l. The organizational tools in Lightroom help me stay sane, and the masking tools are continually improving with each update. But enough of me singing its praises. Let me SHOW you some of the lesser known features that I adore! Here are 3 Lightroom hacks I bet you didn't know!

For the month of September we will be challenging ourselves to capture the five senses in our p52. Have you ever focused primarily on the senses when taking pictures?

First up, is touch. What do you think of when you think of the sense of touch? Of course, there's the literal interpretation of hands. Another big one that always comes to mind is incorporating textures to add a feeling of touch to your images.

See how the p52 participants tackled this theme in week 36 of our project.

xo Angie

While mini sessions can be challenging, they’re also one of the best ways to book clients in bulk, generate a buzz, and yes, make more money in less time. The trick is knowing how to make them work for you, instead of running yourself into the ground. Let’s talk about a few key tips to get you started.

Colour is one of the most powerful tools in photography. Colour can evoke emotions, tell stories, and transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary. Each month we explore the beauty of a different colour as it appears in the world around us. Whether that’s finding the colour in nature, around the house or setting up a scene with colourful props and clothing.

“During the darkest indigo midnight, yet will countless starts blossom” - Dr Sunwolf

This month our colour was indigo, a serene, captivating colour with a sense of mystery. Enjoy looking through all the different images we have created using this colour. 

The goal of the August Lensbaby Challenge was simple: get out and shoot more. For some, this meant taking daily photos with their Lensbaby lenses, while for others, it was about picking up their gear more frequently than usual. The challenge provided the perfect opportunity for us to dive deep into our creative process while also refining our technical skills. Below is some of the beautiful work shared by artists who participated in the challenge! Get ready to be inspired!

For the month of September we will be challenging ourselves to capture the five senses in our p52. Have you ever focused primarily on the senses when taking pictures?

First up, is touch. What do you think of when you think of the sense of touch? Of course, there's the literal interpretation of hands. Another big one that always comes to mind is incorporating textures to add a feeling of touch to your images.

See how the p52 participants tackled this theme in week 36 of our project.

xo Angie

In 2024 I have been completing my third P52. I absolutely love the weekly challenges and it sure keeps me motivated, as this year has been my hardest so far for inspiration. In this piece I will be writing about what to do when inspiration dries up, AKA you hit a slump.

We finished up our Time O'Clock theme last week in our p52 with our final time of 8:00 p.m. What an interesting change from bright, harsh light to golden and low light.

We're shifting gears to a new theme in September, but before we do that, let's take a moment to appreciate some of the beautiful work from the participants during week 35 of our project.

xo Angie

We focused on the 3:00 hour for our Time O'Clock theme in our p52 last week. Some people chose to do a light study for the entire month, taking a picture at the same spot each time, and it's been interesting seeing how the light changes.

Check out a small sampling of how the participants tackled week 34.

xo Angie

Armed with this plus the ever present frustration at the rubbish annual offering provided from the school portrait photographer let’s take matters into our own hands! Here are my top tips for documenting the start of the brand new school year.

We continued with our Time O'Clock theme last week, focusing on the noon hour. The general consensus was that this time was easier than the early hour of 8:00 am, even with the harsh full sun.

Look at the variety of images by the p52 participants. I always feel a surge of inspiration looking through the weekly photos, and I hope you do too,

xo Angie

I want to share 10 “Baby’s First Year” photo ideas for moms who are expecting or have a little one that are under one year old. I know there are 12 photos in this post, but two of them are showing how I cycle back to ideas to showcase everyone growing up in those early years.

For the month of August we will be focusing on taking pictures at specific times of the day. This forces us to stretch our creative muscles and experiment with light we may not normally use. There are no rules other than taking a picture during that specified hour of the day, any genre, any style, any subject, any location, the choice is completely in the hands of the participants.

We started with the 8 a.m. hour, which was received by a lot of grumbling for having to wake up early. Despite these protests, though, everyone managed to create such beautiful images. Take a look at a small sampling of week 32.

xo Angie

Photography On Your Travels

Hi, I’m Abi, a photographer and photography mentor from the UK - this means I will be using the term holiday rather than vacation throughout this blog! I have always loved having my next holiday, big or small, lined up to look forward to and long before I knew anything technical about photography would enjoy taking my camera with me and capturing the sights. My travel plans have had to adapt somewhat since having children, but in the past I have toured India, Nepal and New Zealand and I’ve visited many other places. One day I will get back to ticking things off my bucket list, but for now I make the most of what we can do during this phase. In this blog, I’m going to share a my top tips for photography on your travels, whether it’s a day trip to somewhere nearby, or a once-in-a-lifetime dream holiday!

We ended our genre sampling month with macro. For some of us, this was a stretch, not having a macro lens and making do with creative techniques such as reverse freelensing or whatever lens we had available. For others, this was their sweet spot.

No matter where the participants landed with this genre, you definitely can't tell because everyone brought their A game!

As everyone was sharing their end-of-the-month collages and reflecting back on the themes, it was nice to hear the feedback that despite their initial hesitation heading into the genre sampling month, they surprised themselves - either by falling in love with a new genre or how they were able to create something they wouldn't have otherwise without the push. If we aren't pushing ourselves, we aren't allowing room for growth.

Before we head into a new month of themes, let's first take a look at the beauties from week 31.

xo Angie

Hi everyone! My name is Becky Wilde. I’m a hobbyist photographer and I enjoy taking photos of anything outdoors in nature. I picked up a camera during Covid and have been creating ever since. My husband and I moved from Indianapolis, Indiana to Grand Haven, Michigan in May 2023. I quickly became obsessed with photographing the local lighthouse to the point where some other photographers lovingly nicknamed me “Lighthouse Becky”. Look at her though, isn’t she a beauty?

Next up in our month of genre sampling was portraits. Portraits seem like an easy week since isn't that how we all start out in photography - taking pictures of people? Our p52 group is so diverse, though, that a big percentage of us never point our camera at people, instead preferring nature as our subjects. You'll see some kept this theme going and opted to use animals as subjects instead.

Since we are only focusing on the genre for a single week this year, we didn't dive deep into portraits, allowing the participant to choose which style of portraiture they wanted to focus on instead. You'll see a range from traditional to environmental to conceptual and even veering into the scary waters of (gasp) self portraits.

Which style of portraiture is your favorite? Which one do you struggle with the most?

Enjoy the variety of portraits from week 30!

xo Angie

Capturing stunning photographs in full sunlight can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Whether you're shooting people enjoying a sunny day on the beach or breathtaking sights out in nature, such as flowers and landscapes, the harsh light of the sun presents both opportunities and obstacles. Here are some valuable tips on embracing full sun photography and elevate your photography game under these bright conditions.

We continued our month of genre sampling last week with the theme of street photography. Some of us questioned the ethical aspect of taking someone's picture without their consent while others wondered if people needed to be included for it to be considered street photography. Since this is just a taste of new genres, we don't get overly technical - although I highly recommend studying the genre in more detail if it's something you're interested in pursuing further.

See for yourself how the participants did tackling a genre they are unfamiliar with. Going out of our comfort zones is so important in growing and developing our own personal style. Plus, you might just discover your next great photography love.

xo Angie