This photo is SOOC (Straight out of the camera). Terrible lighting, which is what happens when you shoot at 5 PM inside.
Here I clicked on the white in the skunk’s tail to set the white balance. Then I cropped. (It took 5 clicks of my mouse to get the photo to this point.)
Next I warmed up the color tones by using the slider and clicked up the sharpness by a few notches. I also reduced the noise in the photo. (Those three steps are my favorite ones that are only available on RAW photos, not when using the software to process JPGs.)
Last, I stepped up the brightness. I really should have used a white blanket for a background instead of a cream-colored one. (I need to buy a white one!)
Overall, it’s not an award-winning photo, but I like the look on Jackson’s face and his sweater, although it makes him look really round!
Leave me a comment if you are interested in learning more about RAW and I can explain a bit more about my workflow next Tuesday. I have a baby (AKA not a lot of free time). I tend to take the easy (AKA fast) way when it comes to processing my photos.
Tags: Jackson, RAW
by emily on November 28, 2011
This week’s theme is “Bust A Gut.” No little grins here – in this photo the little man is laughing with that big toothless mouth! He has a high-pitched squeal of delight. I’d dressed him up in the Hawaiian shirt Mike and Casey got him in Hawaii before it got too small for him and ended up get some good laughs!
by emily on November 24, 2011
Our little man is getting so big!! Yesterday, our friend Carl said he looks like a 1-year-old. (He’s 5.5 months old now.)
I love the look on his face – he is such a smiley guy! I guarantee this is the beginning of a laugh and kicking feet.
Jon bought him this hat sometime during my pregnancy. This photo was on the second day after he was born. His poor little eyes were so red and swollen!
After the nurses gave him his bath in the hospital, he came back to us wearing a pink “Born in Shanghai” shirt. (Colors don’t mean anything in China, but we did receive a blue one upon our checkout from the hospital.) He fills it out a little better now!
Jackson wore:
Skull beanie – CrazyBabyClothing.com
Born in Shanghai t-shirt – gifted from Parkway Health
Cammoflauge pants – hand-me-downs from cousin Amber
Shoes – from the fake market in Hongqiao
Tags: Jackson
Posted in Small Style 1 year, 6 months ago at 10:01 PM. 2 comments
by emily on November 22, 2011
A few weeks ago, I went to a Bumps and Babes meeting about photography. The photographer suggested putting baby on a blanket, face the window, and take photos! Really, it’s so simple to get great photos. (Well, as long as baby cooperates.)
Here’s my setup.
It’s easy to get at eye level if you put the baby on the bed! I pile some pillows behind him and throw the sheet over the top to create a make-shift “seamless backdrop.”
Also, with babies a spit-rag to mop up the drool between photos is essential. (As pictured to the left.)
My back is to the window and he’s looking into the light (notice the nice catch-lights in his eyes.)
Move the camera close to baby, set at a low F-stop and focus on the eyes.
That’s it!
Tags: Jackson, Tips
by emily on November 18, 2011
I love these jammies. Jackson loves them too. They were gifted from Megan, who went through every pair on the rack to find the ones with the cutest robot placement. Check out the orange guy waving and the gray one peeking out on the foot! Jackson has just as many jammies as outfits, I think. But hey, he’s a baby. It’s OK to wear your jammies all day, right?
Jackson wore:
Footed Robot PJs – gifted from Megan (from The Children’s Place)
Tags: Jackson, PJs, robots
Posted in Small Style 1 year, 6 months ago at 11:27 PM. 2 comments
by emily on November 16, 2011
I’ve been reading lots of mommy/photog blogs lately. There are so many different themes for posts I could do! Photo Tip Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, Small Style on Thursdays, SOOC Sunday (Straight Out Of Camera), Macro Monday and all of the fun linky parties that go with it. I took a bunch of photos today but didn’t have time to process them, so they’ll be posted for next week’s Small Style.
So here’s Jackson debuting his first Small Style post. (Thanks for dropping the hints Erica.) He looks like such a little boy and not a baby! And it’s his first time ever to wear shoes!
Jackson wore:
Sweater – gifted (from Zara)
Jeans – gifted (from Baby Gap)
Shoes – from the fake market in Hongqiao
Tags: Jackson
by emily on November 13, 2011
I’ve spent almost all of my non-Jackson time working on a Holiday Shopping website for Shopping Tours Shanghai the last couple weeks. I did it all, from taking the product shots to setting up the shopping cart with PayPal. This is my favorite shot though!
Tags: Jackson, STS
Posted in Photography 1 year, 6 months ago at 12:41 AM. 2 comments
