Monday, May 30, 2011

Mr. Smiles

Meet Mr. Smiles aka Baby Acelind. He was such a doll to work with AND he kept smiling for me!! What more could a photographer ask for?!

Happy Memorial Day

First of all, I want to thank all the men and women that have served in the armed forces fighting for my freedom. And second I wanted to somehow give back to these amazing people, so what better way to do it than to take photos of their loved ones to send to them. Enter adorable, 11mo Amaya. BOTH of this little girls parents are on active duty and stationed overseas, so she's here state-side with family. I couldn't even fathom having to leave my child for such a long time at such a young age, but I am SO grateful that they are willing to make that sacrifice so that I can be free. Thank you again for serving your country.


These were also 1 year old photos, but little Amaya didn't want to look like a princess, she definitely enjoyed the tutu a bit more. Just like the song goes It's my party and I'll cry if I want too! hahaha

Friday, May 27, 2011

Local Musician - Alejandra O'Leary

I was super excited to photograph Alejandra in Ann Arbor. Musicians are great to work with, they're laid back and creative people like photographers are so the sessions tend to go really smoothly. We had fun walking around A2, stopping to take pictures here and there. These are a couple of my favorite shots from the day.
If you'd like to check out her music feel free to visit her website:

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Oh Baby!

Meet seven day old Keaton Robert. He was such a cutie, but like most infants they hate me and my camera (it's the strobe). I tell them it's all in the name of good photos, but they don't care :) So after putting up a fight, he decided that I wasn't all that bad and we got some pretty great photos.

Highlight of the session: I don't have any children of my own yet so babies without diapers are a whole new animal to me, and if someone tells you being a photographer isn't a dangerous job...don't believe them. I was nearly peed on and pooped on, but it was TOTALLY worth it to photograph this little guy!!! I mean how can you do anything, but laugh when something that cute is doing it :)
Except here, where he was back to hating me lol.

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Best Way to Dress for Portraits

"What should I wear for the photos?"

I get this question all the time so I wanted to share a few ideas with you.

Formal or casual style of clothing - First you want to start with whether you want a casual portrait or something more formal. Mixing styles is never a good thing to do (ie. dad in a suit and son in jeans and a t-shirt). Think of the location you're planning to have your photos done and choose accordingly. Formal attire is usually reserved for the studio and more casual portraits generally take place outside.
Pick a color scheme - Look at what colors are popular for that year (this year is honeysuckle, vintage wine and citrus yellow). It's usually easier to find clothing in the colors that are in. Also, think of denim as a multi-tasking color like black or white, it goes great with anything. If your doing a group portrait of any kind think of going with a base color and then you can use variations of it. Uniform shades draw equal attention to everyone in the image. Or you can choose a color scheme and then have everyone pick their outfit to revolve around that color scheme, like the sample below.
Avoid sharp contrast or matching clothing - For instance if everyone is in black shirts and khaki pants...not good for photos. Not to mention if everyone is in the exact same outfit the eye tends to focus on the clothing and you loose interest in the people. You could do those colors, but think of maybe switching it up, have some people in black pants and a khaki (or off white) colored top; or maybe a patterned black and white shirt. Don't forget you can use different textures to add contrast (ie. a button down cotton shirt on dad vs. a knit sweater on mom) Not to mention if everyone is in the exact same outfit the eye tends to focus on the clothing and you loose interest in the people. Below is a great example of how they choose a color scheme and used different shades and a pattern to break up the monotony of having the same colors.The squint trick - Lay out the clothing that everyone plans on wearing for the photo and squint. Ideally, you want the colors to blend well and compliment each other. If there's any one piece that stands out, swap it out for a different piece of clothing that blends well with the others.

Don't forget your shoes! - They will show in some of your images so make sure that they coordinate with your outfit.

Avoid writing or logos - These will immediately draw attention directly to that area of the image.

Other random tips for picking out clothing:

  • Darker colors are more slenderizing than lighter ones.


  • Be festive - if you're celebrating a special occasion coordinate colors based on that event.


  • Be you - if you're the more laid back type, don't try a suit and tie for your photo. You're going to take a much better image if you're comfortable in what your wearing.


  • Keep it simple, classic, and timeless!!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Sunsets and Best Friends

Yesterday was a typical Michigan spring day. It started off nice and sunny, but a little chilly. Then it down poured with some tiny hail, and by the evening it was sunny and gorgeous all over again. I didn't have anything to do, so I packed up the camera and Piglet and went to the park for a walk. If you haven't noticed by now, I have more pictures of Piglet than I do any of my other dogs...that's because Pig is an excellent model. He's cute and sits still as long as I tell him too, and I can drop the lead without fear of him taking off. I still get images of Niko and Phantom, just time and quality are limited with their short attention spans :)

After we were done playing Piggy and I sat and watched the sun go down. It was the perfect ending to a spring day.

Day's Last Breath


American Past Time


He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

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