So today I am finally sharing a few phone photography tips. There is nothing rocket science about these, just a few things that popped out to me when I was looking through pictures already on my phone. Indoor Lighting: great lighting is key in photography whether you are using a phone, a dslr, a film…
Category Archives: SnapShops & Tips
I started a little project this year of taking one picture a day with my phone that depicts something I am grateful for in my life that day. Day 17: thankful for snuggling days My camera is still at the repair shop. I find myself reaching for it several times a day only to be…
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Precious pictures and the best ice cream store in the world! Perfect combination…
love your photography!
i, too, have been taking one photo a day of something i am grateful for. i’m calling it the “My Year of Joys” project and each day share my little joy on my blog. my phone has come in so handy, i’m finding that despite loving my dslr most of this project has been in instagrams!
i love doing it but find that sometimes it feels strange to be documenting things instead of just doing them, ever get that feeling?
oh, well, this is my first time commenting but not my first time reading, love your blog! xo
I love it.. it seems ever time I read this blog I caught my self say it. Thanks for sharing. And most of all give me that breath of inspiration.
I absolutely love these photos! It makes me sad that I can’t be home with my 10 month old during the weekdays and stuck at work. I know I need to cherish our time together on the weekends and taking photos to capture those times brings me so much joy. Thank you for reminding me to enjoy those small moments instead of feeling sad about the times I miss with him.
I too am becoming accustom to having my camera within arm’s reach. I can imagine how you might feel as if a part of you is missing. But you still manage to capture the most amazing shots without it. You are truly an artist. You inspire me daily.
These are beautiful!
ahhh – those lashes are to die for!!!
Beautiful pictures! What kind of phone do you have?
Your little girl is absolutely adorable!!! She looks just like you. I LOVE reading your blog, you are a very inspiring woman. Thanks for sharing your life with the world!!!!
I absolutely love your daughter’s quilt! Did you make it?
I LOVE your blog and enjoy coming here everyday!! Simple moments … Thanks for sharing!
[...] snuggling on the couch – Love these photos from here phone and the words on changing perspective for a different picture. [...]
Ashley your photos are beautiful. Thanks for reminding me that its not the camera its the moments caught on what you have. I don’t have a fancy camera yet but someday hopefully. I am trying to take pictures this year to capture my little ones with my point and shoot and your pointers are a God send. Thanks again for your inspiring post.
Oh Ashley, these are adorable! So cute! Had a great week, we got our referral…hooray!!! But having a tough time thinking of our boy and not being there with him. I love hearing your adoption story! Is it weird that I saw a star wars Lego book and I almost bought it for your boys. Then I thought you might be totally weirded out 
. Went to an adoption support group and talked to four people that adopted china special needs. So excited for you!
Well we definitely don’t get Braums in Australia!! It’s nice following blogs from overseas for a little while. You get to learn alot about a particular place in that country and all the comments from people around other parts of your country makes me laugh. We are in the middle of summer here, so not
much snuggling at the moment! I too have an iphone 4 and I have trouble capturing quality photos. I find that when taking photos indoors they don’t turn out very good if there’s not alot of natural light. Night time shots are terrible with the flash. Any great tips on using iPhone for photos with a flash etc. I really enjoy reading your blog, it’s great with a cup of coffee in the morning.
Those eyelashes! I’m dying!
These are great! I agree with Lisa, who said, “You could probably take a good picture with a broken underwater camera.” 
I’ve been trying to convince my husband that it would be OK for me to spend money on an iPhone because it’s really a camera that just happens to also be a phone.
How can anyone resist pics of a sleeping kid? So priceless and precious!
Oh!!!!!!!!! Braums! Drooling over that last photo. I live in Ca. so the only time I get to visit Braums is when we head on over to TX for family reunions. How i do love me a good dose of Braums! Enjoy for me! And love the cozy sleeping baby photos. So sweet. My daughter just learned to say cozy and it sure makes me want to run out and get some good blankies (like yours) for the couch.
