"Bust a Gut"

I have great clients.  I suggested while taking these girls' pictures that their dad might decide to do something funny that might make them laugh while I was shooting.  I didn't get to see what it was that he did, but whatever it was, it worked!   
This family was actually featured in my previous post, in a shoot from a few years ago, when the girl on the right was just beginning to walk.  It's nice to see how they grow and change from year to year. 

The challenge on iheartfaces.com this week is called "Bust a Gut" - there are lots of great images to see on this theme there.

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Autumn

I love shooting family portrait sessions in the fall. This was a fun shoot - perfect weather, great light, and lots of leaves.  This was a nice moment, though there were other nice shots (posted below) too, and it was hard to decide. 

 

See more pictures on the "Autumn" theme at iheartfaces.com.

Black

"Black"

My entry for this week's "Black" theme at iheartfaces.com is, again, of a favorite model of mine - my daughter.  She'd wrapped herself up in a black backdrop that I'd brought out, probably hoping to get pictures of the kids with the backdrop behind.  They had their own ideas about what to do with it though.  I have pictures of each of them, with the backdrop wrapped around like a large shawl, usually with the other one running around.  They're not much for standing still.  Even in this image, parts of her are moving and showing motion blur.  But I loved the expression on her face - just a sweet and happy kid, busy doing what kids do. 

There are many beautiful images and many different interpretations of this week's theme to see at iheartfaces.com.

"Let Them Be Little"

"Let Them Be Little"

There is a row of trees with beautiful color along a busy street not far from our house.  There's also a concrete wall covered by colorful ivy. I've been driving by them every day wanting to get out and get some pictures with those fantastic red leaves.  My daughter wanted to stay in the car and read her library book, but I cajoled her into going for a walk and letting me snap some pictures, with her frequently making slightly goofy faces (this is one of the less goofy ones).  She was a good sport about it.   After about half an hour though she was done.

This is my entry for the "Let Them Be Little" theme this week at iheartfaces.com.  There are lots of beautiful images to check out!

First Day of School

First Day

This year I didn't get any "first day of school" photos.  My daughter missed her first day of first grade. - she and my husband had both been sick during the night, and I wasn't feeling too hot myself.  This photo is from a couple of years ago - my son's very first day of first grade.  He'd attended a private montessori for kindergarten, so this was also his first day to ride the bus.  It was the first time that we met many of the kids in our neighborhood. 

That look he's giving me is very typical of him.  Despite it being his first day, he didn't seem flustered or nervous about it at all. 

There are many more images on the "School" theme at iheartfaces.com this week - check'em out.

Eyes

Eyes

This is my entry for the "eyes" theme this week at iheartfaces.com.  Her eyes are so blue!  I just love the way this one turned out.  There are a lot of great images this week - check them out!

Water Fun

Water Fun

We haven't had much of a summer here in the Pacific Northwest so far.  My entry for this theme is from last year. 

We had a great time camping with our friends.  The kids loved playing in the water.  We bought these simple water shooters, and they were a big hit. 

For more pictures on this theme, check out the other entries at iheartfaces.com.

Whimsy

A Touch of Whimsy
These sisters had great costumes - a bumblebee and a butterfly.  They had a fun time dancing around in them under this huge willow tree. 
There are many more great pictures to see on this theme at iheartfaces.com - check them out!

May Flowers

The unused railroad tracks in our town are overgrown with these beautiful yellow flowering shrubs - forsythia, perhaps?  They are gorgeous, and I've been wanting to take some pictures there. After running a couple of errands with me today, my daughter kindly agreed to let me photograph her in that setting.  Of course, I had to take a few of her with her newly acquired little stuffed koala bear - part of the cost of good behavior during a boring store run - as well as several of her being goofy (none of which are posted).
   

Same photo with less alteration

I'm also experimenting with using some Photoshop actions to alter the contrast, color, etc., of the image. My tendency with portraits has always been to try to keep the color and contrast pretty natural looking. But these actions can make nice pictures truly striking. I'm a little uncomfortable making very extreme changes - in fact, a friend mentioned she couldn't tell the difference between the two photos I posted.  I'd dialed back down on the actions so much that it was hard to see the difference it made on the monitor.  You could say I'm conservative in my use of actions, but I think I could get used to adjusting my photos to be more dramatic.  What do you think - more dramatic or more natural, and can you see the difference? 

Dandelions

Yellow Dandelions

I love taking pictures of kids with dandelions.  The bright yellow flowers, the white puffballs.... it's all good.  I wish the yellow of the flowers stood out more in this picture.  Maybe the strong sunshine in the background (these were growing under a tree), keeps them from seeming as yellow as they were. 

Can't wait to see what the other entries will be for this week - check them out at iheartfaces.com.

Motherhood

"Motherhood"
This week's challenge at iheartfaces.com is photos on the theme of Motherhood.  It's been a whiile since I've posted, but this seemed like a good one to join back in on.  I mainly shoot families, and love it when there are nice, natural moments like this one.
There are so many great entries this week - check out all the beautiful images at iheartfaces.com.

Smile

There are so many great photos at iheartfaces.com on the smile theme this week!  Here's my entry.  This girl and her mom were having a great time together.  She was really precious.  It was hard to choose which of her smiles to post!