For all the information, please take a look at my new Welcome Packet for Newborn Photos.
It will tell you all that you need to know and what to expect when you schedule your session with me!
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Improved Newborn Photo Sessions | Rexburg, Idaho Photographer
I took a little break from newborn photos but I just love it too much to not do it. So I decided to improve my packages that I offer to include more of what you want. I also offer in-home newborn photos! It can be a little stressful to have to go to a studio, so don't even bother with all the stress and have me set up a mini studio in the comfort of your home.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
photo tip \\ how to get sharper photos
I am not and expert and I do not know all things about photography. All I know is what works for me. Most things that I have learned have been from trail and error and lots of practice. But one thing that I have been working on is how to get sharper and crisper images.
Theses are just a few tips:
I try to always shoot in natural lighting. I love the way that it looks and it creates great photos. If my session is in the middle of the day and it is too sunny outside, I look for open shade.
I do not use the auto settings. There is a noticable difference between auto and manual. It gives me full control to make my images as sharp as possible.
I also try to keep my iso as low as possible. A higher iso will make the image look grainy, so when I can I try to keep it between 200-400.
Having a fast shutter speed is very important for crisp images, especially if you are not using a tripod.
I love to shoot with a low aperture. This is just my style and preference. It gives me a nice depth of field, but unless I have a steady hand (something I practice) it can create blurry images.
Learning how to focus your camera correctly. I use single point auto-focus because it allows me to choose what I want in focus. And for portraits it is almost always the eyes!
I had to learn how to hold my camera steady. Because I like to shoot with a wide aperture and in natural lighting, if my camera shook just a little, it was noticable in my pictures. It might sound silly, but I even practiced my breathing so that it wouldn't effect my images.
Equipment. Although the equipment is not what makes good photos, I noticed a huge difference when I went from an entry level dslr camera to a professional level.
I also had a huge improvement in my photos when I learned how to edit correctly. Picassa and Picmonkey are great for fun and quick photo edits that you take on your point and shoot camera but it eliminates any sharpness in the photo.
I mainly use Photoshop for all my editing but have heard great things about Lightroom as well. You can download a free trial version or if you are a student or teacher, you can get these programs at a discount. Lightroom is at a very reasonable cost, too.
Most importantly is practice! If you love it and want to improve, don't ever stop practicing. I am still learning and improving everyday. I just try to do my best and learn from my mistakes - I have had many. I just love it, so I'll keep working at it!
Theses are just a few tips:
I try to always shoot in natural lighting. I love the way that it looks and it creates great photos. If my session is in the middle of the day and it is too sunny outside, I look for open shade.
I do not use the auto settings. There is a noticable difference between auto and manual. It gives me full control to make my images as sharp as possible.
I also try to keep my iso as low as possible. A higher iso will make the image look grainy, so when I can I try to keep it between 200-400.
Having a fast shutter speed is very important for crisp images, especially if you are not using a tripod.
I love to shoot with a low aperture. This is just my style and preference. It gives me a nice depth of field, but unless I have a steady hand (something I practice) it can create blurry images.
Learning how to focus your camera correctly. I use single point auto-focus because it allows me to choose what I want in focus. And for portraits it is almost always the eyes!
I had to learn how to hold my camera steady. Because I like to shoot with a wide aperture and in natural lighting, if my camera shook just a little, it was noticable in my pictures. It might sound silly, but I even practiced my breathing so that it wouldn't effect my images.
Equipment. Although the equipment is not what makes good photos, I noticed a huge difference when I went from an entry level dslr camera to a professional level.
I also had a huge improvement in my photos when I learned how to edit correctly. Picassa and Picmonkey are great for fun and quick photo edits that you take on your point and shoot camera but it eliminates any sharpness in the photo.
I mainly use Photoshop for all my editing but have heard great things about Lightroom as well. You can download a free trial version or if you are a student or teacher, you can get these programs at a discount. Lightroom is at a very reasonable cost, too.
