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Snowball Fight

© TIM PANNELL PHOTOGRAPHY

How do you take pictures of a snowball fight?

How do you do it without getting snow all over your gear?

In my experience…….you don’t.

I spent the last 5 days working on a stock photography assignment.

The subject was winter family fun.

I had my good friend Pete come in from L.A. to art direct for me.

I just got back from dropping him off at the airport this morning.

It’s so nice to have that extra pair of eyes, especially when we had so many people in most of the shots we did.

Obviously, this shoot was done differently than if I was just out shooting my own kids or creating images of someone’s family for them.

You wont’ have an art director, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an extra pair of eyes to help you.

Use your spouse, use a friend, use one of your other kids.

Don’t be afraid of biting off more than you can chew.

Give the kids a little encouragement and some guidelines and then jump right in.

© Tim Pannell Photography

Get close to the action and shoot a bunch.  Don’t worry if a lot of the shots stink, that’s going to happen no matter what with this much action.

There’s just too much going on to get a great shot every time.  Don’t focus on the missed shots, focus on the great ones that you get.

If you always play it safe, you’ll never get anything great.  Push yourself, take chances, you’ll be greatly rewarded.

It’s really easy to make excuses to not shoot in the snow, or rain or just plain old winter.

Don’t make that mistake.  Take advantage of the winter weather.

If your kids are like my kids, it won’t take any encouragement at all to get them to go play in the snow.

The next time they go out to make a snowman, build a snow fort or have a snowball fight, follow them out and take a bunch of pictures.

Enjoy the cold winter weather, it won’t be around much longer.

We’re still settling in to the new place and getting caught up on some other business obligations so the next Photo Mommies Workshop will be pushed back another couple of weeks more than I wanted.

To all of you who are patiently waiting…..I apologize, but I thank you for your patience.

The workshop is coming and as soon as I can guarantee a start date I will.  It should take place within the next month.

In the meantime……….keep shooting!

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2010 New Photo Opportunities

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

Well, it’s a brand new year with lots of new potential and possibilities.

Our family just finished moving to Utah from Arizona.  We’re still right in the thick of unpacking all of our junk.

We put our home up for sale in September, sold it early in December and moved out on the 28th.

We had to stay with friends and family for a couple of weeks until we were able to move into our new place on the 9th of January.

Thank heavens for all of our friends and family, we couldn’t have pulled this off without any of them.

We loved living in Arizona.  We’ll love living in Utah.

I’m just trying to get used to the huge change in temperature.  It was 15 degrees when I took our 12 year old to school after he missed the bus.

It is beautiful here, in spite of the temperature.  Its nice to have a whole new set of backgrounds and scenery to shoot in.

There’s snow on the ground, no leaves on the trees, mountains and deep blue skies.

Once we get settled in, I’ll start taking advantage of our new surroundings and get some new images.

For those of you who are wondering about the new January workshop…..it’ll begin in early February.

Sorry about the delay, but the last couple of months have been a blur and we’ve got a few more crazy weeks on the horizon.

Keep your eyes open for registration and payment announcements.  If you’re already registered but haven’t paid yet, look for an email with instructions on your next step.

In the meantime, take advantage of the winter season and shoot your kids.

Have a blast!

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Let it Snow. Let it Snow. Let it Snow.

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

Sometimes its easy to forget about your camera once the weather gets cold outside and it starts snowing.

Sure it might be a little bit more inconvenient to shoot, but there are some great images out there just waiting to be taken.

In the interest of full disclosure, now that I’m in my 40’s the snow doesn’t really turn my crank much anymore, but when I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to get outside and hop on the toboggan.

Most likely your kids are the same.  There’s nothing better than taking pictures of your kids when they’re actually having a great time.

So what if its cold.  So what if its wet.  So what if you have a runny nose.

Take advantage of the joy your kids all feel and that you maybe used to feel when you were a kid and there was fresh snow on the ground.

I remember sitting by the radio in the morning with my fingers crossed hoping they would read off the code that would get us out of school for the day.

I remember that once that number was announced we’d call everybody in the neighborhood and within an hour we’d be on the side of our house with sleds, disks and toboggans.

We’d stay outside way past the point of being cold.  We would be frozen to the bone.  We’d build a fire in the fireplace and sit as close as we could without burning ourselves.

As a kid, I loved everything about that.  How weird is that?

As an adult, that doesn’t sound fun at all.  Maybe thats because the last time I shot in the snow I was up in Whistler shooting on a lake and I fell through up to my thighs.  That was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.

Fortunately, my assistant helped pull me out and we were close to the house we were renting so I could get warmed up pretty quick.

So……..get your butt outside whether its snowing or not and shoot your kids.

Just stay off of the frozen lake.

