The Big "One"

I had so much fun taking pictures of a sweet one year-old this weekend. Honestly, she was one of the more calm toddlers I have had the pleasure of photographing. Her parents were calm, too, and didn't mind if she was chewing on toys as the camera snapped. The little girl just played, her parents played, and I was just there taking it all in with the camera.

I look forward to sharing more of the pictures as I finish editing them.

New Software, Next Step

My husband surprised me with Adobe Photoshop CS4 this week. What a great surprise! Thank you, Honey! :-)

This software is almost necessary to be a viable photographer in the very competitive child and family photography industry. It is also very expensive. In an effort to keep my prices low, I drooled over the CS4 possibilities only via industry blogs.

I formerly edited my photos in Adobe Photoshop Elements, a less expensive and more basic version of the photo editing software. I realize now that it was a necessary experience. Without learning photo editing from the "ground up," I would not understand first-hand the elements that make up a good photograph.

Through the Elements program, I learned how to use the ground-level basics to professionally edit photos that compared with those edited in Photoshop, which can sometimes take a simple push of an "Action" button. It took me a lot longer per photo, but I achieved some great results, and I learned a heck of a lot.

Now, with CS4 I will not only save a little time, but with a little more education, the results will be even better. I'm super thrilled about the next step in my photographic journey!

Three Brothers

Here are a few of the pictures from a recent photo session with three brothers, including a sweet newborn baby. As you can see, the family is just beautiful. These brothers are going to have way too much fun together when they get a little older.

The baby was a touch unhappy when we first started shooting. A bottle helped a little bit. Then the father suggested we take him into the master bedroom, as that seemed to be a calming place for him. It worked like a charm. The photo to the left was taken in that bedroom, and then the pictures below were taken shortly thereafter. Go Dad!

I've been fortunately enough to have photographed this family three times. Most of my business is recurring, and so I get to see my favorite customers as their kids and families grow! That is one of the best parts of the job.

Photographs that Make a Difference

This photograph courtesy of Donn Young Photography

My hubby is a Carolina grad and gets Endeavors magazine, a publication featuring "research and creative activity" at UNC-Chapel Hill. The January 2010 edition features an article about hunger in North Carolina. An interesting stat about hunger in this state is that "12.6 percent of all North Carolinians experience something called food insecurity, which means that they don’t have reliable access to food."

In an effort to highlight the research done by Maureen Berner and Sharon Paynter, Donn Young photographed the people behind North Carolina's nonprofits that help feed the poor. Young's pictures personalize an issue that could be easily overlooked. Even our neighbors go hungry, and they do so often.

I must admit: Mr. Young, an accomplished photographer, has my dream job. I would love to use my camera to make a difference in the world, showing the people and scenes that represent important issues. Perhaps one day I'll get the opportunity!

In the meantime, I'm just thankful for this photographer's work. It has put more meaning to my family's dinnertime prayer: "...let us thank Him for our food." We are fortunate indeed.

Family of Six

I was thankfully busy with taking pictures this fall and I haven't yet done much to promote the results! Although it is already March, I want to highlight few pictures taken this past fall.

These pictures are of a beautiful family with six children! Talk about being busy. On the day of the photo session, the skies were dark and gloomy. Thankfully the rain held off until we were done shooting. The kids were used to getting their pictures taken, and that helped things go fairly quickly before the rain!

The family used their portraits to make a collage for their holiday cards. It was a pleasure to work with these wonderful kids!

Value of a Mentor

I want to publicly thank Brian Osborne with Osborne Photography. I have mentioned Brian in previous posts but he deserves yet another mention.

Recently I have had some technical issues. First, there was a particular part within my camera that was malfunctioning. Unable to meet up with Brian at first, I took the camera to two different people, who gave me different - and incorrect - answers to the problem. When I was able to reach Brian, it took him just a few seconds to correctly diagnose the problem and help me get the camera repaired quickly.

If that weren't enough, I've been having some difficulty with my laptop reading my memory cards. Although he didn't have to, Brian took time out of his schedule to use his own laptop and transfer my pictures to a DVD. I was able to start editing my customers' pictures without any delay for them while I find another solution.

Every budding photographer should have a mentor like Brian. Having an experienced advisor may give the courage and resources to try new things and grow your business or serious hobby.

For that matter, whatever your interest, find someone who is experienced and willing to share his/her knowledge with you. You'll get further a lot faster.