First Family Photos

My family met Stacie and John through Sunday school at church a couple years back.  They had recently relocated from California and settled in as Texans due to a job change.  When we first met them, they didn't have children.  Now little Leah is 6 months old, and it is so much fun to watch Stacie and John interact with their sweet little girl.  I wanted to post some of their pictures and invite you to take a glimpse of the love and fun they all share together.

These are just a few of their very first family pictures.  I've decided to put them up on my blog so Leah's Grandparents and other relatives and friends - who live so far away - can get in on their sneak peak as well. Our own families all live out of town as well, so my husband and I know how important it is to keep the pictures coming.  I realize it's not the same as dropping in for a quick visit, but it's the next best thing!

Enjoy!

Side-Lit Photography

Now that you've got back-lighting and front-lighting under your belt, there's just one last basic type of available lighting to cover: Side-lighting.  This type of lighting involves placing your subject so that the main light source falls on just one side of your subject's face.  Often this leaves shadows on the opposite side of the subject's face.  

The amount of shadow falling on the subject's face is referred to as the lighting ratio.  There are four different lighting ratios.  I'm not going to cover those in this post, but you can Google lighting ratios to learn more.  The lighting ratio is determined by the angle your subject is sitting toward or away from the main light source.  By turning your subject's face further away from the light source, you can create greater shadow in the image.  And, of course, the opposite is also true.  By turning your subject toward the light source you can decrease the amount of shadow in the image.

Side-lighting is used for a number of reasons.  It is often used to bring a sense of shape, dimension and depth to an otherwise ordinary image (as in the first image below). 

It also adds a sense of drama and wonder to an image - something that wouldn't be as evident in a front-lit or back-lit image (as in this image of the curious little girl below).  

By introducing shadows into an image, side-lighting can also help you conceal what you would rather not fully disclose.  Imagine your client has a scar on their left cheek that they are extremely sensitive about.  By using side-lighting streaming in from the right, you can fill the left cheek with shadows by turning your client's face until the shadows partially or totally conceal the scar.  

Personally, I think our scars are what help to define us, but it's nice to know we have a tool at our disposal (other than time in Photoshop) to help put our clients at ease, if need be.

Side-lighting: It's a powerful, creative, and liberating tool.

Jason, Olga, and baby Victoria

Jason met Olga while on a mission trip to Russia 10 years ago.  They didn't fall in love at first, but over time they developed a friendship that blossomed from there.  Theirs is such an inspiring love story.  I wanted to share it with you.   

After they married in Russia, Olga moved to the states to live near Jason's family.  They had a beautiful ceremony here in the states as well.  Baby Victoria was born several years after that after many years of waiting and prayer over her arrival.  What a blessing she is!

I chose to photograph their family in the small chapel in the Pioneer village at the Arboretum in hopes of capturing that spirit of prayer that surrounded Victoria's birth.  The setting was beautifully lit and perfectly peaceful.  I know this image will mean a lot to their families.

Victoria's adorable dress was a gift from her Grandparents.  After the more formal pictures were finished, Victoria donned her Halloween attire.  But, by then she was plum tuckered out.

Everyone Needs a Hand to Hold on To

Baby Victoria's sneak peak from her session is almost finished.  In the meantime, I couldn't resist posting this one.  It captured my heart!

Newborn Twins and A Big Sister

On Tuesday I had the privilege of photographing Miss Aubrey and her new baby brother and sister, Parker and Piper.  Their mommy is doing such a wonderful job with all three of these little ones.  I was truly impressed!

I have to say, this week feels a little like Sesame Street with the number of the week being TWO.  Not only did I just photograph Parker and Piper on Tuesday, but I will be photographing their friends Ani and Tomas on Saturday, another set of twins.  This morning I photographed two brothers, and I'm also very excited to be photographing twin boys - Seniors in HS - in the very near future.  

