rhowen the reindeer.

Rhowen's mom wanted to do a Christmas themed birth announcement as part of her Christmas cards. Her little peanut was pretty adorable.

 

 

She chose the festive light backdrop for her announcement and they came out amazing.

 

 

santa's best guy.

I recently did a Christmas themed photo shoot with a very adorable one-year-old boy, and let me tell you, getting a one-year-old to smile multiple times is a challenge. I did have to use a flash inside, which I hate to do, because my kit lens wasn't allowing me to capture him with all his toddler movement in such a dimly lit room. But I still think they came out great.

 

I also put him in a digital backdrop just for fun.

 

 

the wonder of digital backdrops.

Some people think digital backdrops are crazy. And they are. Using Photoshop, I can literally put your baby or you anywhere. It's an acquired taste, but isn't all that different than being in a studio if you want my opinion. Everything looks perfect because it isn't real life, neither is a studio. I took some photos from my first gig and practiced placing her in digital backdrops.

 

If you could get studio looking photos in your living room for a fraction of the price, why wouldn't you?

merry christmas from camryn.

During my first gig I took a few photos of Camryn with her Christmas stocking. I added a festive digital backdrop and this is the final product.

 

My favorite one yet.

my best friend's baby.

Gia is going to be a model you see on here often. She's my best friend's baby, my muse, my number one girl. Here is her Christmas session. The shots were taken in a living room with a kit lens, and the backdrops are digital. Photoshop was my savior during editing. It looks like Gia is in a studio, but she's in the comfort of her own living room.

family holiday photo shoot.

I had my very first family photo shoot/Christmas card session and am excited to share some of the shots. These are shot with my kit lens and edited in Photoshop Elements 12 using some free actions I've found on the web.

 

I just adore lifestyle photography. You're in or around your own house, with your own stuff. It makes the pictures extra special. Every parent would love to have a photographer at their home capturing moments, that's what I'm all about. Every shoot I've done so far has been at the home of my clients. It makes it a little more difficult for me as I'll never know my lighting situation, but I like the challenge, it keeps me sharp and is helping me learn. 

my first gig.

I've always wanted to get into professional photography, I've just been wary about it because anyone with an DSLR camera seems to think they are a professional photographer these days. I have always taken good pictures, I have "the eye" as my friends and I like to call it, but I wasn't confident enough to really put myself out there. I didn't want to look silly. In November one of my besties called me to ask if I could take some newborn pictures for a friend because her little one cried through her whole first attempt at a session. My first instinct was to tell her absolutely not, I have never taken pictures of a newborn baby before, and I am not trying to make people think that I think I'm a professional photographer at this point. But my friend made me feel so good about myself, like I could do anything. Like I was already a professional to her. So I googled how to use my Rebel for newborn photos and accepted the challenge. This is how it went.

 

I had already received Photoshop Elements 12 for my birthday, and I needed a good reason to start teaching myself how to use it, this beautiful baby was it. I still don't think I'm ready for the big leagues yet, but getting such a wonderful response from my very first photo shoot made me feel confident enough to take on other gigs over the holiday season.