Lady Liberty
Welcome to Summer!
Welcome to Summer, and to our July edition of Life Behind My Lens, where you'll get an insider's view on a variety of photo topics, events, and seasonal promos! Thank you for subscribing to our monthly newsletter and blog…and if you're a recent subscriber, I'm so happy that you've joined us. If you have any family, friends, or coworkers that might also be a photography fan, please forward our newsletter to them, and, encourage them to subscribe by clicking on this link: Newsletter Subscribe. Let's get started...here's what's new and exciting for July:
Creek Play
SUMMER UPDATES
It’s been an unexpectedly busy Summer - which has not allowed a lot of time for play, but definitely not complaining about the uptick in fun photo projects!
“Neighbors of North Naperville” Magazine: June, 2025 Cover Photo
During June, I was offered the opportunity to shoot the cover photo for a local neighborhood magazine, “Neighbors of North Naperville” - my very first magazine cover!! The magazine features a prominent neighborhood family in each of its monthly issues, both on the cover and in an extensive article. The photo session for the June issue was with a delightful family, which took place in their beautiful home. Everyone in the family was excited about the session and gave everything for a fabulous experience! Because the publisher was so pleased with the photo images and the white-glove experience I provided for the feature family, I am now the Staff Photographer for the magazine! This was truly an exciting milestone in my business - definitely celebrated with a glass of champagne after I received the news! The July issue will be out soon, and I’ll share more on that family’s backstory in my August Blog.
Also in June, I had the privilege of shooting a Family Portrait Session…for my family 🤩 My aunt is celebrating a milestone birthday in September, so her daughter (my cousin) arranged for a surprise session with everyone in that family…including an adorable puppy. This was not a small feat, as my aunt, her son and his wife all live in the L.A. area, and there was plenty of logistics involved, including trying to figure out a picturesque location in the Chicago suburbs that allowed dogs/pets. We all settled on the obvious choice - the Naperville Riverwalk - and were rewarded with a fantastic weather afternoon…and a cocktail or 2 with burgers following our Session…definitely one of my favorite portrait sessions to capture!! Stay tuned for a photo or 2 from this Session next month!
July is shaping up to be a solid month, as well, with a Corporate Headshot Project booked, and more business on the horizon. I told you it’s been a busy Summer, so far - would I lie to you??!! 😂
Venetian Night Fireworks 2
FIREWORK PHOTOS
The month of July has always been one of my favorite months of the year: we celebrate America's birthday, and I get to celebrate MY birthday a week later! Okay, so I'll admit it, I actually celebrate all month…not a well-kept secret!
Going to see fireworks on the Fourth of July is a fantastic tradition for anyone and everyone. Who can resist oohing and aahing when the night sky lights up with the spectacularly creative displays? And the grand finales make waiting all day for the fireworks more than worth it. Have you ever tried to photograph Fourth of July fireworks? If you have, and were disappointed with the results, or you're a little scared to even attempt it, here's a few tips that should help in capturing some memorable photos:
📸 Use a Tripod: Even if you think you have the steadiest hands in the world, handholding your digital camera or your iPhone/Android will only give you blurry results. Find yourself a good, sturdy tripod or - ✨photo hack✨: an immovable object on which to place your camera or phone (be sure it's steady and your camera won't tip over or fall off!). Check out your local camera store, Best Buy, or Amazon for inexpensive camera and phone tripods…if you enjoy making photos, you won't regret this investment!
📸 Avoid Fuzzy or Blurry Images: To guarantee no camera shake and clear images, avoid physically pressing the camera's shutter button. Instead, use a cable shutter release that attaches to your digital camera, or a remote Bluetooth shutter release. Again, these are at any camera equipment store, Best Buy, and Amazon.
📸 Take your Camera and Lens Off of Auto Focus: Auto focus doesn't work very well for fireworks, since it's not usually fast enough to detect the light and motion at the beginning of the explosion. Set your digital camera and lens to manual focus, aim at the fireworks, and you won't have to touch it again - easy peasy sharp photos!
📸 Experiment with Your Shutter Speed and Exposure Settings: If you're using a digital camera, you can easily adjust how long to keep your shutter open to capture the max amount of firework exposure - anywhere from ½ to 4 seconds depending on how frequently the fireworks are going up. And, depending on how bright or dark you want those firework images to appear, you can use the aperture setting (which controls the amount of light getting into the camera) to open up your lens to let in more light (f4 or f5.6) or make them darker by closing down that setting (f16 or even f22, depending on the intensity of the firework display - again, think grand finale). Remember, you have your camera on a tripod or steady object, so no worries on blur. Since newer models of iPhone and Androids have more sophisticated cameras on them, you should be able to play with the phone camera settings - for example, the Aperture, Shutter, Wide Angle, and Telephoto settings - to get some fun photos to share on Facebook or Insta.
📸 Keep Shooting: Finally, just keep shooting!! Keep pressing that remote or cable shutter release throughout the cycle of the fireworks, so you don't miss anything. Since you're shooting with a digital camera or phone (and not old school film), get as many shots as possible. By shooting continuously, you should come away with some quality images to share with friends and family.
That's Life Behind My Lens for July! Moving forward, there are some new offerings in the works, so don't forget to check my website for banners announcing updates. In the meantime, get into those Summertime vibes, and be sure to tap into your vacation feels this month…make plenty of great photos…and, don't forget to follow me on my business Facebook Page, on Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Have a fabulous July enjoying Travel. Nature. Life!