We hope this year will be a great year for you and your family.  Perservere in your efforts and great rewards will be reaped.  Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you will land among the stars!  We look forward to looking after all your photographic needs in 2010.

The team at Louise Diesel Photography

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Team at Louise Diesel Photography!!  We wish you and your family a happy festive season and a prosperous new year!

Let’s face it, most kids really couldn’t care less about having their picture taken. Chances are they would rather be playing with your family dog, kicking a ball or exploring your kitchen drawers Having photographed lots of kids (of different ages) I have am 100% sure that telling a little kid that his mommy wants a pretty smile for the camera or that Granny wants to put this photo on the wall will definitely not entice them to smile. Photographing kids means you need to “get into their head” and think like them. (scary but true)  You need to make your shoot fun and exciting so that it’s more like an adventure than a chore…

Here are a few pointers which have worked really well for me in the past:

1. Get them involved.

If you have been in close contact with your toddler recently you will have realised that they are all about exploring new things and playing games.   So instead of plonking them down in front of the camera and asking them to smile involve them in a game like pulling funny faces (subjects almost always react to their photographer, if you smile a lot you put your subject at ease and it will most likely make them return your smile – which is when you will snap your shot)  Tickle them, put some of their favourite music on and ask them if they would dance with mommy or daddy.  Get someone to hold them upside down by their feet or throw them into the air.  All of this goes a long way towards capturing an award winning smile.  In other words give them a reason to smile…

2. Be quick!

Kids are constantly on the move and unless you know some  kind of serious magic your subject probably isn’t going to sit still for very long! Remember that in this digital age we have the freedom of shooting hundreds of photos (literally) and deleting the unwanted ones later so keep your finger on that shutter button and use it. I know lots of kids’s first reaction to a camera is to pull a funny face (which can be just as precious as a solemn pensive shot) so shoot away and only review afterwards.

3. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your “shoot” is going to be quick and easy

One tip on photographing your kids I can give you even before you attempt to switch your camera on is to have patience and make sure you’ve got a lot of time. You are most likely only get “that award winning shot” somewhere later on in your shoot.  So take your time and give your subject (which is of course your little angel) some time to get accustomed to his environment and explore the space.  Sit back and watch them but never take your finger off that shutter button. 

4. Choose your equipment wisely.

Don’t even waste your time with trying to use your tripod when photographing your kids as it is only going to be in your way.There’s no need for a tripod when you’re photographing children.   Also, make sure beforehand that your equipment is fully prepared before you even take your child outside for their photos. I promise you that by the time you have swopped the batteries and the memory card your kid will have been borede to death and have vanished into thin air.

5. Get on your knees and shoot on their level.

I know you have probably heard this a million times before but that’s only because it works so well.  Getting down onto their level will make them feel more comfortable around you.  Photographing a child from a standing position makes the child look ”helpless” and like you are in a dominating position and vice versa if you shoot from a low angle like lying down on the floor and shooting up at them they will look larger than life (President’s usually get their photos taken like this as it implies power)  Try to shoot a little bit of everything until you have developed a knack for it, take a few full body shots, a few close ups and even a few half shots. 

6. Lastly, always finish on a good note.

Once you have finished photographing your kiddie it is a good idea to finish it on a high note like giving them a sucker or allowing them to take some photos of mommy or daddy (with your help of course)  This just rounds off their shoot and makes them want to “do it again” PS-always be prepared for the unprepared!  Riani

Photographing toddlers is almost one of the hardest things to do, the phase where they have just started walking (roundabout 12 months to 3 yrs)  They want to explore everything and anything and the whole sphotoshoot is conducted at their pace which is enough to make you want to take a nap afterwards They are inquisitive and every pose has to be photographed at lightning speed as they lose interest really fast.  So my advice as a professional toddler photographer is to get the parents to play with their little one, hold them upside down, tickle them and throw some coloured balls around with them.  Put them onto your shoulders, throw them into the air or give them a horsey ride on your back.  Basically we do whatever it takes to make it fun and interactive for them.  This handsome little guy is half Italian and half Greek and I think he is only going to get cuter as he gets older.  Even though Nicarla looks small in these photos let me tell you he weighs a ton and I’m sure he is going to have big, broad shoulders just like his dad.  This shoot was tons of fun (as you never know what to expect when photographing little kids) but my brother has got a son the same age so all Nicarla’s mannerisms and the way he communicates made me think of my nephew I know I’m getting all sentimental again but this is what toddler portrait photography is all about, capturing the essence of your child…

