Creative Challenge Give Away: Capturing the magic of autumn!

Happy Autumn!!

This is that cozy time of year when the daylight starts to wane, the air starts to become cool and crisp, and all you want to do is snuggle up by the fire with loved ones after a fun day of hiking, being out in nature, pumpkin carving and playing in the leaves! So I decided to share some helpful hints on how to take advantage of these beautiful fall activities and colors, and challenge you to get out there with your camera/phone to capture your favorite moments of the season.

Creative Challenge Give Away: Capturing the magic of autumn!

For all you shutterbugs, here's your challenge! I want to see your most favorite photo of fall that you've taken this year. Whether it's of a beautiful landscape, your kids playing in the leaves or in their awesome Halloween costume, a pumpkin you've carved or your most delicious pumpkin spiced latte... I want to see it, I want to hear why it's your favorite, and what inspired you to take it! The winner will have their image shared on Kate's social media as well as in the next newsletter. They'll also win their choice between a Family Mini Session, or one of Kate's brand new Fine Art Framed Prints which are launching in November!

Here are some tips to make the most out of making your image:

Aperature: High if you're making a landscape photo, low if you're making a macro image
Sensor/film speed: Use a low ISO setting (eg ISO 100) to grab all the color you can on a bright day, or high ISO if it's cloudy
Lens setting: get creative and try to use different focal lengths

When you think you've got it, email Kate or simply reply to this email with:
1- Your best/favorite image of Autumn
2- Description of why it's your favorite and how you took the photo/what inspired you 

The contest will close on the 31st of October and the Winner will be announced in the November newsletter on November 5th!

Kate may be in a city near you...

Autumn creates an amazing background for Fall Portraits.  Kate Haus Photography will be happy to capture your family memories of your little ones as they jump in piles of leaves or dress up as their favorite characters for Halloween.

Kate's traveling this fall and her schedule is filling up fast!  If you're interested in booking a session, reply to this email with your top three dates and times and we will get back to you asap!

• Washington, DC                                              October 20-21st

• Charlotte, North Carolina                                October 26-29th

• Colorado (Denver & Colorado Springs)          November 10-13th

If your city is not listed but you’d love for Kate to capture your next photo session, email us to let us know where you are located to get your city on the next flight list!  So far, we have possible trips in the works for Boston, MA, New York City, NY, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Phoenix, AZ.

Kate Haus Photography in DC, NC & CO This fall!

This fall we are hopping on the next flight and coming to a city hopefully near you!! Kate Haus Photography is taking her annual fall photo tour and hopes to visit you and your family for a Family Fall Mini Session.
 
A mini session is a 20-30 minute photo session of you with your loved ones for a great price - while still receiving the full Kate Haus experience!

Kate just may be in your area so, check the dates below, see what works in your family calendar, then schedule a session with Kate by replying to this email to capture those lovely moments that you’ll never forget.

• Washington, DC                                         October 20-21st

• Charlotte, North Carolina                           October 26-29th

• Colorado (Denver & Colorado Springs)     November 10-13th

Is your city not listed but you'd like Kate to capture your next photo session?  Well email us to let us know where you're located to get your city on the next flight list!

Take a look at our Instagram page here to see some of our latest photography sessions.

Did you know...

That the Kate Haus shop is open for purchase?  Purchase stock images for your personal use or if you're a photographer and want to learn how Kate is able to capture great shots during every photo session, check out her coaching and mentoring sessions.

Coming soon...

The Kate Haus Fine Arts gallery is just about ready.  Stay tuned to be the first to see the gallery!

Capture your child’s back to school moments

Sadly, we're approaching the last few weeks of summer and fall is right around the corner!! Many of you will be busy making the most of these summer days, and some of you will be spending a large amount of time prepping for your kids to head back to school.

These last days of summer and first days of school are a great time to capture the beginning of a new phase of your little one’s lives and I wanted to offer up some photo tips to help you save time so you can capture the moment but also enjoy this special time.

Photo Tips:

What to wear: Keeping it simple is key. Stick to solids/small or simple prints, 1-3 color in their entire outfit

Location: Choose maybe your front steps, or under a tree, that you can use every year to keep it consistent. Even the school bus or somewhere outside with the school in the backdrop. Consistency is key when it comes to seeing growth over the years.

Lighting: If possible, find a shady area, with a shady backdrop so your child is the highlight of the image.

