Tag Archives: Tips + Tutorials

{What I Learned…} How To Shoot Backlit Photos

Ever see a picture where the sunlight peeks behind the subject giving off a beautiful halo effect? It’s called backlighting. It’s an easy way to add visual interest without the need for fancy equipment. All you need is a light source behind your subject, light flowing behind the camera too (so no obstructions like walls or […]

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February 22, 2012 - 1:02 am

Hannah - It’s always so fun to see and hear about others’ process when it comes to getting the right shot. Thanks for sharing!

February 22, 2012 - 1:23 am

Donna - This makes SO much sense! I swear photography books can be so dense sometimes.. maybe you should start a new column ;)

February 22, 2012 - 6:00 am

Emily - Talent, that’s what it’s called. You are so talented lady. Truth be told I have had a DSLR for several years but I really don’t mess around with it much. Thinking it might be time to figure out all it can really do.

February 22, 2012 - 8:59 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - So glad you found it helpful, Donna! My {What I Learned…} post are exactly that – simple tips for those interested in learning about photography. I’m hoping to post more tutorials and quick tips in the near future!

February 22, 2012 - 9:33 am

The Guilty Hyena - Always a joy to learn something new everyday. I know I don’t make the most of my DSLR, I find it less cumbersome to carry a compact digital camera around, which gives me less opportunities to experiment with the DSLR.

February 22, 2012 - 9:56 am

Amy - Oh, thanks Maddy–you know I need all the help I can get when it comes to taking photos! :)

February 22, 2012 - 10:51 am

Sarah - Dodeline Design - What amazing tips! I need all the help I can get and this one is definitely a keeper!

February 22, 2012 - 11:52 am

lou - gosh.. there is so much to learn when it comes to photography. your tips are so super helpful and the last photo turned out awesome. i always try to experiment with halos when i catch some though i never got a decent picture from it. need to practice more!

February 22, 2012 - 12:05 pm

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - It does take a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it, it’s so simple! You can still get the effect without the use of dslr or spot metering. Just make sure to position your subject right in front of the light source and that there’s enough light hitting their face too (you can use reflectors or even flash as fill light). If the face happens to still be a bit on the dark side, you can always brighten it up in Photoshop afterwards (though I try to nail it in camera to cut down my editing time).

February 22, 2012 - 12:25 pm

Life with Kaishon - Such a great lesson : ) Thanks for taking the time to post this. She is gorgeous!

February 22, 2012 - 3:03 pm

Sabine - Great explanations and beautiful photos, Maddy! A diffuser would come in handy – but since I don’t have one I normally just overexpose against the sun.

February 22, 2012 - 3:43 pm

Nadette@Eat, Read, Rant! - This is a great refresher lesson, I’ve struggled with metering in the some of my outdoor photos, and it doesn’t help that my starter canon camera has very basic metering options. I want to do some silhouette photos, but I’ll have to reconsult my notes on how exactly to do that, but I know backlighting is invovled. Great photos!

February 22, 2012 - 8:02 pm

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - Silhouettes are the same concept, but instead of metering your subject, you meter the sky or light source. When you do that, everything else will be darker, except the sky. That’s how silhouettes are done :) You may have to go into photoshop to enhance the effect, but that’s practically it – very easy!

February 22, 2012 - 11:48 pm

Jo - This is wonderful!! Thank you for the tutorial!!
A dear friend of mine just got new headshots, and we were discussing how her new photographer used backlighting. I’m telling you, her headshots are the best I’ve seen! It makes me wonder why more headshot photographers don’t use this technique!!

February 23, 2012 - 8:44 am

Cafe Fashionista - I seriously love these pictures – and the advice for taking them. Photography is far more complicated than I ever imagined; but when you see the results it’s definitely worth it! :)

February 23, 2012 - 10:23 am

Maja - Wow, what amazing photographs on your blog!
Thank you for your sweet comment.

February 23, 2012 - 12:09 pm

Camila Faria - WOW, Maddy, you’re such a pro! Thanks for all your amazing tips!

February 23, 2012 - 2:46 pm

Elle sees - If I ever get a fancy camera, I’m hitting you up for tips!

February 23, 2012 - 4:52 pm

yummychunklet - Great photos!

