by Erin Peloquin
Using Photoshop Elements to create a matte effect is a creative enhancement that can change the tone of your photo beautifully.  The key to a good matte look is to start with a bright, clean edit.  Then add extra contrast and saturation so that the matte look doesn’t drain the photo of all its impact.

All creative edits should start with a clean edit as a foundation and the photo above needed contrast and brightening before anything else.  Two(…)

You love hearing how other photographers got to where they are today and this week we have another inspirational photography journey here for you from one of our CMpros, the incredibly talented Emma Wood!
my photography journey | emma wood
It began long before I even knew it began.  My love for images and photography, so deep seeded that I see now it probably couldn’t have been any other way.  I used to spend hours flicking through images that my parents had taken(…)

by Stacey Haslem

Not too long ago, I was looking through all my images. As I continued to go through images taken over the last few years, I couldn’t help but notice all the images that originated in the bathroom. I had a beautiful collection of memories and stages of my little girl.
When approaching any image, whether it be in the bathroom or not, I always think about what it is I actually want to capture. Is there something in particular(…)

by Beth Orey
A warm, quiet room, the soft lullaby of a white noise machine, a beautiful baby that curls up into any position and sleeps soundly, and the stunning photographer who’s making this all happen.  It’s every newborn photographers dream!  But it doesn’t always happen, unfortunately.  Sometimes we get those dream babies but (at least for me), more often than not, we have to work for it.  And even if you do get the awesome sleeper, do you really want(…)

by Jennifer Dell
Ah, six month olds…my most favorite age to photograph. I love it when my littlest of clients starts to sit on their own and truly take in the world around them. They are usually very curious, happy and easy to work with. I honestly cannot think of a reason not to love photographing a baby at this age!  While they are sitting on their own and a few may be getting ready to crawl, a baby this age(…)

by Kristin Ingalls
When shooting portraits on an overcast day, the sky can act like a giant soft box creating soft, even light. You generally don’t have to worry about bright sunshine making your subject squint, dappled light coming through trees, or harsh shadows on your subjects. However, because this giant softbox is positioned directly overhead, it can be hard to have anything other than flat lighting, catchlights can be hard to come by, and portraits can sometimes seem flat and boring.
1. Try shooting from(…)

By Adele Humphries
Are you a rule-follower?  I am.

I get anxious even bending the rules – social or actual.  So no-one is more surprised than me to see that I have embraced the dreaded center composition in my personal style.  I had always understood this to be a big photography no-no so I avoided it at all costs, believing it to be a lazy, unimaginative and visually less pleasing method of composition.

Then, last Christmas, my husband surprised me with a 35mm(…)

by Narelle Bailey
Have you ever caught yourself thinking “I could make great images if only my home looked like it came right out of Pinterest”? I know I have.  There are times when I have felt like my favorite photographers (especially the lifestyle ones) must all have beautiful homes with high ceilings, great big windows with magnificent light everywhere.  Most of all they must have absolutely no mess or clutter.  How else can their photographs look so good?

I thought about(…)

It’s time for another addition of our monthly series “Ask a CMpro” here on the CM photography blog in which we give our CMpros one question and they dish.  Their answers alone are always inspiring and this week we asked them, “It’s the New Year! What changes will you be making this year when it comes to your photography whether it’s business related or not?”

*image by Sarah Vaughn
Caroline Jensen, Minnesota
This year I am dipping my toes more into film and(…)

by Jennifer Dell
The HSL/Color/BW tab in Adobe Lightroom can be used for lots of reasons when editing. One of my favorite ways to start a clean edit in Lightroom is with the Color tab. It can be used for a variety of things including brightening skin tone, adjust specific colors and their saturation as well as increasing or decreasing the luminosity of specific colors.

