Yesterday’s post made me realize that I have been withholding not just cute newborn pictures on you, but also a secret weapon!  One of the greatest weapons a photographer could have in her arsenal.  And you probably already have it in your house!

A white sheet.

Don’t believe me?  It’s true!  One of the hardest things a photographer has to do is find indirect light when there is none.  And if your subjects insist on having their photos taken in a particular spot, and they can only meet you at a particularly bright and sunny time of day, what’s a photographer to do other than improvise?

I found this trick at 3 Boybarians–a fabulous photography resource–and it saved my butt on more occasion than one.

Would you believe that this photo

was taken at 11 a.m. in an open field in direct sunlight, with no trees or any kind of shade or shelter to be found?

Or that this one was taken at 10:30 a.m. on an equally beautiful and sunny day

with the sun coming in gloriously on her right side?  You wouldn’t know unless I told you, and all it took to create this illusion was a white bed sheet held up between my subjects and the sun, creating perfect indirect light.  If I needed an even more more substantial shade, I could use a dark blue or black sheet, but white has served me just fine.  So now I keep a handful of clothespins, some $1 clamps from Home Depot, and a white bed sheet in my photographic bag of tricks, and other than my camera itself, there’s nothing that I have found to be more valuable.  Go forth and enjoy my secret weapon–feel free to pass it on!

I just realized I never shared the rest of the photos from the double newborn shoot I did about a month ago.  How could I withhold such beautiful little bundles from you?

This angel is related to my kids in a roundabout way–she’s my nephew’s cousin on the other side–and she is a sweet, sweet doll.

And so stinkin’ cute!

6 weeks is a tough age to photograph a baby–not quite big enough to hold her neck up well for tummy time and too big for the traditional squishy baby shots–so she often had one eye a little slanty as she kind of peeped around while trying to eat the blanket.  It was super adorable but she did get little red marks on her newborn skin.

Poor thing became a bit grumpy and needed a nap, so she spent a lot of time being snuggled by her mama.

Which made family shots a little tough because all Miss L wanted was to be bounced.  But we made do.

She quickly fell asleep so I got a few more while she was napping, but I can’t wait to have another chance to photograph her.  She’s so beautiful and babies only get more fun!

And earlier I got to hang out with this little guy.  They’re about 3 weeks apart–isn’t that the perfect way to spend a day?

Finding the right light was a bit more challenging, which is always the risk when you go blindly to someone’s home and hope that you can make it work, but I think I found a few sweet spots.

What a doll!  And his parents are obviously smitten.  Who wouldn’t be!?

I certainly was in love with both these two.  What a day, and what a pleasure to spend it in such darling company!  Thank you to their families for welcoming me into your homes.  My pleasure!

I am so thrilled to say that I am finally content with the lenses in my camera bag!!  These little beauties will be the foundation of my photographic repertoire until I can save the thousands of dollars I need to upgrade my camera body.  Since that is literally years away, I must learn to be content with what I have, and content I am indeed.  So if you ever wondered what kind of camera I use or the types of lenses I love, here’s the lowdown.

JDubbs bought me my good old Canon Rebel XS (2008) as my “push present” for when Jax was born.  My reward for doing a good job carrying and delivering a nearly 9 lb. baby, if you will.  It came with the kit 18-55mm lens, which I often use around the house because truthfully, my house is often too small to use most of my prime lenses and get a large-scale shot.  But other than that, I have found that my kit lens is pretty much good for nothing fancy; satisfactory, yes, but nothing to write home about.  For that, I need my secret weapons.

They’re all prime lenses, meaning they don’t zoom.  You have to actually move your feet in order to get closer or father away from your subject.  It has made me a better photographer to have to depend on my body rather than twisting my lens, and these lenses are nothing short of sexy.  I actually am kind of in love with them all.  It’s like this.

35mm: My Canon EF 35mm f/2 Wide Angle Lens is trusty and dependable, like an old boyfriend you’ve had for a while.  It’s sturdy and has some really good points, like its ability to bring in lots of light to an indoor space thanks to its wide angle.  It’s great for cramped quarters and allows me to get more depth to my photos, in the foreground and background.  But it’s kind of loud and doesn’t do anything that makes me melt, kind of like that boyfriend I mentioned before.  Trusty and dependable, but doesn’t make you swoon anymore.  You know what it’s good for and if you don’t ask too much of it, you won’t be disappointed.

50mm:  My Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens is like my best friend.  Always there, always fun, and sometimes surprisingly awesome just when I thought I knew everything about it.  My fifty is my go-to lens, and I have shot most of my photo shoots using just this lens alone.  It creates a lovely blurred background (bokeh) while keeping the subject crisp and is relatively cheap.  Just like your best friend, the 50mm will go through a lot with you, and more often than not will impress you and make you happy.  It doesn’t cost a lot, like a bottle of wine or a card just because in the mail, but the relationship will be one you will treasure forever.

85mm:  My Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Medium Telephoto Lens is like an exotic lover.  Man, is it sexy.  It is so lovely and fast and creates such beautiful bokeh that it makes me want to weep.  It’s more expensive than the others, and it’s heavier so it requires more work, but the payoff is sure worth it.  It isn’t as versatile as the 50, but when you need a perfect portrait, this is your lens.  Take good care of it, though, because it’ll break your heart for sure if anything happens to it.  You’re going to get attached real fast.

All three of those photos were taken from the same spot and all three had the same aperture (f/2.2.).  Notice the difference in the bokeh as well as the detail in the background in the 35mm shot.  Also notice how red Jax’s hair looks now that its longer!

Here’s another visual to help you understand the difference (and to convince you why you need all three).  All three are good for different purposes and I appreciate them all.  These photos are all straight out of camera and were taken in the same spot with the same aperture, but the statue, unlike Jax, wasn’t rolling around!

Imagine that this statue is a newborn baby.  Which lens would you want to use to capture its sweet innocence and smushy expression?  Which would use use if you were trying to picture the same baby in a basket with a beautiful backdrop?  Which would you use if the same baby was in a field with vibrant, colorful flowers behind it and luscious green grass all around?  Would you stick with the same lens for all three?  Would you switch every time?  What would you do if you had the option for all three?  This is my delightful dilemma every day.  That’s a good thing.

So, have I convinced any of you to do any shopping?  Which is your favorite lens?  Is there another I need to start saving for?  You know I’m always looking to improve!  But man am I happy right now, with my old boyfriend, my best friend, and my exotic lover always by my side.