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How To Organize Your Photos

April 15, 2015 By: Megancomment

How To Organize Your Photos | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

(includes affiliate links)

Where did I put that photo on my computer?  I don’t REALLY want to look through all those hundreds of thousands of photos.

Sound familiar?

Before I started organizing my photos, I couldn’t seem to find any one photo unless I had recently downloaded it onto my laptop.  I bought an Expansion Drive to store all of my photos, then set to work trying to organize them all.  But, after so many times of downloading without order, how was I going to do it?

Although you can sort your photos by something in common (foliage, portraits, etc), I started off by sorting photos by the year in which they had been taken.  This is helpful for sorting family vacations or annual events, like Christmas and Thanksgiving.  If, however, the camera did not have a set date and time, I put the photos in an “Other” folder.

How To Organize Your Photos | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

After sorting by year, I then sort by month.  My mom frequently asks for photos from vacations and family portraits, so it helps if I know which month the photos had been taken in.  If I went on vacation to Washington, DC in May, I would easily be able to find my photos.

I find it very hard to not take photos every single month.  Thus, I usually have 12 monthly folders in each yearly folder.

How To Organize Your Photos | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

When the monthly sorting is done…No, I don’t sort by date.  I take all the photos in common and put them into folders with descriptive titles.  For example, I would put all of my April flower photos in a “Flower” folder (or, to be more specific, “Redbud Flowers”).  This was helpful when I wrote my Flowery Photography post.  I found plenty of such photos easily.

How To Organize Your Photos | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

As you can see, I have a folder titled “SORT.”  Just like every other person, I don’t always have time to go through every photo.  But when I have spare time, this can go to sorting.  Also, you may notice that some photos don’t have a folder.  This is okay if you don’t have enough of a common subject to create a dedicated folder.  I haven’t taken many photos of my dog, Kip, so I’ll just set those aside until I either have enough photos to create a folder or May comes around.  Then, I’ll switch over to downloading photos into the 2015 May folder.

A couple more tips that will make organizing your photos a snap:

Limit Your Photos.  All the time, I hear “Back in the film days, we could only shoot as many photos as we had on the roll.  With digital, that doesn’t matter anymore.”  Well, yes, it does matter.  If you shoot 500 photos a week (or a day!), then have to sort through all of those, you’ll probably be worn out.  Unless you have to shoot special events (in which you may need to take 300+ photos), limit your photography.  Between downloads, I usually limit myself to 250-300 photos.  That way, I don’t spend a lot of time organizing when I could be shooting.

Delete Worthless Photos In-Camera.  While some blurry photos are creative, I’ll bet a majority of camera-shaken photos are not.  In portraits, it’s the closed eyes.  In macro, it’s out-of-focus.  These are the photos that should be deleted before you download them.  If you wait, there is a bigger chance that you won’t delete them.  Everybody procrastinates.  Not a good thing.  Don’t take up space on your SD card by keeping the blurry photos.

So there you have it!  How do you organize your photos?  Do you organize or not?  I’d love to hear from you, so please comment below.

 

 

6 Creative Ways to Showcase Your Best Photos

April 3, 2015 By: Megancomment

6 Ways to Showcase Your Best Photos Graphic

Let’s all admit it.  We don’t always take the picture-perfect photos that we’d like to.  But when we do, we’re so proud of our work, we want to show our friends, our families and anyone else who is willing to humor us photographers.  Taking a great photo is a happy thing.

But what if you want to go a step further with your great photo?

Here are 6 ways you can showcase your photos in creative, practical and inexpensive ways.

1.  Calendars are useful, and they’re a wonderful way to post your favorite shots of the past year.  Starting at $25 on Mixbook, you can customize a calendar with 12 photos.  When you’re finished, Mixbook will mail your calendar to you.  Hang it in the kitchen, your living room, or send a calendar with your family photos to grandparents.

2.  Make your photos black and white and frame them in your home.  I took macro photos of my instruments and hung them above my piano in the living room next to a black piano note clock.  It’s so pretty, and all it takes is a frame or two and a few minutes to edit.

