Photography

How Stock Photography Can Save You Time

May 23, 2018 by Lindsay Teague Moreno 3 Comments

Hey, Moms!

Summer break is coming at you, fast and furious. Kids will be home and your time is about to get a lot more limited. Some of you are worried about how you’re going to fit it all in. I feel you.

As much as you love your kids, it can be overwhelming.

Want to know my best tip?

Work smarter, not harder.

You might not be in a place to hire help yet, but you can still find ways to take some tasks off your plate.

One that has helped me so much is investing in stock photography.

You must know that feeling of spending an hour trying to find the perfect photo for your post, right? It’s exhausting! Or maybe you don’t post at all because you can’t find time to take your own photo. Now your social media is a ghost town.

I’ve been there!

The problem I’ve been running into is not being able to find stock images that feel like my brand. That’s really important when trying to build trust online and stay authentic.

I’ve thought of shooting my own stock photos but I haven’t found the time. So, I did the next best thing and partnered with some of my favorite photographers, The Ulmers, to shoot for me!

I’ve been dreaming of this for years and can finally say that LTM Stock Shop is launching on June 1st!

We’re going to bring you affordable, modern, bright stock images that will take your brand and business to the next level.

I’m SO PUMPED!!

Stock photography makes my business a lot easier because I can just grab an image and post it or overlay a quote or text!

These examples of Instagram posts and a Facebook banner are using photos from our first release that’s launching on June 1st!

If you want to learn more about LTM stock, sign up for the mailing list to get info about subscriptions, discounts, and bonuses. Oh, and we’re sending FREE photos every single month. BOOM!

LTM Stock

Summer is coming, but we can do this Moms. We can rock motherhood AND our businesses. Promise!

How To Add Text To Stock Images

December 4, 2017 by Lindsay Teague Moreno Leave a Comment

Today I released a pack of FREE stock images you can use on social media to promote your business and brand.

If you missed the email, you can download those here:

FREE #LTMSTOCK IMAGES

Want to learn how to add text and personalize them for your use?

Check it out below! I’ve put together a tutorial on using your phone and computer to do this.

On your iPhone using the WordSwag app:

Save the stock images to your phone. You’ll need to unzip them on a computer and transfer them back to your phone using an app like Dropbox or AirDrop if you’re an Apple user.
Open WordSwag app.
Select the right button, that looks like two polaroids, to open an existing image.
Tap “Camera Roll” at the top.
Select your stock image from your camera roll.
Choose your size at the bottom – I like square for social media.
Move your photo around in the box to get the parts you want in the frame.
Tap “Crop.”
Double tap the text on the photo to change it and type your desired quote or phrase.
Select your “Style” of text. You can play around with how it’s displayed using the numbers and dice underneath the styles.
Select your “Color” of text. There are lots of options from plain text, to patterns, to a gradient.
Tap the “+” at the top to add more text, if you’d like.
Tap “Save” in the top right once the image looks like you want it to.
Now it’s saved in your camera roll and ready to upload to social media!

Here’s one I made on my phone!

On your computer using Photoshop:

Save the stock images to your desktop by unzipping the file and moving them to a folder you can find easily.
Open Photoshop.
Click File > Open and find the image you’d like to use.
Click the Crop tool and select your size. I like square for social media.
Move your photo around in the box to get the parts you want in the frame.
Hit enter to crop.
Select your Type Tool and type your desired quote or phrase.
Play around with the color, font, and orientation.
Click File > Save As once the image looks like you want it to.
Save as a JPEG or PNG for social media and upload!

Here’s one I made on my computer!

I hope that helps! I’d love if you tag your photos online with #LTMstock so I can see the awesome ways you’re using them!

XO,

4 Creative Ways To Use Styled Stock Images

December 1, 2017 by Lindsay Teague Moreno 3 Comments

If you run a business, by now, you’ve probably heard of stock images, yeah? Businesses have been using them for years to market their products because they are easier to use than shooting your own photographs all the time.

The latest trend is styled stock or you might know them as flatlays. I love these because they have a nice, clean look.

If you’re new to this you’re probably thinking “how the heck do I use stock images for my business?”

Don’t worry because I’ve got you covered!

Here are four ways you can use stock images to promote your brand and business:

Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter posts: Have a great post you want to publish, but you don’t have the right photo? Grab a relevant, pretty, stock image and slap it up with your words! I’m big on using your real-life photos most of the time, but I also love using stock when it’s appropriate!
Facebook cover image: Needing a pretty image for your profile, or group cover? Stock is great for this. Just crop it to fit and you can put your group name text on there too.
Blog header and posts: This gives a really professional feel to your website. Pick something that’s on-brand and will attract people who are in your target market.
Pinterest posts: Pinning links from your blog and social media? Stock images give a visual pop to make your posts stand out.

