And just that quick it's gone.

The challenge for this week (and I laugh as I type this) has gone by really fast.  Four times faster than any of our other blogging weeks.  It's like we transitioned into dog years because our last post was four weeks ago.  I'll be the first to admit that we've gone off track a little with our blogging habits.  Which is big no-no in the blogging world.  Take Two has gotten a little distracted.   It's ok, the first step is acknowledgement, right?  Never fear, we have remained committed to our love of photography.  It's just been one of those weeks.  ha!  I could go on and on listing all of the reasons why.....bad weather, personal commitments, family stuff.   None of which really matter or you probably care to hear.  But what this week's lesson has taught us really has nothing at all to do with the actual images taken.  It's taught us that the days are really stinkin' short and there is only so much room at the top of your list.  What resulted is that while we were waiting for that perfect moment of sunlight, we missed it all together.  Now is this blog and this hobby always at the top of our lists?  Of course not, we are mothers, wives, etc.  But what this shows us is that when something is important it must be prioritized accordingly.  And if it is not the hours, days, weeks, will quickly slip away.  I saw this image the other day that pretty much sums up our going forward strategy.  :)

 

 

 

 

You are probably wondering if we actually took any pictures.  We did.  Just a few.  Our challenge was to find light, either sunrise or sunset or just direct sunlight.  It was more of a challenge for our cameras really.  To see what these fancy devices are capable of doing.  Can we manipulate the actual environment to produce an image that is worth saving?  I often like the images with a sunflare or ones that are just outside of the normal exposure.  Something that adds a little character, tells more of the story.  So here is what we ended up with.

 

 

This image was taken mid-day on a very sunny afternoon.  I was shooting directly into the sun and was going for a hazy look.  One that would produce that dreamy feeling of a carefree day.  I certainly won't be enlarging this photo.  It turned out very grainy and I only caught a hint of a sunflare.  But I was pleased at how I actually stopped the movement of my daughter running enough to where it doesn't seem completely out of focus.  There is no filter or editing on this photo.  It was taken at ISO 800, 1/1250, and f 2.8.

 

 

These next two pictures were taken at sunrise and really speak to the power of prioritization!  I am amazed at my dear friend and her commitment to a healthy lifestyle.  Waking up before dawn to make sure her "list" is in order.  Carp-ing the hell of our her diem!

 

I was trying to capture the darkness of the morning just as the sun comes up.  And it was here that I realized the minutes went so quickly and how drastically different each minute was from the next.  To be honest I had never photographed anything that early before.  There wasn't a great shot of the actual sunrise.  But I love that these photos speak to the motto of "the time is now".   Don't wait for that perfect weather, or the 1st of the next month, or when you are in the mood.  Get out there and make what is important to you happen! 

 

 

These two images were shot at ISO 800, 1/80, and f 4.5.

Up next is the challenge of shooting at 50mm.  No zooming in or out with the lens.  They make lenses that are fixed this way and offer a lower f-stop.  It's been on our wish list of photography equipment.  And before most big purchases we like to try before we buy!  So we are renting lenses!  We will be back in 2 weeks to let you know how it goes!

~We've now passed the 3,000 views mark for our blog!  yeah!!  Our little project is building momentum all because of you!  So as always, Thanks for reading!! 







Emotion, it's so darn cute!

Emotion, it's every where.  Apparently so is Santa Claus.  At least that's what I've heard.  Which makes this week's assignment particularly easy.   We both decided this week to use the photos we had in our stash.  With our cameras constantly by our sides, snapping away almost daily, we called up a few images from the bench.  And I think we picked some real winners. 

 

Erin's Stash

It seems appropriate that the focus is on emotion this week because my week has already felt incredibly emotional.  There has been some personal news that has given me a heavy heart and then the events in Boston are beyond sad!  It is times like these that I find myself needing to adjust my view and focus on what is happy and right :-)  I hug my children a little tighter, love on my family more and give thanks for the multitude of people who chose to help those in need.  