Music

3.  Cards with your photos on them are great to send to friends and family if you don’t have your family photos taken by a photo studio photographer.  If you have professional-looking portraits of your kids, this is a sweet idea.

4.  Besides calendars, Mixbook also sells scrapbooks for as low as $12.99.  It takes some time if you plan to create a big book, but if you have a lot of great photos, then a scrapbook (which can also double as a portfolio!) is fantastic.  Plus, the books are fairly small in size, so if you do use it as a portfolio, it’s super portable.

5.  Pillows, blankets, mousepads, t-shirts…the possibilities are endless.  You can turn your photos into home decor and clothing with Zazzle, a website for buying and selling hundreds of custom personalized products.  Plus, if you want more than these ideas, you can create jackets, coffee mugs, business cards and a zillion other items!

6.  Submit your prized photos to state/local fairs, newspapers and magazines.  Many newspapers use readers’ sunset and sunrise photos for the weather pages.  And wouldn’t it be nice to have competition other than yourself?  Fairs are full of showcases, and I find the photography area to be absolutely stunning.  You might even get some inspiration from the 1st place photographs.  Win-win.

Have an idea not listed here?  Tell me in the comments below!

Flowery Photography

March 29, 2015 By: Megancomment

Here is a small collection of flower and ivy photos over the course of my photography journey, though quite a few of them are recent.

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/8, 1/320, ISO 400

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/8, 1/320, ISO 400

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/9, 1/125, ISO 100

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/9, 1/125, ISO 100

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/8, 1/400, ISO 400

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/8, 1/400, ISO 400

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/9, 1/125, ISO 800

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/9, 1/125, ISO 800

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/8, 1/200, ISO 400

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/8, 1/200, ISO 400

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/5.6, 1/80, ISO 280, -0.3 EV

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/5.6, 1/80, ISO 280, -0.3 EV

Like the photos?  Have a question, tip or idea?  Tell me in the comments section below!  I’d love to hear from you!

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot

February 26, 2015 By: Megancomment

To Grandma’s house we go.  The fun place with the big backyard, wonderful kisses and hugs and a soft, cuddly Shi-Tzu.  I’ve been checking the Weather app nearly every day, anticipating the warmer part of the week.  I packed my busy bag with baby’s clothes and hair things before we left, eager to set up shop in the backyard when we arrive at Grandma’s.  Oh, this is gonna be fun!

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot | DiverseReflections.com | Toddler kissing baby sister Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 280, +1 EV

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 280, +1 EV

Just as the app had predicted, the weather was nice and sunny.  Maybe a little too sunny.  I waited until 5PM when the shadows would less harsh and baby’s eyes wouldn’t be squinty.  The backyard had a pretty spot with a soft beam of light shining down on it.  I set up shop there, laying down a pink blanket (it had a bunch of designs on the other side, which would have been distracting from Baby) and positioning Aspen in the just-right place.

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot | DiverseReflections.com | Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 360, +1 EV

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 360, +1 EV

Not long into the photoshoot, my cuddly toddler brother decided to love on Baby, and he found the little tiara (that I had so desperately wanted to use when Baby was newborn and easy to pose) lying beside her.  He picked it up and tried to set it on his little sister’s head…upside down.  I didn’t quite realize what he was about to do, but (thanks to my Mom, who said, “Look what he’s doing!  It’s so cute!”) I got some very adorable photos.  The unexpected changes can be beautiful with a little imagination.

The wonderful thing about little kids is that, with a tiny amount of prompting and a sweet smile, they usually do what you say.  For example, my Mom stood behind me and said, “Can you kiss Baby?”  He does quick kisses, so we had to ask him a couple more times (in which he gladly complied) before I shot the first photo in this post.  If at first the toddler kisses to fast to be caught in-camera, try, try again.

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot | DiverseReflections.com | Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320, +1 EV

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 320, +1 EV

It was very hard to capture the moments when Baby was looking into the camera, but some of the photos turned out adorable and somewhat thoughtful.  She has the tiniest of smiles, and her eyes have little catchlights (the dots of light) in them.  Catchlights are very important.  They add life to a portrait.

