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Lancaster, PA Family Photographer || 6 Camera Phone Tips and Tricks

10/24/2017

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I love the convenience of using my phone. It’s always on me, so I don’t have to worry that I may miss something while I run to get my “big camera”. It allows me to capture moments without needing to have the perfect camera settings. When I use my phone I’m way less worried about perfection and way more focused on the moment. And that's what's most important. That's the best thing about having this little camera at my disposal all the time... I can capture each and every moment in just a quick snap. And you don't need the newest iPhone to do this! These images were all taken with my iPhone 5 - no fancy portrait mode here. So use what you have and freeze those memories!

Here are a few tips and tricks that I hope will help you capture
​your life in all its glory - on your phone.

1. Take a LOT of pictures. 
My phone is constantly reminding me that it's running out of storage space because I'm a serious over shooter. I’m always telling my girls “Ok, just one more!”, which really means 10 more… but in the end I’m left with a lot of options and most of the time only a few actually turned out how I really wanted them to. Snap away! You can always delete what you don't want.

2. Use the LIGHT!
If you don't have good lighting your picture will be grainy, blurry, and just not very pretty. Light is definitely something that I focus on the most – I’m always on the look out for a good spot of light, or a killer shadow. But honestly just make sure you have light! If you're in a dark room, get near a window. If your in a shadowed forest, try to have faces be towards the light. If it's nighttime, move closer to the lamp and watch for bad shadows. Although natural sunlight is always best, in my opinion, get creative with whatever light you have. You don't need a lot of light, you just have to know how to work with what's available. 

3. No posing!
(Ok, maybe just a little posing) I try my hardest not to make things too staged. I may sit my little one in a pretty spot and ask her to pick a flower or ask my big girl to run to the top of the hill, but I always find that my favorite shots are the ones that happen all on their own. I just make sure to always be alert and ready for that moment that really speaks to me. And those 'look at the camera and say "cheese!"' pictures are totally necessary and adorable sometimes too :)  

4. Get creative!
I get easily bored with regular pictures of my girls, so I try to use light to be creative in my shots. Silhouettes are some of my favorites and they’re really quite simple to make with a phone camera. Making sure that you have a bright background (light source) is really important in making that perfect silhouette. Using the VSCO app for one point of focus (your subject)  and one point of exposure (i.e the sky) is great for silhouettes as well. If you’re outside, taking the picture just before or right after the sun goes down is the best! And getting low to the ground really gives you that big sky. I’ll totally lay in the grass to get the shot. If you’re inside big window are a great source of back light.
I also love to use pockets of light. They’re a great way to draw attention to something specific, plus it looks really cool! When I take pictures of pockets of light I’ll often use my VSCO app because it allows me have one point of focus and another point of exposure, helping to create that contrast that I really want.

5. Get in the frame!
SO IMPORTANT YOU GUYS! Although I don’t do it nearly enough, I love to get in the frame with my girls. They love looking back on those images and seeing us all together. I’ve learned that anything can be a tripod for my phone. A shoe, a trashcan, a tree stump, whatever will hold that thing in place for you! One fun way that I really like to get in the frame is by putting a timer on, taping my phone to the ceiling above our bed, and going in for the snuggles! It gives such a cool perspective. (Just make sure it's secure and doesn't fall down and almost hit your kid in the face...not that I would know anything about that.)

6. Use an editing app
Things always look better with the naked eye then they do on your screen, so sometimes a few editing tweaks help to make that photo look a little more like you saw it. My go-to editing app is VSCO. (Its FREE!) It offers a lot of great tools for easily adjusting the exposure, contrast, highlights etc! I also use Snapseed (also free!) sometimes, because it offers a tool that allows you to edit only specific spots within your photo. For the shots that I try to get in with my girls I use either the timer on my phone or an app called TimerCam (yup, free!) because it has an option for a 30 second timer which is great for getting shots of us farther away.

Most importantly... photos are wonderful. Amazing. Incredible little moments captured. But make sure you're not so caught up in capturing these moments on camera that you forget to really experience them yourself. Be in the moment - and bring your phone out to capture it every now and then :) 



But despite all this... I STILL get my big camera out. I still know that they quality of my camera far surpasses that of any phone. I still make sure to hand off my camera to someone and get in the frame. AND I still hire another photographer to take my own family pictures.
It's so important you guys. You'll never regret it. 
​
If you're interested in having me capture your family memories (on my fancy big camera!)
​let's talk! I would love to be apart of this time in your lives. 
Lancaster, PA Family Photographer
Lancaster, PA Family Photographer
Lancaster, Pa Childrens photographer
Lancaster, PA family photographer
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Lancaster, PA family photography
Lancaster, PA family photography
Some of this text was taken from my featured blog post over at Dear Photographer .
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Lancaster, PA Family Photographer || Jacobs Family

10/20/2017

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It was a beautiful summer evening for this wonderful family session at the Chickies Rock Day Use Area in Columbia, PA. I had a blast being super silly with these two goofballs and capturing the love they all share. Even Guinness (the cute pup) joined us! We finished the evening off with a few last frames at the beautiful overlook.

