Need advice on lighting? Anna is your lady! You can see her collection of #cm_heart3 photos on Instagram but you'll notice a theme...all her lighting techniques are spot on! 

When featured, Anna, said "Thank you very much for your interest in my work, I am very pleased! Almost all the images in this collection are made using artificial light. I used a flash and a white umbrella for the light. The light was positioned at an angle of 45 and 90 degrees with respect to the model. In some photos, only natural light is used (photos in the crib and photos by the window)"

See her full photo here! 

Our tipster of the week, Kennon, does so many things well, but she really excels when it comes to her black and white photos. Here's her tip for this week. "Thank you Rebecca & @camera_mama friends!
I love shooting in late afternoon directional light & then I deepen contrast in post with a dramatic S-curve.
I shot this with my new Canon R5. This shoot was my first with my one and only RF lens. It’s a 50mm 1.8. Sending love ♥" 

Still perfecting your black and white photos? Head over to her Instagram to grab some inspiration! 

The artist of this shot, Robyn, said "Thank you so much for the feature! I am so honored! I actually had the hearts taped to the window ahead of time and brought in my grandson and asked him to take this particular heart off and put it back up. I shot it from the side to get the light on his face.  I used my 5D Mark IV with my Canon 28 - 70."

Check out the full photo here! 

The artist of this shot, Amanda, said "@camera_mama thank you so so much! Such an honor!

I always take portraits of my kids for their birthdays. This was my oldest’s fifth birthday and our birthdays are a day apart. As I went to pull out my camera for his birthday portrait, I decided last minute to jump in with him. I asked him if this year for his birthday photo he would just hug me and hang out with me and talk for a few minutes since it was my birthday too and that’s one of my favorite things to do. I caught a real moment for a big birthday milestone and though I don’t get in the frame with the kids often, it has become one of my favorites in our family collection. Thank you again for the feature ." 

I think we all could use the reminder to get in the frame and what a fun tradition Amanda. Thanks for sharing! 

Click HERE for the full shot! 

The artist of this shot, Nichole, said, “Thank/you so much @camera_mama!!!! I loved this set because we stumbled upon this laundromat when walking back to our car from a family event in a small town in Texas. It almost felt like an abandoned laundromat and the kids went in to explore. I’m always trying to capture candid moments, esp when in such a cool vintage spot like this! It just so happened that my niece Caroline had on such a fun outfit and those boots! I really had fun editing these as the light was beautiful at that time!”

The artist behind this shot, Julie, said “Awe wow thank you for the feature and Happy New Year!! Actually no overlays were used! They used biodegradable paper confetti to blow from their hands. And the small light spots scattered around them were created with the radial filter tool in Lightroom…just to make it a little extra!”

The artist of this shot, Krystal, said “Thank you so much for this feature and kind words! This was taken in my corner of the garage I transform into a mini studio. I used a Savage seamless backdrop and the Halloween webs as my snow on the ground! I added a few flurries in Photoshop as well!” Krystal said in her original post that she used her #mirrorless #canonR5 and a #Tamron35mm lens. Check out her Insta for tons of *magical* shots and inspo!

I’m so excited to share with you a Q&A with Meg Loeks, known and loved by thousands on Instagram as @meg_nlo. Her beautiful photos have captured the hearts of so many, including me, and it is so fun to get to know her a little better! I just love the wonderful Camera Mama community! Thank you Meg for so generously opening up about your life and photography, you are amazing and inspiring!

Q&A with Meg

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself…your family, where you grew up, what your interests outside of photography are…?

Born and raised in Michigan. I grew up in a rural area just outside a small farming town. I met my husband in college about 12 years ago. We have been married for almost 7 years now and have 3 little boys: Leo (Leonidas) – Age 4, Woody (Woodrow) – Age 2, Archie (Archer) – 7 months. We purchased an old farmhouse last year and have been renovating it since. I love the character of the home, and the meadows and woods...

What a treat to get to learn more about Laura Penley, known on Instagram by thousands as @lauraslensonlife, and get some amazing advice from her! I have been so inspired by her vision and her way of reaching across the web and making me feel like we are friends in real life! I am sure so many of you who already follow her feel the same way. Thank you Laura for sharing here!

Meet Laura

I was born and raised on a farm in Central Indiana and loved the country life.  My curiosity, however, was too great to keep me contained by a rural lifestyle. Following college, I made a move to New York City to work as an Operations Manager at Tiffany & Co.  After about a year, I transferred to the Chicago flagship location so that I could be closer to my family.  While I’m a country girl at heart, I fell in love with city life and eventually with a city boy.  The two of us have been blessed with a pair of beautiful brothers and reside on the north...