One day Goldilocks came to visit the three bears, Mama Bear, Papa Bear, and Baby Bear. Now what you might not know about them is that Mama Bear is a black bear, Papa Bear is a polar bear and Baby Bear is a gray bear. Now you also might not know that portage makes all fur look amazing and so silky. Goldilocks wanted to capture the gleaming glow of their fur in three portraits so she put her fancy DSLR on aperture priority and filled her lens with Mama Bear’s beautiful face and then looked at the back of the camera and mama bear was all washed out. Then she tried to take a picture of Papa Bear and again filled the camera with his beautiful white fur, but this time the photo came out to dark and muddy. Then she took a picture of Baby Bear who was throwing kisses, she got really close and captured the big smile on her face after she threw a kiss. The picture turned out just right.

Goldilocks was perplexed, so Baby Bear offered her a point and shoot that she thought always made good pictures in the portrait setting. Goldilocks did the same thing, and again, Mama Bear came out too light, Papa bear too dark and Baby Bear just right. Then she decided to take a picture with her DSLR of all three of them, but metered on just Baby Bear. The picture came out just right.

So then she metered on each one of them and noticed if the camera was on Mama Bear’s dark fur that the camera meter said she needed a lot of light, then if she metered on Papa Bear’s white fur (a shutter speed of 1/30th), the camera’s meter said that she needed a little bit of light (a shutter speed of 1/250th,) when she metered on Baby Bear, she needed somewhere in between (a shutter speed of 1/80th).

Then Goldilocks and Baby Bear went to try see what would happen if they photographed in the front yard. First they photographed the white lillies against the white sky and the photo came out gray. Then they photographed Baby bear’s favorite place to hide in a big tree that was pretty dark and it was all washed out, then they photographed some flowers growing in the green grass, and they came out just right.

So they tried to use the exposure compensation on their cameras and first they made the photo lighter when they took a new picture of the white sky and lilies and darker when they took the photo of the hole in the tree. They were amazed by just changing that one little function to the plus or minus side, they were able to control the look and feel of their photos.

Photos to come when Goldilocks comes home with her camera.

Written by Jessica Wallach, inspired by teaching Exposure and Metering four times within three weeks

This year, we’ve joined a select group of photographers from around the world by making the commitment to join Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/). We are part of a network of 7,000 photographers who offer our services free of charge to families who have experienced the loss of their baby. In the midst of grief, loss, and confusion, we collectively seek to provide families with a sensitive and private portrait session with their child, providing heirloom quality photos to honor their baby’s legacy. These portrait sessions are intense and emotional, but we are humbled by the opportunity to ban together with colleagues to help these families heal.

As part of my commitment to Now I Law Me Down To Sleep, we participate in an annual event to raise much needed funds to keep this all-volunteer organization operating. The event, International Charity Model Search Contest allows photographers to enter fabulous family portraits. The winner is chosen based on the number of votes received, and each vote is $1. Last year, over $10,000 dollars were raised through this effort, by doing what we love—taking gorgeous portraits of families

She will notice that there is too much contrast, that one side of your face is too in shadow and will ask for a white piece of foam core to bounce the light back on your face.

If you give her the foamcore, she will want to get the exposure just right and ask for a hand held light meter and a computer to check the exposure with a facemask histogram.

If you give her a held held light meter and a computer, she will notice the background is cluttered with pictures hanging on the wall,
so she will ask for a fast lens to shoot at 2.8 to soften the background and separate you from it.

If you give her a fast lens she will ask you to go play outside so she can test it’s quick focusing
If you go outside, she will ask you to play in the shade.

If you let her photograph for a long time, she will get tired of chasing the shade and she will ask for a flash and a flash modifier so she can balance the light on you and the background as well as clean up the nasty shadows on your face. When you get her the flash that her camera company makes, she will ask you to sit in the middle of a meadow in the beautiful sunshine.

