Category Archives: Photo Tips

White Balance – The Key To Great Color

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White balance is the cornerstone of color management. Although most modern digital cameras have excellent auto white balance nothing compares to customizing your camera’s white balance manually. Before demystifying the process of white balancing your camera manually it is important to understand the fundamentals of what white balancing is; and its importance in creating superlative images. White balance first introduce was first introduced to us when video cameras replaced movie (film) cameras . Since the vidicon tube and eventually the CCD and CMOS chips are electronic they require a reference point for color. Primary Colors The positive primary colors are … Continue reading →

Outdoor Macro Photography – April Rain Bring Great Spring Photographs

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Macro photography is often thought of for close up product in a studio controlled setting.  However, macro photography also extends to the outdoors, and it’s subject is generally floral. It’s that time of the year when they say that April rain brings spring flowers.  What it also brings is a beautiful time of year to be outdoors creating unique images of the new budding flowers. First and most important is to choose a day when there is little to no wind. Unfortunately most other conditions are detrimental. The following are a few tips to help you create some amazing images. … Continue reading →

Preserving your Family Photos & Video Memories

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Once upon a time, not too long ago, families began preserving their history with photographs and movies.  Our family photos told us stories of yesteryear in scrapbook style photo albums. Our ancestors documented their kid’s accomplishments in pictures placing them in books/scrapbooks/albums; and updated them with the reaching of each of life’s milestones. 16mm movies evolved to 8mm and then super 8mm, which evolved into VHS, Beta & 8mm recordings. After time we accumulated tons of movies that are difficult to watch anymore; and, our family photo albums became thicker with memories of trips, holidays, friends and relatives. Importance of … Continue reading →

Cell Phones versus a Camera… Sensor Size Matters

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There really is no comparison when it comes to choosing between cell phones versus a camera to take great pictures!  You don’t use your camera to make telephone calls, so why would you rely on your cell phone to create photographs? Aside from the fact that almost everyone has their cell phones handy to create photos at a moment’s notice, why would you trust a cell phone to preserve your precious memories? Most Cameras Can Connect to Your Smartphone The fact that you can share your memories across social media is not a valid reason; when you consider almost all … Continue reading →

Becki & Chris’ Camera Bag Tour – Promaster Camera Bag

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CAMERA BAGS  Features to look for in a camera bag: tons of space, lots of pockets, chest and waist straps, a tripod pouch, and style. It’s hard to find a backpack that ticks all those boxes, and style is usually the first one to go in lieu of practicality. Chris and I stumbled upon the ProMaster Cityscape Backpack last year in Vancouver at a local camera shop like Larmon Photo We shoot weekly vlogs for YouTube, as well as photos on a separate camera, so we were looking for a bag that would fit our whole kit. I have a tendency to buy camera bags that look nice yet … Continue reading →

5 Tips for Night Photography

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There’s nothing more epic than taking in the Canadian Rockies at night. Between the huge skies, Milky Way, and northern lights,  there’s no shortage of amazing night photography opportunities. Here are a few tips to make sure you can capture them completely! Find a Landscape & Plan Your Shot The most important part of any night photo is the landscape you choose to shoot. Scout out your perfect foreground before sunset to make sure you’re ready for the stars! This trick will keep you from stumbling around in the dark and ensure you’ve got a great frame ready. Pro Tip: Using online resources to find out … Continue reading →

Clean and Check – The #1 Photo Resolution for the New Year – What are the others?

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Seems like we were just gearing up for Thanksgiving and now we’ve said goodbye to 2017 and hello to a new year. As the family photographer you are tasked with maintaining your families history. It is a labor of love that many of us enjoy. So when January arrives it generally means it’s time for your equipment’s annual Clean & Check maintenance. Clean and Check The first, and most critical, is to have annual equipment maintenance completed. This means cameras and lenses go in for cleaning and a mechanical check-up.  Best time to do this is every January or before you go … Continue reading →

Why You Should Be Using Neutral Density Filters

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If you don’t have a variable neutral density filter in your camera case then you are seriously missing out!  My advice, get one STAT! I typically use a UV filter to protect my lenses and a ProMaster CPL filter for some scenics, however, the new ProMaster HGX Variable ND Filter is one I just won’t leave my studio without. Nuetral Density (ND) filters are basically sunglasses for your lenses; they diminish the light transmitting thru your lens. This lack of light transmitted permits you to use slower shutter speeds and wider apertures. Without using a ND filter you’d have to use faster shutter speeds with smaller f-stops … Continue reading →

5 Tips for Consistently Good Indoor Photos

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No matter what level photography experience you have we all know that creating indoor photos can be a little tricky. Below are a few tips on how to avoid some of the pitfalls. Color Balance/White Balance your Indoor Photos Taking photos inside is one place that gives automatic settings on your camera an operating issue. Especially relevant to better indoor photos is learning how to set your camera’s white balance.  If you are shooting available light and the light source is an Incandescent bulb, (3200˚K), Fluorescent tube (4500˚K), natural light through the window (5000˚-6500˚K) or an electronic flash (5500˚). Consider … Continue reading →

DIY Photo Tip – How To Take Your Own Family Portrait

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Thanksgiving is almost here and that means the holiday season is upon us again! Time to start planning all those family gatherings and creating new memories. And what is the best way to preserve your memories than with a photograph or video? Whether you hire a professional portrait artist at LarmonStudios.com to create a family heirloom, a family photo enthusiast with a sophisticated DSLR or you with your iPhone or other mobile device, photos and videos are always at the center preserving memories. Family First Before all the parties and gatherings begin, there is the “what to do for this year’s holiday … Continue reading →