Priceless Impressions

Sweet baby girl, sneak peak.

2011-12-29T21:41:00.002-07:00

I got to spend the afternoon with my favorite kindergarten teacher and her beautiful girls.

Sweet baby {E} was born just a few days before Christmas. I always thought it would be fun to have a Christmas baby...I only experienced being pregnant during Christmas, which is also fun...no guilt while eating, eating and more eating.

Big sister was such a big help and loved being able to hold her baby sister.

Once this little precious one fell asleep she was perfect throughout the whole session and we got some beautiful images of her.

We are going to miss our favorite teacher while she takes her maternity leave...but we are so happy her new baby is here and they are both doing so well!
Thanks for letting me capture your beautiful baby girl for you, Mrs. B! We love you!!!!

Merry/Happy Everything...

2011-12-26T19:20:00.002-07:00

From our home to yours.

Using a little Pinterest inspiration...

2011-12-04T20:22:00.001-07:00

So many fantastic holiday photo ideas floating around on pinterest.

I loved this idea and decided to give it a try for our Christmas cards this year.

Here are some straight out of camera images that I am not using for our card, but that doesn't mean I don't love them :) I didn't edit them so you could see what they look like without any editing.

Head on over to Prop Insanity for a step by step tutorial for this set up.

I used my 50mm 1.4 lens for all of the shots I took. I also had to use my studio lighting since I didn't have great natural light in my house today. To get the nice blur, I had to shoot at 1.4 and the kids were about 7 feet in front of the lights. I had to place them that far in front so the green strands wouldn't show from the lights. I was too cheap to go buy lights with white strands instead of the green. When shooting at that wide open aperture (f 1.4) it is absolutely necessary to keep all of your subjects on the exact same plane or they won't all be in focus. Placing a subject even slightly behind another will result in creepy stalker images like this one....

Although, I don't mind creepy stalker when they are this cute.
Have fun shooting your holiday pictures using twinkly lights and creating some beautiful bokeh!
In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image, or the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.

Which by the way is pronounced like this....

Time to give...

2011-11-09T11:19:00.002-07:00

The season of giving is approaching quickly and I wanted to share something that a beautiful photographer friend of mine is doing this year to help out a very worthy cause!

Click on her blog header above to read what she is doing! I love that she is using her talents as a way of service. I know many of you that read my blog are either professional photographers or very experienced amateurs. Think of all the good we could do it we all did something like this, THIS holiday season.

She has a beautiful blog. Head over there and spend some time reading her beautiful words and and I am sure you will be captivated by her gift of life style photography.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:13:00.002-06:00

Hope you took LOTS of pictures and ate LOTS of candy!

Editing flow...

2011-10-28T00:50:00.005-06:00

One thing that I have changed over and over again through my journey learning photography is my editing process and styles. I think it is fairly common for most people to go through the phases I experienced. I first learned everything I could about photography and tried to get proper exposure. Then, I ventured into the editing world. I purchased CS3 and had my fair share of oompa loompa outcomes before I discovered the phenomenal world of layer masks and opacity. Those two things changed my life and I felt like that is when I truly started to get a grip on my editing. Over the years I have tried to make my photos POP with color and do all the funky, hazy, seventies looks...until I realized it wasn't my style and I needed to figure out exactly what my 'own' style was. I soon realized that I really wanted my images to just be clean, simple edits with a classic feel to them. This is when I really got down and dirty with CS3 and learned how to use it to my advantage. I learned curves and color correcting tools that worked for me. I have a good friend (Hi Larissa!) that is currently going through the beginning stages of learning her new DSLR and she is reminding me so much of myself. She is fully invested and wants to get her hands on anything and everything to help her along her own journey. She asked me to share with her my editing flow. Honestly, I don't really have one that fits all pictures that I take. Every lighting situation is different, producing different color temperatures. I thought I would just simply show how little editing I actually do to my images.

Since I shoot in RAW format, I open my images in camera raw and do a few edits there first. I make sure my exposure looks good and depending on the individual picture and what it needs, I may do a few other things in camera raw, such as fixing white balance if needed and anything else that might be needed to the overall image I am going to edit. Next, I bring it into photoshop and decide what the picture needs. When you shoot in RAW, things are going to look flat and a bit dull. This is where I usually brighten things up and do a new layer and bump things up.

A good one to start with when you are first leaning is to create a new layer. (Ctrl-J for pc and Command-J for mac). Once you have chosen a new layer, there is a drop down menu that you can choose different blend modes. "Normal" is selected for you. Go to the drop down menu and choose "soft light". It is a great one to bump the contrast and give your picture a nice boost. I cannot stress how important the next step is when you use these features. Next to the blending modes there is another feature called "opacity". It is NECESSARY to use this function when you are editing. It will automatically set your new layer at 100% and this is when you get images that are way over edited and makes skin tones look horrible. I usually bring the opacity down to about 25-30% on most features I choose.
This is a great place to start. Practice this method and next up on my editing flow is color correction.
We will save that for another post :)

Have fun! And remember...if you have a good, properly exposed image, there won't be a lot you need to do to it to accomplish a nice, clean, simple edit.

Picture clean-up...

2011-10-17T00:51:00.002-06:00

I have been trying really hard to clean up my photo files lately. I have SO, SO many pictures on my computer that need to be deleted. The problem is that I start looking at pictures and then I can't focus on the ones that need to be deleted...

All I can focus on is all the pictures that never got edited! Never got edited because I was being just WAY too picky and considered them crap.

I found an entire session of my kids in April of 2009 that I didn't edit one picture from. Not one! I remember coming home from that photo shoot so sad with the results because my kids didn't all look at the camera and smile. So when I started looking through them (2 1/2 years later) I couldn't believe I didn't edit them! They were so cute and helped me remember what my kids looked like at that time. I am sure I didn't like this one because she wasn't smiling...but now I see this picture and remember this look that she gave me so often. Plus there is a stick coming out of her head and I probably didn't know how to edit it out at the time. Now I don't even care about the stick and could easily remove it. But those are the silly things that I used to consider a bad image.

That is the beautiful thing about having digital images....over two years later I can go back and realize that I actually did capture a beautiful moment that I will be able to look back and treasure always.

Have you backed up your computer yet? Make sure your images are backed up on a hard drive and also an online backup system as well. I go through Carbonite but may switch to Mozy. Mozy is a local company for me and I love supporting local businesses. Also, they back up external hard drives from what I hear...Carbonite does not. Don't wait until your hard drive crashes to learn the hard way that pictures need to be backed up! :)

Sneak Peak for my bestie...

2011-09-28T22:16:00.006-06:00

Amazing weather. Gorgeous light. And an incredibly Beautiful little lady.

Fall...

2011-09-24T13:10:00.010-06:00

Fall is my favorite time of year. I dread going into fall because that means my summer is over and I know the cold and snow are just waiting at my door. But...once the beautiful smells and visions of Autumn arrive I can't help but feel so happy and blessed. Each day feels like a gift and a renewed passion for life.
How can it not feel that way? Everything is in full harvest, the weather is perfect and

my favorite shows are finally back on TV!

Life is good. So, so good!

I spent yesterday reaping the benefits of a beautiful skill my Nana taught me. Canning peaches and making peach jam. I am not really a domestic one...but this is a yearly tradition I just love. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing beautiful canned peaches sitting on my counter.

(photo taken by my husband who also helped me for the first time!)

There is also nothing more beautiful than passing along this skill to my daughter.
She is finally old enough to help me out and she was so amazing.
We put on our aprons (makes us feel more official that way) and got to work.

She stayed and helped me the entire time. She was committed to the end.

Oh the joy...Seeing her tiny little hands peeling the peaches so

delicately and measuring each cup of sugar to perfection.
Here is to many, many more years of this tradition with my favorite little side kick.

Now for some photo tips....
When taking pictures indoors...I often find it is so hard to get the colors to look right. You have a mix of ambient light, natural light and who knows what else. A lot of times they look very yellow and dark.
(Since it is hard to get good exposure indoors without a flash.)
It is important to fix your white balance to get correct color...but sometimes the photos you want to get don't allow you the time to set a custom white balance and spend a lot of time figuring out the best color options.
My solution?? Turn those pictures to black and white. Black and white images are timeless and, in my opinion, tell a beautiful story. I always mess with my black and white photos to get good contrast. I do this by going into levels in photoshop (control L) and changing the different output levels. This is how you brighten your mid-tones and darken your blacks. I also sharpen my black and white images more than I usually do on color images. I think it just adds beautiful texture and more contrast.

Happy Fall!!!!

HAVE YOU?????

2011-09-23T11:53:00.000-06:00

Have you taken that camera out of Auto yet? No? What?!?!?!

Here is yet another FANTASTIC resource for you...

You have no excuses today. The weather is beautiful, the leaves are changing and there is not a better time than now for you to learn your camera. :)

Dying....

2011-09-18T23:16:00.003-06:00

...over the cuteness of my last couple of sessions.

Couldn't be a more beautiful family than the one I had today.

Beautiful weather. Beautiful setting and lighting. Just beautiful everything.

This little cutie was such a good baby! Her mama had this little lady bug prop made just for her first photo shoot. She rocked just about every pose we put her in and made me want to book more newborn sessions! ASAP. Editing, editing, and more editing.

Asleep.

2011-09-14T23:56:00.000-06:00

As I look back on images of my kids...some of my favorites are of them sleeping. There is nothing more perfect than a peaceful, sleeping baby.

Her amazing lashes and chipped nail polish. Sigh. Missing the days my kids were little.

But, loving that I have images that take me right back to those moments.

If you are feeling like you are in a photography funk....go back through the images you have taken over the years. You will be inspired again. Nothing makes me more excited to learn more about photography than seeing what I have already captured. Freezing these beautiful moments. Forever.

Sometimes I get too involved with keeping up with photography trends and learning the newest programs. I take a step back and realize that my very favorite images are simple. Classic. And most importantly...timeless.

Fall is in the air...Family picture time!

2011-09-05T21:41:00.003-06:00

The temps are cooler in the evenings and pretty cold in the mornings. Our schedules are filling up again and I am starting to get excited for fall. I always mourn the end of summer, but once it is over I remember how much I love the fall season in Utah.

I have a few spaces left for family portraits.

Keeping it simple this year. $200 for a session. This includes all images (usually 25-30, sometimes more depending on the session) that I edit on a disk for you to print where ever you would like. Or I would be happy to order prints for you through the professional lab that I use.

The last two pictures are done using off camera flash.
Let me know if this is the type of session you are wanting.

You can email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com for more info and available dates.

new niece...

2011-08-29T20:26:00.000-06:00

Things have been super busy around here as we get back into school and the scheduled every day to day activities. So long, care free summer.

Fortunately I was able to make time to take some pictures of my new niece the other day. She is so itty bitty and has such a sweet, calm personality. I am thinking that is a very good thing since she joined a family with 6 other kids! :)

Just to put into perspective how tiny she is...the flower in her hair is the size of a quarter!

I am so happy my sister in law wanted some pictures of herself with her last baby. It is a real regret I have now. I don't have any good pictures of my newborns with me. :(

Welcome to the family, baby Isabelle. We are so happy you are here...safe and healthy!

Incredible photography

2011-08-29T01:42:00.003-06:00

I absolutely love looking at this website.

I get lost in the beauty of these images for way longer than I should be on the computer at one sitting.

Each image is so incredible and I would die to be a dance photographer in NYC.

There it is. My dream. Exposed to the world. Sigh. I guess, technically I don't have to live in NYC to be a dance photographer. But...that is where my dream takes place. So that is where I will continue to dream about living and working when I grow up.
Maybe one day, when my babies are grown and have left me to pursue their own dreams.

One can dream. We all should dream.

All images shown are from http://dance-photos.blogspot.com/

Talk about stunning, beautiful images that make you gasp in awe of the human body and all of its capabilities.

Viewer discretion is advised. Artistic nudity is common with this type of photography and may be uncomfortable for some to view with young children around.

Back to school...AGAIN!

2011-08-22T00:14:00.001-06:00

It seems like my kids just got out for summer vacation! But, here we are. Heading back to the daily routine of school. We have had a wonderful summer. I can't complain. My kids are all venturing off to school this year. A bitter-sweet time for me. I sure enjoy having my kids home with me. But...off to school we go this week!

I posted some tips for back to school pictures a few years ago. Head over HERE for those.

This year, I decided that instead of worrying about taking pictures the morning of, I would do it early. Also...my kids each start school on different days! Last year we actually woke up late for the first day of school! It was such a mess of a morning that I decided to take pictures off of my morning "to do " list. I think feeding the kids breakfast should be top priority. :) Don't stress about the early morning pictures. It is okay to take them after school, or even a week later if that works out better for your schedule. As long as you document the moment at some point...the timing shouldn't matter.

Baby girl is THRILLED to be starting kindergarten. The oldest is going to Jr. High! And my middle, brainy child is heading to the 4th grade. They are all excited for school to start this year. Especially my oldest! I guess growing up and gaining independence is pretty exciting.

