This is probably one of the coolest videos I’ve seen in a while. Frans Hofmeester filmed his adorable daughter Lotte every week from birth to 12 and edited it all down to a time-lapse 2 min 45 sec video. It’s pretty amazing, and a real reminder of how time really does fly.
I’m back to work after a few weeks of holiday craziness, and I need some graphic inspiration to get me going. It’s always fun to just surf around and find amazing people doing amazing things. Today I’m in love with these polaroids from photographer Grant Hamilton. They kind of have a vintage hipster summer vibe. Enjoy the whole collection here.
All photos copyright Grant Hamilton
Have you ever wondered why photographer’s photos look better than yours?
Do you know what “depth of field” is?
Instead of going into what exactly it is… let me show you with a couple of photos that I took of my son Leo’s Paddington bear.
The photo on the left has a large depth of field and the right photo has a very small depth of field. The only thing I changed between the two photos were the settings on my camera (Nothing has been done in Photoshop).
Now to get more technical…
Depth of field is the part of the photo that is in focus. The left hand photo’s large depth of field shows the grass and background trees are much sharper than that on the right.
Now a little more technical….
The photo on the left was taken with a small aperture (Also called “F-stop”). It was set at f22, which means that the shutter opened a very little bit. The photo on the right had a large aperture (f1.8) and opened up very wide (yes, the smaller the f-stop, the larger the aperture). To compensate for the small aperture on the left photo I had to keep the shutter open much longer compared to that of the right photo.
So what’s so good about limiting your depth of field?
When you look at a photo you’re naturally draw to the part that is in focus. Giving you less to get distracted by and giving the image a more artsy and professional look.
So how can you take photos like these?
You really need a digital SLR camera (a camera where you can change the lens) to get good depth of field. More specifically the lens on the camera needs to be capable of taking photos with a wide aperture (small f-stop number). The good news is that digital SLRs have come WAY down in price. You can get a great camera in the hundreds of dollars range rather than multi-thousands.
To Lean More
About Aperture
I just wanted to give a shout out to my friend Maureen, an amazing Boston area photographer who just completed a photo session with our new son Leo. Her blog address is createtruelife.com which will give you access to her portrait as well as wedding sites. She works with natural light which give her photographs a magical quality that I love. She’s a true talent and fills her calendar quickly so contact her as soon as possible if you are interested in her services.
For anyone who is looking to have a photo shoot with their newborn, Maureen recommends that you schedule your appointment within the first two weeks of your baby’s life–before baby acne sets in and while he/she is still fairly tiny and willing to be positioned in various cute poses. Researching and booking your shoot in the last weeks of pregnancy is a great way to pass the time before your little one arrives.
Everyone has a zillion photos of their baby from birth to school age and beyond, but don't forget about the special time when your little one is in the womb. I recently had a maternity photography session with my good friend Maureen Ford, who is a super talented professional photographer working out of Boston. 
At first I was a bit nervous about baring my belly – odd looking navel and all… But after I saw the finished results, I was so happy I did it. All the 'wonders' of pregnancy (like swollen ankles, sore back, and bathroom pleasures) make us forget that this is the time when others see us as our most beautiful. So don't be shy ladies… schedule a maternity shoot. Start to research local photographers in your fifth and sixth months. You'll want to really be showing for the shoot, so around 7 to 8 and half months is a good time to get your pics taken. For a list of photographers that Hello Little One likes, see our links and resources page here. (Yes, I'm due very soon! 11 days to be exact!)
