Contributor Spotlight: Julia Aue

Hi! Louisa is almost 10, Sebastian is 7 and Roman is 3. We live in Davis, California, and I own my own photography business.

We like to take in the sights but we definitely don’t overplan our trips. We aim to do one, maybe two, major attractions in a day and the rest is a bonus! You can generally find us checking out the neighborhood breakfast joints in the morning and strolling about in the evening, discovering local parks.

We also love staying in homes and apartments for this reason (and to better accommodate our family of five – both budget and space-wise!).

I’ve always loved taking photos and for a wedding gift, my in-laws gave us a DSLR camera (this was when those were still up-and-coming!). Shortly after the birth of our first child, I decided I really wanted to figure out how to use the camera outside of auto mode. I switched it to manual mode and never looked back. I’m self-taught with the help of lots of practice, YouTube videos and working for free in the beginning!

I like to capture mostly spontaneous and candid moments of my kids. We generally aren’t the stand-and-smile kind of people (my kids are too silly for that!). I travel with a Nikon D810 body and the main lenses I carry are my 35mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.8. Lately I’ve also liked using my 20mm f/18. Being able to have a high ISO range on my camera (plus fast lenses) gives me flexibility in many situations.

1. Don’t force the moment.

My best photos come when I capture the kids doing what they love – with me directing them. Some of my favorite photos of are of them chasing bubbles in one of the main squares in Prague. Their smiles are real and the background is fantastic.

2. Get on their level.

See the world as they see it. You’ll be surprised at the details your children see that you may miss. Physically getting down to their level also helps to create intimate photos.

3. Don’t over-document.

Live in the moment. Put the camera away and enjoy the experience. I try to snap a few photos after we’ve enjoyed and experienced a place, rather than immediately after we arrive somewhere. I want my children to realize that getting the best picture isn’t what traveling is all about.

I mainly use external hard drives. If it’s a short trip, I keep photos on my memory card as a second backup. If it’s a longer trip, I use the cloud or a second hard drive. I always keep two copies after having a hard drive crash a few years ago!

I use Adobe Lightroom.

I mainly use Instagram and Facebook. Every year I print a family photo album as well (or a trip-specific one). We also love the square prints from Artifact Uprising and change those around in our home.

Still trying to figure that one out. We tried a few years ago when our older children were five and seven, but it seemed like more work for me! Now I’ll let them use my iPhone or my camera if they want to take a photo. That way I’m not dealing with two or three extra devices to get and sort pictures from.

Tell a story with your photos and be picky about what you photograph. Don’t take a picture just for the sake of taking a picture. Learn how to use your camera well so that you can be ready to snap a good photo when the opportunity presents itself!