“Celebrate life” is a blog feature sharing a photo from my daily life.

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

If you receive my email newsletter, you’ve already read my photo tips for capturing memories with your smartphone. If not, it’s not too late to sign up. Please, subscribe here! I’ll be sharing monthly photo tips, upcoming events, and special offers only available to newsletter subscribers.

Capturing memories with your smartphone photo tips :: june 2013 There is no doubt that the smartphone has changed the way we interact and document our lives. Taking pictures with one’s phone (iPhone in my case) has become easier than ever due to the high-tech camera, image quality, and accessibility to social media. Users can also download a slew of apps that help deliver a clear and more professional shot. Feeling overwhelmed? Here are a few suggestions to make creating memories easy. Instagram (FREE) IOS/Android Quite possibly the most widely used photography app thanks to its powerful combination of filters and social media sharing options. Follow my account here. VSCO ($.99) IOS/Android Want to use your smartphone like a camera to edit your photos? VSCO allows users to change the look, feel, and contrast of a photo with more flexibility than Instagram or PicTapGo. The film style presets are also very popular with professional photographers. Color Cap (Free) IOS Interested in adding captions to your photos? Color Cap has numerous pre-installed fonts allowing the user to layer text captions on your photos or provided backgrounds. Geotags | iPhone Snapping camera shots is easy and fun, but don’t forget to check your settings! Embedded in each image is a geotag–hidden data showing where the photo was taken. It may not be a concern for some, but please don’t allow strangers to know where your kids go to school. The iPhone allows you to turn off geotags from each app that utilizes it. Follow these steps to turn off geotagging. Lastly, here is a article what geotagging can do to your personal life. PicTapGo ($1.99) IOS Want to change up the look of your photo but uncertain with the countless filter options, focus points, and frames each time? PicTapGo has prebuilt filters which allows users to create “recipes” that can be saved for later use. PicFrame ($.99) IOS/Android Ever wonder how people make those photo collages floating around on Facebook or Instagram? Chances are they used PicFrame. This app allows you to adjust the size, add color/patterns to borders, and create rounded corners with multiple collage layouts. Krome (Free) IOS So now you have photos from a recent family trip, graduation or birthday party saved on you phone. Upload your photos to Krome and receive beautifully retouched prints! Find out more. Geotags | Android Snapping camera shots is easy and fun, but don’t forget to check your settings! Embedded in each image is a geotag–hidden data showing where the photo was taken. It may not be a concern for some, but please don’t allow strangers to know where your kids go to school. With the fragmentation of the Android Operating system, depending on the version of operating system, turning off geotagging maybe easy or hard. Follow these steps to turn off geotagging. Lastly, here is a article what geotagging can do to your personal life.

I can’t get over how quickly summer is flying by this year and was thrilled to squeeze in one of my regular clients. These girls get more beautiful every time I see them! They even brought a change of clothes because they couldn’t decide which dress to wear.  See their previous session here!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

“Celebrate life” is a blog feature sharing a photo from my daily life.

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

Nearly a year ago, I photographed these adorable twins at their first birthday party and was marveled by their unfolding personalities. Photographing toddlers can be a challenge, but involving them in activities will most likely produce a candid portrayal of the family; like seen below. The girls had a great time exploring the park, chasing after their parents, and pointing at every passing dog.

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

“Celebrate life” is a blog feature sharing a photo from my daily life. (Photo taken in Lake Tahoe, California.)

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

If you receive my email newsletter, you’ve already read my first photo tip for taking better vacation photos. If not, it’s not too late to sign up. Please, subscribe here! I’ll be sharing monthly photo tips, upcoming events, and special offers only available to newsletter subscribers.

7 tips for photographing your kids on vacation photo tips :: may 2013   As summer is approaching, families may be planning a trip to an amusement park, leisurely road trip, or perhaps a long weekend at the beach. To make your trip memorable, I’ve put together a few helpful tips from last year’s Hawaiian vacation to turn your snapshots into beautiful portraits. Remember, you don’t have to be a professional to take great vacation photos. Lighting isn’t always perfect The best time for picture taking is in the early morning or late afternoon because the sun is low, giving the best warm light. While traveling we don’t always have the best optimal lighting, so try to make sure your subjects are in a shaded spot or with the backs to the sun in order to avoid unflattering shadows. Be creative We all want the ubiquitous Eiffel Tower picture, but resist the urge to throw people in front and center. Instead, aspire to create unique poses and compositions that reflects your specific style. Get in the picture! Make sure that the photographer, mostly mothers, gets into some shots too. Use a tripod, timer, your husband’s long arms (generally, in my case) or ask a stranger for help, but please don’t leave without stepping in front of the camera. Memories are so much sweeter when you have a picture to go with them. Have fun! The more photos you take will drastically increase your chances of getting a great photo. So shoot away and edit later on a computer. Memory cards will inevitably fail and it can be quite devastating to lose your vacation photos. With this in mind, use multiple cards in the chance one fails. Pay attention to the details When you’re somewhere you’ve never been before, remember to capture the details that complete the memory. Zooming in on the subject is a good way to make everyday activities memorable. Take photos of  sandy feet, your child picking up a ladybug, dripping ice cream cones, or priceless close-up expressions. Include the background You may encounter amazing landmarks during your vacation so flatter your family by incorporating the background in your shot. Have your family interact with the setting to help convey your story. Most importantly, correct your crooked horizons. Take a step back Take a few steps back from the action and take in the moments from a distance. Most people love candid photos, but they forget to take them. Majority of my favorite photos are when the kids don’t even know they’re being photographed. * bonus tip Learn the “Rule of Thirds.” This may be getting a little too technical for an amateur photographer, but if you’re interested in really capturing excellent vacation photos this is a very helpful tip to master. Break your frame into nine squares of roughly equal size, by two horizontal lines and two vertical lines. Align the subject along these lines and intersections. This gives you a more visually interesting image than one where your subject is located dead center.

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This summer I’ll be sharing photo tips, upcoming events, and special offers only available to newsletter subscribers. Tips for photographing your kids on vacation is coming to your inbox this week! Subscribe HERE!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

I had a fun spring session, despite the morning drizzle, with these two energetic brothers the other weekend. The joy of photographing a lifestyle session is the spontaneity, casual setting, and unstructured environment. Each family is different and rewarding to capture those memories. View previous session here!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!

It’s such a joy to photograph my husband’s extended family. We certainly had a warm afternoon session, but the comical idle chatter, comparing the cousins’ unique personalities, passed the time too quickly. Look how much this little guy has grown; see previous session here!

Elizabeth is a graphic designer & natural light photographer, specializing in lifestyle portraits for families in the greater Los Angeles.
To see her portfolio and additional information, please visit the main website at: www.emadesign.net. Thanks for looking!