photography Archives - Rave & Review

Create an heirloom piece with PicturesOnGold.com

It’s now been four years since we surprised our oldest daughter with a heart shaped locket from PicturesOnGold.com for Christmas. Since the day she opened the locket four years ago, it quickly become one of her most cherished possessions. She wears it all the time, and it is her special comfort piece she turns to when … Read more

Z Yang events this Saturday at American Girl stores in NYC, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, and DC

Have you heard the news? American Girl just released their newest contemporary doll, Z Yang last week. “Z” {short for Suzie} is Korean American and hails from Seattle {every girl in the PNW, including my two littles, is squealing right now}. Not only do I adore that she’s from Seattle, I love that Z is a stop-motion vlogger, which is my oldest’s dream job. Fans have come to know and love Z as the star of the American Girl’s immensely popular web series, Z’s Crew. In the web series, Z loves staying connected with friends and sharing a good story through her stop motion videos.

Preserving memories made easy with Hammacher Schlemmer’s Photo Album Scanner

Every time I visit with my mom, I am given a stack of photo albums my mom has unearthed with the instruction to scan our old family images to share with my siblings. The problem is, I never have my computer with me, let alone my scanner/copier. So, I end up either taking the whole album with me in order to pull it apart to scan, or we take the album apart and I end up leaving with sandwich baggies full of pictures, some of which are ruined during the removal process. Obviously, neither of these methods is ideal.

Wouldn't it be cool if you could scan those old pictures while you're taking a walk down memory lane? Imagine flipping through an old photo album, finding a priceless gem, and then scanning it to save it electronically – all without ever taking it out of the photo album. Dream no more, because Hammacher Schlemmer has made it not only possible, but also a ton of fun. Their new Rapid Photo Album Scanner that is exclusive to Hammacher Schlemmer does just what I've always dreamed of and converts all those old photographs into digital images in just seconds,allowing you to reminisce and relive old memories while saving them easily for future use.

Fabulous photo blankets from Collage.com

When the holidays roll around, it’s basically a guarantee that at least some of the presents I give will be picture gifts. I’ve done the standard presents over and over – framed prints, photo books, calendars, and canvases. But, I’m always looking for fun, personalized photo gifts and love to venture into the world of photo pillows, metal prints, table runners, tapestries, and housewares. This is when I turn to Collage.com.

Last year, I posted all about how I love Collage.com for sending picture presents to loved ones all over the world, and this year I got a chance to enjoy one of their gifts for myself. I ordered myself the Custom Sherpa Photo Blanket that arrived just days ago and it’s now one of my most favorite things I own. That’s not even a slight exaggeration. The thing is, it’s not just one of my favorite things, it is also very popular with the whole family.

Spring clean and organize your digital life with MiMedia

I know this isn’t a popular sentiment, but I actually really love spring cleaning. Call me crazy, but I love cleaning up and clearing things out until everything is neat and organized just the way I like it. During my spring cleaning sessions, just about nothing is safe and I recycle, donate, and gift with abandon. It’s a beautiful thing.

But, until now there is one area of disorganization that was too scary for me to even begin to delve into: my digital life. We’re talking decades of pictures, music files, scans, videos, and documents that have been over-categorized and misplaced until it’s impossible to find anything or enjoy it properly.

Like this gem. Hidden away in a file called "10-26-2015-BHJLHK". Because OF COURSE I would look there first when searching for an adorable picture of the kiddos with me during our trip to Georgia. If that doesn't scream "open me for adorable pictures" I don't know what does. That’s where MiMedia comes in. MiMedia is the personal cloud you’ve been waiting for that gives you an easy-to-access, safe and secure digital home for all of your precious memories. Imagine knowing that all your files you care most about are safe in one spot where you can keep them organized and accessible on all of your devices. With MiMedia, they can be.

Think Portrait Innovations for family pictures this fall

Did you read my post last month about our awesome photo sitting at Portrait Innovations and have been meaning to make an appointment? Do it now, seriously. Trust me when I say that the holidays will sneak up on you and before you know it you will be ordering holiday cards wondering why you don't have one single picture of your family with everyone smiling {nicely} at the camera with their eyes open. I know this because that was me last year, and the year before, and the year before…

But not this year, because I thought ahead and scheduled a fall sitting at Portrait Innovations that gave me lots of pictures to choose from when it comes time to order holiday gifts, prints to frame, and finally, holiday cards. The family photo shoot was easy, it was professional, but most of all it was actually fun. Yeah, I said fun. With three kids under 7 you rarely hear the words "fun" and "photo shoot" in the same sentence, but it was surprisingly enjoyable and the pictures really speak for themselves about what kind of shoot it was.

The perfect camera for all of our many adventures: the Lumix G7

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for Panasonic. I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.If you know us, you know we’re always on the go as a family. We pack in as much adventure as we can with the kiddos, and we are always down for vacations, day trips, and even just every day exploring. On these adventures, I have certain things that I must have at all times.

Aside from the essentials like water and food, another non-negotiable item is my camera. But, with 3 kids and all of their necessary gear, I can’t be saddled with camera stuff that needs its own luggage. I need a compact camera I can use, and then put away so I can enjoy these adventures without always being stuck with a camera in hand. Because I have better things to carry. Like this little bundle of joy.

DIY home photography studio with a mini roller shade

One of the biggest surprises I had after becoming a blogger was how much photography would consume my life. Now, instead of just making meals for my family, I photograph every step up until the food goes onto our plates. Instead of just reviewing things, I also take pictures of every single angle and set up scenes in my home.

With my photography degree and the fact that I always have a camera handy, I was actually happy when I realized how blogging would force me to use the more technical information I learned back in the studio in college. I love taking pictures of my kids as much as the next person, but sometimes it's fun to play around with light a little bit to see what you come up with and studio shots give me a chance to do just that.

But, what has changed is the format I use when shooting. I used to shoot all in film, and I photographed subjects on a seamless room painted a matte white. Now, I shoot all digital and my subjects range from face creams to apple pie, usually quickly snapped before we all dig into whatever food or package I was photographing. Obviously, I didn't need a huge studio anymore, but I still needed… something.

A mini roller shade from Blinds.com is what I came up with, situated right by my biggest source of light – the sliding glass window.

Traveling Light with the Samsung WB200 Smart Camera

Before I was a mom, I hauled around a SLR with me wherever I went – first the film variety, then a DSLR – and made good use of my photography degree. In those years I took amazing pictures of our adventures while traveling, around our house with family and friends, and exploring the many … Read more

Professor Kobré’s Lightscoop for Flattering Holiday Photos

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide: Day 24 Anyone who knows my family knows that we love to take pictures. With photographers on both sides of my family tree, I’ve seen {and owned} my share of gear throughout the years, especially during my years getting my fine arts degree in photography. While I now know how to … Read more