Trip to the Village of Embera Puru :: Photojournalism Tips for Moms :: Mamatography Photo Workshops

Happy Earth Day : ) For this post I'd like to share my photos from last weekend's adventure to Embera Puru, a Native village here in the jungles of Panama. Home to some of the nicest people on EARTH!

Many months ago, I had a pleasant encounter with an Embera family on the banks of the Canal. I snapped a few pics of them, as they were happy to, but I knew that there was a greater, more colorful experience lying up river amongst their many villages. I've been making a vigorous effort to take advantage of my surroundings here and most of all, the people. The native culture amongst me is so greatly intertwined with the modern happenings in Panama. There are multiple native groups, the most prominent in my area of Panama City are the Embera, Kuna and  Ngöbe-Buglé peoples. My daughter's teacher is a lovely, Kuna lady who I adore, named Teacher Dady (a little confusing at first to my American daughter ; ) She is from a very popular group of islands called San Blas. These are amongst the most beautiful in all the Caribbean sea. I've yet to get there but it's next on my list!

What's so great about the Embera villages for me, is that they offer a unique photographic experience relatively close to home here in Panama City. A friend of mine recommended Embera Village Tours as they provide a very authentic version of a tourist's excursion. 

In the Mamatography Photo Sharing and Critique group, this week, I assigned "Natives" as our weekly shoot topic. I wanted to give this one my all!

The Journey to Embera Puru: Fredrico carried some supplies I wanted to donate. "Amor" was our captain.
When we arrived, what a welcome it was!

This trip took around 1 hour by van to a lush, green, hilly bank just east of the Panama Canal. Driving through the many towns north of the city is a pretty common site. It's hard to imagine what we would soon find on our journey. Suddenly, the earth just opened up! And there were these dug out canoes and colorful Embera men there to greet us. *A couple funny side notes: Our guide contacted them by cell phone which they can access by climbing the hills in the village to notify them to jump in the motorized canoes to meet the tourists at the shore "ramp". Knowing these things did not take away from the experience one bit! In fact, my bottom is utterly grateful that I only had to sit on that piece of ply wood in the canoe for an hour and a half compared to, if rowed, could've taken a full day or more!  

I brought just about ALL of my gear on this trip because I didn't have Safi with me, this time! It was important to me to really focus on capturing the essence of the experience and leaving the diapers and crankiness at home. I used both my camera bodies this day because on one I had my 17-55mm Wide angle, zoom lens for landscapes and on my new camera my 50mm normal/portrait lens to capture faces, details and HD video of the village. I put everything to use! Important to mention that I brought a large raincoat with me to throw over my gear on the boat trip. Luckily, I didn't need to use it as we're on the edge of dry to rainy season.

View from my canoe on Rio San Juan de Pequeni

This trip was a much needed escape from the awful realities that had been LITERALLY exploding back home and seeing it all here on CNN. When I stepped off that canoe and walked up the hill of musicians, my camera holding hands shook with joy! 

My eyes filled with tears as I marveled in the faces of chubby cheeked children and their bare breasted mothers. It was all just so beautiful, like I was meant to go there all this time.

I immediately locked eyes with little Leila. She's 1 of 3 daughters of my new friend, Silvania. Whom, greeted me in English. I was shocked! Most everyday people in Panama, even in the city, do not speak English. That's just the way it is. But here was this native girl, giving up on my bad Spanish, and communicating in MY language.

Silvania is a storybook in herself. She's just 20 years old, a mother of 3 and working towards going to college in the city to perfect her English to show visitors like me, where she lives. What was especially interesting about her, is that she is not actually an Embera. She is from the Ngöbe-Buglé culture generally located in the more Western side of Panama. She met her husband (I still have to get the scoop how) who is from the Embera tribe, and brought her to his village where they are raising their beautiful children together. The elder women, including her mother-in-law, help her care for her girls as well since her family is on the other side of the country. 

I gave Silvania the goods that I brought for little girls. I could laugh at my self because I brought them these fancy sandals from Nordstroms and all the kids were barefoot! Just the way kids should be. One little one got a kick out of a pair of sunglasses Safi never took to. 

She and all the Emberas were so warm and kind. Men and women alike. The little girls whom were big sisters, really amazed me. They were little mothers themselves, filled with affection for their baby siblings.

Another baby's treasure!

Leila being sneaky with the big girls.
The cloths shown hanging on the line and on the female Emberas, are designed by them. However modern technology has enabled them to sketch their designs and then deliver them to the city where they are then EMAILED to Japan, printed and shipped back for them to wear, sell and enjoy!

Beautiful goods, handmade by the Emberas

Silvania coiling a traditional basket made from hand died, palm fibers.