For this example, I decided to use an image of my daughter from this summer. Here in(…)

What a great year 2012 was for Clickin Moms!  There was the introduction of Click Magazine, the addition of several new CMteam members, new photography workshops added to the CMU line-up, tons of new products added to the CMstore, and many new photographers joined CMpro.  Not only that, but we had numerous brilliant blog posts here on our photography blog.  Today, we are sharing a recap of the top 12 viewed blog posts written in 2012!
top 12 from 2012
12. Unique(…)

by Lisa Tichané
If you are an active member of the Clickin Moms photography forum, you have probably heard of it several times. At the very end of Lynne Rigby’s Shooting 101 photography workshop, The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever, when she asks her students what their major AHA moment was, Back Button Focusing is often on top of the list. It was definitely one of my very own major light-bulb moment when I discovered it.

So what is back button focusing?

It’s a(…)

by Jean Rhim
Adobe Lightroom is an amazing tool that can help you make your images better, your workflow faster, and the whole photo editing process more fun. I feel fortunate that I was introduced to it early, months before I even touched Photoshop, because it became the center of my workflow. Not only do I do a great deal of my editing through Lightroom, but Lightroom is also where I organize, sort, and prepare my images for print.  Lightroom is(…)

Are you ready to learn about another one of our newest photography workshops set to debut in January?  Today Lora Swinson is here to share more about her upcoming workshop, Shooting 101: Posed for Success (teaching assistants will include Amii Wroblewski, Jennifer Dell, and Dana Tate).  You’ve asked for a class on posing and it’s finally here.  Read more below to find out exactly what Lora will cover in this awesome new workshop!
an introduction to the posed for success workshop

Posing(…)

It’s time for another addition of our monthly series “Ask a CMpro” her on the CM photography blog in which we give our CMpros one question and they dish.  Their answers alone are always inspiring and this week we asked them, “What method do you use for setting your white balance in camera and why does that method work for you?”

*image by Lora Swinson
Beth Orey, Texas
I use Kelvin for my white balance. I always prefer warmer images and can usually(…)

by Kelly Garvey
I have a list of “fun stuff” that I think about buying when I have extra work money. The list is full of things that are not necessities and that probably wouldn’t help my business but would be so much fun to have! The “fun stuff” helps inspire me when I need it and can even help pull me out of a rut.

One of my favorite fun purchases ever was the 16mm fisheye lens. I bought it over(…)

It’s time for another addition of our monthly series “Ask a CMpro” in which we give our CMpros one question and they dish.  Their answers alone are always inspiring and this week we asked them, “We’ve asked before what tips you would offer to a new photographer but this time we’re wondering what the best advice you received was when you first got started in photography?”
 
*image by Caroline Jensen
Courtney Keim, New Jersey
Don’t sell myself short. I was priced way too(…)

by Kristen Parker

There are a lot of times when the background or setting I’m photographing will help me tell my subject’s story. Sometimes, the elements surrounding my subject are essential to making a powerful image. Other times, however, I just want to get to the heart of my subject; I want to focus on the way a person looks, who they are and just “see” them. I want to eliminate the distractions between us and connect. At times like these, I get really, really simple.

What(…)

by Katy Regnier
One of the first “rules” many photographers learn is the rule of thirds – images are generally more visually appealing if the subject is not smack dab in the center of the frame. It can be fun to push that rule and to have subjects that are even more off center and come up with more visually interesting compositions.

Sometimes starting to experiment with new and exciting compositions with the subject off center can lead to images that are less sharp, and the(…)

Megan Squires is set to start a new run of her inspirational and information packed photography workshop, Lighting 201: Natural Light with Atmosphere, on October 29th. This course will give you the tools necessary to shoot outside at any time of day from golden light to backlight to full sun and in any weather situation that Mother Nature can throw your way. Megan focuses on helping students to enhance their vision for an image through creative use of light. If you’ve(…)

by Michael Kormos

Like many family portrait photographers, we started off capturing newborns with props, blankets, swaddles, and accessories galore. Sophie loved the excuse for late-night shopping sprees on Etsy, and browsing antique stores soon became a weekly family outing. However, as we started getting more and more newborn bookings, we realized that something was missing for us. We’re both go-with-the-flow personalities, and with the endless attention to styling and perfecting tiny details, they’d sadly become our least favorite sessions. We no longer felt that butterflies-in-our-tummies(…)

