Online photography course

Chandler | 2018 High School Senior | Columbus, Ohio Photographer

I'v known Chandler for a long time. I'v watched him grow up into an incredible young man. It was my honor to capture his senior portraits! We had a great time exploring downtown Columbus, Ohio around the Hilton. The architecture in this building is outstanding and made for beautiful backdrops!

Chandler also wanted the Columbus skyline in the background for some shots so we walked and explored around Cosi and found some great areas for some city-scape shots!

I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed taking them! I love when sessions take me outside of my normal realm of shooting locations to places where I can really let me creative blood flow freely!

Stay fabulous,

Janessa Dawn 

My Top Picks for Best Beginner Cameras | Newark, Ohio Photographer

I have people message me and ask me questions about cameras, lens, etc. Whether your a mom wanting to get better snapshots of your babies or an aspiring college student who has always loved photography but has no idea what camera to buy, this blog post is for YOU! It is for anyone who wants to get their toes wet but has no idea how far to stick them in! {I really need to come up with better examples! 😂

Now, on this list, you may notice that I don't have any Nikon recommendations. While I shoot with Canon, I am not a Canon snob. Nikon's are fantastic cameras and if you want to try one, go for it. I have found that students in my classes have a hard time learning on Nikons. They are  more complex with finding different settings. I actually had a student who had a higher end Nikon return it and purchase a Canon because the Nikon was so hard to learn on.

I would highly suggest learning on a Canon and then later, when you are ready to upgrade, look into purchasing a Nikon. I know some people will disagree with me but I have found this to be true with people I have taught.



Great Beginner Cameras:
1. Canon Rebel T7i body only $699.99 {Best Buy}
2.  Canon Rebel  SL2 body only $549.99 {Best Buy}
3. Canon Rebel T6 body only $399.99 with lens {Best Buy}
4. Canon Rebel SL1 body only $439.99 {Amazon} This is an older model.
5. Canon Rebel T5 body only $359.99 with kit {Amazon} This is also an older model but still a good beginner.


Any cameras in the Rebel line are a great starting point. If you don't have the money, don't be afraid to get the older models as a starting point! Just have fun with learning how to use it!

If you want to learn all about your new camera, you can sign up here for my Basic Photography Class!

Stay Fabulous 😘
Janessa Dawn




Baby Jaceyon {Newborn Photography} Newark, Ohio | Central Ohio

  Happy Fall, Ya'll! Even though fall is officially here, it has been so HOT here in Ohio. I am so ready for the cold weather to come so I can weather boots and scarves. Today I wanted to share with you a newborn session from earlier this year. This sweet baby boy did a great job at his newborn session! He is in my Grow with Me package and for more info on that click here. 

Enjoy,
Janessa Dawn


















3 tips to capture better photos on your iPhone {Newark, Ohio Photographer}




Happy Monday, Friends!
    Today I wanted to share with you something that would help you take better photos on your iPhone. You may not know all the things your iPhone camera is capable of doing. Almost everywhere you visit you can find all kinds of people holding up their iPhone trying to get that perfect shot. Whether its a family shot, a shot of your child, or you'd like to grab a shot of a beautiful flower, you can adjust and position your iPhone to get a pretty amazing shots. I will try to make it easy to understand and not say too many technical terms. :)



1. Using the exposure button to adjust the "brightness" of your image.
Have you ever taken a shot on your iPhone and found it was way to bright? Yep, it happens. If you bring up the camera on your iPhone and tap anywhere on the live preview, it will bring up the focus box which is yellow. If you hold down and adjust the exposure button up and down, it will adjust the brightness of your image {it looks like the Sun}. So in those bright situations or dark situations, this exposure button allows you to control the "brightness" of your image!







2. Leveraging natural lighting.
We all have those Instagram users that make us jealous every time we go and look at their feed. It's like they live in a perfectly lit world and can ALWAYS have their shots perfectly styled and lit. Trust me...I know the feeling! One tip I would give you is to always leverage the natural light around you. Always shoot pictures around windows and doors. This allows you to use beautiful, natural lighting to light your image instead of getting weird color casts that come from lights around your home.










3. Use the Rule of Thirds to get more creative shots.
Now, the term "Rule of Thirds" may sound way too technical but don't quit reading. It is actually VERY simple to understand. Basically, imagine your live preview as being divided into nine equal parts using two vertical lines and two horizontal lives. Don't position your subject in the dead center of these imaginary lines. The Rule of Thirds says that important elements in the shot should be places along these guides or intersection points. You can turn this grid on in settings under the camera app. Be creative and position your subject some "off-center".






Take these tips and try them out next time you are out with your family visiting the zoo or on your family vacation!
Stay Fabulous,
Janessa Dawn

Ivan Edbrooke {2 year portraits} Photographer in Newark, OH

    Sweet Ivan was every photographer's dream two year old to shoot. He listened SO well and he posed and smiled like a champ. This makes my job 1000x better. These types of two year olds are rare and few and far between. Somehow he must have missed the worst of the terrible twos or he was extremely happy that. Whatever the reason is behind this sweet little boy, I enjoyed shooting and spending time with this Boy. 

Enjoy,
Janessa Dawn



















A Little Lesson From Living A Busy Life & Halko's 6 Month Session {Newark, OH}


     I am sure you all have experienced how busy life can get, especially summer. Actually, it seems my life is always busy. You may get tired or irritated because your always SO busy and racing the clock. But it was recently brought to my attention that the busyness of life can show exactly how much we have to be thankful for. You have a job which means you can buy the food you need to eat when some go hungry and you can afford to put a roof over your head when some live under bridges. You have weddings and parties to attend which means you have friends in this world. You have grandparents to visit, a Mom and Dad to hug and kiss, and siblings to fight with which means you have a family. You have deadlines to meet, errands to run, clients to met with which means you can afford a car when some people walk and strength to move when some are bedfast or dying. Every morning you are blessed that God wakes you up for another day to love the ones you love, to laugh and smile. So when you are tired from running and it seems the days aren't long enough, think of how blessed you are for what you have and that you can live in a free Country. Life is too short so instead enjoy every bit of, even the busyness. 

    Here is this pretty little girl's 6 month pictures taken in-studio. I think they turned out pretty adorable and she did a great job. I like to try to come up with different sets and the suitcases turned out pretty cute! 

Enjoy!

Janessa Dawn 











Basic Online Digital Photography Class-July 18-23, 2016

    Join me, Monday through Saturday, on July 18-23 for a BASIC online digital photography course. You don't need to know much about photography to take this course because it is geared for beginners. Whether you are a mom or dad who wants to learn to take better pictures of your kiddos or someone who wants to learn more about their camera in hopes of one day becoming a photographer, this class is perfect for you.
     The best part? It is completely online so you can take this class from the comfort of your own home, in your pajamas, in another state somewhere{I guarantee you I will be hanging out in mine some of the time too ;)}. We can sip coffee together {or if you prefer tea} and hopefully I can help you become better acquainted with your DSLR camera. I know some people can be intimidated by their camera and not use it at all...and why waste a perfectly good, expensive camera? This class is only $120 for a SIX day class. I will be hosting it through Facebook.

To join and sign up for my class, please email me at jdawnphotography@yahoo.com or call me at 740-974-2902. I look forward to having you in my class.

P.S. Don't forget to share with your friends and family..no matter where they live!