Win a free photo shoot for you and a friend

With Christmas just around the corner, I am feeling very generous, and have decided to give away not ONE but TWO photo shoots. That's right. TWO. One for you. And one for your best friend, or your granny, or your sister. Whoever... but you both have to take part... it's so easy....

This is how it works:
1. Go along and 'Like' the Taryn van Rensburg Photography Facebook page, if you haven't done so already.
2. Come back and tell me here that you have liked my page (even if you ALREADY liked it), and WHO SENT YOU, under the comment section of this post on my blog (if you sent yourself, and you're a nice friend, you could nominate a friend as the person "who sent you").

Additional entries:
1. Tweet the link to this competition on your Twitter page.
2. Post the link to this competition on your Facebook page. 
3. Blog the link to this competition on your blog.
4. Like the link to this competition on my Facebook page.

For every additional entry, remember to come back and post a comment telling me what you did! That gives you up to 5 entries... making it even easier to win. Plus, if your friend nominates you, that'll give you... oh, I dunno... LOTS of entries!!

The prizes:
One person will win a free photo shoot, plus the CD of a minimum of 20 custom edited high res images.
PLUS
The "person who sent them" will ALSO win a free photo shoot, plus the CD of a minimum of 20 custom editted high res images.

Rules:
1. The prize is valid for 3 months (expires end February), and is for a maternity, newborn, child, couple or family shoot only (maximum of  two adults, and three children, thereafter a fee per person will be implemented).
2. The shoot is between 1-2 hours in duration, and winners will be required to travel to my studio (Ballito) at their own expense to take advantage of the prize.
3. The prize cannot be exchanged for cash.
4. Additional entries are just that: additional chances to win, but are not a pre requisite for entry.
5. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
6. Please be nice. Any nasty comments or the like will be immediately removed, and your entry disqualified.
7. The competition runs until 30 November 2011. Competition winners will announced 02 December. Please check back on the blog to see if you're a winner. You will be required to email me in person within 48 hours of prize winners being announced, to claim your prize, or the prize will be forfeited.
8. Winners must 'like' the Taryn van Rensburg Photography on Facebook to qualify for the competition, including the 'person who sent you' (if they're simply nominated).
9. Should the prize winner have booked and paid for a photo shoot during this competition (the month of November), and provided the photo shoot was/ is due to take place before the end of February, their money will be refunded in full, so that they can take advantage of their prize in full.
10. The winner will be selected by random.org. The second prize winner will be the "person they sent"- this must show under comments, or the second prize is forfeited.

{Toddlers} - Child Photography Durban Ballito

I took this little girls first professional photos. It was a privilege then, and is a privilege again to take photographs of this very special family.

It was a baker of a day, and we were running around trying to catch open shade wherever we could. Little {A} was really quite obliging... and it paid off.

Hope you like your sneak peak, my special friends.

{Grungy Girls} - Child Newborn Maternity Photographer Durban Ballito

Seriously, there is nothing that makes me happier than some broken down walls, old machines, and pretty girls. What a combination!

These gals, and their folks and I had lots of fun. At one stage, I got so excited with all these great colours (rusted red, bright worn blue), that I, literally, fell on my... er... bottom! It was quite the laugh.

I do really enjoy photographing children. And ore than anything, we get to have so much fun. And this is how I believe photoshoots should be: fun! None of that yes and no nonsense! For the kids, it's their chance to shine (and take advantage of their parents while the photographer lets them get away with just about anything!). It's worth it in the end.

Special family. Great photographs. Happy photographer.

I hope you enjoy your sneak peak.

Tip #1: Ornaments are for the mantelpiece

Here's the thing about your camera: it's not an ornament. It's a piece of equipment! It was designed for use, not display.

It’s kinda like a motor vehicle. Now bear with me here. Last year, my mother-in-law passed away. My husband was left in charge of wrapping up her estate. Part of that, was her vehicle. So, of course, we sold it, so that the money could go into the estate (why, afterall, would two of us need three vehicles?). My son was distraught! When I asked him why, he told me that he was upset I wasn’t keeping the car for him. He’s, ahem, seven. Yes. Seven.

So, I explained to him: you can’t have a vehicle just sitting around. It’s gotta be driven. That’s what it was designed for.

You have to drive you camera. Regularly. There is no other way to improve your skill. You can study every book, every course, and be the best “Photoshopper” in the world. But if you are not regularly picking up your camera, you will only ever be an average photographer.

This is in part my MO behind my new blog (I am a serious blogging addict, because I have another blog as well, about my journey with my Trisomy 18 daughter, who passed away this year, at the age of 16 months). You see, I am challenging myself to take a picture everyday. I have pinned it under the title of “joy” (further challenging myself): but perhaps for you it’s as simple as just taking a photo every day. Or maybe just one a week.

Then, and this is as important: look at your pictures. What do you like? What don’t you like? How could that picture have been better? Is there something distracting in the picture that you could’ve omitted out to have made it better, like a pole sticking out your daughters head?

What regular picture-taking will also do, above making you more mindful of your skill of taking pictures, is that it will make you more familiar with your camera (more about that in another weeks tip). If you drove you car once (yes, back with the vehicle analogy), would that make you a good driver? No. You know how after you’ve been driving for years, you don’t have to think about ABC (which side again was the clutch?), or gears (is reverse up or down?), it simply comes naturally. So it is with your camera.

You must pick up your camera. Regularly. Promise to take a picture. Today. Go on... go on... do it NOW.. look, if you’re still reading this, I’m not sure if it’s sunk in properly :)

Happy snapping until next week.....