How to take pictures like a professional

Back when Rachael was three and Rebecca was one, the three of us were featured in a local newspaper article about doing sign language with your babies.

A photographer came to the house to do a photo shoot, which I thought was really fun.

The way he took the pictures really stuck with me, as it's so different from how schmucks like you and me probably do it.

For example, first he had the three of us sit in the living room, with me holding a book and a girl on each side of me, and he asked me read to them. Then -- click click click click click click! He probably took at least fifteen pictures of us in that position.

Then he had us sitting so that Rachael and I were both signing "more" for Rebecca. Same thing -- click click click click click click click!

And so on.

I'm guessing he had taken at least 40 or 50 pictures when he left here.

And guess how many photos were in the paper? One. And it was a really good picture.

I think we schmucks should take a lesson from that. I love looking at people's pictures, but always get mildly annoyed when I see an album (or a pile of pictures, or a blog) that have eight or ten pictures of almost the exact same thing.

Or when people say, "Here's pictures of my trip/baby/whatever" and give you fifty pictures. Don't make me wade through everything! Pick out the best key shots and then show them to people.

Or the worst is when some of the pictures are fuzzy, off-center, or capture people with a weird facial expression.


You will not go to hell for throwing away photos that came out badly.