Color!!!

I think fall has become my favorite time to photograph. The richness and diversity of the colors in nature are just so inspiring. When I photographed this lovely family, I actually thought, "Should I even offer them black and white?!?! Would it be sinful to do so?" Well, I went ahead and shot a fun session so here are the results.

We started out with some traditional portraits. The kids were so easy going. Notice the catch lights in their eyes?

 The sun skimmed across their faces at eye level at JUST the right time. Click.

Peak fall colors DO look great in black and white. I am a big fan of contrast and I don't even have to fudge it much in post production. The kids' clothes pop nicely here.

 He has a great look even when just waiting for direction so I tended to not direct him so quickly.

 The bark of a tree is one of my favorite textures.

 It's nice to look away from the camera sometimes, too.

 This was sis' idea and I liked it so we did it. So cute.

 Another great high contrast example. Add a funky fish eye lens and the trees bow down around them.

 Quite possibly one of the best jumps of all time!

My fave of the day. This image positions me as the observer. The foreground of the leaves on the ground is eye catching and I just love the casual moment.

 The kids were workin' it at this point. ;-)

 Another fave. They were really fun and this shot shows it.

 Outtakes are a must with me. Candid and natural.

 Traditional, yet fun and with lots of color.

 Mom and Dad. Good looking mom and dad, that is!

 I softened the brown and yellow backgrounds here so the faces could pop.

 Getting the camera at the kids' level was key here, as was including the end of the bridge rails to add drama.

 On this one I wanted the image to feel like the rails were wrapping themselves around you, so I moved in a little bit. I like the way bro has his arm around sis, too.

 Emotional stuff is just more captivating in black and white in my book.

 Mom and Dad laughing at their kids being goofy.

 Peeking through the leaves and using them to frame the shot. Do they know I'm there?

 Now they do!

 Another outtake. So real.

 Of course we HAD to throw leaves.

 This is a fun image to put on a wall because there is something going on.

 Last shot of the day!

Thank you so much for spending your morning with me - as I think you know, I had a great time!

Family Picture

An old family friend, Anthony, and his wife Kelly were recently sharing with me how they can't believe how hard it is to get a family picture of themselves and their little girl. Between taking care of their one year old's needs and trying to all look photo-presentable, it is nearly impossible. (And I concur with my own family!) So they paid me a visit today and we had a lovely afternoon together creating images that I hope they will always cherish.

Now that my children are growing up (way too quickly for my taste), I think photos like this are so much more important. This is a very sweet time in their lives. I want them to remember not only what they look like, but how they felt. So I started off with this wide shot to capture that sweet family moment and environment.

 Starting to zoom in to get more expressions.

 Somewhat traditional. And sweet. I like the relaxed feel of this shot.

 Some more traditional, looking at the camera is always nice, too.

 We moved around a bit to keep changing the background and lighting direction.

 I shot into the light for this one to create some nice hairlights and bright background.

Somebody was distracted by some greenery. Best time to shoot as it was a sweet moment with dad.

 Reading with mommy is a great connecting time so I like to photograph it.

 Onto the individual portraits. This was sooooooooo easy with such a pretty girl (and awesome hair decor!)

 Photographing little people as they look down at something really brings your eye to their soft delicate features.

 Oh how expressive she is!

 This is a fave from the day. I remember Anthony as a kid so I just love their similar expressions here.

 Focused on those long beautiful lashes for this one.

 I often photograph my own family in my backyard and need some new angles. So I shot through some potted plants. By keeping only the subject in focus, it creates more depth and draws your eye to the family.

 Sweet sweet sweet.

 Getting more excited now (as mom and dad were wildly waving all sorts of stuffed animals over my head).

 Another sweet moment with dad. Can you say "daddy's little girl"?

 So bright and cheery!

 Off center is a must for me.

 Gotta show the whole outfit!

 Eyes of wonder.

 OK, this one is just darn funny!

 And this happened a millisecond later.

 More time with mom. I love the coordinating outfits and lovely accessories for each.

 Another funny one.

I'm usually not too into this almost totally saturated look, but with the side profile, her body position and big poofy top, it just fits.

 Another family shot, this time indoors using window light. I mostly shoot outdoors but this directional light is also nice.

Today was one of those days that I felt particularly lucky to do what I do. Thank you, Anthony and Kelly, for asking me to take these special photos!