Lifestyle Photography — Not just a pretty picture

As an on-location, natural light photographer I learn to work around a lot of things such as weather, lighting, confined spaces and personalities to capture great images. Not every subject may feel comfortable having his or her photos taken. That is why lifestyle photography is a great method of creating not only fun images, but memorable ones, too.

Have you ever tried taking a photograph of a family member that is less than enthusiastic about having their picture taken? Sure, we have all been there before. What can truly be a game changer is when the person being photographed has a distraction...something that takes their mind off of the task at hand — to capture of picture of them. Think about this as you approach your next photography session. Get your subject talking and telling you about themselves, the love of their life, their favorite activities and watch their expressions and demeanor change.

Sometimes talking just isn’t enough and it takes mixing things up to truly relax your subject(s) and get them into their comfort zone. No, this doesn't require yoga, meditation, or a glass of wine (although that has been known to help ;). You just have to work with your surroundings and bring along a few props to break the ice.

So what makes a good icebreaker? Simply think back to when you were a child and the things you loved to do that were carefree and fun, and let your creativity and imagination flow. Do, however, keep in mind that you don’t want to get the people dirty or too messy for their portraits unless you have mutually decided ahead of time that they are more interested in a lifestyle portrait than in having any formal posed ones. If they want the posed ones, too, then shoot those first.

You know how most people save the “silly shot” for last? That crazy fun one with tongues sticking out, bunny ear fingers behind someone’s head and other outrageous behaviors. Well, ask them to do that first. Break the ice and loosen them up. Bring out the real personality in a subject and it will most likely continue through the remainder of your shoot. In the example above, I brought along some bubbles for the family to play with while sitting on an outdoor swing. Granted, these may not be the selected best shots from the shoot, but it got to show a spirited side of the family having fun together and brought out a very lighthearted playful side.

Try this technique at your next photo session to bring the fun of lifestyle photography into your portrait experience. You may just discover more natural smiles, a more relaxed setting where both you AND the people being photographed are enjoying the photo shoot. Discover lifestyle photography — photos that tell a story and create memories.

Be sure to visit for more photography tips and inspiration. In my next Discover Lifestyle Photography post, I will discuss how to work with your surroundings to break up the monotony. In the meantime, pick up your camera and go beyond the pretty picture — capture true memories!

Oh Those Eyes!

It has been a while since I have posted, but life has been just crazy busy. This is the norm between juggling graphics, photography, family life and being in the heart of volleyball season.

I would like to share some images from a recent Senior Photo Shoot done at Gleason Park in Eau Gallie. There are so many beautiful natural backgrounds there that allowed me to showcase Jessie’s beauty. Here are some cropped shots showing a variety of poses with a couple different outfits.

Jessie has such a natural smile and amazing eyes that I wanted to be sure to highlight in her photo shoot. Prior to the shoot, we discussed the colors and likely outfits that she would choose to wear. This is always a good idea for photographers to discuss with the people that they will be shooting. It gives you a great opportunity to make suggestions to accomplish the overall look that your client is trying to achieve. Now with cell phones, they can send you photos and the two of you can work in a partnership to achieve a successful shoot. 

Post shoot editing gives other opportunities to add styles and effects to create the mood for an image. If you look at the color version, shown in the right hand corner of the grouping above, you can see how different a feel a similar shot from that series has to it when stylized with my black & white allure action. Her eyes, oh those beautiful eyes, become the center of attention.

Tips for a Successful Photo Shoot

TIPS FOR A SUCCESFUL PHOTO SHOOT

by Cheri Wenger

1.     Discuss your goals & expectations with your photographer.

Successful photo shoots start with setting clear goals as well as taking time to share your ideas beforehand. This helps the photographer to brainstorm ideas, gather necessary props and/or make their own comments & suggestions.

2.     Make it Personal.

Lifestyle portraiture works best when the model(s) are doing things or are surrounded by things

they love & enjoy. So if you have favorite articles of clothing, jewelry or a personal possession that means a lot to you, bring it to the shoot. Whether it is a goofy hat, a treasured heirloom from your grandmother, a favorite snuggly or a piece of sports gear, it will help to capture the essence of you in photos.

3.     Show up prepared — rely on a checklist.

Nothing can spoil a shoot more than running late or forgetting something important. You will leave the shoot feeling disappointed & having regrets. So make a checklist of things you intend to bring, and set a goal to arrive early so if there are some last minute things to discuss or set up, it will ensure starting on time. In not rushing, both you and your photographer will be more relaxed and less stressed…resulting in a better photo session.

4.     Discuss weather, lighting & the possibilities of rescheduling.

Natural lit portraits require planning to achieve the right lighting and scenery. Photographers can do their best to work around non-ideal lighting conditions, unexpected interruptions such as other people at the same location, and even make the best of the weather; however, there may be some circumstances that simply won’t work for the time or day of your shoot. Discuss in advance plans for reshooting and possibly pencil in a back up date especially if you need the images within a certain time frame.

