Hey everyone!! I haven't been here in a couple of days because I've been happily overwhelmed with MAMARAZZI SCHOOL!! The blog is getting SUPER busy and I'm getting emails from all over the country. How fun and exciting is THAT?!?!?!?!?! I'm STOKED!

Soooooo ... I need your help!! If you're a baby, child or family photographer and submit a "Photo Tip" for the Mamarazzi Blog, you'll get credit for your photos and a link to your site or blog along with it. I'll be posting tips most days but would love to have tips from other photographers at least once a week. If you're interested, leave a response here (I need all the bumps I can get!) and email me ...

sarah@roxyandkai.com

ALSO .... SUPER HUGE THANKS to Mark Eric for posting a link to us on Trash the Dress! We got tons of hits from that and lots of interested moms!! You're the best, Mark!!

Thanks in advance!! I can't wait to see everyone's photo tips!!
XOXOXO, Sarah Q

THE MAMARAZZI BLOG : http://mamarazzischool.blogspot.com

Heya... I find that most amateur photographers should learn to pay attention to their backgrounds. Simple & clean is almost always better, because it keeps the focus where it should be... on their kids' gorgeous faces!

That's a great tip! I've hinted at that in other tips. You wanna write it up, shoot me a picture example and let me post it on the blog??? I'll love you forever Carrie V!!

XOXO, Sarah Q

#1. Less is more, tons of cheesy props takes the attention off of the subject. Focus on your cute kid, not the cute props.

#2. for alot of childrens shoots I do, I ask the parents to allow the kid to go barefoot. For some reason, I think shoes date a picture faster.

I can do that!

Oooh oooh, can I write up something about eyes?


This is weird, but that little girl looks exactly like my niece. Like identical twins. WEIRD!

ABSOLUTELY!!!!

Where's the blog? I'm not getting anything at this url.

??

Thanks Carrie!!!



Those are great tips! Wanna write them up and gimme a couple of example photos?


Jules ...


Crap - where did my site go?? I had that link forwarding to the blog ... here's a direct link : http://mamarazzischool.blogspot.comLet me go figure that out!!XOXO, Sarah

I have a tip for ya, give me a couple days and I will send it your way, I already have photos too because I planned on putting it on my blog. Thank you so much for doing all of this.

sarah, I will write something up for you with examples.

BTW I just went to the new link, and it keeps telling me that the page is not found

When doing photos of children I never tell them to look at the camera, in fact I love just going out in the backyard and allowing them to do their thing, when they do look at me the result is usually so much more natural than the grimaces I get when "making" them pay attention!

Thanks!!

And I fixed it again ... apparently I can't freakin' TYPE! Thanks for letting me know!

Well, the good news is I googled "mamarazzi school" and it took me straight there! Yay! Someday I just might want to steal some of your fab ideas! Wow, you're a genius! (even if you can't type)

Haha ... the genius who can't type! That's me!!

If you see any typos on the site, let me know!!

Everyone with tips, write 'em up blog style and send them to me with a couple of example photos! Make sure you tag your photos and tell me what link you'd like me to use for you on the blog!

I'm so excited to see everyone's ideas!!
XOXOXO, Sarah

hey sarah! just sent you an email with my tips regarding real vs. contrived environments! thanks for doing this!!

Chelsea - your tip and photos rock! Thanks so much!!!

Is that you in your avi, Chelsea?? That is SOOOOO cute! Looooove the belly!

How about...don't be afraid to get in CLOSE! I have a few examples if you'd be interested in that one.

DEFINITELY!! Send it on over!!!

ha ha yes it is... i am ready to pop any day now evidently. thanks - my friend Alyssa (www.xanga,com/kiddosphotos) shot the pic and she absolutely rocks.

Aww, thanks. Glad to share the love. I can't wait to see where this goes for you.
I posted a little something on my blog for parents back in September- kind of the same stuff being talked about here. I used a personal experience of bringing my daughter to the zoo with a point and shoot to help illlustrate the tips.

Is that a technical term? Or do you just mean to name it with something like JWSPhoto or something like that? (Pardon me if that's a really stupid question.)

Not a stupid question! Yep, when I say "tag" I just mean put your name or website on them so if someone pulls them you'll still have credit. I'll put your name on the "tip" post, too!

