Jesh De Rox \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'beloved Family Field Guide\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

And, if you shoot professionally, sessions tend to be shorter since everyone wants to get back inside as quickly as possible. Nichole's seven digital self-paced workshops are a steal at under $50 each (with a hefty discount for purchasing a bundle) and explain well how to shoot well in any conditions. Going through them over the cold winter months and embracing her philosophy of taking advantage of the unique conditions winter presents will allow you to emerge a better photographer when the flowers start to bloom. 3: Focus on Capturing Real LifeWhen you are shooting all the time it's easy to get caught up on getting "the" shot. Months spent indoors in the perfect time to focus on working on capturing real life and real emotion. If you are a Momtographer or a pro practicing capturing your own family's stories and emotions will add an enormous amount of value to your photos. Davina Fear, a family counselor turned photographer created the concept of Familyness (family + happiness) to create a storytelling approach to photography that is just as applicable to Momtographers as it is to professionals trying to tell their clients' stories. Her completely free eBook, The Art of Familyness Photos, is a great introduction to Familyness. Davina also offers Familyness workshops for those wanting to learn more. The Beloved Collective was founded by Jesh DeRox, a photographer with a background in psychology. The Beloved technique focuses on evoking true emotion by progressing through a series of invitations starting with the silly and working up to evoking deeper emotion. The Family Field Guide is an excellent introduction to Beloved which can be used with your own family during the winter. An online training and additional guides are available for those wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the technique. For professionals, Laura Seibert from Eyesmiles Photography's book Get Real has several techniques for capturing real emotion and posing ideas to covey closeness. If business is slow this time of year, it's a perfect time to study up and practice and friends and family. 4: Master Low-Light ShootingWith dreary days and darkness falling early in the winter, this is the perfect time to work on your low-light photography skills. A fast lens with a low f-stop (such as f/1.4 or f/1.8) can help you get the pictures you want. Nikon and Canon both make 50mm f/1.8 lenses for around $100.00 For those wanting good low-light lenses on a budget, Sigma makes sharp 50mm, 85mm, and 35mm lenses. In fact, some think that the Sigma 50mm 1.4 lens outperforms its name-brand counterparts. Being able to shoot with a large aperture can transform your low-light photography and help you get closer to the photos you want. A tripod can also help you get great shots with the settings you need to get great images in low light. A Joby Gorillapod at around $100 is one of the most versatile tripods on the market since it can be bent to be placed just about anywhere and it's small enough to pack in a camera bag once you start venturing out again. Adorama recently released a new line of 3Pod tripods. One of the most versatile in the line is the P4CFH 8X, which folds completely flat making it easy to take or store just about anywhere while being strong enough to handle over 28 pounds of equipment. Essential for those photographing kids, it's easy to adjust on the fly. This gear and your new-found skills will take you into the spring and beyond as you spend more nights outdoors.

Jesh De Rox \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'beloved Family Field Guide\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\