Photography Archives | Page 7 of 10 |

High School Senior Photos Sneak Peek | Blaire

May 26, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

There is always collectively so much work to share here in this section, between Michael and I, and yet it has ultimately become the most neglected area of the blog. I have lots of photo sessions I never did share here, but always could still. But I know I have opted many times, to post in the other sections as an alternative most every time, and I’ve figured out why. We haven’t really been able to read, if the posts that fit into this section, are something you all, as general blog visitors, enjoy seeing and reading about, or not. ??? While many do visit it when we post, even less feedback is left here, than the other sections. So if you would please, could you let us know what your thoughts are on sharing our work here? Michael is in the midst of his busiest season of the year with signs, boats, and truck lettering. I am heading into my own busy season as we approach summer, with my portrait work. So it is helpful to know if it is worthwhile to share much here, and/or how often. We would SO appreciate hearing from you, regarding this puzzle, whether in the comments or by e-mail. After, our blog, is in part for our readers

Meanwhile, this is Blaire. Beautiful, isn’t she? She is graduating this week, I believe. Blaire will be off to college to pursue her dream of becoming a…………… teacher, I think. I’m questioning my memory here….I get my seniors mixed up sometimes. Anyway, I did this big senior photo session of her just a few weeks ago, and this is a small handful of her photos. We used the locations of her family’s beautiful yard, and then a boardwalk/waters nearby, where she spent a lot of her childhood growing up.

Only a couple years ago, I did her beautiful sister’s senior session. Her name is Alexandra. Her locations were their yard also, and the very old cemetery down their street. No, she did not grow up playing there. lol. But it was such a cool place, with the old iron gate, etc. Love places like that. The shot on the right of the duo above, was my favorite of the session. Of course, the quality of the image is low here on the blog, but the actual image is awesome. She had perfect milky skin. Loved her attire for this setting. Anyway, these girls parents are fine folks indeed. Their mother, is our eye doctor.

My client, in this case their mother, really loves my black and white work. She has pretty good ideas of what she wants, and yet really trusts me as the professional. I love clients who are really enthusiastic and excited about the whole process, and she is just like that. She loves contrasty images, and that is just my style, which she was so drawn to, and so hired me. One of her optometry offices is right beside a pediatrician group practice, of which my children portrait work is displayed all throughout. However, she also loves to see just a few in color.

So this is Blaire again, and we are in her beautiful backyard.

Their backyard feels almost….magical to me. I’m quite sure little fairies live there. In part, because of the beautiful life-size doll house amidst lovely gardens! What lucky little girls, growing up as sisters close in age, with this charming little doll house, to make the most of their imagination with. The outside is painted a celery green, the roof is shingled, it has a charming front door, and yes, the inside is completely finished as well! Look at the curtains in the windows! Oh……I forgot for a minute there that the post is about my lovely senior subject. But do you love that dollhouse or what? I think it’s a dream. I want one. So what if I’m in my 40’s? What’s that got to do with the price of eggs, in France? I would use the house as a drawing and painting studio. And for some of that q-word, when needed. Quiet.

The front yard is just as beautiful. I love the stone walls and steps. More flowers and beautiful landscaping.

The boardwalk is in the downright CHARMING village of Sandwich. I love villages. I can’t tell you how much. I would live in Sandwich, if I could. In a very old house.

As I said, Blaire grow up at this boardwalk. She used to jump off the bridge into the water!

I love doing all I can, to make senior’s photos very personal. While this work session is actually far more traditional than my typical work, I still enjoyed it very much, and they did indeed have a very personal touch to work with: Their late grandfather’s name is part of the boardwalk, and we incorporated it.

This shot above was the one they loved the very most. Big portrait of this one. They also ordered a 12 Image Session Album, and several 8×10’s. The same exact order, and album, as for her sister 2 years ago. The albums are gorgeous. They are black leather, matted pages of 5×7’s, and come in a satin lined black box.

