Today we continue Mommarazzi, 12 Tips for Moms with Cameras.
Go here if you missed Part 1.
6) It’s All In the Details
A ring, a special Bible used for proposal….a couple in love on a blanket.
A little bug catcher…..with a beautiful catch.
Back to School shots including shoes, bracelet, hair style…..
A little boy photo shoot with a toad he just caught….
Baby cheeks, a family’s hands, a young man with his soccer ball…..
Details can make, or break, a photo shoot! It’s truly all about the details: a bow tie, a pair of red high heels, eye lashes that brush the cheek, a bow on each pig tail. My job as the photographer is to help outfit coach each person, so that they can have the best experience with me, and a beautiful outcome. It really does boil down to details. In photographs, DETAILS MATTER A LOT.
In these photos, we utilized a handful of sunflowers, Scrabble letters to spell special words, and a photo of a little boy lost way too early in life.
I love when Mom’s come to me with a plan! This little girl had a special Princess crown & Gold dress for her first birthday shoot….
These sisters brought an Heirloom quilt that added nostalgia to this already unique snow shoot.
And this clever Mommy came to me with a plan:
First, a Splatter Paint Maternity session, and then this theme continued through the year, newborn, 3 months, and 6 months. We have 9 and 12 to go. When she is done any combo of these photo will make a beautiful wall collage, or book.
It really is allllll in the details! From outfits to theme.
7) In Yo Face 
See that Senior boy? He is deep in thought, focused on the game…..not really, but it looks like it.
……believe it or not, not all photos have to be smiley, happy, full on face photos. Sometimes looking away from the camera, is more powerful than looking.
Speaking of faces, there is NOTHING wrong with leaving them out of the photo entirely!
8) Tell The Story
Photos should ALWAYS tell a story, even after we aren’t there to tell it.
Whether it’s a sad day for an Ice Cream lover whose freezer died while she was on vacation
A busy little boy
A sassy mouthed 8 year old
Or Peppermint Pocket Treasure found…..
A successful picture doesn’t need any words.
9) Crop It Like It’s Hot
I don’t always follow crop rules.
Like if I want to zoom on a baby’s mouth, I crop their forehead right off and don’t feel bad about it at all.
When zooming in on siblings, I don’t mind cutting out hands, or even cutting off parents, they are more of the backdrop at that point anyhow. 
I like Awkward crops, so I love when people just throw the rules out the window.
I also like negative space, which means lots of wide open space above or even beside, the client or subject.
If you are a rule follower, here are some general tips: yes to cropping forehead, no cropping ears. Yes to arm cropping, no to elbows, wrists or fingers. Yes waist, above the knee and shin cropping, but no to ankles, or feet cropped off.
It’s also important to know what size you are going to want to order. I always though photos shrunk or stretched based on what size print you order, this is not the case thanks to a thing called CROP RATIO. Crop Ratio is not my friend. However, it is just something that will benefit you once you are aware of it. The most popular size ordered is typically an 8 x 10. This is one of the most difficult because of it’s short and fat dimensions. Look at the chart, it crops a substantial amount of Mom’s head and arm. What if that was a basketball boy and you ended up cropping out his shoes and forehead? That is why it’s important to take some less cropped shots, or be ready to order a different size all together.
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11) Collages & Text
I use collages and text all the time, if you follow me on Facebook, this is no surprise to you!
Using collages allows me to showcase multiple pictures for the web space of 1 on my blog. I also think it’s a great way to share a bunch of pictures of your kids on Facebook without being obnoxious, just sayin! 
There is a website that easily allows you to make collages with Txt for FREE!
I use it to make our Facebook Christmas card every year!
It’s called PicMonkey. There are tons of free options, crop, filters, txt, frames, stamps, labels, banners and just about anything else you could think of. If you want more options, simply join for 4.99 a month, or $33 a year.
This unlocks all the great features like blush, blemish remover, eye pop, mascara, and gives 40% more features and tons more fonts! It’s really Photoshop for Dummies. And I am not calling you a dummy, I used it the entire first year in the business, and ADORED IT! Still do, just for collages now.
And our FINAL tip for today is number 12
12) Ordering Prints
Now that you have taken so many amazing photos of your home, your family, your snow-covered wreath and more, it’s time to get them printed! 
Step one, buy some frames FIRST, then fill them later. I kept buying pictures and then not hanging them. Well, I didn’t find any frames I liked for that particular spot in my house. So I had an Ah HA moment. Buy the frames and make the collage FIRST, then fill it with pictures after. Now I know JUST what size to order.
WHERE you get your prints from makes a huge difference. This is not the time to go to Walmart or Walgreens. There are better options out there for not much more money! My personal favorite is Mpix.
Mpix is the only pro lab, that allows people like you and I, to order from them.
Here is WHY where you print is so important…
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Prices can’t be beat: 4×6’s are 29 cents. 5×7’s are $1.09. 8×10’s are $2.09. And 11 x 14’s are $7.49. All printed on very high quality paper and are right on on color, I have never been unhappy with them!
Well, that’s our 12 tips!
I hope you learned a lot and the next time you find a cute baby in the middle of a really big mess, I hope you will smile, grab your camera, and remember what was talked about today.
Hugs, T
4 little Fergusons 