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Having kids can be expensive. What’s more expensive? Having your kids professionally photographed often. For this reason, (and because I genuinely enjoy it) I decided to try and take photography a bit more seriously this year as a long-time hobbyist. Also, since Tim is a full-time streamer, he often needs to take pictures for thumbnails or sponsors, so this is another big reason I wanted to learn photography.
Full disclosure, I took one photography class in college about 10 years ago as a pre-requisite elective for my Graphic Design degree. This class taught me the basics (ISO, Aperture, Shutter speed) and how they relate to one another. Needless to say, I was rusty. I also didn’t fully understand the concept of the “exposure triangle” and I’m still learning it. But one big takeaway that I’ve gotten from the many photography groups I’ve joined online is that the only way to improve your photography skills which is why I’m also sharing my progress and results online, for feedback and for motivation to shoot more.
Jump Ahead
Why I am Learning Photography
Since my photography class, I’ve mostly shot photos on my iPhone or occasionally on an old DSLR I had (Nikon d5300). Now that I’ve been learning more and more, I saved up and bought a somewhat entry-level mirrorless full-frame camera – the Sony a7iii. I was already pretty familiar with Sony cameras, since Tim and I use Sony for recording vlogs, and as webcams for streaming. I had the Sony a6100 for a couple of years. I could have used this camera too, but I wanted something slightly better. What better way to motivate someone to shoot some photos than to spend a bunch of money on photography gear, right? :’)
I ended up buying the a7iii in 2023, but it was mostly collecting dust. I am finally starting to use it for both photography and videography, which I’m learning side by side in order to make YouTube Videos too. This is very typical of me – I can’t just learn one thing I have to learn 5 things at once. (Hello, ADHD..) Anyway, this has kept me pretty busy. What I love about both of these things is I can benefit from what I’m learning immediately by taking pictures of my kids, and recording home videos as well. This is a huge driver and what’s making learning these things easy so far – the immediate use which results in the immediate “reward” my brain receives (IYKYK). I hope to (soon) be able to upload some vlogs onto YouTube, but wow color grading is not an easy task!
Here are some of the shots from our latest in-home photography shoot of my little one. He is barely learning to sit up, and still falls back quite often so it’s a bit tricky with getting good shots. I realize now after editing these that I probably needed to raise the ISO. I get confused with ISO settings sometimes because I know when dealing with video, you don’t necessarily want a super high ISO as it causes a lot of noise in the footage, and from what I’ve seen and read, this is not the case for photography.
Some of My Favorite Shots
I love his expression in some of the photos I took, but as you’ll see, I definitely could have exposed them better while shooting by upping my ISO. I was using a cheap light, too.
I’m also noticing a green tint that I am not crazy about, so that’s something else I’ll look to avoid during my next editing session.
This is one of my favorite shots! I only wish it was sharper, so I think with better lights and a higher ISO, my next shoot should improve a lot because I’ll be able to not have such a wide aperture. I do like a blurry background though so I don’t want to lose that either.
The Gallery
Takeaways
Despite some mistakes I made along the way, I love how these photos turned out. I can’t believe I took them myself and I seriously am so excited to keep learning and using the skills I acquire to take more pictures of my littles. I definitely recommend this camera to all parents!
Gear
Here is a list of everything I currently have and used for this shoot! If you’re looking for anything specific and don’t see it, just ask below. 🙂
Here is a more specific list of everything I have and recommend:
- Sony a7iii (camera)
- Tamron 2.8mm (lens)
- Lights (I am going to be upgrading these soon – but these work fine!)
- Tripod (Works for video and selfies, too)
- Black Pro Mist Filter (I always have this on my lens for both video and pictures)
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