So, here we go. I am on my way to narrowing down my favorite images to display on my walls. I have to look at them, YOU have to look at them.

My main goal in putting these images on my wall is this: all emotion, all me, and hey, maybe some of the images are really my true “art” ones. I want you to walk in to my studio and just have your jaw drop. Period. That’s it.

I would just LOVE feedback from you guys. Keep in mind you have seen most on my blog at some point bc they ARE the ones I love…

xoxoxox

This one makes MY jawdrop. It is going whether you guys like it or not. This is childhood to me. This is one of my most “artful” shots because it tells such a story. All three of their faces, so different…you want to get closer bc you wonder what they are thinking. This photo is almost like I wasn’t there, ya know? Okay, I know I love it, but do you?

#1

This one of my girls. Because they have to go on the wall somewhere, and I am torn on choosing a favorite of them…This one is art to me. Greg says “no one wants to come here and see the backs of people- they want to see face”. In which I say “I understand, I get it”. But I am not always a face photographer, so I want people to see EVERYTHING down there, ya know? This one screams art bc it does tell a story- you can tell they are sisters, you can tell the older one is one step ahead, kind of leading her sister… I love their bare feet, their dresses, the light, the dirt road, etc…

#2

But I like this one too (no number on it)

You guys all raved about this one before, and I love it too, so it has to go, right?

#3

Because he is as delicious as they come.

#4

Because I feel like this is such a great classic family photo. One I wish I had.

#5

Because an eyelash shot always gets me. But is it silly to put on my wall?

#6

One of my fave twin shots.

#7

Their session gave me such great images, I cannot even decide, but this one grabbed me.

#8

But darn it ya’ll know I LOVE this one!!!

#9

I just loved this one. It is a classic pose that all my parents want, and he was just so snug in the one. And I really love the lighting and the black and white.

#10

Ahhh, Zach. Laura, you know I love this one…. But I am emotionally attached to it… Dying to hear feedback on this one.

#11

Emotion.

#12

I already printed this and framed it for them, and it is fabulous. What cha think?

#13

This one, to me, is one of my strongest images I think. You have seen it a thousand times, but wall worthy?

#14

A detail shot I think draws emotion too.

#15

Seriously, shooting families is my favorite. I know I know, what about newborns, what about those 10 month old chubby babies… Yes, while I love shooting them too, the family photos is where it all finally comes together, and that is what gets me.

Ya’ll know I am super emotional, so watching a little girl give her daddy a hug around his neck gives me the chills just now as I think about it. How cute and sweet. I love capturing families love and their bond.

I have photographed Melissa and her family a few times now- when little turned one and for the holidays last year. I love seeing how her children have grown, and I look forward to our shoot next year already to see what her Julia and Buds (little one’s nickname) have grown to be.

So… Julia. My camera loves her. She is the most amazing listener and she loves to pose. So getting her by herself was easy, and her expressions are easy to get out too.

And Todd Jr- phew! Well, he is a two year old boy (enuf said), but I still got him! I was lucky to get him very candidly and very happy!

Mom is just stunning, she always has been. She comes from a gene pool that just produces these amazing looking kids! (She has a gorgeous sister and a little brother who I photographed last year…see here what a cute kid he is). I know she has another brother who I never met, but I am sure he is just as handsome as this bunch.

And her husband is a looker too. While he is never really crazy about being photographed (dad’s NEVER are!) I cracked a couple jokes and I was amazed when he actually laughed a few times.

M and T, thanks so much for letting me photograph your family. I hope you love all of them (wait, I already know you do!) I hope your MOM loves them (tell her to get in touch with me!)

Julz. Love her.

And by the way, someone tell my husband that my new Matilda Jane obsession pays off for my photo shoots?! Melissa and I were on the phone about what to wear, and I thought to myself, why not tell her that I have all these cute clothes and see if she gets hooked. She did.

My FAVORITE of Todd!

Boogie boy!

I am pretty sure this is going to be a 20 x 30 in MY new studio!

Ahhh, childhood. Gotta love it.

One of my faorite poses to do with moms and daughters is to get the mom on the ground and the daughters standing and let it unfold… And then I tell them to put their heads together, and I really love how every mother and daughters expression is so different from one shoot to the next. And look at Melissa and Julia and their identical expressions. I heart this one.

Precious daddy daughter…

And close up- Julia’s side glance with a smirk is KILLER here!

Don’t ask. It’s an inside joke.

