Leah & Jake & Baby: Maternity Outdoor Session

See you soon, Baby!

Sneak Peek with my new lens...

(all photos copyrighted. thank you.)

Happy birthday to me: I got a new portrait lens! I love to work with zooms, because they allow me to work in photojournalistic style (paired with portrait work) & at times sneakily shoot from my shoulder. Plus, I have great zooms. But adding a fixed prime lens to my collection, is a lot of fun. It has to capacity for a very shallow depth of field, & I think they are going to pair together nicely. I received this lens, had 36 hours to research and practice, and hit the streets yesterday with this fun family to try it out. I shot with this lens, as well as my long zoom, and I'm pleased with how they will work together. Pretty much like best friends. These shots are exclusively from my new lens (sorry, Favorite Zoom). I'll post some more from the other lens next week. (Y'know- make new friends but keep the old...)
I like how this lens picks up the energy of the city, but allows the eye to rest on the beauty of the subject, or the beauty of the moment the subjects are caught up in.

This is me: I love these shots like the one above. They are storytellers- or "portraits of the story," as I like to call them. I try to incorporate these kinds of shots with family shoots. I love 'em.

and i really love these in black and white, too.
Oh, lenses are great. Also great? Fun families...and little boys who know just when to poke out with a great smile. Can't wait to show you guys more, A & T---Thanks! I had a great time!

Stripey Tights.

Okay, so here we are. I've been a bit, ehem, under the weather. I'm behind on posting. (Sorry, August. I really did mean to get you up here sometime!)

This was a fun family, and I will post more from their session later, but I thought I'd stop by and leave these happy pics for anyone who might need a cheer-me-up :)

Stripey tights get me every time. Ev-e-Ry Time!!!! I would wear stripey tights everyday if I could. I mean really- can you go wrong with stripey tights?

Fun pics from their family shoot and others to come. In the meantime, enjoy some happy-pretty stripey tights!

Who says break-downs can't play to the lens?

Before we shoot, you'll get from me what I call a "prep-letter" (going to post here soon for reference). In that letter I set out to put you at ease that children's break-downs don't bother me in the least. In fact, sometimes we can get some great shots out of them!

These shots came at the end of an extended shoot. We got a lot of great shots (will post soon), but her mama and I ended up loving these last three. She was "done". You know D-O-N-E. They were leaving. We were wrapping up conversation. And then I noticed that lying on the ground with her just might present us with something sweet and fun.

As it turns out, I think we caught her at "her." Her smile. Her giggle. And catching you in your "most you" is always, always the goal.

So sometimes we have a break-down or two (who doesn't?!). Our job is to fill the space in between with as much fun as possible, so we can get this stuff :)

I will chase you!!!

If I must, I will chase you in between a wood pile and a recycling bin (you can't really tell that, can you?). And I will do just that all while we keep the laughs rolling.

And then...yes, and then... I will get you AGAIN!

I love my job!

Little Red Chair (ity)

So I have a thing for RED. Always have. It's a thing.

I also have a thing for water. Always have. It's a thing.

And as it turns out 20% of the world is without clean drinking water. I think that needs to change. I'd like to one day be sitting in my red rocking chair and hear confusion in my grandchildren's voices as they question, "You mean people used to not have clean water?"

So, I here's the deal. I have red chairs. I like to take them with me on shoots. I will ask if I can take a picture with your child in a red chair. I will give you all the shots from the shoot on CD as promised. Except for one. The Red Chair Shot.

I will sell Red Chair Shots for $10 a piece, and 100% of those proceeds will go to a water project. I usually work with Charity:Water or Bloodwater:mission. Both great organizations (recognized by the government), and both working to end the gap between humans and clean water. So, if you see a red chair in my trunk, you know why. If you have your own favorite red chair, bring it along. Because the Little Red Chair (ity) project is a Together-Project.

Because I like working together.

Always have.

It's a thing.

:)

Autumn is here!

One of the keys to a great photo shoot is having fun!!! And well, being willing to take the time to get the work done. Even if it means lying down in goose poop (me, not you!), taking a break to swing, having a lollypop, etc. We set up to have fun!

When shooting with a 2 year-old, we just go with the flow. We plan around nap time, we snack, we potty, we run-jump-sing-laugh, and somewhere along the way we get the shots we need. And I always tell the parents ahead of time that they have two jobs: (1) Be smiling the whole time because we never know when we're going to get "that face" from your child, and (2) You're not allowed to stress about your child(ren) not being happy. Or difficult. Or whatever. This kind of stuff doesn't bother me. I'm with you to catch you all at your best. I know what it takes. I know the mood swings of kids (I have my own!). And crying and tantrums- they bother me not. Not in the least. We just work hard, have fun, and usually spend the majority of the time laughing.

So, when we get together, relax. We'll get the best pictures when we set up to have a lot of fun.

Likely more to come from this family. they did a great job picking clothing colors, and we had so much fun that I'm bound to post a few more once I get them edited.

Thanks, guys!

I think I could shoot everyday of the week in autumn.

It's just that fabulous.

A Big Swing

...and a little girl. precious.

At Play

Love the Bug

Claire

You know how sometimes you just really want to chew on that stick that came in your mom's coffee?

:)

Sisters

Lake Geneva, WI

The Wonder of a Child

Don't you sometimes wish you could spend the day running through a field,  stopping only  to examine every flower as if you'd never seen one before? That was this day, and it was fabulous.