Riani

Besides of course the day of your wedding, having a baby can be one of the most memorable days of your life and one that will not require the hassles of trying to find good photographers, but will, however, come with its own set of challenges that will be important for you to address once you know you are going to have a child. The first thing people will ask you is whether or not it is a boy or a girl, and this will probably make you wonder, that is, if you want to know what gender the baby will be before it is born, as many couples decide to wait and just let it be a surprise, but otherwise thoughts will probably race through your head about what colors you will want the baby’s clothes and their room to be. You can go with the traditional colors of pink and blue if you want to, but you may also want to consider painting the room another color so that you don’t have to make gender so rigid or important to impose on your child. When going out and buying baby things, you will probably want to remember that many of the things you may purchase for your baby will most likely not be needed after a while, and buying too many of these things early on may be a waste of money so that you cannot buy or pay for something that he or she really may need in the future, so you should most certainly consider hand me down items from your older brother or sister or cousins or whoever if they are available to you and you can also get cheap toys at thrift shops that your child will have just as much fun playing with as other things that may be new or may be more expensive.

This may be the same idea for a lot of the baby clothes you will buy, because they will not fit well after a while,so make sure your child can grow into them, especially since some baby clothing items that may be enticingly cute will be expensive and will be a poor deal for the amount of time and use that your child gets out of them while they use them. That is not to say that there is anything at all wrong with splurging on your kid every once in a while, but the cost of having a child through the years is enormous and remember that they will want to go to college and have medical bills later on.

The arrival of a new baby is indeed good news to any family. Coming with the news is the expected baby shower. It is very regular that you would want to host the just right baby shower, when a friend is expecting , with gifts that are both sensible and mark the incident in a way that Mom will keep in mind . While teeny newborn t-shirts, towels and washcloths and sleepers are surely needed things, it is so tempting to have as a minimum one hand made item that baby won’t outgrow in the first three months. If this is what you too have in mind then you need not look any further. We could propose you a baby shower present idea that will become a valuable family heirloom. handmade baby pullovers are the best prize to suit this purpose. A handmade baby blanket need not be very big in size and could in turn become a group project for all you friends who can sit jointly and help in making one. You can exchange squares in pastel shades, embroidering a particular message on each square, with all seamstress signing her name. You could go on further and beautify the corners with a trimming of tie. The most crucial thing that you need to remain in mind while making a handmade baby blanket is that it should be completely fire proof.

The other good idea to consider for a baby gifts is to provide the mother with a baby magazine subscription. Whether this is her first baby or she’s already got a brood of children , baby magazines provide interesting, educational and latest articles on the latest in baby care. A baby subscription magazine will be useful and remembered as a considerate gift, years into the future. Baby magazines provide all she needs to maintain on top of baby’s needs. Today’s baby magazines cover just about every nervousness a new Mom might have. Advice on sleeping positions vary, as new research reveals ahead of unidentified facts. After all, they can give Mom all of their facts of experience . On the other hand, with a gift subscription to all of the baby magazines, you’re giving Mom a assets of the latest knowledge on the subject.

The other outstanding and be suitable item which could be eligible on your list to suit a baby shower is a kids and babies gift basket . Baby gift basket can be beautiful, filled with supportive things that, while reasonably priced; Mom may not have or have thought to purchase herself. A nicely decorated basket can become a keepsake with a practical use in the nursery too. What can make the task a little difficult is when you need to do so on a tight shoe string budget. Crafts stores are full of cute, pretty things, such as strings of hearts, little faux birdies, dried flowers and baby bracelet alphabet strings you can fix on the basket with a glue gun. This will give you ample ideas to use and put to task. So now you have lots of ideas on how to fill and beautify a baby gift basket on a shoestring. Yet another wonderful adding to your baby gift basket is an envelope full of coupons.

With these ideas there is no doubt in the fact that your present for the baby shower will not only be special but will also be practical!