Just trust me when I tell you guys at this shoot the laughs were a-plenty. A-plenty? I am the biggest cornball! I was in tears almost the whole time, and a couple times I literally doubled over in laughter. You know, when you laugh so hard you kinda just fall to the ground? Hysterical.

But besides that, the photos were pretty great too. I am pretty sure if you have followed the blog you recognize Billy. Please click here if you don’t. Big chocolate brown eyes, olive skin, and such a mellow personality. He was destined for great dimples, as both mom and dad have them, and he’s got ‘em. He’s the baby ya wanna just eat up.

J and B, thanks so much for another amazing shoot. Have fun in Aruba next week, we will catch up when you get back.

I cannot believe that the next time I photograph Billy he is going to be a year… he’ll be sitting, crawling, standing, maybe even walking!!! It is going to fly by, and I am so excited for it!

Well, not really. But I thought it was time for a post like this. And it came to me the other day when I got an email from a photographer who was just starting out asking me to get her pictures to “look like mine”.

WAY easier said than done.

So, I am going to let you see what your photo might look like before YOU see it.

Why?

Because photoshopping is so minimal for me. My editing is about ENHANCING AN ALREADY GOOD PHOTO, not fixing it.

Well, so what, right?

Not so.

Photoshopping came after camera skill came. It came after learning to shoot on manual (because, fellow photographers, you will NOT achieve what you want by shooting on auto). Trust me. I can, and all of us who shoot on manual, can show you an “auto” photo in a heartbeat. After the whole learning to shoot in manual thing, there was color casts… After every technical aspect of my camera was known, then and ONLY then could I concentrate on composition. And even now, there is so much to learn and so much exploring of light that your knowledge of photography only grows…and grows…and grows.

Remember how I told you in a facebook note that I was random? I am. And you know how my mind works as I type? It just goes. It’s like that book “If you give a pig a pancake”. Seriously. I will wrap it all up where I started, but there are a lot of turns as I go.

So, saying all this gets me thinking of me as your CUSTOM photographer. What the heck is a custom photographer? It’s about the details. The what to wears, the locations, the making sure you have a napped child and working around that time… It’s the let’s stop and have a snack, or the she was getting sick and wasn’t happy so let’s try again. It’s me, searching the internet for outfits for your daughters for their shoot, and sending you the links. Custom. It’s about getting a cute little box wrapped in a satin bow when you get your prints. Or better yet, it’s me, delivering your prints and hanging out with you over a glass of wine or an appetizer or even breakfast, watching you open your presents. And yup, remember old emotional me?! I CRY when you open your prints. The looks on your faces as you flip through the pages of your album blow me away, and I am consistently overcome with pride that I did this for you.

It’s about the personal relationship we built. The jokes we tell at our sessions (yes, sometimes they are dirty… Hey Laura, remember my boob joke to you?!), the emails we send back and forth, nite after nite. Hey, I am a professional and I give a professional product through and through, but I have always claimed being a personal person. It is my style, and my style shows in my work. So go ahead, text me at 3am… no worries…

So yeah, this is custom photography. Do you get this at Kiddie Candids or Sears? I think not. I KNOW not.

And I’ll always say that custom photography isn’t for everyone. Some people just want a snapshot in time of their child. That is where the chain stores come in. You want something quick, something that says “Hey, I just turned 3!” then the chain is for you. And I am not knocking chain places either. They are GREAT for that snapshot. That quick photo for that point in time.

But I am not a snapshot photographer. I have made my name as a custom photographer, and it’s the experience. It’s the relationship.

And of course it’s the images I get for you. It’s the “wow” factor. I give you the images that people “wow” over. I have to give you these. It’s in me to be super emotional, so the only photo I can give you is the one that is going to draw emotion from someone else. They are the photos that people see on the wall in your home as they walk in and HAVE to walk over to them. Remember my cousin Amy and her family session? She is doing an amazing photo wall of these- I think a three-rowed, four-columned 12 x 12 prints. And you know what people are going to do? Walk RIGHT over to that wall, and gush to her about how beautiful her family is and some may even cry. I hope they do. God knows I cried when editing the pics, so it is only fair that other people cry to. LOL

So, where was I going?

Custom photography, cameras, other photographers, editing… OK, here we go. Getting it right IN THE CAMERA, so you only have to enhance a photo, NOT fix it.

I’ll start with a favorite newborn image. Here is the SOOC (straight out of the camera, I did nothing to it).

THIS is my favorite? What? What the hell is that angle? LOL I can only do so much when standing on top of a 4 foot stool people!
Yes, this IS my favorite. Minor adjustments, and a custom bloack and white conversion. Wow factor, right?