I love seeing all the pictures on pinterest that have information about the child right on the photo. The ones I have seen are usually done for a birthday. I thought it would be fun for back to school information. Listing little details like shoe size, clothing size and specific interests are things that I am sure I would forget to document anywhere else. Just find a location that has an empty background and not a lot of distracting colors. Brick walls work really well. Make sure you leave plenty of spacing around your child so you have lots of room for the writing. I plan to make one of these for each of my kids and then make a little book for each of them with pictures from class parties, pictures with class friends and all school activities throughout the year. At the end of the year it can be a little year book with blank pages at the end of the book for friends to sign. It will be a great little keepsake for each of them to remember that specific school year. It will be a bit harder with my oldest son...since he would rather DIE than have his mother at school taking pictures of anything. But...hopefully I will get some pictures of him with friends and fun things throughout the school year.

Happy Back to school!

Getting ready for family pictures...

2011-08-20T13:22:00.001-06:00

I know many of you are getting ready for family pictures! Making sure your family is dressed properly for the location you choose is an important factor! Make sure you use your photographer's expertise in this area. A good photographer is more than willing to give suggestions on good color schemes as well as different styles that match your location of the shoot.

This is a wonderful resource for making sure you are dressed for a successful family photo shoot!

It is that time of year again...I only do photo shoots for other people this time of year. Details are coming soon!

Get out of auto...today!

2011-08-16T12:56:00.000-06:00

I know a lot of you have beautiful cameras. Beautiful cameras that can do beautiful things. But...I also know that a lot of you are still using those cameras in "auto" mode. I want you to understand that using your expensive cameras in auto mode, absolutely will not give you results any better than a point and shoot camera. Your camera does the best it can by guessing what light source you are wanting it to meter from. It tries to understand your desire to have perfectly exposed faces and skin...but the bottom line is this: It is not a miracle worker. It cannot produce the results you are wanting.

So...what is the answer? You need to learn how to shoot in Manual mode. The very first thing I recommend is reading your users manual from start to finish with camera in hand. Try out all the functions. Learn where and what each little button does and why it is there. Once you feel confident changing settings and how to change them back, then you are ready to get out and experiment.

Here are a few GREAT places to start.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/category/basic-photography/what-the-heck/

This is a fantastic resource to learn about aperture. You MUST know what aperture is to understand light and how it works with your camera settings. Start with part one and read all 4 of them. If you don't have a good understanding of aperture after you read them...then read them again.

Another resource that really helped me understand exposure is this book

Buy it. Read it. Sleep with it. At this point you should feel very comfortable with your knowledge of aperture and exposure.

The next thing I would suggest is get a model that is cooperative. Maybe a senior that will be graduating or an engaged couple. Someone that you won't have to beg for smiles or bribe with treats. Take them to a fantastic location with good lighting and start shooting. Try out all the different settings. You could start in Aperture priority mode (You know how to do that because you read your manual :) and go from there. I get asked all the time how I learned to shoot in manual mode...and the honest truth is that I learned by trial and error. I took tons and tons of pictures and then when I uploaded them I took notes of what settings worked and why. The most important thing is learning your own camera. Become comfortable with the settings and know what they do. Being scared of changing a setting in your camera means you are wasting time and money even owning a DSLR camera.

Here are a few other great tutorials for you to check out...

http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/round-ups/100-helpful-photography-tutorials-for-beginners-and-professionals/

http://www.iheartfaces.com/category/tutorials/camera/

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/digital-photography-tips-for-beginners

http://www.theidearoom.net/2011/04/past-photography-tips-with-kristen-duke.html

There are endless resources online for you to use that are free! Good luck! Make it your goal to start shooting in manual mode by the end of the year...

Summer time....

2011-07-23T18:22:00.000-06:00

I know I am a horrible blogger. But I am out enjoying the warm weather with my kids and checking off all of the activities I have on my "to do with the kiddos" list that I have made on Pinterest. If you are not using Pinterest...

Go make yourself an account. Right now.

If you need an invite...please email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com and I will help you start your own obsession. You're welcome. :) And...if you aren't already following me...what are you waiting for? I want to follow you too!

Inspiration....

2011-05-28T23:41:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make. I have previously had a really hard time looking at other photographer's work. I know a lot of photographers really like to draw inspiration from others blogs and websites. Truth is...I just got really frustrated and would lose my sense of self. I don't know if that makes any sense...but when I spent more time looking at others work...I lost interest in my own ideas. I find myself wanting to copy a specific idea or pose. I have been seriously guilty of this when it came to newborn photography. But, what I have found is that every newborn is so totally different that it is almost impossible to copy an exact pose and walk away with an image that you will love as much as the original inspiration. I also found that there is no satisfaction when you copy or spend your time trying to be like someone else.

With that all being said...I have learned to look at other photographer's work and appreciate their style and interpretation of art. I don't feel so insecure anymore and I don't feel the need to copy or follow trends that are ever changing. I enjoy just going with the flow of a session and creating my own "art" as it happens at that present time.

Recently I have started using pinterest. It is a wonderful source for all things photography related.

You can follow me here. I have really enjoyed looking at beautiful photography and also crafty things as well. If you aren't pinning yet...you are missing out on a fantastic inspiration resource. Just remember to use it as inspiration and don't lose your own self while you happily "pin"...

End of year teacher gifts....

2011-05-25T21:37:00.001-06:00

One thing that completely stresses me out at the end of the year is making sure I give my kids' teachers a gift that really shows how much we love and appreciate them. This year was so hard because I was especially in love with each and every one of these special teachers. This year has been incredible for each one of my kids and I wanted to make sure the teachers knew how much we absolutely ADORE each of them.

I decided to use my photography to give a meaningful and personalized gift. I didn't really want to give them pictures of my kids....per-se. Silhouette pictures are a perfect way to give them a little piece of your child without screaming "HEY REMEMBER US?!?!?!?!"

Each one of my kids' pictures were individually personalized for each of their teachers. Different quotes that mean something to that specific teacher, or a quote that we felt described how we felt about that teacher.

My daughter's teacher has been a part of her life for 2 years now. I know Haleigh doesn't realize yet that her precious teacher will not be following her to kindergarten. We loved having Mrs. Harmon a part of this stage of Haleigh's life. Even though we are moving on...we will never forget the part she played during this stage. We printed this as a 5X7 and put it in an adorable frame we found at hobby lobby.

Ryan has had the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing class this year. We were so blessed to be accepted into a special A.L.L. program that our school district offers. His teacher had a theme this year...

"Smiles Heroes." The whole year centered around being a hero, learning to love yourself and figure out the gifts you have to offer the world. The quote on her gift is their class motto. We are having this printed at Costco as a poster print for her to keep in her classroom.

And finally...my oldest son had one of the most amazing teachers this year. She seriously has changed my son in ways that I never realized a teacher could. I cannot imagine being a 6th grade teacher...but you can tell that she knows, that she is where she is supposed to be. She was meant to teach these kids. I have never been so touched by a teacher's words and actions. She has truly changed the way my son sees himself. Made him a better person and gave him self esteem that I know he would have never found without her influence. We printed this one as a 5X7 as well and put it in a black frame.

Teachers are not given enough praise and credit for their time and efforts. AND, we all know they don't make enough money for what they do. I hope my teachers know how much we appreciate them. I really feel that if we appreciate them more, it encourages them to do better. To teach our kids to be better.

Don't forget to thank you teachers in a meaningful way as the school year ends.

Welcome Spring!

2011-05-21T22:38:00.000-06:00

Middle of May...and today was finally a beautiful day! My sweet daughter had her dance recital today...and I figured since she looked so stinkin' adorable, I would take advantage of the weather and shoot a few pictures of her in her bumble bee costume. Couldn't be a more fitting attire for the setting. :)

I messed around with the free mini fusion action download from MCP on the picture above. I am sometimes a fan of this look and thought it would be fun to try it out before I decided to buy the whole set of fusion actions.

Couldn't resist doing a silhouette. Man, it feels good to be able to get out and shoot again. :)

December 1st???? How Lame!

2011-04-21T20:14:00.002-06:00

My, oh my. What a blogging slacker I have been! I wish I had some fantastic reasons for my absence.

But, I don't.

However...the weather is looking like it could potentially warm up in the near future and that is when my passion comes alive again!

In February...my daughter celebrated her 5th birthday. She had a darling birthday party and I have some cute images to share.

Obviously, her favorite color is pink and she is in to everything fancy. So, we threw a Fancy Nancy birthday party. We invited all her little friends from preschool and from the neighborhood.

Amazing cupcakes and cake done by the incredibly talented Leslie, from Cakes by LE.

Really, she is unbelievable. I simply told her the colors and theme and she delivered these beautiful works of art. Her prices are amazing and her creations will not disappoint!

Can you even believe the details on these cupcakes?

Simply amazing.

We served finger foods at high noon tea. The girls had so much fun dancing and enjoying pedicures done by a few older girls from the neighborhood. They all picked out their favorite colors of nail polish and thought they were in heaven!

I made these gum ball necklaces for the party favor and they were a hit!

I got the idea and instructions from HERE

I absolutely love this website! They have amazing ideas and the photography is beautiful.

She had a perfect day and still talks about her fancy party.

On another note...my best friend has started her photography business! I am so proud of her and know she will do amazing! Check out her beautiful work HERE .

You can also "like" her on facebook!

Her prices are so reasonable and she could not be more amazing to work with. She will capture your family to perfection!
Tell her I sent you and I bet she will take extra good care of you! ;)

Need inexpensive photography gift ideas?

2010-12-01T23:16:00.000-07:00

I have had many husbands contact me over the past couple of weeks asking for some advice on (inexpensive) Christmas photography related gifts :)

I think it is so great that so many husbands are supporting their wives with their hobbies/passions.

Here are some ideas I have come up with. I would not recommend buying really expensive equipment without making sure it is exactly what your wife/husband is wanting. When you are a serious about photography you get a little picky about what you want/need to produce the results you want. The following ideas are very inexpensive and just fun little gifts that your photographer may not buy for him/herself....

#1 pick...a new camera strap.

There are soooooo many place to buy these. I suggest going to etsy.com and typing in camera straps. I love to shop etsy! Not only are products beautifully made and reasonably priced...chances are you are supporting a talented work at home mom. Love to support women who start their own businesses!

#2...any type of continued educational products...

I would recommend the photovision series. There are all kinds of promo codes out there to make this $149 purchase only $39! For that price...you should pick up 2009, 2010, and the new 2011!

Just google "photovision promo code" and you should be able to find one that works. There are also lots of other options for education as well. Lots of photographers offer mentoring sessions, there are all kinds of online workshops for photoshop, lightroom, etc. There are always new things to learn! Any photographer would love something like this. There are plenty of fantastic books out there as well.

#3...How hilarious are these! I would love to drink my morning hot chocolate in that Canon lens :)

#4...I love anything that displays my passion. This necklace is adorable and such a reasonable price!

#5...I know this one is kind of a frivolous purchase...but I think it is my favorite. I have been a doll collector since I can remember. I would just keep it in the box and hope that someday I may have a newborn studio of my own to put it in :)

#6...A photographer can never have too many memory cards! It is a purchase that we all dislike spending our hard earned money on...so when they are gifted, they are very much appreciated!

#7...A new tripod, reflector or filter for a favorite lens.

#8...Gift cards!

I know that these are sometimes not very personable...but who doesn't love getting money to spend on their favorite hobby? You could get a gift card from your local favorite camera shop. I love to buy from local businesses. Supporting your own local economy is so important right now. I bet a lot of your local photo shops have some great deals right now, too.

#9...Photoshop or Lightroom.

These are more on the expensive side of this list...but they are a necessity to take your photography to the next level. I have seen a lot of friends who want to get into photography but lose interest because their straight out of camera pictures aren't what they hoped for. Photoshop is the next step. It is worth the investment and really is a must have for serious photographers.

#10...A reliable external hard drive and a subscription for online backup.

I use carbonite.

Even with both of these backups in place...I still had a horrible mishap a few weeks ago and lost some images because I didn't backup correctly. Lesson learned. But...don't be a dummy like me and have to learn this lesson the hard way!

Happy shopping for your favorite photographer.

Let me know if you have any questions. Some of you are actually in the market to purchase your first DSLR camera. I am happy to share my thoughts and experience on this topic. Just email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com and I will help you with what ever I can.

Bridal...

2010-11-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

I love it when the bride is finally married and I can share some favorite bridal shots!

Her wedding day was perfect. She was a beautiful bride and

I was SO happy to be a part of her day!

Canvas Prints...

2010-11-08T23:55:00.001-07:00

I have been really trying lately to print my images. I got in the habit of taking lots and lots of pictures, but never printing them or displaying them anywhere in my home! What on earth is the point of taking all of these images of my kids if I can't enjoy them on my walls? A few weeks ago I saw a deal that was flying around the blogging world. I wanted to test the quality before I passed it on to you....

Canvas People was giving away a "Free " 8X10 canvas print for only the price of shipping. You could upgrade the size to an 11X14 for $9.99 more.

(A few examples from their website shown above)

I decided to go ahead and try them out. I ordered a picture of my daughter and decided to upgrade to the 11X14 for the extra $9.99. My total came to $27.94. That means shipping and handling was $17.95.

