Zandra

Her last name is Dol, and isn't she just?!!
Maternity pictures have to be my fav, fav, fav, favourites.  There is just something about a pregnant woman that is beautiful.  And even though it looks like she's just stuck a ball up her top, soon she'll bring her 3rd daughter into the world - heaven help her!

Lesson Learned - I need to keep my finger on the button at all times; often I'll move the camera away from my face to talk and chat and laugh (building raport with the clients, very important right?), and I miss the laughter and giggles on camera.  It's obviously a skill I don't yet possess, but one I'm eager to develop.

Beck and Hori

My cousins getting married.
1 1/2 years ago, while living in marriage central, this wouldn't have been such a big deal.  But weddings are hard to come by here.  And it was so nice to see a couple so in love.
Congrats guys!!!













My Fav of the day.



Lesson Learned - I really am learning the importance of being open and relaxed. When I'm so worried about posing and positioning, I should just be letting my clients be themselves. That's when the real emotion comes through the pictures, because it's real. There's that quote by I think John Lenon "Life is what happens while you're busy making plans." I'm learning to capture emotion instead of trying to create it.

Gibbs Family

By far the tallest people I've ever worked with.

Ever.

He's like 6"7 and she's 6"1. And their 9 year old is taller then most 12 year olds. I told you. TALL!

Thank goodness for a new wide angle lens. :) (Yey tax returns!!)

But I really really enjoyed this shoot.  Just really great people.

It was my pleasure to shoot you (that joke never gets old for me).

"Who wants a lolly Pop?"

Lesson Learned - It's important to look at the pictures after taking them, on the spot, to check that all is well.  The first two sets of poses had a sandfly on the lens = black smudge on faces = no good pictures.  And I can't always trust that just coz I took 20 pictures in the same position that one of them has to be ok; if someone's hair is in their face, it doesn't matter how many you take, their hair will be in their face in all 20.  Post-checking on the spot can also help with this.

JAH

Last time I took their pictures, Hannah didn't have a whole lot of hair and was not interested in looking at the camera, let alone smiling.  She has pigtails and I got a few grins. We're making progress.

Lesson Learned - With little kids its a game of give and take, sometimes you gotta let them run around and play for 10 minutes to get a smile out of them.   And sometimes those smiles don't come in a nicely composed frame, they come mid-jump or post-spin. It also helps to check your camera settings before your shoot to make sure your ISO is right......

Seen them before

If your sister took pictures, wouldn't you be asking her all the time to do some of you?

I know I would.

My sister.

Again.

Lesson Learned - I want need a wide angle lense. And babies do not listen to bribes.  And my version of "smile" is very different to a 3 year old's version, hers often resembling pain/digust/rage.