5 tips for photographing your home

Home is where the heart is and you should photograph it! Just like so many other things of life, our home speaks to the here and now. It's a glimpse into your life and days. 

Here are my top 5 tips for photographing your home! Enjoy + then grab your camera and get snapping!

1. Use a tripod + timer/remote

If you want nice bright photos, well then, dust off that tripod and set it up. Using a tripod will allow you to slow down your shutter speed while keeping your exposure high enough for well lit photos! 

2. Turn off the lights + open up blinds/curtains

Natural light is always best for photographing inside your home. Try to let in as much light as possible. Lamp light and overhead ceiling lights give off a color cast that will drive you bonkers in post-processing. 

3. Move the clutter

You don't have to go crazy and clean your house all day to photograph it. Just move piles of laundry to the side and straighten up counters. Less is more when it comes to images.

4. Set your exposure to ISO 100 or 200 + overexpose by +1

A lower ISO will keep your photos crisp and sharp (but if you love a ton of grain, then by all means, bump up that exposure!). Since you are using a tripod for your images, you can keep your ISO pretty low. I also recommend overexposing by at least 1 stop for bright and light photos! 

5. Set your f-stop

For full room photos, I like to set my f-stop between f5.6-6.3. This ensures that I will get a good image full of detail. For close up or detail shots with a blurred background, use a wide open f-stop, such as f1.8. 

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looking for more photography tips + inspiration?    

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10 Everyday photos to take this year

"The days are long, but the years are short."

This quote is so very true and there's nothing like a quick glance through your older photos to really feel its sentiment. The photos of our everyday are always my favorite. They show a glimpse into our lives...the here and now...the messes and details...the current. Years from now, I know these will still be my favorite.

Today I thought I would share you with 10 everyday photos to take this year. I encourage you to pick up your camera and shoot your everyday if you aren't already. Maybe just one photo a week. Or a glimpse of your Saturday morning. Whatever you choose, you will not regret capturing your days.

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1. Daily routine

What's something you (or your family) do almost every single day? It might seem mundane and weird to photograph, but these daily routines represent your here and now...and I promise you they will probably be different one year from now. 

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The days of my two taking their daily bath together is definitely numbered. We're working on individual showers right now and these bath nights (while they drive me a little crazy) are definitely going to be missed down the road. 

2. Bedroom

Take a peek into a bedroom and capture it as it as. Remember the things on the floor, door, walls. These little messes are your everyday.

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There is so much I love about this shot of Anna in her bedroom. The mess on the floor, the notes stuck to her door, the headbands wrapped around her door knob, her "stylish" outfit. These are her here and now.

3. Details

What's your favorite detail about your life? Your favorite detail of your child? Photograph it. Document it. Remember it. 

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For me, it's feet. I love feet. All feet. Especially those of my children. They have grown and changed and grown and changed so much. I will never tire of those toes and the wrinkles. 

4. The kitchen

The kitchen isn't necessarily the first place you think to capture your everyday, but the kitchen is totally the heart of the family. That's where life happens. That's where people gather together. Think of your kitchen and document your life as a family. 

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The majority of our days are spent in and around our kitchen. We cook together, wash dishes together, eat dinner together. The kitchen is such a big part of our family.

5. Letters + words

Document a page of homework, a card, written letter. Focus in on the words and details. These change so very quickly.

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Like hands and feet, I love capturing the written words and letters of my children. I love to see their attempts at writing and spelling. Recording these little details is priceless.

6. Emotions

Emotions are sometimes difficult to capture, I think. It's not really natural to pick up your camera when someone is crying or throwing a fit, but our life isn't all smiles and hugs. We have tears and crying and fits over here too and they are just as important to document. 

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7. Finds

When's the last time you just walked around your home and observed? Look for leftover messes, creations, notes and play scenes that tell your family's story.

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Anna and her notes....sigh. She leaves reminders, letters to fairies, drawings, love notes and more on just about every surface and I could not love documenting them (or her) more. 

8. Sleeping 

I'm pretty sure the sight of sleeping children never really gets old. Capture the stillness and peace of a sleeping child. Document bedding, toys, lovies, pajamas and all the things that are the here and now of "sleeping".

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Naps are few and far between in our house now so I'm sure to sneak and steal a shot whenever I can! I always try to get my camera settings ready so it's quick and easy!

9. Habits

What's something your child (husband, pet...) does that drives you absolutely crazy? What's something you see happen day in and day out? Grab your camera and photograph it! 

