Lifestyle Photography Tips | New Castle Family Photographer

For Sunday Stills this week we were asked to share a Portrait Session and some tips to improve Portraits.  This is a Lifestyle Session done with my Sisterella and her beautiful children.

Tip 1... Location.  It's super to have the location either be the choice of your subject or relevant to their life in some way.  This location was chosen because the children's father is an Engineer on the railroad.

Tip 2 ... Photos from behind.  I love the above photo.  Colin setting off and Anna following.  A priceless narrative to where they are in their life right now.

Tip 3 ... Not all photo need a constrained crop.  Frame for the subject/story NOT for the 'picture frame'.

Tip 4 ... If your subject is low to the ground. Then get down on the ground and shoot from their perspective.  Alternately you can shoot from up high...I love my 3 step ladder (I always have it with me now).

Tip 5 ... Background.  Before you press the shutter make sure that your background is clean.

Tip 6 ... Wait.  Let your subjects breathe.  Let things happen.  I like this photo better then the one above it.  And in a few years when Colin is all grown up, Sisterella will like this one better too.  

Tip 7 ... Shoot the funny stuff.  Mum with the 'props' makes a fun Facebook profile photo.

Tip 8 ... Be on the look out for the sweet stuff.  It wasn't hard to see what was going to happen once Anna Sophia picked a couple of flowers and headed back towards Mum.  My camera is to my eye the majority of the shoot.

Tip 9 ... Let the treasures be in the shoot.  Colin had a Railroad spike and Anna had given Mum the flowers.  They were equally proud of these found 'treasures' from our morning out.  No use in asking to put them down and tempt a hissy-fit.

Tip 10 ... Move those Focus Points.  Moving the Focus Points on the camera is now second nature to me.  It wasn't always.  But once I got used to doing it ... it stepped up my composition game.  Yes you can focus and recompose, which I do frequently for my still subject.  But for moving subjects or my fast moving Polo photography moving those Focus Points gets me a shaper better composed picture every  time.  It's second nature to me now...like adjusting Aperture and Shutter Speed.

Tip 11 ...  Get a variety of lighting scenarios.  Front light, back light, side light.  Opportunities for flare or a silhouette shot add some drama to the Gallery that you present to your subject.  And allow your artistic side to come through.

And finally...

Tip 12 ... When you are looking for a location.  Scanning for the next place to move your subjects...your camera needs to be up to your eye.  You need to be looking through your lens so that you can see what will be in the shot.  See the environment from your lenses perspective.

Happy shooting!

The Tractor Shed

The Tractor Shed at Kemland Farm, Volant, PA

Flyin' High

Westminster College Brittain Lake Hill ... A sledding tradition for the sleepy little town of New Wilmington PA

Harvest Time

Fall is the season of massive farm machinery. And days like the last two our area has been a literal hotbed of harvesters zipping down the road moving from one farm to the next.

Soybeans, dried down and ready for harvesting

Day 7 Got Mud?

Saturday I went out to Pearson Park to JeepFest 2009. What's JeepFest you might ask? It's like a Jeep Jamboree. I was under strict orders from Hubby that I was not to participate with our Jeep.....I was going as a spectator only.

It was unfair....but in the end I kept my wheels on the asphalt and just had a little fun with my camera. Meet some great folks and I will be back next year to have a little fun in the mud!

Day 5

A corner landscape in New Wilmington, PA. A lovely sweep of blue and gold!

Day 4 - Dizzy Dragons

Fun at the Lawrence County Fair with Sisterella and the Munchkins! The Dizzy Dragon's almost did me in though. Around and around and around. Yikes...Barf bags should be supplied when you board.

Final Match

Last chance to catch some Polo action in Darlington for the season. Game starts at 8.

Hey Charlotte

Hey Charlotte,

Do you know what day it is? It's Friday girl....get your little self loaded up in the car.....cause were headed to Darlington for POLO!

Darlington Polo Club

IMG_2226_edited-1.jpg, originally uploaded by Pa Wild Woman.

After a two week break it's POLO time tonight!!!! Leaving work early to pack up Charlotte Pup Pup and the cooler. Maybe hubby can be convinced to come along too...

