My Halloween Knight

I have learned that it's best to take Halloween costume pictures before Halloween. And all the better if a little friend in a fairy princess costume will pose with your little knight. Happy trick-or-treating everyone!

Family Portraits in the Old Town | Marietta GA Family Photographer

I love, love, love old places like historic Marietta where we shot these photos last week. Although I have a great fondness indoor photography, my heart really belongs to these great location shoots. After I came home from the shoot, I told my husband how much I was in my element.

Today, though, I was on the other side of the camera. A good friend and fellow photographer Stacey took my family's photos, and it was a good reminder how it feels to be the subject. The shoot itself was awesome, but beforehand, I had major trepidation about our clothes, even though I know very well how to put together attire for a shoot. Then there was the hair, the makeup, and worrying that the location I had chosen wouldn't work out. Well, it all came together, just like last week's shoot did. But after today, I have a new appreciation for my clients! It's definitely worth it though. When you're all done, you have amazing family portraits like these!

Three Boys and a Baby | Atlanta GA Children's Photographer

I showed a friend this picture as I was editing today, and she said, "Somebody finally got their girl." They sure did! I remember how excited mom and grandma (both close friends) were for another female in the family.

For this shoot, we did an indoor setup with a background and a photo light I recently got from my dad (thanks Dad!). Their mom specifically wanted all the kids on her couch. Love it! The texture overlay you see around the edges of the portrait was a request by the oldest son, and both his mom and I thought it was a good idea. I think it really enhances the look of an otherwise flat background. Well, I've got more pictures to edit . . . enjoy the sneak peek!

How to Take Fall Photos

Fall is just about the best season here in Georgia -- it usually lasts quite a few weeks and the colors from the trees are amazing. We are just starting to see reds and oranges (with an abundance of yellow), so now is a great time to snap pictures of your kiddo. Here are a few hints on how I got these great autumn photos.

My little boy loves to "explore" trails and sidewalks around our place. Our deal is that he gets to explore and I get to take photos, plus he'll agree to pose for some of them too. I took these shots around 5:00 p.m. after a drizzly day with overcast skies. Overcast = soft even light for outdoor shots. Perfect.

The first and second image show how tricky trees can be -- you want to capture the fall foliage, but you don't want a branch or tree trunk coming out of your subject's head. I squatted down to take the first shot so I could get the tops of the trees behind his head. The second shot was just positioning. I had to place my boy in a certain spot so that I could get a full body shot with the trees and without head-branches.

The last portrait is one of my favorites from 2008. I try to take photos of my son in each season every year. It is so fun to look back at how he's grown in the past 3 years. This was taken close to the Alpharetta Big Creek Greenway, which turns a gorgeous golden yellow one week out of the year. It is a magical time to take pictures there, and I'm hoping I'll be able to catch it again this year. And that's my last advice of this post: if you see a gorgeous fall setting, get back there with a camera as soon as possible (or better yet, keep your camera with you). A couple days can make a huge difference in whether or not the trees still have their colorful leaves. Happy fall!