One Year

Rachel has been planning this birthday for Sela for months and did a wonderful job. I felt so bad that the weather was soooo chilly for lemon custard, but it sure looked wonderful. She made all of the cakes, with the "Lemony Curd" being my favorite.

One Year

Sela is one and now I am an official "mimi" of one year. Rachel gave me that name when grandma was just a bit more than I could handle. What a beautiful child, both Rachel and Sela. Rachel is a beautiful mother as I watch her with Sela every Wednesday when they come to visit. I enjoy it very much. I don't get much done, but it really is just fine. I spent too many days years ago working and "getting things done", that this is just fine and very rewarding. Rachel has her blog up and it is beautiful. I am so glad she can have a place to write and share with others. Please visit.

Senior

This young man was not thrilled to do these photos. Not on his top ten list of things to do (this was mom's idea). He wanted to be riding his horses. I tried to make it as painless as possible. We went where he wanted to go, he wanted his dog in the photo and this boy came alive with his dog. His smile was so natural when his dog was running around, not being the best model, I might add. We went where he felt comfortable- he wore what he wanted- and most important, we did not spend alot of time. I got what I needed in 30 minutes and he was gone in his truck- roping. Great kid.

Yummy Soup

About a year ago I started photographing my husbands food in hopes to get a recipe book done, looking into an online cookbook. He is an excellent chef, taught cooking classes for couples for a few years, now does seasonal catering and takes weekly phone calls asking for his recipes especially this dressing recipe. Would love to host the couples again. That was a great idea and miss having them over.

This is a yummy Cabbage and Bratwurst soup with a touch of cream. Fennel seeds added a great twist to the flavor. Perfect in the winter, so the foot of snow in our not-taken-care-of-garden from the fall worked great. It added some nice texture.

So if your into food with a bold flavor-watch in the next couple of weeks and I will add some recipes.

Alexa

You don't have to go to a million places to get some different looks. In the winter it is cold and when they only want a few shots, mess with actions or the menu in your layers palette. I love high contrast, even when flipping them into black and white, gives them a great variety. Don't forget the full view, sometimes I get caught up in the close-ups, take advantage of the old doors, it adds great texture.

Children that just won't sit

This has happened a couple of times to me and believe me, SOMETIMES it is worth it. Sam was not going to sit for nothing and working with 4 under 4 years of age, I choose my battles. After taking the photos of the girls, we got Sam to sit for two shots, with only one that worked. I left the chairs where they were and had the girls get out of the shot. I just put him in. The kid isn't crying, mom isn't about to loose it and I still had a voice after the session. I try not to make this a habit, but sometimes....

Adding Trees to a Drab Background

If you find that the autumn leaves are gone, you can still add them. I have a whole file of "Autumn Trees". For two years now, I have gone out and photographed trees at their peak. All of them are taken on the "perfect" overcast days because I photograph families in open shade and they can be put in the photograph pretty easily. If I have a spot that I photograph most of my families at, I take photos of the trees at their peak at different angles and it works great! Lighting is essential when doing this, they have to match the scene or it doesn't work very well.

It is kind of like a head swap- it is just a tree swap. 1. Lasso the tree out of the one photo, drag it onto the photo. 2. Adjust the size. 3. Create a layer mask on the tree layer. 4. Use the brush tool and smooth out the edges. Layering trees works well also.

Civil Ceremonies

This was such a good example of a civil wedding and what you should do, that I didn't. This ceremony I believed was clocked at less than 4 minutes from the time the Mayor (I believe that is who it was) first spoke until they were walking back down the isle. I knew I was in trouble right when he said, "Well, lets do this... Eamonn, do you..." I thought, well, I won't say what I thought, I just quickly tried to get from one side to other as quickly as possible.

I usually find the person that is going to do the ceremony, ask him how long he plans on taking, ask him to slow it down in order to get more than 10 shots total. If the person knows at least the bride or groom, there is usually some advice, etc. But I have found if they don't, it goes quite quick. I prefer at least 10 minutes. Again, I couldn't have been more grateful that I had Tracee with me and she got some of the family during the ceremony and some from the front while they were walking up the isle. I have had my husband with me on several civil ceremonies, and it is great to have the other angle and someone else's height advantage!

Ask when the rehearsal is. Sometimes it is the night before at a dinner and they are a little harder to go to, ( I have done them before, my husband catered the dinner for one and I was really glad I was there for that because it was a little different) but if you get the chance, it really is helpful to see what will be happening, so there are no surprises for you as the photographer. Most of the time, mine have been approx. 30 minutes before the actual ceremony. This gives me the chance to talk with the people in the line. Show them where you would like them to slow down, smile, walk a bit slower etc. Getting them to pause in the same area helps if it is inside and a flash is being used. The range is the same and the lighting is even for everyone.