Gaah…killing me with the Braums pic! We moved out of Braums range and I only get it when we travel back to see family. Yummy!
Love the sweet snuggles. Also enjoyed reading more about your adoption story. And, oh, what I wouldnt give for a Braum’s milkshake…what a thoughtful friend. You are blessed!
Love the pics. I’m so jealous of the fact you have a Braum’s…no such luck in California
These are incredible photos for a phone! Do you have the newest iPhone 4 or the first iPhone 4? I have the 1st iPhone 4. Maybe I need to challenge it a little more! Beautiful! Thanks for the tips.
Great cell phone pics! Mine never turn out that good! You could probably take a good picture with a broken underwater camera though…
These pics look SO COZY!! I want to curl up on my couch with a blanket now….but instead I’m at work
I would give ANYTHING to have a friend like that. All my friends live three states away and I miss those connections fiercely. You are so very lucky:)
No matter what you use, your pictures are always incredible! You are so talented taking these with your phone! Pure talent, not fancy equipment, you are awesome!
I loved all these pictures and the photo tips.
And I also loved the posts from the past two days about your adoption.
Carry on, Ashley.
I just audibly gasped out loud. Braum’s: how I miss you & your chocolate almond ice cream!!!! Ha!
You need to get this app called My 365… You just plug in the pictures for each day, and it keeps everything all nice and organized for you.
Such sweet photos. Love those precious moments when kids are still. Friends are pretty sweet in that way. I’m with you, I want to be the kind of friend who drops off surprises!
How in the world do you manage to take pics like that with your phone? :/ I guess a photographer, is a photographer, is a photographer regardless what you’re taking the pic with
BRAUM’S!!??? I soooo miss that place! That is what I get for moving to New Mexico! Everytime I go back to Oklahoma, I have to eat there twice a day!
I can’t even believe these were taken with your phone, that’s pretty AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! what phone do you have?
do you have the app. called ONE THOUSAND GIFTS?
you can put a picture and words each day right from your phone! I LOVE IT!
tara
awesome phone pics! thanks for the tips & inspiration:)
The picture of the shake is just plain mean. Even at 9am, it’s still desired greatly.
Oh my! Those eyelashes!! What a sweet reminder to be thankful for the everyday little things. Blessings to you!
i {heart} braums. pistachio milkshake, thats my favorite:)
As always you have made my day.
Great reminder, great tips, precious photos! Thank you : )
Good morning! I just realized this week that ~ for the most part ~ you post early in the morning. You ARE my cup of Joe! (i dont drink coffee) I check your blog BEFORE I even roll out of bed. Seeing FireCracker first thing in the morning is a GREAT way to start my day! i have a 30 year old sister & seeing FireCracker reminds me sooooo much of my “little” sister Christa. At the age of about 1 year Christa won a photo contest…..FireCracker would win ANY contest too! They are just sooooooooo stankin cute!!!!!!!!!
BRAHMS!! I went to college in Waxahatchie, Texas and probably had a Brahms chocolate almond milkshake 3 times a week. Can you freezer box me one??
You took all these with your iPhone??? wowsers! Obviously the first is Instagram, but did you photoshop them or use apps to edit the rest of them?
Love your snapshots. And I love those shaped frames on your wall. Where are those from?
Thanks for the photo tips! It’s a great reminder.
Okay – I really can’t tell that you’re taking photos with your phone instead of your camera. Also, I know you’ve had that quilt for awhile now, but I just fell in love with it now. Yeah for friends and reminders of something always better than the moment we’re currently in. Smiles.
These are so sweet! I love the quilt too.
I can not believe that you took those pix with your phone camera! I am officially starting a snapshots fund in my budget!! lol (seriously):)
wow! your phone takes GREAT shots. I also have a 3G like elizabeth, not sure if this is why either but my phone never takes pictures like this. the shutter is too slow and there is never enough light for indoor shots. it takes great outdoor shots as long as the subject stands still:) hope you are having a better day. I hate those blah days! I blame winter!
