Archive for the ‘for photographers’ Category

Newborn Safety | Washington Newborn Photographer

March 18th, 2013

I love my job as a newborn photographer. To be able to capture a new life just a few days old is an extreme honor. I also love the opportunity that it provides to be creative and capture fun shots for my clients. Doing this job is a true passion of mine. Along with being [...]

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Along with being creative and having a passion for these sweet little ones, I also have a great passion for advocating Baby Safety. Baby Safety doesn’t just stop with newborns either… but that is an entirely different post all together.

With as popular as newborn photography has become, many aspiring newborn photographers are still learning how more complicated shots are done; and unfortunately, attempt poses and props without proper safety measures. I want to help educate and shine a light on HOW to do shots like the one below safely…

Here’s how I did it:

Dad is sitting on the floor with his legs criss-crossed and draped in a black sheet.
Under the sheet I have stuff blankets inside his legs and also on top of his legs to help support baby once I’ve transitioned baby over.
Baby is positioned prior to being transitioned. NOTE: baby needs to be in a deep slumber in order to attempt more complicated shots like this.
After positioning baby onto ball and with my hands still holding baby, I have mom place one had under the black sheet supporting baby’s body and the other supporting the baby’s head. PLEASE – PLEASE – PLEASE always support a baby’s head and never just “balance” it.
Once baby is set up I pull back and take the necessary shots, which takes under 1 minute.
In post I composite two separate images for the final image.

Message to Photographers:

Please do not attempt poses if you do not feel that you can confidentally keep baby’s safety number 1. It is OKAY to say “NO” if you are presented with a request from parents. I have said “no” on multiple occasions… The other option that I provide is to attempt a composite, in which the baby is never actually on the prop, but composited in post production.

REMEMBER: You have a great responsibility in protecting the precious LIFE that you are photographing, which is NOT a prop or doll.

There are many outstanding professional newborn photographers who have dedicated their time and talent in helping educate aspsiring newborn photographers in proper posing etc. Seek them out, invest, and learn.

Message to Parents:

Sweet parents, if you feel that the photographer you have chosen is attempting a shot that you are uncomfortable with or are not taking safe precautionary measures, please know that you can say NO and ask them to do something else. Your precious little one should never be left unattended on a prop without someone within arms length.

As mentioned above, my love for photographing these sweet ones is a true passion of mine. Educating aspiring newborn photographers is just as great! Happy SAFE shooting!

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all images copyright protected and property of {michelle newell} photography
please do not copy | save | alter images from blog in any way
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follow me on facebook!

all images copyright protected and property of {michelle newell} photography
please do not copy | save | alter images from blog in any way
feel free to {pin} on pinterest

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Photoshop Composites… A Photographer’s Best Friend

April 24th, 2012

I love Photoshop for many reasons. It can definitely be misused and abused, but it is also an incredible tool for creating fantastic images. If you have ever tried photographing siblings together, you know you have a slight challenge ahead… And depending on the ages of the siblings, that challenge can either be easy or [...]

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I love Photoshop for many reasons. It can definitely be misused and abused, but it is also an incredible tool for creating fantastic images.

If you have ever tried photographing siblings together, you know you have a slight challenge ahead… And depending on the ages of the siblings, that challenge can either be easy or a little on the more difficult side.

At this particular session, I knew that I didn’t need to “force” both siblings to sit next to each other and try and get a smile from them… Instead, I shot them both separately, keeping space where the other would be composited later in Photoshop. Fun, huh?!

If you have been wanting to learn how to do composite editing in Photoshop, I highly recommend checking out National Association of Photographer Professionals at: http://www.photoshopuser.com/ It is an INCREDIBLE resource in learning all kinds of tips and tricks in Photoshop.

Happy Shooting & Editing!

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all image copyright protected © {michelle newell} photography
do not copy | save | alter images in any way

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Code of Ethics & Professionalism {For Photographers}

February 2nd, 2012

I have been really shocked at the lack of professionalism that I have been seeing lately on Facebook. The new thing amongst the photography community is to crucify and publicly humiliate an individual for a lack of understanding or poor judgement. Now, by no means am I condoning bad choices made by others, especially with newborn [...]

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Now, by no means am I condoning bad choices made by others, especially with newborn photography. Many of you know that I have recently written a Baby Safe | Newborn Posing Guide to help teach aspiring newborn photographers safe practices for these sessions. And to be honest and frank, it down right scares me how many unsafe techniques I see all over the place. However, instead of crucifying and publicly humiliating someone, I contact them privately in hopes to help equip them with a tool that will help them be safe.

As a member of the Professional Photographers of America, I agreed to a code of ethics that I would like to encourage the entire professional photography community to practice. Here are a few…

Use the highest levels of honesty, professionalism and integrity.
In all dealing with fellow professional photographers, students and others who aspire to be professional photographers, I shall share the knowledge and skill of professional photography.
Support efforts for and assist in the education of all interested persons the general public in the art and science of professional photography

My hope in writing this is to not offend anyone, but to be a voice of encouragement in raising the bar of professionalism amongst the photography community and that we would join forces and fight against online bullying. Most importantly, my hope is that we would always remember to be kind and be professional…

It comes back to what I was taught as a child: Treat others how you too would want to be treated.