Talk with the Father. Make him aware of the moment he is giving his daughter away, pause, take a moment. This is an important photo for the daughter and the father. Make sure you are watching for this. It lasts just a moment and I have missed it when somebody stood up, I was at the wrong angle, or it was so quick I didn't react fast enough. If you are using a flash for inside or back lit, make sure your flash is charged. Don't try to take 3-4 shots of the back of them walking down the isle, take one and make sure you are ready for the important shot between father and daughter.

Just a thought.

Weddings in the Snow

Stacie and Eamonn were real troopers when I asked them during their wedding dinner to come outside for some photos. A mis-communication on time for the family photos, left me with no photos of the bride and groom. Not good. Because I knew it was quite cold outside and I was about 20 minutes from one of Utah's largest snow storms, I had to think quickly. I first went outside and chose 3 spots to take some photos. I looked at the angles I could use, pictured them in my head, literally in my head, ran inside and got the bride and groom. Because the snow was starting to fall, I told them where to stand and what to do. Not my idea of the greatest photo shoot, but I had to work quickly. I was so glad Stacie's dress did not have a train, this saved sooo much time. If your bride has a train in this situation, hook it up in the back to avoid it getting really wet and you having to "arrange it" in every photo. This was a "slam bam, thank you mam" kind of situation, but we did finish just as the snow was really coming down. We left when we could hardly see the car in front of us.

I turned my flash almost all the way down to avoid catching the falling snow. The flash will sometimes brighten the snow flakes and make it more obvious. Take several shots of the same thing, you won't see the falling snow on their faces until you bring them up on your computer and most likely they are right through the eye. I did several looking at eachother so it wouldn't matter as much. I let Tracee (my partner in crime) take the candids so I could make sure I got the "basics" done. (She had the fun part). If you have someone that you can bring along, either who is learning photography or would just like to come- bring them!!! In this situation, I could not have done both. We really had 8-10 minutes before the snow storm hit and she was freezing!

Battery tips in the cold- batteries hate the cold! Bring extras and put them in your front pockets to keep warm until you need them!! I have had a couple of times when the batteries "Zapped" out just after a few photos.

Avoid snow on the lens- In situations like this or in the rain- check your lens- regularly. Make it a habit. You cannot see the spots on your lens when looking through the view finder and sometimes your working so quickly you don't notice. Use a long lens hood that is made for your lens so when you zoom out it doesn't leave a shadow around the outside edge. The hood will really protect the rain and snow from falling on your lens. (don't leave it sitting in a parade of homes-home like I did- it was 80.00 to replace!)

The last shot was my favorite! Stacie and Eamonn- thanks for being such good sports coming out into the cold! Many happy, warm days ahead!!

Prices for Sittings

***Click on image for viewing at full size.

Photographing in the Snow...

The snow... It is kind of a "Love-Hate" relationship. It always brings back the lovely day of photographing a wedding in a blizzard, 17 degrees, the bride wearing sandals, and the father saying, "Who chose this date"! The snow is also very beautiful, but when taking family photos the best advice I can tell you is purchase some hand warmers, give them to your customers, they are great in their back pockets for keeping buns warm and for younger kids in their pockets to keep their hands warm. Once they get cold, your pretty much done. They are also great for keeping noses from going red. Put some in your pockets to keep your hands from "stiffening" up (whether that is a real word or not...).

Ask the family to relax their shoulders. That is one thing that makes them look cold. Really sensitive eyes...some people eyes water (like mine) and they squint excessively. Have them shield their eyes and you may have to count for them so they can relax their eyes right when you are going to take them. That is the hardest thing for me to work with.

Make sure it is fresh, fallen snow. Nothing is worse than "old" blotchy snow. The best is the day after a good snow storm. The day is usually a little bit warmer. Ask the family to walk around the area that you are taking them in, so right in front of them isn't all trampled down with foot prints.

Oh, so bright sunny day...

I don't think I remember a more sunnier day and of course, I had issues with my flash and I forgot my reflector. I even had an assistant, Tracee, who is taking such wonderful photos herself, who could have held my reflector. What to do? Most of the photos were candid, shot from the hip, I am not kidding. (I was just checking my "not working" flash and shot without looking; this is the photo on the left), or take some looking at eachother and doing the spin thing. One bonus...a beautiful dark blue sky! I did use the "soft light" located in the layers palette for some contrast and some different angles to help with the composition. This couple was beautiful and many happy days for them to come.

Cool, Crisp, Beautiful....

I don't usually shoot into the sun, but on this particular photo I didn't have much of a choice. It didn't matter where I stood the sun was directly in my lens. I went ahead and shot using the sun and sun spots and the result was fabulous. I have to give the credit to the sun and the couple. It was a bit chilly, but well worth it.