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot | DiverseReflections.com | Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 360, +1 EV

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 360, +1 EV

Baby toes.  You have to love them.  They’re just as much an adorable part of the baby as the chubby faces and wrap-around fingers.  They are tiny and some people like to kiss them.  I’d rather photograph the toes than kiss them.  The soft sunlight hit Baby’s foot just as she stopped moving her legs for a split-second.  The softness of the blanket around her feet added a great background.  Babies are soft and a comfy-looking background is a good choice.

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot | DiverseReflections.com | Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 360, +1 EV

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, ISO 360, +1 EV

Wait for the sweet moments.  Little kids are usually naturally sweet and love their siblings.  They kiss them, hug them, and just plain have fun with them.  Patience is important in photography.  The more patience you have, the better chances are of getting a great snapshot.

Unexpected Moments in A Baby Photography Shoot | DiverseReflections.com | Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, EV +1

Nikon D3200, 18-55mm lens, f/7.1, 1/200, EV +1

Remember the little tiara I’ve been dying to use on Baby?  Well, it doesn’t fit her very well anymore.  So, as a last attempt, I lay her on her back (it didn’t work so well on her side, obviously) and tilted the tiara on her head.  Yay!  I finally got my chance to use the tiara, and it actually turned out pretty good!  Don’t be afraid to try, even when you don’t think things will work out.

So, that’s it!  Here are the details for this photoshoot:

I tried to snap photos at different times of the day, waiting every couple hours until the shadows had somewhat disappeared.  It doesn’t hurt to try something, regardless of what the “pros” say.  Who knows?  Maybe the worst photography mistake will be fashionable ten years from now.

As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.”  Don’t count on that perfect picture in your head before you go into a photoshoot.  Expect the unexpected, like sweet little boys who add a whole new dimension to a photo.

Don’t worry too much if things aren’t going the way you want them to.  If the baby is crying or you can’t find the just-right photo, try something new to keep you going.  Shoot from a different angle or, if you can, take a short break to regroup.  Inspiration can strike quickly.

Listen to others around you, photographers or not.  Your creativity can come from watching others being creative.  Listen to their good ideas.  They can help you create the thousand-word picture you want.

Take photos of the baby’s tiny features, such as the feet, fingers and chubby face.  These make great album photos for when the child grows up.  Comparing the changes is wonderful for families.  Make memories and tell stories.  When you can do that, you have succeeded in becoming a photographer.

My First Baby Photoshoot

January 31, 2015 By: Megan4 Comments

My First Baby Photoshoot | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO 100

This is my newest sister, Aspen.  She’s the sweetest little baby, loves to be held, and has smiled since she was less than a month old.  My toddler brother adores her and is nearly always lying beside her or kissing her on the top of her head.

I didn’t know much about newborn photography when my last sibling was born, and I thought it was up to the “professionals,” the photographers with the well-lit studios and secret techniques.  But the more I looked up “newborn photography” on Digital Photography School and Pinterest (the best place for inspiration), the more I thought, “Hey, I bet I could do that.”

My First Baby Photoshoot | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, f/6.3, 1/50, ISO 100

Since my Mom and Dad don’t find out what gender the baby is, it’s always like a birthday present when the baby finally comes.  It’s also one of the reasons I was in an excited rush to find every single baby girl prop on Amazon once she was born!  Tutus, tiaras, headbands with big flowers…I was going all in on this photoshoot!  (A special thanks to my Mom for funding a majority of the props used in the making of this shoot)

The first thing I did was plan what background I wanted.  The white background in all of these photos is simply a white bedsheet.  I used a toddler bed in my bedroom for a “studio.”  Right above the bed is a window which let in beautiful lighting (I did the photoshoot around 10AM while Baby was calm and asleep).  To hold Aspen up, I used a pillow underneath the sheet (if your pillow is any other color besides white, you may want to cover it with a white pillowcase so that the color won’t show through the sheet).  My Mom, who acted as my assistant, held up the other end of the sheet behind Baby to act as a background.

My First Baby Photoshoot | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, f/6.3, 1/100, ISO 100

At one point, Aspen woke up (in a very good mood, thankfully!), and did a “one eye” thing, keeping one eye closed.  It wasn’t very pretty, but she soon opened both eyes, which led to some cute photos.

