, ,

photo tips + ideas for vacations

, ,

Summer is in full force and that means vacations and staycations are as well. For my family that means our annual trip to Lake Powell in southern Utah, one of my favorite locations to photograph.

My husband's family has been going to Lake Powell nearly every year since the lake opened in 1963 (it's a man-made lake) and he has been going most of his life as well. We also spent some of our honeymoon there and a week nearly every summer since we have lived in Utah (I think we missed the summer our daughter was born, but I remember bringing my boys there when they were each just six months old).

If you want to see one of our past trips click on the photos below for last year or check out this post: 2013 lake powell family trip

my top three vacation photo tips

  • The most important thing to remember is to bring a camera...but don't get too caught up in making sure you have the best of the best. The best camera you have (as I always say) is the one that you have with you. I usually will bring a "big" camera (I shoot with a Canon 5d Mark ii) and will take a lot of photos with that, but I always make sure to shoot with my phone as well. This year I'll be bringing a GoPro as well...what about video?
  • Think about the story you are trying to tell. You want to get images of the people that you're with on your vacation as well as the little details - don't forget the details!!
  • Look at the overall scene...environmental shots are so important as the landscapes (urban and otherwise) change so much over time.

vacation photo ideas

Struggling with what to photograph? Here are some must get shots while on vacation and don't forget - get a variety of images, close ups and overall environmental images:

  • planning materials
  • packing all the stuff
  • how are you getting there? Road trip?? Get photos along the way
  • what happens when you get there?
  • what are your accommodations?
  • what about the food?
  • where do you go? excursions?
  • where and how do you sleep?
  • the people that you're with
  • how people entertain themselves
  • the big sights that you're there to see
  • the local people and culture - make sure to get as much of this as you can!
  • with the days of digital you can err on the side of too many photos, that's ok...delete when you get home
  • details, details, details!! textures, close ups, signage and anything else that might help tell your story...it's all important

some of my vacation + travel photos

Looking back over these posts above it makes me so happy that I've been able to travel to these places. There are many other trips that I've been on where I've only taken my phone to capture the events and I'm just as happy with those images. For me, the most important thing about vacation photos is telling the story of the ones that I love. And someday soon there will be Norway photos to share :) I can't wait to get through those!

xo, c

    friday faves | july edition

    Summer is in full effect here in Utah...hello 100 degree heat!! and there are a few things that I'm just loving right now. What are some of your favorite things?

    july favorites

    1 | food - smartfood popcorn
    2 | beauty - essie nail polish
    3 | resource - #girlboss
    4 | treasure - instax camera
    5 | fashion - lisa leonard
     

    find my past favorites here

    may 2014 favorites

    august 2014 favorites

     

    xo, c

     

    , , ,

    ordinary everyday | me + them

    , , ,

    This is a tough one for me. I am great...overly great...at taking photos of my kids. They would probably argue that I might just take too many photos of them.

    But I think that someday they will be grateful for that. I know that my mom took a ton of photos of me, she even got teased about it, but I am so grateful for those images. I love being able to look back at my childhood through her eyes and to be able to share those visual memories with my kids today.

    Even with as good as I am about documenting my kids, I really struggle with images of myself. I'm not so great at getting photos of me. Or of us together. Not so great at all. But I am trying. Last year I did a month long series on Documenting your Everyday Life and a friend of mine asked me about part way through when the day about documenting ourselves was going to be posted. I hadn't even really considered that one. I don't like being in front of the camera. But I knew that she was right. So I created a post about documenting you and made a promise to myself to get in more of the images.

    I think that I've done better. Still not great. On my trip to Norway I watched my cousins snapping selfies left and right and finally joined in...when in Rome (Norway?). I also took some selfies with my mom - so grateful for those. And when I got home, I continued the trend with the kids...for a little while. I've slipped again.

    Time to get back to it.

    what's stopping you?