If you are an aspiring photographer and want to grow your skills and be surrounded by an encouraging community of photographers, please check out Professional Photographers of America. It is a GREAT place to learn and grow.

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Behind the Editing Scenes {Seattle Area Photographer}

January 20th, 2012

I thought it would be fun to show you a sneak peek into how I go about editing my images. I try and keep things really simple and clean because I personally like my images to look as real and natural as possible. To purchase my Skin Smoothing Action, please click HERE. Anyhow – here’s [...]

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To purchase my Skin Smoothing Action, please click HERE.

Anyhow – here’s a 6 minute behind the scenes look at how I edit. Enjoy!

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Product Review | Happy Acres Farm

January 15th, 2012

If you are a client, you know first hand that I make funny noises to capture the adorable smiles of your little ones! I have no shame and know I sound incredibly ridiculous! But the outcomes are priceless! At my last couple sessions I couldn’t find my adorable Happy Acres Farm camera bling to help assist [...]

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At my last couple sessions I couldn’t find my adorable Happy Acres Farm camera bling to help assist me in the shoot. I even remember saying, “Where are my squeaky toys?!”

Well… Now I am NO LONGER in need! I just received two fabulous little assistants that will be joining me for my baby sessions that are just too cute! The first is Silly Giraffe who is even cuter in person!

The second is Rio, who is bright blue in color and loves being purched on my lens!

Both of my new lens bling assistants come with little squeakers that are already installed! YAY!!!! They also fit on my 50mm f/1.2 and 70-200mm lenses… So no need to worry if these will fit on Pro Lenses. These are also GREAT little assistants for parents to use on their DSLR camera lenses to capture fun shots of your kids. By no means do you need to be a “pro” to use these! =)

Below are a few other lens assistants which are available to purchase on Happy Acres Farm Etsy page. There are LOADS to choose from and are very affordable!!! Be sure to stop by both the Etsy page and Facebook Fan Page to stay up to date on all the cuteness that is happening!

www.etsy.com/shop/HappyAcresFarm
www.facebook.com/happyacresfarm

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My Top Editing Mistakes {Seattle, WA Photographer}

December 19th, 2011

Wow! It’s been a LONG time since I last looked at these images and did NOT realize how poor my editing was. It makes me cringe, yet at the same time, proud of myself for pushing past these Photoshop faux-pas and recognizing early on that there was a HUGE disconnect from how I was editing [...]

Posted in: for photographers, personal

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Wow! It’s been a LONG time since I last looked at these images and did NOT realize how poor my editing was. It makes me cringe, yet at the same time, proud of myself for pushing past these Photoshop faux-pas and recognizing early on that there was a HUGE disconnect from how I was editing to how I WANTED to edit.

So here are my Top Editing Mistakes I made as a new photographer 5 years ago:

Photoshop Overload: When I first got Photoshop CS2 I was not only overwhelmed with how to navigate around the massive program, but completely and utterly “abused” my powers. =) Yes, I was a selective color editor… I know, I know, head hanging in shame. Ha! But don’t worry – it only lasted for a few months until I QUICKLY learned from having my images critiqued by incredible PRO’s on DWF (www.digitalweddingforum.com) that this was not only “NOT COOL” but so a product of the 80′s.

Blur Me Baby!: What?! You mean you DON’T want your images to look blurry on PURPOSE??

Vignettes & Radial Blur: Ahhhhhhhh – vignetting. How I DO love a GOOD edited or natural vignette… But this is often a tool in editing softwares that is typically the first to be abused. I also discovered the radial blur and thought I was being so cool … Oh how wrong I was.

Actions: While actions can be a GREAT tool and speed up editing, they can also be a distraction… And for me, that is exactly what they were. 5 years ago a brand new set of actions had just hit the market and were flooding DWF. I of course felt that I “needed” them to make my images look good and got completely side tracked from the direction I wanted to go and began producing images that looked like everyone else that purchased the same actions… Not really the direction I wanted to go. I lost who I wanted to be…

{And please note} I love these images and am forever grateful to everyone of these clients who hired me while I was still figuring out my editing style. And what I am writing does not depict how I feel about these images. I am proud of these images and the learning process it has given me.

Consistency: One of the biggest things I noticed while going through all of these images is that there was no consistency with how I edited the sessions. I tried too much. One image would be highly contrasted, then overly saturated, to SOOC, or looking grungy from some action I had purchased…

Now when I edit my goal is that EVERY image, from session to session, is consistent with the SAME look that I love, which is the feeling of being SOOC. The actual final edit shouldn’t be the main focus. In my opinion, it should highlight the subject and not be distracting in any way. But it took me a while to get there. I had to try all of these things in order to get to where I am now.

Image Critique: I think the #1 thing that helped me get out of the editing abuse I was in was by having some of the leading PRO’s in the industry critique my images on DWF. I learned FAST that the direction I was heading was not a good one.

