GeekSugar

Shutterbug: 96 Tips For Photographing Your Kids

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:28:42 PDT

There's something about motherhood that brings out the photographer in us. Maybe it's the advent (and ease of use) of DSLR cameras, or perhaps it's the popularity of sharing photos of our lil ones on social networking sites. But regardless of the reason, we can't seem to take enough pictures of our kids these days. Before pointing and shooting another picture, check out our tips - from professional and amateur photographers alike - for capturing every stage of your tot's growth from day one on up!

Photo courtesy of: Jennifer Little | Sugar Photography

30 iOS Photo Apps For Every Need

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:09:44 PDT

If you're using only the native camera app in your iPhone or iPad, you haven't unlocked the gadgets' full photographic potential. From photography tutorials to magic retouching tools, we've gathered 30 photo apps you need on your iOS device. Many of these apps can be downloaded for less than the cost of a morning coffee and will have you operating at a nearly professional level, even if you're just sharing the memories on Facebook.

8 Photography Tips From Top Instagrammers

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:56:14 PDT

Rather than just snapping drunken shenanigans with pals, some Instagram users are creating mind-blowing pics with just a few taps on their iPhone. Want to know how some of the most popular users do it? We've scoured Instagram's interview series and found eight easy expert tips you can use the next time your fire up the app. Check them out (along with their fantastic photos) and get ready to take your Instagram feed to the next level.

How to Take a Multigenerational Photo as Beautiful as Cindy Crawford's

Kate Stahl — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:32:42 PDT

JCPenney just debuted a new Mother's Day ad campaign called Generations, starring Cindy Crawford, her mom, and her daughter, Kaia Gerber. Crawford's multigenerational photos are gorgeous - and the accompanying video is apt to bring a tear to your eye - as are the other images in the campaign (keep clicking to check out a couple more). But those results can be hard to replicate for real-life families when you're dealing with photographing women of such different ages. Your mom's hoping her neck looks smooth, your daughter is wondering when she'll get her next snack, and you're hoping you get one decent shot to frame. Luckily, photographer Maria Ponce (who taught us how to take seminude pregnancy shots) shared a few tips to making your own multigenerational photo shoot a success. Read this before you book a professional photographer or even sit down in front of your point-and-shoot this Mother's Day!

Source: JCPenney

10 Tips For a Picture-Perfect Wedding Photo Booth

Anna Monette Roberts — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:00:13 PDT

Winking, blowing a kiss, or wearing a boa - anything goes in photo booths, which is what makes them so addictive. While it's nice to have shiny, posed, professional photos from your wedding, more and more couples are also including photo booths at receptions to capture silly moments with friends and family. Before you start planning your wedding's photo booth, take a look at our 10 tips for a flawless photo booth.

Rent a photo booth: The easiest way to add a photo booth at your wedding is to rent one. Companies like CapturePod offer packages that include all the equipment you need. You can sprinkle in customized decorations and extra costume options for the personal touch.
Make a DIY photo booth: Homemade photo booths require a little more effort, but you have more control over the details. Check off the essentials first, like the location, camera, printer, and photo paper, before planning the decorations and costumes.
Choose a camera: As a more makeshift yet versatile option, connect a portable photo printer to a DSLR camera, a laptop, or a web cam and let guests do their thing. For a retro touch, track down a Polaroid camera.
Research mobile options: Photo booth apps exist! PopBooth (free) works with an iPhone or iPad, has several filter options, and instantly shares the images on Facebook. Hard copies of the photos can be sent as postcards in the mail for an additional $2.
Check out photo booth software: There are plenty of photo booth software options, such as Sparkbooth ($59), which make it easy to set up a DIY photo booth, customize the templates, and turn on automatic picture taking and printing.

Click to read more photo booth tips.

Kristin and Kayla: 20 Amazing Photos

LilSugar — Wed, 02 May 2012 06:47:15 PDT

Photographer Jason Lee began documenting his daughters through a series of creative, and gorgeous photos back in 2006. From capturing day-to-day household happenings to milestone events like first days of school, ballet recitals, and family travels, his pictures run the range from heartwarming to hilarious. Here are 20 of our favorite shots, and some words of wisdom from the very talented dad/photographer.

Cool Capture: Boracay

Nancy Einhart — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:37:09 PDT

This image of a tropical sunset was submitted to our Cool Capture community group on Instagram by arlyn__.

Have you been testing out your photography skills and have a snapshot you want to share? Submit your pics to our Cool Capture group or to Instagram by tagging them with #CoolCapture. Your pics might be featured on the GeekSugar homepage!

Source: Instagram User arlyn__

The Dos and Don'ts of HDR iPhone Photography

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 06:21:49 PDT

Each iPhone 4S camera is equipped with a really cool HDR setting that can dramatically improve your photos. HDR stands for high dynamic range, and it essentially takes a series of images, each shot with a different exposure from darkest to lightest. HDR combines the best parts of the three overexposed, underexposed, and balanced shots to create a dramatic image with beautiful shadowing and highlights.

Do: use HDR for close-ups and outdoor portraits.

Compare the normal photo of ice cream on the left with the HDR image on the right. Oftentimes, HDR images look crisper, and colors appear much richer than the normal photo. Try HDR for close-ups and outdoor portraits, especially if the subject and the background have a harsh lightening difference. Click here to read more about HDR.

Capture 12 Years of Your Child's Life in Just 3 Minutes

LilSugar — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:52:46 PDT

When the traditional baby book just won't cut it . . . check out this absolutely beautiful video that one dad created to document the first 12 years of his daughter's life. Using short video clips, he pieced together stages of Lotte's life, capturing her every week, from infancy through adolescence.

Can't get enough? Check out Lotte's 9-year-old brother, Vince. What creative ways have you been capturing your kids' growth throughout the years?

From Birth to 12 in Two Minutes

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:38:27 PDT

The Internet is teeming with inspiring time-lapse videos of still cityscapes and natural wonders, but the latest time-lapse creation from Dutch photographer Frans Hofmeester highlights a very different sense of the world in motion. Frans filmed his now 12-year-old daughter, Lotte, weekly from her birth to early adolescence and edited together the videos for a time-lapse story of her life. From the moments stitched together in the film, we watch as Lotte grows from a baby cooing at the camera to a cranky toddler, to an elementary school student losing her baby teeth, and to a preteen chatting endlessly for the camera.

Watch the video below for home videos at their finest.