Babies come in all shapes & sizes

I was fortunate enough to be entrusted to photograph Dan's "babies" this week. I've never seen such a gorgeous collection of musical instruments. All of them in mint condition, and treated reverently by their dad, they were a gleaming sight to behold. I even got a short sampling from Dan of how beautifully the flugelhorn sounds when played by a master! Gleaming copper, silver and gold presented a challenge in lighting, but I think Dan got the personal art piece he was hoping for- the grouping will be a large framed print for his office. The close ups were for me- I was captivated by the rich mellow color of the copper flugelhorn.  Such a fun assignment!!

The Maternity portrait

Now granted, it's been 20 years since I was last pregnant, but I can still remember the feeling of carrying around an expanding miracle. It's a time when you can't believe what your body is capable of- and just when you think you can't get any bigger...you do! I've had women tell me that the last thing they want to do in the last month of pregnancy is have a portrait taken. They look in the mirror and see a rounder face, well...a rounded everything! They've had pictures taken by friends, and all they see is bulk.

I love showing what I can do with lighting, a little fabric, and a willing subject. Look how beautiful Karla looks in these maternity portraits! I can tell you when you talk to Karla right now, she doesn't feel this beautiful. She's ready for her little miracle to present herself- pronto! But I also know she's glad she took an hour to come in and have these portraits done. Years from now she'll have memories of the miracle, not the weight.

Seeing Double

Last month, I enjoyed photographing newborn twin girls, and this past week I had twin boys in the studio for their close ups! David & Bryce are 4 month old fraternal twins, and as sweet as can be! Their dad Stephen is an avid soccer fan (that's football to him - go Cardiff City Bluebirds!), so of course we got the boys in full Cardiff jerseys. But I'm still a sucker for babies in diapers, so I also made sure to capture their sparkling smiles sans jerseys.

Daddy's Little Girl

 Like all daughters, Sarah is growing too darn fast - but Chris makes sure he has us photograph the two of them together every other year. Chris is a musician working on his first CD, so the guitar was a natural "prop" which he used to keep Sarah and me entertained during our session. I love witnessing their special bond, and coming up with new ways to preserve it in portraits.

 

Lovely Lauren

Lauren came to see us because her mom wasn't happy with the senior photos taken by her school photographer. She is a natural beauty - with a fun fashion sense. Several outfits later, we had lots of great images- here are two of my favorites.  

We chatted a bit about her experience with the school photographer. What it boils down to, I think, is that having your portrait taken should be a fun, memorable experience - with great images to show for it. If the staff isn't friendly and helpful, the experience suffers.  If your photographer hasn't studied lighting and its effect on facial sculpting, your images suffer. If you feel rushed, automated, and assembly-lined, the experience and the images suffer.  And if you have to pay for it all, you just get angry! 


Glad to say - we had fun, we know how to use flattering lighting, and we had over an hour to play with clothing changes, backgrounds and various sets. I love this profession!