why photos always deserve a second glance [edit & cropping is your friend]

after trying to get a nice family photo on christmas, and failed because my kid was refusing to oblige my one request, and the weather was freezing, my daughter was dressed as moana, and my husband had a migraine, I wanted some photos of everly and I for new year's eve [the mr. was working]. when I first looked at my camera, I was a little disappointed.  it seemed like I couldn't get a decent photo of ev and I no matter how hard I tried. my slip was showing, our feet were cut off, and the lighting wasn't great since it was late in the afternoon.  but then, I looked a little closer...

her face, our cuddles, and my hair, okay, these have some serious potential.

being able to take amazing photos is a gift. I am by no means saying I'm in the league of professional photographers with this post.  instead, I wanted to share a few tips that everyone, no matter their camera level or ability, can use to make their photos even better.

right now, we live in an age where everyone is sharing their photos, and quickly, one can see that there is a real difference among pictures.  some of my favorite instagrammers use amazing cameras to help them curate a perfect feed. however, many use plenty of iPhone photos that still have the wow factor. and for the most part, the difference is editing.

here's the same image, before editing... a little less frame-worthy

many times, there are parts of an amazing picture that take away from the image itself, making it seem mediocre at first glance.  in this case, a dirty driveway is not really adding to the look I'm going for.  the showing slip and weird knee placement also isn't helping.

easy solution, step 1 - crop your photos.  I find it easiest to crop my photos within whatever photo app or program I'm using for editing. as you become better at taking photos, you will start to automatically crop your shot so you can omit this step. however, sometimes you give your camera to a stranger on vacation to take a non-selfie family photo, and you are left with something that wasn't exactly taken the way you had hoped.

so here were my steps from, oh, ok, to LOVE, share, frame-

here's the original:

here's the cropped version:

*always get rid of unwanted sights [dirty driveways, etc.]

here's the final version:

*edited using A Color Story app on my iphone [this filter is called Sharp - 97% intensity]

original:

cropped:

edited:

I included this one, not because it is my favorite, but because it was Everly's

I think she likes her pose, and I guess my eyes being closed is okay, 

the more I look at it

it was the one photo I printed that she insisted go on the mantle at home

other thoughts:

I do take photos with my Sony A6000 almost ALL of the time.  it is a small DSLR camera that allows me to have it in my purse almost always.  it also has the wi-fi feature that lets me directly take the photos from my camera to my phone.  I find that I like editing photos the most from my phone, it just seems less daunting.  if you are already taking photos with your smart phone, then you are ready for the next step. 

there are SO many amazing photo editing apps, in fact, probably too many.  I like to focus my attention on one at a time.  over the years, I've tried countless apps, but right now, my allegiance is with The Color Story app.  many of my favorite filters are in their free 'essentials' pack that comes with the initial download.  I've purchased other filter packs in the past year, but the ones that I'm sharing here today are 100% free!  editing photos is a complete personal preference.  I also go through phases and trends with how I edit my photos, it is just part of the fun! remember, almost all photo editing apps allow you to reduce the intensity of the filter, which almost always needs to be done.  for these images, I only lessened the intensity by a small percentage.  even instagram allows you to lessen the impact of the filter - I normally find a filter at 100% to be a little too much for my liking. again, personal preference.  there are many factors to take into account with the original photo's qualities that will alter how you edit it, again, play around and have fun.  

and to my amazing mom who took these photos - thank you.  I appreciate that you didn't strangle me when I suggested you look through the view finder when the display screen wasn't popping up - I know photography isn't your favorite hobby, but you helped prove a point here.  and you gave me some of my favorite photos of us ever - thank you!!!

*cropped photos were done after the fact, I never 'save' a cropped, unedited photo.  any slight differences between images are due to this, not the editing step itself.

instagram 2014

As 2014 comes to an end, I find myself getting sentimental, and sappy, and really into flipping through my instagram photos from the past twelve months.  Figured I would share a few of my favorites from this year.  And sure, she may still be able to wear last year's "famous sweater", but she sure has grown!

disneyland babies

Things have been pretty quiet around here, because we have been too busy having a blast in Disneyland!  Our annual passes expired today, so we had to get in one more quick trip before they did.  And, because the stars were aligned, our great friends were ready to take their son on his first trip to the happiest place on earth, and came with us too!  You should have seen Everly's face when we first saw Lennon in the park, you could tell the wheels were spinning, trying to figure out how her best friend from home ended up in Mickey's home too!  I have SO many photos to go through, but for now, I'll just share my favorite phone shot.

Oh, and one more thing - I entered a photo of Everly in the Parents Magazine Cover Contest - so it would be great if you would go and vote for our little lady!
Here is the photo I entered:

Here's the link to vote - VOTE HERE

And to all my WCMS kids who love Everly too - go and vote, and spread the word, because we all know that you are the true masters of social media!  Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to vote!  Voting ends in just a couple of days, and I've been too busy with Minnie Mouse to spread the word, so I guess I need to get going on it!

Say "cheese"

Everyday I think to myself how much older Everly seems from just the day before. And lately, it has been on overdrive. She is such a mini-me in almost every way, and when we are together, we are pretty much connected at the hip. Today while waiting for Grammie to pick us up I decided to take a few pictures of Everly on her Fischer Price classic camera. And through that little yellow tinted view finder was the most adorable, cheesiest smile I've ever seen. And of course, I couldn't let that moment live just on her "film", so I did a tricky maneuver where I faked her out with her play camera, just enough to get to her squinty smile, allowing for my phone to grab this little face.

Priceless. I hope you are enjoying Memorial Day weekend, and hey, throw on some red white and blue too, and remember our veterans!  We decided to be patriotic all three days, not just Monday.