Photography

My Favorite Fall Photos

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This year we have had many days of gorgeous weather during the autumn season. I have made great efforts in the midst of my busy schedule, to get outdoors and capture some fall shots before the colors fade away. Below you will find some of my favorite fall photos taken this year.

My Favorite Fall Photos

Photography by Lauren Runyan @ www.mybeautifuleveryday.com

I am not sure why, but I have grown to love fall more and more every year. It may be because I have grown to appreciate the beautiful colors it brings right before we enter into the barrenness of winter, or it may be because as my kids get older they remind me of the beauty it brings during our outdoor adventures. Whatever the case may be, I absolutely love fall and am sad to see it disappear as it does every year during this time.

Fall landscape: www.mybeautifuleveryday.com

Since the completion of my Project 365, I haven’t posted many of my recent photos on the blog. I feared that since my project 365 was over,  I wouldn’t use my camera much. However, I am happy to say that is not the case. I am still shooting away and am currently doing a lot of practice when it comes to post-processing. I use Lightroom 6 to edit all the photos you see posted here on My Beautiful Everyday. I have learned a lot about the editing process, and have grown by leaps and bounds, but I still have a long way to go!

Recently I read a blog post that explained what the radial filter does in Lightroom. How I went so long not using this tool is beyond me, but I am so glad I am now! You can read the post here.

The radial filter was used in this photo of my daughter to brighten up her body and face without brightening the background.

Photography by Lauren Runyan @ www.mybeautifuleveryday.com
Fall mushrooms: Photography by Lauren Runyan @ www.mybeautifuleveryday.com

Photography by Lauren Runyan @ www.mybeautifuleveryday.com
Fall Leaf, Photography by Lauren Runyan @ www.mybeautifuleveryday.com

Tips For Photographing Kids

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8 tips for photographing kids: www.mybeautifuleveryday.comLet’s face it, taking photos of your kids isn’t easy. I recently completed my first Project 365 in which I took photographs of my kids almost every day for an entire year. Through this project and years of photographing my kids prior, I have learned so much about taking photos of children.

When it comes to our kids, the phrase “They grow up fast” is an understatement. One of the main reasons I bought a DSLR was to capture the fleeting years I have with my children. I want to remember both the big and small things that happen in their lives.

There are so many variables involved when trying to get a good shot of your kids, but there are definitely some things you can do to make the process easier! Wherever you are in your photography journey, I hope these tips will help you take photos of your kids that will provide lasting memories. (more…)

365 Photography Project Tips

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10 tips to help you finish a 365 Photography Project- www.mybeautifuleveryday.com

I received my very first DSLR camera a little over a year ago. Within a few weeks, and after a lot of researching online, I started shooting in manual mode. Through my research, I learned that a great way to grow as a photographer is to complete a 365 Photography Project. So what is a 365 Photography Project, or what I like to call a Project 365? It is a challenge to take a photo every day for 365 days. Starting a Project 365 is a huge commitment, but definitely worth it if you desire to grow as a photographer.

Doing a Project 365 was one of the best decisions I could have made as a “newbie” photographer. Not only did I learn so much about shooting in manual mode, but I was able to capture and document my life with my family over the course of a year. I have so many photos of my kids and my family that I will forever treasure because I was intentional about taking a photo every day.

Now that I have completed the project I thought I would share some tips that I hope will help you complete your own Project 365.

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Family Photos 2015

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We have been getting our family photos taken every year for the past 8 years and this year was no exception. However, this year we were blessed to be able to get our photos taken outdoors and by a sweet and very talented friend of mine, Melissa, from Photography by Melissa Green. Taking photos for a family with four small children is no easy task, but I think she did a excellent job! Here are a few of my favorites from our session together.Family PhotosFamily PhotosIt can be a lot of work trying to round up your kids for a family photo, but in the end it is so worth it to have photos you can cherish forever. Even if the kids cry, get their outfits dirty, or in our case drop your letter “R” after the picture and break off the leg turning it into a letter “P”, it’s all good. Family photo sessions aren’t meant to be perfect; they are meant to document a moment of time in your life that goes away all too quickly.  So if you are hesitant to get your family photos done this season, just do it!  And if you are in the DC/Baltimore area, give my friend Melissa a call 🙂

photo album

Project 365: Are You Up To The Challenge?

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Ever since I was a kid I can remember loving photographs.  I would go through all of my mom’s old photos and organize them into albums and once I was old enough to take pictures myself I began making my own albums.  I can remember in college receiving my first digital camera and thinking, “WOW!  You can see the picture beforehand and decide if you want to print it or not!” Gone were the days of taking photos, crossing your fingers and hoping that they turned out decent when you got them back from the photo lab!

I have always loved taking photos, but once my first child was born I was shooting like crazy!  Can anyone else relate?  Since having children and seeing how quickly they grow and change, I have longed to get a DSLR.  I wanted to be able to truly capture the everyday moments that I had with them, not just cheap versions.  I wanted to look at my photos, my memories, and see them exactly how I remembered.

Well, I  recently received my very first DSLR camera!  My husband surprised me with it (yes, he is awesome), and now I am finally able to create photos of what I actually see!!  But here is the thing, now that I have this “fancy” camera, what I have come to realize is that it isn’t just the camera that makes the pictures look great…it is the person behind the camera.  I have been doing A LOT of research online about photography since getting my camera, and what I have come to see is that you can take great pictures with many different types of cameras if you know what you are doing.  Ultimately it comes down to knowing what your camera can do and mastering it.  So, with all that said, I want to learn everything my camera can do and master it.

To be good at something takes lots and lots…and lots of practice.  I have taken thousands of pictures on my new Canon 60D (Yes, I am now a Canon girl) just in the past few months. What I am seeing is that the more pictures I take, the better my photos become. Now, don’t get me wrong, to say I have a lot to learn about photography would be an understatement, but I am so much farther along than where I was a few months ago.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to motivate myself to begin what they call  a 365 Photography Project.  This project, or what I like to call a “challenge”, involves taking photos everyday and posting them on your blog or Instagram.  At the end of the year I hope to see how far I have progressed as a photographer, while at the same time having a photo journal of all that is beautiful from my everyday life this past year.  I have decided to take the challenge.  Will you?  If you head over to Click it Up a Notch, you can see a great post on how to make your 365 photography project a success.  I am excited to see what my photos will look like a year from now!