I have to tell you…..I was freaking out, walking along this boardwalk, and there was no hiding it!! I’m a bit afraid of heights. The boardwalk is very high at parts, over water sometimes, way too narrow for me, with no side railing or anything obviously, and wouldn’t you know it…….the wind was blowing! I was petrified. Not that I am light enough for the wind to blow off the boardwalk (lol), but….the fear is still there! Honestly…..I was holding onto the back belt loop on the back of Blaire’s pants, because she was walking in front of me. I yelped a scream a few times. Professional, I am. Huh?

Blaire was a joy to shoot, just as her sister was. But…..there aren’t any more kids in the family! I’m going to suggest a family photo session at my next eye appointment, for sometimes next summer, when both girls are home. I’d just like to see them all again, and all together. They are a great family, and I felt honored they hired me, based on my work.

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Pansies, Verbenas & Berries | Photography

May 19, 2010 By Laura 7 Comments

I wanted to share with you some fun photography I did of my yard pansies, verbenas and berries.

Yesterday morning, I found myself up wicked early. And not at the computer, in my bathrobe, with coffee. But up, dressed, and outside with my camera, taking photos around my yard. (With coffee.) I had to wonder what in the heck was going on with me lately. I have never-ever been one to get up early, unless I absolutely-no-way-out-of-it-have-to. This morning, I was not only up at the crack of dawn, but after a night where I had laid in bed during the night, for at least 3 hours, wide awake! I thought for sure I’d be sleeping like a rock, come morning. But no. I was more than up-and-at’em. I am becoming more and more convinced, that this means I am indeed ‘approaching elderly’.

Doesn’t this sleep- pattern mimic the old folks? I always hear many of these dear old ones talk about how they “just couldn’t sleep all night”. And on the occasion that ‘I’ have had to be up and out early to be somewhere, old folks are everywhere. Why? They are retired! They have no kids to get off to give breakfast to and get off to school! It puzzles me. Ok, maybe there is a handful with a doctor appointment that morning. ; ) But not THAT many. I want to go up to them and say, “WHAT, on God’s green earth, are you doing up this early? Don’t you know, you can do anything you want with your time now! Why aren’t you sleeping in?!”

Later in the afternoon, I was telling some friends about this new mystery of myself and sleep. One girlfriend replied, “Maybe the spirit was a-movin’ ya.”. Another said, “I think you have a condition called Spring Fever. No worries though, I hear it cures itself. ;)”. A third friend just came right out and said it: “I was going to say…..your age!”. We all need a friend who will tell us the truth, no matter what. Don’t we?

So back to the photos I was out in the yard taking. These gorgeous dark pink flowers are some of my verbenas. I have some planted in the ‘window box’, that is actually sitting on a foundation wall, under the ledge of my front deck. Upon the sight of little flower buds in my pots, boxes and gardens, I get little butterflies of excitement inside. I love to watch them slowly open up, or happen-upon the surprise of sudden full blooms.

In the same flower box, in between the verbenas, I have planted shasta daisies. I am not all that familiar with them yet, so I’m not sure if the little nubbies I see on them are almost buds? But if they are, I’m excited. There is also some white verbenas in there somewhere, but for some reason or another, they aren’t blooming yet.

Over at my bench seat in the front near the garden beds, I have a few pots, that contain some of the leftover pansies and verbenas, after I had filled my box, and other bigger pots on steps and such. The white verbenas are in bloom here. The verbenas, by the way, will grow to spill and hang long over the edges of it’s containers. I look forward to them covering my heinous foundation wall under the deck. (Big plans for that coming up soon, to permanently take care of that! Very exciting project we’ll be sharing here.)

I really enjoyed, not only photographing the things I have grown around my yard, but processing them with textures. Have you notice the textures on the photos? Photographing whatever I am inspired to, and processing them any way I want, is often almost way more fun than I can take. ; ) Especially without the pressure of time lines and deadlines, for clients, that often comes with the photos I take.

Here is a bloomed bunch of white verbenas.

I forget the name of the variety of these smaller pansies, but if anyone remembers, feel free to enlighten me. : ) If no one does, I can always look at the pot tag I saved out there somewhere near the pots. (And I might have to.) But I sure do love their colors.