Wow! The quality of your pictures are amazing. Thank you for the tips, it’s nice to see that you can get nice pictures without a really cool camera!
It has been many years since I lived in Tulsa (I did an internship there right out of highschool) but Braum’s was one of our favorite fast food spots! Wishing I had one of those milkshakes now!
My phone pics never look anything like that. I have the 3G. Is that why? Anybody who brings me a milkshake is an instant friend in my book!
My aunt, aka “Grannie Sandy”, got my kids several new games for Christmas. One is Connect 4 Launchers. I’ve always been a fan of Connect 4, but this new version is possibly more fun (at least when kids are involved). All the kids can play, even FireCracker. So, we’ve been having tournaments…. Notice the 5…
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I just bought one of these games today!! there was a 4 player version!! I am shipping it to my bestie’s little girl for her bday! Thanks for the idea! I will be going back tomorrow to buy one for my boys for valentines.(we do a family date night on the 14th. eat a heart shaped pizza, light candles, and play games) thanks for sharing!!!
I’ve never seen this play.
Your boy with that net is a cute crazy, ha ha ha ha.
I’m in a 52 weeks project, called “52 semanas con mamá” because some friends of mine only had photos of their children and husbands, but they never be in the photos, so as is my situation I decided to enjoy them.
Your photos with your children are inspiration for me. For me is very difficult self portraits. Well I only done 2 photos. I hope to continue and finish the projet at the end of the year.
Looks like a fun Game!! I love how kidswill just find something else to do..and how you captured it..I chuckled as I scrolled thru the pics.
We got that as our family gift this Christmas. So much fun. We need to have a two family Launcher Tourney!!
I love this! & I love your blog! My husband and I love Connect 4! haha. Thanks for sharing! I hope you will stop my blog and enter the giveaway I have going on..
itsjustcalledspicy.blogspot.com
your family is absolutely adorable!! i love reading your posts. I don’t know if you’ve seen this book but I saw it in the bookstore today and immediately thought of you! http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Craft-Bonnie-Burton/dp/0857686178/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1326238485&sr=8-9
we got this for my middle son for Christmas SOOOOO against my will b/c I thought those posts were individual ‘checkers’ you had to stack. so relieved to open the box and see just 4 pieces to hold up the board. lol. it’s a fun game for sure!! love the idea of tournament play
<3
Such a fun moment captured!
ooh, i hadn’t heard of this! our kids have just recently been introduced to old school connect four. they’re happy enough with that, but this might be next on the list!
I saw that in the store the other day ..almost bought it for my grandkids when they visit…. well, I’ll just have to go back & get it !! Thanks for all your posts, I enjoy them :-}
Awesome. I LOVE your humor!! You versus 2 year old….so glad you won!!! 
Love the one of Firecracker!
we bought our 3 kids that game for christmas and we all love it!!! very fun very addicting.. and easy for everyone to be able to do!!
Sweet. Thanks for sharing how you took these and your thought process. Much appreciated!
We got that game for Christmas too. Love, Love it.
You made me laugh out loud with your ” don’t worry, I beat her” comment. Thanks for the laugh!!!
cute and thanks for the fun game idea, haven’t heard of it and thanks for the photo info…makes me curious what the problem is with your zoom lens? trying to decide what lens to get next…would hate to have problems with a $1000+ lens! Oh dear. Maybe you can update when you figure out the issue?
I want to try that game. With 3 boys.. I’m certain they’d enjoy that.. and so would I! More importantly though… where did you get your shirt and what color is it? I love it!!! I must have one!
Looks like a lot of fun! I haven’t heard of that game before. I love the filter you used on these photos. Reminds me of old-time photos.
PS – I have a giveaway for some mason jar notepads on my blog until tomorrow. I thought that might be something you’re interested in. Also, I’ve won a giveaway on your blog in the past so I wanted to let you know of the opportunity.
Looks like fun! I like the change up with the post processing.
How fun! I’ve actually never seen this game. I bet you were finding pieces under the couch for ages… LOL! Beautiful pictures!
