I'm ready for my close-up

People pictures. Portraits. When it comes right down to it, most of the photos in your scrapbook are of your family and friends. Want a sensational scrapbook? Make sensational portraits.

Here are two tips from the pros:

Tip One: Avoid direct flash and the ugly shadows and bleached-out faces it causes. Instead, bounce the light from your pop-up flash to a ceiling or wall with a Lightscoop®. The resulting soft, natural-looking light will make your portraits look like a pro could have taken them.

Tip Two: Get tight with your subject. Now move in closer. Tighter still. Yes, get RIGHT in your child's face (or grandma’s, grandpa’s, or Aunt Kristy’s). You think those new teeth are cute? Get close enough to SEE the teeth!

Don’t be afraid the pop-up flash will hurt their eyes. Using a Lightscoop to bounce the light off a ceiling or wall also diverts the light from tender eyes. No more red-eye in the pictures and no more shocked blinking, crying or complaining from your subjects. Plus, if you are close enough to share a giggle, the Lightscoop will create the soft flattering light you love and add a tiny little glimmer in the eye. Photographers call this the CATCH LIGHT. It makes the eyes come alive and transforms a snapshot into a portrait.

Special Assignment: Look for examples of catch lights in your magazines. It’s said you can tell a lot about people by looking deep into their eyes. You can definitely tell a lot about the photo shoot. You’ll see window light, flash, studio umbrellas, and sometimes even the photographer. Go exploring.

Will your pictures look as good as this? Why not? It and the rest of the images on our site were taken by real people using their Lightscoops in real situations.