Most importantly is practice! If you love it and want to improve, don't ever stop practicing. I am still learning and improving everyday. I just try to do my best and learn from my mistakes - I have had many. I just love it, so I'll keep working at it!
Monday, January 28, 2013
A pep talk | A little video you have to watch
My day has been filled with laundry, dishes and entertaining a little boy who is stuck inside the house all day. It is not until that little boy is sleeping in his bed that I have time for work or anything else, like The Bachelor. Is it like this for you?
Last week, I posted about how I was feeling a little discouraged and was working hard to find motivation and inspiration (read post here). I have been working hard and I was starting to feel like I had nothing to show for it.
My husband sent me this youtube video (I swear, he is addicted to youtube) and thought it would be some good inspiration. I thought it would be another video about someone falling off something, but it was surprisingly amazing!
I don't know if you have seen this or not, but you have to watch it either way.
Last week, I posted about how I was feeling a little discouraged and was working hard to find motivation and inspiration (read post here). I have been working hard and I was starting to feel like I had nothing to show for it.
My husband sent me this youtube video (I swear, he is addicted to youtube) and thought it would be some good inspiration. I thought it would be another video about someone falling off something, but it was surprisingly amazing!
I don't know if you have seen this or not, but you have to watch it either way.
"What will you create to make the world awesome?
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Guest Blogger \\ Pacific Northwest Hikes
I am so excited to be having Justin Garin, the writer for Pacific Northwest Hikes, on my blog today! I follow him on instagram and I am a huge fan. I asked him to tell us a little bit about all the adventures he goes on and how he gets such amazing photos.
Hello followers of Leslie! My name is Justin and I write the blog Pacific Northwest Hikes & Adventures. Leslie has always shown great interest of my photography and I'm very excited to be writing on her blog. I have known Leslie in high school, but had no idea that she shared a passion for photography as well. I enjoy her photography, especially her portraits!
Now for a little about myself. I grew up here in Washington and the Olympic National Park served as my backyard. At a young age I always found myself gazing at the mountains and I enjoyed the weekend trips to the Olympic National Park with my family. It wasn't until 2009 that I started venturing pass the full parking lots and well groomed trails. I can still remember my very first backpacking trip. It was to a place called Enchanted Valley and we had hiked 13.5 miles to our destination. From that trip I realized that I wanted to be able to share the unscathed landscapes, the towering trees, cascading rivers, and snow covered peaks. I wanted people to see what I saw and to appreciate mother nature more.
I could go on and on talking about the things I have seen, but lets get back to talking about photography! There are many places to see here in Washington, but if your fairly new to hiking I would recommend Marymere Falls trail. Marymere Falls is a fairly short hike at 2 miles, but every person I have brought falls in love! In the summer the trail is usually busy, but around this time of the year the parking lot is fairly empty. Marymere falls is located in between Mount Storm King and Aurora Ridge and tumbles its way into Barnes Creek, which drains into Lake Crescent. It's a well groomed trail with plenty of signs! Marymere falls is a short hike, but leaves you plenty of time to go swimming at Lake Crescent or explore some more!
Here are few things that I do to take long exposure shots.
1. Be sure to pack a wide angle lens, a neutral density filter, tripod and a remote to have your camera take the shot.
2. Try to compose your shot before setting up your tripod it will save you a lot of time!
3. Be sure to put your ISO to the lowest setting and I find that using the highest aperture helps get a long exposure. Shoot in manual!
4. Use a neutral or graduated density filter. These filters allow you to get smooth silky water.
5. Use the remote to take the picture. Pushing the shutter button on your camera moves the tripod, which results in a not so sharp photo.
Another helpful hint is that sunny days aren't the best days for long exposure shots. Cloudy days act as a filter and allows you to get long exposure shots.
I try to follow these five rules every time to help get a great long exposure shot. On top of all of that be sure to pack the "ten essentials" for hiking and make sure others know where you are at. Do some research on the trail and try to find recent trip reports.
Hope these tips help and you inspire you to get out and explore! Thanks for reading and thank you Leslie for giving me some space on your blog!