We got a game for Christmas called Tic Tac Flip, that looks like the same concept as this one. And yes, it’ surprisingly fun to play, even as a grownup!
My husband got me an 85mm for Christmas, and I hate how far back I have to get- maybe I’ll investigate the 28mm….
by AshleyAnn
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Ally - Thanks for the tips! I’m always too lazy to bring my DSLR out so have resorted to using my phone’s camera too but the pictures are always less than ideal. Could be the fact that I’m using a BB too? You don’t happen to know of any good apps/tips for them, do you?
Ashlee Rae Jaimez - Oh wow, I LOVED this post! I am pretty good w/ my phone and pics, but not great w/ it. These tips will be duly noted! I am a total beginner when it comes to photography but I know what I like and how I want my pictures to come out. Thanks again…cannot wait to try them out.
xx
Jenn - I love Instagram for the very reason of changing up my photos. I just started using Camera+ more and I love it. It has lighting settings to help with the funky colors. Like you can change it to flourescent and stuff. Hope that helps!
Jenny B. - Great tips! I am keeping notes for when (and if) I finally get an iPhone.
Ana - I love these pictures! I LOVE my SLR, but my iPhone plays a big role in my daily photography habit!
Thank you for the tips!
AshleyAnn - Her headband is from Daisy & Dots, a Craft Weekend sponsor
http://www.etsy.com/shop/daisysanddots
amber P - I love having my phone available at any time. I love my dslr too and the phone can’t even compare, however it’s great to have the convenience and size of the phone. My favorite phone apps are
PicSayPro, Little Photo, PicsArt and Streamzoo. I have a droid, so I don’t have Instagram on that (boo!) but Streamzoo makes up for it! (just voted the #1 photo sharing app for 2011) I have an iPod Touch but the camera quality is terrible.
Mrs. Zoom - Awesome ideas. I just became obsessed with Instagram! Also, love the headband!
Katie @ Lovebird Productions - Can I just say that I love your house decor? It looks cozy, inviting and warm! And your kiddos are adorable! I agree with more people reaching for their phone to snap a quick picture than a camera. I love these tips because my phone pictures always look bad! lol Thank you for sharing and happy Friday!
Kimberlee Jost - Thank you!
Now to buy the phone…I am thinking I should wait for iphone 5?
Can I wait that long?!!!!
Trish - yes i have this problem with my little one too… i found if you put their hair in piggies and then tie it under them it stays longer, unless they rip it out and have issues with their hair being done. Which i have that problem too
Amy - Great tips, Ashley! I just realized (by accident) this week that it’s also possible to lock exposure on the iphone (great if you’ve got a back-lit situation). To do so, just hold your finger on the screen (where you want to set the exposure) until the focus square flashes larger. You can then move your camera around without the exposure changing constantly. This has been great for snapping photos of the little ones (if I can’t pin them between my legs or bribe them with chocolate).
Lisa Johnson - I have been trying to talk myself into buying a nice camera for a long time. Because my daughter is an awesome photographer, I’ve gotten lazy and relied on her to capture life on film. However, she’s become busier and busier and will soon be getting married, so it’s definitely time I took some ownership of the need for some good photos. No more excuses that all I’ve got handy is this iphone camera! You’ve inspired me
Julie - Ah ha – after reading through the comments I figured it out and found them. Thanks!
Julie - I am DYING over that headband!!! PLEASE tell me I can get it online because I’m pretty sure both of my darlings absolutely need one!
Ada in Coastal Cali - your pictures are always wonderful, but lets face it phones are always with us & therefore we’d better figure out how to take better pictures with em! I’ve found I like the app pics better because of the coloring issue….but camera+ does all of those things you just get to choose, but that also adds more steps.
on a side note…..thought of you yesterday while shopping in Target for stuff & giving a lookyloo thru the Valentines cards, we exchange more than one so I keep looking even after I get “the card” for more…..and there was one that looked JUST LIKE YOUR NEW WEBSITE! So lovely & just same colors etc. By chance is your designer making cards too? Anyhwho, had to tell ya.
