How to Calibrate Your Monitor There are many technical ins-and-outs to monitor calibration.  Most of us have an average amount of tech-savvy, so I am writing this for people who simply want their images to look bette...

Photos: An Amazing Gift for Your Family When I was a child I don’t remember asking for a whole lot.  Even for Christmas. There was this one year I wanted a record player, that’s the only gift I can remember ever want...

5 Fun Christmas Activities for Families Every year around this time, I tell myself, “Ashley, you only get a few special Christmas seasons with your kids, slow down and enjoy it".  And every year, even with the best o...

How to Photograph Christmas Decorations As photographers, we love the holidays because they provide us with plenty of amazing photo opportunities.  A challenge that we face as photographers in any situation is captur...

Photographing Wedding Details When you have a DIY bride, you know you will have plenty of detail photos to take.  This was the case with one of my recent weddings.  Lisa, the bride and my client, was meticulous about...

How to Be a Perfect Second Shooter at a Wedding Before I photographed a wedding on my own, I worked as a second shooter for a couple of different photographers, just to get a feel for everything that wedding photogra...

Snow Photography For some of you, photographing in the snow may be easier because you are used to being around all that white stuff during the Winter months.  I live in Georgia, and we rarely get more than a couple o...

Engagement Photo Session Tips Engagement sessions for me can sometimes feel like a 2-hour pressure cooker where I am constantly trying to figure out what’s next - what location, pose, and lens can I use to create as ...

Family Photo Poses When you have the honor of shooting a family photo session (and I wholeheartedly feel it is an honor) it is CRITICAL to remember one very important word, "CONNECTION".  This special group of people...

4 Easy Tips for Family Photo Shoot Success Family sessions can be very nerve wracking for photographers - especially in the busy Fall season (Fall Photography mini-sessions anyone?).  I love family photo shoots!  Th...

How to Master Silhouette Photography in 7 Easy Steps Silhouette Photography is an excellent way to add drama, mood and mystery to a photo.  The dark mysterious shape/outline of a subject in front of a lighter backgro...

What is White Balance? One of the BEST ways to save time in post-processing is to get your white balance right in-camera! Now, if you are wondering what white balance is, or if you are familiar with the term, but are...

Do You Need a Photography Niche Unless you live under a proverbial rock, you have likely heard from many sources that you should find your niche in the world of photography. But what is a photography niche? How ...

Should I Watermark My Photos? Who would think such a simple question could be such a hot topic among photographers?  And they all seem to have differing opinions on this topic.  However, for this post, I will try to ...

EXIF Data If you are a new photographer, reviewing the EXIF data from your photos will help you improve your photography skills in a very real way.  This data will not only give you insight that can help you now, but...

Enhancing your iPhone and Android Phone Images with Lightroom Presets “The best camera is the one you have with you.” I’d like to attribute that quote to its source but it has been so widely heralded, I can’t even ...

Are you Over Editing Your Photos? When I first discovered the world of editing and post-processing, I felt like I had gone to school for 13 years and become a plastic surgeon overnight.  The power I had at my fingert...

One Lens Photography: Making One Lens Work For You One of the most common questions asked by those interested in pursuing photography is, “What lens should I buy to start out with?”  It’s a tough choice and there are...

Night Photography Taking photos at night is a unique practice filled with plenty of deep colors, exciting lighting options and the perfect balance of exposure. While night time photography may take a little longer t...

Understanding Focal Plane & Depth of Field If you are anything like me, when you're reading about photography related topics and the big words, then the weird numbers start flying at you… it takes about three se...