Twice the fun!

I had so much fun photographing these precious 3 month old boy/girl twins! They were so sweet and adorable, making my job as a photographer super easy and such a blast!!!

Little Miss Chloe

Chloe was such a joy to take pictures of! She was such a good sport through all the outfit changes and pictures! It rained so much Wednesday that we barely got any pictures done, but Thursday turned out to be a beautiful day and we found a beautiful place for photos. Here are the ones I liked the best...

Her Daddy just joined the Marines and is away at boot camp, so we thought we would do a special picture just for him!

Aperture Settings for Portraits

A few weeks ago I came across an article about aperture settings for portrait photography. It said a good rule to follow is to set your aperture according to the number of people in a shot (2=2.8, 4=4.0). This is something I had been wondering about... I hate taking a family photo where some people turn out blurry and others are in focus. I decided to try this theory out for myself and these are my results:

I didn't see a huge difference with 2 people in the shot. I think I should have shot the second picture at f/2.8 and I think it would have worked much better!

The theory worked better with these photos. They all look pretty clear in the second photograph.

I saw the biggest difference with these photos. Everyone in the bottom photo is much clearer than in the top. However, I like the background effect in the top photo much better...I guess it's more important to have everyone in focus than to have the background blurry.

All in all, I think this theory is a pretty good rule to follow, or at least somewhere to begin when taking portraits.

Jessica's Senior Portraits

My little sister is not so little anymore...sniff, sniff. This year has been a big turning point in her life...she got engaged this summer in Paris to the man of her dreams and she is graduating college in December!!! I can't help but think of her as that 6 year old little girl who played barbies and dolls with me, or that 12 year old girl who became my best friend...but she is 22 now! I'm so glad I was able to take her senior pictures, we had tons of fun  and laughed our way through the session! I love you Jess, I hope the next chapter in your life is everything you ever hoped and dreamed it would be!

Old Olympus vs New Canon

I finally upgraded and bought a Canon Rebel T3i and an awesome lens (50mm 1:1.4)!!! Whoo hoo, I am soooo excited to have a Canon, but I am even more excited about the lens! I decided to put the Canon and new lens to the test against my old Olympus. Wow, the Canon and new lens took the lead with little effort! I highly recommend getting the 50mm 1:1.4 lens!!!

Here are just a few examples of how my new Canon rocked it!

The Olympus and Canon were set at maximum exposure with a shutter speed of 1/4000 and ISO 400.

 The settings were maximum exposure, shutter speed 1/80, and ISO 400.

 Wow, I can't believe the difference in these pictures!!! For years I had been so frustrated when taking photographs indoors...all this time it was the lens.

The last three pictures were all taken at maximum exposure, 1/80 shutter speed, and ISO 400. Huge difference in the veil...amazing!

I shot the first two pictures with both cameras at the exact same settings (aperture 4.5, shutter speed 1/1000, ISO 400). Even with the same settings, the Canon still beats the Olympus! Wow! I am just beyond thrilled with my new camera and lens! I can't wait to use my new Canon during photoshoots, I will be posting pics soon!

My First Children's Book-"Shoo Fly Shoo"

My dad has been telling me for years to write and illustrate a children's book. He wanted me to call it "Shoo Fly Shoo". I brushed the idea off for years, thinking that there was no way I could illustrate a book...I was a portrait painter, not an illustrator. My dad brought the idea up again sometime in January or February, so I started thinking about it...what would my story line be, how would it end, who would be my characters...? Then one day, sometime in April I think, I decided that I would write and illustrate a book and give it to my dad for his birthday in September. I wouldn't tell him I was working on it, that way he would be totally surprised. I wrote the story in one night, it came to me easily. I began working on the illustrations, I figured if I did one painting a week I would have it done in time for his birthday. It was a long, fun, and very educational journey for me. I finished the book early August and sent it off to be printed (blurb.com). I was sooooo excited when it arrived (I heard a thud against the door after the postman threw it) and I ran outside and could barely open it, I was too excited. It was everything I was hoping it would be, it looked like a real book!

I was wondering how I was going to wait 3 weeks to give it to my dad...his birthday is September 14. Last Friday I decided I had waited long enough and I was going to drive over there and give him his present early. I wrapped it up and drove off.

I handed the bag to him and said "Happy Early Birthday!" He was totally surprised. When he opened the bag and saw a book titled "Shoo Fly Shoo" he was shocked. "No way!" is what he kept saying. He was speechless!

He was excited that I had taken his idea and written a book about it. I dedicated the book to him, of course. It says, "Dedicated to my dad, who always believed in me. I love you Dad!" He has always been my biggest fan and has encouraged me so much in all of my endeavors! Thank you Dad! 

The next step is to get it published, so we are working on that now! I will keep everyone posted on our progress and hopefully it will be in stores soon!