Guest blogging and a Canadian Family giveaway

I am so excited!

First of all, I am excited because I have a guest blog post up at Canadian Family magazine’s Family Jewels blog today. I’m going to be blogging there all week! I’m writing a series called “The Family Photographer” with tips, tricks and thoughts about how to improve your mad photographic skillz. Fun, eh?

Today’s post is all about light: how to see it, how to use it, and why I think it’s the single most important consideration in any picture. Go on, take a read and let me know what you think!

canadianfamily.ca

Second, I’m excited because Canadian Family has provided FIVE subscriptions for me to give away to all of you. How awesome is that? I waffled for a while on whether to give away one each day or all five at the end of the week. I think one each day will be more fun, and a little bit more fair to everyone.

If you would like to be entered in today’s draw for a subscription to Canadian Family magazine, leave me a comment on this post. I’d really appreciate it if you could include a suggestion, topic idea, tip or trick that you think I should share. Is there something you’d like to know about taking better pictures? Got a secret worth sharing? I’d love to include it in the upcoming posts!

Here’s the fine print:

  1. Today’s giveaway is for one one-year subscription to Canadian Family magazine.
  2. To enter, leave a comment on this post before noon EDT on Tuesday July 13.
  3. Winners will be chosen using the random number generator at random.org from eligible entries on Tuesday 13 July 2010.
  4. You must leave a valid e-mail address and allow me to share your contact information with Canadian Family magazine to arrange for the subscription delivery.
  5. The winner will be contacted via e-mail and posted here.

Thanks to Canadian Family for the guest blogging opportunity and the fun giveaway. Don’t forget to check back each day this week — there are four more subscriptions to give away after today!

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

28 thoughts on “Guest blogging and a Canadian Family giveaway”

  1. I wish I could figure out how to capture those action shots. I suspect it has to do with my camera and a need to buy something with some funky features but any tips would be appreciated!

  2. Great post!

    Do you have any plans to talk about composition and cropping? Should someone compose my picture when they’re shooting or is cropping after the fact a better method?

  3. Editing the pictures is my least favourite thing to do but can make such a difference. Any easy tips or tricks for great results?

    P.S. I have really enjoyed your photos from your vacation!

  4. My dad though me how to frame at a very young age, and I think that’ why it’s one of my photo strength (personnal opinion, obviously). But here’s the trick, for you or your kids: take your index and thumb and make a rectangle out of it. Put it front of you eyes and walk around framing everything for a while. Do it often, make it fun. The rectangle is the picture and you have to make whatever your see in it interesting. Compare your “framing” with someone else’s.

    I hope you can figure out what I mean. It’s a lot of fun. And I sure hope I get the subscription 😀

  5. I would LOVE some tips on avoiding red eye…my camera has a red eye setting on it, but it never seems to work!

  6. I really like the simple tips that you share. Look forward to the rest of the series.

    Some ideas for topics from me would be … moving away from the auto mode on your camera, getting kids to smile naturally, thinking outside the box (ie some of my favourite pics of my kids are of their eyes, ears, nose, toes…), quick photo editing tips to make bad pics look good… 🙂

  7. Great post…thanks for sharing your tips. My summer goal is to “find the light” 🙂

  8. I can’t wait to read the post about photo tips, I need to improve my photo-taking skills, I always drool over all your beautiful pictures.

  9. I take pretty bad photos ….i can use your guidance..have now started to only take pics outside in natural light!

    thanks for the chance to win!

  10. I wish i could take better pictures! Is it necessary to have an expensive camera, or do cheaper digital cameras take good pictures, too?

  11. Great article! There are some great tips there, although I admit that what I struggle with most is getting good pictures in less-than-ideal environments…when I don’t have much control over time of day, light, location etc. This happens to me often when I want to take pictures of something important but they just aren’t working out. Maybe a post on dealing with common problems? E.g., photographing under harsh fluorescent light, in dim light (like my kid’s Christmas concert!), etc. And I would love to win the subscription – I let mine lapse and I really miss it!

  12. Great article! I’ve really discovered just how much nicer photos are with only natural light, not to mention you can tweak it more.
    I think something about how to get different shots than the norm. Get down low or up high. Play with dramatic angles, lie down on the ground, etc.
    Can’t wait to read the next articles!

  13. I’m not much of a photographer, I can take some pretty bad pics. I’ll be giving your tips a try.

    Thanks for the chance to win a subscription to Canadian Family.

  14. I am going to enjoy reading the guest posts all week.

    The best tip anyone can get for photography is to remember not every photo will turn out, and not to get discouraged. Best thing my husband first taught me. Find something you like in each photo and learn to fine tune it. With kids it is guaranteed each phot won’t turn out!

  15. Congrats on the returning guest blogging gig!

    I wish I was a good photographer, but I just point and shoot. I do wish I could take better pictures of food though for when I write up recipes!

  16. How about tips on organizing the tons of photos you take and how to keep up with them? In this digital age, you take so many photos and it can be overwhelming to narrow them down.

  17. If I can get the subscription IN COLUMBIA -woohoo!- I’d loooove to win! A little taste of home while we’re away.

    As for tips, keep hammering away at that “no flash” bit. Pop up flash just makes for some ugly, harsh pictures. Rule of thirds is always a good topic and one that people should be able to grasp easily. But I’m sure you’ve thought of that already.

  18. I”m heading over to read your guest blog: I’d love any assistance with angled light .
    Late summer afternoons/evenings seeing my kids traipsing across the grass, with their hair lit up make me sigh for never being able to capture this moment successfully for posterity.

  19. I’d love to see stuff on how to get kids to look natural and happy (smiling or not!) in photos. When you pull out the camera, my kids get all stiff and stop looking like themselves

  20. I have such a hard time getting good photos of my kids in low light situations… and never really know what to do with that flash! Any tips wold be great!

  21. I’m a bit at a loss for what to do with my photos. I started a baby album for my son, but never got past the first 6 months. I also started a scrapbook, but it’s a work in progress. I’m tempted by the idea of doing a photobook for my daughter, but should I also do a scrapbook? I also want to print my blog for the both of them with photos – is it too redundant? Any tips on what to do with all these photos and how to preserve them would be great!

    Also, I have a simple point and shoot but would love to know how to take better photos with it.

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