Holiday Photos

Making Crepes

iPhone 4S Photograph by Robert and Kevin Lachman ? 2011

My daughter made crepes for breakfast. Ok, the dog got a quick sniff of the strawberries and whipped cream, but that was it. They tasted even better than the photographs show.

Pumpkin Carving: Bob vs Google

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I thought it would be nice to challenge the Google Doodle pumpkins. You know, the cool, holiday-decorated logo on their search page this Halloween. They may have had a larger problem to solve with 1000-pound pumpkins, but heck, they’re Google with all the resources in the world. I had to go with a simple approach and 5-pound pumpkins. I hope you had a great Halloween. Let the Christmas shopping season begin. -RL

 

Scary Ceiling

scaryceiling

iPhone Photograph by Robert Lachman ? 2010

Waiting for my wife Lorelei at the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, I noticed the Halloween themed ceiling.

 

Pick a Pumpkin

Vote for your Pumpkin (Click on Leave a comment below)
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Our family pumpkin carving contest


One More Christmas Photo

holidaylight1

I couldn’t resist taking a photograph on the way home from our Christmas Eve party of this decorated home with my Canon G10. It does say holiday spirit in do many ways. I hope everyone had a great Christmas holiday and I want to wish you all the best for a Happy New Year. -RL

 

Serious Christmas Lights

Check out the video by Scott Harrison of harrysonpics.com. These are some serious Christmas light displays which involve computer generated light shows. They certainly blow away my string of bulbs and plastic snowman.

 

Happy Holidays

christmastreepano1Best

wishes

for a very

Merry

Christmas

and a

Happy

New

Year


A two photo panorama with my iPhone from South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA. I used the AutoStitch app to combine the photographs. And, I did use Photoshop CS4 along with an assist from Topaz Adjust and FocalPoint from OnOne plug-in software to adjust the photo. -RL

More Christmas Tips

By Robert Lachman

When you?re shooting your holiday photographs or videos try to complete the circle. Think of your holiday celebration as a circle and you?re going to complete each part, from start of the season to finish, getting those photos cataloged with keywords, having prints made or even a small book from the holiday season.

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iPhone Photo by Robert Lachman ? 2009

1. Charge your batteries. Nothing is worse than running out of power at the key moments.

2. Clear off your flash cards, move your old photographs to the computer.

3. Buy a new flash card for the camera for more photographs if you need it. They just keep getting cheaper, as the file size of the cameras keep going up.

4. Think about getting some detail shots this year to mix it up. Adding variety really makes for a nice slide show.

5. Close-up photos you might include: ornaments on a tree, candles on a table, the wreath on the door, exterior lights on the house, an overall of the Christmas tree, special holiday plates and settings, food preparation, a clock on the wall, stockings on the fireplace, gifts wrapped under the tree, opening the presents and social gathering.

6. Shoot people in groups. This one take the most work. Think of yourself as a wedding photographer moving around the room putting those groups together into two, three or four people. It?s important to shoot 3 or 4 pics of each group. Move everyone closer together and take another photo. You will increase your odds of getting a nice photo of everyone. You can remove the bad ones later when you edit. Most people only shoot one picture and move on. This is a major mistake. Increase your odds and people will give you credit for being a good photographer. Trust me, I?ve shot thousands of pics at parties or it just seems like it.

Photography with Canon G10 by Robert Lachman ? 2009
Photography with Canon G10 by Robert Lachman ? 2009

7. If you?re using a point-and-shoot camera indoors, a lot of photographers will tell you not to shoot with the strobe because it doesn?t look good. If you?re shooting in a well lit house during the day it may be fine. For the group photos, use the strobe in low light, especially indoors at night. Most point-and-shoots don?t work well in low-light situations. No reason why you can?t try both to see how it looks.

8. Most of the photo editing programs like iPhoto or Photoshop Elements do a nice job of removing red eyes. Learn this feature and your photo snapshots will improve.

9. Remember, you?re going to complete the circle, which includes doing something with the photos. It may just mean getting them into iPhoto with keywords included, making a nice slide show with a program like iMovie or Fotomagico. Don?t forget other options like a book from Apple or Blurb. Sending the photos to everyone on a photo service like Google?s Picasa is cheap and simple. They even have software to export the pics directly from iPhoto. I use it all the time and it?s a breeze. This definitely is a great option I use all the time.

10. And, the most important: BACK UP, BACK UP, BACK UP. You do not want lose your memories. Have a great holiday!

It’s Time to Start Thinking About Holiday Photos

pumpkins1PumpkindecorateBy Robert Lachman
It?s time to start thinking about those holiday photos. I always try and take the holiday family photo on Thanksgiving Day. It just gives me time to have our Christmas card made at Costco and in the mailbox on time. Actually, it?s my wife that gets them in the mailbox on time. It?s really never too early to get started on this project. So, my number one holiday tip is: start thinking about taking the family holiday photo now. Be the first one done and surprise your family and friends. This year, be the first to get those cards out.