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Two Headed Leaf Thrower

As promised, here’s a little photoshop tutorial that will show you how to salvage an image by using a piece of another image.

The base image is the one I want to use, but I have a leaf covering the boy’s eye.  I found another image from the series where his eyes are free from any leaves.

All I have to do is isolate the area I want to use and drag it to my “base” image to hide the “offensive” leaf.

The tutorial is a bit simplified.  If I were doing this for the client I would spend more time massaging the final image.

This is at the very least a good place to start.  If you’re looking to get more in depth instruction you should consider registering for one of my upcoming Photo Mommies Workshops.

The tutorials for the workshop are more detail oriented.

Once you understand the principles behind this stuff you can play around with all kinds of options and variables.

In any case, have some fun with it……I hope it helps.

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Leaf Throwers | Photo Mommies – Online Photography Training – Online Photography Workshop - [...] fact, while I was writing this post I decided to do a video photoshop tutorial of how to do just that.  If everything goes well, I’ll post it on the blog [...]
 
 

Leaf Throwers

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

Ok, it’s just about officially winter, even here in Arizona. Take advantage of whatever leaves you have left and have some fun.

If you want to get the quintessential leaf toss photograph you need to be aware of a few things.

You need to make sure your people don’t look up too high into the air after tossing the leaves or you’ll see nothing but chins and nostrils.

The other big annoyance is that you’re gonna wind up with the vast majority of your pictures being ruined by random leaves covering up peoples’ faces.

You just have to make sure you shoot enough frames to get a really good one, or have enough Photoshop skills to strip a good “non leaf covered” face for the one that is blocked.

In fact, while I was writing this post I decided to do a video photoshop tutorial of how to do just that.  If everything goes well, I’ll post it on the blog tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you live in an area where the trees aren’t completely bare, good luck with the  leaf tossing or leaf fights or whatever else kind of “leaf activities” you decide capture with your camera.

For those of you who have been wanting to sign up for the next photo workshop, I’ll be announcing the February starting date pretty soon.

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Fall Color

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

I had so much fun shooting the fall colors in Utah 2 weeks ago, that I went back last week to get some more.  The color was still incredible.

Cool crisp air, morning frost……orange, red and yellow tones.

A mother, a father, a child, giggling, laughing, running, jumping, playing………being.

I kept the same basic idea in mind this time around as I did the first week…….keep it simple.

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

Make sure the wardrobe you choose fits with the fall colors.  Sweaters, caps, vests……..nice warmer tones.

Sticking to classic styles helps keep your photos from looking dated.

I found a couple of pretty trees and had my mommies (and daddy) just play with their kids.

More than anything else when I’m shooting families I want to capture their connection.

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

Photographs are about emotions, feelings, brief moments in time.

Capturing in an image what we all crave in our lives….real connections, ties and emotional bonds with those we love.

None of this is rocket science.  A photograph doesn’t need to be complicated to be good……in fact, just the opposite.

Whenever in doubt, keep it simple.

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Kids and Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves © Tim Pannell Photography

Autumn Leaves © Tim Pannell Photography

Our family just got back from a trip to Utah.  The autumn leaves were incredible!  I love this time of year.

We have 2 older children that are going to college up there and my wife and I both have extended family there as well.

It was nice to go up and see everyone as well as get out of the surprise 100 degree weather that showed back up here in Arizona last week.

We had a great time visiting with family and wish we were still up there.

One of the things I enjoy most about the Fall is the colors.  It’s so much fun seeing all the vibrant colors and how quickly they change from day to day.

We took advantage of the weather and shot lots of pictures of our kids with their cousins.

I purposely shot as simply as possible this week because I wanted to use these images as instructional pictures for my Photo Mommies Workshop that starts on November 9th.

Red Leaf © Tim Pannell Photography

Red Leaf © Tim Pannell Photography

Sometimes when the scenery is so pretty, it’s hard to not overdo things and get an image that becomes cluttered with no real direction to it.

If you’re shooting your kids, be sure to keep them strong in the photograph.  It’s about them, make sure the photos you take reflect that.

Find activities that the kids like to do and capture them doing it.

Help Your Sister! © Tim Pannell Photography

Help Your Sister! © Tim Pannell Photography

Be sure to shoot at the optimal times of day…..just after sunrise and just before sunset.  If you have to shoot in the middle of the day do your best to shoot in open shade.

You can also take advantage of backlighting which makes the colors in your backgrounds really pop.  The sun stays lower in the sky this time of year so the quality of light is better than during summer months.

The colors don’t last long so be sure not to procrastinate.  Get out there and shoot like crazy while the colors are still there.

Be sure to register for the next Photo Mommies Online Workshop if you haven’t already.  It starts on November 9th, runs for 4 weeks and only costs $150. I hope to see you all there in the forum.