Camera settings: iPhone- stick it in portrait mode to get a fun portrait, and if you don’t have that setting or an iPhone, go ahead and just tap your screen to make sure your little one’s face is in focus. Tell them a joke, or make some silly noises to get a great laugh, and snap away.

Props: choose props that won’t change in size throughout their life- like their favorite book, or backpack, or stuffed animal etc. This can be used as a photo prop, and size gauge over the years to see how much your little one has grown. Another added fun bonus can be a fun piece of art you can make with them that has the date, age and grade they’re going into, with maybe a handprint or outline that they can then hold up again on their last day of school photo. This is particularly fun as it becomes a little souvenir they can have when their older.

If you don’t want to miss out on the moment but aren’t confident in your photo taking skills, you can always hire a professional like Kate to help you out! We are offering awesome mini sessions for families from now through December 31st so you can easily and beautifully capture this time in your family's life.

Whatever the occasion, from solo head shots or family portraits to lifestyle and landscape Kate Haus Photography is here to help and make sure that those memorable moments last a lifetime.

Firework Photo Tips for Your Fourth

Happy July!!!

My favorite holiday is upon us and I am excited to share some tips with you to photograph the best of your Independence day festivities!! 

Growing up outside of Boston Massachusetts, the fourth of July was pretty much the largest celebration of the year and everyone took part. Every year my family, friends and I would gather with the thousands of others on our high school football field at dusk. We'd lay out on blankets, and shortly after the sunset, excitedly stare up at the night sky to watch an incredible show of pyrotechnics light up our faces.

We'd oooo and ahhhh over the different colors and shapes shouting out which ones were our favorites with each pop, crackle and boom (mine are of the sparkly willow tree variety). Back then, in an amateur attempt to freeze the magic, I'd try my best to photograph the show but the images were always dark and unexciting.

So now after a bit of experience and to help you celebrate this year, I'm sharing a few fun pro photo tips on how you can capture the perfect firework moment like a professional with your phone and with your camera! 

Photo Tip: How to take the perfect firework photo from your phone!

1. Stabilize the phone on the ground, or with a tripod (or very, very steady hands).
2. Turn off the flash, digital zoom, HDR (or auto-HDR).
3. Tap the screen to focus on the firework you want to capture which will
therefore set the automatic focus and exposure for the firework and not the
night sky
4. Take photos in burst to capture multiple images to have multiple images
to pick through!

Photo Tip: How to take the perfect firework photo with your DSLR/Camera!

1. Stabilize the camera with a tripod.
2. Set camera to manual mode
3. Turn off the flash, digital zoom, HDR (or auto-HDR).
4. Reduce the ISO figure to reduce the chance of overexposure. A good starting point is ISO 200 Aperature f/11
5. Turn off autofocus and manually set lens to infinity focus.
6. Play with your shutter speed- if you can, put it to bulb mode which leaves the shutter open as long as you want (this is a great setting for night sky photos too)- you'll likely need to keep it open for a few seconds :)

INCREDIBLE $10K PHOTOGRAPHY GIVEAWAY WITH BERIFY!!

I’m excited to be helping to promote a fantastic giveaway over at Berify.

For those who don’t know, Berify is a company who helps creatives who have their photos and videos stolen. In fact, Berify is one of the top reverse image search tools available!

The sweepstakes is quite nice and it’s just in time for the holiday. Here are some of the things you can win:

• Adorama.com gift card ($1000)
• Holdfast Gear Camera Strap ($175)
• Berify Swag & Credit ($900)
• ThinkTank.com Camera bag ($210)
• DJ Mavic Pro Drone w/ Remote Control ($1100)
• 1 Year Adobe Photoshop/Lighroom Subscription ($100) 

Their contest ends on January 14th 2018 so get your entries in as soon as possible!

Here is how the contest works:

1. Enter your information (email address included) to register for the sweepstakes
2. Confirm your entry through email (check your inbox)
3. Get additional entries by following specific actions, like following Berify on social media, following me on social media, and following others.

Ready for it? Click the button below to enter this incredible holiday photography sweepstakes.

A Look Back at Kate Haus Photography Archives

It's been a while but if you're looking for some older content from Kate Haus Photography check out all the old posts here: 

 

KATE HAUS BLOG 2009-2016

Family fun at the Beach!

I had such an awesome time photographing this family down in Corona del Mar at the Little Corona beach. These kiddos are full of life and so cuddly with their parents, it was a joy capturing their big little hearts on camera!!