Buy Tip: Need a DSLR? Check out this kit with an INSTANT REBATE

I just helped a friend buy this deal.  Not bad!!

Canon T2i Rebel w/ 18-135mm for $949.99


***AND add this 55-250mm lens for just $100 more (Regularly $299)

Total: $1049.99 after you check your basket.  Pretty sweet deal!


Canon has a bunch of instant rebates and both B&H Photo and Adorama honors them.

Tips: Things I look for after a good rain

Written last fall but never posted until now:
While I was on my retreat, we had a downpour.  As I took a friend around to shoot, he asked me what to look for.  I shared with him that after a good rain, it's great to shoot reflections in water, to shoot landscape because the colors are brighter, and leaves are clean.  I also shared how I like it before the storm too because you have great dramatic skies.  I love converting them to black and whites.

I like the reflection of things after a good rain.

I love the contrast in the sky!

How to get babies to look at the camera.

• Best tip I've ran across is to tell everyone to have everyone move away from behind the camera and so that you are the only one behind the camera.  You don't want the baby to look at other faces, just your camera. 
• Have your camera mounted on a tripod and hooked up to a remote if possible (optional) you WILL get better shots.  However, this shot below was actually without a tripod, and the others not shown here were blurry. 
• KEY: not pun intended :) then dangle your car keys above the camera and like magic the baby will look.  If for some crazy the baby does not look, then dangle the keys in front of their face to catch there attention first, then move back to the camera.  Works like a charm for me at least.

See my older blog for more technical information:
http://shellyauphotography.blogspot.com/2010/04/tips-how-to-take-your-family-picture.html

Never show your bad shots!

One of the things I tell new photographers is NOT to show your bad pictures if you don't want too.  Many times I get requests, "hey Shel, can you just copy all the pics to my USB drive?"  Don't worry, you don't have to edit it.  Deep inside something feels wrong within me.  I only want to showcase the pictures I love.  Also I shoot in RAW with a Canon 5D Mark II meaning that each image is about 25 MB, and the camera does not interpret the image, so if I were to give someone the raw file, it will come out bland.  So that is another reason why I don't give all my images to people.  And yes, you SHOULD be shooting in RAW is my best advice.

So bottom line, only show the pictures you love.  This young girl above, I must have shot about 30-40 pictures of her where I got about 5-10 decent ones, and about 3-5 really good ones.