My all-time favorite tip:

Self-inflating whoopie cushions are the best! I stock up on them at the KB Toys Outlet and stick them under a rug during our session. Boys really love them, but it's a great way to get them loosened up! They're trying to figure it out, blaming dad, etc. It's great fun!

THAT is the most fun tip so far! I can totally see little boys cracking up! Send me a couple of good photos of boys laughing and I'll totally post that tip!!

PS ... LOVE your work Anita! That little girl playing the guitar is awesome!

XOXO, Sarah Q

I love to add "props" to the photos to help add color, interest, bribe the kids to let me take a few more photos, and direct their attention. For example I stock up on bubbles, BIG COLORFUL lollipops etc. I love the lollipops especially because of the color and smiles that I get in the photos, and all naturally rather than "cheeze smiles" I have photos for examples if you would like and I can type up the ideas in blog form. I'm headed to bed for the night, but will check back here tomorrow to see if you're interested and will type it up if so

I'd LOVE that Jen! Thanks!!

I do the big lollipop thing, too, by the way! Those big, swirly ones are my trademark suckers. I take 'em to every single shoot!

XOXO, Sarah Q

Yep, lollipops are awesome (but messy!!!). I try to add mine at the end of a session, because once they have them, it's all over ... they're not giving them up! LOL!

Good luck with your site ... what a fun idea!

First OSPer Photo Tip is posted!! Check it out (under the workshop sticky post!)

http://mamarazzischool.blogspot.com/

Thanks Chelsea!!!
XOXO, Sarah

Sarah - you are the best! thanks so much for the post!!!!!!!!

How about something on the rule of thirds? I can do that if you need it.
Great blog!

Hi Sarah,

Whenever I set up a session, I always tell the parents to have their kid's favorite snack or some other treat on hand. Even for the tiniest of tots you can buy an extra 10 to 15 minutes of smiles during a session while they snack. This little guy loved his first candy cane during a photo shoot I did last Christmas.

Click to view attachment

Hey that is a great Mammarazi blog! I would love to contribute something.....although my favorite tip for photographing kids is always "getting eye to eye" which I think was mentioned.....here is one of my favorite reminders to Moms to focus on the eyes......

http://www.beatonphotography.com/tips/2007...aits-ideas.html

But then I also like to talk about the newest newborn tips - like letting newborns sleep for the photos - these are 9 week old twins in the pea pod outfits!

http://www.beatonphotography.com/tips/2007...t-sam-kate.html

HEY! Great tips!! Thanks everyone! I'm adding them to my list Keep watching the blog to see yours posted!!

XOXOXO, Sarah Q

I whisper - always catches the attention. What do you do when someone whispers?

Ooohhhh, I'll have to read this tomorrow. I'd love to contribute...what a great idea Sarah! I almost did this type of class last year, but had bad weather (live in the mountains) and had to cancel....never got the moms back on board. Oh well. Talk to ya soon!

Sent some pics and ideas....let me know what you think!

Sent you an email ; )

"Something went BUMP that made them jump...."

Ah, one of my kids' favorite books...oh, speaking of kids~ did you get my email Sarah?

I might better fall into the category of subscriber than reader but here's a tip: get in close. Shoot what you see as a mommy--get in close.

When we brought our oldest home, I remember sitting in the rocking chair nursing him and just being overwhelmed at the beauty and details of his little face as he nursed. Talk about some kind of miracle--just amazing. So I said to my sweet sweet sweet husband, "Oh, we have to get a picture of this. I have never seen anything so beautiful!"

Bless the man. He stood in the doorway of the room and took a picture of the entire room. You can just imagine what it looked like--me, one day postpartum, sitting in the rocking chair of our nursery/office (small house, what can I say?). Not at all what I had in mind.

Mommies see things differently--we gloat over details like eyelashes and dimples at the base of fingers. And too often, we hold our cameras at arm's length and get pictures of the room, not of the drip of milk from the drunken nursing baby smile. So my tip is: get in close.

Hey! Thanks for the bump I did get your email Ginger! Your tips are GREAT - I'm definitely going to use them! I'll let you know when they're up!

Thanks to everyone who's emailed and commented. I've had SUCH a great response so far - the blog is averaging almost 1000 hits a DAY already! It's been crazy trying to keep up with my regular blog and the Mamarazzi blog but I'm really enjoying it. If only there were 10 (or 20) more hours in a day

Thanks again!
XOXO, Sarah Q