Becoming a cell phone photographer ~The Angle

I wanted to share a short tip with everyone today that will help you get the most out of your cell phone photos and hopefully turn you into a better home photographer.

Everyone want to take great photos of their kids, but not everyone has a camera. And those who have a camera don't want to haul it around to the park and play dates. I know I don't want it getting in the way when I'm trying to spend some quality time with my boys.

Most the time you have a cell phone in your pocket or purse. Who doesn't these days? You get it out, you snap some photos, but they just don't look great. Here is your tip for the day - Change your angle!

I took a few photos with my cell phone to illustrate my thoughts.

This is a photo taken from above the subject. I was standing. See how all you see is the couch around my youngest. It's an ok picture.

Instead of standing above the subject, get low. Crouch down on their level and give the shot a new angle. This way your eye is drawn to the subject instead of them getting lost in the background.

Now, there are always exceptions to the rule, but give this a try and see how much your photography changes.

Now, for all of you who Instagram, don't forget to add a filter and share your photos :)

How I Edit my Images

There is a lot to be said about editing your photos and it can be easy to over process the image.

From the camera to the final edit there is a process that I go through to make sure that my images look clean and natural but also have a pop of color and depth to them.

The photos start in the camera. I try to get the best natural lighting during the shoot so I don't have to do a lot of messing with contrast and color in the office later. Most the time it works out, but there is always that one photo that you want to keep, but the lighting isn't right. In those situations a black and white image might be the best choice to save the photo.

Next, the images come out of the camera as a RAW file. This is where I an tweek the color and contrast so when I do my final color popping edit, I don't have to add a layer of dark or light color to the images. It saves me a lot of time in the office.

The last step and definitely the most time consuming is the final color pop edit. This is where I can get the blues to be more blue and the greens to be more green. I can give the image a depth that I wouldn't be able to just out of camera. I can also remove blemishes and background objects that don't need to be there. (So don't worry about that zit on your chin. It is easily removed.)

Here are a few before and after edits from my past sessions this year. Enjoy!

Hartley Family ~ Tigard, Oregon Family Photography

With the light dwindling we headed to the lake. It was a calm and beautifully warm night in October and these girls brought all the charm. Thank you Shannon for allowing me to spend some time with you and your adorable girls. They are such a blessing and I am glad you were able to make it to the park with me. I hope you enjoy your photos. ~Sara~

Bloom Family ~ Canby Family Photography

I got to explore this amazing farm with some new friends. These girls couldn't be more adorable. Thanks for spending this beautiful day with me. I hope you enjoy your photos as much as I enjoyed capturing them. ~Sara ~