Last family photography session of 2012

Every fall I have the best of intentions for my blog... THIS year will be the one that I keep blogging all fall long!  But time runs short & it appears my blog took a month off at least this fall. :)

This is my last session for 2012!  I don't generally shoot sessions in December, but this family was all together in town for only a short time.  I totally enjoyed meeting them!  They have two little boys, cousins, that are 18 months and 2 years old - which can sometimes be a little of a tricky age for photography... and they were amazing!  So sweet and they were patient for a lot of pictures.  So - here is a preview for them, and the rest will be done after the holidays.




















I want to thank this really nice family for having me over to meet with them this holiday season - best wishes to you all!  Merry Christmas.

If you're interested in more information about a family photography session, my website has lots of info about how I do sessions. Or you can call or email me if you have questions or would just like to chat about photo sessions.

I love doing sessions at clients' homes, but for lots of other session locations, see this blog page here.

How the senior portrait process works

One of the great things about senior portraits is that they can be great year round.  Now that we're into November, it's getting colder (though - certainly today is an exception :) ), and starting to turn brown out, I do less family portraits outside.  But senior portraits are different - there is always a great place to do senior portraits, even in the late fall and winter.

I had a blast with this gorgeous senior and her mom (side note - we found out our kids are at the same elementary school... small world!).  Here's a preview for them so they see a few of my quick picks before their viewing session later this week.

































For more information about my senior portraits, you can see my website here.  I thought it might be helpful to break down my process a little for families that haven't worked with me before.  It's pretty similar for family, baby, and child photography as well.

I think it's so important to set up our session with some background, so that I can be sure I'm taking portraits that are going to really show your story.  I like to chat on the phone and get to know you a little before we meet for a session.  That also gives us a chance to talk about clothes, locations, and any other questions you may have.

Then we meet for a session - I do lots of photography out and about in the Albuquerque area, like the images I've posted above.  But I do have an "in-home studio" also (it's my living room - I have fabulous light and a room big enough to work with), so I'm pretty flexible.  I am usually shooting for 35-40 proofs, though sometimes I go over that... (like the session above... way over...)

At our session (or before, if I'm on the ball), I will schedule a viewing session for you and your family (or whomever you want) to come and see all the images.  I do a lot of viewing sessions at my home, but I can also meet you at Starbucks or potentially come to your home as well.  After you've seen all the images, you can make your selections and choose your prints and/or products.  I do apply $50 from your session fee to your purchase, when you make it at the viewing session.

Then it takes usually about 2 weeks for me to get everything ordered and ready to go.  I have to make sure that everything is top-quality - something that I would display in my own home if I were you.  I am always so happy to see you again with your beautiful products, ready to hang, gift, or use however you have planned!

If you have any questions, or would like to book a session, please contact me - I'd love to talk to you!

Holiday greeting cards

It's time to start thinking about holiday cards!  This time of year goes so fast.  I have some new greeting card templates this year and I thought I'd post some of them.  These can be flat or folded cards, or my new favorite, die cut into fun shapes.

To see the rest of the holiday cards I have available this year, or for pricing information, please see my website.  If you have any questions I'd love to hear from you!

Where to go for senior portraits? How about downtown!

I love senior photography! One thing that I always enjoy when I work with high school seniors is figuring out where to go.  I try to blog most of my senior sessions so that I can refer back to them with future clients.  For this session I found a "new" location :) (obviously it is not new, just new to me), and it worked really well!

First we did some formal dress portraits in a studio setting.  (That's a pretentious way to say my living room, which I sometimes use as a studio.)
 

Then we went downtown.  I love formal dress in an urban setting!  We got quite a few with her in this gorgeous formal.
 

This beautiful girl is gorgeous inside & out.  She was prom queen last year, and homecoming queen this year.  But she is also smart, kind, so much fun, and on the road to success!  I can't wait to see where she goes next.
 

 

She was really organized, with her outfits laid out right down to the accessories, in the back of the car.  It is tricky to change clothes in the car, but girls are good at that, right?
 

 

 

 


 

We ran out of light, but not out of ideas!  I love to use off-camera flash, and this was the perfect opportunity.  (What is the wrong time to use off-camera flash in a session?  When chasing a 2 year old around a park. :) )
 

 

 

 

I totally love the lights behind her!  I had so much fun with this session - thanks so much to this amazing senior and her mom!
 
I love doing sessions at great places like this these, but for lots of other session locations, see this blog page here. If you're interested in senior portraits, I'd love to talk about it - you can give me a call or email and we can chat. I have more information about my senior graduation photography here, or if you like the locations we used for her senior portraits, you can see these and many more ideas here.