A Few Christmas Memories

We had a wonderful Christmas this year at my grandparents' home. Lots of love, song, and food were shared. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are a few Christmas memories.

Merry Christmas!

All the best to you and your family this wonderful season!

Thanks to my fabulous assistant Kelita Flatman for taking this. Makes such a difference to have someone to help on our own family photos!

Straight Out of the Camera | Alpharetta GA Candid Photographer

I believe that editing is an important (very important) part of pro photography, especially after reading this article. If you shoot in RAW format, then you must process and export any image to get a JPEG. In addition, retouching and editing is required to get a truly pro look. In my experience, one image can take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of editing required, despite the fact that it is already a great photo. That's one of the many reasons custom photography will cost you more than a shoot at a retail outlet.

But then, I don't always do pro photography, especially when I'm trying to capture a memory at home or test out a lens on my family (as in this case). Sometimes, it's better left untouched. Untouched images show off your skill as a photographer, the ability to get the exposure, light, color, and focus just right in camera.
I'm particularly pleased with the color (thank you custom white balance) and the beautiful light in his eyes (thank you external flash). The nice depth-of-field is courtesy of my 50 mm prime lens. The rest is all him. Oh how I love bath photos!

So, here are some of my candid at-home shots, SOOC--straight out of the camera--just exported from my the original RAW image to a JPEG. No editing required!

Sisters in the Field | Alpharetta GA Teen and Senior Photographer

Some beautiful October pictures to warm your wintry day.

Catching up with the Blog and Upcoming Workshop | Canton GA Family and Baby Photographer

Now that my photography load has eased up, I have a chance to do some full posts of this season's shoots. You may remember this family from a previous sneak peek. They coordinated their shoot to coincide with baby's first birthday in October as well as get some shots for Christmas. October is the perfect month to have your Christmas portraits made. The weather is still nice and you have plenty of time to get the CD and have gift prints made without paying extra for rush shipping. (Ah, yes. I know this because I had to do that for some of my Christmas gifts. Maybe I'll take my own advice next year!)

On another note, I am pleased to announce a Portrait Photo Workshop on Saturday, January 15, 2011 from 1:30-4:00 in Cumming, GA. It's a bargain at $45.00/person. I know some of you are getting new cameras for Christmas. And some of you have nice point-and-shoots or SLRs already, but don't know how to get great pictures out of them. You've probably realized by now that it's not just a fancy camera that makes a great photograph, but the person behind that camera as well. Here's your chance to seriously improve your composition, knowledge, and experience with portrait photography. The best part of the workshop is getting a chance to shoot with me and some models (looking for some of those too, by the way) while I help you get great shots in real time. Awesome! Contact us for more information. I'll even email you a sweet-looking certificate to print out if you decide to give it as a Christmas gift.

Okay, back to more of this beautiful family!

Sweaters and Smiles | Alpharetta GA Family Photographer

It's getting chilly here! I'm not a big one on winter, but I love these sweaters! Such a fun idea for family photos. And they must know how I like color. The pinks and greens and blues are just perfect for my style of photography.

Fortunately, we captured these images before this week's frosty temperature. I'm a wimp in the cold. My thermostat? 80 degrees. I know it's expensive, but I am COLD. Meanwhile, I'm editing at home in a blanket at the computer. Does anyone else's fingers go numb with cold while they're at the computer? Now there's a product idea, a Snuggie-like keyboard cover. Okay, no more silliness. It must be late.

All of Us | Alpharetta GA Family Photographer

It's been a goal of mine to display more of my art in our home especially since I have so many beautiful images. But I'm busy doing photos for my clients, so it's been low on my priority list. However, Christmas is coming; things are not as crazy as they were a few weeks ago, and I've found some great deals on frames that are going to be perfect! 

While I was editing the big family photo, I kept on thinking, 'Oooh, how would this look in a square frame?' So, I had to use my little photoshopping skills to find out.

Yeah, I knew it would look good. (Grin.)

Thanks to Tutorio.com, I was able to make the wood texture in Photoshop from scratch. 

Here's the unframed version. Love the fall colors.