Christmas Card Photos: Family Portrait Session

Ah, it's getting to be that time of year when we all start feeling a little anxious because Christmas is coming! So, it's time to get those Christmas photos done. This family had two poses they definitely wanted: the heads in the leaves (which took a good 5 minutes to set up) and a formal family portrait for 8x10 prints.

Despite the chilly weather and low light, we were able to get the shots in before any of us got too cold. (I did have to do a bit of head swapping during post processing, but I think the finished pictures look great.) I especially like the shot of mom and baby in red.

I can't decide whether I like the formal family portrait (bottom) in color or black and white. The color is so warm and friendly, but the black and white is clean and crisp. (Here's a trick to get your black and white photos looking this crisp: adjust the levels so that the dark tones end at pure black and the white tones end at pure white. It makes a big difference!)

In any case, I don't have to decide which photo is going on the family Christmas card. I can't wait to see what one they pick, though.

Last of the Fall Leaves

Say goodbye to fall. It is cold and that means winter! Incidentally, I'm having trouble keeping my wireless keyboard working lately. I think it doesn't sense my keystrokes when my fingers get cold. Weird, huh? Has anyone else heard of that?

I took a few photos of the last of the autumn leaves in Newton Park. It has been such a wonderful fall, I'm sad it see it go. Jacob is a fabulous nature photographer,and I've been trying to learn how to take better close-up leaf photos. Here's my response to his advice to "keep tryin.'"

Hembree Park in Autumn Colors: Family Photo Session

It's getting chilly here! With misty mornings and rain every other week, my photo shoots have been threatened by weather lately. (At least we aren't dealing with snowy weather like when we lived out west.) In the case of this shoot, it had rained for three days straight and the day of the shoot dawned very cloudy and windy. Thankfully, the weather held, and we got some great images of this gorgeous family.

Roswell has so much more autumn foliage than Alpharetta these days, so I'm glad we picked Hembree Park as our location. This family was so easy to work with as we went trekking about the park to find the best spots for photos. Their baby, a handsome 8-month-old, did so well, especially when we sat him on his own for a few portraits. And don't they look adorable?

This season (holiday sales come early for photographers) has been especially rewarding. I've been booked most weekends and have had enough time to take care of my responsibilities at home as well. Also, I just bought the domain name butlerfamilyphotography.com, so if you are looking up our site, typing the address will be a little faster. It is simply a redirect to this page, so all your old links should work fine; no need to update them.

Autumn Photography: Alpharetta and Roswell

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been itching to take photos of the gorgeous autumn leaves this season. Georgia is just bursting with fall colors this autumn, and I've invested a bit of time documenting some of my favorite fall finds. Enjoy!

Hembree Park
Roswell, GA

Martin Road
Roswell, GA


And a quick spot color of that tree because it's so gorgeous!

A little rain in the morning wasn't going to stop me from taking pictures!

Webb Bridge Road and Winward Lake Drive
Alpharetta, GA

I love the leading lines of the trees and the wall, and it looks so great in black and white.

Quick Family Update

A few months ago, we found out the devastating news that our son suffers from cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disease that, as-of-yet, has no cure. Since his diagnosis, we have started a regimen of medication and chest and airway physical therapy that (although time-consuming ) helps manage the symptoms of his disease. It's been a rough couple of months, both for our little guy and for us parents.

With the winter season approaching, we are nervous about colds and flu, especially since CF makes him more susceptible to serious complications from viruses and bacteria. Despite the fact that he's suffering from a nasty cold lately (he's had 2 well days in the past 3 weeks--sigh), our son is as talkative and active as ever. He wakes up every morning naming anything he sees over and over again: "a light, a light, a bed, a bed . . ." His world has opened up now that he can repeat and mostly understand English.

A couple days ago, I took my guy out on a quick location scouting trip around the neighborhood. (It was one of his well days.) And despite a bit of a runny nose, we got some pretty cute photos for me and the grandparents. Incidentally, this is the first time he climbed up to the top of the slide and slid down it all by himself!

Fall Leaves: Brothers Portraits

I've been aching to take pictures in this beautiful fall foliage, especially since I know it won't last very long (and also because I've been stuck at home with a sick kiddo). So, I was delighted when the mother of these handsome boys called me for a last minute shoot. "It's just so beautiful. God has made such an amazing world," she said as we planned a portrait shoot for the next day!

I'm glad we jumped at the chance to take the photos early in the week. After a few days, the reds and oranges at Rock Mill Park have disappeared, but those smiles and amazing colors have been preserved on camera. I know Mom's going to love getting some prints of these for Christmas cards or even posting some on her blog. Meanwhile, there's still a lot of beautiful fall beauty to photograph, so watch for a post about that this week. (There, if I write that on my blog, then I'll actually make the time to do it!)

Modeling

To build my portfolio, I occasionally offer modeling opportunities to individuals willing to model for my photo projects. No professional modeling experience is necessary.

• All adult participants must sign an Adult Model Release. All minor participants must have a parent or guardian sign their Minor Model Release.
• Only one free modeling session per individual/family.
• Models will studio credit for portrait art from the session. 

Please use my Contact Form to let me know you are interested in modeling.

Golden Light: Family Portrait Session

Among the best times to shoot are the "golden hours" before sunset as was the case for these gorgeous family pictures last weekend. We weren't the only ones taking advantage of the location and light. Another shoot was going on at Bradshaw Lake in Canton, GA while we took our photos. Thankfully, we all stayed out of each other's way and I'm sure everyone got some great images.

I love using the ambient light of the setting sun to highlight the hair and outlines of my subjects while still preserving the details of their faces and clothing. This golden light made my job much easier especially in post processing; no need to adjust the color. The lake also acted as a huge reflector and I was able to get some fun lens flare and semi-silhouette effects.

We started the shoot about 4:45 and ended just before 6:00. According to online Sun and Moon Data, sunset that day was at 6:44 p.m. With daylight standard time and shortening days, I'm checking for light conditions very closely lately.

My son "helped" me process these images this morning and his favorite shot was the fifth one. "Cute!" he said, and "I like it." Yes, our 20-month-old is a talker with a thoroughly adorable baby voice. I like it too, the spontaneous action in the background and a loving mom and son in the foreground. The kids I'm also proud we got a couple nice group shots with the canine member of the family (a real sweetie, but hard to get in the right position!) Finally, my favorites from this shoot are of mom and each of the kids and dad with baby girl on his shoulder. I love capturing moments of parenthood, a real passion of mine.