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Fall Color | Photo Mommies – Online Photography Training – Online Photography Workshop - [...] had so much fun shooting the fall colors in Utah 2 weeks ago, that I went back last week to get some more.  The color was still [...]
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New Photo Workshop Begins November 9th

Free wheeling © Tiim Pannell Photography

Free wheeling © Tim Pannell Photography

Registration for the 8 week class is now closed and registration for the new 4 week workshop begins right now.

If you have a digital camera and want to take better photographs of your kids, but aren’t sure how to set up your camera settings or what lenses to use, or what f-stop and shutter speed combinations to use, then this is a great workshop for you.

Enjoy learning at your own pace with the weekly lesson modules. Every week brings new lessons with new tasks or assignments to help teach you the ins and outs of taking better photographs of your children.

You’ll learn how to make your subject really stand out from your background. I’ll teach you how to find better backgrounds. Learn about props, wardrobe and how to choose colors.

Learn how to use available light to your best advantage.

More than anything, this workshop is designed to be fun and informative. Take advantage early and sign up now. The cost for the 4 week workshop is only $150.

Week #1 – Introduction to Photography

* A Day In Our Life
* Techno Geek vs. Creative Freak
* Equipment – Basic Camera Settings
* Go Out and Play – (1st assignment)

Week #2 – Exposure Control

* Shooting Modes
* Histograms – (Polaroid was so over-rated)
* ISO
* Picking an Aperture
* Depth of Field
* Shooting Action
* Aperture vs. Shutter Speed – (2nd assignment)

Week #3 – The Art of Seeing

* Lens Choice
* Viewpoint
* Rule of Thirds
* Cropping
* Background options
* Developing Your Creativity – (3rd assignment)

Week #4 – Storyboard

* A Week in Your Children’s Lives
* Using available light
* Props, wardrobe and colors
* Shoot, shoot and shoot some more
* Edit, edit and edit some more – Use the Hatchet, be tough!
* Unleash the Creative Beast! – (4th assignment)

The 4 week photo workshop begins November 9th, just in time to get you ready to take great shots of your kids during the holidays.

Registration gets you access to the Photo Mommies Forum where you will get lots of positive feedback from fellow Photo Mommies as well as myself.

So go ahead and take advantage of this great opportunity and register today, just follow this link:   Photo Mommies Workshop Registration

I’ll see you in the forum!


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Halloween Photos – I Love This Holiday!

Trick or Treat © Tim Pannell Photography

Trick or Treat © Tim Pannell Photography

I love taking Halloween photos of kids.  There’s nothing cuter than a little bitty kid in a totally killer costume.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because that’s about the time we start getting amazing weather here in Arizona.

I love the crispness in the air, the colors, the costumes, the candy. I love it all.

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

There are so many great opportunities to take great pictures too. From carving the pumpkins and making cookies, to the obvious cute costumes and trick or treating.

You can use available light outdoors and get all kinds of great looking light. If you’re outside early enough, try doing some back-lighting.  All these images were done just with available light.

No reflectors, no strobes, no nothing. Just work on understanding where your light is coming from and do your best to get some nice highlights on your heroes.

Carving © Tim Pannell Photography

Carving © Tim Pannell Photography

The other really nice thing about Halloween is that the kids are so excited about what’s going on that they don’t get too wrapped up in the camera being around.

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

They eventually stop paying attention to you and start getting wrapped up in whatever it is they’re doing. Usually, that’s the best stuff.

Just keep it simple.  Use a fairly open f-stop to blow out your backgrounds and don’t get too crazy with the props.

Be sure to check out the Photo Mommies Online Photography Workshop that starts on October 21st and register before it gets filled up.

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Photo Mommies Online Photography Workshop – Registration Begins

© Tim Pannell Photography

© Tim Pannell Photography

Well, it’s finally here.  We had a couple little hiccups with the website this last week, but we’re ready to begin registration for the Photo Mommies Online Photography Workshop.

The workshop begins on October 19th.  It goes on for 8 weeks.  If you want to see the curriculum, just follow this link: Photo Mommies Workshop.

This comprehensive workshop is designed to help the amateur photographer that wants to get more out of their digital camera.  If you have kids and want to take better photographs of them, this is the workshop for you.

Learn what it takes to create beautiful photographs of your children.  From how to navigate your way through all the bells and whistles on today’s cameras, to using available light, to simple composition and how to find good backgrounds and props.

You’ll also learn basic Photoshop and retouching techniques, digital workflow and how to store your files properly.

There will be weekly modules available to download with the lessons so you can learn at your own pace throughout the week.  There will be tasks  and assignments to challenge you each week to grow and stretch beyond your current comfort zone.

The fee for the 8 week workshop is just $299.  Get registered now.  www.photomommies.com/workshop

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