Lens Giveaway from Crave Photography!

Have you seen the awesome giveaway from Crave Photography?? They are having a business jump start giveaway where they are giving away a Canon or Nikon 50mm 1.4 lens! Check it out here: http://cravemyphotography.com/blog/business-jump-start-giveaway/

New Website!

For those of you that are still finding me here on wordpress, I’d like to invite you to come check out my new website where I’m most active. I’ve been putting a lot of time and effort into this site to try and make it easy to navigate and interesting to look at. I hope you like it!

My New Website! <— Click here.

Katie’s Solo Shoot

 

As a photographer, one of my favorite things is when I’m able to shoot a model that enjoys what she’s doing. Katie loves having her picture taken. Pair her up with me, a girl who loves to take pictures, and it’s a match made in heaven. Not only that, but this girl is ridiculously photogenic. We went out around 5:45 and shot for about 2 hours. We went walking around downtown and maybe did a little trespassing to get to a super cool cow shoot. Here are a few images from Katie’s session.

 

 

 

Going Home…

This shot was taken after a parade when my kids were hot, thirsty, and really not very happy to be there. But the promise of an ice cream and air conditioning was enough to spur them into action, getting them back to the car and on our way. Here is my daughter in her eagerness to get home.

Anyone down for a little “The World’s Oldest Rodeo”?

Living in Prescott is interesting  come Rodeo season. Prescott boasts “The World’s Oldest Rodeo,” and becomes quite the destination in June. I’ve lived here all my life and have been to several rodeos, but lately I’ve sort of steered clear of the event. It’s usually crowded, and honestly, I don’t really like watching cowboys being trampled by enraged steer. However, this year a group of our friends decided to head on over to the rodeo grounds and enjoy a little of “The World’s Oldest Rodeo.” My husband and I tagged along with our three kids, whose first experience with the rodeo we were eager to witness.

Of course, I had to bring my camera to document this photographic opportunity. Here are a few images from the night.

“We’re just watching those guys fall off the horsies.” ~ Ava

“It was a lot more enjoyable without my mother sitting beside me emanating anger.” ~ Vince

The kids really enjoyed their first rodeo experience. Though Ava did have a small meltdown when the cowboys were roping the baby cows. She didn’t like them hurting the animals. We went for a walk and looked at the pretty cowgirl belts.

What should I wear for my portrait session?

Clothing is very important when planning your portrait session, and it’s the one thing that people tend to struggle with most. You want something that you feel great in, but you don’t want it to distract from the main subject—you. So let’s talk a little about what you should wear and what you should try to avoid.

Individual Portrait Sessions:

Girls: Layered solids are usually great when paired with chunky jewelry, scarves, boots, or some fabulous heels. That’s not to say that prints can’t be great as well. Try to keep it to one print at a time, and bring a solid sweater or cardi to change things up a bit.

Guys: Choose something that reflects your personality but isn’t too distracting. Stay away from shirts with logos or cartoon characters. Accessories like stylish hats and vests which can be removed for additional looks, are a great way to go.  Keep things tailored if possible; big, loose fitting clothing does not photograph well in most circumstances.

Children: Kids are fun because they can usually rock any look and still wind up in the center of it all. Keep them comfortable—we all know how much fun photographing cranky kids can be. Keep it in line with their personality. For example, don’t try to force your tomboy into a frilly pink dress and expect fabulous pictures. If you want photos of your tomboy-daughter in a dress, get her a funky jumper or a a boho-style dress, which always look great. Again, stay away from logos and cartoon characters.

Families & Groups:

The name of this game is coordination, not matchy-matchy. Pick a color scheme you love and coordinate your looks together. You could have a few solids with some prints mixed in;  a little girl’s dress with all colors can also tie the look together. Think room decoration—you want it to go well together without it being exactly the same.

Of course, everyone is different and expects different things from their artistic portrait session. Just remember to choose something you feel great in, keep things coordinated, and have fun!

For additional help and ideas with picking out your wardrobe, check out the “Wardrobe” section of my blog.

A Mini Session with My Kids…Disaster or Success?

I don’t know why, but every time I pull out my camera, I get intensely different reactions from each of my kids. My daughter is quite the little poser, and LOVES it…although she only loves it for about 10 minutes, then she’s done. So, I have to get her wrapped up within that ten-minute time frame, or I’m out of luck.

My middle son loathes it, which I find rather ridiculous since he’s such a beautiful boy. With him I must resort to the occasional fart joke for a genuine smile, or just settle for a brooding look. My oldest son couldn’t really care less. He’ll do what I want  for a while, but he neither enjoys the process nor despises it.

So I took my happy daughter, reluctant middle son, and my permissive oldest son to the park today for a  mini session. Here are a few of the images from the excursion.

 

So in the end, we got a few good shots, several very grumpy pictures, and (with the wonderful Arizona wind) lots of wild hair shots. 🙂

H-V Engagement

My sister-in-law’s sister-in-law, Kristina, recently got engaged, and I was honored to get to shoot her and her fiancee’s engagement session. They are a beautiful couple, and I am so very happy they found each other. So congratulations Matt and Kristina! Here are a few images from their session.

Fun Family Shoot

I was able to do a family shoot for some dear friends of mine. Anne told me that she wanted a few family pictures because she hadn’t had any taken since her youngest, now ten, was a baby. So we trekked to a couple local spots and started shooting. It was a blast.