"Angelina"
as our guide Dave said, she's never seen a camera before ; )

Lunch! We were fed a fresh feast of Tilapia, which was caught in transit, with Patacones (fried Plantains)
in a leave sleeve. 

Mom splitting up a snack. Keeping the peace amongst little villagers! 

If you have the chance to take the simplest of excursions in which you can capture a native group, do it! Even if they too are adjusting to the modern world, they choose to stay removed from it. This makes for an intriguing VISUAL STORY in the style of "Photojournalism". Even in your day to day lives, when you're taking pictures, attempt to tell a story. Take more than one picture of the same thing or person on a particular day or at a special place. Remember every moment of a unique experience through multiple unique images.

On this day, I truly was a kid in a candy store. One just couldn't take a bad photo of these lovely people! I can't wait to return, next time with Safi. We're going to have a sleep over with Silvania and her girls. Should be intersting to see how Safi fares a day with out the iPad! Silvania says SHE can't wait to go to the city in July and catch up on TV. Though, her kids say to her "Mami, I don't like TV". Bless their little Embera hearts!

Happy Snapping, Vicky

Using Photoshop CS6: The "Content Aware" Feature

Recently, I had the pleasure of capturing some of my Panama Mama friends for my next book, the Mamatography™ Capture Calendar.

This colorful pic was just so full of life and joy! BUT WAIT! There's a pole in Olga's head : (

A common question that I get asked is "How do I remove a ________ from a photo?". How you ask? With the NIFTY Content Aware feature available in Photoshop CS6!

If you have just a little bit of know how about Photoshop (using it's tools, and specifically it's Selection Tools) then you can manage to remove an unwanted object by means of Content Aware deletion.

So first off, open up your picture file and duplicate the original layer by dragging it to the little page icon on the bottom right of the layers pallet. ALWAYS DO THIS! With any project.

Next, I used the Polygonal lasso tool to make a general selection of the pole behind her head. You will see "Marching Ants" where you have made your selection.

I prefer to add a bit of "feathering" to my selection areas for a more natural result. I feathered my selection by a radius of 20 pixels. Click OK.

With the area selected, simply click delete and the below option will appear. Click OK.

See the "Marching Ants" in the image below.

Next, it's time to perfect your retouching skills by adding some reality to the deleted area.

What I noticed about my background is that it had a TON of bokeh (that lit, circular effect that is a result of shallow depth of field by using a WIDE aperture on your lens).

This was going to make my life SOMEWHAT easy. To start, I decided to brush the remaining outline area w/ the colors making up the area around it.

For this, I used my "Go To" retouching tools, the Eyedropper and the Brush.

So I brushed in the green areas and then proceeded to FAKE the bokeh sampling different yellow, green, blue and red areas of the background.

I adjusted the hardness of my brush where it was needed as I went along.

Once the general background was complete, I repeated all of these steps for the area underneath and between them where the poll remained. Minor adjustment was due to how much I feathered the selection.

And that 's the gist of Content Aware Fill (and deletion).

If you enjoyed this tutorial but NEED to learn more, leave a comment below or sign up for a  webinar with me! The full menu of classes can me found here on the Mamatography site: http://store.mamatographylessons.com/

Happy Snapping, Vicky

A Spectacular Family Day & a Story Book Giveaway : Children's Photography Techniques : Mamatography Photo Workshops

This past weekend we had a detour in our plans. For weeks, I've been scheming with a new friend here in Panama to venture to the Caribbean coast so that I could start a photo documentary on the Kuna Yala indians and camp with our families. (My camera having been collecting dust for weeks.) But, the "sicky spirits" had a different intent for us. Both of us and our kids were completely laid up with a mega virus that apparently shows up here at the beginning of the rainy season. There are no seasons here really, just rainy and dry! With that, we wouldn't be venturing on a 3 hour car ride then to an hour wooden boat ride to a remote Caribbean island with 2 sick moms, 3 feverish kids and 2 WELL husbands.

Feeling a little better, Safi's Daddy and I decided to make lemonade out of this situation and take off for an overnighter to El Palmar Beach, a shorter drive on the Pacific side.

There, we enjoyed splashing in the water and just escaping the city. Sunday morning we took a stroll on the sand and had an al fresco breakfast. The light was perfect to snap some shots, so of course I did!

One of our favorite activities to do with Safi is reading. She especially enjoys it at breakfast time. So with the light what it was, I captured her enjoying a good read. 

I have these brand new colorful books that I've been dying to show to Safi. Back in May I attended the Mom 2.0 Summit in Miami and mingled with the best of the best Mama bloggers. There, I met an extraordinarily warm and smiley lady, Leah Lesser. She's the Communications Director for Barefoot Books, an independent children's book publisher with a vibrant twist! This month on their Facebook page they asked "What does storytime look like in your family?" and photos from moms around the world flooded in. I took quite an interest to this concept. So, this is our take on it…

Check out the giveaway that Barefoot Books is offering to Mamatography readers at the end of this post!