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Sweet Drew can't reach the bathroom sink yet while standing on the ground so he always hops up on the counter to wash his hands. Soon he will be tall enough and this "habit" will be no more.

10. Nighttime

Life doesn't end when the sun goes down, but if you love shooting in natural light you sometimes just might feel like it does. Push yourself to capture a nighttime routine or a glimpse of your evening. 

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My two might be crazy during the day, but they tend to be perfect angels at night as soon as I say "bedtime". Here they were coloring together at their little table by lamp light. A moment in time preserved forever.

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Bath Time Fun

What is better than a bubble bath?? Nothing really, right??

I know the days where these two splash and play in the bathtub together are numbered, so I'm trying to savor every last giggle and soaked floor. They might fight me when I tell them it's bath time, but it really is their favorite. Then they beg for "just a few more minutes" every single time I try to get them out. And their bath time fun is the reason my floors get "somewhat" clean every week. Thanks kids... ;)

Embracing the mess

I am a self-proclaimed neat freak. I like things clean. I thrive off of order and tidiness. Everything in my house has a place and try every single day to make sure things are back where they belong. I like my counter tops clean and the clothes in the hamper. I make up beds as soon as feet hit the floor, so yeah...obviously, I like things clean.

But...sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on the mess and creativity of my children. One day I know I'm going to wake up and their stuff isn't going to be all over the place. Their messes will be contained to their room where they probably will prefer to hang out. Their toys will be replaced with gadgets and gossip. This phase of life is so fleeting and I've decided to embrace the mess and enjoy my kids "leftovers".

After I drop my kids off at school each morning, I come back home to a "mostly" clean house. The breakfast dishes are put away and beds are made. But, I've made a point of keeping their "piles" and messes as they were. I've left their toys and games and cards just as they left them. And then I grab my camera and document these beautiful parts of our life. 

Sure, these photos aren't amazing or perfect, but they are our life. Our days. Our messes. And just like faces and special events, these "leftovers" are just as important to capture, I think. 

When's the last time you stepped back and EMBRACED the mess, rather than cleaning it up? Have you ever grabbed your camera and looked at those details through the lens before tidying up? If you haven't, I challenge you to do just that! Walk around your home. See the messes and piles and toys and try to capture those "leftovers" now, for soon those leftovers will be gone and replaced by something different.

Happy Thursday, friends! Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

Yes To This

Yes to hugs and kisses.

Yes to day dates with my boyfriend.

Yes to monster tea parties with lots of candy.

Yes to making lego cars and lego castles allllllll day long.

Yes to hot summer walks in the park.

Yes to morning snuggles.

Yes to messy crafts galore.

Yes to just being.

Yes to this.

merry, merry...

a very merry christmas from our family to yours.

it's been the best few days.  full of family, fun, food and lots of craziness.

xoxo

write.click.scrapbook: october gallery

well hello, october... 

so nice to see you!

(where did september go??)

it's the first of the month and that means that there is a new gallery up at write.click.scrapbook!!  this month's theme was "a day in the life".

instead of creating a layout, i decided to document a day in my son's life.  we spend a lot of time together since he is still so young, and i thought it would be fun to get a glimpse of his everyday.

i kept it pretty simple and stuck with photos and words, as well as a few fun embellishments here and there!

i cropped my images to square and trimmed them out to 2"x2".  then i slipped them into a coin sleeve page protector leaving the first column blank so i could add my title.  

here's a look at a "day in my son's life"....

i added this insert right into my project life album!!

i'm planning on completing one for my daughter as well later this fall.  and i guess i should do one for myself and my husband too, huh??  

have you documented a day in your life?  if not, you totally should!!

thanks so much for stopping by today.  be sure to stop by the write.click.scrapbook blog to check out how everyone else interpreted this fun challenge.

a girls day...

my sweet girl and i had a nice girls afternoon this weekend.  it isn't often that i get good quality time with her out of the house so it was so nice to wander around just the two of us.  we ended up finding this fun little park over behind our house that had a lake and a playground.  she sang and talked and talked and talked.  the girl loves to talk.

the weather was beautiful and the company was even better.  hoping to plan more girls adventures this fall!! 

week in the life...sunday

yay!!  i've officially documented our week.  i totally slacked off on sunday.  i think i have reached my "picture taking capacity".....and that's saying a lot since i always have my camera with me.