Have a Great Weekend everyone.

Polo

Aunt Sally and Sisterella lookin' happy in the setting sun! Ladies what were you hiding in that cooler?

Thank God It's Friday! POLO! It's been two weeks since the last match. And this past work week has been insane. These are a few pictures taken at the last match.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Friday night Polo in Darlington PA...all four off the ground.

The little niece taken in the "tony" action with a look of serious contemplation. (pony=tony)

Darlington Polo Club

I love polo! Love it. Don't have the nerve to play (not to mention that my dear Obie would probable just keel over of a heart attack if I asked him to give it a go!). But am a avid fan. That the sleepy little town of Darlington, PA has a polo team is amazing.  That said sleepy little town is a mere 25 minute drive from the farm is sweet.  The team plays in Darlington on a sand field that is about 1/3rd (my estimate) of the size of a regulation field. And on Sundays a couple of times over the course of the summer they play in East Palestine, OH on a regulation size field.

The cost of admission is $5 per person, under the age of 16 and your admitted free. You back your car up to the field pop the hatch and set up your tailgate. Quite the deal. Dogs and allowed. And Miss Charlotte Pup Pup knows when it's Friday night. Her little self hovers around me until I leash her up and load her in the car. I have only missed 1 game in four years. I plan my vacations around the schedule.

The great outdoors, horses, food, and dogs allowed. Good clean fun! What more can you ask for.  If you live in Western PA or plan to visit.  Give the Darlington Polo Club hotline a call at 724-814-7022 and find out if there is a match scheduled.  Oh course I'll be Blogging and Tweeting about it all summer as well.  Hopefully will get my camera settings figured out to bring you better pictures.  Anyway you won't regret it....promise!  Look for Charlotte and myself...our tailgate is always open.

Amish Country Letters

I took this picture this fall.  I had to wait till he was well enough past me.  Amish do not have mirrors nor photos.  No images of themselves are allowed.  So you can only take a picture from behind.  

In our small town published weekly newspaper.  There is a section that always occupies the very last page called 'Amish Country'.  The paper runs letters written by Amish community members and sent in to keep there extended family and friends filled in on important news.

I'm going to provide you a few snippets from some of these letters, the comments is parenthesis are mine.

From Mrs. Barbara Byler of Punxsutawney, PA:

Mrs. Elmer Byler, Rachel & Cora Byler were to Atlee Weavers on Tuesday had gone to help Martha pack & were planning to move next week & when we got there we found out they will not be moving so soon as someone was living in the house they were moving into.  So they can't move until the other family moves out.

(now...I found this vastly amusing.  Because what a pain in the rear that would be.  They hitch up the horse, load up the buggy in the freezing cold, go for God knows how far.  Just to find out that there will be no packing.  And what about the people who were moving....how did they find out.....a letter?  Because there is no phones, no Internet, no telegraph.  And who is the 'someone' who is living in the new house?)

she continues to write:

Yesterday was the funeral in Smicksburg for Roman Schalbach age 13. (gives family lineage)  A lot of people of this area were viewing and yesterday was the funeral.  He was kicked in head by a horse 2 wks. ago today.

(and that's the end of the letter, nothing more.  Poor little Roman.  Kicked in head.  The End.)

Miss Clara Byler of New Wilmington, PA writes:

Come on I miss your letters.

Rudy M. Byler had a little accident on Fri. coming down a big hill on Means Rd. A piece of harness came lose & his spring wagon went for the ditch & his brand new stove fell off & received some scratches & finally got it loaded up again & went on his way.

(now come on.....surely Mrs. Rudy M. Byler was not happy about her stove.....we want the real scoop here.  And Clara your still signing Miss so....maybe it's not a good idea to put humiliating misfortunes of the neighboring men folk in the newspaper.)

Its starting to sprinkle, so the ladies wash might get wet.

(folks the temperature was 20 F out max on the day she wrote this.  Can you imagine using a tub and wash board and hanging up your cloths on an outside line?)

The globe prints all letters as they are received with no editing.  They are shall we say always insightful....like blogging but in black and white.  Ummmm....no so different considering I blog in black and white.  Whatever.