There are tons more ways, but I wanted to give you a few easy ones that you could start implementing right away.

Speaking of…want a FREE pack of styled stock images that I shot to share with you?

GET YOUR FREE STOCK PACK HERE!

Make sure to check out the Terms of Use and FAQ which will explain what you can and can’t do with these images.

I hope these help your business and make your marketing a little easier!

XO,

Our Weekend in Black and White in Project Life

August 21, 2017 by Lindsay Teague Moreno Leave a Comment

I realize that I never shared my 2016 Project Life page for my Weekend in Black and White project I do throughout the year.

I love capturing the girls in their natural environment. Just being who they are at this moment — doing normal things. On this day we played dolls, we went for pedicures, we played in the basement, we hit up church and sang in the car. Completely us on a Saturday.

Here is a close-up look at both sides. I like to mix bright quotes and elements with a little bit of story and really contrast-y black and white images. As always, i build my pages with Project Life kits and Ali Edwards elements.

Right side:

Left Side:

Don’t freak out about being behind on getting your photos into your albums. I am behind too. Just start where you are and work backwards.

Quick and Dirty Black and White.

August 4, 2016 by Lindsay Teague Moreno Leave a Comment

I said I’d share my black and white conversion tips for you guys and I’m making good on that. I’m going to show you a very quick and dirty way to get your photos out of the color mode and into a simple black and white that looks decent.

Mind you, this isn’t going to be my favorite black and white but I know it will look better than simply hitting that greyscale button.

For this conversion you won’t need any actions and you wont need any special features. Just photoshop.

Here’s what we’re going to be doing.

And here’s how to do it:

Quick & Easy Black/White Photo Conversion from Lindsay Teague Moreno.

Seriously, it’s that easy. Levels are the key to fast and poppin’ conversions.

Can’t wait to see what you do. Tag me on IG when you post them!

Our Weekend in Black & White

August 1, 2016 by Lindsay Teague Moreno 16 Comments

I used to be awesome.

I used to take my trusty Canon 5D MarkIII out with me all over the place and capture my girls being who they are. The great thing about that is that they got so used to me taking pictures, they stopped posing. They just went about their business and pretty soon, I was just a fly on the wall. It has made for some great photographic moments. Like this one…

Look at her tiny little crying face so mad because she couldn’t have something. She doesn’t really do this anymore because she’s older. She’s 7 and not 2. She doesn’t make the same sounds. She doesn’t have the same cheeks. She doesn’t hang on my leg like she used to. And this one…

There’s still chubby in her hands. She was wearing my scarf on her head because she wanted long straight hair like me. Oh my gosh I miss these days. I can remember them because I took these pictures. It almost makes me lose my breath because, moms, how is it possible to miss it when all we wanted was for it to be gone? Is that not the most unfair and confusing feeling? To look back and miss what you only wanted to make it through alive? How? It’s a question I have for God because I cannot make sense of it.

In 2013, I stopped carrying my camera everywhere and started working everywhere. Isn’t it a cruel thing to do something for your kids at the expense of time with them? It’s turned out to be the right thing but as I was sifting through my old hard drives trying to organize them, I realize how much my creative eye has missed. I haven’t watched them though my lens and I see them the best though that tiny eye-piece. I see them as a beautiful piece of art, as a moment gone forever and not as a kid who’s whining and won’t be getting her way anytime soon. I see them as subjects and not my kids who must be “mommed.” I’m better with my face smashed into the back of my camera.

As I did more sorting, I decided now is the time to get back into it. To see them though my lens again and not just through the snap of my iPhone shutter button. It’s not the same, for me at least. God gave me the love of photography for a reason and I think it was to be able to give my kids the gift of their story before they were old enough to tell it.

So this weekend, I decided to do what I used to do and capture it. I used to call it “Our Weekend in Black and White” and that’s what it shall continue to be called. So here it is…

I challenge you to see your kids though your lens this weekend coming up. Just observe them and take pictures of what they do at this age. I’ll give you my black and white conversion tips this week so you’re fully prepared. It’s easy as pie. You’ll appreciate it in a couple of years when they’re 2 years older and 2 years closer to not being around to document.

Here’s to the hardest job I’ve ever had, Moms! This is just one step we can take in the name of doing the best we can.