Firsts

Remember this little lady?  She was the star of my very first newborn photoshoot.

She went on to be slightly famous when Ree gave this picture a shout out on her blog.

Well, guess who just turned one?  I was so glad that her mother asked me to document the happy occasion.  Miss Margo is just as laid back and sweet as she was as a newborn but it’s fun looking back and seeing how much she’s physically changed in the last year!

This was my first 1-year Photoshoot.  She and her mother made it entirely delightful.

This is the same pink headband that she had on when she was a newborn.  Awwww….

 

Happy Birthday Margo Mae.  I love watching you grow!

Little Red is in the Hood

I snapped this picture of Miss Munchkin in the woods behind our house last Fall.

Favorite Face of 2010

Looking back over 2010, I have a handful or two of favorite faces.  They include some stunning Seniors, bewitching babies and charming children.  But one photo makes me smile every time I look at it.
His eyes, his ears, his shy smile - this little guy just makes my day!

Something New

I’ve been busy working on something entirely new the past few weeks – I’ve been taking photos of the students at our martial arts studio.  This project required the use of lights and a green screen and digital backgrounds – all new stuff for me!  It’s kind of funny – the students get to choose their backgrounds and every single child (and even a few of the adults) choose Fire. :)

Here’s a little taste:

      

Fall Family

Here are a few shots from a recent family photoshoot.  This time we hit the local train depot.

The Picture Within

We’ve all gotten those “less than perfect” shots from time to time.  You know the ones, where somebody wiggles at just the wrong moment or blinks right when you push down the shutter.  Wait!  Before you hit “delete” on your camera or computer, take another look.  There might be a wonderful picture hiding somewhere in there!

For example, this cutie-patooie was showing me her sweater.  Her brother was showing me some “Cheese”.

A little cropping, a zoom, and a slight rotation later you get this!

This next photo was pretty cute to start with but I think the viewer’s eye is drawn away from the girl’s face down to her lower arm and leg.  I’m also distracted by the strong purple flowers above her head.  And that’s a shame because, with a zoom and a crop…

 

You get this!  So look twice at your photos; You may uncover a hidden treasure.

Samuel, 8 days

This little guy was actually pretty alert for a newborn.  We had to work fast between catnaps. :)

These were shot using natural light.

Geddes Gone Wrong

I’ve had a few adorable babies in front of my camera recently.  Of course, not every shot is a keeper.  I’ll usually delete most of the seconds but, occasionally, I’ll capture something that just cracks me up.  I call these “WGGW”s or “When Geddes Goes Wrong”.

After messing with this little guy quite a bit, he finally woke up and glared at me.  Then he gave me me the Finger.

The Sweetest Senior

 

This sweet thing was such a joy to work with.  Here are a few of my favorites shots from our time together.

  

Notes to Self

Lessons recently learned the hard way in Photography:
 
Pond scum on a lake does not a pretty background make.  Check and double check what's behind your subject before you start shooting.

Apparently I need more than my personality to charm a baby.  Must get squeaky toy.

You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby

I got to take photos of the sweetest baby yesterday.  It was hard for me to stop smooching her chubby little baby feet and to pick up the camera.  Luckily her mother was very understanding. :)

InSight

., originally uploaded by MrsMama.

A quick snapshot from a recent photoshoot. This is the Greek Goddess' little sister. Their mother brought along this beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers, which we incorporated into several of the shots.

Meaghan

Meet Meaghan.  We did her Senior photos downtown in the alleys behind the shops.  I call her “The Greek Goddess” inside my head.  She was tall.  She was poised.  She was beautiful.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that people stopped and stared.

   
She was also really fun to shoot and was up for anything.  To get this shot she had to climb over a railing, schooch out on a ledge, and stand in the middle of a bunch of bees.:)

Coming soon: some sweet shots of her sister.

Shout Out

The Pioneer Woman is featuring "funny" photos on her blog right now.  Check out the the entries for a guaranteed grin.  And if you are a stalker faithful reader, you might just recognize one of the pictures in Group 5.  (Woo Hoo Tiffany and Chad!  Your boys are a hoot!)

For another smile, you can read about the night I met Ree herself here.

And now, back to my blog

The Earth Laughs in Flowers

A few shots from a recent Photoshoot.  Aren’t they cutie-patooties!? 

Before and After

A sneak peek into my post-processing

The first photo is SOOC (straight out of camera).  I use Adobe’s Lightroom for all of my processing.

First I lightened the circles under her eyes then, for the center photo, I applied Steller's “Color Shout” preset, which I toned down and adjusted slightly.  I didn't touch her actual eyes - they were already gorgeous!  Finally I increased the Luminance Smoothing (noise reduction) 100%.

For the last photo, I used Steller's “70s Heatwave” Preset then recovered some highlights and adjusted the greens.  Lastly I adjusted the Noise (Luminance Smoothing).

As  you can see, with minimum post-processing you can get two very different feels for the same portrait.  I love editing – for me it’s a continuation of the artistic process of creating a specific  photograph.

The Next American Idol

Meet Gracie.  On our photoshoot Saturday night, we ran between raindrops, explored stinky alleys, tiptoed over large spiders in a wet field and dodged divebombing dragonflies.  This spunky girl was up for anything!

Gracie is going to be a Senior this Fall and is a lovely young woman, inside and out.  She has big, beautiful blue eyes and an amazing voice.  And next month, she will be auditioning for American Idol.

Go Gracie!

Family Photoshoot

This is my second time getting to work with this fun family.  I loved how they were up for anything!  Rick and Kelli, your kids are a delight!