That is a better deal than other places I have priced. I am going to try ordering from a few other places to compare quality. The same size from Costco is $34.99. I usually print everything through an online professional photo lab that I am always very happy with. Photographers price from that location is $45.10
( I don't want to list the name of the online place because I don't want to give away
professional photographers base pricing.)
I have never printed a gallery wrap from that location, but I am sure the quality cannot be beat. (Which is why the pros print there :)
I plan to order a few more canvases over the next several weeks and I will let you know my opinions.
So far, I was happy with Canvas People. Their customer service was great. I loved their emails. They actually made me smile. They have great marketing going on. My canvas came really quick and I was surprised how well the colors matched my monitor. They were really close to what I showed on my screen.

The deal now at Canvas people is free shipping. The totals end up being the very same as the "free 8X10" special that was going around.

I would recommend this company. I think an 8X10 would be a fantastic gift for Christmas! The price on the 8X10 really can't be beat and I would imagine this size is perfect for gift giving. Most grandparents don't want anything larger than an 8X10.

Crazy that I am talking about Christmas shopping. I can't believe it is almost the middle of November already.
Where did my warm summer go?

Family pictures is a "bad word"...

2010-11-06T01:34:00.004-06:00

Ask any mother and she will tell you that one of the things she dreads and looks most forward to is family pictures. We all have this vision of how we want our family to be portrayed. Perfectly coordinating, all smiling, fresh haircuts, impeccably combed and styled. The list in our heads goes on and on. We want that one moment to be captured so we can always look back on it and remember how we "pictured" our ideal vision of our family. Every time I do a family shoot for someone, the poor mother is a complete and total mess. Causing the rest of the family to be on edge. Usually the husband and wife are fighting upon the arrival of the scheduled location. Kids crying, bribes being tossed around like the end of the world will arrive at any moment if they don't cooperate and smile! You would think after witnessing this time after time, I would know how make things calm and have the ability to yield perfect results for my own family.

So. Not. The. Case.

Nothing ended up being perfect. I had a complete melt down over my oldest son's white shoes. And that cat! That dang cat wanted to be a part of our family so badly! Doesn't he know that we are as far from animal lovers as they come? It looks like he totally knocked out that part of the fence to be in this picture...he probably did! Seriously! He was relentless. Running back and forth after pushing the self timer button gave me no indication the cat was even there.

I just hope that as a photographer I am able to give mother's what they all want so badly. I found myself doing all the things today that I secretly dislike about the mom at a family photo shoot. Getting snappy with the husband. Telling the kids to just give a "natural smile" for crying out loud! Being extremely self critical of my body, hair, and wrinkles that seem to appear more and more every single day....

But at the end of this day...I have images. Images of my perfectly imperfect family. White shoes, fake smiles, and even a slight liking for that damn cat.

Teaching them young....

2010-10-21T21:59:00.001-06:00

My third grader's teacher made it mandatory that all the kids participate in the PTA Reflections program this year. These types of things always stress me out because it is just one more thing to add to an ever growing "things I gotta do" list. He tried and tried to think of something new and creative to learn or make...but in the end we decided to use the knowledge I have already given him and turn it into another photography lesson.

I set up the tripod for him and put the camera in Auto mode. He panned the mountains and decided which view he like the best. I was so proud of him....he noticed the way the lighting fell on each section of the Wasatch mountains. He knew the taller mountains were too cloud covered and wouldn't create the look he wanted. He noticed the sky and the water. Making sure they were both in his shot. It was pretty much the cutest thing watching him zoom in and out before he had it set exactly the way he wanted. We returned home and I taught him how to download the pictures onto the computer and bring it into Photoshop. I have never taught him anything in photoshop...but we all know he has spent many days watching me. I showed him how to run a few actions and I let him go to town on his picture. I think he did a really great job. We had it printed into an 11X14 poster board print from Costco ($9.99, amazing deal!) and hopefully he has something he will be proud to submit.

Who knows...maybe someday this hobby of mine could turn into something bigger for him :)

Baby Cocoons

2010-10-13T16:14:00.001-06:00

I get emails quite frequently asking where I get my newborn cocoons for photo shoots. I actually make my own photo props. Yep. That's right...I am a 30 something year old Grandma with her crocheting hooks. :)

So...for a limited time I am offering to make them for sale.

They are made to be open so you can see the whole baby and they fit newborns sizes 6-9 lbs.

They are perfect for photography because they help keep the baby in position all curled up. They require no tucking or hiding which means less messing around with the peacefully sleeping baby. Many colors available...makes a perfect Christmas present for a photographer friend!

Each cocoon is $20. Plus shipping to your specific area.

Email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com

Baby C...Sneak peak for his mommy :)

2010-10-12T19:04:00.002-06:00

My goodness...I can not get enough of this little boy. He was a DREAM today. Did the whole shoot in an hour and a half. Definite record for Jenn and me! He slept the entire time and did not produce one load of laundry for me to do when I got home! ( I think that is the first time I haven't had loads and loads of laundry after a newborn shoot...if you know what I am saying ;)

Seriously....if all newborns were this amazing I might actually do this every day.

Why I love photographing families....

2010-10-12T01:00:00.005-06:00

Because maybe...just maybe I will get to photograph a pretty awesome kid like this....

This family has a bunch of pretty great kids. :) Full of personality and SO fun to photograph.
He just wasn't allowed to do the back flip until the session was over! I didn't want my shoot to be interrupted for an ER visit.

Wanna learn how to animate your own series of photos?

Here

is a GREAT tutorial just for you! HAVE FUN!

A perfect End....

2010-10-02T20:49:00.002-06:00

Tonight's picture was a perfect ending to a perfect day. Have you tried a silhouette picture yet? I think our days are getting numbered. Today's weather was a little too perfect for being October 2. The sun is setting earlier and earlier. The days are shorter than I like, and as soon as that sun goes down the chill in the air hits fast. (even though temps were high today!) This week should be a perfect time to get those silhouette pictures...storms are rolling in meaning there will be some fantastic clouds. Unlike the picture above...there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Clouds make those silhouette shots absolutely magnificent! Best time to take the picture is just before the sun sets. Find a locations that will put your subject on the same plane as the sun. For this shot I had the kids up on the hill. The sun was just going behind the mountains.

Don't be afraid to put your camera in manual mode.

These are the settings I used in manual mode...

ISO 100

F/8.0

SS 1/1000

I'm going to be trying again this week if the clouds are out and weather permits. :)

If you happen to try it as well...please share!

Online tutorial...

2010-10-01T12:28:00.000-06:00

I have a way cute camera strap that a friend gave to me. You can kind of see it in the picture above :) ...I am not sure where she got it, but I LOVE it. I get tons of compliments on it all the time. Way better than my plain old black strap that came with my camera.

I know these camera straps can be a little pricey...but today I came across a tutorial for you to make your own slipcover. I have seen tutorials to make a whole new camera strap and it seemed a little time consuming and not really worth it...but this seems like a perfect alternative if you want to make your own. The nice thing about a slip cover is you could make a new one whenever you get sick of sporting the old one :)

Check it out here...

And...check out the rest of that blog, too. Pretty great stuff.

Silhouettes....tips and tricks:)

2010-09-27T00:21:00.000-06:00

I did such a FUN engagement shoot yesterday...scouting areas all over Salt Lake city...trying to obey "city rules" but ending up with a small parking ticket from a very angry parking police. But so worth the ticket! So worth it.

Such an amazingly cute couple. So in love and nothing makes my heart more happy than a young gorgeous couple in love. :)

One thing that I LOVE is a good, fun silhouette picture. It is such a simple thing to do if you know the right settings for your camera. The trick? You gotta shoot manual, baby!

Here is a FANTASTIC tutorial to help you get started. There is even some editing tips thrown in there. Silhouettes done right, require little, to no photo shop at all. To do this type of picture you must have a basic knowledge of how to change your settings manually. The key is metering to the sky and completely underexposing the main subject. I had a few questions about sun flare shots and I will try to get some help/tutorials on that subject as well.

Happy shooting! This is the perfect time of year to get these fun shots. I absolutely LOVE it when little kids are silhouetted. I must find a great location for my own kids soon!

PS...don't miss the cake winner below! Cakes by LE is filling up fast! Get your orders in, too!

CAKE WINNER!!!!

2010-09-26T21:57:00.001-06:00

Yes, yes. It has taken me WAY TOO long to announce the winner. I am a loser. But...I am hoping that the winner will be so excited! And for those who didn't win I hope you will order an amazing cake from Leslie :) She really is incredible with her cake abilities and I love seeing these little babies digging into these cakes!

So...as for the winner! I put everyone's name in a hat. Those who facebooked or blogged about it got their extra entries as well and the winner is.......

Antique Autumn Photography!

CONGRATULATIONS!

I saw that your little girl's birthday was last week! I say it is still okay for her to have a little smash the cake session! I hope you share pictures with us!

Contact me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com and I will give you all the info you need!

You will love Leslie at Cakes by LE and you will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the little cake she will make for you!

Thanks everyone for participating!

Cake, anyone?

2010-09-09T18:39:00.002-06:00

I am SO SO SO excited to share this with you!

One year old "smash the cake" sessions have become so popular...but I was having a hard time finding perfect cakes for the occasion. Sure, there are the ones you can get at the grocery store, but they are so generic and usually they don't even taste very good.

I found the perfect cake designer and her prices are unbelievable!

Cakes by LE

Baby's first year cakes start at just $20! They are completely custom made. You can even give her a copy of the invitations for the party and she will match the colors and theme to perfection.

This shoot was centered around a little blue stuffed elephant that baby E's brother and sisters gave him at the hospital when he was born. Baby E's mom was amazing and took a picture with her growing newborn and the elephant each month of his first year. (Such a cute idea!) Not only did it show how much baby had grown over the past 12 months but it became the theme for his first year birthday party!

Not only are the cakes almost too cute to dig into...they taste amazing! I can't imagine any one year old not digging right in and creating the perfect mess any photographer is dying to get for a perfect one year old shoot!

Perfect size for a one year old ready to celebrate!

Cakes by LE makes more than just one year old baby cakes. She can make just about anything your heart desires.

I am giving away a $20 gift certificate for you to buy something of your own from

Cakes by LE!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog. If you want your name put in the drawing twice, simply put a link to this blog post on your facebook page and then leave another comment letting me know that you did! If you are a photographer and you do a post about this for your clients...I will put your name in 5 times to win! Just leave a link showing that you did a blog post about it!

If you need pictures for your blog...send me an email at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com and I will send them right over to you!

Head on over to Cakes by LE and browse around a bit to get an

idea of the things she can make!

She is so awesome to work with and there is no way you will be disappointed with her creations!

Winner will be announced in a week!
Unfortunately the winner must be from Utah...
All orders have to be picked up in Saratoga Springs or they can be delivered for a reasonable fee...depending on your location.
Good Luck!

That time of year....

2010-09-07T00:40:00.003-06:00

This is the only time of year that I offer family photo sessions....

Perfect time of year with the beautiful Utah colors...

Contact me quick if you want to schedule a session. I am not taking as many as I did last year :)

Details are a little different this year.

Session price is $85

This includes a 1-1 1/2 hour session at one location of your choice. I am happy to help you with the location that best fits your family.

This year, (because of quality issues in the past) I am really encouraging families to print through me. My prices are extremely reasonable and they are all done at an online professional printing lab. You will not be disappointed with your prints...

(Contact me for a print price list)

They do beautiful work.

If you want to purchase a CD of images with a print release to have them printed at a location of your choice...I will still offer that as well.

Prices are as follows...

10 images $100

20 images $150

all images from session $200 (this number varies from session to session but there is usually about 40)

If you purchase the full disk of images, I also include a $50 print credit for you!

The images will be in full resolution as well as sized and sharpened for web. (blogs and facebook, etc.)

I am also offering newborn and senior sessions as well.

Contact me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com

Also...I promise I will be revealing the information from the previous post very soon!

I know...I know....

2010-08-31T21:14:00.000-06:00

I have been an absolute horrible blogger this summer. Although, I cannot complain about the incredible time I had with my kids the past 3 months. We played, played and then played some more. School is now back in session and I am so exited to share something with you!

Here is a sneak peak....I will share all the details in the next couple of days!

To my Utah photographer friends...get ready to be excited!

Celebrating Flag Day!

2010-06-14T23:16:00.003-06:00

I spent my flag day photographing one of our Nation's finest heroes' new

addition to his little family. I can't think of a better way to celebrate!

Such a beautiful family and an amazing story of love and sacrifice.

This amazing soldier daddy barely made it home in time for the birth of his 3rd son.

What an amazing example he is to his 3 sons. I loved the saying their mommy showed me in their play room. It said "Some people don't believe in Heroes...They haven't met My Dad!" There is no question their daddy is a Hero! Look at the way those boys look at their dad! Priceless!

Such a sweet moment captured for these two.

And of course...who can resist a newborn yawn?

This amazing soldier sets off, back to Afghanistan on Wednesday to finish

9 more months of service.

We look forward to seeing you in 9 months for some welcome home photos...cause I know getting your picture taken is your very favorite thing! :)

I am so grateful this family let me be a part of such an important event in their lives.

And of course a special thanks to my very favorite photography side kick and BFF, Jenn :)

Actions....

2010-06-01T21:32:00.003-06:00

One email question I get asked quite a bit is about using actions. Do I use them? Which ones do I like? Etc.

