A Little Bit of Glamorous: College-Age Portraits

You may remember my lovely sister from a previous post about how I do photo processing. I am finally catching up with all the photos I took before my son went to the hospital, and here is the result of today's work.

This session was actually a photo shoot for other family members and my sister was photographer's assistant as well as model for her own photos. She was really a great sport, especially when I wanted to shoot her against a green wall ("Are you sure, Marchet?"), and I love how glamorous she looks in these images.

Some of the ideas for the post-processing were hers: the spot color with all but the eyes, lips, and shirt in black and white (a little vampiric-looking, don't you think?) and the sepia-toned portrait in the middle. Jacob came up with the idea of the third one, a wind-swept glance backward in the "midst of a battle" (he's watching Lord of the Rings right now). I used some textures from Pay It Forward Photography for the second one. I'm just loving textures right now; they add an artistic dimension to an image you can't get in camera. Too cool!

Location Scouting: Old Mill Area

I love, love, love location scouting especially when I find a gorgeous new spot for future shoots. Early Saturday evening I drove down to the Old Mill area of Roswell and shot these photos of the Vickery Creek dam, covered bridge, crumbling walls, and milling equipment remnants in the area. I felt a bit like my mom, an adverturess when it comes to hiking and exploring, while I trekked around the place. Some of the spots were a little tricky to get to, namely that breathtaking view of the dam, but they were worth it. Several shots are for the love of the texture of the place: a forgotten wall crumbling under the ivy, rusting metal wheels, a piece brick wall looking like a rock washed up on the shore. Then, there are the "insert your family/adorable child/senior here" shots where I worked to find the best backgrounds and angles for future shoots. I'm planning on doing quite a bit more location scouting in the near future . . . so stay tuned!

Play Date Portraits

When the weather was beginning to warm a couple weeks ago, my son and I had a play date with a friend and blogger whose adorable boy is about the same age. It was a gorgeous day and the only one that week without rain--or snow(!)--come to think of it. We moms had a fun time watching the boys play together and run around chasing balls in the tennis court. At the end, I made sure to get a nice photo of mom and son--something I'm always asking my husband to get. I'm so glad we had a chance to play. (Shooting photos is my kind of play!)

Too Cute: Newborn Portrait Session

I know; he's too cute for words, and mom and dad are going to have a hard time picking which images they want on their CD. I would! We did this little session in the living room with an awesome white background my client owns. (She is also a photo enthusiast and blogger.) The black background is a new trick of mine: black flannel blankets. They absorb the light and go totally black with a little tweaking in Photoshop. What I'm really pleased about from this shoot is the catchlights in the little one's eyes. I am also really glad we got a chance to do photos of him in his blessing outfit. Babies grow so fast, and if you wait too long, the opportunity to catch them in that favorite little outfit or wearing that darling expression is gone. I'm glad we didn't wait!

Let's Play: Family Photo Session

I get to gush a little on this post become this awesome family and their absolutely adorable kids are my relatives! Our most recent reunion in Texas let me do a few photo shoots for family members while I was there, and can I just say I am jealous of you Texans?! The light is amazing. Every single day seemed like the ideal day for photos. I'm sure part of it has to do with the level, uncluttered terrain and the time of year. Could you ask for anything better than golden light for two-three hours every single afternoon and morning? My aunt even had a west-facing trampoline perfectly framed with trees. I am so proud of that first photo: a real success in composition, framing, light, and freezing action.

The best thing I like about these photos is how they capture this family's personality. They are a fun, playful family with an amazing amount of energy and devotion to one another. One of my favorites has to be the third one. I don't do angles very often, but that really seemed to work, and the expression on big sister's face is so characteristic of her. I love the photo of sister's melt-down too. (I'm so glad mom wanted that picture! Sometimes you want a picture of your kid at their not-so-photogenic moments.) My favorite one of little brother is the close-up with the slightly glowing ears. What a cutie and such a smiler for someone so young! The face-to-face shot of the parents is another fave. I love including a few couple shots as part of a family photo shoot because mom and dad are the reason that whole family started in the first place. This image definitely captures the absolute delight these two still have about being together. Thanks, guys! Expect your CD soon!