    I know for me, I feel really silly taking selfies. Today's teens are so great at it, but I kind of feel like an old lady taking a selfie...but it's a good habit to get into. Master the selfie. I also (as many women do) feel a bit self conscious about my appearance. "When I lose 20 pounds I'll take more photos with the kids" and similar thoughts. I need to tell myself what I tell my clients: This is important. Your family loves you for you. Think about the love you have for your family and that joy will shine through in your images.

    what can you do to get in photos?

    • I’m going to ask someone to take a photo…either my husband or a kid, whoever.

    • Master the art of the selfie. Elsie Larson has some great tips on selfies

    • Use the timer feature on my phone and my big girl camera.

    • Continue with the feet…I must admit, I like the feet images.

    • Get over myself and my insecurities. Easier said than done, but if I’m expecting my kids to let me take photos of them, I can’t very well say no.

    My challenge to myself...and to those that are up for it...is to try and get in at least one image this week. At least one. And if you have kids, get in an image with them. It's so important to live their lives with them and to document that.

    xo, c

    all about memory keeping

    I've written posts before on the Carrie Owens Photography blog about Project Life and scrapbooking and I'm excited to start bringing those posts here to this blog and continuing to share my memory keeping thoughts and ideas and where I find my inspiration. Don't know what Project Life is? Go check out Becky Higgins and her blog for more info!

    I've been an on again off again scrapbooker for over 15 years and whenever I'm away from it, I really do miss it. I remember hearing from other people when I was very involved with memory keeping about how great it was for me that I had so much time to devote to scrapbooking. I remember thinking then that I don't have any more time than other people, it's just something that I love so I carve out time to make it happen. As my kids have grown and we've gotten busier and busier I've found myself looking at my friend's scrapbooking projects online and thinking "man, I wish I still had the time for that". Guess what? I do. I just stopped making the time. And sometimes I'm ok with that and other times I know that I need to focus and get back to telling the stories of my family.

    why is memory keeping important?

    Well, first of all...maybe it isn't to you. And that's ok...kind of. Maybe you aren't the type who wants pages and pages of albums of the past. Maybe you don't see the point in all of it, maybe you don't think you're creative enough for that cut and paste nonsense. I'm not sure what your reason is, but I do feel that some type of memory keeping/storytelling is important. Even if it's only with photographs...if you print them. I think for me, that's my big reason right now. I know that in 20 years my kids aren't going to want to look through old external hard drives and other media storage to share the memories of their pasts with their loved ones. I think they'll be thrilled to share the Blurb books that my mother makes as well as the albums that I have made.

    Above are some images that I've posted in the past of my Project Life pages and I'll be photographing and posting more of those pages in the months to come. If you're looking for some inspiration about scrapbooking and Project Life, I have a few Pinterest boards set up with some great inspiration:

    If you're a scrapbooker where do you look for your inspiration? Pinterest is my favorite resource but there are also a lot of great bloggers out there with some beautiful work and the Project Life Creative Team  and Designers is a great place to start.

    xo, c

    ,

    good stuff | after they fall asleep

    ,

    Remember when your children were little and you would look in after they've fallen asleep? Do you still do that? Check in on them, tuck them in, fix their blankets...

    Just because they're 14 it doesn't mean you have to stop. In fact, if you get the chance, there might even be a good story to tell.

    why I love this image

    This image tells such a great story for my little family. I love that my son fell asleep with his light on, that tells me he was pretty beat, staying up later than he (and probably I) intended. I love seeing his football cards, all organized in their sleeves and carefully arranged for him to look at and study. I love thinking about this big kid, so happy that I've had the opportunity to watch him grow in to this football loving teen. I love that his white bear from before he was born still has a spot in his room and is perfectly illuminated by the light.

    What everyday things can you document today?

    xo, c

    , , ,

    ordinary everyday | shoes

    , , ,

    I know 14 years is a long time. I get that. But when I look at my oldest it's still crazy to think about how much he's grown. It feels like he was just this young, just this little...and all at the same time it feels like I've known him forever.

    Why do they grow so fast?

    I have to admit...I do love this age. This age where I can talk and relate to them and I know that the memories that we're making now are ones that we will all remember. These are good years. Just full of lots of changes. Changes that I'll forget if I don't start documenting them.

