Valentine Mini Sessions.... Yeah!

I can't believe this weather we are having in San Diego.  I will admit that I like sweater weather, but I will say that beautiful sunny days are my favorite for shooting.  So to take advantage of this incredible winter sunshine I say let's do some San Diego Mini Sessions... Valentine themed!

Those of you that know me well and shoot with me often know that I don't particularly like lots of props are heavily styled sessions.  I like thing simple.  So this is a huge departure for me from the normal.  It's not really meant to be timeless and hang on your wall huge for the next 10 years.  What it is suppose to do is make you smile and maybe giggle a little.  It is suppose to give you the chance to go a little over the top with tutu's, suspenders, hats and just plain fun stuff.  I have some tutu's on hand that people can borrow as well as giant lollipops, balloons, pearls, chalkboard signs and yes even an incredible kissing booth (Thank you to my husband for that one!).  So let's do this thing!

San Diego Valentine Mini Sessions
January 26th (yep... next Sunday!)
10 minute sessions
Digital files included
$100

Spots are as follows 1:30 | 1:45 | 2:00 | 2:15 | 2:30 | 2:45 | 3:00 | 3:15 | 3:30 | 3:45 | 4:00 | 4:15
Booking opens up on Saturday, Jan 18th at 10am

Look on to see more photos from the sample session we did today.  It was so fun!

2014 Parents Photo Challenge

I took my camera into the kids room for playtime today.  No flash, I just opened the window up and used natural light.  I didn't change their clothes.  I didn't do their hair.  Heck, I didn't even wipe up their boogers.  Just my kids how they look everyday.

So my tip for today is to just let your kids be natural.  If your going out for a family portrait and paying someone to do it by all means brush hair and wipe boogers.  But for photos are home just let them be who they are.  In 15 years this is the stuff you will want to remember because this is who they are to you.

I got a bunch of cute stuff, but for the sake of the photo challenge I am only going to post one of Lilly and a little series of JJ.

Blankie is what I will be checking off the photo challenge list for Lilly

Playtime is what I will be checking off the list for JJ.  And by the way, this is SO JJ.  He loves to be just like daddy.  Measuring and building and working would be how he describes it!

Photo Challenge for Parents: 75 photo assignments to capture your little people

I was thinking about starting one of those photo a day challenges, I am after all a photographer. I looked at a few options but couldn't really decide, I didn’t want to photograph just anything. After all, I rarely even photograph my own children. That got me thinking...

Yes it's true... I am a photographer and I don’t photograph my kids all that much. I find myself in the same familiar conversation with clients.
    Them: You must have so many great photos of your kids!
    Me: I really don't photograph them very often.
    Them: Oh that can't be true!
    Me: No really, it's kinda sad.

So in an effort to be more diligent about photographing my beautiful children in our everyday life, I put together my own photo challenge.

Now I don't have 365 things for you to photograph and I don't have a specific assignment per week, this can't work that way. In order for all of us to capture these moments organically the list should be photographed as the situations present themselves. Hang your list on the fridge and maybe make a goal to photograph one or two a week. 

Not all of these will apply to everyone, but do your best to capture what does apply and feel free to add a few of your own.  And I would think that some of these will be captured more than once, so do them twice or three times... just capture it!  Don't be afraid to do a little mini series of photos.  I have a series of 8 photos of JJ putting on my Ugg boots and walking around my office, I just adore them.

I am going to make every effort to use my real camera for these, but I am sure I will have my fair share of iPhone photos as well. Be sure to back these up.  My plan at the end of 2014 is to use ArtifactUprising.com to make a really beautiful family yearbook.

I will be posting my photos here on the blog and on my FB page.  I think it would be nice if I put a little photo tip with each post so that everyone can learn to take fabulous photos of their kids, so keep checking back!

If anyone decides to join me I would love to see your photos on my fb page!

Here is to a 2014 filled with beautiful memories (hopefully captured on film).

So... I prepared this challenge yesterday and before I could even get it typed up and posted the first opportunity to check one off presented itself today. 

My beautifully Lillypad has the flu.  She has basically lived on me the last five days.  She won't sleep in her own bed for more than 20 minutes.  So my wonderful husband took a turn with her so I could have a little break.  She was so tired from being sick and all the coughing that she fell asleep in the funniest position!  Just LOVE her.

All Tuckered Out

So my photo tip is this- Turn OFF your flash.  There are some situations where you just can't take a photo without a flash, but for me this wasn't one of them.  There was enough light in the room to shoot without one.  Your photos will look more natural and will appear as you remember them if you turn your flash off.  A flash would have totally ruined the mood of this photo.  I would have lost all the beautiful highlights on the blanked.  The bottoms of her feet would have been the brightest thing in the photo since they were closet to the camera.  When in doubt, just turn it off.