by Whitney Taylor, Phone-ography Editor

When I first discovered the Hipstamatic app (for my smartphone) more than a year ago I was in love with the spontaneousness. I have since become more of a control freak. The one good thing about the Hipstamatic app is you have the option to control the film and lens settings or you can let the app pair the film and lens at random. I have a library full of images taken with Hipstamatic, some I love and others not so much.  It just so happens that a majority of the settings I’ve used and love are black and white.  I’m going to share my most loved black and white film/lens settings on Hipstamatic and if you’re a control freak like me you can put these to good use.

All four images taken using the Hipstamatic App using the:  John S Lens, Claunch 72 Monochrome Film, No flash

Bottom two images taken with the Hipstamatic app using the John S Lens, BlacKeys SuperGrain Film, No Flash 

The John lens when paired with one of these two films can give lovely outcomes and works especially well with photographing landscapes. Now I’ve grown to love the black and white options with this app the most, but there are many lovely color options as well. Here is my favorite color combination.

Bottom Left and Right taken with the Hipstamatic app using the John S Lens, Ina’s 1969 Film, No Flash                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Spontaneity can still play a part as you find what you like best through trial and error. There are countless options from the 12 films and 8 lenses avalaible on this app.  The examples above demonstrate how one lens can give three varying results based on the Film chosen.  I hope you all enjoy this app as much as I have.

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ABOUT WHITNEY:

Whitney Taylor graduated from Brigham Young University in Studio Art. She’s a painter who loves to photograph her life and two daughters.  

Being busy with family life, photography becomes her creative outlet most days via Iphoneography and Instagram (MRSWHITTAYLOR). 

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN from Chic Critique! 

“Say Cheeeeeese!”

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CHIC CHEF

Need a super-easy, super-cute, last-minute Halloween treat to impress your crew? Try these:

OWL CUPCAKES

Ingredients:

2 bags of Reeses Pieces

2 packs of Oreo cookies

1 chocolate cake mix

1 container of chocolate frosting

24 cupcake liners

Preparation: 

1. Bake cupcakes according to the directions on the cake mix box

2. Let cupcakes completely cool

3. Frost with chocolate frosting

4. Separate Oreo cookies and add brown Reese’s Pieces for the eyes and orange ones for the nose.

Easy stuff!

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EASY DONUTS

Ingredients:

1 package refrigerator biscuit (10 in pkg.)

Preparation: Preheat oil in deep fryer. Cut centers out of biscuits with a 1 inch cutter. Fry 3 donuts at a time for 1 1/2 minutes; turn and fry 1 1/2 minutes more. Fry donut holes for about 2 minutes, turning once. Drain on absorbent paper. Makes 10 donuts and holes.

GLAZE

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (150 grams) confectioners’ sugar, sifted to remove any lumps.
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (optional)

Preparation: Place the sugar in a medium bowl and slowly stir in the milk and vanilla, a little at a time, to make a smooth pourable glaze.

Enjoy!

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by Jamie Rae, Contributing Editor 

When I first began my photography journey, I was quick to notice the spectacular images that graced the pages of seasoned photographer’s blogs. I loved the glow that some photographers seemed to be able to create behind their subjects. I found out later that this was called backlighting. I knew that this was a technique that would enhance my images, so I dove right into learning! Here are a few tips that I learned along the way.

Practice:  My first piece of advice is to practice, practice, practice! I know this may seem like it should be the last tip in this article, but backlighting is something that you really have to work on if you want consistent results. You can practice on just about anything, whether it is a gorgeous model or an apple hanging from a tree. I remember using flowers- anything works as long as you have your light behind your subject. When I first started, my results were not that impressive. It can be easy to get discouraged, but in time you will see results.

Shooting in Manual:  I highly recommend that any photographer begin to shoot in manual as soon as they can!  This will not only help with your backlighting, but it will also cement your understanding of proper exposure. When shooting, you will want to expose for your subjects face. With the light coming from behind your subject, the sky will be blown out (white), but that is ok! We are after gorgeous skin tones and that sweet ring of light around your subject.

Lighting: You will also want to consider the time of day you are choosing to shoot in. For  soft backlighting, I typically will shoot in the last hours of the day, or in the first hours of light if you are energetic enough for it!  When back lighting in the middle of the day, the sunlight will be very harsh, and you will need to find a way to significantly block the harsh sun (such as a grove of trees or row of houses).

Positioning: In order to achieve that proper halo around your subject, the light will need to be slightly blocked in some way. I have used everything from blackberry bushes to cement walls to rolling hills to sand dunes. You can also have your subject block the light. Below, you will find an example of when I repositioned my subject slightly so that her upper body was blocking the sun.

Pretty backlight coming over sand dunes:

Get Creative: Once you feel comfortable with backlighting your subject, you can start getting creative with sun flare. Sun flare is a refraction of light coming through the glass lens and can occur when shooting directly into the sun.  This can be seen as haze (below), or an actual flare of light. Depending on style, some photographers will embrace sun flare, while others avoid it by using a lens hood and ensuring their light source is properly blocked.

Practice! My last tip, again, is to practice! If done well, backlighting will propel your images into a whole new level of beauty. You will start to become known for your ability to harness light and create that gorgeous glow.

ABOUT JAMIE:
Jamie Rae is a natural light photographer in Portland, Oregon.
She loves helping women tell their unique story of beauty through photographs and does so through portrait and wedding photography.
She lives for learning, lovely light, and the occasional daily chocolate.
website | blog | facebook

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It’s family photo season and we thought you could use a little inspiration…

{image via Simplicity Photography}

{image via Tim Will}

{image via Ryan Ray}

{image via Simplicity Photography}

{image via Kristen Duke}

{image via Amelia Lyon}

{image via Blue Lily Photography}

{image via Ashlee Raubach}

{image via Bellini}

{image via YanPhoto}

{image via Aaron Blumenshine}

{image via Tyler Branch}

{image via Sloan Photographers}

{image via Tara Whitney}

{image via France Photography}

{image via Jean Smith}

{image via Blue Lily Photography}

{image via Photo Bliss}

{image via Rebekah Westover}

{image via Liz Labianca}

{image via Raye Law}

{image via bobbi+mike}

{image via Anna Hollister}

{image via Sarah Rhoads}

{image via Blue Lily Photography}

{image via Ashlee Raubach}

{image via Jean Smith}

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Chic Critique now features “Celebrity Secrets Revealed LIVE” every month with one rockstar photographer!

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by Kelli France | Editor-in-Chief

In the words of author, Danielle Laporte:

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Welcome everyone to week 43 of our Glimpses 52 Project!

Read all the details for the Glimpses project here.

Check out this Glimpse from Sharon Surman Photography:

ENTER YOUR “GLIMPSE” FOR THIS WEEK BY CLICKING ON THE FROG BELOW:

Don’t forget to leave a comment on the other entries because that is half the fun! Also, submit your photo early since those seem to be the ones who receive the most comments.

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