Guest Post Surprise

Sweet Friends do I have a surprise for you today.
The very talented Stephany from 'Ol Mother Hyder is here to guest blog about photography.
She is incredibly talented and is here to offer up her knowledge,
so sit back, relax, and say cheese....

Hello to all you lovelies of Laughing Bellies.

I'm Stephany 

 from

I am SO glad to be here. 

I met Caroline through blogger land and I love her. 

She is so precious and I love reading her blog. 

So, for her to ask me to share my little world and scribble to you today, I am honored! 

The topic of choice is PHOTOGRAPHY! 

Everyone loves a good photo right? 

I do!

So, let's start with the facts...

Yes, I run a small town photography business.

It's seasonal busy~

meaning Christmas, Easter, Back 2 School, Weddings & Birthdays.

I have taught myself via trial and error. 

I have not always used a DSLR camera and still don't for some shoots.

Please know that all are my work and my opinions. 

You (or I) am seeing more and more people purchasing DSLR equipment 

and taking their own photos vs. hiring a photographer. Why is this? They are learning as they go. Entry level equipment is more affordable now-a-days. From where I am from, we still have the "big rigs" / "professionals" that do mainly STUDIO work. These are people when you Google 'Photographer' in my area ~ they pop up. Don't get me wrong- their work is beautiful! However, they're are way more that shoot "free style" and use nature as their back drops to get that real life moment. Create their own packages based on that specific client and what they want. And, that is how I shoot. I personally do not like studio work. I have many, many reasons behind why I do not. I hate fake smiles. I absolutely hate saying "SMILE" all the time during a shoot. I want the real moment. If it is crying, so be it. Let's be for real and serious here. Is every moment in your life smiles and a golden ray of sunshine? NO, it's not. Yes, we want it to be. 

And, photo shoots aren't either. 

Kids get tired, they get upset. 

Couples get tired of being lovey dovey, etc.

But, I do try to get the happy moments more than the sad.

I would like to share today:

{just three of many}

1. Standard Point & Shoot vs. DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)

2. Aperture

3. Angles

Ready? I hope so! 

One: 

Standard Point & Shoot vs. DSLR

 << you will be able to tell a difference between the two types >>

Equipment {of choice}:

 Standard P&S: Nikon CoolPix L110

   DSLR: Nikon D3200

Standard Point & Shoots are still great. They are not totally extinct yet.

Some WILL totally disagree with me and state simply that things like 

the image can suffer, they are only great for snap shots, the lens are no good on the equipment, you are so limited as to what you can photograph...and this list could go on and on. This day in time most think the standard P&S is yesterday news and ONLY good for very little. However, I learned many, many things with my P&S. It is easier to carry around. It's simply not heavy. With my Coolpix, it had an amazing zoom and it was fast (some are not), very fast at snapping fast shots (especially with babies and toddlers). It did have a great shutter speed.

examples with my P&S:

With a DSLR, your range is WIDE open. 

Some people immediately think money, money, money when they hear or you talk DSLR.

However, you can start with an entry level equipment choice such as 

Canon Rebel series, Nikon D3000-D5000, Sony Alpha's and more.

You can do amazing things like work with interchangeable lens, have the choice of shooting in manual or auto /JPEG or RAW and imaging functions and controls are wayyyyy better + so much more.

Two: 

Aperture

 What is aperture? 

"the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is taken"

Photos taken with a HIGH aperture will allow everything to be in focus.

Lots of light is key with HIGH aperture!!

With a LOW aperture you have a shallow depth of field.

 Ever wonder how those backgrounds are blurred and one item is the focal point?

Work with your "f-stops" setting to create a low aperture.

i.e. low

i.e. low

i.e. high

i. e. high

 Three.  

Angles

This has to be a favorite area of photography!

I love shooting at different angels. 

Mix it up. Give it life.

Get low. Get close. Stand on a chair. Be unique.

I hope you enjoyed. Please come visit me sometime over at 'ol Mother Hyder. Would love to hear from you! :)
And, Caroline~ Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure.
 *Hugs*