If you sit in the meadow and she will photograph you with her flash off her camera in flash modifier and white foam core, she will get frustrated by the shadows still under your eyes and the blown out sky. She will ask you to get a Quantum flash or maybe the baby ranger power pack from Elinchrome so she can use her big lights and softbox to overpower the sun, balance out the light between you and the background and clean up those shadows.

If you get her a Quantum flash or a baby ranger, she will be in heaven…but if you don’t have the extra grand or two, she will just ask you to go back to the shade, or put on your sun glasses or give you an umbrella or ask you to lay on a white sheet and ask to be in front of a darker background.

15 Minute Mini-Session
Sunday from 10-4 outside of Artful Gifts on Church Street at near Lawyers Rd
Sitting Fee $35
Includes:

Pre-session consultation (if you reserve a session by Thursday)

15 Minute mini session

Ordering session a week or two after the session

Reserve a session by calling Jessica at 703-860-2222 or emailing jessica@portraitplaytime.com

What: We need models– that is, we need to take photographs of a variety of children playing that may be used for several books…

Dr. Barbara Laster, Professor of Literacy, and Dr. Mubina Kirmani, Professor of Early Childhood Education, have written a series of books about children who come from a variety of religious backgrounds. The books will be popular with elementary school kids.

Why: This is a great opportunity to celebrate religious diversity and to enhance understanding among children (and the adults who care about them).

Click here for the Entrance Fee and Thank You Gifts

Click here for When, Where and Who

Photo Tips: Teaching your children to use a camera — a great snowed-in activity

Lately I’ve been teaching my 4-year-old daughter and her best friend to use my camera, yes my big pro camera. I highly recommend doing this, working with your child to learn to use your camera as an endeavor of exploring art.

The biggest tip I can give you is to put your camera on a tripod and keep it at their level.

* Show them how to compose the photo using the zoom or moving the camera or the subject
* Focus by pressing the shutter half way down.
* Take the photo
* And be sure to tell them to never, ever touch the lens.

Why would you want to teach your child to use a DSLR or a point-and-shoot this way? Well, the short answer is the photos come out better (check out what the girls did). The longer answer is that for one the tripod gives them time to compose, and slowing down the process makes photography a really different activity. Furthermore, using the best tools in the house can be empowering to kids.

I would love to see the photos they take, please share them with me!

Photo Classes are back!

I will be teaching photo classes again this winter and spring. Photo of me by Z My first class will be on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, February 14 from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. near Wolf Trap in Vienna. Join us as we go over the basics of using a camera, getting good photos in different lighting situations, stopping motion, and separating your subject from your background. If you just got a new camera for the holidays or use yours on program all the time, this class is for you. This class will include instruction, practice time, and review of work. The cost is $45.

I will be teaching a short 4-week class on editing your images with Photoshop; please let me know if you are interested. You must have access to Photoshop. My plan is to hold two-hour classes over the course of four Saturday mornings in February and March. The cost will be $95.

Please email me if you are interested in either or both classes jessica@portraitplaytime.com.

Stay tuned, more classes to come!

Are you a serious photographer with a DSLR who wants to learn something new every month? Join my good friends from ShootSmarter.com for their Friday Photo School. One hour of instruction by some of the best photographers around. Check it out at fridayphotoschool.com. The first class is today at 1 pm on using your flash.

Fundraising: The Double Whammy
Help two great organizations with one photo session.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day one day early by doing a photo session that will capture the love in your family. We are fundraising once again for the kids at Arlington Academy of Hope and then we can submit one photo to the family photo contest I announced last month. Click here for more details about the AAH fundraiser and here for more info about the photo contest.

We also have two other dates for Family Photo Sessions. Maple Avenue Market, the great new market in Vienna, will be hosting two nights of photo sessions, Tuesday February x and Tuesday March x. Each night we will have six sessions from 6 - 9 p.m. Email me to sign up.

Hope to see you soon either behind your camera or in front of mine.

Hope to see you soon either behind your camera or in front of mine.

Jessica
Portrait Playtime…we put kids first.

703-860-2222 (landline)
240-481-3918 (cell)