Recently in Photography Category

I have always felt that I take better pictures than any professional photographer because my tots are more comfortable with me so will be more cooperative and therefore, I will get better pictures. Well, it turns out, I just had the wrong photographers!! I do take some pretty good pictures, but compared to what I just experienced, I feel quite foolish for denying myself of beautiful, true professional quality pictures all these years!! Julie of Blueberry Sky photography is nice, warm and a super tot charmer! She got 3 squiggly tots to pose for the most natural, innocent and breathtaking pictures any parent can ever dream of. Of course, I think my tots (and nephew) are all gorgeous model material, but she actually made them look like paid professionals!! She makes the most amazing announcements and cards ever, they are accordion style on thick card stock and brilliant color resolution. She only works out of Los Angeles but will travel within reason. Definitely worth contacting her to ask! More information on the Blueberry Sky website.

This is so perfect for the nursery! We spend so much time on birth announcements and invitations only to have it be looked at by other people. Sure, we keep it in our scrapbook but wouldn't it be great to have it hanging on the wall? This is especially great for birth announcements, I still stare at them with that same soft heart from when they were born. It's nice to have it on hand when your patience has worn dangerously thin =) Get 20% off at Tiny Prints until the end of the month with code GIFT20. Start your special custom wall decor here.

There hasn't been any shifts in trends since everyone started sending out photo holiday cards. Except now! The new thing now are accordion cards that showcases multiple images of your tots. For a lot of your family and friends, the holiday card is the only time they get actual physical photos of your tots. For them, this is something they hold on to and display all year long so why relegate their enjoyment to just one picture? With tots, you really need to show them in various states of play and poses to capture their full personalities. I have found the best options on the web for folding and accordion style holiday cards (in order of the cards shown above):

Kodak Full Bleed Accordion Fold has 5 3.5 x 5" folded panels. Printed on both side and can accommodate up to 10 photos. Price vary with quantity but start at $3.49 each and is $2.49 for 101+ cards.

Chubbybum, The Square Accordion Fold Card folds up in a 5 1/4" square and when opened it shows 3 pictures with an option for printing on the back (for 6 photos). It is printed on heavy 130 lb. card stock with a luscious satin finish. These cards require $0.17 additional postage. $4.15 each with a minimum of 30, prices go down with quantity, for 210+ they are $2.95.

Tiny Prints, The Crafter's Charm has 3 panels for a total of 5 photos and one page for signature and personalized message. The front photos bleed into each other so it is perfect for a series of studio shots (even your own personal home studio!). The patchwork design works its way the around the entire card. 10 Cards $4.39 each, 100 Cards $2.89 each.

The last thing I need in my bag is a camcorder the size and weight of a brick. That is why I only have video of my tots at home. Yeah yeah, call me lazy or whatever but it just is not convenient. For Christmas, my sweet hubby and even sweeter daddy to his girls, got me this Flip Video camcorder. It records in HD, easy to download to your computer (with a USB plug) and is smaller and lighter than your phone!! It is 3.3 oz and is 4" x 2". The quality is incredible, so much better than converting the HD tapes into a digital file, which is annoyingly time consuming to do. I bring this everywhere now and on our recent trip to Legoland, I got video of my 3 year old on her first roller coaster ride! It is super easy to use, there is a big red button for record and stop. Each time you take a video it is saved as its own file so it is really easy to organize and find the clip you're looking for. Oh, did I forget to mention that this is super well priced? Only $169 at Amazon.

UPDATE: The price has totally gone down since I originally posted this. I changed the price already, it is now $169 down from $209 6 months ago. And I still LOVE this camera, an absolute MUST for all parents.

Not only will you have pictures of your precious tot to brag about but this brag book itself is worthy of bragging! You will already get the crowd oohing and ahhing as soon as you pull this out! It holds 64 4"x6" pictures and ties with a matching ribbon. Choose the car motif on the shoes or flower appliques. Perfect for grandparents since they are already over the top with their praise and gloating. At Neiman Marcus for $65.

Isn't everything better when it's personalized? When I was younger I loved seeing my name on just about everything -- I even had stickers that said "property of Sharon" in all kinds of colors that I used to stick all over the place! Sticks and Stones offers a slightly more inconspicuous way to display a name or a meaningful word. I first came across this site when my boyfriend gave me a picture frame filled with photos of himself that he had Photshopped me into! I was looking for something I could give him in return and came across these framed pieces of word art. Sticks and Stones started as an alphabet lesson for the company's founders daughters. The family began "letter hunting" while on walks and would look for different "letters" in nature (sticks) and architecture (stones). They began taking photographs to remember their walks thus creating an arsenal of letters. What started off as a hobby grew into a hugely successful business and now some of the most powerful people in the world are fans including Oprah (she created one for Tom and Katie) and the Obama  family -- not bad! When designing your word art, there are multiple image choices for each letter and you may select the frame style when you're finished. Sticks and Stones starts at $119, but you can get 10% off with the discount code DGIFCA. 