Follow Justin on instagram @vapormonkey
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Lena Lake, Olympic National Park
Hello followers of Leslie! My name is Justin and I write the blog Pacific Northwest Hikes & Adventures. Leslie has always shown great interest of my photography and I'm very excited to be writing on her blog. I have known Leslie in high school, but had no idea that she shared a passion for photography as well. I enjoy her photography, especially her portraits!
Now for a little about myself. I grew up here in Washington and the Olympic National Park served as my backyard. At a young age I always found myself gazing at the mountains and I enjoyed the weekend trips to the Olympic National Park with my family. It wasn't until 2009 that I started venturing pass the full parking lots and well groomed trails. I can still remember my very first backpacking trip. It was to a place called Enchanted Valley and we had hiked 13.5 miles to our destination. From that trip I realized that I wanted to be able to share the unscathed landscapes, the towering trees, cascading rivers, and snow covered peaks. I wanted people to see what I saw and to appreciate mother nature more.
I could go on and on talking about the things I have seen, but lets get back to talking about photography! There are many places to see here in Washington, but if your fairly new to hiking I would recommend Marymere Falls trail. Marymere Falls is a fairly short hike at 2 miles, but every person I have brought falls in love! In the summer the trail is usually busy, but around this time of the year the parking lot is fairly empty. Marymere falls is located in between Mount Storm King and Aurora Ridge and tumbles its way into Barnes Creek, which drains into Lake Crescent. It's a well groomed trail with plenty of signs! Marymere falls is a short hike, but leaves you plenty of time to go swimming at Lake Crescent or explore some more!
Marymere Falls
f/22 iso @100 5s exposure
Barnes Creek
f/22 iso @100 10s exposure
Here are few things that I do to take long exposure shots.
1. Be sure to pack a wide angle lens, a neutral density filter, tripod and a remote to have your camera take the shot.
2. Try to compose your shot before setting up your tripod it will save you a lot of time!
3. Be sure to put your ISO to the lowest setting and I find that using the highest aperture helps get a long exposure. Shoot in manual!
4. Use a neutral or graduated density filter. These filters allow you to get smooth silky water.
5. Use the remote to take the picture. Pushing the shutter button on your camera moves the tripod, which results in a not so sharp photo.
Another helpful hint is that sunny days aren't the best days for long exposure shots. Cloudy days act as a filter and allows you to get long exposure shots.
I try to follow these five rules every time to help get a great long exposure shot. On top of all of that be sure to pack the "ten essentials" for hiking and make sure others know where you are at. Do some research on the trail and try to find recent trip reports.
Hope these tips help and you inspire you to get out and explore! Thanks for reading and thank you Leslie for giving me some space on your blog!
Staircase Rapids is another short enjoyable hike full of cascades
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
sunsets.rexburg photographer
Rexburg has some amazing sunsets. I went out to try to capture a sunset however, I had a bit of an incident. I was driving down the back roads and my car got stuck in a big pile of snow. After trying to get out myself and only making things worse, a nice country boy pulled up on his snowmobile and pushed me out.
Monday, January 21, 2013
overcoming negativity and hard work
I get so wrapped up in all of the business side of photography, that I forget why I love it so much. Isn't the whole point of this suppose to make me happy?
Some photographers work is amazing, and I am in awe of how wonderful their images are. I ask myself "How did they do that? I want to do that too." I feel very inspired by others work, but at the same time I get bogged down by feeling inadequate. It is easy to compare someones middle to your beginning. But how fair is that?
Not enough money or not enough time are just a few of the excuses I tell myself. But then I get overwhelmed and lack any motivation to improve. The only thing that will make any difference is work. A little bit of work at something is better then nothing at all. But where do you get that drive and confidence to pick yourself up and keep going?
I wish that I had all the wisdom in the world on how to get out of a rut. Is anyone an expert? I have been working hard this last week to overcome the negativity and rise above. I have had moments where I have felt like I might drown, but I don't give up. A few things that have helped me is:
Set goals: I write all of my goals down in a notebook and I look at them a lot. Some of my goals are big dreams! But others are daily and weekly goals. Little things that I can achieve and see immediate progress. It is important to see progress. It keeps us motivated.