Later that day, we took a drive up to the mountains to El Valle for a cool off and to stroll the zoo that was highly recommended by my friend, the co-sicky. An hour drive up, then slightly down into "the valley" we arrived at  Zoo Nispero. It was an ethereal place made from my dreams I tell you! Like The Secret Garden of Panama. All the surrounding mountain peaks were covered in mist and everything was a glistening green. With that, it was PICTURE TIME!

Inside the zoo was a wide open garden with a dreamy pond and of course the backdrop of the mountains. Safi was dressed in her same vibrant orange dress from the morning which was a nice contrast to the green around her.

Now for some shooting tips…

1st, make sure that your shutter speed is always fast enough when shooting under low light conditions. As the clouds rolled in I had to increase my exposure but leaving your shutter open longer isn't usually the best way to accomplish this because you will see blur in your photos as did I. When I reviewed my shots at home, I noticed I had used 1/60 for many of what could've been my best shots. Thus, having to scrap some of them due to motion blur. Don't make my mistake! Stay in the safety zone of 1/80 when shooting off of a tripod and subjects in action.

Next, look for some kind of light in the eyes. This isn't always easy, especially when it's overcast. If possible, use a reflector if only to add a "catch light" to your subject's eyes. This means that the eyes are reflecting some sort of light source coming from the sun, flash or any other reflective service even water can produce this quality. So, always be mindful of additional light sources around you.

Lastly, when you're somewhere scenic, create some variety in your series of photos. Shoot the space you're in! Your kiddos are forever adorable, but don't forget to capture the scene itself so that when you output your photos whether it be in a printed album or on Facebook, etc. you'll always have a memory of that special place you visited with your family.

AND HERE'S THE GIVEAWAY: Enter in the Rafflecopter below to win your choice of a Barefoot Book! Check out www.barefootbooks.com/shop and see what's up for grabs.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Safi reading Who's in the Farmyard, another colorful publication by Barefoot Books

Now for an end note, I have some very BIG announcements to make in the coming weeks and have been plugging away on the Mamatography Instructional Photo App. 

Stay tuned for all the goodness!

Happy Shooting, Vicky

Travel Photography for Mamatographers

This year we've been on the move quite a bit. I'm thankful for this because I feel more creative when traveling outside of my element. Don't we all?

It turns out that we will be living in Panama a great deal of this year. After returning home after a 9 week trip down there, I've found my self feeling slightly strangled by the amount of personal photos I shot without time to output them. It took a great deal of trouble, shopping in the allies of Casco Viejo, to find a "Pollera" for Safi. Then there was this shoot at "Mi Pueblito" Indian Village in the equater-ish heat, she was not a happy camper 20 minutes in! But out of the 400 FAST shots I took, I've never been more pleased with Safi's modeling skills. 

It was also nice to have a new friend joined us with her 3 girls-made for a fun shoot! So with the effort that comes with being a Mamatographer, I'm pleased to have the chance this week to phlog these photos and send them off to the printer! I use Nations Photo Lab by the way-excellent quality.

A Pollera is the National Costume of Panama.

What's your plan of action for shooting while you're traveling? Do you have both an SLR and a point and shoot? "What to take, what to leave behind?" That's a question we all have to ask our selves before venturing on a plane with our kiddos. After you've rounded the car seat, the stroller, the sanitizing devices, and iPad (that you're not allowed to use), where does that leave the camera gear? Before, all I had to think about was what was I taking to shoot with. Now a little life rests in my hands. 

Here's some tips that have helped me to shoot when traveling:

• Determine WHAT you'll be shooting, do you need multiple lenses?
• Use a durable gear bag that has compartments, you can always pack diapers, snacks, etc. in the bag separate from your electronic gear I'm really into this Lowepro Pro Roller Attache Bag cause it has wheels, NO SHOULDER STRAINING!

• Bring MANY memory cards! You're gonna need them.
• Pack BOTH a DSLR and Point and Shoot, if you have them
• Use the point and shoot more for snap shots, like restaurant outings or by the pool and the DSLR more for scenery, those really special places that should reflect the highest quality

View of Panama City from Casco Viejo

A fun pool shot w/ my Point and Shoot-I retouched a bit for a Kodakrome look

Down on Rio Mar beach with my Point and Shoot. My Leica snaps sharp B+W's, no Photoshop on this one!

Ahhhhh...I've sent my travel photos out into the universe and it feels GOOD!