But, the most exciting TWO of this week is reserved for our precious daughter who turns two on Sunday.  I can hardly believe how fast she is growing up!  I'll be sure to post her 2 year old pictures in a week or two after I post all my client sneak peaks.

For now, enjoy sweet Aubrey and Piper, their handsome little brother Parker, and their very capable and beautiful mommy.

Splish Splash

During a recent session with baby Kaci, I was thrilled to be present for her first bath.  Little Kaci came about three weeks early.  We had planned that I would be on hand to take pictures in the hospital after she was born, but since I was out of town I sadly missed out on that event.  Mom and Dad graciously agreed to leave her hospital bands on until I could get there to take pictures at home, so we still got a few great keepsake shots.

Watching Kaci's parents give her a bath brought back fond memories of my son's first bath.  We have it on video.  It really is quite hilarious. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I had printed out a step-by-step guide from Martha Stewart's website on how to give your newborn a bath. Surely, you can imagine how the rest of that story played out.

All that to say, I remember how unprepared and ill-equipped my husband and I felt caring for our new precious little one.  Every touch was gentle and tender.  If you look closely, you will see this same new mommy and new daddy tenderness in the images below.  I love how baby Kaci is holding on to her mommy's hand...precious! And don't you just love the little legs sticking out of that enormous baby tub? Priceless.

One benefit to giving Kaci her bath at the kitchen sink was the gorgeous natural light pouring in from the kitchen window.  It was actually the best light in the whole house.  What a great start to her session - and she was squeaky clean to boot!

Photography Tip #1: A Better Profile

Remember these?  Chances are most of you have one or more of these old-fashioned silhouette profiles tucked away in your childhood scrapbook somewhere in storage.  In fact, I bet if I were to walk through your parent's homes I might even find one hanging in the hall next to your family picture from when you were in sixth grade and still in braces.  

The above image is exactly what most of us think of when we hear the word profile (unless you are a facebook addict...but that's a whole other blog entry).  Lovely as these are, in my opinion, the following image makes a much better profile for a photograph.  Read on and I'll tell you why.

When attempting to capture that perfect profile in a photograph, there are a couple tips to keep in mind.  First, do your best to include the outline of the eye furthest away from the camera.  You can see in the image above that I included those lovely, long eye-lashes peeking out from the bridge of her nose.  This helps to add depth to the facial features.  Failing to include the outline of that opposite eye makes the image appear flat - as in this image below.

Second, (especially when using a shallow depth of field - or a low f-stop), it is crucial to focus in on the eye closest to the camera.  If that eye is out of focus (as it is in the image below), the whole image suffers. What could have been a lovely image sadly falls shy of hitting the mark.

Blurriness aside, however, because I've included the outline of the eye furthest from the camera, this image is still the better profile of the two.

Remembering to include the outline of the eye furthest from the camera and to focus in on the eye closest to the camera are key.  Following these two tips will go a long way in helping to make your next profile image a big success.  

Now, Go!  Grab your cameras and create your own stunning profile!  I'd love to see what you come up with.

New Beginnings

I've been a blogger for the past year now.  It has been a great way to document the special times in my family's life.  Having a place where I can celebrate, contemplate, dream, and even vent is good for my soul.  It has also been a great way to stay connected with our loved ones who live so far away.  I love it!  It's high time I start a blog for my photography business as well.

Photography is so much a part of my life now.  It just makes sense that I should document the stages of this wonderful new adventure of mine - this business that I can call my own.  I want to be able to look back years from now and remember how far I've come - and from where I came.  Like other things in my life that are important to me, I also want to share this experience with others - especially with those of you who help to make this business such a success - and a joy.

So, welcome to my newest baby - my photography blog.  You will find some of my favorite images from recent sessions, news of upcoming events and special offers, and from time to time even a helpful photography tip or two.  So visit often and stay awhile.

In honor of this new beginning of mine, here are some precious pictures from a recent newborn session.  What better way to celebrate a fresh start!