February 24, 2012 - 4:19 am

Tiera - Yes, more awesome tips! PS: What lens are you using in these photos? Thanks girl :)

February 24, 2012 - 7:24 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - That would be the nifty fifty (50mm f/1.4) – I rarely take a picture without it :)

February 27, 2012 - 9:43 am

Jacky {The Sweetest Petunia} - These pictures are so gorgeous! :)

{What I Learned…} Flattering Makeup for Your Session

When I talk to my clients in preperation for a session, I always emphasize the importance of looking and feeling your best the day of the shoot. This involves picking the right outfit, shoes, accessories and today’s focus: makeup.  Now I’m probably the person least qualified to talk makeup (my routine takes all of 5 minutes […]

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January 19, 2012 - 7:52 am

lou - i love your tips. especially the “don’t use too much make-up”. never thought this could be something to consider.
the last picture is a blast. you all just look gorgeous!!

January 19, 2012 - 8:26 am

Amy - Ooh, thanks for the tip on the Rosebud Salve . . . I’m always looking for new products for my lips. Especially in the winter! As it stands now, I cannot go anywhere with my Aquaphor! :)

January 19, 2012 - 8:58 am

Life with Kaishon - I love your tips! Awesome-ness!

January 19, 2012 - 9:01 am

Cafe Fashionista - Awesome, awesome tips, Maddy! There is nothing more flattering than a moisturized lip in pictures! :)

January 19, 2012 - 10:12 am

Keeley @ My Life on a Plate - Great tips! I’m struggling with blemishes right now, so I’m happy that they are easy to fix via Photoshop.

January 19, 2012 - 10:25 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - You and me both! I feel like a teen all over again with all these sudden breakouts :( But thank heaven for Photoshop!

January 19, 2012 - 1:12 pm

Christina Lee - Makes a bunch of sense, Maddy (esp. the chapped lips)!!!

January 19, 2012 - 1:49 pm

Camila Faria - I’m definitely not a make-up person, but I loved your tips Maddy. Simple and easy.

January 19, 2012 - 7:02 pm

Tiera - Awesome tips! The one big thing I picked up from a few years of doing wedding makeup was to be true to yourself. Don’t go overboard with a makeup look you would normally never wear and stay away from anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. You won’t look your best if you don’t FEEL like the best you :)

January 20, 2012 - 8:30 am

Sarah - What a great post! It’s so true. I am not great at makeup either but it does make a huge difference. When I did airbrush makeup for my wedding it was so much fun and it did make the pictures look so nice!

January 20, 2012 - 9:17 am

Elle Sees - i would add not to try a new look the day of the shoot. practice beforehand or do your regular look! the last tip of yours made me smile!

January 20, 2012 - 11:22 am

Buckeroomama - You are so right about the lips… When I was looking at the photos I took of Z yesterday, I was dismayed to find that her lips were chapped. I wish I had some lip balm on me…

By the way, that last shot? Worth a million dollars! I LOVE it! It’s like something straight out of a glossy mag. I bet each of the girls in the pic loved how they look there, too, One of them even looks like Cameron Diaz. :)

January 20, 2012 - 11:39 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - So true, Tiera! I also find that being “true” to yourself is most important. The key is to feel and look like your best YOU, not to look like a completely different person :)

January 20, 2012 - 11:41 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - That’s a great one!! Getting ready can be nerve wrecking enough without experimenting with a new makeup look the day of the session :) You girls are all just chock-full of helpful tips!

January 20, 2012 - 3:25 pm

Nadette@Eat, Read, Rant! - I just discovered rosebud salve, and I’m in love, this stuff is a miracle worker! These are great tips, I’m looking at my family’s really bad portrait from a few years ago…I followed none these rules, lol. what a mess

January 23, 2012 - 8:13 am

Angelia Sims - These are great tips! I knew nothing about make-up until my wedding. A beauty consultant blog friend told me what to buy (exactly) and I was blown away with the results. Finally, I was a girl who could wear it without sweating it right off. Yay!

{What I Learned…} How to Maximize A Location

After our “just for fun” styled shoot, I wanted to take some portrait photos of my lovely models. But we had to do it quickly since the girls had other commitments to get to that day.  I wanted to make each girl look her absolute best, but with no time to search for different settings, I had to maximize one […]

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September 7, 2011 - 12:07 am

Life with Kaishon - Maddy! I love this post. You are just full of good information. Brilliant!
The girls are very beautiful.
And so are you.
Pretty as a picture!

September 7, 2011 - 6:15 am

Rosie - This. Is. AMAZING. You’ve made it all so clear and concise, everything really makes sense. Thanks a lot!

September 7, 2011 - 7:28 am

Charlie - I love how you are so organized that even your mad crazy creative skills you can put into some logical order! Me and girls voted and its unanimous! we love love love the portraits! But i love the photographer more! MUah!