i did love using my DSLR this week.  the iphone takes awesome photos, and i typically find myself using that primarily for convenience, but boy can you tell a difference with my "big camera".  hoping to keep it close by more.

here are our pictures and words from sunday...

waking and making pancakes...

reading and relaxing...

playing...

coloring and playing and making messes

resting...

crafting...

eating freezie pops...

watching football and eating yummy chili

thanks to everyone who stopped this week!!  i love all of the new visitors and hope you will stop by often!!

i'm still trying to figure out my plan for these photos and i will definitely post here when i do decide.

xoxo

week in the life...saturday

saturday was a busy one for us.  i definitely didn't pick up my camera as much, but i do love what i captured.  the weekends are always full of fun for us, so i hate that i didn't capture every moment, but it is what it is.

here are our saturday picture and words...

waking...

his & her morning relaxing...

cuddling with daddy...

running...

enjoying the lake...

baking...

cleaning...

showering...

eating...

playing...

hanging with neighbors...

week in the life...friday

i can't believe i am mostly done with this project.  i have truly loved capturing our week.  i love all of the "little moments" in a day that i may not have documented.  i can definitely tell i've slacked off with picture taking as the week has progressed.  it's likely because our days really don't vary that much.  regardless of how many images i end up, it's still our memories recorded.  and that's pretty darn cool.

here are our photos and words from friday....

waking...

reading and writing...

emailing...

drawing...

dancing...

unloading groceries...

working husband...

creating...

being silly...

playing...

eating like they've never eaten before...

making dinner...

exercising...

i ran out of time and wasn't able to write down our schedule.  definitely will be back to do that soon!!

thanks for stopping by!!

xoxo

week in the life...thursday

i can't believe thursday has come and gone.  

it was a pretty typical day for us, except my husband came home from being away all week.  it's so nice to have him in our photos.  hopefully to get a couple more glimpses of "his week" in before sunday.  if only i could convince him to do some documenting....hmmmm.  :)

onto the pictures and words...

trying to wake up...

eating yogurt...

healing boo boos...

unloading dishes...

playing together...

singing...

reading...

baking banana bread...

drawing...

sharing school work...

(not) napping...

arriving home...

loving...

teeth cleaning...

dancing in the rain...

thursday

6:45 am: wake up, get dressed and ready | 7:00 am: drew up; gets dressed and ready | 7:05 am: make coffee | 7:20 am: anna wakes up; comes downstairs | 7:45 am: start breakfast for the kids; pack lunches | 8:10 am: unload dishes | 8:30 am: head upstairs to brush teeth and get anna dressed | 9:00 am: leave for preschool | 9:15 am: drop anna off | 9:30 am: storytime and books at the library with drew | 10:30 am: head back home | 11:00 am: have a snack and make banana bread | 11:30 am: draw with chalk outside | noon: lunch inside, build a pillow fort with drew | 12:40 pm: leave to pick up anna | 1:15 pm: back home | 1:30 pm: everybody fussy; attempt nap time without success | 2:15 pm: everyone up from nap/quiet time; play on the third floor | 3:30 pm: daddy is home (yay); follow daddy around and hang out with him | 4:00 pm: clean up a messy house | 4:20 pm: start dinner for the kids | 4:45 pm: leave for a dentist appointment | 6:00 pm: drop off prescription at the drug store | 6:15 pm: back home; kids out playing in the rain | 6:45 pm: make myself dinner | 7:00 pm: quick bath for the (soaking wet) kids | 7:30 pm: books and bedtime with daddy | 7:45 pm: shower for me, pajamas and photo uploading | 8:15 pm: join scott on the couch for football | 10:00 pm: goodnight

week in the life...wednesday

i love wednesdays.  probably because it means we are one day closer to the weekend.  and because my husband comes back home on thursday this week.  i'm ready to get him in some of these pictures.  

pretty typical day for us, yet again.  

wednesday's pictures and words...

waking...

eating and reading...

packing lunches...

cleaning and cleaning and cleaning...

eating....

brushing and flossing...

exercising...

waiting and perusing...

shopping...

remembering...

waiting and playing...

visiting mimi and poppy...

resting...

making pretty things...

settling down...

saying good night...