So thankful for this family and super excited to get them in front of my camera again next week for my Christmas Sessions! 
Lancaster, PA children's photographer
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Lancaster, PA family photographer

​Being a Family Photographer is what truly makes my heart soar. Being able to capture these moments of life and beauty for my families is such an honor. If you are looking for a Family Photographer in Lancaster, PA and surrounding areas I would love to hear from you! Feel free to 
Contact Me with any questions and Subscribe To My Newsletter to stay up to date with all the happenings here at Bethany Green Photography! 
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Lancaster, PA Family Photographer || Free (or almost!) and fun activities for your kids!

10/17/2017

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Raise your hand if you have a kid who asks you literally EVERY DAY "what are we doing today?" *insert major face palm here* The struggle is real you guys. BUT luckily next time (tomorrow morning) you get that question, instead of pretending you didn't hear them, you'll have a great answer! 

I've put together a list of some fun local activities that will hopefully have everyone happy and get you all out doing something as a family! 
And even better... most of them are FREE or cheap! 

1. Oregon Dairy Pumpkin Pickin' Days - I'm putting this one first since this only lasts for a couple more weeks! Oregon Dairy always has their playground and animals, but on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October from 10am -5pm they also have their Pumpkin Pickin' Days. They offer a free wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and free pumpkin painting and decorating - just pay for your pumpkin ($3-$16 depending on the size)! There's also a Straw Tunnel, Pebble Toy Box and a Replica Cow for "milking" that are all free. Garden Tractor Barrel Rides and Pedal Tractors Rides are available for $2 each. Definitely sounds like a fun fall activity! We're going to check it out this week!

2. Home Depot Kids Workshop - Once a month on Saturdays from 9am - 12pm Home Depot offers a FREE Kids Workshop!  All kids get to keep their craft, receive a certificate of achievement, a Workshop Apron, and a commemorative pin! (How cool is that?!) On November 4th the workshop is a custom wooden Humvee to honor all those that have served our country. The kids will get to build, paint and decorate their Humvee! Go to Home Depot's Workshop Page and scroll down to the kids' event to register. This is a great activity to do with your kiddos!

3. Barnes and Noble Weekly Storytime - Every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am the Fruitville Pike Barnes and Noble offers a storytime and coloring activity. The Saturday readings have a different theme each week so make sure to check out their events page for more details. There's a little train table too!
And Mamas, there's a Starbucks in the store. ;)

4. Manheim Township Public Library - A trip to the library is always a good idea, and Manheim Township Library has a lot to offer. There's a play area that can be used anytime and they host activities every day of the week! Parachute play, building, music, and more  - there's something for all ages! Some classes do require registration and have a class limit, so make sure to check out their calendar for all the details.

5. Leisure Lanes Bowling - Leisure Lanes has a great deal for a fun rainy day outing.  Monday - Friday from 7am-6pm games are only $2.50! (plus $2.50 for shoes) Bumpers and bowling ball ramps are available!


So get out this week and do something fun together!! And then plan something for next week, because you know they're going to ask.

Have fun ;) 
 




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Lancaster, PA Family Photographer || The Weiss Family

10/11/2017

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Last winter I had the pleasure of having this wonderful family in front of my camera on a cold, cloudy and windy day. The boys were understandably not very happy and we all wished that the sun would peek out for a little warmth! But we pushed through and got some adorable snugly shots. Walking back to our cars the Mama told me that she hoped to contact me in the summer for a maternity session... Well, guess what?! I few months later I received that email and I couldn't have been happier!
​This time around we had a perfectly warm and sunny summer evening for their family maternity session. Lots of hugs and love and happy boys! And we finished off with the perfect sunset for a few silhouettes.
​I have no doubt in my mind that this little babe (will it be a girl or boy?! - the suspense!!) is going to be sooo very loved and these big brothers are going to be amazing. 

They ended up with timeless images of their love and some beautiful products that I'm sure will be passed down for many generations.
 
I am so thankful for families like this who trust me through the rough sessions and come back for even better ones. 
Lancaster, PA Family Maternity Photographer

Lancaster, PA family photographer
Lancaster, PA Family Photographer
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Lancaster, PA Child Photographer
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Lancaster, PA maternity photographer
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Being a Family Photographer is what truly makes my heart soar. Being able to capture these moments of life and beauty for my families is such an honor. If you are looking for a Family Photographer in Lancaster, PA and surrounding areas I would love to hear from you! Feel free to Contact Me with any questions and Subscribe To My Newsletter to stay up to date with all the happenings here at Bethany Green Photography! 
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    Just lots and lots of pictures.
    And a few words.
    My wonderful clients and some personal work as well.
    Thanks for visiting. :)  Enjoy!

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