September 7, 2011 - 8:04 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - I love you too, Charlie!! Thanks for helping out so much with this session. You and the girls did a fantastic job! XO

September 7, 2011 - 9:01 am

Cafe Fashionista - What a gorgeous collection of photographs, Maddy – and what incredible tips! I always have the hardest time situating myself in photographs because, like Selvete, I have darkish hair and oftentimes wear light colors. I will definitely remember these tips during my next photo op! :)

September 7, 2011 - 9:14 am

Buckeroomama - Maddy, you are such a sweetheart for sharing your knowledge, for paying it forward.

Is Charlotte your sister? You two look alike… very pretty! So are the other girls, too. Lovely portraits, Maddy. =)

September 7, 2011 - 9:29 am

Piper - You seriously have mad skills! These shots are some of my faves (including the picnic shoot!) I definitely need to find interesting backdrops like that – thanks for the pointers :)

September 7, 2011 - 9:39 am

Elle sees - For someone who takes zero pics because my photography is so awful, I am loving these tips!

September 7, 2011 - 10:12 am

Amy - Thanks for the tips–and love the photos (which is pretty much a given, but whatever … )

September 7, 2011 - 10:32 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - Yes! Charlotte is my “kid” sister :)

September 7, 2011 - 2:59 pm

camille - great tips for photographies! i’ll keep that in mind during my next photographic adventures!
your sister looks a lot like you!

September 7, 2011 - 4:00 pm

Tiera - Such good tips, thanks girl!

September 7, 2011 - 4:19 pm

Camila Faria - Maddy, your tips are the best! You’re my photography muse! ♥
And I agree that with beautiful natural light we can’t go wrong.

September 7, 2011 - 4:30 pm

Sabine - Beautiful pictures, Maddy! I love your sharing of ‘what I’ve learned’… So much thought and consideration. I feel my shoots ‘just happen’, but perhaps I need to be a bit more aware of my decisions.

September 7, 2011 - 10:15 pm

Kristin - It’s amazing how flattering the right natural light is!

September 7, 2011 - 10:58 pm

katrina - oh maddy, these photos are simply BEAUTIFUL.

thanks so much for sharing your smart tips!

September 7, 2011 - 11:15 pm

Maegan - Beautiful photos!! And I appreciate the tips – am going to read all of your “what I learned” since I’m still trying to figure out how to even use my camera.

I love the last pic of you 4, nice to see you in the pictures too pretty girl!!

September 8, 2011 - 6:30 am

Leia - Your tips are fantastic! And your pictures are incredible, as usual. All the girls look amazing :)

September 8, 2011 - 7:50 am

Christina Lee - This was GREAT!!! Coming here brightens my day–love looking at what you’ve got cooking!

September 8, 2011 - 9:26 am

Mindy - I enjoy reading your tips…thanks for sharing them! I learn something new on every shoot I do – whether its something technical with the camera, or something to do with the subject I’m shooting (ie an independent little two year old who isnt cooperating…) so, I love reading what other photographers learned, too!
lovely, lovely shots…are you ready for the W family’s next trip to NYC? :)

September 8, 2011 - 10:21 am

Sarah - Dodeline Design - This is a great post with great tips Maddy!

September 8, 2011 - 10:33 am

Maddy {Mad Hearts Photography} - Definitely!! :)

September 8, 2011 - 4:34 pm

Stephanie - Thanks for all of your great photo tips Maddy!! They are extremely helpful and I always enjoy learning form your experiences.

Eternally yours,
Stephanie

September 9, 2011 - 7:58 am

Audrey Allure - These are really great tips! I didn’t even think about color in the background.

September 9, 2011 - 12:03 pm

Gloria - I love learning about your thought processes behind your gorgeous photos :-) That last one is just begging to be framed – too cute!

September 10, 2011 - 1:05 pm

Angelia Sims - Beautiful! Beautiful! That old house was PERFECT! Love that you shared your wonderous tips. You guys are just gorgeous.

September 10, 2011 - 5:03 pm

dana - as always, I have learned alot from you yet again :)

September 12, 2011 - 5:35 pm

The Guilty Hyena - Something as logical as this had never occurred to me! I’m gonna take note of these tips for future reference. The pop of color in these photos are radiating.

September 13, 2011 - 3:30 pm

Nadette - Oh Maddy, you are your friends are so fabulous. Now that I officially know how to use my camera in manual, I can really appreciate these tips :)

September 19, 2011 - 10:48 am

viv {the eclectic life} - Maddy! Your new site is so bright and gorgeous and I love that your photos are always as radiant as you are! Great post on how to get the most out of a location to ensure your client looks great and has a great photo as a result. That last photo is just beautiful!