10 things creative child photographer Jan Tyler loves

We like to shop around here but what we really enjoy doing is sharing our most loved items with our favorite people – YOU!

Today we have Jan Tyler, Click Pro and a wildly creative photographer of her son, joining us to share just a few of her favorite things.

Living on an island, we are literally surrounded by water. It is such a big part of our lives, and one of my favorite things to shoot.

Even if we were to go to the same beach every day, the dance between the sun and water is truly unique to each new day. I never tire of watching them in action.

There is nothing quite like a good book. I have spent so many nights staying up too late as I read “just one more chapter”.

Now that my son loves reading, we read a lot of the same books. It is so wonderful to be able to talk to him about the books, and to be “in the know”. We have had so many amazing conversations and discussions about book topics and different characters…and, yes, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie!

I love to play and experiment with my photography. It can be so easy to fall in to routines and patterns that I could easily get bored with my work. Playing with creative lenses really allows me to express myself creatively.

My favorite creative lenses are my Lensbaby lenses. I also love to bring my fisheye lens out to see the world from a new perspective.

Yes. I love Click. I have been a subscriber since the very first issue and I have saved every single copy. It is one magazine that I refer back to and am constantly inspired by.

Being published in Click was a dream come true for me. Even though I had already received my copy in the mail, my son and I went to our local Barnes and Noble so that we could buy another copy in person. I loved being able to connect with him through this joint project.

Nothing compares to holding a stack of images in your hand and being able to look through them. I absolutely love seeing my images in print. I definitely have my fair share of photo books, but a stack of prints is really what makes me happy.

I love that I always have images available to share with others and to use for school projects when they come up at the last minute. From a technical point, printing is also such a great way to check the color on my monitor. My favorite labs to use are Miller’s, Artifact Uprising and Artsy Couture.

Editing is a bit of a passion for me. A perfect day would be to have several hours of uninterrupted time to edit.

One of my favorite editing techniques is to add texture to an image. I love the depth and dimension it adds to an image. I also love how it creates unexpected color and contrast in select parts of an image. Adding textures from Jessica Drossin‘s collection to my work has lifted me out of a creativity rut many times.

I am obsessed with my doTerra oils. They have changed my life in so many ways. We start our days with calming oils and focus oils. I also have oils in my morning tea. Throughout the day, we use oils for clear breathing, muscle aches, and any cuts and scrapes that may come our way.

Learning how to control light was such an important part of my photography journey. I realized how much I loved using a window and how much I adored deep shadows and directional light. It is always my go-to when I am looking for a quick shot indoors.

The baseball field is definitely my favorite place to spend a spring evening. I love watching the team hang out in the dugout with their water bottles, bubble gum, and sunflower seeds.

I love the dust being kicked up into the lights. I love the air as it is just starting to warm up into summer. I love the action and cheering of the game. I also love that each player has their own position, and it is easy to capture them in play.

The wonderful thing about a hill is that you can position yourself to capture both sunrise and sunset, and you have nothing in the background to distract from your subject.

We have a little, tiny hill behind our house. It isn’t much, but if I get down low enough, it makes it look higher than it actually is. We have been able to create so many different looks and scenes on this hill, and it inspires me every time.

Read all of Our Favorite Things series here.