My 1st Give-Away!!!

i know you're chomping at the bit for a chance to win something for free, so i won't delay any longer. ;)  i thought long and hard about which prints to offer first and i'm really happy about my selection.  this is for a set of 2 vintage style 8x10 prints that i took last summer on a trip to palmyra, new york.  they are two of my favorites and i even have one of them hanging in my home.  here's how this will work: starting today, you have until next friday to leave me a comment with your email address.  i'll have my handy assistant B (my darling husband) draw a name out of a hat, literally, and i'll announce the winner.  easy peasy!  good luck!  also, be sure to spread the word, because this is a trial run and without a good response, these give-away's may wind up being few and far between, which would be a shame, because i've got tons of great stuff besides just prints lined up for the give-away's.

 

5 Little Monkeys

have you ever seen such adorable, funny kids? 

miss K:

little T:

sweet O:

sassy E:

precious B:

the daddy & mama (johnny & jill):

aren't they such a beautiful family???  i can't wait to see what baby S looks like when he joins the family in a couple of months.

Tip #1

the word "photo" literally means "light", so, naturally, one of the most important factors in taking a great pic is having great lighting.  personally, i always prefer to use natural light (though i do use a lighting set on newborn and other indoor shoots, but, even then, i still try to mix it with natural light from the windows).  however, the sun can be your worst enemy or your best friend when using her as your only light source.  you just have to know how to work with her.  for instance, taking pics in the middle of the day can be a nightmare if you don't have an arsenal of tools to soften her direct shine, which most people don't.  if you fit into this category, here's one simple rule to live by when taking pics of people: take them during the "magic hour".  (oooh! sounds kind of other-worldly, doesn't it?)  anyway, yes, i'm a dork and made up a name for it (does anyone even use the term "dork" anymore?), but it just means the hour before sunset.  have you ever noticed how pics you take of people outside usually give them dark circles under their eyes and their skin looks pale?  that's because when the sun is high in the sky, it gives off really harsh light that creates shadows on faces.  that leaves you with two options for taking pics of people:

A: get up really early and use the softer light of the sunrise. 
B: party like a rock star the night before, sleep in really late, and use the warm glow of the sunset. 

B looks like a winner to me!!!  when i have an upcoming shoot, i look up what time sunset will be on that day and schedule it for two hours before the sun is actually gone for the night.  shoots never goes perfectly smoothly, so you need to allow yourself some extra time and the light two hours before is still pretty decent. 

i hope this helps you in your photo taking.  if you have any special requests for the tips/how-to's feel free to leave a comment or email me.  i love to hear back from everyone!

Kelly & LLL

talk about a photogenic pair, kelly and little lady L are so beautiful and sure know how to work the camera!  i blame it on good genetics. ;)

 thank you kelly and LLL!!!  

i love these girls!

Wondering What to Wear?

the first thing most clients ask when they book with me (after how much? of course) is "what should i wear?"  while the style of the outfit is best left up to you (after all, who knows you better than you?!?), i can at least help you choose the color.

first, you need to determine your season.  no, not the season you were born in, the season of colors that best suits your skin tone, hair color, and eye color.  oddly enough, they are named after the four seasons. hmmm...  anyway, here are some color palettes to help you determine which colors look best on you. 

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

if you need a little more help in this department, try this site. 

next, you need to take into consideration the location of the shoot and whether you want to blend it with the scenery or stand out.  to blend in, obviously, you need colors in the same family.  if you want to stand out, well, that's where it get's fun.  white is the universally safe color, but don't feel like you have to play it safe.  wear a shade that emphasizes your personality in a color that compliments the background.  what do i mean by compliments?  it's just a fancy way of saying to choose the opposite color of the background color.  the easiest way to determine this is to take a look at a color wheel. 

if the background is a cool color (not awesome-cool, temperature-cool), a warm color will stand out against it and vice versa.  let's say the background is red brick.  to find the complimentary color, look straight across the wheel from red.  the opposite of red is green.  you could go with a highly saturated, kelly green, or a muted sage green.  that's where your personality will show in the pic.  see, it's simple!  but don't feel like you have to abide by any rules when it comes to choosing colors.  have fun with it!

Rachel

this is my baby sister, though i probably shouldn't call her that anymore, since she's going to be 14 this year.  while i was in texas, she volunteered to be my assistant during all the shoots, which was a huge help.  she wants to be a photographer when she grows up, too, and is anxious to get started.  i could seriously see the two of us going into business together some day.  anyway, while she was helping me out, i was able to do a couple of shoots of her in between the other shoots.  i'm so glad we were able to get so many pics of her, because she is so beautiful and versatile.  i love how different she looks in each shot and i can't believe how grown up she looks!

i love this girl!