375 Great reasons to have a family portrait this Easter

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Shooting manual tip #1: THINK LIKE A CAMERA

If you haven't done it before, sometimes the very thought of shooting manual can give even the most experienced photographer the willies! And i say experienced, because the fact is that with all the bells and whistles on them, dslrs (the big cameras with lenses you can change around), micro 4/3's (the smaller mirrorless cameras that are VERY popular at the mo), and even point and shoot cameras give a person the experience of taking great shots without even really knowing what they're doing.

And over a long time, if they're good at composition, they might begin to feel pretty experienced because when the camera is doing the thinking their shots tend to come out looking pretty dang great! Cameras are pretty smart and if you have them on auto or P (The comedy setting commonly mistaken for professional but which really means program!) they will do all the hard work for you, measuring what's happening around in terms of light metering and movement and will work out a setting that will take a shot it think will look right and in the law of averages it does! And if you're happy with this, you can stop reading now no harm, no foul!.. (or perhaps if you think one of your friends might be interested in extending their photography knowledge please share this with them!)

... But, if you're like me and one day you feel you've let the camera do the thinking long enough and you're ready to take over the creative reins and develop the skills to use your camera exactly the way YOU want to then stick with me and i'll show you how. Why? Because shooting auto you have one option of how your composition will look, but shooting manual ... how many options do you have? UNLIMITED Getting excited?? Good! Well, let's go!

Shooting manual tip #1: THINK LIKE A CAMERA

"Once you take control, your creative options are limitless"

I know it's kinda obvious but if you're shooting manual you're going to be making all the decisions for each shot and making adjustments to shutterspeed, aperture, iso etc in place of your camera doing it for you. Now don't freak out. I know you thinking 'I don't even know what all those things even do exactly so how can i change them to make the images I want!!??' and, don't fear, we'll come to that. But for now I just want you to get into your mind that this is the direction we're heading. Do you want to do that? Hell yeah! Well great, we will, you are going to become your camera's brain and with that you're going to get the chance to take the kinds of pictures you've always wanted to!"


Tomorrow: Shooting manual tip #2: Aperture Share if you care about helping people unlock their camera creativity!)

Questions, comments?? Please add them below and I'll answer everything i can.

Happy shooting! Cat

From the streets of Rio

catbrownphotography.co.nz
Just fresh back from a month soaking up the sun and family goodtimes in Rio, my buddies from Brazilbeat Soundsystem caught up with me on Friday for a photoshoot prior to their long hot session of music and touring which will be coming up for them this summer 2011/2012.
I've known DJ Mara and MC Nego Beto ever since they started coming to NZ back in the late 90s.
Back then I was a baby newspaper reporter and they were both still living overseas, but came to Gizzy to visit family in NZ.
I was sent out to write a news article about them: Beto had set up Reggae MTV in Brazil and had done lots of cool stuff like touring with Bob Marley's Wailers as a percussionist which I thought was pretty rad. At the time Beto spoke practically no English and Californian Mara, who had done a peace corp mission in South America when she hooked up with Beto, did all the translating.
At some stage I threw a cockroach at Mara because she was asking all the questions instead of me!
I was never a very good journalist and I'm surprised she still talked to me after that. What a cheek.
Since then BBSS have played all over in NZ touring regularly up and down the country at heaps of festivals, playing at Rhythm and Vines and Homegrown and keeping themselves sane with the occasional stint back in the US and Brazil!
If they're in your city this summer go and check them out. Brazilbeat.org
Big thanks to the super Becks Burt who was my photo assist extraordinaire during the shoot and also  Jasmin Weiss dos Santos who took our group piccie! Thanks Jas!

Here's a couple of my fav pics from the shoot:

How big is that smile! MC and percussionist Nego Beto

the perfect innercity backdrop - DJ Mara and MC Nego Beto

MC Beto and DJ Mara

The crew!

All my favourites in one little good vibes package

.... If you haven't seen it already, this is my new collection of a whole bunch of weddings we've shot over the last year and a bit.

I don't know why but there is just something about watching two minutes of smiles and laughing that just makes you feel so good!
I'm super proud of all these piccies and I love all the brides and grooms who Ali and I have worked with since setting up cat brown photography.
If you feel good watching this please share it - maybe you'll give someone else a smile by passing it on :)

x Cat