What a sweet boy and I loved this the instant I got it!

I warmed him up a tad, and through a texture on it, which I don’t normally do but the image called for it. A photo called for a certain edit? Something you are not getting at Sears. Sepia lovers over there, lol. They click a button and call it a black and white. Blah. And PS- where is that stupid tree in the background? That’s gone too.

So, I got her to walk away from me, and then got her to do this, and again, knew I loved it instantly.

Colors were important in this image, not just with the balloons, but the grass too, so I just enhanced it all.

A sweet family capture. Looks pretty good right?

Again, although exposure is great here, it just lacks, so I made it pop. Some other retouching too…

So that’s it. I let you in on what is in my camera before it hits CS4. I let you in on my feelings on custom photography. I hope this helps other photographers and hope my clients and future clients love it.

I met Presley when she was 6 months old, and let me tell you if a baby could light up a room, Presley does it. Her mom Dena does too. There is something that just radiates from the two of them, with their amazing blue eyes and blond hair you can’t help but stare.

And I know what it is.

Dena was pregnant with Presley when she lost her mother. And while it is personal and very tragic, it is what lives inside of them. Her spirit. It shines in Dena so much… And Presley could blow you away with her spirit and her soul. And while I never knew PJ’s grandmother, I can probably tell you the type of person she was. I would stake my life on it that she was a bubble of energy. That she had a heart that would make ya wonder “how could it possibly have any more love in it”. I would guarantee that she was one of those people that just helped whenever she could, and was probably the type that took on a lot because she wouldn’t want to let anyone down.

I have seen photos of her (as Dena and I have become friends through our emails and our shoots), and I know that she had to be one of the warmest people you would ever meet.

I am sad that PJ never got to meet her grandmother- never got to meet this woman who would have just loved her to bits!!! But like I said, she has it all in Dena. Who has her own warmth, but now she carries her mother’s spirit and warmth too. I know it all sounds “weird”, and sometimes I have a problem putting what I am thinking in to words, but I hope through my blog you guys kinda know me and know what I am saying.

So, PJ turned one! I cannot believe she is crawling, I cannot believe she is growing out of her baby fat that she had only 6 months ago. And she was a chunky baby- that baby who had those legs you just want to bite! It is SAD how fast they grow out of these stages in the first year. I am so glad I was able to capture her in all her chunk six months ago, and even happier that I saw her as she turned one.

Dena and Rich, I am so happy with everything you guys are letting me in on. Our relationship is great and you guys rock. Thanks to BOTH of you for the gift for my new studio (which I will share with everyone when the new studio is done!). It was RIDICULOUS that you got it for me, and it is a great thing that you did bc now Greg has to go out and find something else for me!

One of my favorites, and a top candidate for my new studio walls!

Prepare yourselves for all the cuteness that is a one year old and her dog.

This is a look I have never seen on PJ before- very different, very serious. It ALMOST doesn’t look like her in it, but I love the moment.

Tickling sessions are so much fun, LOL.

Dena’s mother loved butterflies, so we encorporated them at our six month session, and I had this idea for our one year session. I knew the lighting had to be perfect to pull it off, and I knew PJ had to be perfect to pull it off too. And it worked. And you know the funny part? As we pulled into the parking lot for the shoot, I kid you not, a monarch fluttered by. I don’t know about you, but it is so rare to see a butterfly I swear… So I know her mom was there watching over us at this session.

So I will go ahead and be my cheesy self, and say “If you looked up family in the dictionary, you’d see their picture there”. I know. Corny, right??!

But seriously, what a great family and I had a great time getting to know them a little… getting a glimpse into them as a family. They work. Funny how feel like I know how a family runs just based on two hours spent with them. But I guess that is how I run my sessions. I make sure they are natural and they are your family, or else you are going to hate your photos.

So let’s see. Amelia. She’s the oldest, and she is the sweetest. She aims to please, and has a spark in her eye. Shy, a little quiet, but you give her a little she gives you a lot. And she gives you a lot of love. Like in those cartoons with the hearts coming out of the eyes, this would be her. It’s in her smile. You should see the way she lights up when you compliment her. She eats it up.

Ahhh, Cassidy. Middle child. I can tell she’s the glue. It all kind of revolves around her… She tends to set the tone, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. You know what I’m talking about Rach. She has the eyes too, but funny how the look is completely different from Amelia. Completely. She could care less about a compliment. Kinda just does her own thing. Get her intrigued, she’ll go along with it, but not for long before she wants and dreams up her own little thing to do. A spark plug. I loved her to bits as she reminded me of Emerson SO much.

