DUN...DUN...DUN...It's Family Portrait Time

Being a parent is the toughest job on the planet!

There are so many things to remember, worry about, laugh at, stress over, etc. Thinking about taking  family portraits just adds another dimension to the mix that many parents quite honestly dread. As a parent myself, I know how scary it can be to think about.  We wonder how we're going to get them to stand still for one second, let alone smile while looking towards the camera all at the same time? Talk about becoming a magician. I think it might actually be easier to pull a rabbit out of a hat.

Then there is the horrifying thought of your child crying/screaming during the entire shoot. What happens then?

On one of my recent photo shoots, 2 out of the 3 children were very unhappy with the entire photography process. They were upset for about 80% of the session time. I know that as a photographer it is my job to make my clients (including children) feel as comfortable as possible. So needless to say; I felt like a failure that day. I actually left the shoot crying, thinking that I had blown the whole thing and that the parents just wasted their time.

After careful thought, I've decided that the lesson from this shoot is that kids are simply unpredictable. And that is okay. I just need to roll with the punches and give 110% no matter what the situation.

The message I hope to relay to all parents is:
I, your photographer, will never give up on your shoot, and will work together with you through all of the crying, screaming, and giggling. After photographing these two parents with their 3 beautiful kids, I left sad for the stress that they had to endure. I want them, and all parents, to know that I totally understand that kids have bad days. Shoot...I have bad days all the time. :)

But, at the end of every storm there is beauty. So, as a parent, feel free to take a deep breath. And as long as we work together, we'll capture those moments to remember.

I want to give a special thanks to the Scott Family for allowing me to take their photographs this Christmas and for the experience I acquired during the shoot. I hope that they enjoy the images that capture this season of their lives. 

 

The Guerin Family

I recently had the joy of photographing the Guerin Family as they are expecting a new addition very soon. It was so much fun hanging out with them on a fabulous Saturday afternoon,  that fortunately gave us some decently cool weather. I remember being pregnant in the summer and it was not a pretty sight to see me outside in the sun after 10 minutes. Suzanne, on the other hand, is absolutely gorgeous. She radiates beauty from every angle; literally....no matter how I shot her, she was stunning. Kevin and the kids were equally quite photographic and I truly adored how fun they are together.

Kevin and Suzanne, I want to thank you for privilege of sharing in this special moment with your family. I can't wait to meet you're little man!

Bloopers, Blunders, and other Random Rookie Mistakes

Making mistakes simply means you are learning faster.   

 ~Weston H. Ago 

I picked up my camera for the first time about a year ago this March. As I sit here and reflect about this past year I am reminded of so many moments of awkwardness and quite a few mistakes along the way. The thought of it all puts such a smile upon my face as I see how far I've come in such a short amount of time. 

I am what you call a wall-bud. Now for those of you who need a definition...

Wall-bud: A more timid and distressed version of it's sister the wall-flower. 

A wall-flower is a shy person who has started the blossoming process to near completion. A wall-bud is still nervously waiting to spread it's petals, fearful that it's beauty will be squashed at the first stroke of light.  

So imagine the hilarity of a wall-bud becoming a photographer! In theory it seems as though photography would be a perfect match for the quiet, inquisitive, and artful wall-bud....but in order to photograph people I must converse with them. This is quite intimidating for someone like me. I am constantly stumbling over my words and descriptions of what I'm trying to achieve in the shot and then I fear I'm sounding quite unprofessional and unqualified. I'm sure it's probably quite commical if one were to watch from the sidelines.

With this in mind, you can only imaging how my first photo shoots went down. I would converse as little as possible leaving my clients to feel quite confused and probably alone in front of my camera. I feel almost mortified as I think back on those moments. However, I'm grateful for the learning curve it has provided for me and my future clients. I'm not saying I'm a full blown "flower" yet, but I think I'm starting to show a few more petals.

As a new photographer you can imagine my sheer thrill of the opportunity to photograph the "Pictures with Santa" this past December at Light The Night in Eastvale. It was such a fun experience and also another learning curve. I sat down the other day to look back on the event in order to brainstorm ways I can make the next event in April even better and more efficient. However, as I was taking this step back I went through the photos taken and realized that Lightroom had failed to upload all of the photos from that night. I then checked my online gallery and saw that sure enough I was missing a whopping 130 photos! During the holidays I had several people ask for more photos and I checked and rechecked and never saw that I was missing those photos. So needless to say, I feel completely awful and quite foolish at the moment. At least I know I will never make that mistake again.

