Monthly Archives: October 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

siblings

children

Going back a ways, I did some portraits for a friend’s extended family. It was such a fun shoot, none of the kids were babies (who I adore taking photos of), but it was a good reminder of why you should have family photos made even when you kids are bigger and don’t need rattles near the camera to make them smile. Because they still change so much. Because they will never be that age again (and maybe that awkward again, although not in the case of these cuties). Because when you grow up it is so much fun to have a record of yourself at lots of different ages. Because you will love the photos forever.

I met this family and was privileged to shoot their session as a part of a wedding party gift. One of my friends gave these sittings as thank you presents to her bridesmaids and groomsmen. How smart is that? I bet it is better than 90% of the wedding party gifts that you have ever received.

And as a bonus I got to have fun with a bunch of different families. They decided to switch some of their photos to black and white, so here are the remastered versions of their really beautiful children:

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Thursday, October 29, 2009

soon to be big brother W (and family)

families

Last Sunday was too beautiful not to have a shoot (or two!). So lucky this mom called to book. She talked about the wonderful (and wise) tradition that she and her husband have of capturing images just before a major change. In this case the change will be the arrival of a baby in a couple weeks! Now, I thought that I would mention this because otherwise you might not notice that she is pregnant, yes, she is one of *those*–she looks that good.

W is four and excited for the arrival of his little brother or sister. We got on well from the beginning and W let me lead him to the next yard and take some photos without his mom and dad. He was not always such a fan of looking at the camera, but Mom is wise on this point as well, she feels like the photos of him looking just off to the side are emblematic of this age/stage and something that she does not want to forget. In the end we did get him to look at the camera enough to get some great shots. But one of my favorites is of W deliberately looking just to the right of the lens.

There are so many great things about my job, and here is just one more. As we were crossing the street to the last location W was holding hands with one of his parents, but reached up to take my hand too. It was one of those gestures that only kids make–a completely unselfconscious signal that you made it to the in-crowd.

During the shoot I notice lots of different things, including all the technical aspects of making the photo a good one. But when I am at home post-producing the files, I get the luxury of really looking at the feelings in the pictures. This family exudes the love. W worships his mom and dad and little baby P is one lucky kid to be coming into this circle.

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Saturday, October 24, 2009

smiling baby C

babies

Sorry for the long hiatus! Plenty of posts are in the works, I promise to be better!

This week we had an unusually warm October day. One very smart family arranged to have a shoot that afternoon and I met baby C–a wonderful subject… Not only does she have those shining baby blues, but I have rarely shot a more good-natured child. She let us put her wherever we wanted to, hung out, and smiled. Never even a whimper of unhappiness. I was in love with all of the cool little areas in their backyard, many of which made for fabulous photos.

One thing that I have learned about this job is that although the shoot is just an hour or two, during the long period of post-processing I feel like I spend more “time” with the child or family. In most cases that time makes you feel even more strongly about the family and the children. I find myself smiling at the screen as a great image emerges, and as I remember the personality of the people I am looking at for all those hours. And I imagine how much fun it will be to deliver the proofs to the family.

Because C was so easy going and there were so many places to shoot, I was left with the enormous problem of being unable to pick a few favorites, so this sneak peek is a little bigger than most have been. But I don’t think you will mind much when you see what a sweet little girl she is.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

the F family

families

Earlier in the summer I had a shoot with an adorable family. I would organize the shot and she would ask, “can we kiss?!?” It cracked me up, and reminded me how precious photos are, because in a few years she won’t want any of those lips near her–and certainly not captured for posterity.

Well, this family wins for fave kissing portraits. This mom favors the more traditional family photo, but I was able to sneak in a few other shots, and they were my favorites. And I guess that is why photographers have blogs–so that they can show you the images that they love, not just the ones that the family buys and displays.:)J is the little boy in the pictures below, and a sweeter child you will not find. He was so well behaved and cooperative, arguing only about whether he loves his parents more or they love him more. And he is the patient big brother to A, who is, as my grandmother would say, “a pistol.” I am always pleased to see strong-willed little girls, it will come in handy later. She is no push over, and she managed to be the subject of one of my favorite photos of the year–kissing her mom under a the shade of beautiful old-growth tree.

It is always a treat to see this family. I love their energy and love for one another. It comes across so clearly in their photos. Enjoy!

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