photography | At Home with Tech

December 22, 2019

One Way to Help You Reflect on the Past Decade

Have you taken a moment to think about your last ten years? What’s the story? Here is one technique to help figure it out.

Life always seems to have a way of moving so quickly. Like me, I’m sure that you’d sometimes like to slow it down to take a breath and reflect.

The good news is the end of every year is always the traditional time when you’re encouraged to look back at the past twelve months. That could take the form of a champagne toast or creating a photo book or even a cloud digital photo album to encapsulate the story of your past year.

But how should anyone begin to look back and gain a real understanding of their past decade? That’s a much bigger psychological exercise. Of course, anyone can easily pick out significant life events like marriage and kids being born, but those consist of just a few days over the course of several thousand.

Do you recall what was going on during most of those other days? Of course not. So how then are you supposed to begin putting together a point of view on this much bigger chunk of your life?

Well, here’s one tactic that I’ve used.

Photo Review
Simply take a couple of hours and walk down memory lane with your digital photo collection.

I mean really dig in.

If it’s in any semblance of order, you should be able to expose yourself to a good percentage of your past decade’s activities that warranted a photo. Not that you can’t remember some of this on your own, but this exercise can really help to shake the branches on those ‘second-tier’ memories that also added to your overall experience from the decade.

Finding the Meaning
But here comes the hard part.

Which photos represent the pieces of your life that really tell your story? And which story are you actually trying to figure out? (Everyone’s life contains multiple stories.)

At this point, I recommend not stressing over the impulse to answer these questions. Simply enjoy the visual echoes from your past. Refresh your mind.

A New Photo Collection
That’s the gift to give yourself as you approach the end of the decade. How you process it is entirely an individual experience.

You can also throw the digital pics that stood out to you into a new folder on your computer. This specific collection can be for your eyes only, or if you choose, you can share them with your family and friends.

Remember
No, most lives are not neatly organized into ten-year chapters. So, looking to tie it all up in a bow is an entirely flawed exercise.

Still, this is one way to help remain present in living your life today, because you’ve got a better handle on your past through this little photo project refresher.

And if you happen to get a new photo collage out of the exercise, that always a bonus!

December 15, 2019

How to Take Great Photos at Family Events While Still Enjoying the Party

If you’re often too focused taking photos and then forget to enjoy the activity, I can entirely relate. So I’ve got three ways to help you have your cake and eat it too.

So you’ve decided to take on the responsibility of documenting your family get-together with your camera. Well, that decision can really get in the way of your own enjoyment. If you’re like me, you usually show up with a predetermined ‘shot list’ that you absolutely have to get. And I’ve sometimes had to remind myself to be more mindful of the moment and actually pay attention to ‘experiencing’ my family affair as opposed to ‘covering’ it.

To do that, I feel it usually comes down to staying emotionally connected to the action.

Here are three ways to help ensure that happens:

1. Snap Your Shots Early
I find the longer you wait to begin taking photos, the less likely it is that you’ll get the shots you really want, and you’ll quickly begin to stress. So whenever you see a natural moment, you’ve got to go for it. You just can’t wait and hope that another opportunity will magically appear later on.

I used to feel that the appropriate time to ask folks to say “cheese,” or gather everyone together for a group family photo was towards the end of the party.

While that may make sense from a social etiquette perspective, you may find any number of variables that foil your plan. Some people may have already left. Others may be tired and a little cranky. And if you do actually get to take the shot, it had better be perfect with nobody’s eye mid-blink, because there will be no second chances for you.
(If you orchestrate the shot earlier, then there’s still time for a second attempt later on.)

2. Take Lots of Group Selfies
You’ve got to pick the right moment, because suggesting that a ‘conversation pod’ suddenly join you for a group selfie will likely halt things. But once you’ve successfully sold the idea, it can be a really fun group activity, especially if you’ve got to jam a bunch of people into the shot. Yes, it will be entirely imperfect, but the often absurd attempt to squeeze everyone together to fit in the frame is usually a whole lot of fun. I highly recommend trying it, and the resulting goofy shots will pleasantly surprise you.

3. Set a Time Limit
This is where you draw your own line in the sand to ensure that you also get to fully participate in the event. I like to spend 20-30 minutes or so walking about the room to get the shots I want. I quickly review what I’ve got, and then I put my camera or iPhone away.

If another photo opportunity spontaneously self generates, yes, of course you can still snap it. But the important point is you’re not putting any more pressure on yourself to continue on as the family photographer after your self-imposed time limit.

It’s a Balancing Act
Where’s the value in documenting your family event if you don’t really experience it yourself? Sure, you may be contributing to the greater good, but at what cost?

So, go get the photos you want, and don’t forget to add to the life of the party.

Find your balance and enjoy!

December 8, 2019

Three Ways to Massively Improve the Quality of Your Family Video Shots

**I’ve got three big tips that will help jump-start your action videos of your family members.**..

Let’s face it. Few of us would mind if Steven Spielberg showed up with his camera crew to immortalize our next family event. All of that talent poured into the visual capture would undoubtedly generate amazing imagery. (I don’t care how disruptive a large film crew would be!)

Unfortunately, I know that scenario is also a fantasy. But instead of dreaming about how you might improve your home videos, I’ve got three ways to upgrade your video talents to the next level…

#1
Steady Does It

Shaky jumps and bumps created by an unsteady hand are sure signs of amateur video. The good news is technology is making it easier for you these days to create steadier shots, especially when covering action.

Digital stabilization is now common in consumer camera tech, but a real game changer is consumer-grade ‘gimbals.’ These are 3-axis stabilized handheld devices.

You can mount your smartphones to these stabilizers to create silky-smooth cinematic videos.

DJI makes the Osmo Mobile 3.
$119.00 on Amazon Prime

Or you can go with the DJI Osmo Pocket, which is a tiny, all-in-one camera/gimbal that can create amazingly smooth action from the palm of your hand.
$349 on Amazon Prime

I use the Osmo Pocket, and it maximizes many video opportunities to keep up with my active nine-year-old son.

#2
Slow It Down

I know I’ve recently taken a deep dive into the value of shooting in slow motion, but I think the point bears repeating.

When not overused, slow motion video can really add emotional impact to your video storytelling. It can also help you extend a significant visual moment which goes by too quickly.

All you need to do is shoot at a higher frame-rate. Today’s smartphones are entirely capable to handle this trick with a tap of a setting.

If you’re not already a slow-motion believer, just give it a try. You’ll see what I mean.

#3
Let There Be Light!

Sure, you can buy expensive gear to help shoot in low light, and the results can be strikingly beautiful. But why confront this difficult challenge if you don’t have to?

Instead, simply look for every opportunity to record in good light. Either take advantage of the outdoors or a well-lit room. Simply avoid those infamous backlight problems that come from bright windows or the sun in the background.

And always remember to keep the brightest light in front of your subject!

Show and Tell

Here’s an example of these three tips in action… I used my DJI Osmo Pocket to ‘smoothly’ document my son’s participation in a community fun run on a bright, cold weekend morning.

https://vimeo.com/378113957

I recorded these clips at 60 frames per second and then slowed the motion down a bit while editing them in Final Cut Pro X on my iMac. I added in a little rhythm from Apple’s GarageBand and threw in some white flashes to finish off the sequence.

Put It All Together

Steady, slow and the use of lots of light will help you take a significant step forward as the family videographer.

(I believe my post’s title says, “massive.” I’ll stand by that.)

If you incorporate these strategies when capturing action, you can create clips that will turn lots of heads.

All right, maybe just a few… but I expect the ones that matter to you!

Category: photography

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: