Capturing Every Day Life

As a mom, I know what it’s like to want to be able to take really nice photographs of your children. Perhaps you regret the lack of photos from your own childhood or maybe you fear that you won’t remember all of those little special moments: the way they once wrinkled their nose or hugged their sibling’s head. Any way you cut it, you desire to hang on to as many memories of your child as you can.

As a wedding photographer myself, I know it can be really hard to create and capture a really great photo that people will want to look at. Frequently my husband and I are asked for tips, information and tricks on how to create a better photograph. When I was offered a copy of Capturing Every Day Life for review, I was curious to pick it up and see what sort of advice author and photographer Jane Goodrich had to offer.

Capturing Every Day Life is a short, practical and easy-to-understand guide on how you can improve your personal photographs. I love that Goodrich gets that it’s hard to figure out what kind of camera you might need or the confusion over aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The terms alone can be confusing and trying to set your camera into the perfect alignment to create those beautiful shots you see on photographers’ websites can be a daunting task. Goodrich takes things step-by-step and offers only a paragraph or two of straightforward information to use to better understand your camera. She offers pointers from what angle you might consider shooting from, what time of day you should consider shooting outdoors for best lighting, among other helpful tips.

Most appreciated, Goodrich isn’t condescending in her explanations. She comes across as merely wanting to encourage the parent photographer to keep practicing so as to improve their work for their own enjoyment and benefit. This book is kindly meant and kindly received. I think it’s a very handy guide and have no hesitations in recommending it to a budding mom photographer who wants to go about making and capturing memories with her kids. This book is a winner!

Jane Goodrich also offered to make one of YOU a winner! Would you like to win a copy of this book? Simply leave a comment below. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway is closed.

• The winner of Courting Greta is #1, Jenna

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Carrie blogs about books and life over at Reading to Know. She and her husband Jonathan also operate Blue Castle Photography, which is named after one of Carrie’s favorite books.