I Got a DSLR... Now What?

In 2011, I got a new camera.  It was my first DSLR, a Nikon D3100.

I knew my camera was capable of much more than my old point and shoot.  (And much more than the Blackberry I owned at the time... hey, it was five years ago!)

Challenges abounded.  Why were some pictures focused in the right place and some fuzzy?  Why were some grainy?  The more I learned, the more I was able to capture photos of my daughter that were worthy of hanging on my wall.

I love professional photos.  I love having my family photographed.  I hope you love it, too.  (If you don't, I'm not sure why you're here on my website.  Book a session.  You'll love it.)

The

only

problem with relying only on a professional photographer is that I'm not following you around your house every single day.  Sometimes, you want to grab your camera and capture the everyday.

In the first image below, my daughter was in the NICU.  The focus is on her back hand.  She's kind of blurry.  An everyday moment in that era... chillin' in her NICU crib.

The second image is her last day of preK.  She did NOT want a photo session, because she wanted to go to school.  Ellie moved a lot faster in the second image than the first.  It's an equally unscripted and un-posed moment.  (I yelled, "Get out the door, I want a picture!"  "No, Mommy, let's go to school!  I want to see my friends!")  Yet the image is in focus and she's not a blur.

I'll let the difference speak for itself.

To help you through the growing pains I experienced, I'm offering something new starting at the end of this month -

Learn to Use Your Camera Sessions

!  These are one-on-one sessions where we work together to help you meet your goals.  Want to learn to shoot in manual mode?  Or just how to pick an appropriate shooting mode?  You only have a point and shoot but you know a few simple tweaks could help you capture great images?  Well, we will get you photographing with confidence!

And lest you think the camera makes all the difference... here's a few from my iPhone.  Composition and light can make or break a photograph, even on a phone!

A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Jun 8, 2016 at 3:48pm PDT
A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Mar 1, 2016 at 8:33am PST
A photo posted by Megan Landmeier (@meganlando) on Sep 25, 2015 at 5:54am PDT

My Own Family {Arlington, VA Child Photographer}

Last weekend, we were preparing for my five year old's tonsillectomy and anticipating a low-key week ahead.  Knowing that Ellie probably wouldn't be much for smiling this week, and since I hadn't taken any nine month photos of Caroline, I tried to get some pictures of the girls before church.

Big sister takes over the baby bucket.

Big sister shares giraffe.

Laughter.  So much laughter.

A Beautiful Morning {Lake Barcroft Family Photographer}

When a client invites me to a new location, I am always excited and nervous, especially if the situation prevents me from checking out the location in advance.

Well Saturday morning, I left early to scope out the location I'd be using thirty minutes later.

It was perfect.

We had a lovely time, but here's just a quick sneak peek!

I'm booking now for the rest of 2016!

Look Out Kindergarten! {Arlington, VA Children's Photographer}

Here comes Ellie!

After three years of pre-K, she's off to Kindergarten in September.

She has grown up so much since she started preK at just two and a half years old!  We dropped a health form off at her new school earlier in the week and the entire walk there and back was a chorus of "Kindergarten!  I'm ELLIE and I'm going to KINDERGARTEN!  Is this Kindergarten?  Where is Kindergarten, Mommy??"

Make sure those milestones don't sneak by without photos.

No one will miss what year this photo was taken, either - note the Dory shirt.

Booking now for the rest of 2016 - just

email

me!