Let’s just get this out of the way: Yes, the lawn weeds we have out front need mowing. It’s not looking like it is going to happen for at least another week. But anyway, this is our strawberry bed.

I have a confession to make, regarding the strawberries, and all of the planted flowers you’ve seen here: Somewhere early t0 mid April, I was getting the gardening-bug so bad. I was just itching to get out there and get dirty. We were having beautiful spring days, and I was convinced it was here to stay! So I planted flowers all over the place, and raked most of the straw off the strawberry beds, since I could see green leaves popping up through. All of this, despite the warnings that it was way too early for planting, etc., since there was still a good chance of frost, which could destroy it all. The recommendation for planting is Memorial Day weekend. Mother’s Day at the earliest. But I’m a true gambler. (O.k., not really, but I like how that makes me sound gutsy and tough.)

Well, I’ll tell you where that risk got me: Out in the pitch dark cold, at about 11:30 at night, on 3 different occasions, covering the beds and plants with large sheets of plastic, because a weather-check before bed said temperatures would dip that night, and frost was likely.

That should teach me, come next year. But I can’t guarantee it.

Thankfully, everything survived, and we should be home free. Although technically, Memorial Day is not until this coming weekend. But look how the strawberry plants are growing like crazy!! We are anticipating an abundance of strawberries this season. Last year, the beds were new, and the strawberry plants were just planted. But this year, they are more established, so we should have more strawberries than we know what to do with. But we’ll figure it out. In fact, I look forward to it!!

Strawberry jam…… strawberry shortcake…….. chocolate covered strawberries…… strawberries in our cereal….strawberries right off the vine……strawberries for our kind neighbors…..(Yeah, just the kind ones. Not the chipmunk-killing-outdoor-cat-owner ones.)

If there was one thing I was noticing while I was out this morning, taking these photos, it was that….I was noticing everything! The moist dew in the air, the clean and fresh air, and the scents of new growing life coming and drifting away, the silence……WOW….the silence. I think the quiet, was why I could notice so much! This Mama of 4 (home schooled) kids, is not used to such quiet. I had all kinds of complete thoughts, running through my head. Weird.

Quiet early early hours of the day have been so foreign to me. I guess I never knew what I was missing. Come to find out, it’s rather nice! Perhaps I’ll watercolor paint a little more often, with these extra hours in a day, too.

Yeah, maybe this old lady could really get used to this early morning thing.

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Triplets’ First Holy Communion Formal Portraits

May 6, 2010 By Laura 16 Comments

A very special day is just about here, in our family.
Our triplets’ First Holy Communion!

We are a Roman Catholic family. I took these formal portraits of our triplets, for their First Holy Communion, at one of my favorite locations, that is also so fitting for the occasion, seeing as it is religious retreat grounds. Because I wanted them here at this place, and because I knew there would be no time on their actual day of Sacrament and celebration, we did these a few days prior.

In case you are not a regular blog visitor, let me just say these smiles are so real! Our triplets have been waiting to receive this Sacrament with all of their hearts, for a very-long-time.

This was a real moment. I turned around from talking to one of the others, and there he was, just like this. <click!>
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This photo wasn’t easy because of the vast difference in scale of the 2 subjects. But, I have to share it because it was SO important to {O}. She told me in the beginning she wanted her photo taken with the Blesses Mother. After every photo I took she asked, “Now, can I have my photo taken with Mary?” So there it is, and she’s happy!

Those 3 beautiful faces. Such a huge part of my heart.
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A creative way to be sure everyone sees {O}’s special nail job! These are the perks of being the girl, between 2 boys! ; )

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We’ll be blogging about their actual day and celebration soon as well. It was a special day for sure, with lots of loved ones joining us to celebrate, but inevitably bitter-sweet as well. We hope you are able to check those out later. But we were excited to share these formals with you. They have never been so dressed up, and they loved it! {O’s} veil was custom made, and details of that will also be blogged about soon. Aren’t they sweet looking though?

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