It’s time for another addition of our monthly series “Ask a CMpro” in which we give our CMpros one question and they dish.  Their answers alone are always inspiring and this week we asked them, “what is your best advice for handling the busy fall photography season?”
 *image courtesy Leah Cook
Leslie Densford, North Carolina
Stay organized! I have a monthly binder that keeps me sane in the “busy season!” Each client gets their own folder that contains any paperwork pertaining to their(…)

Have you seen CM’s brand new editing workshop for photographers who use Photoshop Elements?  The lovely and knowledgeable Erin Peloquin of Texas Chicks Blog and Pics will be teaching this extensive course (along with April Nienhuis, Melissa Gibson, and Melissa Koehler helping as teaching assistants).  When new courses are added to the CMU line-up there are often many questions that arise and what better way to answer some of the most common questions than with an interview with Erin herself!

Erin,(…)

by Catherine Herndon
Creating gorgeous backlit images can be very intimidating.  When I first started, all of my backlit images came out very underexposed, hazy or overexposed.  I didn’t realize that it took practice and learning your camera’s different metering settings. The most important thing you can do for your photography is learn your camera in manual mode. The time of day also is important with backlit images because you want the sun low and behind, not above, your subject.  I(…)

by Sara Seeton
Every photographer has their own unique style as well as their own way of processing images.  There are so many different ways to achieve certain looks whether it be in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR), Lightroom, Photoshop or a combination of these.  I don’t claim to be a Photoshop genius by any means.  A lot of what I have learned has been from trial and error, tutorials from other photographers just like this one (there are TONS right here(…)

by Celeste Jones
If there’s anything that can be said about the iPhone camera it is that it’s one awesome camera.  Seriously, it’s just as good as any point and shoot that I have ever owned and the prints that I get from it are nothing short of amazing. Plus, I love the convenience of having a decent camera with me at all times. Sometimes you don’t feel like carrying your “nice camera” around, but you also don’t want to miss(…)

Have you looked at another photographer’s images and wondered where they find all those fabulous locations?  Did you know that many of those locations are nothing special?  It’s true!  By using good camera angles and sometimes the magic of Photoshop you can ‘create’ those beautiful locations too!  CMpro Krista Campbell is here today to share with us how she takes a location from blah to amazing!
how to create stunning locations
by Krista Campbell
When I first discovered this passion called photography, I(…)

I know you’ve seen them, those beautiful images with the perfectly blown out backgrounds.  Have you asked yourself, “how do I get that look?”  Well today is your lucky day!  Guest blogging for us today is Marie of Memories by Marie and she’s going to share with us a few tips on high key photography using both studio and natural lighting.
simple high key lighting tips
by Marie of Memories by Marie
I get asked a lot about my lighting sets ups, specifically(…)

Newborn sessions can be tough on their own.  Adding siblings can make it a headache!  It doesn’t have to be.  CMmentor Lisa Tichané has six tips for getting you through those newborn/sibling shoots with ease.

6 tips for photographing newborns with siblings
by Lisa Tichané
When it comes to photographing newborns, my heart definitely goes to natural, unposed images. So I am always thrilled when a client contacts me for a newborn shoot and mentions that there will be siblings involved as capturing interaction and(…)

by Kelly Garvey
One of the things I love about photography is that each individual photographer has their own style, vision and “eye” for how they want to execute a shot. There are tons of different variations, perspectives, angles and compositions you can achieve with one shot. I learned this very quickly back when I took Sarah Wilkerson’s Shooting 301: Composition and Creativity workshop. None of us interpreted the assignments exactly the same and we all had our own spin. The(…)