Photography Basics With Tracey Devereaux

I absolutely love my studio but at the moment my daughter is temporarily living in it while she saves for a house. Periodically she moves all her things back down into our house and I open it back up to run a heap of sessions. 

For the past 10 days the studio has been open for business and the response has been fantastic! I ordered two new backdrops online with a boho feel to really make them stand out. I'm absolutely loving the results. 

My studio is 6 meters x 6 meters squared and was built to allow in plenty of natural light and we had some beautiful sunny days, so no extra lighting was needed. 

A few weeks ago I ran a mini session day with an Easter theme in the studio. I had a heap of families join us for a session.

I purchased two backdrops from online with a cute little bunny theme. I attached them to my wall and opted to shoot them with natural light instead of using my studio lights or large soft box. 

I charged $95 for 5 digital images. Everyone, except 1 family, upgraded to the full package. The upgrade was $49 for a full gallery of 20.  These were super cheap minis, but I figured that themed shoots are very time specific, so it still leaves room for them to do a normal session. 

Things I would do differently:

* Use my studio lights. It ended up being a rainy day and the light wasn't as good as it could've been.

* Use a plainer backdrop as I feel this one was too busy

* Change the flooring to my white reflective as I think this would've suited the backdrops better. I'd also blend the backdrop into the flooring more

Have you...

As I'm preparing for this weekends mini sessions, I thought I'd do a quick blog to run through what I do during a mini session weekend. 

This Saturday and Sunday morning I'll be at a local pre-prep taking family photos for their annual fundraiser. These are little mini sessions that we run back to back. 

Basically, the school takes a booking fee when the families book, and they get to keep all of it. I then provide the families with a 15 minute photoshoot and a 6x8 mounted print of their choice. 

There's no obligation for the families to purchase anything extra, but if they choose too, they can. It's my job to create images that they're going to love and want to purchase.

There are families that will purchase the full gallery and there are families that will just take the free print, and that's okay. It's a numbers game and I expect that there will be some that will only need the updated print. For me, it's all advertising and it's doing a service for the...

Have you ever had a belly full of butterflies on the way to a shoot?

Or maybe thought you were going to throw up with all the nerves? 

We've all been there, but the good news is that it gets better. 

I don't get nervous before a shoot these days and I think it's largely because I have a plan of what I'm going to do. I also know that no matter what happens, I'm going to try my best and if things go pear shaped we can work it out.

Of course there are things I do during a shoot to make sure I don't leave too much to chance, like check the back of my camera periodically to make sure the images are looking great.

Here's a quick list of what I do before I even leave for my session to make sure I'm set up for success. Actually, to be honest, I do these the night before so I know I have time up my sleeve in case I need it. 

Now while it may appear to be a very basic list, trust me, you only need one of these items to go pear shaped during a session to know how...

Hey hey! 

This weekend was a huge weekend of mini sessions with the added bonus of a full shoot as well.

I had 20 families booked in with a local pre-prep school over 2 mornings. We had 10 booked in for each morning.

We didn't quite end up photographing the whole 10 on the first day because we had a couple who couldn't make it on the day, due to other commitments or being unwell. When this happens, I always have a few spare days that I use as 'make-up' days. Not only does rescheduling give you a second chance at being able to up-sell, but it also makes the client extremely happy and grateful. 

Sunday we had the full schedule. We've added a 3rd morning this coming Saturday for those who couldn't make it and also for those who missed out on a space the first time around. 

With our normal family mini-session bookings I'll only do ten 15 minute sessions in a row because personally I find that's a nice amount for me. Here's how the weekend...

It doesn't matter if your house is a mess, your kids are grubby, and the dog has just rolled in a large puddle of mud, you need to let go of being perfect, take out your camera and start snapping. 

This is an old photo that isn't perfect by any means, but it makes me smile all the same.

We live in a world where everyone is portraying how to be 'perfect'. Don't be perfect - be real - be you. You want to take images of your family that reflect the way they are right now - not how you 'think' they should be.

Here are some fast tips to get you using your camera daily. 

• Keep your camera out with your batteries charged and ready to go! Make sure you have clear space on your memory cards too.
• Be Prepared. Have a few spots around the house, inside and outside, that you know work well for taking photos of the kids before they rush out the door. This is super handy on the first day of school as well as dress up days like Book Week and Sports Day.
• If the kids...

 Here's 10 quick tips to help you on your photography journey...

1. Take photos EVERYDAY. Yes, you heard me. It sounds like a chore but even if you just pick it up and take a photo of your breakfast or the mess on the playroom floor or even the dog. Trust me, every time you pick it up and shoot you’re learning.
2. Vision. Think about what you'd like the final image to be like. Do you want it to be full of giggles and bright colours or moody and dark? Having a rough plan will help you choose your settings and backgrounds.
3. Background check. Always make sure that your background compliments your subject and doesn't take away from the image. For example you don't want to take a photo of your little ones and have the garbage bins in the background or the door to the toilet open.
4. Clear the clutter. While checking out the background remove any distracting clutter. Even if you just pop the objects to the side while you take the image and pop them back again afterwards.
5. Zoom in. If you...