The holiday photo guide for moms
I kept my nice camera on auto for years and got photos that were too dark, too blurry or just flat. Three settings fixed almost all of it. Learn it before the tree goes up, so this Christmas you keep the moments you would give anything to get back.
Yes, I want Settings Simplified$17 founding price, one time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
Show Me the Settings$17 founding price, one time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
You bought the nice camera because you wanted the pictures to look like the ones real photographers take.
Then you switched it to auto and got a photo that was too dark. Or blurry. Or flat. So the camera went back in the closet and you picked up your phone, because the phone doesn't argue with you.
The moments you most want to keep are the ones that move. They are exactly what auto mode handles worst. You are a camera person. You just haven't been handed the short version.
Three steps. One evening.
An 11-page PDF is yours right away. Keep it on your phone or print it.
Plain words, a few photos, no math class. Most moms finish in an evening.
Ten minutes with a coffee cup or the dog. Then you are ready for the real thing.
Photo too bright? Raise the f-stop number. Use a faster shutter speed. Lower the ISO.
Photo too dark? Do the opposite. Change one thing at a time, take another shot and see what happens. That is the whole trick.
Yes, I want Settings Simplified$17 founding price, one time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
I have always owned a nice camera. For years it sat on auto.
When my kids were little, I took so many photos. I adore every one of them. But I look back now and I know they could have been so much better. Too dark. A little soft. Their faces just blurry enough to miss.
If I could go back and fix those moments, I would. I can't. But you can still get yours.
So I took every class I could find and practiced on anyone who would hold still. What finally worked was asking three simple questions before every shot. Now I photograph families, seniors, sports and the everyday moments in between. This guide is what I wish someone had handed me back then.
Yes, I Want the Guide$17 founding price, one time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
My method, built into this guide
Three settings do most of the work. Each one comes down to a single question. Ask them in order and the pictures start looking like the ones in your head.
How blurry should the background be? Open it wide for a soft background and a sharp kid. Close it down a little for a group.
Is the photo too dark or too bright? Raise it in a dim room like Christmas morning. Lower it in bright light.
Do I want to freeze this moment or blur it? Go faster for running kids. Slower is fine when they are still.
The house is quiet for about four more minutes. Then the stairs start creaking.
Your kids come around the corner in their pajamas, hair everywhere, and see the tree lit up. You lift the camera you already own, and you know what to do with it.
The photo is sharp. The lights glow. Their faces look the way that moment felt.
They are only this size once. This is the year you get the picture.
How it feels: calm · proud · present · grateful
Yes, I want Settings Simplified$17 founding price, one time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
Nobody tells you this part. In twenty years you won't remember what the tree looked like. You will want to see their faces.
The missing front tooth. The footed pajamas that no longer fit. The way they ripped the paper open, all elbows and joy. Those faces change faster than you think.
A dark, blurry photo does not hold that. A sharp one does. You can put it on the fridge, send it to Grandma and pull it out when they are grown and you miss this.
That is what I want for you. Not a perfect picture. The real one, with your kids in it, looking like themselves.
xo, Maureen
Freeze the action
Smiles that look like them
Every little faceHoliday photos add up fast. A professional portrait session, a mini session, the prints, the retakes when the first batch comes out dark.
$17 is less than one framed print. And you keep what you learn.
Yes, I want Settings Simplified$17 founding price, one time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
| On auto | With Settings Simplified |
|---|---|
| Dark or blurry kid photos | Sharp and bright |
| Guessing at every shot | Three questions, every time |
| Phone comes out for the big moments | The real camera comes out |
| Videos full of jargon | Plain words, 11 pages |
| Camera stays in the closet | Camera lives in your bag |
Founding price
One time. Instant download. Goes up after the holidays.
Any camera with a manual mode, including DSLRs and mirrorless. If you can set the f-stop, shutter speed and ISO, you're set.
No. An entry-level camera with a manual mode works. The three settings are the same on every brand.
Yes. Aperture, ISO and shutter speed mean the same thing on every brand. Menus look different, so keep your camera manual nearby for where to find each one.
That's who I wrote it for. Plain words, a few photos, no math class.
Yes. The starter chart covers kids in the yard, a daytime game, a family group, indoors by a window and a portrait in the shade. Take a test shot and adjust from there.
Yes. Dim rooms are where auto mode struggles most. You will learn which setting to change first, and why. Indoor light usually needs a higher ISO.
Right after you buy, you get the PDF to download. Read it on your phone or print it.
The guide is 11 pages. Read it in one sitting, then spend ten minutes on the "try this tonight" exercise.
No. It's a short guide you can finish in an evening.
Yes. $17 is the founding price. It goes up after the holidays.
The settings that fix most dark, blurry and flat photos fit on one page, and you can learn them tonight.
Your kids will not be this age again. Get the photos while they are here.
One more thing. Moms are almost never in the picture. Hand the camera off once in a while. Your kids will want photos of you too.
Get Settings Simplified for $17
xo, Maureen