wednesday

6:15 am: alarm goes off | 6:35 am: get up, make bed, start coffee | 7:15 am: drew gets up; comes and snuggles with me on the couch | 7:30 am: anna wakes up; comes and snuggles with us | 8:00 am: make breakfast for the kids | 8:10 am: pack lunches | 8:20 am: clean up breakfast dishes | 8:35 am: grab a quick breakfast | 8:50 am: get dressed, potty and brush teeth for us all | 9:05 am: leave for preschool | 9:15 am: drop the kids off at school | 9:30 am: head to the gym | 10:30 am: back home; quick shower | 11:00 am: back to preschool to pick up drew | 11:30 am: quick trip to the grocery store for butter | noon: stop by chic fil a for lunch with my sweet boy | 12:40 pm: leave to pick up anna from preschool | 1:15 pm: drop kids off at mimi and poppy's house for a visit | 1:45 pm: back home; rest on the couch and watch coverage of 9/11 news | 3:00 pm: make pretty things | 5:00 pm: order take out for dinner | 5:25 pm: pick up dinner and head back to mimi and poppy's | 5:40 pm: visit with family | 7:00 pm: head back home | 7:25 pm: pajamas, potty and brush teeth | 7:45 pm: shake the sillies out and read a few books | 8:00 pm: tuck the kids into bed | 8:01 pm: drew up; has to potty; take him to the potty | 8:09 pm: drew up; has to potty (again); take him to the potty (again) | 8:25 pm: quick edit of pictures and blog post | 9:00 pm: wash face, put on pajamas and peruse pinterest | 10:00 pm: good night

week in the life...tuesday

day 2 and i'm still going strong.  i find that i'm taking quite a few photos in the morning and tend to taper off in the evening....  which is weird because our mornings are jam packed.  my days are all pretty much the same so i find it a fun challenge to try to capture different, but important moments of each day.  

on to the photos and words...

waking up...

relaxing before the rush starts...

coffee, computer and scheduling...

watching her sleep before waking her...

looking for breakfast...

packing lunches...

making (more) messes...

getting ready for preschool...

exercising...

hydrating...

showering...

reading together...

ipad time...

drying hair...

picking up from preschool...

laundry and a little video during my kids 10 minutes of quiet time...

face timing with daddy...

pouting about a time out...

running errands and picking up a sweet treat...

dinner and stories...

bath time fun...

tuesday

6:15 am: alarm goes off | 6:35 am: get out of bed, grab paper, make coffee and settle in to check emails |  7:21 am: drew gets up; goes potty and gets dressed | 7:30 am: drew requests eggos and checks the fridge for more food | 7:45 am: make breakfast and lunch for anna | 8:15 am: wake up anna; start a load of clothes | 8:25 am: clean up spilled milk on floor; fix breakfast for anna | 8:45 am: clean up from breakfast; sweep floor | 9:00 am: brush teeth, potty and leave for preschool | 9:30 am: back home from preschool; out for a walk with drew | 10:30 am: home from walk; grab a snack and some water | 10:45 am: shower | 10:55 am: read books with drew | 11:30 am: dry my hair; drew plays on the iPad | noon: lunch with drew | 12:40 pm: leave to get anna from preschool | 1:20 pm: back home again; kids play for a minute | 2:00 pm: nap and quiet time attempt | 2:10 pm: fold laundry | 2:45 pm: no nap today; face time with daddy | 3:00 pm: quick snack and leave to run errands | 3:30 pm: pick up a few things from the grocery store | 4:00 pm: stop by starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte and cake pops | 4:20 pm: back home; kids play for a while; i check email and blogs | 5:15 pm: start dinner | 5:45 pm: dinner and stories with the kids.  i have to beg them to eat tonight | 6:30 pm: bath time | 7:00 pm: dora episode on the couch | 7:30 pm: books and bed time | 7:50 pm: quick edit of pictures and type up blog post | 8:30 pm: settle into bed to watch a few shows and read my book; chat with scott | 9:30 pm: good night

week in the life....monday

monday is all photographed and my notes are taken.  and to think i was on the fence as to whether or not i was going to document our week.  just taking the pictures today reminds me of why this is so important.  and that's saying a lot because i take a ga-zillion pictures a week.  :)

i'm keeping it pretty simple here.  my pictures and then a quick recap of our day at the end.  

here's a look at our monday...

good morning...

lovely sunrise...

hard boiled eggs...

messy boy peeling above hard boiled eggs...

daily routine...

morning run...

yogurt in a quiet house...

starburst after preschool...

picnic lunch...

craft time...

girl time...

play time...

post nap time...

after dinner snuggles...

