More Tony Family Portraits

I love that so many of my portrait clients are also my friends. It is so much fun to capture their growing families. I have photographed the Tonys twice before--first when they were expecting their son, and then again right after he was born. It was a special treat to create yet another set of portraits for them a couple of weeks ago. Nathanael is now almost two and has a little sister on the way!

Maternity Photos: Kim & Blake

I was thrilled when Kim and Blake asked me to do maternity photos for them! They live in Florida, so we met (roughly) in the middle in Fairhope, Alabama, which turned out to be the perfect picturesque location. The weather was unexpectedly cold and windy, but these two did not let that stop them! We had a really fun day documenting the excitement they have in anticipation of their daughter, Stella. Here are a few of my favorites:

Just a Little Shout-Out :)

I'll be sharing some of Kim and Blake's maternity photos with you soon as promised, but first, I want to tell you how much I love the Porters. Mary and Brandon were my first-ever portrait models, and I owe my portrait skills to them. Without their willingness to let me practice, I would not have started out on this journey of learning about portrait work. All I have learned (and will learn, too) can be traced back to this maternity shoot:

And then there was this (much more difficult) newborn session with their precious son, Lawson:

Sadly, the Porters moved far away from us last year, but Alex and I had a wonderful visit with them in their new home a couple of months ago. I couldn't resist capturing their growing family again:

Aren't they adorable?

2 1/2 Tonys

I have another local friend having a baby (read: I found another opportunity to practice maternity photos)! Emily and Jon were great to work (play) with. I used some of what I learned last time and felt slightly more confident. However, due to scheduling conflicts, I ended up with less-than-ideal lighting conditions. I wasn't too excited about shooting in the midday sunlight, and I did end up with some crazy shadowy stripes that I couldn't fix, BUT I got some good editing experience and have a better understanding of how adjusting contrast and exposure can help downplay the brightness of the sun. There's always something to learn! Overall, I'm pleased with the results: 

(You can see the whole collection here.) I'd love to know what you think!

It's a boy!

No, I'm not having a baby. But I do have exciting news. I had a great photography opportunity the other day. My dear friends, Mary and Brandon, are expecting a baby (in just a couple of weeks!) and wanted some maternity shots so they could remember this special time. They asked me to do it, I was really happy to oblige. I have wanted to try my hand at portrait photography for a long, long time. Even longer than I've wanted to be a therapist, actually (that's my real job.) It always made me nervous, though. My normal photography routine involves being alone (usually) and wandering around aimlessly with no pressure, no deadlines, and no particular audience in mind... so taking pictures of PEOPLE who have expectations about the result and a particular purpose for the photos is quite a different story. What better way to experiment with that than with super nice people who I know and love and who constantly encourage me? It was perfect. I had SO much fun. I was sad when it was over and wish I could do it again and again. And that's a good thing to know about myself.

It was definitely a learning experience, too. Because these pictures had so much more purpose than any I've ever taken, I scrutinized them a LOT. I looked at each and every one very carefully and recognized about 25 things I wish I had done differently, or more, or less. That sounds kind of "duh," but it was new for me. I don't usually do that with my photos. I pick out the ones I like, edit them to make them better, and pretty much ignore the rest. I focus on the positive. I don't always take criticism well, even from myself, but I got a lot of good self-criticism practice this go 'round. It was uncomfortable, but it also sort of felt good. Like soreness after a good workout. No pain, no gain, right?  I don't know if or when I will be able to do something like this again, but I will be prepared with the knowledge that I couldn't have gotten without this experience, and I'm grateful for that. And excited about what might come of it.

But for now, what came of it is a bunch of pictures of Mary, Brandon, and (almost) Lawson. Here are a few of the ones I like. :)

What do you think? (Remember, I'm practicing taking criticism--bring it on! ;))