It’s time for another installment of one of our favorite blog series, a peek inside.  Today, we have one of our new CMmentors to feature, Alicia Gould.  Alicia is an incredible photographer and one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  To top it off, she’s the instructor of CMU’s upcoming online newborn photography workshop!  Enjoy your peek into Alicia’s world!
a peek inside | alicia gould
Gear images taken with my trusty Canon G12 pocket camera.

1. 24-70L : most versatile(…)

by Sarah Vaughn
Why do you photograph your family? I take pictures to tell the story of our lives. I want to remember those daily things we do and places we go that make up our own special world. But last year I realized something in dismay.

As I viewed my Lightroom catalog, I saw that my images didn’t reflect the beauty and life that surrounded me. Sure, I had plenty of lovely close-up portraits of my kids, but most left no(…)

by Jennifer Dell
We all have locations that make our heart sing when we shoot. For me, that location is the beach. It’s where I’m the happiest and feel the most creative and connected. Since I live about an hour away from the beach I don’t get to shoot there often, so I have to make good use of my time and surroundings when I’m there. Here are a few tips to help you this summer when you hit the beach(…)

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 Courtney Keim
I think of the last eight vacations that we took, 99% of them has revolved around my husband’s love of surfing. I really can’t complain though since we’ve hit two islands in Hawaii and Costa Rica most recently.  I tell myself every time that I will pack my equipment and get some photos of him surfing but I’ve realized that the prime time he surfs, I’m usually staring at my eyelids or am taking photos of my kids(…)

It’s time for another installment of one of our favorite blog series, a peek inside.  Today, we have new CMmentor to feature, Anne Wick.  We love Anne, one of our two French team members, and her heartfelt photography.  It is truly a pleasure to have her here on the CMblog today!
a peek inside | anne wick

1. Nikon D700 – I  love this camera so much that I’ve had no desire to upgrade since I got it two years ago. I(…)

It’s time for another installment of one of our favorite blog series, a peek inside.  Today, we have new CMmentor to feature, Stacey Vukelj.  Stacey is one of CM’s newest mentors and an incredible street photographer out of New York City.  We are thrilled to get a glimpse into her life today!
a peek inside | stacey vukelj
It is a little embarrassing to say this out loud, but I love options. True for clothes, true for bags, true for books, true(…)

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(…)

It’s time for another installment of one of our favorite blog series, a peek inside.  Today, we have new CMmentor to feature, Celeste Pavlik.  Celeste is a brilliant hobbyist photographer who with a particularly appealing approach to lighting with some of the most beautiful black and white conversions out there.  We are so excited to have her on the CMblog today and know you will be too!
a peek inside | celeste pavlik
I upgraded from the Canon 7D (which I used(…)

by Megan Squires

RAW vs jpeg. If this is something you’ve pondered recently, chances are you are currently shooting in jpeg. And if you are shooting in jpeg, chances are you feel like you should be shooting in RAW. Just like that diet you committed to as your New Year’s resolution, you know you should do it, you know you’ll feel and look better if you do, and you know the end result will be something you’re so proud of.

But does(…)

by Melissa Gibson
I know I’ve mentioned this before and I’m certain you all know this by now, but  I really dig Adobe Photoshop Elements.  If you are a beginner looking for editing software, this is the one for you.  On the other hand, if you are more advanced in your photography journey, this may also be the software for you.  In fact, I know loads of extremely talented photographers who use Elements.  It is an editing program that is highly(…)

It’s time for another installment of one of our favorite blog series, a peek inside.  Today, we have new CMmentor Sarah Vaughn here to share her world with us!  Sarah is always generous to share her knowledge on the forum and she is an incredible photographer (I know I’m not the only one always drooling over her stunning beach photography!).  And hands down, I think Sarah has the best office view I’ve ever seen – check it out below to(…)

Personal photography projects can be incredibly beneficial to your growth as a photographer.  Whether it be a 365 or a series of self-portraits, it will stretch you beyond your safety zone.  And what could be more fun than seeing what personal projects the CMpros are up to?!  In this new series, we’ll feature a different CMpro and follow along as they show off some of their images and share about their unique project.  Today we are excited to have Lisa Tichané(…)

by Kristin Ingalls
While some of my favorite portraits don’t have eye contact, or maybe even show a face, there’s no denying that strong eye contact is a great way to pull your viewers into your image. It can really help a viewer to connect with your subject. With older cooperative subjects it’s usually easy to get a mix of images with eye contact and without, but with the littlest ones it can be tricky. Here are some of my favorite(…)

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(…)

Have you visited the CMpro Daily Project to get your daily dose of photography inspiration?  If not, it’s definitely worth checking out!  The CMpros, both hobbyist and professional photographers, are uploading beautiful photographs to it every day and each week we choose a favorite, the DOTW (daily of the week).  This week, this gorgeous and soulful portrait by Emma Wood (taken with her Nikon D700 and Lensbaby Edge 80) stole our hearts.  Congratulations Emma!