For the assignment this week, I am going to use many of the images I have photographed for some wonderful families this week.  It has been a busy week for Studio BECK...5 family shoots, 1 event and 2 baseball games!!  As a photographer, I find so much joy in capturing a moment, a look or an event that brings others joy.  Below are some of the images from my family shoots that made me smile. I have many more on my facebook page (studio BECK) if you would like to see more.

And the two images below are from my son's baseball team.  The kid pictured below is not only an incredible athlete, but he is so very focused every play and moment of the game.  He is one of the most fun to photograph because that emotion and intensity always come through.

Vicki's Stash

I love the emotion between children.  It is so natural and unpredictable.  So when we chose that for our topic knew instantly I wanted to capture a playdate with Reese and her friend Abbie.  They were born just days apart, nearly 5 years ago.  Thanks to an instant bond between myself and Abbie's mom these two have spent a lot of time together!  They squeal, they laugh, they make up stories and games.  It's really, really cute.  :)

Spring Day Happy

And then came round #2 of babies.  The little sister and little brother just crack me up.  It's been fun to watch their personalities blossom.  It's very easy to see from this picture who's boss.  :)  Miss Cate keep Davis in line most days.  Can't you just see the emtion in this one.  She's totally telling him to move out of her seat or he's toast!

 

And lastly, a few that I just found too cute not to share.  :)

 

"Did that duck really just fly? "

 

 

"My little sister loves it when I squeeze her tight!"

So there you have it!  Emotion in it's finest form.  With those sweet baby faces.  Next week we are using the sun/moon as our topic.    Which one of us will brave a sunrise session??  You'll have to wait and see!

The first few days...

Anyone who is a parent can understand the serenity that surrounds those first few days of a new baby's life.  Those moments that are quiet and restful, filled with overwhelming joy.  While there is plenty of noise and long nights too, it is all worthwhile for times like these.....

Kelly, these boys are so fortunate to have you and Nick as parents.  They are going to have a fun-filled childhood!  Thank you so much for having me over to spend the morning with you.  Looking forward to watching your babies grow!  ~VICKI

NUMB3RS

You remember those activities from childhood.  The ones where there were 2 pictures and you had to tell what was different.  That's sort of where this weeks challenge started.  We began our conversation with "let's take photos of the same numbers but in different ways!"   Which quickly turned in to "that's gonna take forever."  lol  So we decided to just practice our manual shooting skills taking images of whatever numbers happened to come our way.  I had actually thought we would end up with another Sisters-from-different-mister post.  But turns out we did not.  Lucky you.  :)

Here's the latest from Erin:

I am so excited to finally share a few images from the baseball field.  I take so many pictures from every baseball game but tried to turn a little focus to the "numbers" for this week's challenge.  This weekend my son's team and my nephew's team played each other in what turned out to be a very exciting game!  And I was just as thrilled that the weather was finally cooperating, and we weren't frozen by the end of the game :-)  Here were a few of the fun number shots. 

And here are the cousins...

And we are thankful that they don't seem upset at the end of the game, no matter the outcome.

                                 

Here's the latest from Vicki
Ok first my nephews MUST stop growing up.  This is just to much to watch.  They are supposed to be little toddlers running around asking for juice.  Not these joke-cracking, uniform wearing, super talented little ball players!

Now onto the numbers pics.  So I thought for a few days about how to make this not so boring.  My backyard is not going to cut it.  Then I realized I had an upcoming trip to visit my twin (really my younger sister, but we like to think of ourselves as twins) at her place down in Wilmington.  Perfect, everything looks better at the beach, right?   So day 1 of shooting was beautiful.  The sky was crystal clear and I set out about an hour before sunset to snap a few pics of my kids at the marina.  Camera set to a "sunny 16" aperture, ISO at 400, and shutter speed at 320.

That pretty lady number 992071 is captained by my sister's better half, Mr. Mike White.  If you are in Wrightsville Beach this summer check out his sport fishing business, Offshore Account Charters.  They book full or half day trips all summer long.  You won't be disappointed.

