Organizing Digital Images for a Happier You

I used to be very attached to 35mm film. While I miss the convenience of the photo lab doing all the color adjustments, I have accepted that having all my photos available in digital format is worth the trade-off.

As soon as I get home from any shutterbug adventure (big or small), I get right to copying the images over to my computer. What works well for me is to label the folders in the following format:

2007.10.31 Halloween - Jill's House

I label the date in this format so that when I sort my folders by date, the folders appear in chronological order. (Be sure to add a "0" before the single digit months because some systems will file "10" before "7"; using "07" will eliminate the potential issue.) And of course, attaching a short description is very useful for future reference.

With this filing method, it becomes very easy to create "Year in Review" photo books with an online site like Shutterfly, Kodak Photo Gallery, or Snapfish for a collection of all the events that happened over the course of the year.

Organize as you photograph and you'll thank yourself when you're looking for those precious images years from now.

Getting that Blurry Background Effect in your Photos

There are two elements working together when you take a photo: 1) how long the shutter is open for [shutter speed], and 2) how wide the shutter is open [aperture].

If you take two pictures in identical circumstances, you can take one with the shutter wide open and a quick shutter speed and you can take the other picture with the shutter open a very little bit and for a longer shutter speed. Controlling the aperture is what will get you that blurry effect you're looking for, but understand that it needs to be paired with the appropriate shutter speed.

Most digital cameras nowadays have two sets of settings: one set consists of little icons and the second set have letters such as Tv and Av. Tv allows you to control the shutter speed and Av allows you to control the aperture. You will only control one element and the camera will adjust accordingly to balance lighting with the other element.

First, the subject that you want to be in focus should be fairly close to you (within 5') and the background you want to be blurry should be at least 10' behind the subject.



Select the Av setting and you should see an "F" followed by a number such as 2.8, 3.2, 4.0, 6.3, 8.0, etc. Select the lowest number you can, zoom in as far as your zoom will allow, focus on your subject, and check the shutter speed displayed. In general, you don't want to have a shutter speed any slower than 1/60th to avoid your subject being blurry, but if you have a steady hand, you may be able to get away with 1/30th.

By the way, use this technique when there's enough natural light and you don't need flash. Flash won't reach far enough to light up your background, so the background may be blurry, but you won't be able to see it!

Better Photos with Better Lighting

It can be tough to capture nicely lit images in real life activities when the activities don't revolve around perfect lighting conditions. Here are a few thoughts to help you evaluate your next photo opp with a more critical eye.

1. Direct Light is Harsh - by direct light, I mean the bright mid-day sunlight is shining in your subject's eyes or on part of their face. It's not very attractive when people are squinting and the light won't be flattering either. Try to get your subject under some shade (though avoid patchy tree shade where there are pockets of light shining through the leaves). If possible, shoot early in the morning or very late in the afternoon when the light is softer.


2. It's True about those Cloudy Days - cloudy days are better to photograph on because they produce nice, soft, diffused light on everything. However, you'll need to pay attention to your subject's eyes and check if they are in shadow or if they have really dark eyes. In either of those cases, turn your flash on so that their eyes will be visible. (They will need to be within 5' for the flash to be effective.)


3. To Use or Not to Use Flash - I avoid using direct flash as the main source of lighting whenever possible, though there are unavoidable instances. When you're indoors during the day, try to open up as many window shades and use as much natural light as possible. Move your subject close to the window, but remember to avoid that direct light. If you haven't tried the night setting on your camera yet (the little icon of a person in front of a black background with a star in the corner), give it a whirl - it can work wonders indoors, not only for night scenes. You'll have to hold the camera still for a little longer, but it does a nice job of using ambient light and less flash.

It's All about the Photos

I can't help it - I'm obsessed with photos. I love taking them and then finding creative new ways to manipulate, arrange, and display them.

The basis of all great scrapbook pages and framed art, first and foremost, is to start with great photographs. After all, scrapbook decorations and embellished frames are really there to enhance what should be the true focus: your awesome photos.

After many hours of chasing my friends' kids around with a camera, I have found infants, babies, and children under two years to be the most enjoyable subjects to photograph. They have such adorable expressions and don't care much about the camera or what you're doing.

I am a baby photographer in Pleasanton, CA and my business, Baby Photo Art, focuses on my favorite little subjects.