I do use actions. I have a few different ones that I use quite a bit. I use actions to make my editing time less...not to "fix" any single image. Using actions can be a very powerful editing tool if you know how to use them properly. Every action I use I know how to do manually by myself...so I fully understand what the action is doing and how to use them to enhance an image. It is also necessary to understand how the action can be manipulated and changed once it is done running on an image. Most actions (at least the really good ones) can be customized and you can go in and change the opacity of the different layers. This is critical knowledge to using actions properly.

On the image above the only actions used were skin softening lowered to 16% opacity and a web resize action. Everything else was done using curves, hue and saturation layers, etc. I used the dodge tool to lighten the white background and the unsharp mask to sharpen for web.

Once I have my final edit done on the image...that is usually when I have some fun with actions! I used my favorite black and white action for the photo above.

It is a free action that you can download HERE

"Bitchin' Black and White" is the name of the action...and I think the name says it all. I love it.

"Totally Rad Actions" has some great stuff! I haven't splurged and bought the full sets...just yet. But I plan to.

For the image above, I used an action called "Details Pastels" from an action set from HERE

I absolutely love MCP actions. Jodi has incredible customer service and her video tutorials are some of the best I have seen. She has some amazing online classes that help you learn to use photoshop. I highly recommend learning how to use the essential tools of photoshop before investing too much money in actions. They are an amazing tool when editing...but it is so important to understand what they do.

With that being said...I LOVE using actions and feel like they are worth purchasing!

Memorial Day Reflections...

2010-05-31T14:45:00.001-06:00

I had the opportunity to spend Memorial Day in Arlington Cemetery 4 years ago. It was an experience I will never forget. Seeing the thousands of flags all lined up in perfect rows honoring our Nation's fallen heroes was something I will always have etched in my mind. I was just starting my journey into photography, (plus I had a 3 month old strapped to my chest in a Bjorn) so I don't have images of that day. I hope I will be able to return there soon so I can capture the moment and feelings I had. At the time, I didn't have any close relations to people that have served in any wars...so I never really understood the sacrifices that had been made for this Nation. That Memorial day 4 years ago is the moment I finally realized what sacrifices have been made for me. I am so thankful that so many are willing to sacrifice their own lives to protect mine.

(My son as Paul Revere for his 5th grade wax museum project)

I now have someone very close to me that will be sending their son off to war. My heart is so heavy with worry but also pride. I am so proud of this kid. He is ready to serve his country. He is willing to leave his family and friends to protect this great nation. Today is about honoring the fallen soldiers...but to me it is also about honoring the ones that are here with us now as well. Honoring the men and women who sacrifice everything all in the name of Freedom.

Please say a prayer for my dear friend and her son. Please say a prayer for all of our great heroes fighting and protecting this country.

Happy Memorial Day! Hope you are spending it with the ones you love.

Needing Models....

2010-05-20T13:49:00.000-06:00

I have a group of Utah photographers getting together tomorrow for a photoshoot. I am needing a few models that are willing to participate. Here is the deal.....

Model must be available in the Pleasant Grove area at 5:30 p.m.

(Details of the area will be given if you are chosen to model)

We are looking for either couples (engaged/newly married), graduating seniors, or anyone that is interested and over 18 years of age. (Sorry no kids for this shoot)

We need models that are not camera shy and have a little bit of experience in front of the camera. Models may or may not end up with images depending on the discretion of each individual photographer. (I would imagine all of them will be giving the images to the models....)

Any questions...or if you are interested, please contact me ASAP at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com

Starting them early....

2010-05-16T21:47:00.003-06:00

Never too young to start :)

My daughter Haleigh (age 4)

Her words right here went a little something like this...

"Okay...good, good. Oh, good, that looks great! Okay now look at me!...Oh, ya...that is PERFECT! NICE!"

My son Ryan (age 8)

We spent our Sunday afternoon as we usually do...going out for family pictures. It's a sickness, I tell ya. A definite sickness. It makes me happy that my husband and I have finally found a hobby we both share interest in...(now he understands my spending habits) And my kids are coming to terms with the fact that they have to spend so much time in front of the camera. Yah...my hard drive is chuck full of RAW files that I may never get to. But...spending this time with my family, AND documenting it all... is priceless.

(No pun intended :)

Okay...maybe a little intended.

In a hurry????

2010-05-08T20:10:00.002-06:00

In a hurry to get out the door...but want to take a quick picture of your kids? Sometimes it seems like too much of a hassle when you are trying to make it to an event on time. I'm going to share with you my favorite location to shoot those quick impromptu pictures! You don't need to go anywhere farther than your own front door! Open your door (wide open) and place your subject right in the opening. This creates the "open shade" type of lighting and creates the most beautiful catch lights in your subject's eyes! There wasn't a bit of photo-shopping to the eyes that took place in the photo above. Depending on how you angle your subject will determine the types of shadows (or lack of shadows) created on the face.

This picture of my daughter was taken on her way to her very first birthday party! I am so glad I took the time to capture this moment for her! She was so excited to go to her little friend's party. A perfect moment to use my simple front door trick.

2010-04-20T16:23:00.001-06:00

Spent the morning playing with beautiful 11 day old baby "M" today. I have spent quite a few hours with beautiful babies....But this little guy completely made taking newborn pictures seem like a piece of cake. He was seriously one of the best natured newborns I have ever been around. (lucky for his mommy)...

and now all future newborns I take pictures of have a lot to live up to!

One thing I have found is the higher birth weight babies seem to be a little easier. Easier for a couple of different reasons....

1. They seem to be more content for longer periods of time. (between feedings)... AND

2. They are easier for me to pose when they have a little more chunk...

My advice for newborn photography today involves keeping baby content and posing. I think moms (especially first time moms) have a feeding time frame where they think their baby might be hungry. Every 3 hours, 2 hours, etc...

When doing a session, don't be afraid to ask mom to feed the baby more often than she normally would at home. Making sure the baby's tummy is full is absolutely essential to keeping the baby content enough to get good posing. When posing your baby, don't worry if you can't get it perfect right away. It will take several attempts to get it just right...where certain body parts are hidden and important parts like hands and feet are all showing. There is nothing worse than opening up a perfect image and realizing it isn't usable because private body parts are exposed or a baby that looks like it is missing a hand or foot because of positioning. Take your time positioning the baby and look over and over again to make sure everything is positioned properly. It is worth the time it takes. Never put a time frame on a newborn shoot. I have done shoots in 2 hours and others that took over 4...both producing the same number of usable images. The baby calls the shots and the sooner a photographer learns to play by the baby's rules...the easier it comes.

Today was a fun session and was kind of all over the place in terms of shooting style. I shot the first half with studio lighting (like the image shown)

And the second half using all natural light. It is always fun to try different things and continue learning new things.

Thanks Jen for your help today :) You're the best!

Bring on the SUNSHINE! (Free Photo Class Info...)

2010-04-19T21:11:00.000-06:00

Nothing makes me MORE excited to get out the camera than SpRiNg weather! My word, it has been GORGEOUS in Utah. Perfect temps. Spring and Fall all the short reasons why I guess I agree to live here :) I know I was meant to be a California girl. I just know it!

Today we found these adorable frog magnifying glasses in the dollar section at Target. The kids have been wanting a magnifying glass for a while now, so they could really see the bugs up close and personal. Who can say no to the dollar section? Not this mom! We came home from the store and immediately my kids started cracking up. We just couldn't stop laughing at how funny they looked when they wore them like glasses.

Perfect "first" spring time photo op. Hilarious. My kids already have HUGE eyes...especially that middle one of mine :) Add a magnifying glass to those eyes and the laughs just never end.

I can't even tell you how much Haleigh laughed when she saw this picture of herself. I don't think she stopped laughing for 20 minutes...

Ryan even made me get in on the fun and took a picture of me, too. We are ALL ready for spring. My camera has been neglected far too long :)

WELCOME SPRING!!!!!

I am teaching a beginner photography class this Saturday at 10a.m. for local friends at our church building in Saratoga Springs, Utah. You are welcome to join us if you would like :) Bring your camera and get ready to learn 5 easy steps to take better pictures of your kids!

If you would like more details...please email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com

Photoshop tutorial...for announcements, handouts, etc....

2010-03-27T23:33:00.005-06:00

I have to start off this tutorial with a HUGE warning that I am NOT a professional photoshopper! Everything I know is self taught. I am sure there are MANY different and better ways to achieve what I have outlined here...but this is what works for me and I am too lazy to look up the photoshop "correct way" to do things :)

With that out of the way.....this is how I create my own stuff.
To see the screenshot details larger...just click on them.

Start by clicking file>new> then put in the size you are wanting to make your announcement or card, or what ever you are making. For this Young Women handout I am making a simple 4X6 so it is easy for print. (Just regular photo size.)

Once you have your blank canvas...(you can just leave it white) click File>open> and go to the folder in your computer where you have your digital scrapbooking kits stored. Open up the free kit I showed you last week:) double click on the paper PP4.

It will then open up in photoshop. You are now going to size this for your handout. I cropped it to 6.5 X 4.5 resolution 300 ppi.

minimize your screen and you will see both your digital paper and your blank canvas. click on the move tool and drag your digital paper right onto the blank white.

I made the paper a little larger than the white so I could move it around a bit and get it right where I wanted it. Also this makes sure there is no white showing. You can flatten the image now if you would like to. I don't usually do that though...just in case I change my mind later :)

Now you are ready to add more. Click on File>Open> and go to the freebie again. double click on the cream paper.

Once it opens up in photoshop you are going to change the size of the paper. You could crop it again...but I will show you another way to change the size, too. Go to image>image size> then you can put in the numbers you are wanting. For this white paper we are going to put in 2.5in X 2.5 in at 300 ppi. (you will see why in a bit)

Once again...minimize your screen, click on the move tool and drag it right onto the handout you are creating. Once it is on there you can move it anywhere you are wanting. It creates its own layer on top of the previous ones. If you want to move something underneath a layer...simply right click and choose which layer you are wanting to move.

Now we are wanting to open another layer. Go to File>Open>and go to the freebie once again. Open the blue frame.

You know the drill now, right? Once it opens in photoshop just click on the move tool and drag it right onto your creation.

It will be a little small over the white layer we created so simply go to the top corner of the frame, hold down the shift key and drag the corner arrow until it is the right size, covering the entire white piece. (I am sure there is a way easier way to do this...if you know how, please share!:)

Once again...we are going to open another paper. File>Open>choose the blue paper from our freebie collection.

This time we are going to crop the paper to 3 X 4.5 300 ppi.

Drag onto handout.

Move it to where you want it.

Almost done! Now go to File>Open> double click on the single flower.

Drag it onto the blue layer.

At this point...there is a handy little tool that helps me get everything lined where I want it to go so it is all symmetrical and nice. Go to View>Show>Grid

Then these super great lines show up on your creation and you can make everything line up great. I guess I should tell you now that when you have these printed...there may be slight cut off around the edges. I know there are ways to make it so it doesn't do this...but it requires math skills and stuff that I don't have. So, I just make sure I leave plenty of room around the edges just in case. Pretty tricky of me...eh?

From here you can just use the type tool to put in whatever message you are wanting. To choose the color I want for text, I usually sample one of the colors off of the actual paper. For this I sampled the brown and used that for my text color. From here...just save as a jpg. and then you are ready to print! I prefer Costco...but since I usually make these on Saturday night I just send them to my local Wal-Mart :) at $.9 a piece...I would say it is a pretty cheap handout!

Here is my finished product. We are having a lesson tomorrow on preparing to receive an LDS patriarchal blessing. One of my girls had hers a few weeks ago and her quote after she got it was so great that I just had to use it for our handout tomorrow. She is going to be participating in our lesson so I thought it was only perfect to share her quote. A little inappropriate? Maybe...but I think that is why my girls love me, so. :)

I tend to keep things pretty light around there....

Hopefully this is a good start to encourage you to make your own handouts, cards, announcements, invitations, etc. Once you make a few...the possibilities are seriously ENDLESS! This is the same way you would make a scrapbook page. You would just change your sizes! Good Luck!

Have fun!!!!!

Don't hesitate to leave questions if you have any! I made this using CS3...but any version of photoshop should have all the tools I used in this tutorial!

Free crochet pattern....

2010-03-23T23:18:00.000-06:00

I absolutely LOVE the look of crochet hats on newborns. I love the texture and color it adds to a picture and it just makes me so happy. There is nothing I love more than creating these little hats for newborns as well.

One of my favorite websites is youcanmakethis.com. It has some of the most beautiful tutorials for handmade items. One of my favorite crochet designers has a free preemie crochet pattern. Her patterns are always so easy to follow and are written out so beautifully. I made this hat as a preemie size for beautiful K.D. (shown above) and it was a tad bit too small...even for such a tiny little munchkin. I would add another round or two if you are wanting it to fit a regular newborn size tiny head. I do tend to crochet a little tight, though.

Hospitals are always needing hats for the preemies. This is a great service you can provide for local hospitals. I whipped up this hat in a little over an hour. If you don't know how to crochet, this is a wonderful and easy project for you to learn! There are some wonderful videos on you tube that demonstrate the different stitches required to make this little hat. Happy creating :)

Free scrapbook kits!