However, I was when I started snapping the following day at the beach and didn't change my camera settings.  Drawback #1 to shooting manual, you ALWAYS have to check your settings.  None of this point and shoot business.  So I had a few blown-out pics before I realized my mistakes and took them all over again.  This day was super overcast and barely any direct sun at all.  My settings were 2.8 aperture, ISO 400, and shutter speed of 640.  I did do some post-processing just because they were so blah....and still kinda are.

That's all for this week!  The moral of the story here is that you must practice.  Find subjects, any subjects and just keep shooting!  Next time we are back with "emotion".  Should make for a fun post!

Write us anytime with suggestions or comments at, hautopblog@gmail.com

Don't forget to bring your "A" game

That should pretty much be the mantra of the Hautop family.  You see they are all over-achievers and I like to think that they married well.  :)  So well in fact that 2 of the 3 "married-a-Hautop"ers have recently hit the big screen.  Yes that's right, thanks to a collaboration between Zach Schabot and Erin Hautop our blog has been featured in the book "My Brand New Home".  My incredibly talented brother-in-law wrote a children's book based on the events that take place when building a new home.  It is a wonderful resource to help explain the process and includes fun activities related to moving.  A really great idea!  Many of the photographs found in the book are taken by our very own Erin Hautop!  Flip open the cover and what do you see in the credits,  Take Two!  So cool to see an idea come to life and watch others enjoy the work you have done.  Congrats, Zach for making this happen!  And congrats Erin for taking this blog to the next level!  You both rock and I'm so proud to call you family. 

Now I should probably get back to work on my own next great idea before I'm kicked out.....  lol

trying to keep up

The last two weeks have been full of lots of fun and excitement...and TONS more pictures!  Baseball season is officially underway so our family is spending lots of time on the West Raleigh baseball fields.  That means that my camera is now back in action capturing all those action shots for the team!  I have already taken images from a couple of the practices and am gearing up for the games to start which will have me out there two times a week!!  I will do my best this season to post some of my favorite images from the field and then talk a little about my settings (hopefully it will help reinforce what we learned from the shutter speed lesson :-).  I addition to baseball, I have also taken pics for a few folks this week...headshots, a family shoot and the final pics for a kids clothing company.  The headshots were for my awesome blog partner and the family photo shoot was for my first repeat customer!!  Below are a few images that I have not yet shared from both of those shoots.

  The last photo shoot this week was the final model for the spitter spatter clothing line.  You probably remember that I posted a few of the images from the first shoot a couple months ago.  The site is finally up and running and hopefully the baby girl image will be added soon.  But one of my favorite images from the session doesn't focus on the clothing but does show off this beautiful little girl.  Hope you enjoy and please check out spitter spatter at:

 http://www.spitterspatter.com/

Finally, I wanted to share some fun and exciting news.  You may have noticed the watermark on the last image and were wondering what it was all about.  I have decided, after lots of consideration, to start a business that would include my photography.  I have just created the facebook page and you can find it under studio BECK.  You may notice my husband make a appearance on the site with his fun creative talents from time to time, but for now it will be a lot of photography.  I would love for you to contact me if you are interested in having photos taken and of course to like my page on facebook if you like what you see.  Vicki and I will still continue to run the blog together and I will have much of my personal photography and of course my photos challenge images here!!  Thanks for looking and hope to hear from you soon.

The last post....

....of this most boring yet important series on basics.  Hopefully you weren't thinking last post ever.  That would just be terrible.  To think of all the readers never to hear from us again.  :(  lol  You're not getting rid of us that easy people.  Now on to ISO!!!


Erin's take away this week.....
Alrighty guys and gals...I am going to do my best to try and explain the benefits, downfalls, and uses for the ISO setting on your camera.  At a high level, the ISO is the digital equivalent of film speed (for those of you who remember the days of film :-).  If you were planning to take outdoor, full sun pictures, you would buy 100 speed film whereas if you were planning to be inside, then you would go for 400 or 800.  Same is true for digital cameras, but the benefit of course is that you can change the ISO setting from one picture to the next without having to waste a whole roll of film!  I have a series of 4 images all taken at different ISO settings.  For each image, I kept the aperture at 2.8.