Happy Shooting, Vicky

"Retro Safi Takes Panama" Photoshoot and Lightroom Tutorial:: Mamatography Photography Lessons for Moms

 For a while now I've been holding onto a vintage toddler
dress that my mom gave me. Safi's Daddy and I thought that sunny Panama was the best spot to finally shoot some photos of her wearing it before she outgrew it...any day now. So on a HOT morning in Rio Mar we suited her up, I grabbed my gear and off we went to the beach side pool at our home away from home.

This day I chose to shoot with my long zoom lens, a 70-200mm. I like the background blur, a.k.a. bokeh, the longer lens gives my images compared to lenses with shorter focal lengths. These days I almost always have to shoot with a zoom to take shots of Safi. She's just too damn fast for a prime/fixed focal length lens (i.e. a 50mm-very popular for portraits).

Luckily, Daddy was around this day to spot Safi while I was shooting. Considering we were on the pool deck, this was a must! He also was able to put her hat back on EVERY TIME she threw it to the ground...grrrr.

If I were to improve upon my images I would've had a third person hold a reflector to fill shadows, but I was short a person and reflector which I left home in Florida...we make do!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, when shooting young children you MUST keep snapping! Make sure that your camera is set for continuous and not single shot mode. Hold down the shutter release button and don't let go as long as your little subject is in your frame. Same goes for all portraiture. If you want to catch moments as they happen, keep snapping and you'll find that you'll turn out natural "candids" rather that traditional poses...posed has it's place in photography too however.

For this series of shots, I knew that I wanted not only the clothing to be vintage but the style of the photos to be so as well. THINK 1960'S KODAK PRINTS.

To Post Shoot Process my images I always start with using Adobe Lightroom 4.

I don't often use actions and presets that I haven't my self created but the new version of Lightroom offers a few default presets that I find very helpful including their General Auto Tone.
For this retro series, I knew I wanted to simulate an old color photo or Polaroid. For this effect, I started with the Old Polar default preset and then made fine tune adjustments using the Develop panel (see screenshot 2). A few qualities that make Polaroids recognizable are 1. Color Warmth-each photo has a yellowish tint 2. Color desaturation-see the lack of green on the leaves and 3. Over exposure..BRIGHTNESS!
Note: If you DON'T have Lightroom, you can use any photo editing software such as iPhote or Picassa to creat a similar effect. Just use the steps above in your software's tool panel. 
Lastly, I added rounded white borders as a Polaroid would have but with a modern touch.

{Notice how flat the image is on the left. This is from shooting in RAW format. If you don't want to have to make color and exposure corrections, I don't recommend shooting in RAW-stick to JPG}

Check out this video clip and see how I'm constantly AND literally always on my toes when shooting my 18 month old! If you've perfected the art of "posing" a toddler will you let PLEEEEASE let me know?!

I hope you enjoyed another Summer photo tutorial. More to come!
Happy Shooting, Vicky

Keepin it Natural with Mamatography in Panama :: Photography Lessons for Moms

In keeping this a Working-Vacation, I thought I should capture some snapshots of Safi in our home away from home here in Rio Mar, Panama. After a special day-just me and my girl-of playing on the beach and learning to swim at the pool we came inside to the a/c and just chilled.

As most photo ops occur, I was simply putting away laundry in my room while Safi roamed around, as she does. I noticed something's about my new space...the natural light is perfect for catching indoor candid shots without using flash (and I'm a total FLASHER ; ) The sun in Panama is intense which makes for better indoor shooting possibilities than most locals back in the States.

For this short but memorable shoot, I made my Aperture the priority while utilizing Spot Focus. 

Here's how...

First-ALWAYS first, set your camera's ISO. I chose a relatively low ISO of 320 to keep the grain low which can be noticeable when solely working with natural light.

Next, I set my camera's Aperture (aka Fstop) using Aperture Priority. You can do this by using your camera dial-AV for Canon or A for Nikon. Both stand for Aperture Priority, meaning you choose the Aperture and the camera chooses the Shutter Speed. 

I recommend this often for portraits but it doesn't always work with toddlers as they're always on the move!

Now, utilize your spot focus buttons on the back of your camera. Depending on your model, you will likely have to tell your camera internally to shoot using Spot Focus rather than what I call Dynamic Range Focusing which tries to pick up on all points in the frame. In comparison, spot focusing lets you choose the precise area to focus on. In portraiture, it is critical for the eyes and face to be sharp in focus. So when you are pushing the back buttons, align your internal focusing point for the eyes-that's what I typically do.

Poor baby! I didn't even realize her hand was stuck until editing these pics..I know, child abuse! But that lip didn't turn into a cry so we were cool!

Here were my light sources: a sliding glass door and 2 windows.

"Read to me Mommy!"

The view outside..I know, I hate me too.

If any of the above concepts are foreign to you, no worries mon! Pick up the Mamatography Photo Basics and Beyond ebook to help you grasp photography fundamentals.

Happy Shooting, Vicky