Becoming a Mom with a Camera – Volume 1 {Learning your DSLR} {Shooting on Manual}

I wrote this post on January 2, 2012 on my family blog.  It was almost exactly two years ago.  This is how my journey got started.  I know many of you received DSLRs for Christmas and don’t even know where to begin.  This is a good starting point.  I will be adding some new information at the end of the post! 

I got my Nikon D90 for Christmas 2009.  I used it on Auto for the next year and a half.  Most of the time it was just sitting in our closet collecting dust. I had good intentions on learning how to use it.  I kept putting it off until the next weekend, day off from school, summer break, etc.  I knew the learning process was going to be long and that once I started, I wouldn’t want to stop.

Once my daughter was born, I couldn’t put it off any longer.  Luckily for me, she was an amazing napper. I chose a couple nap times a week to start reading and taking notes.

 I have read tons and tons of books, blogs, and manuals.

I have also taken lots and lots of notes.  LOTS.  Each author and mom blogger had their very own tips and tricks.  I wrote them all down and tried them all.  I eventually narrowed them down to one cheat sheet of my very own. 

You might find that you don’t need to purchase any books and can find the information you need for free on the internet.  I have a weird obsession with books and sometimes the huge amount of information available on the blogosphere overwhelms me.  I knew I had to start with me, my books, and a notepad.  

Yes, most of the books and posts I read, contained the same information over and over again. I found, reading the information several times from different perspectives, helped me grasp such a huge amount of information in a way that my brain could process it.  Everyone learns differently.  This is what worked for me. 

Books I Read:

*The Mom*Tog’s UnManual – It is a guide that explains how to use your DSLR in plain English.  It was a quick read and was short, sweet, and to the point.

* Say no to Auto by Kristen Duke Photography – Another quick read that gave me good info and tips to add to my notes.  She has quite a few sample pictures that include the f/stop, ISO, and shutter speed of each picture.

* Mamarazzi by Stacey Wasmuth – She dives deeper into posing, candid shots and documenting the story of your family through pictures.  LOVED this book and would recommend it to any mom with a camera.

*Your Baby in Pictures by Me Ra Koh – A book about capturing your baby in pictures each month of their first year.  It gave me tips on how to pose Bella during each stage of development.

Blogs/ Websites

* Ken Rockwell – I HIGHLY recommend his site.  This is where it all started to come together for me.  He tells it like it is and sorts through the world of photography knowledge, letting his readers know which information is useful and which is not necessary. (I also bought his Nikon D90 iPhone app.  GREAT to refer to when you are on the go and have a question.)

*Pioneer Woman – Enough said. (Is there anything she can’t do?)

*My 3 Boybarians – AMAZING series of tutorials.  

*Censational Girl – The first blogger I started following when my obsession with blogs began.  She is my design idol and she has some great photography tips!

*Digital Photography School – WARNING you can get lost on this site for hours.  They have hundreds of extremely helpful tutorials.  I loved this post about 21 tips, tricks, and settings all new camera owners should know. 

*Brown Paper Packages – Another great “Shooting in Manual” Summary.

*Click it Up a Notch –  Courtney has put together a site like none other filled with tutorials to help photographers at all levels improve.  She is a must follow on Facebook for daily tips and links to tutorials!

*Clickin Moms – The end all be all for anything and everything to do with mom photography.  They have a very informational weekly newsletter and a forum that covers everything you could imagine. (you do have to become a member of the site to see the forum, which includes a sign-up fee)

I could go on forever, so I am going to stop here.  This is already a huge amount of resources! Don’t put it off any longer! Get your camera out and start learning! 

-A 🙂

 Now that I am 2 1/2 years into this journey I have a few more tips.  Once I learned my camera and had a good grasp on editing, I still wasn’t quite producing what I was envisioning in my head.  I saw Jennifer Dell, a very talented photographer out of Houston, post about offering mentoring.  She also did an amazing blog post over mentoring on ClickinMoms.com titled “Why choosing a mentoring session is right for you“. (Click on the title to be taken to the post).  In June of 2012 I signed up for a Skype mentoring session with her and it was the best decision I have ever made to improve my photography.  We skyped for two hours and she went through my portfolio and gave me a list of things I needed to improve.  She gave me many editing and shooting tips to get me going in the right direction.  It was more valuable than any workshop could have ever been.  I have now had two mentors that have helped me tremendously.  I am so thankful for their knowledge, critiques, and guidance!  If you are at a standstill on your photography journey and need a little push, I encourage you to find a mentor!  Find a photographer you admire and see if they offer mentoring.  I recently started offering mentoring sessions as well.  You can see all information on my website here and e-mail me at alpmentoring@gmail.com or amandalassiterphotography@gmail.com to get more information or to get signed up.