To this day I still have PRO photogs critique and give me corrective criticism. I feel that it is absolutely necessary to grow as a photographer and make it in this industry. I also knew that if I wasn’t willing to TAKE the CC and actually apply it and grow some thick skin, I might as well just sell my equipment.

So learn some lessons from me… Find your style and STICK TO IT. It may take a while, but once you get there… stay there.

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Baby Safe | Newborn Posing Guide {Available 12.14.11}

December 10th, 2011

The first of TWO booklets arrived for the Baby Safe | Newborn Posing Guide and will be up for purchase in just a few days on 12.14.11!!! The Baby Safe | Newborn Posing Guide Booklets teach aspiring newborn photographers the importance of safe posing techniques through tips, tricks, and photographic illusions as well as gives detailed information on [...]

Posted in: for photographers, newborn posing guide

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The first of TWO booklets arrived for the Baby Safe | Newborn Posing Guide and will be up for purchase in just a few days on 12.14.11!!!

The Baby Safe | Newborn Posing Guide Booklets teach aspiring newborn photographers the importance of safe posing techniques through tips, tricks, and photographic illusions as well as gives detailed information on how to run a smooth newborn session. Both booklets are light weight and compact to fit easily in your camera bag for sessions.

Available to purchase at 20% OFF REGULAR PRICE {for a limited time} will be your choice of either a downloadable PDF for $130 or two Booklets for $150!! Stay tuned for the BIG reveal!!!

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Newborn Posing Guide {Northwest Newborn Photographer}

October 6th, 2011

Working diligently on my upcoming Newborn Posing Guide!!! Here’s a little sneak peek at some of the content!!! Introduction I am very excited to bring you my first Newborn Posing Guide created to inspire and assist those who are Aspiring and Professional Newborn Photographers. With the influx in newborn photography I felt a high [...]

Posted in: for photographers, newborn posing guide

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Working diligently on my upcoming Newborn Posing Guide!!! Here’s a little sneak peek at some of the content!!!

Introduction

I am very excited to bring you my first Newborn Posing Guide created to inspire and assist those who are Aspiring and Professional Newborn Photographers. With the influx in newborn photography I felt a high need to teach aspiring photographers the important on safe practices when photographing newborns. There are many techniques out there, some safe and some not. I hope this guide will help direct you down a path of safe newborn posing tips to create fabulous images.

Content:
Safety & Confidence
How to Soothe & Comfort
Posing
Tips and Tricks
Post Processing

Safety & Confidence:

First and foremost it is absolutely critical that safety is always number one with any and every pose that is attempted with a newborn. Remember, you are photographing a human being, not a doll, not a toy… a precious newborn. I can’t stress this enough. If safety is not your number one priority, then please, do not photograph newborns.

As a parent, when your precious little one is born your sense to protect this babe is heightened tenfold. You would do anything to make sure nothing harms your baby. We plaster “Baby On Board” all over our cars and squirt people that come within a 10ft reach of our child with Purell.

As a photographer, it is crucial that we take this same heightened sense to protect in to every newborn session that we do. We need to show parents that they can trust how we will handle their sweet little one, which is where confidence comes in.

To be a successful newborn photographer you need to have confidence in your skills to soothe and comfort a newborn. If you are easily frustrated or lack in patience, newborn photography is not for you. Parents need to look to you and see you cool, calm, and collected during the ENTIRE session, no matter how long it may be taking their babe to fall asleep. You may have confidence in your camera skills, but your confidence in soothing and comforting need to be even stronger. Not only are our skills for soothing baby crucial, showing Mommy & Daddy that you are relaxed and collected is even more important.

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Creative Outlet Part 2 {Washington Maternity & Newborn Photographer}

August 25th, 2011

I had so much fun with Camille at my first {Creative Outlet} maternity session that I decided to head out again to capture a few more ideas that have been in my head. I absolutely love what we captured together!!! These sessions have helped continue to get my creative juices flowing!! I have SO MANY IDEAS [...]

Posted in: for photographers, maternity

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I had so much fun with Camille at my first {Creative Outlet} maternity session that I decided to head out again to capture a few more ideas that have been in my head. I absolutely love what we captured together!!! These sessions have helped continue to get my creative juices flowing!! I have SO MANY IDEAS going on!!!

I couldn’t resist capturing another valley shot with this new “prop” of mine!! LOVE!

I love hearing from you! Leave a comment below!
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My Creative Outlet {Maternity & Newborn Photographer}

August 19th, 2011

Every photographer needs a creative outlet where they can just let loose, relax, and just shoot with no pressure. That’s exactly what this session was for me. An opportunity to just let my creative juices flow… I have been needing/wanting to do a maternity session that was just for me. I know, it sounds silly, but [...]

Posted in: for photographers, maternity

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I have been needing/wanting to do a maternity session that was just for me. I know, it sounds silly, but it is in these opportunities that allows me to grow and provide my clients with an even better experience. It allows them to see the vision and ideas running around in my head that may otherwise be difficult to envision.

I am absolutely {in-love} with what Camille and I were able to accomplish last night and I am SO excited for this new artistic direction!