2010-03-11T17:25:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of places that you can get *FREE* digital scrapbook kits. I will share a few of my favorites in a minute...but I guess I should first confess that I do not even scrapbook. I think I have admitted this before. It makes me feel like a horrible mom, but I figure I take enough pictures of my kids that it MORE than makes up for my lack of cutesy displays of said photos. So...what do I use all these digital freebies for? Birth announcements, graduation announcements, any kind of announcement :)

Invitations, lesson handouts, etc, etc.

You can grab this beautiful freebie HERE.

Little dreamer designs is one of my favorite places for freebies. Just head on up to the top right hand side of their blog and click on *freebies*

I teach the young women on Sundays for my church.

I always like to give little handouts to send home with the girls, with a quote or scripture from the lesson. Making them in photoshop is the easiest, cheapest and fastest way I have found to get them done! Watch for a tutorial coming soon!!!!

Another favorite for freebies is Shabby princess designs. Awesome stuff found there! So...start downloading some of your favorites so you can follow the tutorial and make your own creation with me....

Back up, Back up!

2010-02-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Since there hasn't been a lot of camera shooting around here (still yucky weather and even yuckier lighting) I decided to take the time and give my computer a VERY much needed diet. (We've all gained a few around here)...It has been running slower and slower and I have gotten to the point where I can't even edit or anything because it takes forever! This has also been the reason for the lack of blog posts lately, the lack of me getting people their precious images and let's be honest here...the lack of any motivation for anything! Wait...am I talking about the heavy weights on my computer or myself? Anyway...Shooting in RAW takes up WAY too much space on my hard drive and I am telling you it is bursting at the seams. So...I took some major steps this week to fix these problems....

1. I finally backed up my entire computer on the external hard drive that my husband bought for me around Christmas time. :)

2. I decided to go with Carbonite for my second source of backup. It was between Carbonite and Mozy. I consulted my neighbor about the best option and he claimed they are both pretty comparative. Carbonite seemed to fit my needs the best so I am trying the 14 day free trial period and I am certain I will purchase as soon as the backup is complete. In my opinion...$54.95/year is pretty stinkin' cheap to make sure my entire life of pictures is safe and secure. If anything happens to my computer they have everything securely waiting for me.

It will take a few days for that to be complete and then I plan to shed all those RAW files off my main computer hard drive. Hoping that will fix the problem and fix this slow running mess of a computer.

I have just been ignoring my gut feelings for months telling me to back up all my files. I can't imagine how awful I would have felt if I would have lost everything!

It is taking quite a bit of time cleaning everything up...but I feel so relieved that it is almost done!

And, because no post is complete without a picture...here is a cutie that has the most patient mother on the planet...can't wait to finally get her these pictures! Did I mention how impossible it has been to download pictures to a disk?

Spring cleanup is so nice...now I just wish Spring would follow my lead so I can start filling up my computer again :)

"I make eleven look good!"

2010-02-09T23:23:00.002-07:00

Remember yesterday how I told you all about WHY I wanted to learn photography? Capturing my kids personalities and all of that? Well...I think I was a little hypocritical. You see...when I envisioned my soon to be eleven year old's birthday pictures...I saw these amazing pictures of him dressed in classy, perfect, teenage clothing. I wanted the perfect urban setting. I even shopped for 2 solid weeks to find that perfect outfit. I found a jacket that I almost forked over eighty bucks for....BUT FOR WHAT? To take images that represented a stranger? I quickly realized that I was envisioning other photographer's work of really, really rich pre-teen children. You know the ones....where their outfits seriously cost a normal person's monthly house mortgage! I came out of that stupid way of thinking really quick when I realized that my soon to be eleven year old son REFUSED to wear anything but jeans and a t-shirt. Why would I spend eighty bucks on a jacket that he would NEVER wear again?!?!?!?

This picture makes me realize that no matter HOW old boys get, throwing the biggest rock in the lake is still their favorite past time. In this case...he was trying to break the ice.

He kept trying...without success.

I will admit I am kind of in denial that my kid is eleven.

So...let's talk about this shirt. I always buy my kids a new shirt to wear on their birthday. He told me a few weeks ago that he wanted me to make him a shirt that said "I make eleven look good!" So...I obliged. Hilarious kid.

This is about the extent he will "dress up"

I have really lucked out with the Utah weather this week. It was a little cold...but the sun even managed to peek out for a few of these shots.

Over-all, I am glad I stayed with my own advice. I captured my kid's very unique personality and still managed to get pictures that I love. 20 years from now I want to look back and know who I am looking at. Not some rich, pre-teen stranger. Dirty, eleven year old fingernails and all.

Birthday pictures...

2010-02-08T18:02:00.003-07:00

It's that busy time of year again at this house! BIRTHDAY SEASON!

The main reason I learned photography was for this very thing...taking yearly pictures of my kids on their special day. As a mom, I know my kids and their very unique personalities that develop each passing year. I know those little smiles and smirks that are all their own. The faces I see every single day. I never felt like I had those faces captured when I took them to a studio professional. The photographer was so focused on getting a cute smile (and that is what they are trained to do) but it just wasn't working for me. It was the motivation I needed to learn the ins and outs of photography. I wanted to remember the different faces I saw everyday.

I love taking pictures of my kids walking away from me. May sound strange...but I don't want to forget the back of her curly little head and her tiny stature.

I rarely instruct my kids on poses or specific things during a shoot. I pretty much just walk around with them while they explore the area we have chosen for the pictures. I do call their name out so they will look at me. This is usually when I get "those looks" captured. The looks I always want to remember.

While doing shoots with my own kids...it really helps to have someone with me to also help get their attention. My kids get bored of me pretty quickly...Also...it is always a great idea to have a different perspective on things. I am lucky to have a great second shooter :)

I absolutely love to get shots like the one above. She isn't looking at the camera, but it shows off her gorgeous eyelashes and her chubby little cheeks :) Why is that so cute on a 4 year old and not me?

Haleigh was sitting next to me when I opened up this one. She gasped and said "Oh my! This is so cute!" I couldn't agree more...

And, when I opened up this picture...I knew this photo session was a success! That little face and expression is one I never want to forget. I see her look at me like this all the time.

That is why I learned photography.

Happy 4th Birthday little Haleigh-Bug.

Details:

Clothes purchased from The Children's place. (including coat)

Boots/shoes from Target.

Umbrella found at Cookie Cutters.

Flower hair piece...made by me :)

HERE are her pictures from last year...just so you can see how she has grown. Where does the time go? Really, where?

How to make your own digital papers!

2010-01-16T19:22:00.009-07:00

I have a list a mile long of things I SHOULD be doing...but why would I do those things? I have been wanting to share some kind of useful information for quite sometime now...so hopefully this will be something you will find very fun and useful!

Let's make our very own digital scrapbook paper...shall we?

I will try to make this super simple and it should work for any kind of Photoshop...including elements! First....go HERE and download Alexis Miller's FREE, ADORABLE Valentine brush set. Thanks Alexis! Save it to your computer and Open up your version on photoshop.

Once photoshop is up and running, click on File...New (control N) and a box pops up like the one above. Since we are making a digital paper, I chose the size 12 inches by 12 inches at resolution 300 pixels/inch. Make sure your width and height are in inches. For this project, I am going to leave my paper white.

So, click on the brush tool and find the ladybug in your brush pallet. It will most likely be the last brush since it is the most recent one you have loaded. Click on the ladybug and now you are ready to stamp it on your paper.

Using the [ or ] key will change the size of your ladybug. At this point, you are just going to keep stamping them all over your page using a triangle method. I am not sure what this is technically called, but a really amazing scrapbooking friend of mine (hi Blythe) taught me this trick. When you are stamping, scrapbooking, even decorating your Christmas tree, use this method of proper spacing that will make it look pleasing to the eye. See how every single ladybug can be connected to another as a triangle? Don't feel bad about cutting the ladybug off to make it look right. Hoping this makes sense?

At this point...I wanted to color the body in with red. So...go over to your color pallet and choose a red that you like. Then, using the paint bucket tool, just fill in each body.

Finished product! Super, super easy and made my own FREE digital scrapbook paper in less than 5 minutes. Hopefully this tutorial is easy enough to follow...but if you have any questions, please contact me and I will help you the best I can. Just think of all the possibilities you can do! There are SO many free brushes out there! Have fun creating! If you end up making your own paper, link us to your website and show it off! Easy Peasy...Right?

Here is a quick and simple example of how I used the paper. We call our daughter "Haleigh-Bug" or sometimes just "Bug-Bug" So, ladybugs are always fitting for her :)

Simple, simple design and layout. Doesn't get any easier or CHEAPER than this! Total cost for this page? $0!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T19:16:00.001-07:00

I hope your day has been as amazing as mine!

Merry Christmas!

Need a last minute gift idea?

2009-12-17T10:45:00.005-07:00

The past couple of years, I have been a bit of a scrooge. I know the reasons why... and this year I decided I just wasn't going to let them get to me anymore. I want this Christmas to be amazing, magical and so much fun...not only for the kids, but for myself as well!

So...I decided to host an ugly sweater party for my besties. And WOW...we sure wear those sweaters well! Aren't we HOT?!? I was even sporting stretch pants, with stirrups and everything! Never thought I would wear those again.

In preparation for the party...I knew I wanted to serve all of the food that have been traditions in my own family for as long as I can remember. I wanted to try and motivate myself to remember all the magical things about Christmas, in hopes of feeling less scrooge-ish. I also wanted to share these important recipes with my friends...

Luckily...I stumbled upon this FREE DOWNLOAD!

How amazing are the people at shabbyprincess.com!?!

Not only do they have so many amazing FREE DOWNLOADS...but they also have so many cute, cute kits in their shoppe as well. Their prices are pretty amazing as well.

I printed the box at Kinko's on nice card stock. They were $1.24 a piece. You could do it on your own printer as well...but I wanted the printing to be really nice. (My printer doesn't work that well) It prints on a regular 8.5X11 sheet of paper. I cut it out and scored the edges that needed to be folded. Then just hot glued the sides in place. I embellished it with a little crochet flower and button. Super easy! You could also cut out little flowers from felt if you don't know how to crochet.

The recipe cards are all set at 4X6 for easy printing. If you don't have photoshop/elements to type in your recipes...you could just hand write on them. I think you are supposed to put in pictures of the food...but I would rather put pictures of my kids:)

I just put the recipes in the box and tied it up with a simple red ribbon. With 8 recipes at $.13 a piece (printed at Costco), the box at $1.24, ribbon was free (I have way too much ribbon) and the embellishments were also free since I already had the materials...that makes this adorable and very useful gift so cost friendly coming in at under $2.50! You could even do it cheaper than that if you needed to. Just print the recipes and tie a ribbon around them for a perfect $1 gift! My cute friend is giving banana bread to her neighbors this year so we typed the recipe on one of these cute cards and she is attaching it to her banana loaf. How cute is that?!? So many possibilities with this free download!

Thanks shabby princess! I think you are amazing for sharing your gift.

Custom announcements....

2009-12-09T15:13:00.003-07:00

I had great intentions of making a tutorial on how I make custom announcements...but I am seriously just treading to keep my head above water. I took great measurements to ensure that I would have a stress-free holiday season, but it seems the days are just as busy as ever.

I promise I will work on making a tutorial soon...just not for Christmas time :) I am trying to focus all my extra time on these little monkeys. We still need to make a visit to Santa!

We are running out of time!

Miracle Baby....

2009-12-07T20:48:00.003-07:00

I absolutely love being a part of such a miraculous event. I love taking pictures for people that truly know what a gift these precious little babies are. This sweet couple is one of those families that waited and waited for their little miracle to arrive. Years of waiting and planning.

Little "J" made his grand appearance 3 1/2 weeks early weighing only 5 lbs. Such a tiny and sweet baby boy. I took his pictures just one day before his actual due date...

Still so tiny. Definitely the smallest baby I have photographed!

Watching new parents is so fun. It is so wonderful to see them working together, giving so much love to something so tiny. I am so happy for them.

Such a wonderful Christmas present for the whole family!

Naughty or Nice?

2009-12-03T23:24:00.007-07:00

Over the past, well, let's just say 11 years...I haven't really asked for anything come Christmas time. I guess having kids makes you more of a "giver" than an "asker"...

Well, this year, I figured I might as well dream a little. You know...believe that little elves are making me something right now. Santa is checking his list and sees my name in big, bold print on the very, very, very nice list. I can wish, right?

Here is my "keep on dreaming" wish list for Christmas....

I have to admit that these things look absolutely ridiculous. But, really, I can't think of anything that would make me more happy right now. I am FREEZING! The ones at Costco are microplush. MICROPLUSH, people! I would prefer Berry Red...but any color would make me so happy. I could just sit at my computer and edit away, while I stay warm and cozy. There is nothing worse than editing pictures at midnight and freezing to death.

Really can't decide between the snuggie and this electric blanket. Also from Costco! Have I mentioned that I am FREEZING? Seriously not picky with color but the Garnet fits my fancy :)
Always wanted a Hot Chocolate frother maker thinger. Still freezing.
Oh. Be. Still. My. Heart. I would really, really, really like one of these. Yes, I can figure out the light settings on my own, but this would make things so much faster for me when using studio lights. sigh.