I am a natural light photographer that is still learning about reflectors and manipulating the sunlight. I had one family shoot this year outside at a local park. I wanted to capture the glow of sunset in the sky so I decided to set the time close to sunset (obviously). Bad idea! Much to this sprouting photographer's surprise....once the sun starts to set, it goes down...fast. I was desperate to catch as much as I could in that short amount of time. I was starting to have a near panic attack as I was in a race with the sun and he wasn't taking any prisoners. In the end I had quite a few grainy shots that just didn't show the type of work I want to be known for. I have learned that I want to continue to push myself to become a better photographer, but I need to know my camera and my abilities and make sure I don't push too far.

Overall, this year has been a wonderful learning experience as I continue to move along this journey of photography. I can't wait to see what mistakes I make this year!

They say the Elephant never forgets, so I'm going to channel my inner-elephant and strive to make these mistakes count.

Now on a more serious note...

I would like to publicly apologize to the people who couldn't find their photos this Christmas. It was completely my error and I thank you for being so gracious about my blunder. I have now posted the rest of the images and you are all more than welcome to check them out if you're still interested.

February Photography Challenge

This February I've decided to take on the Photography Challenge I found on Pinterest. Each day I'm given a topic to take a photo of and it's been a wonderful challenge so far. I have taken photos of things that I normally wouldn't think to take a picture of and it also gives me a reason to get out there and use my camera. I love photography and I'm really enjoying the little moments I catch each day. So if anyone else wants to join me in this challenge feel free to check out my photography board on Pinterest. I would love to see what everyone takes photos of so feel free to post them here if you'd like to share. Here are a few that I have completed so far...

Who wouldn't enjoy this view everyday? My son is such a fun person to hang out with. He is showing me his spins here. :)

 

These guys actually go to my church, but I figured it was a safer way to take a photo. ;)

This photo comes from a passion and a single piece of paper. I've had a few comments on this photo already and all I did was sit down with a pen and just write how I felt. It doesn't take much to make a difference in this world. So find what you're passionate about and go after it. Every masterpiece has started with one brave step and a bucket full of passion. Grab your brush folks.... and paint.

"ALL THAT IS NECESSARY FOR EVIL TO TRIUMPH IS FOR  

GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING"     ~Edmund Burke

Hunger

Have you ever wanted something so bad you could taste it? That is how I feel about photography. I am more than eager to put myself out there to experience as much as possible in order to learn and get better. My concern is that with the holidays and J's finals, I've found myself a bit stretched (actually, kneaded dough is more accurate). My photography journey is officially set to begin at the beginning of next year and I'm glad for this quick test to show me that I need to create a healthy limit in which to extend myself each month. It doesn't matter how much you love something, if you let it overwhelm you, the passion will fizzle out as quickly as it ignited. Besides, a good balance will ensure my appetite is only slightly assuaged. After all, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of hunger..

Light the Night

  

This past Saturday was so windy and cold I almost forgot I was in Southern California. I took part as a photographer in Eastvale’s Light the Night festivities and about halfway through I could no longer feel my toes. It was all worth it to see the little faces light up as they got to meet Santa and take a picture with him.

The day started out a little crazy with our sleigh snapping off it’s runners during the first picture, but all ended well with our sleigh firmly planted on the ground (runners omitted). We also had some fly by presents, which was really a sight to see. So all in all I think the event was quite extraordinary and a wonderful memory for all.

Here are just a few of the photos taken…

These girls had a great idea when they asked the elves to get in their picture. It's the only one I have of the them from the whole night. Apparently, they spend most of their time indoors up there in the North Pole because they couldn't handle the cold weather.

 I love the look on this little girls face. She looks like she's trying to tough it out, but she didn't last too long.

 This little girl just looked so cute as she sat there. I really enjoyed watching all of their excitement.

 The classic first "real" encounter with Santa (it doesn't count when they're tiny).

And last, but not least Me! I couldn't resist getting in on the action myself after a long cold night. I sure hope he remembers to bring me the cute pair of boots I asked for.

This is the start of my new adventure. I'm totally scared and excited at the same time and not sure whether I should jump for joy or hide under the covers in my bed. I do know that this is my passion and I don't want to have any regrets for being a chicken...