Cooper. The youngest. Little Coop. Typical last boy in a family of girls- just goes with the flow. For now. It’ll change when he gets older, but for now, I totally see the older two girls getting him to be their “pets” or some other strange thing as they play pretend. He won’t care. He’ll get them back in the end, I can promise you that.

R and J, what a pleasure you were. And although ya think, “Did you get ANY good ones??!!” I knew I would.

And PS- a big thanks to my friend Kim for letting me hang out on her home for a few hours. Hope YOU like these images that your backyard brings. A joy to capture images that this family will love. xoxo

Told ya. Amelia. Oozing all the sweetness that she is.

Cass- “yup, I’m listening, what cha got for me?” Love her.

Coop.

I just heart this one.

See, I got plenty of her smiling… But something about her non-smiling face that I just love. SHE’S the one with the old soul.

What a moment.

I love this one too. Dirty feet- you guys know I just love dirty feet. This image to me is so peaceful- just something about it I love.

My own children. Yeah, that’s right! I am so excited for these photos, especially since the studio is getting a complete makeover in a couple weeks. And I needed a 30 x 40 of my girls, and I got it. Woohoo! I actually got a couple, and now I am going to have to decide!

So, I checked out a new location…real simple, it’s just a dirt road. And I love it. Perfect for little girls in simple dresses, and little boys in dirty jeans.

So here are my girls… Whose personalities shine through in these.

Thanks for letting me share them with you.

The first ones are the ones of them together- and man, as I look at them, now I don’t have a favorite!!! This first one took the cake when I edited it, but now I don’t know!!!

Mom, this is going to be your favorite. You are going to want it somewhere!!!

I walk in to Vinny and Catherine’s home, and my heart automatically warms. Being in their presence has always warmed me. I adore them. And I adore their fight.

If you are new to my blog or don’t know Sophia, here is her story. Sophia was diagnosed with SMA.

Let me lay out this terrible disease in a way that you will understand.

Sophia has never sat up or rolled over. She has never pulled her moms hair or tugged on her dad’s jeans. She has never been sitting on the floor and held her arms up for mommy to carry her. She has never tripped and gotten a boo boo on her knee. She has never thrown her head back in laughter at a silly joke that her daddy made. She has never put her hand out for more candy.

She MAY never get to do these things.

And that’s where Vinny and Catherine’s fight has been amazing. At 18 months old, Sophia has beaten SO MANY odds, as most diagnosed only live to six months, and a lucky few make it to two years. I told Vinny yesterday that she is still here because she is waiting for Daddy to save her. I have never seen such hope for a cure or a fight for a child like the way I have seen in the Gaynors. They have gone above and beyond, fighting for their daughter’s life, and it shows in her personality.

She is a fighter. Her eyes are so animated and expressive. That’s all she has and that’s all she needs. She was lying on the couch yesterday, and I got down on the floor and talked to her. Sophia has this little side smile/smirk she’ll give you that just melts you. She talks to you with her eyes and it makes you feel so special when you connect with her and she communicates back with you. And listen to this!! She waved bye to me as I left. Vinny lifted up her hand and said, “wave bye-bye to Summer” and she moved her fingers a little. Amazing. A fighter through and through.

Sophia is so many things, and now she is a big sister. :-O Baby Jackson was born last week, and I was lucky enought to capture this moment for them. I look on their walls and there are my photos from all of our shoots together with Sophia. And now Jackson is here, and I cannot wait to see, well, where the hell they are going to put THESE photos!! (Build an addition Vinny!)

And what is Pookah? It’s what they call Soph. They have this song for her that I find myself singing to MY kids. It’s very catchy.

Vinny and Catherine, I had an AMAZING afternoon with you guys. I am so happy you added a baby boy to your family, and he is so lucky to have Sophia as a big sister, and even more lucky to have you guys as parents. Really.

I pray, pray, pray that there is a cure soon. I really do. I want you guys to break up fights between them. I want Sophia to kick Jackson and get a time-out. I want them to hug eachother so tight that they end up falling over and laughing their butts off. I want to photograph them chasing eachother around at the beach and thowing sand at eachother.

Fight for her. She is in my prayers.

The first few photos are from her big birthday party in May…

Catherine’s beauty takes my breathe away in this one.