Oh. Heavens. Could I even dream this big? I mean, I know it is selfish to want the F/1.2L
I have a 50mm 1.4. I should be happy, right? But, oh, can you imagine the amazing newborn shots I would love to capture with this little baby? Breath.

And, I know. I know. I just upgraded a little bit ago. But really? I would really, really love this. This camera loves me. It really does. Whenever it sees me come into the store it calls my name. Really, it does. It actually screams at me to just take it home. Someday my love. Someday.

Do I actually think any of this dreaming will work? No. Well, the snuggie might be mine. If I go buy it for myself. As for the other things....Not for Christmas, I am sure. But...when I put my mind to something, I usually find a way :)
Hopefully by the end of 2010 I will complete my list of wishes!!!
How's that for resolutions? :)

Photo Book...

2009-12-01T23:00:00.004-07:00

So, remember a few weeks ago, how I told you I was going to make a photobook? I did. And? I am so in love with it that I really can't stand it. I am one of those mothers that has the hardest time keeping presents from my kids until Christmas! This is one of those gifts that I truly just cannot wait to give to my daughter. She is going to love it so much. I would dare to say it will be her favorite gift this Christmas. And...trust me, the girl is getting some seriously great stuff this year. She is almost 4 after all and can you even imagine the fun I am having buying GIRL toys?!?!

If you are still looking for a gift that would please even the hardest person to buy for...

You do not have to look any further!

Go to snapfish right now and make a photobook.

The quality is amazing. It is one of the most simple things I have ever done. It seriously took me less than an hour to make an entire book. The prices are unbeatable! With the coupons I had I only paid $60 for 3 books. (shipping included) and, they were shipped to me in record time.

That ended up being about $20 a book!

I just cannot say enough great things about these fantastic photobooks!

GO MAKE ONE RIGHT NOW!!! You can thank me later :)

Black Friday Photoshoot!

2009-11-27T18:05:00.002-07:00

After spending my EARLY morning out shopping the "black friday" sales I decided to set up the studio lights for a friend and try to get some cute pictures of her kids...We also took sweet pictures of her beautiful baby, who isn't so little anymore! Remember this little guy?

They grow so fast! Can you believe he is already 3 months old?

I have been dreading the winter weather...but after today, I am totally loving the whole studio lighting again. I am looking forward to spending the next few months playing with my lights! I forget how much I love having control of my camera settings...not having to change them with every passing cloud or different lighting condition. Be watching for more of little Evan. He will be photographed A LOT in the next couple of months!

Of course my own little miss can't miss out on a photoshoot. The entire time I was shooting the other kids she kept asking when it was her turn. Good thing I did her hair today :)

Christmas gifts....

2009-11-20T19:41:00.004-07:00

I'm trying to be a little more creative with the gifts I give my kids this year for Christmas. I love to give homemade things...I just have more ideas than time these days!

I am soooooo very excited for what I have planned for my little miss this year.

I took her for a special photoshoot today

with the most important thing in her life....

"Doggy"!

Doggy has been her favorite since she was a year old. He has been everywhere we have been. Seen everything we have seen. Been washed 10,562 times. Soothed all her tears. Only missed 3 restless nights. Torturous, awful nights. It is safe to say that doggy is the most important accessory in her life. I am making a book all about Haleigh and Doggy. I am pretty sure it will be her favorite gift ever. Check out snapfish photobooks. I think their prices are great! The quality is wonderful! I can't think of a more perfect gift for a kid, than a book all about them!

Anything creative, different, or wonderful that you have planned this year?

Second shooter....

2009-11-11T15:12:00.007-07:00

When I upgraded my camera, I couldn't decide what I should do with my old one. Should I keep it? Sell it? Save it for my oldest son to learn on? My husband actually expressed interest in picking up photography so I handed it over to him, wished him luck and kinda hoped he would lose interest. :) Not because I don't want him to learn...just because the thought of teaching him was a little overwhelming. Over the past several months, he has helped me out by being my "second shooter" at a few family events.

First was his sister's amazing day at the Bountiful temple. Such a beautiful story...such an amazing event to be a part of!

When we got home, I looked at his pictures and was a little confused with what I saw. I didn't want to criticize him. Didn't want to seem ungrateful for his help...but I was hoping for images I could use for "the client". Ya know....those moments I might have missed. Little candid moments, expressions of their loved ones, etc. Instead, I ended up with a whole lotta ME! Me shooting, me "behind the scenes" if you will. Me, (in the picture above) pretending not to notice the other group of people trying to push me out of the way. Thinking their wedding was more important than my sealing! I liked to think he took so many pictures of me because he likes me. Because I am his wife and he wants pictures of me. What ever I believed his reasons to be at the time.... ...It became kind of fun to see what went on while I was shooting. I go into a world that involves only my subjects. I don't see anything else but them and their surroundings. So...when I see pictures like the one above, I didn't realize the great lengths people go to, to help me out. I also didn't realize how stupid I look when I get on the ground in a dress.
I also realized that I was missing so many moments that I would never have documented. I really love to interact with my subjects. I really love being in the moment as well. No one has ever captured that. No one has ever made me a part of something that I love so much.
Until now. Until my sweet husband has taken a job as my second shooter. After a shoot yesterday, as I was viewing the images, I finally asked him why he takes the kind of pictures he does. I said "Honey, I was kind of hoping that you could capture those moments I might miss." He simply stated "I do." It was a huge "ahh-ha" moment for me. He gets it. He sees that, which I don't. He sees that several years down the road, I will get to see the moments I missed on camera. Me, interacting with our children. Creating memories that I hope they will always remember ME for. The sweet moment where he gave me his jacket because I was so dumb and forgot my own.

The sweet moments I get to be with them. Play with them and capture them.
The moments I didn't notice because I was so into my photo capturing world.

He gets me. He knows exactly what he is doing. He is the the best second shooter for me.

He has captured more than I ever have. He has captured my sweet, beautiful babies interacting with me. Working hard to please me. Cooperating with me. Captured the moments I would never see. The ones I would have forever missed.

A whole lotta nothing...

2009-10-19T21:17:00.005-06:00

Spent the weekend in Yellowstone National Park for a family reunion this past weekend! The weather was gorgeous...the company was great...but we really lacked in the

"animal viewing department"!

We saw a whole lotta this! Bare fields. We still had a great time though and enjoyed our many, many hours in the car with fighting children. :)

Just wanted to say that I am so very, very behind on editing. The only downside I see of shooting RAW is the enormous amounts of time I have to spend on this dang computer. I think I am going to start shooting jpg with all my everyday type shots and save RAW for paying sessions only! I just don't think I can take another minute sitting here at this computer!

Anyone out there feel my pain?

My thoughts on Custom Photography....

2009-10-12T12:40:00.007-06:00

Today...I'm going to share my thoughts on the cost of custom photography....

One question I get asked the most is...

"Why don't you do this as a business?"

There are a few reasons that I won't go way into. One of the main reasons is because I am not really all that good as a business owner. Believe me...I have had MANY different entrepreneurial goals over the past several years. I have been fortunate that most of them have been great and not too cost consuming. I am terrible at keeping books. I hate keeping track of money and to be honest...I really just suck at the whole business aspect of owning a business. I really only like the creative side of anything I do. This poses a HUGE problem for me. It makes having a successful business next to impossible! The second main reason for me is that I really cannot put a price on anything that makes it worth leaving my kids and ignoring them for 40 hours a week. They are getting so big and I really feel like time is just going by so fast I can't even keep track of it. I don't ever want to look back and say "Why didn't I spend more time with my kids?" I can't imagine anything worse than feeling like I missed out on any time with them.

What I want to address today is the price of custom photography. I just have to laugh when people think I am asking too much for a session when I actually agree to do it in the first place. I love it when people beg and beg me to take photos...saying "I'll pay you!" Then...you actually tell them a price and never hear from them again. It happens all the time. People want me to do them a service. The problem? They want to pay nothing for it. I have spent way too much time doing these "favors" for people. I have realized that when I do a session for a friend, neighbor, even family members for free...it is basically telling my family that they aren't as important as the people I am taking pictures for. What kind of message does that send to my kids? Definitely not one that I want them to hear. There is a great post over at MCP Actions today. Everyone needs to read it. Aspiring photographers, professional photographers, and anyone who ever gets pictures taken by a photographer! Go read it....I will wait. It really puts the cost of photography in perspective. It is exactly why I can't do photography as a business. And...it explains very openly why custom photographers charge what they do. My favorite quote from this post is...

"So how do you price? Work backwards to figure out what clients need to spend. So many people want to skim over this because they are “arteests” and think it’s all about the talent, not about the pricing structure. WRONG! Artists work from emotions, and you better step outside of that for a moment and keep those emotions and business separated, or you will BE a starving artist who will one day look back and say “my kids are grown, where did the time go? I sat in front of that computer for hours for less than minimum wage… I wish I had that time back with my kids….” No one looks back and says “I wish I would have worked more away from my family….”

This is exactly why I can't do this as a business. I don't have the time to make it really worth leaving my kids over. I already spend WAY too much time on the computer editing photos, as it is. Really makes you stop and think about why 95% of all photography businesses fail....

I figure I spend about 8-10 hours per session. This includes prep, shooting, driving, and editing.

If I am charging $200 a session...it comes out to $20/hour. Which in theory sounds great...but it isn't true. Figure in cost of equipment, driving, paying babysitter, taxes, etc, etc, I end up making WAY less than $10 an hour. So...you figure your are making less than minimum wage for your time, then.... give away the work for free when you hand over a CD of images for nothing.

Hmmmm. Really makes you think. What are your thoughts on custom photography? If you do it as a profession...how to you make it worth your time? If you are a consumer...how do you feel about the cost of custom photography? What do you think is too much to spend?

Sneak Peak.....

2009-10-12T00:48:00.003-06:00

Just a few of the whole family together....

I'll have your whole gallery uploaded tomorrow! :)
I think you will love them...

Such a cute, cute family! And...the kids were so great! I didn't have to chase any of them, or make weird sounds, or jump up and down...making a complete FOOL of myself to get a smile. I actually had a really great time with them! Makes me sad they aren't my neighbors anymore! We all miss them very much!

Baby Evan...

2009-10-11T22:03:00.004-06:00

I've been busy. Super, super busy. I have been a terrible, neglectful blogger, mother and friend. I tried to make up my lack of friendship to one friend by taking a few outdoor shots of her sweet little one. It was COLD. Way too cold to have a newborn out...but we just had to get the shot!

We have a lot of fun things planned for our little family the last few weeks of October. We are heading to Yellowstone for a very fun-filled family reunion this coming weekend and then off to visit our favorite mouse at the magic kingdom. When I get back...I will have lots of fun photos to share and I will do a tutorial for making custom Christmas cards!

announcements...

2009-10-02T13:30:00.008-06:00

My favorite way to do announcements is through my

favorite place in the whole wide world.

You can get fifty, 6 X 7.5 size greeting cards including envelopes for $14.99!!! Additional sets of 25 can then be purchased for $5.99! I think this is such a great deal! They do have some very cute templates to choose from if you don't know how to make your own in photoshop. But...if you do know how to make your own...they will give you the same deal for your own design! I don't think all Costco stores have the option to use your own design. Every Costco in Utah that I have been to does. You cannot upload the design online, you do have to go into the store to order them. I usually drop it off, they print a sample and if I like it...they print the rest while I shop. Such a great and inexpensive way to share good news! And...being such a proud big sister...this is, indeed very good news!

Birth announcements, graduation announcements, wedding invitations, Christmas card (despite my denial that Christmas is even coming)...you name it! If I get enough time, and interest...I will try to create a tutorial on making these in Photoshop...is this something most of you already know how to do? Or would a tutorial be helpful?

Graduation pictures....

2009-09-19T22:54:00.005-06:00

My little sister is graduating from nursing school! We spent the entire afternoon curling hair, picking out clothes, taking pictures and making announcements. This image is one of my favorites...although, we didn't use it on the actual announcement. Isn't she beautiful?

Congrats, little sis! We are so proud of you!

Angles...

2009-09-05T20:55:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite things to do lately, is shoot from above. For some reason...I love the way these type of pictures turn out. It creates amazing catch lights and is very flattering for all face-types. It is a super flattering pose for women! Next time you have your picture taken, have the photographer shoot from above and I promise you might get a picture you might like of yourself!

I know I am partial...I am, after all her mother. But, I just can't get enough of her. I could take pictures of her all day. Every day.

(And with her personality...I think she would love it too!)

How to get a black seamless background...

2009-09-03T18:36:00.007-06:00

I get a lot of emails asking how I get a deep black/seamless background making baby look like they are "floating". It is super easy and doesn't take a lot of time. I know there are a lot of ways to do this, (even some actions out there that do it for you), I use the burn tool in photoshop. Good news is that you can do this with elements too! Choose an "airbrush soft round" set it to "midtones" and set the exposure to your liking. To get it all deep black I use it at 100%. Now just go over all of the black area. You have to be careful around the areas you don't want darker. I actually do this with a layer mask so I can go back over any areas that I accidentally burned. If you aren't sure what layer masks are....just be careful around the edges. (I am way too tired to talk about layer masks tonight!)

This is a screen shot of a picture before I burned the black...

After....

This method does take a little practice. You have to make sure you get every single area. I think this is key to making pictures look more professional!