Praying your adoption papers are flying thru quickly and that babe is home soon!!!
xo
Leslie - Talking about beauty in the everyday and taking pictures that tell a story … that’s what my brother does. He co-founded an organization called To Tell A Story (http://totellastory.org) that does just that. He uses social media to tell stories. He spent the better part of 2010 traveling throughout Africa and Asia taking pictures for Bright Hope World, telling stories of all God is doing, giving a voice to people who otherwise don’t have one.
Debbie C - Thanks again Ashley for your wonderful shooting tips! We have a nice dslr, but not a smartphone, and now I’m itching for an iPhone just to use those awesome photo apps. ;D By the way, I LOVE Firecracker’s headband and must figure out how to make one for my LO!
Jacci in Ohio - Oh, also, I was thinking… it seems to me like if my iPhone shot is too dark, I can lighten it up considerably by tapping a part of the composed shot that is darker than other areas… it doesn’t seem to affect the overall focus in a negative was (usually) and helps the camera know that I’d like more light. At least, it seems like it works! lol. i don’t really know what I’m talking about
Jacci in Ohio - Love this
I just love your photos, period. I could stare and stare at them. I feel like I learn just by looking at what you’ve done. I was wondering if you have any plans in the future for a SnapShops II or SnapShops “Intermediate” or something, lol. I’m comfortable shooting in manual… moving my settings all around to adjust my shots, but they still aren’t as great as I’d like. I feel like I may be just barely beyond the basics the snap shops is intended to teach, but I ****know**** there is a ton I still need to learn. Anyway, just wondering. I think part of my problem is just lighting. I’m not getting pics as sharp as I really want… I think it’s just that my shutter speeds have to hover around 80 or 100 to get a decent indoor shot even with the aperture wide open :/ i also don’t stabilize my body well enough… i know i could get a crisper shot if i improved that.
Cate - Thank you for your cleverness! I adore your blog!
Seriously Sassy Mama - I love taking pics with my phone. That is probably because I do not way to lug my camera around.
AshleyAnn - Trish – If only she’d leave them in!
Stacie – I just set it up in Photoshop
Mandi & Kiley – thank you!!!
Mandi Parkhurst - SnapShop made the investment of a DSLR camera worth it. Getting a nice camera alone would not solve the issues I had with taking a good picture. Ashley not only explains the technical side, but also the creative side. She lets you borrow her eyes to look for what you want to capture in a meaningful and beautiful way. Thank you, Ashley for the gift of SnapShop.
kiley - No compensation received for my previous comment unless you count the photos I’ve captured of my days with my kids
!!! It’s just that good!
kiley - I’m sad that my SnapShop course is ending on Sunday but grateful that you offer lots of tips and such on your blog!!! To anyone considering taking Ashley’s photography course; It is worth every penny!!! The evolution of my photography skills over the past three weeks has been amazing…from shooting in fully automatic mode, to horribly atrocious pictures in manual while learning how each of the three parts work together to now taking decent photos in manual that I’m really proud of….rock my world!!! Revolutionary!!! Ashley teaches the basic skills of manual photography with just enough technical jargon to have a grasp of what’s happening and instills the confidence needed in her clear, simple, conversational teaching style. Now those “wanna-be-mommy-photography” books that I own make sense!!! No hesitation in recommeding this online course!!! My only regret is not signing up earlier!
stacie - thanks for all these tips!
i use my iPhone a bunch too … mostly instagram and hipstamatic for the fun of it.
i’m so curious though, what do you do to get those square pictures put into a collage style on your blog? photoshop? i need blog help big time!! anyone you recommend?
xoxo.
Trish - firecracker looks good in the headband
Loren - I love these little ‘how to take photos’ features. It’s so great to see your pictures from different angles. You always do a great job explaining ‘why’ it looks better from different angles. Also you’re photos are always adorable. I love your stylistic choices, and the decor in your home.
Andy - love your girl’s dress in the pics.