My First Baby Photoshoot | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, f/5.6, 1/60, ISO 100

I use PicMonkey for my editing (Photoshop is a little hard to understand at this time).  The above photo was put into Black-and-White and faded ever-so-slightly to keep some of the color.

My First Baby Photoshoot | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, f/5.6, 1/30, ISO 100

The photo above is my absolute favorite from the photoshoot.  I didn’t edit it at all, loving it the way it was taken.  She looks like a baby ballerina with her little hands stretched out.  I love her expression, her mouth almost a smile, and her bright eyes.  She is definitely a beautiful little girl…

I hope she doesn’t ever get tired of my camera lens.

Here are the details for this photoshoot:
(affiliate links)

Since babies “in the buff” aren’t at all my thing, I used a white, long-sleeved onesie with a pink tutu.  The headband comes in a 10-pack of multiple colors, so I have many different choices.

A bed, couch or chair works great for an easy set-up.  Use pillows to help Baby sit upright, and cover the pillows with a sheet or quilt.  I promise, it will look great!  If you bought a twin bedsheet pack (I bought one from Walmart for under $10) for the background, don’t forget to toss it in the dryer for a few minutes to smooth out any wrinkles.

If you know the gender of the baby, by all means, go out and buy props immediately.  Since I ordered mine, they took longer to be delivered, and I lost a little time.  That meant no tiny baby, easily-posed newborn photos.  Babies tend to grow out of the easy-posing stage within the first month.  After that, they wake up easier and are not as easy to pose, though it is still possible.

Aspen woke up in the middle of the photoshoot and cried for a few minutes.  My Mom calmed her down quickly, then set her on the bed again.  Be patient if the baby cries, and let mom hold him\her.  Crying usually doesn’t last long.  Work your photoshoot around the baby’s schedule.  This might mean dressing the baby in his\her chosen outfit an hour or two before the photoshoot, just in case he\she falls asleep (but be careful of the outfit if your baby has a tendency to spit up).  My Mom dressed Aspen just before the photoshoot while she was sleeping, and she wasn’t disturbed, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

My “studio” isn’t a studio at all.  It is, in fact, my bedroom.  I have two windows, one of which lets in beautiful lighting no matter the time of day (except for nighttime, of course).  I don’t have expensive flashes (yet) or beautiful backgrounds.  Even the corner of a room can make a great impromptu studio.  Or the kitchen, dining room, living room…Anywhere with good lighting and a good background (or you can set one up like I did).

I’ll be doing a review on the items I used for this photoshoot, so check back soon!  Also, I’ll have more baby photos from a new shoot up soon!

My First Baby Photoshoot | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Check out my Pinterest board for inspiration for baby photos and set-ups and check out these posts for more tips on newborn and baby photography:

Newborn Lifestyle Photography Tips
Setting Up for a Baby Photoshoot

10 Tips for Photographing Newborns
How To Easily Prepare for a Baby Photoshoot

Matthew West Concert Photography

January 18, 2015 By: Megan2 Comments

Last year, my parents treated me to something special: my first concert.  I’d read about Matthew West, a popular (and funny) artist, coming to my area, and had asked them about the concert.  They surprised me a few days before the concert, and I was so excited.  “What should I wear?  Who’s coming with me?  Can we get floor seats?  Can I take photos?”  That last question was probably one of the most important to me.  If I was going to my first concert, I was definitely going to see if the place allowed photography.

Matthew West Concert 2014 | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 200, Spot Metering

I was extremely impatient as my Mom and I walked to the ticket office.  The floor seats had long since been sold out, but I didn’t mind.  At least I was going to see Matthew West!  But the ticket seller said that two floor seat tickets had just come open while we stood there!  My Mom gave me a look, and I shrugged.  “You have the wallet.” I laughed.  Floor seats all the way.  That must have been a God-incidence (there’s no such thing as coincidence).