 This image was shot at ISO 100.  You can notice that the image is blurry and that is because I am inside and at this low ISO setting, the camera did not have enough light hitting the sensor to give me a high enough shutter speed to hand-hold the camera.  The shutter speed here was actually 1/6.

 This image was shot at ISO 500 which allowed my shutter speed to improve to 1/30.  I still find that this shutter speed is too slow to hand hold the camera and the image still looks a little blurry because of it (but definitely better than the first image)

 I dramatically increased the ISO in this image to 1600.  You can notice that the globe is much better focused because my shutter speeds increased to 1/100...a much better speed for hand holding the camera.  However, you do start to see the trade off of raising your ISO.  If you look closely at the background, the grey area is starting to look grainy.  When you raise your ISO high, you run the risk of adding that grainy look to your image.  Better and more expensive cameras have a greater number of ISO settings available and do a better job of minimizing the grain in your picture.

This last image was shot at an ISO of 4000.  My shutter speeds improved further to 1/250 but you can see that I also picked up much more grain in the image.  Generally speaking, I would chose to use my flash in a situation where I had to raise the ISO too high.  Generally speaking, I hate the way that flash images look but would rather have the pic look "flashy" than to make it look too grainy. 

So, as you can see from all of these images, when I raised my ISO I was able to get faster shutter speeds.  I find that adjustments to my ISO setting is a necessity in lower lighting situations.  But you have to remember that raising it too much comes with a price...grainier pics.  If you all remember me talking about my frustration with photographing my son's basketball games (part 1 of our motion section), I was complaining about the lighting in the gym being so poor that I was forced to raise my ISO to the max on my camera to get my shutter speeds high enough to stop motion. And because I had to raise them to the max, I was really disappointed with the quality of the image.  The gym was also not the time to put a flash on my camera so I did something I almost never do...I left my camera at home :(.

Hope this helps explain a little but I encourage you to all go out and practice.  The best way to really "get it" is by doing it yourself. 


Vicki's take away this week....
Here's the deal.  I never really liked to study that much in school.  I was more of the fly by the seat of your pants, cram it all in at once, fake it till you make it, kinda student.  So my lessons are more of "on the job" type learnings that just come from repitition and trying new things.  I like to try something several different ways, put them all together, and then compare.  Which one do I like best? Why is it that way?  Ok, now let's try something else.  So  my advice on tackling this topic is to find something you want to take a picture of and then play with your ISO setting.  I'll admit that for the longest time I let my external flash do a lot of work for me.  Relying on its awesomeness to compensate for what I did not understand on my camera.  The more I become comfortable with my camera settings (and this has been over the course of 3 years) the less I need my flash.  Now don't get me wrong, there are many times when an external flash is crucial.  But there are also times when you can manipulate natural light to work for you and get a similar result.  Some would argue an even better result.  Natural light is almost always more flattering than a giant beam of direct light coming straight at you! 

For these photos I kept my Shutter Speed at 1/200 and Aperture at 2.8 and used NO flash.  I shot in manual mode and moved my ISO around from 100 to 3200.  Here's what happened....

ISO 100                 ISO 400

 

ISO  1000                        ISO 3200

 

 

These pictures were taken in a spare bedroom with no overhead light and only a half open window.  As Erin said, the more you raise your ISO the more grain you will see.  But if you are in a low-light situation it may be your only choice.  For the average shot I usually leave my ISO somewhere around 400 and make the adjustments in my Shutter Speed and Aperture.  Those changes are often made with fewer "key strokes" and are something you can do on the fly.  But if in the future you are snapping pictures in a church or on a cloudy day try playing with the ISO.  You may just get that shot after all.  :)

 

 

 

This concludes our review on the basics!!!  (Picture confetti falling from the ceiling)  Next week tune in for our ALL MANUAL shoot.  Scary, I know.  But we are getting bold and working our next seesion in full control.    Hey, every accomplishment starts with the decision to TRY.  And that's exactly what we are going to do.

 

Hit us up on email with your comments people!!  hautopblog@gmail.com  We would LOVE to hear from you.  :)