Capturing Your "Everyday" | Photographer Columbus Ohio - Erika Venci Photography

Photograph your "EVERYDAY"

What means the most to you? What happens in your daily life that you will want to remember when the kids are all grown up? Photograph it!

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The photos you take of your every day lifestyle (even if it seems mundane) are the ones you will TREASURE the most in the years to come. Would you rather have perfectly posed photos of your family in clothes they never wear? OR would you rather have a picture of your child reading their favorite book? Or having a tickle fight with Dad? 

The other day, I was trying to imagine the interior of the old house I grew up in to see how well I could remember it. I am so blessed because I have TONS of "everyday" pictures of my childhood in that old house. These photos bring back memories of 90's fashion, the awesome music, childhood friends, the decor in our house, the toys we played with, the food we ate, all of the elements that made up our environment. 

These photos are some of my favorites because they capture how I remember my childhood. I adore and treasure them.

When you take photos of someone in their true environment, it is like freezing a slice of history. Most of our memories happen in this environment that we call HOME.. so why not take pictures there? How special would those pictures be to you in 20, 30, or even 40 years? How special would it be to show your grandchildren and great grandchildren?  

Documenting families in their environments is something I truly believe in. Sure, posed portraits are nice, but there is something extra special and memorable about catching real moments. Let me do this for you and get everyone in the picture!

Have I convinced you yet that in-home family photos are what you NEED?! Your life IS art.. have it documented! 

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Bloopers and Outtakes | Columbus Ohio Photographer - Erika Venci Photography

See this beautiful portrait below? It took about 50 tries to get this one. 

Photographing our little toddler can be challenging.. he is constantly on the go and doesn't really care that I would like for him to play in some pretty light by our living room window.  I have learned, however, that I get the best photos when I let him do his thing and be himself.. and sometimes bribe him with chocolate!

When I am processing and editing photos, the first thing I do is something called "culling". During this process, I go through each photo on my computer and flag it as a "yes" to keep or a "no" to get rid of. Seems kind of harsh but considering I have taken thousands of photos this year alone, it is necessary. Culling helps me to build a story with photos as well and sometimes that includes "blooper" photos. I cannot help but save these little gems!

To me, bloopers are photos that either have something really goofy going on (this happens A LOT with our little guy) or they are technically imperfect (out of focus or bad composition-thank you quick toddler!), or both!

So, for your entertainment and to give a little "behind the scenes" look at some of my photos from my 365 project, here are some of my favorite bloopers of our son from the past 6 months. ENJOY! 

He was SO excited to run around at the park last fall.. we could hardly contain him!

A LEAF!

A few too many leaves.. :)

This face he makes cracks me up.. 

Self portraits are hard.. and even harder when you throw a toddler in the mix!

"Hello?" Anything can become a phone for him.

A bit too close!

Out of focus but I love his face here..

No idea.. putting his cheek on the window.

Down he goes!

Negotiating something.. don't remember what.

Troll hair! :) 

Whenever we go to Highbanks, he just wants to run on the trail. Track star in the making???

I hope these brought a smile to your face..

Love and Light, 

Erika

 

About Erika

Columbus Ohio Photographer | Couples Session | Charles + Manuela

Dancing at sunset and lots of laughing, does it get any better?!

I really enjoyed this sunset session with these two. After the session, Manuela and I talked about photography and lenses until it was dark! I guess this means we need to have a coffee date to talk shop! She is in the process of getting a new lens to take photos of the products she makes for her business, Uponaworld Cosmetics. Manuela is my sister-in-law and also the owner of Uponaworld Cosmetics where she makes amazing, creamy vegan soaps and make up!

Her shop is currently on a break but if you are looking for local, hand-made soaps and cosmetics, please go check out the Uponaworld Cosmetics Facebook page to get notice when she re-opens! You will not want to miss out on her first batches! 

5 Easy Tips to Get The Most Out of Your DSLR Camera | Columbus Ohio Photographer - Erika Venci Photography

Ok, so you just got your first DSLR camera--GREAT! Now what?! How in the world do you use this thing?! If you are like me, when I got my first camera, I had no idea where to start with learning how to use it properly.. So, I just set it to "Auto" mode and started shooting. This worked ok, BUT I knew if I was going to be paying this much money for a camera, I wanted to learn how to use it properly!

iPhone or phone camera users- you can STILL take amazing photos! Phone cameras have come a LONG way in the last couple of years. For your tips, skip to #3!

1. Learn how to shoot in MANUAL MODE

This is by far the most challenging thing to learn when you first get your camera.. but if you can learn this, I promise you, it will only get easier with practice and soon you will be able to adjust your settings without much thought. Shooting in manual mode means you are controlling your aperture (your depth of field), shutter speed (how long the shutter is open to let the light in) and ISO (your camera's sensitivity to light). 

Learn More About Manual Mode HERE

2. Use the VIEWFINDER

Stop using the screen on the camera!

When I got my first DSLR camera, I always used the screen to see what I was shooting. This slowed me down and was really difficult to do once I started using manual mode. I know it feels weird to use the view finder at first, because after all, our phone cameras don't have viewfinders! HOWEVER, looking through the viewfinder, you will be able to adjust your settings more quickly and also focus faster. Stick to it and after a while, it will feel normal and less awkward!

The only times I use the screen on my camera are if I am doing an "above the scene" shot where I am holding the camera up really high above my subject, if I am taking a self-portrait, OR if I'm shooting video. For everything else, I use the viewfinder.

3. Shoot during GOLDEN HOUR

Golden hour is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. It is when the sun is at it's lowest point in the horizon. The benefits of shooting during this time are awesome. The light is softer and not as harsh and best of all, it is GOLDEN. This is very flattering for photos and allows you a lot of flexibility because you don't have to hide from or work with harsh mid-day sun. 

4. Use BACKLIGHTING

There are MANY ways to shoot in natural light, but my favorite by far is backlighingt! It is easy to learn and very flattering for your subjects. Shooting with backlight means that you are shooting with the sun behind your subject. This works GREAT during Golden Hour.

Backlight prevents harsh shadows on your subjects face, illuminates the hair to create "rim light" and is just GORGEOUS.  When you are shooting with back light, you will want to underexpose your subjects a little bit and then bring up the exposure on your subject when you are editing. This will maintain details and colors in the background and make sure the sky is not blown out and white.

5. Keep your camera READY

While you are shooting your subject, especially if it's children, keep your camera UP and ready to click! Children are quick and if you keep your camera up to your face and ready, it will be much easier to capture unexpected cuteness! When I first started, I cannot tell you how many pictures I missed because of this. My main subjects are young children and babies so learning this has helped me immensely! 

I hope you have found these tips to be helpful! Please leave a comment if you have any questions, I would be happy to help in any way that I can! 

Love and Light, 

Erika