Create an inspiration board: I have set up many places so that I can be inspired. I have a notebook filled with ideas, my phone is filled with saved pictures that I love, and my computer has several bookmarks of websites. I work hard to surround myself with motivating photos and ideas.
Take a mental break: I need to shut down my computer, turn off pinterest and just enjoy "the now." I will sit down for dinner with a promise to my husband that I will not talk about anything photography and enjoy being with my family. No stress, no emails, no thoughts about work. It feels good and it is very refreshing.
Check yourself: I tend to forget all of the progress I have made. I am planning so far into the future and thinking about what is next for my business that I don't notice all the good things that have happened. But it is not all about the good. Remembering the mistakes I have made has helped me become a much better photographer.
Some photographers work is amazing, and I am in awe of how wonderful their images are. I ask myself "How did they do that? I want to do that too." I feel very inspired by others work, but at the same time I get bogged down by feeling inadequate. It is easy to compare someones middle to your beginning. But how fair is that?
Not enough money or not enough time are just a few of the excuses I tell myself. But then I get overwhelmed and lack any motivation to improve. The only thing that will make any difference is work. A little bit of work at something is better then nothing at all. But where do you get that drive and confidence to pick yourself up and keep going?
I wish that I had all the wisdom in the world on how to get out of a rut. Is anyone an expert? I have been working hard this last week to overcome the negativity and rise above. I have had moments where I have felt like I might drown, but I don't give up. A few things that have helped me is:
Set goals: I write all of my goals down in a notebook and I look at them a lot. Some of my goals are big dreams! But others are daily and weekly goals. Little things that I can achieve and see immediate progress. It is important to see progress. It keeps us motivated.
Create an inspiration board: I have set up many places so that I can be inspired. I have a notebook filled with ideas, my phone is filled with saved pictures that I love, and my computer has several bookmarks of websites. I work hard to surround myself with motivating photos and ideas.
Take a mental break: I need to shut down my computer, turn off pinterest and just enjoy "the now." I will sit down for dinner with a promise to my husband that I will not talk about anything photography and enjoy being with my family. No stress, no emails, no thoughts about work. It feels good and it is very refreshing.
Check yourself: I tend to forget all of the progress I have made. I am planning so far into the future and thinking about what is next for my business that I don't notice all the good things that have happened. But it is not all about the good. Remembering the mistakes I have made has helped me become a much better photographer.
It doesn't have to be something creative or relate to business. Finding the time to exercising, that huge pile of laundry, any of those tasks that are not getting done. If you have been feeling a little discouraged and don't know where to even begin, I encourage you to think of something, even if it is tiny, that you can do today to help you reach your ultimate goal.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Guest Blogger | Mandy's Recipe Box
Have you ever thought about starting a blog? Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box is an amazing food blogger and it is filled with delicious recipes and pictures. She will be sharing some great tips on how to get great food photos!
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Hello! I am Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box. I am happy to be here on Leslie's blog to talk about food blogging. Leslie's husband and my husband are cousins and it's always fun to see each other at family get-together's. I love her photography and gotta get her to take my family's photos this year! Now, let me tell you a little about myself...
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Hello! I am Mandy from Mandy's Recipe Box. I am happy to be here on Leslie's blog to talk about food blogging. Leslie's husband and my husband are cousins and it's always fun to see each other at family get-together's. I love her photography and gotta get her to take my family's photos this year! Now, let me tell you a little about myself...
I have been married to my farm boy for 12 years and we have 3 great kids ages 10, 8, 4, and one due in February. I grew up in Ogden, UT and met and married Lance in 2000. We moved to the middle of nowhere, Idaho and I have been converted to country girl. The nearest store is 30 miles away so I have to be well stocked in the kitchen and my food room. There's no making a quick trip for some vanilla extract where I live, especially in the winter!
