Yesterday I showcased an image collection of 30 fabulous photos of pencils in an attempt to show how sometimes the every day objects around us can provide photographic inspiration.

Today I thought it might be good to make this the theme of our weekly challenge. Your challenge is to take an share a photo with the theme of:

Beauty in the Everyday

I’ll let you interpret that theme any way that you wish but encourage you to carry your camera everywhere with you for at least a day or two and allow yourself to slow down and look for those beautiful things around you that you might normally rush past.

Once you’ve taken your ‘Beauty in the Everyday’ shots we’d love to see them in comments below. Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section as pictured below) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer upload them to your favourite photo sharing site and leave the link to them.

If you tag your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Twitter or other sites with Tagging tag them as #DPSEVERYDAYBEAUTY to help others find them. Linking back to this page might also help others know what you’re doing so that they can share in the fun.

Also – don’t forget to check out some of the great shots posted in last weeks Bugs Eye View challenge – there were some fantastic shots submitted.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Beauty in the Everyday

The post Beauty in the Everyday by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.

By Annie Tao

There are many ways you can photograph newborns, but one thing is for certain: it takes a certain amount of finesse to photograph these tiny little creatures that is beyond an ability to operate a camera and knowledge of photography.
?If you’ve had a baby, then you probably know what I am talking about. Newborns are especially fragile with soft bones and unfused plates in their skull, so moving them around should be done carefully. In fact, I will ask the parents to handle the baby during my Newborn shoots, if I want the baby to be in a different place or position.

Newborns are also only recently outside the protection of their mother’s womb, so they are more susceptible to disease, cold and stress than other people you will probably photograph.

Here are 6 tips to the sensitive side of Newborn Photography.

1. Avoid wearing fragrances

That includes perfumed soaps, lotions, perfumes/colognes, after shave, and hair styling products. Babies have sensitive noses. The last thing you’d want is to have your precious subject sneezing. If she (or he) is uncomfortable, then she will be restless and fussy.

2. Wash hands before you begin

The first thing you should do when you enter the newborn’s environment is to wash your hands really well. Even if you don’t plan to touch the baby, you will most likely touch things that the baby has contact with, like the crib.

3. Reduce the chance of bringing germs into the newborn’s environment

Reschedule if you are ill.

There is nothing more stressful than needing to care for a sick newborn. Their bodies are too young for medicine, so do the baby’s family (and the baby) a favor by rescheduling if you are sick – especially if you have a fever.

4. Turn up the heat

Babies are happy and sleepy when they are warm, so turn up the heat, but do this safely. If you use a space heater, be careful not to place it too close to the baby or whatever the baby is on or in.

For instance, if the heater is pointed lower than the baby itself, it can still endanger the baby by heating up the basket she is in.

5. Use your client’s props, if you can

Blankets, hats, stuffed animals, shoes, baskets…they are all so cute to use during your Newborn session.

If you use your client’s props, then the items in the photos will be more meaningful to them (ie, Aunt Mary crocheted the hat, the basket is from the parents’ wedding, the stuffed animal is the same one the dad had as a child).

The photos will also be more unique than using the same props over and over.

6. Don’t force a pose

You or the parents of the baby may want to get a shot of the baby in a certain position or posed on a particular object. Please assert caution when attempting such feats.

Newborns are great to photograph because they can be positioned for a photograph, but they are human beings, not dolls. Take precaution and remember that babies are delicate. If they appear uncomfortable or unhappy, call it quits and find an alternative shot.

Newborns should be comfortable and safe at all times. So do what you can as their photographer to keep them that way during their photography session.

Annie Tao is a Professional Lifestyle Photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area who is best known for capturing genuine smiles, emotions and stories of her subjects.  You can visit annietaophotography.com for more tips or inspiration and stay connected with her at facebook.com/annietaophotography.

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

The Sensitive Side of Newborn Photography

The post The Sensitive Side of Newborn Photography by Guest Contributor appeared first on Digital Photography School.