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I have seen plenty of lists over the last couple days. Lists of resolutions and things to do. Lists highlighting the best (and the worst) of 2009. Everywhere I look are lists. So, not to be left out I cheated and made today’s post a list. At first I was just going to answer the most asked question I recieve as a photographer (what kind of camera should I buy) but instead…

My list of things that will take your family photos from drab to fab! Ha!

First off, which camera should you buy? Well, first you need to ask yourself if you are looking for a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex, you know a “fancy” camera where you have to look through the viewfinder with one eye), or a point and shoot that you can easily throw in your purse (or man-bag) and take anywhere. 

For your SLR I would say the Canon Rebel or Nikon D3000 are great places to start. Although I shoot Canon, it is only because it would be unaffordable for me to shoot with both brands. Get whichever brand makes you happiest. 

Now I know very little about POS’s, but if I were to get one, I would get the Canon Powershot SX10 IS. It allows you to zoom and the pictures I have seen taken with this camera have been amazing. For in-depth reviews (much more then my silly opinion) go here.

If you end up with a SLR, please, oh please, do not buy the crapola kit-lens that comes with the camera body. Just get the camera body and use the money you saved to buy the 50 mm 1.8 lens. This will cost you around $100 and give you images that will be so much sharper than the cheapo zoom you get with the kit. For a bit more, purchase the 50mm 1.4, I so adore this lens. It is awesome for low light, and gives super crisp images with beautiful background blur. The drawback to these lenses (to some people, at least) is that they are prime lenses, which means they do not zoom in and out, and are fixed at 50mm, but that’s why God gave us feet, right?!

Next up, Lightroom. Sure Photoshop is an awesome program but let’s be real it is not practical for most people because of the HIGH price tag. Although I use Photoshop for most images that end up on my blog, I use LR for EVERY single image I process. It is so easy to use and so very efficient. If I have 40 images all taken in the same time frame and light, I can process one and then apply those settings to the other 39 images all at once. This frees up time to take more pictures, which makes me very happy! I would even recommend it for those who just want to take pictures of their kids and family. Because everyone has images that are just a bit under exposed…

the difference is pretty obvious, and I am sure by this point you are wondering how you ever survived without it, right?!

But wait! There’s more! You can get creative and use your artsy side to make all sorts of changes (belive me, you can go WAY beyond just changing an image to black and white).  

Not sure you want to spend the money on the program? Try it for 30 days with the trial version at Adobe.

So, there you have it. My super short list of things that will help you make great pictures! 

Enjoy 2010, make it your year of non-drab pictures!