Susan and Joe are Married!

Posted on September 29, 2010

Here’s a quick look at one from Susan and Joe’s wedding two Sunday’s ago.  There was definitely a lot of love in the air!
Stay tuned for more….

Huber Family Preview

Posted on September 27, 2010

The Huber family gathered together to welcome little Lucy into the world in late August.  Here’s one of the lady of the hour hersef.  How precious is she!  )

Susan and Joe

Posted on September 13, 2010

Susan was a little nervous about getting in front of the camera but I couldn’t tell you why.  Not only is she knock-out beautiful, but her chemistry with Joe is undeniable.  These two were amazing to photograph.  Their love is completely contagious and I know that they will be very happy together for many years to come!

Julie and Esteban!!

Posted on September 8, 2010

What a gorgeous, fun-filled day.  There were friends, there was laughter, it was good times.  Congratulations Julie & Esteban, here’s to many many happy years together.

)

Suiter Family

Posted on August 17, 2010

When my fellow photographer and friend Wyoming asked me to take some pictures of her family, I was totally excited.  Wy is so cute, her son Wyatt is super cure and Todd is a really great guy.  Wy is almost due with baby #2 so we opted for an easy stroll downtown for thier session.  We found all kinds of awesome spots downtown.  I know I’ll be mining those streets for years to come.

Here are some of my favorites from our outing.  Enjoy!

Steve & Julie Teaser

Posted on August 10, 2010

I love how happy Julie looks here.  She was floating on air the whole day.  More to come!

One Hot Mama!

Posted on August 9, 2010

I had a fantastic family session with the Suiter family on Sunday.  There are lots of great family shots but this one of Wyoming really stood out.  Can you believe she’s 8 months along?  She’s gorgeous!

Not Just Clicking Buttons

Posted on July 27, 2010

“Your camera takes AMAZING pictures!”
“Great photos!  You must have a really good camera!”
“If I get the (insert fancy camera name here) then I’ll be able to take amazing pictures too!”

These comments are heard by photographers the world over every day.  And to some extent, it is true.  Having nice camera gear can make a difficult shoot more manageable but there is a lot more that goes into making a beautiful portrait than having professional gear.  Technology is only part of the story.

Creating great image requires a plan, skill to operate the gear, knowledge of light, posing, aesthetics and the ability to anticipate the “decisive moment” to be able to bring it all together.  Even with all of that in place, however, many images require further knowledge of processing in order to make them really stand out.

Take the two frames below.  In the “Before” picture, many of the elements are already in place.  The pose is there, the emotion, the convergence of lines and the basic colors.  What wasn’t there was the optimum exposure and framing.  Thanks to post-processing, these could be altered and the image perfected.

That’s not to say that all images require this much post work.  In fact, many images just require a minor adjustment.  But I selected this example to illustrate that the vast majority of work that goes into custom photography happens both before and after the shutter is clicked on the camera.

Before:
Location scouting including -
Checking the light at certain times of day
Looking for natural frames and new ways to capture familiar settings
Posing the couple in an aesthetically pleasing way
Interacting with the couple to elicit real emotions
Helping the couple to feel comfortable being themselves in front of the camera

**CLICK**

After:
Downloading the images
Selecting the best ones
Processing the images in a basic way
Making additional artistic edits as necessary

So you see, it is good to have a nice camera that can capture amazing amounts of data but it’s not all about the 1′s and 0′s.  It’s about the vision of the person behind the lens and how they use their technical knowledge to realize that vision.  The next time you look at a professional photograph, think about the work that went in to creating that image.

We all see the world from our own perspective.  I hope you enjoy mine.

The Herbilla Family

Posted on July 21, 2010

I had a great outing with the Herbilla family  last month.  Any day I can capture 3 generations together is a happy day.

Polichar 50th Anniversary Celebration

Posted on July 12, 2010

Recently, I had the pleasure of photographing Sharon and Raulf’s 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration.  It was a joy to witness such a warm outpouring of love and support.  In 50 years, Raulf and Sharon have made many amazing friends, raised great children and been a part of a vital and loving community.

Many of the people who were at their wedding 50 years ago were present – even their attendants!  May we all be so blessed with such love and good fortune.  Here’s to many many more happy years.

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