Momtography 101, The Golden Hour: In photography there is this absolutely MAGICAL time of day referred to as the Golden Hour (just look at any photo shot during it and it's not hard to figure out why!). It's basically the first and last hour of sunlight during the day. Neither of which are convenient times to be out taking pictures, but I remember reading a book when I first started taking pictures, where the author said some things are worth getting up before the birds or eating dinner in the dark for and I couldn't agree more!

Momtographer, Anna Briggs was lucky enough not only to be out during this magical time one evening past, but to also have her GORGEOUS daughter with her, and have the eye to realize what time it was. One of the benefits of having munchkins of the walking, talking variety is that you can tell them what to do, and she did! :) With the sun setting behind them they made a mad dash for this picturesque pocket, and well the results couldn't be more stunning!

Shot with her Sony a350 (yes people there is more to the camera universe than just Cannon vs. Nikon!) at sunset in natural light. Settings 70mm, ISO 100, f/4 and 1/50 ss.

*note clearly Anna has a steady hand with that shutter speed, and little birdy told me she was leaning on a pole for stability, but all proof that when the conditions are right awesome shots can be taken even at slow shutter speeds. And if this side note seems to be written in greek, check out the translation here.

If you would like to submit a picture for our spotlight email it to

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

If you would like to submit a picture for our spotlight email it to

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Momtography 101, Serious Snap: It's all about the light and backlighting ROCKS!!!

Momtographer Elena is a rockin' mom and all around a creative type :) so it's no surprise that she knows her way around a camera! It helps that not only is her son Lucian easy on the eyes, but he loves to ham it up at any given opportunity! When I saw this shot I knew immediately that I wanted to feature it on our spotlight to show everyone just how amazing a good backlit situation can be.

I know it can be a little intimidating at first, but trust us, it's worth the learning curve! So go brush up here, and then get snapping!

Shot with her Canon PowerShot S90 (see we told you, you don't need a super fancy camera to get SUPER FABULOUS pictures!) in natural light at dusk. SS 1/160 f 4.0:

If you would like to submit a picture for our spotlight email it to

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Momtography 101: LIGHT, find the good stuff and you can't go wrong!

Momtographer Adina, is lucky enough to find herself living with a Poptographer who is pretty handy with a camera himself! It's a good thing too, because thanks to his handy Canon Rebel, beautiful lighting, and an eye for capturing the moment, Adina now how this GORGEOUS portrait of her sweet face daughter Nola!

Shot with his Canon Rebel XT and natural light:

and this time we can see where she gets her beauty from!

If you would like to submit a picture for our spotlight email it to

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

"One of the great things about using a point and shoot camera is being able to do just that - point and shoot"- Andrew S. Adler

If that's not Momtography 101, we don't know what is!

Browsing through photo albums on facebook (one of my favorite past times), I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this one! HOW FREAKING CUTE!!!! :) I absolutely loved the way sky was so bright and beautiful at the same time so was Violet! You can imagine how excited I was to find out that my good friend Julia's (you may have heard of her she started a totally awesome site, Planet Awesome Kid)photographer husband had taken this shot, not with his oodles of fancy equipment but with his trusty Canon S90 point and shoot!

Keep reading for a little bonus mini tutorial about shooting at the beach, straight from the man himself! Thanks Andrew!

Momtography 101: Always Be Prepared!

Traveling late through the night Ivana and Maximillian found themselves in Paris in the wee hours of the morning waiting for a connecting flight. Exhausted from the many hours of traveling she had done already and the thought of the many more to come, Ivana wrapped her baby boy up and laid him down on the chair next to her. But rather then relaxing alongside little Max she realized the moment was to picture perfect to pass up. Thank goodness her camera was nearby to capture what is now one of her favorite pictures of all time!

Shot with her Canon EOS 500D, lens 50mm 1.8 and plenty of window light.

If you would like to submit a picture for our spotlight email it to

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Momtography 101: you don't need a fancy camera to get great shots of your family!

Take Sharon for example, with her trusty canon powershot on hand, it was all about timing and composition. As her little Ace put her superior art skills to work, her mom waited for the sun to be in just the right spot, then it was all about composition. The framing in this shot ROCKS! GREAT shot Sharon!

Have a shot you want to share, send it to us

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tell us what kind of camera you used and a little bit about how you set it up!

Snap To It!