Matthew West Concert 2014 | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, ISO 200, 1/200, f/5.6, Spot Metering

As we sat in the second row (a bonus because the first row had no one in it!), I fiddled around with my Nikon, setting the “correct” ISO, shutter speed, etc.  I decided to leave it on Shutter Priority because I didn’t feel comfortable with full manual at the time.

Matthew West Concert 2014 | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, ISO 100, 1/6, f/5.6, EV -0.7 Spot Metering

The opening band performed for a while, and the sun behind the grandstand fell quickly.  By the time the set-up crew had removed the extra equipment, tuned the guitars and furnished the stage for Matthew West’s entrance, it was completely dark.  I had to change the settings on my camera again, and took a planned shot of the drum set with the blue lights and smoke in the background.  This was a must-have shot for me.

Matthew West finally made his entrance and impressed me much, much more than I thought he would.  He had me smiling the whole night away.  Being my first time at a major concert, I “followed” the artist’s and other fans’ actions.  I’m not much of a wave-hands-in-the-air type of person, but I clapped a lot.  Matthew West included the crowd in everything, holding out his small microphone so that everyone could “help out” with the bridge or chorus here and there.

He shared plenty of stories (most of them honestly hilarious) and even more jokes.  He’s a funny guy.  At one point, he jumped off the stage and over the gate to stand in front of us.  He was positive he had hurt his knee in doing so, but he said it was for the fans.

Without hesitation, he jumped onto the front-row seat in front of me!  He bent down, shook my hand and asked, “Hi, did I scare you?  What’s your name?”

I replied, grinning with a smile too big for my face, “Megan.”  How could I be scared?  I was too busy thinking, “WOW, I JUST SHOOK HANDS WITH MATTHEW WEST!”

“Well, everyone clap for Megan,” He returned the smile, and added, “Because I think I might have scared her a bit.”

See?  There are huge benefits to buying the last floor seats available.  Getting the best seating for taking photos (awesome), and getting the unexpected possibility of shaking Matthew West’s hand (double awesome).

Matthew West Concert 2014|Megan Roberts Diverse Reflections

Nikon D3200, NIKKOR 18-55mm lens, ISO 200, 1/200, f/5.6, Spot Metering

Here are the details for my first concert “photoshoot”:
(affiliate links)

I decided to use my 18-55mm lens because, although I could have zoomed in closer with my telephoto lens for some face shots, I was more interested in the atmosphere and adding it into the photos.

Matthew West has some really good faces (by “good,” I mean he’s either got a beautiful smile or a full-of-feeling, scrunched-up look) when he’s singing, and when he sang “Forgiveness,” his look was amazing.  I had left my camera bag open in order to retrieve my Nikon D3200 whenever I felt like a good shot would happen, so I quickly got it out and readied it for the ever-hopeful “next time.”  Thankfully, he made the same look, and I got the shot shown at the beginning of the post.  A super-important tip in the Boy Scouts, as well as in photography, is “Be prepared.”  Remember that you may only get one chance to create a great photo.

In some photos I took during Matthew West’s first songs on stage, the highlights are, well, high-lit.  I had forgotten to reset my ISO and shutter speed after the opening band, so, while Matthew West smiled into the camera for me, the photo would take a lot of editing to show it.  Again, be prepared.

I used a 32GB SD card, but didn’t take many photos because I wanted to “cherish the moment,” something I have a bad habit of forgetting to do.

As for editing, I used some contrast to boost the skin tone, which was an unnatural gray from my camera.  I also cropped out the uninteresting parts of the stage to focus more on Matthew West.  Black and White conversion, which I’ve seen in quite a few different concert shots from other photographers, didn’t look good with the photos I took.  Color did more justice, I thought, so I left my photos that way.

I definitely plan on going to more concerts with my camera in tow, and this won’t be the last time I participate in a Matthew West concert.  I’m all smiles just thinking about it!  Thank-you, Mr. West, for the best first concert ever.

For more info on Concert Photography, check out these posts from my favorite tutorial website, Digital Photography School:

Choosing the best camera settings

Concert Photography tips

The Basics

Concerts | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com
Matthew West Concert 2014|Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com
Matthew West Concert 2014|Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

Concerts | Megan Roberts DiverseReflections.com

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