Easton is going to be 5!

So, today I got the priveledge of taking Easton's 5 year old pictures. Stef (his mother and my sister-in-law) and Jeff (his father and my brother-in-law) brought him to Standing Bear Lake at around 10:00 this morning.  It was blazing hot and not a cloud in the sky.  We started with a few family poses so we could get them out of the way before the adults melted in the heat. And trust me...they melted fast..we all did!

Easton was a great sport and didn't complain about the heat at all.  He did need to rest a few times, as he was up late last night cutting a rug at a wedding reception.  Isn't he handsome!? Oh, and if you could only meet him...he's so super smart.  Which, somehow, makes him extremely funny too.  It was a great morning.

I finally was able to use the chair that I purchased at the junk store several weeks ago on an expedition with Shanda.  I painted  it red, cut a new seat and recovered it. It's not exactly professional quality refinishing, but not bad for my first attemp.  Okay, it's not even close to professional refinishing, but I'm still proud. Ha! For this shoot, I used  my new 50mm  macro lens - yes I broke down and bought one - and I was even able to use the old metal bucket I bought (at an entirely different junk store) with Shanda.

For those of you learning to use your DSLR - I tried to use my flash for fill light under a tree today.  The sun shining through the leaves was giving crazy shadows all over their faces.  I was  shooting in Manual, and my meter kept blowing up as over-exposed.  I hope to find a solution to share with you.  If anyone else has an explanation, I'm open to hearing your advice.  Otherwise, I plan to make a trip to see my friends at Rockbrook Camera next weekend to see if they can help clear things up for me. More to come...

Easton is turning 5 next weekend and I can't wait to celebrate his birthday with him.  Stay tuned for next week's post which should include some shots from his birthday party at Pump It Up. 

So - this one probably won't make it in a frame, but I had to put it out here for Easton.  He was so proud of how well he could kick the soccer ball! He kept asking me to take pictures of him as he was kicking, so I know he'll be happy to know that this "Beckham" pose made it on the blog. Happy Birthday E!

Prices Are Now Posted!

I've received several requests lately for pricing.  Of course that's extremely flattering, but I can't lie - it caused a bit of panic.  What do I charge? How do I charge? What pricing structure should I use? These and about a thousand other questions have been flooding my mind for the last few weeks.  I've done a lot of research and shopping and I think I've found the best solution to fit my situation. 

First of all, I'll address the question of "sitting fees".  I've decided just keep it simple and skip those all together.  I'm not at a point where I really feel the need to charge them.  In fact, I'm not sure that I ever will. 

Secondly, the reason I have proofs included with every package is that I really want people to see what a professional quality print looks like.  You can take your CD and have your photographs printed at the vendor of your choice - however you should know that their quality isn't always the best.  I have to recommend if you are actually going to print your own photos, that you use a place like Rockbrook Camera. (another plug for my friends at Rockbrook. If they only knew!) 

Third - I've decided to name my packages after important and influential females in my life.  Lola - the chihuahua pug mix my husband and I got at the Humane Society almost a year ago.  She is the closest thing I have to a child right now and brings me endless happiness.  KerryAnn - my sister and dearest friend.  She's my biggest cheerleader and supporter.  When we were little girls I used to sneak in her bed at night when I was scared and she always made me feel safe.  We laugh about that now!   Even though I am 33 years old, I still find comfort in knowing she's nearby.

Coming Soon! - I have a family session tomorrow with Christy, Gary, and their beautiful little girl.  I hope to have their pictures to share with you within the next couple days.  

Lola & Kerry

Macro Fun

A few weeks later, Shanda and I went on another photowalk.  For this one, I rented a 50 mm macro lens from Rockbrook Camera.  For those of you who didn't know - they rent cameras and lenses for very reasonable prices, so you can try them out before you buy them. There's a whole other tiny world out there that you can capture with macro lenses.  Macro lenses are also very good for portraits because you get very sharp images and they typically have some wider aperatures.  Shanda and I had so much fun that day.  We laughed, rolled around on the ground, and tried as hard as we could to find some bugs.  We didn't have luck with the bugs and secretly I was relieved.