Friday 13 June 2014

12

Style That Kid! Yes, please.

Style that kid Kitschy Coo

I'm really excited to be on the virtual book tour for Alida Makes's new 'Style That Kid!' e-book today.  Styling (or lack thereof, haha) is something I really struggle with in my pictures.  I've a made a real effort in the last couple of years to up my photography game- everything from a new camera and lens to photography courses and workshops- but although I can say my pictures have improved technically I'm still disappointed a lot of the time with the results.  I'd even go so far to say that's one of the reasons my blogging has slowed down as the internet can take only a finite amount of my family standing in our garden being basic.


Alida to the rescue!  This is a great book that supplements technical photography skills with the more amorphous harder-to-learn (for me, anyway) understanding of how to make your photography more compelling and stylish.  She covers everything from the pre-shoot prep stage like choosing locations and props, to all the things you should consider during a shoot like positioning and contrast, and even post-shoot photo editing.   So armed with my new insight, I stepped out of my comfort zone to shoot one of the Shandiin tanks I made for summer.

style 8

Just kidding, still in my comfort zone / garden.  This is a picture to illustrate how I would normally take an outfit shot.  Straight on, clean outfit lines, conscious to show the pattern and fabric uninterrupted.  Nothing terrible, but also not very interesting.

style 7

Same for the back view- standard fare from me.

style 5

Except! With Alida's section on texture in mind, rather than throw her hair up into a messy ponytail as I would normally I introduced some visual interest and contrasting texture with double braids.  I think it better highlights a back as awesome and unique as the Shandiin's.

Okay- real talk.  This is going to sound ridiculous, but making Maia do anything other than stand was hard for me.

style 1

(Inner monologue) Why would she sit like that in the garden?!

style 2

But you can't see the lines of the top!

style 3

You can't see the outfit at all!  

This book really challenged me to think about things differently and opened me up to trying new things.  Breaking out of a long-established-and-safe photo routine is a big achievement for me, even if it's baby steps from the outside.

style 4

Next up is to try using some props (well, after acquiring said props).  It's something I really love when others do but without the book would've been too scared to try.

style 6

A massive thank you to Alida for writing a great book and having me on the tour!


You can purchase your copy here but Alida is also offering five copies of the e-book in a giveaway:
 a Rafflecopter giveaway 


12 comments:

  1. That top is gorgeous! I love it.

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  2. The book looks like a great tool! Your girly is always cute, but the latter pics seem to show off her personality a bit more and I think makes a cute top even cuter.

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    1. That's a great point about personality, Corinnea! I think her cheekiness comes across in a lot of my pics but maybe not the more relaxed side of her :)

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  3. I don't think it's even possible to take a bad picture of Maia!.... I do love the compositions in the new pics. Especially love the one of her picking the daisies. Looks like I might need this book, Always gratful for any advise on how to take better picture. Does she advise you how to make your 2yr old stay still long enough to even take a pic!!

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    1. I think the props section would be especially relevant for little kids that don't want to stay still as you can shoot away while they're distracted! Posting a pic on FB just for you :)

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  4. Oh my word these look fantastic!! I agree - impossible for Maia to take a bad pic - but these really show off her stellar personality even more!

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  5. i do think that the "new" pics indeed don't show the top lines that good, but it's much more fun to look at the pics. more interesting and variable and I still get the feeling that i like the top and pattern. i guess i'll also go more in this direction with my future pics. it's all about having fun watching the pics, isn't it?

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  6. I have the same inner voice thing going on! I love your after pictures, and I thing I'm going to have to buy this book!

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  7. These photos are great! I'm confused why you didn't add that one really nice one you posted on facebook.

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  8. You did a fabulous job with these!!
    I really love those braids too.
    ~Michelle

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  9. I love that top, it's beautiful! Great pictures too, and lovely plaits!

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