And the photos from yesterday. Jackson is such a sweet baby boy. I get there and get nervous because they warn me that he is fiesty. Eeeek! Fiesty. Uh oh. I feel like we shoulda gone back to 5th grade and said, “Psych!” Because he was gem and melted in to every photo for me!

This one was one of the first photos, he was just getting comfortable in the blanket, and made this funny face. I took it with my macro and didn’t photoshop anything because the detail is so cute!

Yummy! My favorite fuzzy ear shot.

Kissable.

He has long lashes just like his sister.

He smiled with his sister.

She loves him and is intrigued!

I cried when I edited this one.

You can see her soul in this photo.

One of my favorites. Cath and Vin, I know you are going to just LOVE this one!

A session booked what seems like forever ago, but images that will last a lifetime.

A first birthday for this sweet, sweet boy. And a session that I did a few weeks ago and FINALLY sharing.

(Had to get my mom off my back, wondering when I was going to blog again!)

So, my biggest question from clients when I book a one year old boy session is “what should they wear?” Now, everyone loves a little girl in a frilly skirt, and well, everyone loves a boy in a tie. Not just any tie. Has to be dad’s tie. Big. Long. LOVE these on little boys. And then I say just bring some outfits you like and I will work my eye. For boys, my eye tends to be a little funky. I tend to wanna dress a boy the way I would want MY boy dressed (if I should ever be blessed with a son). Not typical. NOT like everyone else you see.

So, I funk it up. You bring me cute plaid shorts with a matching hat and shirt? I say NO shirt, put the hat to the side, and there we have it. You bring me denim overalls? I cuff the legs and leave one strap undone and wear no shirt underneath. Hey, it’s how I roll, and I don’t hear my mom’s complainin’. A button down shirt? Pair that with the tie, pop the collar and make it all look very Calvin Klein.

So here he is, in all his one-year-old funkiness.

Told ya it was an old session, I was doing this watermark a few weeks ago…LOL

We were calling him Marky Mark. Cute, right???

If anyone watches so you think you can dance, my favorite reality show, recall the words of Tyse for this photo… “Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me?! Are you kidding me?!” This would be a 24 x 36 in my house EASILY somewhere….

Yes. I do feel like I make up a bunch of words. I don’t care. I’m allowed.

Meet Nicolette. Yup. Told ya I was just dying to meet her after photogaphing her amazing, pregnant mommy and big brother just 6 weeks ago. Her brother has this ridiculously platinum blond hair, so I was anxious to meet her and see what and who she looked like. And….

She looks EXACTLY like mommy. Which I guess works out, because big brother looks a lot like daddy. Can you POSSIBLY forget their maternity session?! (Oh, HERE it is, btw).

Her lips. OMG. The first thing I commented on after I said “Yana, she looks exactly like you”. Lucious. Picture in your head lucious lips. And then look at Nicolette’s. Yup, they match what you were picturing, I am 100% about that.

So here we go again. I gave ya almost a full family session share. My last share was almost a full one year session share. And here we have almost a full newborn session share. By almost, I mean there are probably a good 10-20 (depending) more images. But here ya get the jist of it all. Major details and major posing. And then the “proppy” stuff, which is usually the stuff that my clients order BIG for their walls, because it is usually very artsy.

Without further ado…..

OH, Y and N, what a great day we had together, inside and outside. THANKS SO MUCH for letting me capture your beautiful pregnancy and your beautiful baby girl. I cannot tell you the EMAILS I received about your maternity images. I KNOW the same will go for this sweet girl.

Ya know it went pretty well when this was your LAST frame. Special thanks to my husband who came down to help hold the tree branch. Love you babe. Know you are reading this blog!!

And if ya couldn’t tell how great her lips are in the above photo, didn’t wanna make you guys to have to scroll down to see the the macro shot. Yes, that IS a breastfeeding blister starting to form. I LOVE it, and it makes me remember my two girls getting it too.

Love how this one is so soft and delicate.

I knew Yana loved this shade of pink, so I made SURE to use it.

One of my FAVES!!!!!!!! Of all-time!

Dare to be a drop different and step it up a notch. Nah, not different at all. A ton of newborn photographers are taking it to the field, or the bushes, or some grassy knoll. Thought I would hop on the bandwagon for a second.

Okay, I confess. The only REAL reason I went outside it because big brother was playing out on our swingset, and I, knowing kids, OBVIOUSLY knew he was NOT going to come in for a shot. So….took it outside. Don’t regret it because of the above shots, and don’t regret it because of this shot.