monday

4:30 am: drew up crying; into bed with him | 5:45 am: back to my bed | 6:00 am: anna up crying and gets in bed with me | 6:15 am: wake up; coffee; blog | 7:30 am: brush teeth, wash face, get dressed | 8:00 am: drew up; dressed | 8:15 am: anna up; dressed and breakfast | 8:30 am: coloring and play time | 9:00 am: leave for preschool | 9:15 am: drop off the kids | 9:30 am: running and weights for me at the gym | 10:30 am: back home; yogurt in my quiet house | 10:45 am: quick shower | 11:00 am: leave to pick up drew from preschool | 11:30 am: back home; play time in the water table | noon: lunch with drew outside | 12:40 pm: leave to pick up anna; call scott on the way home to talk about the kids day | 1:15 pm: back home; reading time before naps | 1:45 pm: quiet/nap time for everyone (craft time for me) | 3:30 pm: anna done with quiet time; short iPad play time and my little pony learning games with me | 4:30 pm: drew up from nap; snuggles | 5:00 pm: start dinner | 5:30 pm: eat dinner with the kids | 6:00 pm: outside play time with the neighbors | 7:15 pm: back inside; clean up and get ready for bed | 7:45 pm: bedtime stories | 8:00 pm: laundry and shower for me; reruns of grey's anatomy; computer catch-up; text with scott and beg for photos from him; pay bills | 10:00 pm: good night

number of photos: 55

week in the life...

so i said i wasn't going to do week in the life this year.  and then i read this post by traci reed and i realized she's right.  i do document our "everyday" with project life, but i don't think i get the whole picture of our lives.  i've done week in the life the past few years and it's a lot of work.  or maybe i make it a lot of work.  i'm not really sure how i will tie all of this together, but i'm planning to post here every day!!

luckily...my kids didn't let me sleep through the night and i've been up since 4:30 am, so i've had time to prepare and get myself ready for this project.  (thanks kids).

hello monday.  and hello week in the life.

ready, set, go....

gossamer blue: project life week 33

i seriously can't believe we are already over 30 weeks into this year.  and that it's september.  and that summer is over.  where did the year go?  

every day i am more and more thankful for project life.  i love that i have all of these memories documented.  my sister-in-law was in town this past weekend and sat and looked through all of my albums.  i love when someone "gets it", you know.  and she does.  and i think i suckered her into doing it too!!  :)

today, i'm sharing my week 33 of project life using the beautiful september life pages kit from gossamer blue.  this is simply amazing.  the colors are just so pretty. 

take a look....

more of our "everyday moments"....bathtub time, drawing, playgrounds, ice cream.  you know....life.

here is a better look at each side, as well as a few detail shots! 

awesome, huh?  hop on over to the gossamer blue gallery and check out all of the other amazing inspiration!!  

happy tuesday!

xoxo

currently: august edition

august is wrapping up and i'm quite torn.

i love the relaxing part of summer, but i also crave schedule and structure.  i think my "everyday" right now is all about trying to get that structure back into swing.

lots of planning and simplifying going on right now.  i like it when things are simple.  i have a new filofax on it's way to me so i'm hoping that helps with the planning part.  as for simplifying, i am trying to go through each part of "my" day to figure out where i can make things easier.  (usually that involves more planning, right?).

i'm calling it "project simplify"!

trying to simplify...

our weekly meals

our daily schedule

our "stuff"

it's a work in progress....and honestly...it probably always will be.  i'm ok with that.

lots of cleaning and organizing. (goes along with simplifying).  i painted these jar tops this past weekend to spruce up my craft room.  it was feeling a little too "sterile" for me.  i'm loving the colors in the room now.  just need to add a few more touches and i'm calling it done. 

lots of preschool prep going on too.  haircuts, doctor's appointments, shopping for lunch boxes.  it's a busy time, but i know that the "schedule" part of my life will be back soon.

is your summer wrapping up?  are you wanting to simplify anything?  simple is always better, right?

happy friday!

xoxo

paislee press: guest project life contributor

i am so excited to be sharing my week 32 of project life on the paislee press blog today!!

here's a little peek..

stop on by the paislee press blog for many more photos and a few fun tips!!

just a few more days....

in paradise.

with no schedule,

and lots of reading.

with early afternoon cocktails,

and yummy steamed seafood.

with family sleepovers,

and early morning snuggles.

hope you are enjoying your week as much as we are enjoying ours.

xoxo