Sneak Peak....

2009-09-01T22:07:00.005-06:00

Had some fun with my favorite bff, (and newborn assistant) Jen's new little cutie today! Evan and I got to hang out for 3 hours! I got to try out all the fun new props I have been crocheting for the past 2 months while I have been ANXIOUSLY awaiting his arrival.

Evan loves me. He can't wait till I come over next week and hang him from a tree branch!

Just for his daddy. I am not sure if Bishop owns anything BUT UofU attire. (Kind of out-numbered in this neighborhood.) The rivalry is strong around here. People are serious about their school of choice. I am Switzerland. :) Personally though, I think red DOES photograph a little better. :)

Shooting in full sun....

2009-08-25T23:49:00.005-06:00

While learning about photography, I tried to research all the "right" and "proper technique". All the rules. All the "always do this" aspects of photography. I have talked about this before in other posts...but wanted to talk about it some more. Sticking with all the "rules" was prohibiting me from always capturing the moments. If I didn't have perfect lighting, I didn't shoot. I found myself afraid to shoot in full sun. I thought that I had to have perfect lighting on the entire face without harsh shadows. This is difficult when you don't have fill flash. Lately...I have realized that I actually really like the effect the sun has on faces. I have been experimenting more with the sun and not worrying about always having even light across the face. I think it makes pictures have an interesting quality that I really like.

Getting proper exposure in full sun is difficult if you do not shoot in manual mode. In auto mode your camera will meter to the brightest object. That is why people will always look dark. When you shoot in Manual mode, you can trick the camera and get the skin tones properly exposed.

Don't let full sun shooting scare you. I have let it get to me FAR too long!

Here is a great article on getting beautiful sun flare.

5 killer ways to shoot into the sun!

(Something I am still working on)

I love it when photographers teach you to "break the rules"!

Maybe I am more of a rebel than I thought!

Welcome...

2009-08-21T15:55:00.006-06:00

Sweet little one!

The whole town is very anxiously waiting for the news!

Getting to photograph the first moments of a baby's life is my favorite thing in the whole world.

Welcome little Evan Scott!!!!

Mommy did amazing. Baby is smaller than planned. 7 lbs. 14 oz. 19 inches.

Getting ready for school!

2009-08-18T12:32:00.002-06:00

It is that time of year, again! It is no secret that this is not really my favorite time of year. I guess I am one of those odd mothers that prefer her kids at home. Homeschooling, you ask? I'm not THAT crazy! Sheeeeesh! I sent my baby off to preschool this morning. I didn't think I was emotional about it. Until I left her. Then I couldn't stop the tears. We won't get into the reasons I would cry over preschool. Let's just let it rest with the fact that she is MY BABY!

I am sure as a mother you are just like me, in the fact that you want to document that first day of school perfectly...

Here are a few tips for making that early morning photo session perfect!

Let your kids know the night before that they will be getting their pictures taken. My kids do better if they know what to expect the morning of their big day. Make sure you have plenty of time that morning! There is nothing worse than a crazy and rushed first morning of school.

Think outside the box when it comes to your pictures. Try a jumping shot! It is fun and it shows the true feeling of the morning...EXCITEMENT!

Let your kids pose themselves! Haleigh loves this pose.

Move in close! I know you want to get that first day of school outfit...but get a closeup of their face. I promise it will be your favorite shot!

Show the details of the morning. Maybe you could take a picture of their breakfast choice. I always make my kids what ever they want on the first day of school. That usually means making 3 different things. I will definitely take a picture of that! Mostly just to document things like that so one day I can prove to my kids that I was a good mom! Take pictures of backpacks, lunch boxes, new shoes, the bus stop line, kids walking onto the bus...and if you are a psycho mom like me, follow the bus and take pictures of them getting off the bus and heading into school. I try to take pictures of the kids inside their classroom...but my boys are getting a little older and I know there is NO WAY I will get away with that one this year. You know, having a big 5th grader and all.

The point...is to make sure the morning is documented and FUN! One thing my mom did was take a picture in the same exact place. Every. Single. Year. It was in our front yard in front of a pine tree. It is fun to look back at all the pictures. Not only did we grow...but so did that tree. It started as a small little twig and by high school...it was huge!

Good luck this week! Happy for some. Just something we gotta do for others.

Offering Fall "Mini Sessions"!

2009-08-11T17:31:00.005-06:00

I am a sucker. I can't say no. I just can't. I have had so many friends, family, friends of friends, etc, etc, ask me to take photos for them. I wish I could just say yes to everyone and do it for free...but I just can't. I have to make it worth the time it takes to edit.

SOOOOOOOO

I am offering a limited number of photo sessions. Please email me for more specific details and dates available.

Here are the most important specifics....

Mini session price $200

this includes...

1 hour on location session.

(you can choose the location or I can recommend one. I am willing to travel anywhere from Salt Lake to Springville area.)

Session can include all members of immediate family.

15 full resolution images on CD with copyright release for you to print anywhere you would like.

All images (fully edited) can be purchased for an additional $75.

Holiday card designs will also be available for a $25 design fee.

I am booking Newborn on location sessions twice a month. They are $350 for a 3 hour session. This includes 15 full resolution images with copyright release for you to print anywhere you would like.

I will also include low resolution images resized and sharpened for the web that you can use for blogs, facebook, etc. These will have a watermark to help protect the images from theft. Newborn birth announcements are also available for a $25 design fee.

Email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com to book your session.

I didn't notice....

2009-08-04T16:30:00.002-06:00

How much I ignore the amazing images that surround me everyday. I am definitely not a landscape photographer, but learning photography has taught me to notice light. Driving home last night was quite breath-taking! I pulled over to take a picture. Something I should do a little more often. I think I take for granted all the amazing views that surround my own home.

I figured out the secret!

2009-08-04T02:09:00.003-06:00

I kidnapped my friend's little boy tonight to take his 4 year old pictures. He is such a handsome little man...and managed to cut his own hair 2 days before his mommy scheduled pictures. So...this little guy was sporting a perfect summer buzz cut! I got some super cute images of him and I also figured out how to get my own kid to WANT her picture taken!

She was SUPER jealous that I was paying more attention to another child. She kept asking me to take HER picture. Let's be honest here...she was wearing something I would NEVER have her wear for pictures. Her hair was left over from yesterday's church hair-do and she was wearing her older brother's old cowboy boots and sporting her FAVORITE dress that her daddy bought her. I could not believe how cooperative she was. She posed herself saying.."I do it, I do it!"

Crazy girl. I guess the secret is really not too much of a secret. Let them pick out their own clothes and ignore them a bit. I ended up with images I can't get enough of! Cowboy boots and all.

Baby Alexa....

2009-07-31T10:37:00.002-06:00

Yep...pretty much the cutest thing, ever.

Fantastic session. Beautiful, perfect baby. She spoiled me a little. Don't think I will ever get another baby as cooperative as this little beauty was. We wrapped up this session in a record 2 hours getting SEVERAL images to choose from. Why can't they all be this cooperative? Would make my job a piece of cake!

Could you just eat up that yummy brown and turquoise quilt? Made by my amazing friend Heidi with Stipple and Stitch, custom machine quilting. She does beautiful, amazing work!

A Sneak peak....

2009-07-30T00:54:00.003-06:00

Had an amazing session today with this little 9 day old beauty. I have been trying to determine the best age for newborn photos and just came to this fact: The baby controls the show. There is truly no rhyme or reason to why some babies are sleepy and curly...while others won't sleep a wink. Between me, my friend Jen (she is my awesome assistant, even at 9 months pregnant herself!) and my other two friends...we had a house full of 14 kids and 4 adults!

Little Alexa couldn't have cared less. In fact...I think she liked the party!

More to come soon! Very, very soon!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

2009-07-18T18:42:00.003-06:00

Deborah! You are the winner of 3 headbands! These headbands will fit up to a 2 year old...so I think the prize went to the perfect person! Please email me at littlebitoflove76@gmail.com and I will send you a list of color choices!

Thanks to EVERYONE for participating!

Sometimes I dream about catchlights!

2009-07-17T19:33:00.005-06:00

First things, first....Thanks for all the comments left in the last post! I love hearing what everyone loves to see concerning newborn photography and, even more, I LOVED hearing about all the great places to buy beautiful props! I will choose a winner tomorrow and get to making some headbands!

When hubby gets home from work, Haleigh RUNS out to be with him. Tonight's dinner finally included our VERY favorite summer side...FRESH CORN ON THE COB! Haleigh and daddy were out shucking the corn (is that the right term for it?) And I couldn't get over the amazing catch lights in Haleigh's eyes. All of my kids have dark, dark eyes (just like daddy) and sometimes it is really hard to make their eyes look amazing in pictures. Tonight's lighting begged for a quick impromptu shoot. The background is simply a lounge chair she was sitting in while helping her dad.

I feel like sometimes the best photos are the unplanned ones.

These are all straight out of camera. Nothing done to her eyes. Nothing enhanced or changed. Just re-sized and sharpened for web. The catch lights were just that amazing tonight! Sure, they could use some fixing...like the green cast to her skin...but these summer days, who has time for that?

{f 2.8, 1/125, iso 100}

She's pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Although....I am her mother and I could be just a little partial.

Let's talk photography props...AND A GIVEAWAY!

2009-07-12T22:40:00.006-06:00

( Photo by Jen Culley)

I assisted my friend the other day with a newborn session. She is always my sidekick when I do mine. It was only fair that I pay her back with all the help she gives to me. She asked me to bring a flower headband to the session to use as a prop. I must admit I am kind of against the whole 'huge flower on top of a baby's head' trend. I like to keep the newborn pictures simple. So...I made a headband with a ginormous flower and then a few crocheted headbands that were smaller, as well. I was surprised that I really liked the way the images turned out! It actually got me thinking about all the props I should start collecting. I do use fun baskets occasionally...but I would LOVE to expand my basket of props. Especially FUN hats! So...I would love to hear what your favorites are! Please leave a comment with your favorite prop and where you buy from! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Etsy! I love buying from moms with talent! Please list your favorite sellers. This will be great information for us all to find props and also great advertisement for those selling these types of things! So...if you know someone who makes darling hats, cocoons, or any other photography prop...let us know who they are!

At the end of the week...(Friday-ish) I will randomly select a winner from the list of comments and send you 3 custom newborn headbands (Made by me) as shown in the picture above! (You can choose from the available colors...) You do not need to be a photographer to leave a comment! Everyone is welcome to join in!

So...let us know your favorite props and sellers!

If you don't have any ideas for props or sellers...you can still leave a comment letting us all know what you like to see in newborn photography...

Using what you've got...

2009-07-08T17:35:00.005-06:00

I think I have pretty much found "my style" when dealing with newborn photography. I like things to be pretty simple. Classic. Timeless.

However....when I walked into this home yesterday, I knew I had to make use of the furniture they had available. The textures, colors, all of it...made for a yummy session that I have been drooling over while editing. I don't know how classic these will be...but I know these images have had ME wishing I could have one more baby... Shhhhhh, don't tell my hubby!

Speaking of classic beauty...this baby fits that description perfectly.

I have always tried to shoot newborns before they are 10 days old. Due to other commitments (Mostly LDS Young Women girl's camp for 25 girls)...I couldn't get to this baby until she was 19 days old. I was SUPER nervous that we wouldn't be able to get any sleepy shots. I was very pleasantly surprised. She was actually one of our best sessions yet. I am re-thinking the whole thing when it comes to the perfect age to do the newborns. I will be experimenting with the whole slew of babies I have coming up. (So happy I have friends still having babies!) I will let you know what I figure out. The last 3 sessions I have done with newborns around 5-8 days old have been really tough! This 19 day old was a dream in comparison.

This session was auctioned off at a fundraiser the young women did for girl's camp. I have been donating a lot of sessions for things like this. It is a really fun way to offer this service to people and it brought in quite a bit of money for the girls. This would be a great way for new photographers to start building clients...but aren't quite ready to start charging professionally. Not to mention the practice you will get by doing a real session!

Giveaway!

2009-07-08T13:33:00.004-06:00

One of my favorite blogs is MCP ations. She is CONSTANTLY sharing tips, tricks and secrets most photographers don't share. I have a lot of her actions and I love them! She is currently giving away a Tamron lens! Head on over and put your name in...you might just be the lucky winner!

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/07/08/win-an-slr-lens-brand-new-tamron-lens-%e2%80%93-18-270mm-or-28-300mm/

And....just because photos make a post more interesting...here is another favorite from this little cutie!

Farmer tan + baby=COMPLETE CUTENESS!

YOU KNOW YOUR KID IS CUTE....

2009-06-19T23:28:00.003-06:00

When I beg you to let me take pictures of your child!

{And...I don't do that very often!}

I'm kind of a creepy stalker on Sundays at church when it comes to this baby. I can't stop staring at him. He is really THAT beautiful. I have thought out several kidnapping plans...{What else am I supposed to do during Sunday school?} I really could bring him home. Keep him as my own. And be completely okay with that.

Sweet baby...

2009-06-18T18:44:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite things about taking newborn pictures for my friends...is getting hands on time with their sweet new additions. I get to know their little personalities better than most other friends would just holding the new baby. I spend so much time with them and love every single minute of it. This little beauty has the best hair ever. I loved the color and the way it just fluffed and did its own thing. Isn't she precious?