I started my food blog in 2009 because I wanted to share my favorite recipes and love of food with whoever wanted to read about it. I have learned so much on taking great photos of food since I started. Here's an example...
This was how my photos looked at the beginning. Not so awesome.
Here's how they look now...
Thanks for having me, Leslie!
Here's how they look now...
Much better, I believe. Here's what I've learned.
1. Always take photos in natural light when possible. I never use a flash. There are lots of tools you can use, such as light boxes and a light scoop, but I just use good old fashioned natural light. I have my kitchen table with french doors to the right of it. Then I put a large white poster board to the left of my food to reflect the light back on the food, eliminating shadows.
2. I use a Canon Rebel T2i with a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens. I use it for all my food photos. I used to have a regular point and shoot camera which is what I used in the old style photos above. It was fine, and I know lots of bloggers who only use a point and shoot camera rather than a DSLR camera. But I also take my kids' photos and photos for other people so I wanted to upgrade to something nicer.
3. I use the internet for tips. Sites like The Pioneer Woman and Kevin and Amanda have great tutuorials. Check them out.
4. I look to other bloggers for photo ideas. Some of my favorites are Chef-in-Training, Life as a Lofthouse, and Something Swanky. These are just a smidgen of bloggers whose photos I admire. It's ok to use other blogs to get ideas for your own. Just make it your own. Don't be a copycat. Be your own unique self.
5. I use Picmonkey for my editing. It's great and simple to use and suits me just fine.
Other than that, I just experiment and do what feels good.
I get my ideas from family recipes, favorite cookbooks, and other bloggers. I also love finding something I love at a restaurant and re-creating it at home. I hope you have learned something useful! I'd love to hear from you so please visit me on facebook, pinterest, or drop me a note at mandybird208{at}gmail{dot}com.
Thanks for having me, Leslie!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
snow day | rexburg, idaho
It is such a beautiful day today! Patrick has been dying to play in the snow and the moment we go out there and he realizes how cold it really is, it didn't last long. It has been nonstop snow all day. We will now just sit inside, cuddle and drink hot chocolate for the rest of the day.
Goodbye sun and warm weather, see you in April.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
paradise island
I am finally getting to post my photos from our most recent trip to the Bahamas! I couldn't believe it myself, that we got to leave all our responsibilities (literally!) and the cold weather for the beautiful and incredibly warm waters of the Bahamas.
We left little Patrick with my parents and even though it was only for 4 days, I was heartbroken. Everytime I saw anyone that reminded me of Patrick, I was a wreck. I was constantly saying, "Patrick would love this", "Patrick would have had so much fun" or "I miss Patrick."
However, I still had such a great time. It was nice to have a mini vacation with just Tyler. We ate a ton of food, relaxed in hammocks under the trees and swam in the crystal clear ocean.
We left little Patrick with my parents and even though it was only for 4 days, I was heartbroken. Everytime I saw anyone that reminded me of Patrick, I was a wreck. I was constantly saying, "Patrick would love this", "Patrick would have had so much fun" or "I miss Patrick."
However, I still had such a great time. It was nice to have a mini vacation with just Tyler. We ate a ton of food, relaxed in hammocks under the trees and swam in the crystal clear ocean.
Monday, January 14, 2013
In with the New! {limited time}
Finally! I am so excited to announce that I will be doing some way fun and super cute mini sessions for Valentines day. The super nice, Gary Rasmussen of The Cocoa Bean Cafe has agreed to let me have my sessions in his shop.
I couldn't be more excited!
I only have a very few opening available, so call (or email) me right away!
360.850.8673
hello@leslieleavittphotography.com
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Favorites of 2012
I took a rather long break from work and blogging to enjoy being around family and I even got to go to the Bahamas! Now I am ready and refreshed to work hard and have fun in 2013!
I thought I would put together a few of my favorite photos from last year. I had so many, it was hard to pick just a few! I had such a great year because of all the love and support from you!
I thought I would put together a few of my favorite photos from last year. I had so many, it was hard to pick just a few! I had such a great year because of all the love and support from you!
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