Oh, my favoirite part! This photo really allows for some fun filters to use. I love using some higher contrast when the photo allows for it. Here we go... Once your photo is up, create a new layer; then go over to the layers palette on the right side. Under the layers tab there is a "thing" (lost for words right at the moment...) that says "normal", click on the arrows and a new menu will appear. Scroll half way down and you will see "soft light". You will then need to flatten the layer if you like what you see. Once in a while the skin will go quite red, so I will use the "hue and saturation" on red and take some of that out. I also used an action called "Swift Skin". I don't necessarily use it for skin. I love what it does to the whites in a photo. It has a real soft "airy" feel. Anyway, I used the "low" action on this photo. As I look at the info on the disk, I can't see a web site specifically for the "swift skin". His site, Jim Chamberlain is www.chamberlainphoto.com and maybe he has something on the website. It was a good class, just like any other class, I always come away with something useful.

Baby Sister

These are the photos taken a couple of years ago when Lexi was just a few weeks old. The most recent photos were posted a couple of days ago. These were taken on my living room floor again with window light. I just put them both on the floor on top of a sheep skin rug and shot above them. The rugs are great for babies. It keeps them warm and they tend to sleep really well on them. I found small rugs up to IKEA in Salt Lake (my favorite new, organized, clean place to spend a few hours, to shop...and eat the cookies filled with jam, hang-out) They are around 20.00 and perfect for a newborn. Go through them and find one a little bit more round"ish".

One of the photos is obviously more sepia than the other one. I always add about "5" of red and "3" of yellow to my black and whites to get rid of the digital bluish tone. "Sepia", around 15 and 12 on the red and yellow. To give it a bit of glow, I go to filter, down to distort and over to Diffuse Glow. It will then open to another window. Graininess- mess with that and see what you like, but Glow Amount at 1 or 2. and Clear amount 15. This all depends on the photo, just be careful not to blow it way out, then it will really look funny.

Baby B

This beautiful baby boy was so simple to photograph, mostly because he slept the entire session. His mother tried and tried to get him to wake up and no such luck. But while they are asleep, this is the best time to do any hand and feet detail photos.

Again, just very simple in a natural lit window. My window faces west, so I only have the morning light until around 2p.m. I keep my Fstop at 2.8 because we are just in my living room and this helps in blurring out anything you may see in the background. You don't need a fancy studio to take good photos. Just a good eye for beautiful soft light. Allow plenty of time to take infant photos. I always plan for at least 90 minutes. I use the mother to cradle the infant. I believe it looks a little bit more natural than trying to "prop" them up against something. If your just starting, don't have them bring any clothing. It is just distracting. Start simple and just focus on the baby and the available light and making beautiful photos.

Keep your room warm and the house quiet while photographing an infant. Keep them bundled and held snug to avoid the "julting" that may startle the baby.

If the baby starts to stir, try rubbing the baby right between the eyes and small circular motion and they usually fall right back asleep. Just be patient. It's worth it.

Keeley and Lexi

I have photographed Keeley and Lexi for several years. Beautiful girls. It's pretty obvious that Keeley loves the camera, and Lexi, well, she's two. It was a quick shoot to get this Christmas Card for her mom. You don't have to stick to the famous "red and green" theme. Mix it up!! The brushes of the swirls are from twopeasinabucket are some of my favorites to use. The designer's name is Rhonda. Just play with them. They are a bit tricky to use, but give it a minute, they really are fun.

This was window light in my customers living room, using the white foam boards on the bottom, back and one on the side. I have used them for reflectors before but not as backgrounds. I got this from Nicole Hills photo class, great tip. It beats trying to straighten up white fabric during the photo shoot. They are only really good for one or two small children and really are okay when they get dinged up. You won't notice the dings, especially if you use a low F stop. Fun shoot. Thanks, Raylene for sharing your beautiful girls with me year after year.

Tomorrow, I am going to post Lexi's newborn photos. I had photographed them almost two years ago, but they were some of my favorites. I thought I would share to show you some different ways of putting them with an older sibling. I also used some filters that might get you to try some new things with your photographs.

Peter Meyer Concert

If you want to be a part of a wonderful concert, come to this concert in December. A crazy friend of mine went on line and has booked Peter Meyer's Band for the 3rd time!!!!! It is some of the best music and entertainment I have heard. I have now bought almost all of his CD's and my husband and I have the opportunity in catering dinner for his band every time they have come. If you are not familiar with Peter Meyer, he is Jimmy Buffets main guitar player and has written several of his songs. The instrumentals are soooo great. Can I say more? If you are interested...The dates are December 4th and 5th in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. For more information: Cynthia McKee- chmckee@gmail.com, cell 427-3216, $15.00 each. It makes a great gift and it so worth it!!! Tell anyone you think of that might like to come!

Wedding Album

I will add some more designs for some albums, but for now here is one of the most recent albums from a wedding I photographed in September of John and Maegan. My daughter, Rachel designs my albums now which helps me so much. She does a great job and is now doing them for other people! I will add her blog in a few days once she has it up and running!

Dana's Bridal

Fun shoot last night! Dana is obviously a beautiful person who has a sweet spirit about her. The evening was calm and quiet other than the whistles coming from the passing cars. Well deserved!