by Monica Wilkinson

Like many of you, when I started my journey into photography, my favorite subjects to shoot were my two daughters. They were young and I wanted to capture as many memories as possible. As time passed by,
I still found joy in photographing them, but I felt myself succumbing to the pressures of getting it just right in camera. I felt overwhelmed with all the rules of photography. I would hear things like the skin tones are off, they(…)

by April Nienhuis

Do you struggle with who you are as a photographer?  Are you afraid to be yourself with your photography even it means shooting unlike everyone else? When raising children, we teach them that who they are is good enough. Even at a young age, peer pressure is around and we never want them to conform to others in an effort to ‘fit in’. Our goal as parents is to encourage the uniqueness that we see in each of(…)

The second run of CMs First Steps with a DSLR photography workshop with instructor Amy Lucy Lockheart is starting in just a few short weeks. If you’ve always wanted to take better photos of your kids, but haven’t ventured outside of Auto Mode because all those buttons and dials are confusing, then this is the perfect class for you! Some of the students from the first run of this class were brand new owners of their cameras and had no(…)

Birthday week is still going strong but we’re nearing the end.  There are numerous reasons to love CM between the helpfulness, education, knowledge, and photography shared daily but one of our personal favorites is the friendships that are formed.  We though, how fun would it be to interview a group of photographers that have grown close after meeting one another on the forum!  Today we have Kim Lane, Adele Humphries, Jessica Remus, Sarah Zalan, Stacey Vukelj, and Krista Sodt to(…)

by Ashley Spaulding
It’s been two months and 24 days since we wrapped up the last run of the Shooting 201: Lifestyle with Kids workshop, but who’s counting, right?!? I am!!! I cannot wait for the next run of the workshop to begin in less than four weeks!! I’m so excited to meet a new group of students, to be back to teaching again because I love it so much, and to see four weeks of gorgeous lifestyle images shared in(…)

Lighting is a crucial element to your photograph whether you’re using natural light or artificial light.  Do you know how to use studio lighting?  Have you been thinking about giving it a try?  We have the perfect workshop all about studio lighting to help you learn!  CMpro Jessica Gwozdz is a master of studio light and she is back this month for another run of her popular class Lighting 101: Studio Lighting for Beginners.  Interested in how others feel about(…)

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(…)

The New Year is right around the corner and with the New Year comes a new lineup of photography workshops through CMU.  With that lineup we have four (yes, FOUR) new workshops being introduced!  We’ll be introducing each one of them here on the Clickin Moms photography blog for you and the first one up is Shooting 101: First Steps With A DSLR by CMmentor and Click Magazine’s Products Editor Amy Lucy Lockheart.  Amy has been kind enough to answer(…)

by Lisa Harrison
So are you still undecided about making the jump to Adobe Photoshop CS6? Go for it!  You’ll love it! If you’re familiar with CS4 or CS5, you really won’t have much of a learning curve at all. The main thing that is different is how the adjustment panel works. You still have an adjustment panel but you now have a Properties Panel where you make changes to your chosen adjustment. You still choose your adjustments from the adjustment(…)

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(…)

There is still time to sign up for Clickin Moms’ current Breakout Session, Creating Eye Candy | Secrets to a Successful Stylized Session with Brittney Kluse. Brittney covers how to plan and execute a stylized session – all the way from brainstorming an idea to tips for handling set-up, choosing client’s clothing, and shooting on the day of the photo-shoot. For more information, click here.

People are loving this breakout!  Here are just a few of the comments…

I have now watched the(…)

When it comes to photography education there are many avenues out there for you to use.  There are blogs filled with tutorials, photography forums, colleges, online workshops for photographers, and in-person photography workshops among others.  It can be difficult to decide which is best for you.  Today, we thought we’d offer up a little insight on CMU’s Shooting 201: Lifestyle Photography with Kids with instructor Ashley Spaulding via a mini interview.  Ashley is here to answer our questions and I(…)

We are thrilled to present a CMpro Breakout Session featuring Munchkins and Mohawks photography! Tiffany, September’s CMpro of the Month, is well known for her imaginative images that capture the individual spirit of her subjects. Tiffany’s photography has the ability to keep viewers continually coming back for more, as we can’t wait to see what she will create next! Join us in a Breakout Session that gives a peak into the magic that is Munchkins and Mohawks photography, while inspiring(…)

Every once in awhile, the CMteam groups together in order to bring our members and followers a really special offering! Today, we are thrilled to present to you an amazing breakout session- CMteam Breakouts: All Access Pass. With your registration fee of $50 you will receive access to 5 separate mini sessions, all at the same time. A total of over 150 pages of PDF information, along with several videos and the opportunity to ask questions of each presenter in(…)

It’s a monthly occurrence – you get the open registration email in, you run over and read all the information provided on all the incredible photography workshops available, but you wonder, “which one is right for me?”  We may be a little biased (we think all the workshops are amazing), but today we’d like you to look a little closer at CMmentor Megan Squire’s Lighting 201: Natural Light With Atmosphere online photography workshop through CMU.  Instead of having Megan come(…)

Congratulations to our CMPro of the Month, Kristin Ingalls! Kristin has created a mini-breakout session that is full of beautiful imagery, plus great tips and suggestions for those of you who are working to perfect sooc image composition and basic light use. By covering how she uses the same lighting situation in several different ways, Kristin offers you ideas on how to add wonderful variety to any session in a short amount of time.
Getting it Right in Camera | Considerations(…)

July’s CMpro of the Month Allison Zercher of Snippets from Suburbia has an eye like no other.  Her vision, the way she captures life through her camera, is exquisite.  If only we could get inside her head to see how her brain works.  Oh, wait!  We can!  Allison has been working hard this summer, putting her thoughts on finding the frame down on paper and compiling it into CM’s newest breakout session!

You don’t have to be a CM member to(…)

Do you struggle with the thought of using studio lights?  Are you confused about softboxes, umbrellas, and beauty dishes?  Do you agonize over which lights and modifiers are best?  Do you need someone to help you turn the lights on?!  CMmentor Jessica Gwozdz who is a studio lighting expert is here today to show you the differences between modifiers.  Be ready to take some notes, try not to smile at her adorable son, and make sure to read all the(…)

At ClickinMoms we are so thrilled when we see our members learn, grow and excel at their craft.  It is so amazing and inspiring to watch and we’re thankful to be along for the ride!

We thought it would be a fantastic idea to start sharing some of their journeys here on the blog.  To kick things off we have an incredible CM and new CMPro member, Jennifer Jones of Jennifer Jones Photography.   We hope you enjoy reading about her journey(…)