5.     Create the look you want to capture in your photos.

Consider your goals. Do you want these photos to express the real you, the fairytale you or somewhere in between? If a glamorous photo is what you are after, you need to dress the part. If you would like the photos to be representative of your everyday family life, then everyone dressing alike may not be the best wardrobe choice. These are things to discuss with your photographer so that they can make suggestions as to the style and colors you should consider wearing, as well as what not to wear. In general, busy stripes and plaids or very bold, patterned prints can be distracting, and should be avoided. For beach shots, combinations of white or black with khaki or denim are often recommended. My personal belief is that you can use a variety of pastel colors, too, with white, denim or khaki to avoid everyone looking too ”matchy“. For example, mom in a white shirt, dad and the boys in baby blue and the girls in pastel dress with each of those colors in the pattern or print. If you want to wear a bright or bold patterned dress, then the background should be rather neutral. Keep in mind whether you want people to notice you or your clothing in the portrait. The key is that the style of clothing should be representative of you. Always experiment with your hair and make up beforehand, and not the day of your shoot. Avoid getting your hair cut just days before the shoot. Give yourself time to learn to work with the new cut unless your goal is to portray yourself in a different light or create a whole new image. Stay clear of heavy, glossy or metallic make-up when taking natural lit, outdoor portraits. Those work best for studio lit photos and will not result in beautiful, natural-looking portraits. Remember, the photographer can work their magic, but you need to show up looking the part.

© 2012 Cheri Wenger Design Photography

Project 365 - Days 110 - 115 Photography & Designing

It seems like the days are in hyper speed lately. Not enough hours in the day to keep up with work and all the events and to-do’s. With graduation, Kylie's Sweet 16, Mother's Day and family coming to town soon, our house has been a bee hive of activity. Here are some of the creative things that I have been up to. (Bear with me as I am still way behind on posting!)

Day 110 - Sweet 16 photo shoot

Now that Ashley's senior portrait shoot was accomplished, it was time for lil’ sis to get her photos taken.

Kylie and I worked within that hour and a half frame of good lighting to accomplish taking these in our back yard, lanai and a few at the front of our subdivision. We had to save time for our mommy/daughter shoot once Ashley got home from work! She just bought this vibrant leopard shirt and couldn’t wait to wear it in the photo shoot. Then she changed into the teal shirt. Here are a few of our favorites...

Day 111 - Formatting the Mommy/Daughter Pics

There is more to it than taking a good photo. Afterwards, there is the color correcting, cropping, etc. that goes into a good photo session. If you only knew how fast these were taken using a self timer and fighting against a very windy day, you would really appreciate the end result. We took less than a dozen photos, all the while my girls kept asking if it was the last shot since they were ready for Chinese food. And I  would answer as usual, “Just a couple more!” And the last frame was one of my favorites. ;D

I had to get a couple of just Ashley and I before she left for college in the fall...

Day 112 - Ashley’s Grad Announcements

This week I have been busy working on Grad announcements and party invites for Ashley’s friend David and of course, her announcements, too. Where did this year go? It seems to have gone extra fast!

Day 113 - Me & My Girls Album

This was a guest Design Team project for Glue Arts blog...a mommy & me album. I recycled an old spiral notepad (cut off the spiral section and remade holes for the rings. I used glue arts adhesives, Basic Grey papers and Maya Road chipboard and canvas heart with some ribbons to accessorize.

You have to see a close up on the ribbon flower. I will include a tutorial on another day!

Day 114 - Ashley’s Status Card

What is a status card? I had no clue, but apparently it is like a business card for seniors with information that they would like to include for keeping in touch with one another. And of course, it has a photo or 2, or 3, or 4! LOL Here is Ashley's with the real information changed for privacy purposes.

Day 115 - Easter Sunrise Photos

We drug ourselves out of bed at 5 am to make it to the Easter sunsrise service held by our church at the beach. We had to make sure we were also packed and ready to stay beachside, go to breakfast afterwards and then head straight to the finals of the Ron Jons Surf Tournament in Cocoa Beach.

The sunrise was so interesting The service was wonderful and the day was glorious! Alleluia!

Project 365/Day 9 -A Photo Shoot and Gallery of Images

Sometimes you choose projects; sometimes they choose you! 

Sunday was one of those days where my daughter and her best friends gave me my assignment...

a request to take some candids of them goofing around at the beach. It was fun and creative.

We took almost 200 photos. I have them in an album on my facebook page. 

Along with some cool posed group photos, I also took some individual pictures of the girls.

Below is my favorite photo of my daughter Kai posing my the ocean.

When I shared it on my facebook page, a friend who lives in Hawaii informed 

me that my daughter’s nickname (Kai) in Hawaiian means ocean. How fitting!!! 

I will definitely be creating a scrapbook page from this one!

The start of another week of Project 365 creativity...woohoo!