5 Simple Tips for Taking Your Kids' BEST Spring Portraits {+ A Collage.com Canvas Review + Giveaway Hop}

Welcome to the April Showers Giveaway Hop hosted by Review Wire Media and Chatty Patty's Place.

From now through April 29th, hop along to all participating blogs for your chance to win a great variety of family friendly giveaways! Good luck and happy hopping!!!

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**Product received for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

Springtime is here! Between the warmer weather and the new signs of life popping up everywhere, it is a great time to get outside and take new pictures of the kiddos! But, how do you get the best pictures of your kids if you aren't able to go to the pros? Today, I'm sharing my top 5 simple tips!

• Get to know your camera. While I certainly recommend a DSLR (or at the very least something aside from a simple camera phone), you'll need to get to know your camera regardless. If you are using a DSLR or a camera that likewise gives you the option- learning to shoot in manual is a MUST. This gives you full control over your aperture, shutter speed, white balance and more and usually leads to better images--- if you've taken the time to learn how to use it properly! This post isn't going to break that down for you, but you can do a quick search or check out your owner's manual. If you do not have that option or don't feel comfortable using manual, just get to know the settings that ARE available to you and when and how to best use those.
• Say goodbye flash. I hate using a flash in my photos. They tend to create unnatural colors and harsh shadows that just aren't flattering. Of course, there are some situations in which it might be necessary (and for that I recommend a LightScoop to bounce your flash and eliminate some of those harsh lights and shadows), but the beauty of spring is found outside, so take advantage of natural light instead!! 
• Cloudy days are GOOD! We often think that sunshine is necessary for the better images, but the reality is an overcast day can actually be even better! Direct sunlight again can cause harsh shadows and isn't all that flattering. Meanwhile, when it's overcast or you're in a shaded area, you still tend to have plenty of natural light, but it's not quite so harsh.
• Mind your backgrounds. Backgrounds can make or break your image so watch out for any unsightly background images that will distract from your child. I like going to parks and other areas where there is a lot of green/nature around, but if not possible, just try to get closer and focus in on that adorable face! 
• Get on their level. When I am taking photos, you will often find me in all kinds of strange positions... kneeling, laying on the ground, balancing in precarious situations... whatever it takes to get the right angle. Now, while shooting from above can actually be quite flattering and slimming for us... shooting at our kids level can create beautiful, more natural images. Those images where my kids are sitting on the ground and I'm shooting from their level? Those happen to be some of my very favorites.

Now that you know HOW to get the photos taken... what do you do next? Well, DISPLAY them, of course! For that, Collage.com has you covered.

Collage.com offers a wide variety of photo products that allows you to display your favorite photos YOUR way! Collage.com offers more than 50 different products to choose from with more being added all the time. From photo blankets and photo books to photo mugs and more... they truly have it all. But my favorite way to display my favorite photos of my children? Canvas prints! I was recently given the chance to try a Collage.com gallery wrap for myself and share my experience with you.

So... how does it work?

1. Pick your product. As I mentioned, there are over 50 available photo products to choose from, so choose the one you like best. For myself, I chose a 16 x 20 canvas. This is a good size canvas, but there are a wide variety of sizes both bigger and smaller you can choose from as well. Choose the size that best fits the look you hope to accomplish.
2. Customize it. Now it's time to upload your image and make it your own. For best results (and especially for those larger prints as I ordered), you'll want to make sure you're uploading a high resolution image. For my project, it was as simple as uploading. They gave me a preview of how my canvas would look before I checked out, so I knew just what to expect. This is great, as we know that with the canvas wrap you do lose a little bit of the outside edges of your images too. Depending on the product you choose and/or the look you want, you can also add more images and text to truly make your project your own. The whole process was very user-friendly and easy to figure out even for a beginner! 
3. Order and display. Once you are satisfied with the preview of your product, place your order and wait for it to arrive. All products are printed in the USA and delivered to your door for you to love. As can be expected with custom products such as these, there is a small wait... but I found it to be very reasonable considering. I believe I had the canvas in hand about 7-10 days after placing my order... not bad at all for a custom print! Hang your finished project and enjoy--- if it doesn't turn out just right, the Just Right Satisfaction Guarantee will take care of it. 

The process of creating my canvas was simple... but how was the quality? Absolutely gorgeous. Truly it felt just like something I'd have gotten from a professional photographer... but at a fraction of the cost. The printing is flawless and the quality is fantastic. It comes packaged carefully and ready to hang straight out of the box. I am so happy with the results and find myself wanting to order more canvases in all sizes to display through the rest of my house! It's the perfect way to show off those new spring portraits in my home!



Want to start creating your own, or learn more about the other products available? Visit Collage.com to get started.


And one very lucky winner is going to win a 16x20 Canvas Print ($106 value) for themselves. Enter using the giveaway form below:

Entry-Form

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