Yes, you have to start thinking about holiday cards already. Save yourself the grief of making this crazy season even more hectic by getting it done before Thanksgiving. If you plan on this, you will at least get your cards out before the end of the year =) Well, for 3 lucky readers, you will win one of 3 holiday packages for professional pictures and cards at the Picture People, our favorite photo studio service. One Grand Prize winner will receive the Debut Collection, which includes: 5 mix and max sheets, 1 Classic (includes 12x16 frame, mat and portrait sheet) and 1 Quartet (includes 14x14 frame, mat and portrait sheet). The full retail value is $267 but the special collection price is $216. The grand prize winner will receive a Gift Certificate for $216. Two Runner Up winners will receive a set of postcards, which includes 25 4x7 exclusive postcards and envelopes. Two Runner Up Winner will receive Gift Certificate for $59.95.

To ENTER, tell us in comments what you tell your tots about Santa Claus, or if they are still too young, tell us what you intend on telling them. I tell my tots that I am Santa Claus!! Three winners will be chosen through a random drawing, the first name that comes up will receive the Grand Prize and the other 2 will receive the runner up prizes. This contest will end on Sunday Nov. 9th at 11:59pm EST. One entry per person please. Good luck!!

Thank you PICTURE PEOPLE for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway.

There is nothing more precious than the pictures you take of your darling tots so of course you have to appropriately display them in beautiful albums.  I thought it was cute to use those baby albums with onesies and cribs on the cover but then I realized that photos last a lifetime and unfortunately, babies grow up =(  The albums from Rag and Bone are timeless but still bright, vibrant and fun!  Their new design, Little Lion, has a childlike flair but is not strictly Romper Room.  They have a ton of designs that are fitting for any occasion, afterall, we do have a life outside of our kids, don't we?  Pocket brag book is $34, holds 40 pictures.  The 4x6 photo binder is $52, holds 128 pictures.

My kids are past baby announcements but these are so cute I am going to make poster sizes for their rooms. Movie buffs can give their sweeties top billing of their favorite flick. For once you can acquiesce to your husband and allow Star Wars paraphernalia in the house (I have to admit, I am a huge fan myself so there is no compromising here, I dressed my daughter as Princess Leia for Halloween). There is an endless selection to choose from, it is just so fun to look through them and see how clever some of them are. Announcement sizes start at $3.50 each (depending on quantity) and actual poster sizes start at $25. At 5 Star Baby.

It's that time of year again to make holiday cards. We all plan on having them done by Thanksgiving before the holiday crunch, but this year, it will happen!! Nothing gets me more motivated than having the perfect picture to put on the card - I just can't wait to see my cuties all decked out on a lovely card ready to show off to all I know. And this year, the first Christmas with both my girls, I had the most beautiful and perfect pictures taken at the Picture People - both kids were looking AND smiling at the camera!! I felt as if lightening had struck but the photographer was totally unphased, apparently he can do it every time! And that's the biggest difference I found between Picture People and the other kids photo studios I've gone to, they use real photographers. There wasn't that fixed stand with cross hairs projected on the one spot all their shots must be taken on. The Picture People photographer got down and dirty and rolled on the floor with my kids to get the shots. He even chased down my runner and caught a mischievous smile as she dodged him. And we all know the best pictures are never the perfectly posed ones. They also have the cutest props for every occasion so you can get pictures done all year round. For holiday cards, they hands down have the cutest and best designs. No more having to choose the least cheesy of all the stale humdrum choices - there are many to choose from and whichever is appropriate for the holiday you celebrate is sure to be a classic you will cherish forever. They give you no excuses to procrastinate because your entire order is printed and ready in 10 minutes so you can take it right home with you!! Amazing!! Their prices are totally reasonable and comparable to Sears or Target but the quality is far superior. For Tot Snob readers, you can print out this coupon and get 15% off your entire order and a free 8 x 10 or 10 x 13 portrait. Make sure to call to book an appointment, they get pretty busy especially on weekends and you don't want to waste your kids' patience on the waiting. Check their website for the nearest location.