Giving in and using a flash....

2009-06-15T00:56:00.004-06:00

I have a confession. I have become somewhat of a lighting snob. I am guilty of missing the moment because I have the attitude of "if the lighting is bad, I won't get a great picture"...

I have missed a lot of moments over the past year because I am too proud to use my camera's on board flash. I do have an external flash. I am trying to learn how to use it properly...but even still, I don't like the pictures any type of flash produces.

In effort to just capture the moment...I have given in and started using flash for the moments that I just don't have enough light.

Are the pictures great? No. Not even close...

But, do I want to miss these little faces in this moment? Not on your life!

Do the technical aspects of photography keep you from capturing that one moment, all in the name of getting a perfectly exposed and technically perfect photo? If so...STOP IT! Capture the moment. Enjoy the moment. Sometimes capturing the memories is WAY more important than getting a perfect picture. I am working on this.

Just been busy....

2009-06-05T12:04:00.005-06:00

Shooting lots of beautiful new babies....

This little cutie was probably the strongest 7 day old baby I have ever seen. He could pick up his head, with complete control, turn it and set it back down. It was so amazing! He gave us a run for our money...but in the end, I think we got some shots mommy will love. Love the hair on his back in this shot!

This quilt made me want to take up a new hobby! Quilting...La, la, la, LOVED all the textures and colors in this blanket. The last couple of sessions I have done we have tried to include a special blanket that was given to the baby by a grandma or aunt. Something that has meaning and makes the picture a little more personal to the family. It is also a great way to make your photos unique and stand out. I think I'm off to find myself a great quilting class!

Failed Session....

2009-05-06T09:48:00.005-06:00

We took the kids to Thanksgiving Point last night to see the tulips. The tulip festival may be over...but the flowers are still in full bloom. We rented a golf cart and went on our way. My one goal? To get ONE...(and only needed ONE) really great picture of the three kids together. With my 10 year old's "tween" mood swings, my 7 year old's fake smile and my darling 3 year old's temper tantrums...we left, after 2 hours, with NOTHING! And, I really mean nothing.

Do you think my mother in law would like this picture of flowers instead of her grumpy grandchildren for Mother's Day? Ha!

If you haven't been to see the tulips....PLEASE go. You won't be sorry. As for Mother's Day presents? Not sure what to do now. But...I got my present early...a new tripod! So excited to try it out.

As for Thanksgiving Point...it is a fantastic location for sessions. It is a bit pricey for bridal portraits, but well worth it in my opinion. There are so many different options for backgrounds, making it look like you have driven all over to get different looks. I have a season pass for myself, which gets my kids and anyone else with me, in for 1/2 price. So, our trip to the gardens last night only cost $11 for our whole family. {Excluding the golf cart}. Not a bad price for a fun night out with the family. {Not sure FUN was the right word there}. We may just have to do it again tonight to try to get that one good picture. Wish me luck!

2 year old...

2009-05-04T20:21:00.003-06:00

Remember this cute little monkey from a session I did last year? http://pricelessimpressions.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-best-friend.html

He may be a year older...but he is also still just as beautiful. He has a little sister coming in July.

I. Can't. Wait! Good thing my friends are all still having babies!

Now, isn't that one of the cutest little 2 year old faces you have ever seen? I bet you are dying to meet little sister now too!

Do I HAVE to photoshop?

2009-05-03T14:34:00.006-06:00

Oliva asked a great question last week about photoshop. She asked if she was always going to be disappointed with her photos unless if she started to use photoshop. I wanted to take that discussion a little further today....First, let's start with an image.

(Click on image to make bigger so you can really see the difference.)

The top image is straight out of camera...meaning I did nothing to it in photoshop except re-size and sharpen for web. The second image has been fixed in photoshop. I wanted to show how subtle the differences really are. I felt like his face was a little underexposed because of the deep shade we were in so I did a slight curve adjustment on his skin to brighten it up a little. I also did a slight color pop on the overall image to give it a little more contrast. I also added a little bit of sharpness to his eyes to make them pop a little more. I find with dark eyes, it is nice to lighten the pupils a little. There are a million ways to do this. I use Scoot Kelby's method. Then I just sharpened a bit and added a watermark. Maybe spent a total of 5 minutes in photoshop with this image.

I think photographers go through phases as they learn photoshop. I know I have certainly gone through all the crazy stages. When you first start things tend to be WAY over-done. Making kids look like they have alien eyes, plastic skin, neon colored clothes, etc, etc. Sometimes I go back through my photos and think.."What was I thinking with that post processing job?" I am finding that my "style" is becoming a little more traditional and subtle. Some images I still go all out for, but I am settling down and realizing I want more realistic, real life photos that will stand the test of time. I think all photographers have to find their own style and stick with it. This is tough when trends come and go. One thing I am working on really hard right now is nailing correct exposure and white balance in camera. This helps to get good skin tones straight out of camera. It is all about skin tones for me right now. It is one of the hardest things I have tried to learn so far. When you photoshop an image you have to remember that anytime you do a color pop, it changes the skin tones too. That is why you see so many images with orange skin. Then when you add skin softening on top of that...you get a really scary oompa loompa effect. {Believe me, I have done this plenty of times to my fair skinned kiddos!}

I guess my point of today's post is to encourage you all to give photoshop a try. Yes, you will make mistakes. Yes, you will look back and want to slap yourself for what you did to an image...but it is an important phase you have to go through. Do I think you HAVE to photoshop to help you LOVE your photos? Well, kind of, yes. I think it is important especially when displaying photos on the web to at least sharpen your images for the web. Keeping things simple and using photoshop to enhance your photos will help you on your journey to loving your images. Just remember to keep it simple. Keep it real. And before you know it...you will LOVE what photoshop can do for you!

I will post more images from this session soon! Man, my friends have beautiful kids! Just wait!

Answering a few Questions....

2009-04-25T13:30:00.010-06:00

Thought I would answer a few questions for people today....And, just for fun, I added my favorite bridal portrait of my little sister from last summer.

Katie asks..."your pics are incredible...found your blog via twopeas... you have great talent. But, I want to know what you do for your lighting and your backgrounds... are they photoshopped? please share your secret with me? please????"

First of all, Katie, Thank you for the compliments. It always means so much to me when people take the time to leave me feedback. I love to share on Two Peas. It is a great resource for photographers! It is also fun to meet so many people that share the same passion! As for lighting...I guess I would say I am mostly a natural light photographer. I feel like it is the most "natural" way to do things. One problem I have run into though (especially with newborn photography) is natural light is NOT reliable. A cloud rolls in and you have to re-do all your settings. With newborns, you do not have the time to keep adjusting settings. This is why I have finally decided I needed to learn how to use my studio lighting. It is reliable, dependable and I can keep my settings the same throughout the entire session, making only minor adjustments due to aperture desires. Wanting more or less bokeh, etc. I do not recommend going out and spending a fortune on lights unless it is absolutely something you want to invest a lot of time and money into. Not to mention the space you need to work them properly.

On to backdrops. I would say I'm mostly a "white trash" back drop kind of girl. I use sheets from Wal-Mart. (I do not endorse Wal-Mart very often...actually really despise that place...however you can get a killer deal on sheets there!) I rig my own back drop stand using all kinds of things. clothes drying rack, my fireplace mantel, even been known to use my treadmill. (At least the thing is getting a little attention, know what I mean?) For my niece's pictures, I did rent a backdrop stand as well as a canvas backdrop. While I didn't LOVE the color of the backdrop and actually changed the color on several pictures...It made a huge difference! I loved it. It is next on my list of things I just have to buy to make photography easier. I try to justify the expense of all this stuff...it really makes no sense at all. But...it is all in the name of making this mama of 3 happy with her hobby. Right?

I do photo shop the backgrounds. I like the "seamless" look. I usually burn the blacks to make it look all even. Since newborns are so small...I use a bean bag, draped with a sheet and usually just have the parent hold up the rest of the sheet behind to act as a back drop. I hope that makes sense. It doesn't give the depth you are "supposed" to have between the subject and back drop...but it works for me, so I stick with it.

Annie (also from Two Peas, a fellow Utah Pea!) asks: "Hi Kati...I'm from the Utah peas...CUTE AMAZING pictures :)wow!!!!!And you must share how you hung that chubby baby...I have tried and tried to hang a baby...I can't get them balanced then it throws the mom into a nervous wreak...LOL!!!you must share the secret :)"

I was actually REALLY nervous to do this shot for SEVERAL reasons! First...I don't like to be a "copy-cat" photographer. Someone came up with this AMAZING pose and now everyone is trying to get their hands on it. I guess I just decided that I can't feel bad about admiring other people's work and copying is the highest form of flattery, right? I felt most comfortable trying this shot for the first time with my own niece because I knew my sister in law trusted me with her baby. (At least I hoped she did). I will say there were a few times the baby arched her strong little back and neck and gave us all a heart attack as she nearly fell to the floor! I would make sure you have at least 2 people right there ready for anything! I wish I had some great advice for this shot. This was my first time attempting it. Good thing I had my friend Jen there with her super fast reflexes! I had a hard time deciding if I should drop "my baby/my new camera" to grab my niece. Totally kidding. Kind of. Totally would save my niece first. We tied and RE-tied the knot several times. The baby did tend to twist a little. My brother in law suggested getting fishing line and attaching it with a safety pin to each side so two people could pull, making the baby even. We didn't have the time to rig it up...but I think it would work. I think the key is getting your fabric hung evenly. We slipped the baby in and slowly got her positioned. It was TOUGH! I had enough back drop that I shot kind of from the side to make it look like she was hanging straight...but she really wasn't. One suggestion is to get the mom out of there for this shot. It will make you less stressed and the mom will never know! Ha! I can say that...because it isn't my baby being HUNG from a tree branch! I guess with everything else photography...just keep practicing and it will become easier each time. Truth be told...I am petrified to try it again!

Oliva asks some great questions..."Katie,I guess I should finally leave a message, considering I have been stalking your photography blog since it's birth. I love the pictures you take, and love the tips you share with each of us. I have been trying to improve my photo skills, but along with the one million other things I am trying to do in my life, I am not progressing very much. So I just have a few questions.

1) On your indoor sessions do you always use photography lighting? I noticed that one of your first newborn sessions you said was done at the parent's house. I always have trouble getting good shots indoors and I wonder if it is because the lighting sucks.

I covered this a little bit in the first question...but I will go a little more in depth here. Another key to indoor photography (in my opinion) is a really FAST lens. Without getting completely technical here...(y'all know this is not my strong point)....Lens speed refers to the maximum aperture diameter, or minimum f-number, of a photographic lens. A lens with a larger maximum aperture (that is, a smaller minimum f-number) is a fast lens because it delivers more light intensity to the focal plane, allowing a faster shutter speed. A smaller maximum aperture (larger minimum f-number) is "slow" because it delivers less light intensity and requires a slower shutter speed. So basically...the lower the f-number, the better your in-door shots will be without using flash. If this does not make sense to you...I recommend reading up on aperture and shutter speed and really learning how these work with the lighting you have. This must be learned and fully understood before you will progress anywhere with photography...

2) Do you have multiple backdrops for your indoor shots, or do you just get creative with what you have available?

I hope I answered this one well enough in the question above from Katie. The thing about backdrops...is that I believe you really can just get creative with what ever you have. It makes your photography stand out because it is unique and it makes it your own.

3) Do you choose your aperture and shutter speed manually every shot, or do you ever choose the other setting on your camera like portrait, landscape, sports, etc.?

I almost always shoot manual. The new camera I got is better with the AV/TV modes than my previous camera, so I am learning to trust my camera more. Sometimes it is nice to just take the everyday type pictures without having to think so much about my lighting. I never use the auto modes, however. I recommend people start in AV mode when they are first learning to shoot in manual. This mode allows you to choose your aperture and the camera chooses an appropriate shutter speed to match what you have chosen. Pay attention to what the camera chose and make a mental note of it. Then...you will learn what works and what doesn't. You then learn your camera and how it works with different lighting situations and you can correct them in Manual mode.

4) Do you photoshop all your pictures or are a lot of them exactly as you shot them? I don't use photoshop (yet) and I want to know if I am always going to be disappointed with my pictures if I don't us it?

Because I shoot in RAW mode...I have to post process all my photos. I try to get proper exposure straight out of camera so I don't have to do a lot to my images in photo shop. It is very time consuming and photo shop should not be used as a crutch to fix any mistakes that should be done right in camera. That being said...I make mistakes all the time and I am so glad I can fix them with photo shop. Photo shop should be used to enhance your photos...but shouldn't mean the difference between you loving or hating your photos. I do think that since the trend with photography now is brightened over-saturated color pops, etc...you will only be able to achieve that look with photo shop. I use CS3. I love it. I didn't love the price of it, however. But...once again, with all things photography related...nothing comes cheap with this hobby.

Whew. That does it for today. Guess I will get back to my trashy novel and watch my kids rotting out their smart little brains with the Nintendo DS and watching way too much TV. What else should we do on this dreary cold Saturday?

More of my little Niece....

2009-04-12T09:21:00.005-06:00

I know this is VERY picture heavy...BUT, how do you narrow down something that is SO CUTE?