To see more of Emma Wood’s photography(…)

Another ‘peek inside’ is up today and this time we are featuring one of CM’s newest mentors, Megan Dill.  Megan is an incredible photographer with a knack for stunning low light photography.  We are thrilled to have her on the CM team and thrilled to have her here on the CMblog today!
a peek inside | megan dill

1. Canon 5D Mark III: Oh how I love its focus system and low-light capabilities. The perfect camera.

2. Mamiya c330: First medium format film(…)

It’s time for another edition of our ‘peek inside’ series and today we have CMmentor Caroline Jensen sharing her world with us!  Caroline is known for her soulful photography and is the instructor for one of CMU’s upcoming new online workshops, Shooting 301: The Art of Observation.  Please enjoy your glimpse into Caroline’s life!
a peek inside | caroline jensen
Someday soon my new studio will be built and I will have a lovely and professional work station. For now I have(…)

It’s another day for ‘a peek inside’ with one of the CM photography forum Mentors and today we have the lovely Elle Walker all the way from Australia!  Elle is one of the kindest people you will ever have the privilege to talk to, an extraordinary photography, and instructor for one of the newest online photography workshops offered at CMU, Shooting 301: Fine Art and Visual Expression.  Enjoy your peek inside the world of Elle!
a peek inside | elle walker

1.(…)

It’s time for another ‘peek inside’ from the CMteam and today you get to learn about the CEO of Clickin Moms, Sarah Wilkerson!  Not only is Sarah hard at work being the CEO of CM and all that it requires behind the scenes, she is also the instructor to some of CMUs longest running online workshops – Shooting 301: Composition and Creativity and Shooting 301: Elements of Design.  Not only is Sarah an incredible photographer but she is also one(…)

It’s time for another installment of our ‘peek inside’ series and today is CMmentor Lora Swinson.  In addition to being super kind, a great friend, and an incredible photographer, Lora is the workshops instructor for one of CM’s newest courses, Shooting 101: Posed for Success.  We are thrilled to get a small glimpse into Lora’s world today!
a peek inside | lora swinson

1. Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home

I have tried a few other bags that were much cuter but they never(…)

It’s time for another installment of our ‘peek inside’ series and today is CMmentor Lynne Rigby.  Superwoman, errr Lynne, is the workshop instructor for many of our online photography courses including The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever, Beyond the Basics, Finding Your Style, and Lightroom Start-to-Finish and has also written the popular eBook Shooting at the Beach.  We are so pleased to have Lynne on the blog today sharing her world as she is also one of the original members(…)

Happy New Year friends!  There are a lot of great things in store for the Clickin Moms photography forum in 2013 and we couldn’t imagine a better way to start it off than by adding a few new mentors to an already amazing team?!  We received an unprecedented number of applications from fabulously passionate, helpful, and talented CMpros, and from among them we selected seven to join the team this year.  Congratulations ladies and thank you for all that you(…)

It’s time for another installment of our ‘peek inside’ series and today is CMmentor Kristin Ingalls!  Kristin is an incredibly talented natural light photographer who is so kind and knowledgeable.  Our photography forum wouldn’t be quite the same without Kristin and we are happy to have her here today on the blog sharing a little glimpse into her world!
a peek inside | kristin ingalls

1. Ketti camera bag – I’ve always wanted a Ketti bag, and when Clickin Moms came out(…)

It’s time for another installment of our ‘peek inside’ series and today is CMmentor Emma Wood!  Emma is a brilliant photographer who particularly excels at black and white photography and in being a great friend and encourager.  Our photography forum wouldn’t be quite the same without the lovely Emma and we are happy to have her here today on the blog sharing a little glimpse into her world!
a peek inside | emma wood
I don’t have an enormous amount of gear,(…)

It’s time for another installment of our ‘peek inside’ series and today is CMmentor Megan Squires!  Megan is the instructor for CM’s online photography workshop Natural Light With Atmosphere, an extraordinary newborn photographer, and a published author.  She’s incredibly talented and she’s also one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  Enjoy your peek inside of Megan’s world!
a peek inside | megan squires

1. Nikon 35mm f/1.4G

2. Nikon 85mm f/1.4D

3. Nikon 105mm f/2.8G

4. Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G

5. Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G

6. Nikon(…)

Get to know your CMteam! We are so often asked what we shoot with, what’s “in our bag”, what bag we carry and so on and so forth. So we’re giving you all a little peek behind the scenes to get to know your CMteam better. A couple of times a month throughout this year and into 2013 we’ll feature a different CMteam member and give you “a peek inside” – a peek inside their bag, their workspace and a(…)

Have you seen photographers offering mentoring sessions but wondered if it’s right for you?  How do you know if you’re ready for a mentoring session?  CMpro Jennifer Dell has had a few mentoring sessions herself and she’s here to tell you why it may be the best next purchase you make regardless of where you are in your journey.
why choosing a mentoring session is right for you
by Jennifer Dell
Mentoring and having a professional critique on your body of work can(…)

An often debated topic in the photography world is the line between inspiration and imitation.  Is imitation really the sincerest form of flattery?  Is it okay to look at another photographers image and “make it your own”?  Our always inspiring CMmentor Megan Cieloha has written a fabulous article to help us navigate this fine line and how to spark your own creativity.
inspiration vs imitation
by Megan Cieloha

We all embrace photography for reasons relating to capturing moments or communicating thoughts, emotions or(…)