    What's changing fast at your home? Are you making sure that you're telling the story? I had this idea in mind when my big brought home these football cleats - he loved them so much, they were his first orange and black cleats and I wanted to tell the story of how much he loves them. And I was floored at how huge they were. Just like his dad...size 14 shoes at 14 years old.

    xo, c

    home tour | teen boy bedroom reveal

    The last of his bedroom is finally complete. I've been holding onto these 4x4 images from Wendy Bretz for a while and finally got them into the Ikea frames and up on the wall.

    It's been just over a year since we finished my son's Seahawks bedroom. We added in these last few items and now we can say that it's officially complete. To view the fist post about this room, see this post about his teenage boy bedroom reveal on the Carrie Owens Photography blog.

    Resources:

    Thank you for stopping by, I hope you love this room reveal as much as my son does! If you want to get some information on how to begin your own teenage boy room redesign, check out my post on Finding Teen Boy Bedroom Inspiration.

    xo, c

     

     

    finding teen boy bedroom inspiration

    With just a few more finishing touches to add to my oldest son's room I wanted to talk about how we got to where we are now and to give my thoughts on coming up with a plan for a teen boy's bedroom redesign that will get them through those teenage years.

    Last May I wrote a post about how we went about getting a plan together for my son's room redesign and our process and you can see that post here: Teen Boy Bedroom Inspiration. Today I want to talk a bit about putting a plan together for your teenage son's room redesign and the 5 pieces to take to make sure your design works for the long haul. And for all of those kid things that you might need a new home for? Use our trick of getting each kid a color coded large bin for items from their past that they love but don't want or need daily. We store those bins in the basement and out of the kid areas. I'm always asking my kids...what can we do in your room to make your life easier? What would make keeping your room clean easier? What would make mornings easier? What would make falling asleep easier?

    5 pieces to a successful teen bedroom redesign

    one | the sleeping area

    What kind of bed does your son need? My son is tall and when he moved into this room, we knew the bunk bed he had been using needed to go to his little brother. He's still too tall for his twin bed, but he makes it work. What about bedding and pillows? Do you have enough blankets to keep him warm as well as a storage solution for extra blankets for when it's too hot? How about a bedside table for an alarm clock, light and any other important items?
     

    two | storage (clothes + all the "stuff")

    How are you going to store the clothes? What about dirty clothes? Hang up clothes and folded clothes need easy access so that your son can easily put his things away...have a kid who constantly misses the dirty clothes? Ask them what would make things easier for them and make them a part of finding a solution. For every item of furniture that we brought into my son's room, we made sure that it had a storage function as well...he is a kid who likes to keep things, and because I knew that going in we were able to find storage pieces to help conceal some of the "stuff". There are bookshelves and storage shelves and cubbies for him to organize his treasures.
     

    three | study

    Does your son study and do homework in his room? Do you need to accommodate a computer? What about chargers and other devices? There are some great items out there that can charge several devices at once and some great cord management items, a quick google search or trip to your local Target or Ikea will give you lots of ideas. Does your son love art and have a need for the storage and/or display of these items? 
     

    four | display

    What does your son love? This room is his room that he will remember when he's grown and that will be his sanctuary as a teen. You want it to be a place that he loves enough to want to keep clean and the he feels comfortable in. Is he a music lover? A sports lover? What about comic books or super heroes? What can you incorporate into his room to really let his personality shine through? Think about shelving, art, trophies, posters, etc.

     

    five | the finishing touches

    The finishing touches are things like the color scheme of the room and how you tie all of the little pieces from the above parts together. What color paint? What about the furniture...all wood, the white Ikea look, metal or industrial? What about window treatments? Flooring and lighting? Make sure that you have the right amount of lighting in your son's room for general overall lighting all the way to task lighting for desk and bedside needs.

    now what?

    Why am I revisiting my son's room just one year later? The main reason is that I have finally put the last of the finishing touches up and after a year in his space, we needed to look around and really make sure that the space was working for him. Was he having trouble keeping it clean? Was that because of something more than just being 14? Were we missing a key element that would make his life easier? Check back next week for a post with the finished room and links to sources.

    xo, c