Elise, Matthew, Andrew, and Jacob

Check out these blue eyes!  If you think they sparkle you should see these guys in action.  They are so full of life.  I loved my first session with them over a year ago, so I was looking forward to seeing how they've all changed over the year.

Sweet Elise outgrew her glasses and is blossoming into such a lovely young lady.  Matthew is a super bigger brother and just an all around great boy.  And Andrew...oh, Andrew.  He has my heart, I believe. Those dimples are to die for and that smile is brighter than the sun. He's such a fun child.  Their youngest brother Jacob wasn't even sitting up when I first took their pictures.  Now he's a ball of energy always on the go exploring the next new thing.

Their parents are doing a wonderful job raising them.  Mandy is a Creative Memories consultant and loves to digital scrap book, so we arranged a digital package to suit her needs.  She hosted a photo party with her friends in exchange for a great deal on her session and digital CD.  Contact her at MandyGrahamCMC@msn.com for your own scrap booking needs.

If you are interested in how you can get your hands on your own digital CD of your session images, give me a call and we can discuss your options.  Can't you just picture these images in Mandy's new scrapbook! What a great way to record your children's growth from year to year.

Lovely Lauren

This lovely young lady was my second session in the rain last Saturday. Though it was dismal and grey outside, Lauren's sweet smile helped to cheer my spirits.  It was such a joy spending time with her family.

Lauren's dark hair, brown eyes, and olive skin remind me so much of my daughter Alden.  At times during our session I found myself picturing what Alden will be like when she is Lauren's age.  It was surreal.  I can only hope she's as innocent, kind, and lovely as Lauren.  

"You are what you eat," or so the saying goes.  And if Lauren is anything, she sure is a sweetie!  I'm thinking that Starbucks hot chocolate was just what Lauren needed to make it through her session. She did great!

Filling the Frame

When taking pictures, one of the mistakes often made is not daring to get close enough to your subject.  We either convince ourselves that we shouldn't invade their personal space, or that we need to have lots of the background in the picture.  It could almost be said that we are afraid to get "up close and personal".  

If you are hesitant to shoot up close, you are not alone.  Once, after I sent a picture to my mom, she asked me this question: "Why did you cut Stephen's forehead off?"  My response: "I wanted to see more of his adorable face and capture those big huge eyes."  Since then she has warmed up to my tighter crops and has even learned to appreciate the dramatic affect it has on a portrait.

I'll admit it.  It is definitely a look you may have to grow to appreciate. Once you're convinced this is the style for you, there are two ways to go about achieving this look.  First, you could invest in a good zoom lens and let it do the work while you keep your distance.  Or, second, you could save a chunk of change and just suck it up and move your own body just a little bit closer to your subject.  The choice is yours.  Either way, close the gap!  

Still not convinced?  Take a look online or in a magazine at celebrity portraits or commercial makeup ads.  I think you'll agree that some of the most powerful portraits are those that fill the frame with the subject's face.

For example, take a look at the picture I posted above.  It is one of my favorite portraits of my niece.  It totally captures the emotion of the moment and her joyful, energetic outlook on life.  I LOVE it!  Had I not cropped in so tightly, I would have totally missed the moment.  The larger-than-life crop just oozes emotion.  

Maybe a couple before and after examples will help seal the deal.  The images below also help to show the difference a tighter crop can make. Take a look.

By the way, in case you are growing weary of seeing pictures of my children on this blog, I offer only one excuse: They happen to be THE most available models I have for teaching these lessons.  (It's a convenience thing.)  Besides, how could you NOT love looking at these adorable little faces?  Give me more!  That's what I say.

Don't you agree?  In this last picture, I just want to eat her up.  The first one's cute, but this last one makes Alden's bubbly face just jump off the page right into my heart.  These pictures of my son Stephen have the same affect.  It will have the same affect on your client's heart-strings as well!  Why not take one portrait from far off and another one from closer in and increase your print sales by presenting them to your client in a 2 hole frame! Two prints ordered instead of one: Ka-ching!

One thing to keep in mind when filling the frame like this is to make sure you get it "in camera" the way you want it to be printed out.  Sure, you could crop a photo that was taken at a wider perspective AFTER you download it using Photoshop, but doing so may significantly reduce the resolution of the image - and that translates into a loss of sharpness.  You don't have to mess with all that.  Just get it right the first time.

So, you see, just like in a relationship, once you dare to get "just a little bit closer", the rewards are usually so worth the risk!

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.