This week’s lesson is on how to get your children to cooperate in front of the camera, something that a lot of parents struggle with!  The lesson is filled with all kinds of tips and strategies.  Below are my favorite tips for photographing siblings and groups of kids.  Most of the time, I take the approach of playing down the fact that I’m taking photos.  I love capturing kids interacting when they don’t even notice I’m there.  It allows me to get the most natural expressions and candid moments.

Tip #1: Have them play a game.  If they’re older, then a fun board game can be great—pick something that you know will make them laugh.  For younger kids, try hand-clapping games like patty cake or have them do a few rounds of Ring Around the Rosie and London Bridge.

Here’s one of my favorite children’s portraits from a day at Huntington Beach celebrating at a 5-year-old’s beach birthday party.  These two boys were completely oblivious to me as they played patty cake.  I especially love the orange Cheetos fingers!

Tip #2: Give ‘em some colored chalk and get them out on the sidewalk!  Kids, chalk, and sidewalks are a terrific combination and full of photo opportunities, with the added bonus that you can photograph their finished product!  Ideally you’ll want them working on the same drawing—have them come up with an idea for a drawing together, or you can come up with one as a new, exciting challenge for them.

Tip #3: And while they’re on the sidewalk, don’t forget about hopscotch, jump rope, and a big sidewalk version of tic-tac-toe!  These games will keep them active and having a good time, but not moving around so much that you can’t capture the moments.

I’ll be blogging about future workshop lessons so be sure to “like” me on Facebook to get the latest updates!

The workshop just started last week, and this week’s lesson is about what to look for to get the best photos.  We talk about five triggers that can really make a difference in your photography: emotion, significance, light, composition, and environment.

Below is a favorite photo of mine from my latest engagement session!

I adore how much love and tenderness Ginille and Kenny portray in this image (emotion).  Looking at it just makes me smile every time.  We chose a spot in open shade (light) and took advantage of the sun being low enough in the sky to come just over the brick wall, creating lovely hair light.  I placed them off-center in the frame, with Kenny at one of the vertical “thirds” (composition), and of course, we were celebrating their engagement (significance)!

I’ll be blogging about future workshop lessons so be sure to “like” me on Facebook to get the latest updates!

Their wedding reception was a blast!  They had such a fun dancing group, and Nickole & Robert themselves are fantastic dancers.

This next one is one of my favorite photos from the reception.

Congratulations again, you two!

If you missed the first post, you can check out San Marino & La Canada Flintridge wedding photos of Nickole & Robert here!

To learn more about working with us for your wedding day, call us at (626) 298-2946, or e-mail truc@bambooshootsphoto.com.

Nickole, you looked stunning and so radiant.

I love that you can catch a glimpse of a teardrop on Nickole’s lower lash in this next image.  Nickole’s vows were my absolute favorite part of the wedding ceremony.

And married!

If you missed it, check out the Glendale, Arcadia, Burbank wedding photography sneak peek of Nickole & Robert here!

You can also see a few more of the South Pasadena & Altadena wedding photos of Nickole & Robert here.

In the meantime, you can find more South Pasadena & Glendale wedding photography here!

Do you love taking photos of your kids but are frustrated with the results?  Do you have thousands of photos on your hard drive but don’t know what to do with them?

Check out the photosanity workshop, an amazing online workshop for parents that will help you not just take better photos, but get a handle on organizing, editing, and sharing them too!

The workshop is taught by NYC family photographer and mom Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick.  And guess what?  I’ve just been brought on board to be one of the mentors!  I’m super excited about being a part of this program, so I would love to have you join me!

Plus, you can use coupon code BSP20 to get a 20% discount off the photosanity bundle which starts on January 31!

This next one is one of my favorite portraits of the two of them.

If you missed the first post, you can check out Glendale, South Pasadena, Burbank, LA high school & college senior portrait photos with Nicole (class of 2012) & her horse here!

This first photo is of Hubbard Glacier, which stretches 76 miles long.  We were so lucky to get absolutely gorgeous weather that day.  I just love the cloud formations and reflection of the mountains on the ice.  Hubbard Glacier lies in Disenchantment Bay and Yakutat Bay, and you wouldn’t believe how the temperature dropped between the ocean and the bay.  It must have been 20 degrees colder in the bay!