Free photographs this August-September!!!

For all print orders placed by all Ticklebugs Photography facebook fans in August-September, one free 8x10 or 8x12 (or, if you're more akin to the smaller guys, a 5x7 or 8 wallets is fine with me).

Here's the deal:

-Be a facebook fan

-Place a minimum print purchase order of $50 in August or September

-Get a free photograph.

Easy, huh?

That's my easy-breezey summer photography in milwaukee-wauwatosa-brookfield-etc summer special.

Because it's summer.

Summer is fun.

And so are free things.

Like, photographs.

Oh, and your photographs may be from past sessions or current sessions (no archiving fee!). And yes, if we shoot at the very end of September and you want to make sure you grab this deal, you get to be included, too. Just note that due to a busy October shooting schedule, your order might not be placed until November. But I'll still honor the deal.

Maternity: Proof that you can still rock and S-Curve, baby in-tow.

(How cute is she?!!?!?)

It's been a busy June and early July. I'm finishing a month's worth of proofing this week and hope to toss some up here. But I thought I'd break quickly to share a fave from Friday (and maybe, in a minute, break so I can um, eat dinner at 10:05pm- kinda forgot about that, oops!).

All this pressure- I read an article today about how important it is to blog your work all the time. I had to laugh. Well, I thank those of you who are willing to employ me even though I am a terrible blogger.

My gratitude: extended.

Now, dinner. And I do hope to be back soon to post pics from the last 40 days... in no particular order =)

Leah & Jake & Baby: Maternity Outdoor Session

See you soon, Baby!

Leah & Jake & Baby: Maternity Studio Shoot

I learned one of the things I love about studio shooting is getting to be in charge of "set design", & "art direction".

As an artist, it's fun to get back to those design roots.

& To me, maternity photography is incomplete without a thorough philosophy behind it, so I've been working on putting mine into words. That will come soon. Not today, but look- blog posts!

Maternity Photography philosophy to come soon enough...

And storytelling.

Photographers have to be good storytellers.

I don't know if I am, but I aim to be a really good storyteller.

So, I study good writers- their writings as well as their thoughts on writing.

I think studying good writing makes me a better photographer.

Who knew?

I'm looking forward to the arrival of their baby in a few weeks.

I love my job!

Maternity of late

Hi. It's been a while. (Insert good reason here.)

We've been having fun, enjoying winter, working on finalizing the new web site, and are now switching gears to spring shooting.

But before we entirely switch gears, here's some work of late.

(I'm going to try to roll out a few posts at once here.)

She's a teacher. I created a blackboard. We're going to put Baby in front of that blackboard when he or she arrives. I mean, what's photography without good story?

(The maternity shots and newborn shots will have continuity, allowing the story to unfold.)

Okay, so you want to know a secret? We shot these in my new studio that I've been working on. Well, I learned studio lighting this winter, and for this shoot I borrowed lighting. It worked okay 48 hours before, fine 24 hours before, perfectly one hour before (I always check everything!), worked fine at the top of our shoot, then totally conked three shots in. Gone. Nothing.

Lucky for us, I have the best lighting teachers Milwaukee has to offer. And, instead of merely teaching me how to turn lights on and shoot, they taught me theory. So, when our lights conked, we set up all kinds of white foam boards, sheets, boards covered in white sheets,

And Darned if We Didn't HARNESS THAT SUN!

It worked.

Thank goodness.

And this couple were really good sports while we made it work.

And I've ordered new lighting. I had debated how "high-end" to go on the triggers.

I've decided to go very high-end.

I love the sun, but it's not always that harness-able.

Like at night.

=)

Oh, and I'll be back soon to talk about June & October bookings. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but we're going to be booking those very, very soon!

Maternity Photography

I'm taking a light shooting schedule this January and February to:

A) Catch up on web site development (and blog updates!)

B) Build my indoor studio & learn interior lighting

C) Fall totally in love with interior lighting strategies (and taking them outdoors!)

D) Create sets and story telling techniques for Maternity and Newborn photography.

*E) All of the above!!!

In tune, I'm making a word web/ mind map for maternity photography set design. What, in all seriousness, are words that you want to describe you (in an ideal way) when you are pregnant? In other words, what adjectives would you want your maternity portrait to breathe?

I like a photograph that speaks, or is able to tell a good story. Sometimes the photograph simply speaks an emotion, and a good maternity portrait in my opinion, should do just that. So, pipe up, will ya? =) I'd love some input!

(Just an FYI, I am already 25% booked for March, so contact me if you want to get on the March schedule. I can take 1, maybe 2 more new-new-newborns in March.)