BlogHer

Traveling with Family Can Be a Blessing

August 3, 2013 by Lucrecer Leave a Comment

When I was invited to be a Viewfinder Day speaker at Blogher ’13, I thought about taking my kids and my mom with me. Needless to say, they were very excited about the trip when I mentioned it to them. My daughters and my mom were thrilled. My son was concerned about the long drive. In the end, my kids were all troopers.

While I was attending the conference, my family explored Chicago on their own. They learned how to use the bus system, found their way to the Lincoln Zoo and explored the Navy Pier. I would receive text messages throughout the day telling me where they were. They saw more of Chicago than me and I have visited twice!

Before leaving, my son wanted to see Cloud Gate, or the Bean as it is best known, before we left Chicago to head home. And, he insisted I take a picture of him “holding the Bean.

I am glad I brought my family with me and here is why. When attending a conference as large as BlogHer, one thing I long for is something familiar and comforting. My family is that for me. I was able to come back to my room and see their faces, hear their laughs and feel their hugs. I loved hearing about their adventures or the new places they found to eat. Having them with me in Chicago was a blessing.

They enjoyed the trip and being with me at a conference so much, they are planning to go with me to the next one. Another great thing about having my family with me was they were able to meet my online friends in person. That right there made me so proud and happy.

Filed Under: Me & My People Tagged With: BlogHer, chicago, Cloud Gate, comfort, conference, explore, familiar, family, friends, kids, Lincoln Zoo, mom, Navy Pier, sculpture, the Bean, traveling

Four Tips for Shooting Awesome People Portraits

August 1, 2013 by Lucrecer 4 Comments

Amiyrah of 4 Hats and Frugal

In between sessions at Viewfinder Day, Serena, Amiyrah and I went outside for a quick photo shoot. I love taking portraits and every time I do, I am reminded why I love photography so much. We spent about twenty minutes shooting pictures of each other and sharing tips. When shooting other people, here are a few basic tips for capturing your subject at their best:

Catch them laughing. Do this and you know you will have a great shot. People who are laughing tend to be more relaxed and their pictures always look better. Get them laughing and you will have a great shoot.
Let them “fall into” their poses naturally. I always ask the person I am photographing to stand comfortably. When they do this, the posing does not look forced. Have them extend or slightly alter the pose for the most flattering shot.
Shoot in all kinds of light. When you have challenging lighting situations, make it work for you. The sun was at 1 p.m. when the ladies and I went out to shoot pictures. Instead of shying away from it, we embraced it. I had them stand in the shade and lots of light was coming through the tree they were standing under. I had them turn and shift their faces until the light was more of a highlight/accent before taking the picture. This gave the pictures a natural, artistic flare.
Enjoy the process. When you are shooting with other people, enjoy the process of sharing something you all enjoy. Photowalks and group shoots are a great way to learn and share what you know. After seeing how images looked with the prime lenses I was using, Serena now knows the next lens she is going to purchase for her camera. Amiyrah did not bring her big camera, but she was still able to glean information that helped her shoot great self-portraits with her smartphone.

Serena of Thrift Diving

Never stop learning or practicing your craft. It does not take a three hour shoot to create some amazing portraits. And, if you are open to learning something new, you will. Keep shooting and don’t forget to enjoy the process while capturing your moments.

Filed Under: Photo Life Tagged With: amiyrah, artistic, BlogHer, laughing, light, lighting, photography, portraits, pose, reflection, serena, shoot, sun, viewfinder day

Learning to Tell Better Stories: Viewfinder Day at BlogHer ’13

July 31, 2013 by Lucrecer 2 Comments

This past weekend, I attended BlogHer as a speaker for the first Viewfinder Day. I was looking forward to sharing with the attendees and learning a few things myself. The day started with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressing us at the pre-conference breakfast before attendees broke up into three different tracks.

Kicking off Viewfinder Day, keynote speakers Diane Cu and Todd Porter of White on Rice Couple speak again and they brought it with an emotion evoking presentation about using pictures and video to tell better stories. Diane and Todd struck a cord when they shared some of their amazing photography and the stories behind them. Their videos were deeply moving and helped me see you can tell an amazing story with video and not say a single word.

Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from their talk:

Keep shooting and keep learning.
Never forget the story in everything you do.
Your voice is what sets you apart. No one can tell your story but you.
Tell a story with video. You don’t have to have a lot of equipment or a large crew.
Don’t be so wrapped up in the details.
Use the tools you have on you. It is not about having the best equipment. Capture the moment.

After listening to Todd and Diane, my panel took the stage to address the attendees about Finding Your Photographic Voice. Christine Tremoulet started by sharing messages of being enough and embracing the beauty of oneself. I then shared ideas for shooting awesome self-portraits, shooting men and women and practical tips for improving their photography over the conference weekend. Jenika McDavitt broke down the psychological side of telling a better story. She shared tips about adding more details to our writing so the reader connects better with your story.

Video bloggers followed us and finally, the day ended with a post processing workshop. Tomorrow, I will share a few pictures from an impromptu photo session I had with a few amazing women.