What's your favorite color? (5 tips for fall photos)

Never EVER ask a photographer what her favorite color is. Normal people say "black" or "purple." The photographer will answer "The color of maple trees in fall against a blue sky at 4:00 PM."

Then, when her friends look at her like she is crazy, she will grudgingly amend it to "red."

So yes, anyway, I adore fall. The blazing leaves add a kick to photos, and it's the last chance to run around in a sweater. Also pumpkins. Also Halloween costumes! It's a great time of year to shoot - here's a couple of tips to keep in mind.

1. Visit the location before the shoot - Get an idea of the layout, and think about where you want to take your photos. If working with your kids, how old are they? How far will they be able to walk? Is there a playground? Water? Flowers?
   
   
2. Shoot at peak color - Usually mid-to-late October.
   
   
3. Best time to shoot is afternoon to early evening - Sunny day is good, cloudy is better. We are trying to avoid bright overhead sun that causes squinting and under-eye shadow. Also, turn OFF your auto flash - you have plenty of light!
   
   
4. PLAY! - Don't worry too much about getting a perfectly posed picture. Make a huge leaf pile! Climb trees! Let them wage an Epic Leaf Battle! Just KEEP SHOOTING - you can pick your favorites later.
   
   
5.  Get down on the kid's level. - The most boring thing is finding an album full of shots of the tops of kids' heads.

BONUS - Fall means Halloween! Wear your costumes - and invade the park with your own horde of ghouls and witches!

Shooting before Trick-or-Treat means
A.) Your zombies aren't howling for candy/brains yet and
B.) There's plenty of light to work with.

Good Fall Photoshoot locations in Ohio:

• Inniswood Metro Park (Love the playground and field areas)
• Prairie Oaks Metro Park (fall flowers as well as pretty trees)
  
• Alum Creek (lots of water to reflect the colors)
  
• Hocking Hills (great for a hiking day trip - don't miss Old Man's Cave!)

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Local Tuesdays!

I am a HUGE fan of shopping local. I like being able to talk to people and hear the stories behind their products. Being able to hold an item, talk to its creator and share their excitement... there's just nothing like it! Spending money to help a neighbor just feels right - I get something cool, and they get to keep making the cool thing. Winners all around!

This philosophy is one I try to apply to all areas - including costuming and clothing! So,  I am going to be featuring some of my favorite Local Resources for all you lovely readers! This is going to be a regular series, posting every other Tuesday. Tomorrow, Tigertree will kick it off, and then Wholly Craft. These are both fantastic shops. The passion of these store owners is amazing - and I found out a couple of cool things to help my readers on the way to puting together some really fun and unique projects!

I hope this will encourage you to get out and explore Columbus! If you can't, go exploring in your own - and then share YOUR favorite places in the Comments!

Cheers!

The 5 Minute Photo Fix!

These days, cameras are everywhere. We all have the power of photography at our fingertips, in our pockets. Yet I still see lousy selfies popping up on Facebook. Dark hallways. Great Aunt Ethel glowing like a ghost from on-camera flash.

I just want to grab people and go "Oh sweetie, no. NO. You can FIX THAT, it would take you TWO SECONDS."

But, since I probably should NOT start shaking people, I made a tutorial instead!

These are little, TINY things that make a HUGE difference. These are mistakes that everyone has made. You. Me. That guy with the Canikonony 9000.* Big cameras do not equal great photos - so this tutorial is going to help you whether you shoot with a cell phone or an SLR.

*Note: Not an actual camera. Yet. Give them time.

Also, these are tips aren't just for costume. You can use them in ALL your photography. Trust me. Once you start noticing trash cans and bad carpeting, you can't ever unsee them!
 
In fact, I came up with so MUCH stuff, I turned it into a pdf file! How do you get it?

Through the Mailing List!

Sign-up is totally free. Along with "Better in 5", you'll also get Weekly Flashing (my newsletter) and first crack at con photoshoots, too!

So sally forth, brave photographer! And I hope you find "Better in 5" useful!

Waking up!