Ruth Thompson Photography

iPhone Sunset ~ Seattle

2012-01-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

Who says that it never is sunny in Seattle in the winter? Here is proof and I'm so glad I went out to enjoy it today.

I'm pretty much in love with my iPhone and it's awesome picture taking capabilities!

Once Upon A Time...

2012-01-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

...I shot my first wedding! Well, not my first ( I shot a few out of high school on film with my Canon AE-1), but my first that I'm proud of! I learned so much on this shoot and since July I have been able to apply what I've learned, buy new gear, and decide that I do like to shoot weddings. I still have a long ways to go and I want to play more with light, but for now these aren't half bad to me.

Anyway! Here is the beautiful Kristel and the handsome Jason on their most special day ever! Seriously, I had so much fun on this shoot and it was great to work with my friend Laurel and her awesome family!

And don't forget to enter to win a new camera! Click here to enter.
http://bit.ly/xMb0MM

MCP Actions Giveaway!

2012-01-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

So one of the blogs that I follow is going to give away a new camera! Enter to win a Canon 5D Mark II or a Nikon D700! It's worth your time to just give it a try.
http://bit.ly/xMb0MM

Click on the link above.

In the meantime, here is another photo of my son from the snow.

He really wasn't into all of the snow right before his nap, so we'll have to try again next year.

And I love this one of him looking out of the window at allof the snow! He's growing up too fast!

An official shoot of Asher!

2011-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've posted an official shoot of Asher on this blog yet, so here is one we just did about 20 minutes ago in my room! Love his budding personality and the SUNSHINE!

I love my kid- I heart faces

2011-10-24T03:14:00.000-07:00

I should never choose to post photos of my own child on here because I can never choose just one photo! So, here he is just being himself and playing. I love it because he has no idea I am behind him snapping photos and you can see in his reflection that he's just looking intently at himself...so adorable! He's doing what he loves and I caught it! Nothing staged just what we do.

I Heart Faces~Sun Flares!

2011-09-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

I love making good sun flare photos! This is one of my favorites for a few reasons:

1. It takes a bit a skill to get it right. Auto Focus doesn't work with the sun shinning in my lens, so I manually focused.

2. I got to use my 50mm (he's been neglected since my new lens came along).

3. To get the flare right I placed her in the center of the photo. I know, not so visually interesting, but the the flares give the photo some interest.

4. My senior is just super pretty and was a lot of fun!

Cannon Beach ~ Part 2

2011-09-01T22:52:00.000-07:00

You can't go to Cannon Beach without getting some awesome beach shots! So pretty! We're definitely going back.

But first some before shots of the family getting ready for photos.

Cannon Beach Family Reuion Shoot ~ Part 1

2011-08-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

Way back in July Shem, Asher, and I went down to the beach to shoot some family photos of my sister-in-law's family. Can I just say that despite the young children being well, young and wiggly they were a dream to photograph! I'm so used to kids running everywhere during a shoot but these guys knew what to do and when to do it.

White: I heart faces photo challenge

2011-08-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I've done an I heart faces contest, so here is one of my sweet baby boy. I love this photo of him because it was so simple to take! He had just been bathed and was happy, so I laid him on my bed, grabbed my camera and did a bright and white mini-shoot with him. I had been planning a shoot like this for him since before he was born and I was very happy with the results. I love how you just see him, his perfect face, and that he is just looking calmly into the camera. The white mimics the dreamy look he has on his face too.

The girl and her ukulele

2011-07-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

Shooting Seniors is definitely one of my favorite subjects to shoot! Kaylee was loads of fun and super cool because she plays the ukulele! Very Israel Kamakawiwo, huh? :) This native from a small town in Arizona decided that while here in Seattle she would get her pictures done so that they were different from every one's back home. I think we got different considering that Seattle has water and is super green compared to her native desert. Thanks Kaylee!

Love these ones with her playing! The sun flare adds a cool touch and, she looks gorgeous playing too.

First time shooting at the Botanical Gardens and I can't wait to go back again.

Preview

2011-07-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Had another shoot at Gasworks park today! This girl is absolutely stunning! More to come soon.

Senior Shoot ~ Seattle Style

2011-05-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

I hope you're sitting down for this post (well, you probably don't stand when you're at the computer) because these photos are amazing! I used to live in Timerie's basement when Shem and I were first married, we rented it from her parents. It's been so fun to see her grow up from being a freshmen into a beautiful, inteligent, and fun young woman and these pictures show just how amazing she is.

This shoot also developed a theme too. It's color! We found so many places with murals and pops of color and we used them in almost every shot. Timerie is all about color...just check out her purses below.

Love the orange store front!

She wanted a picture with a puddle and we found one even though it has been sunny around here.

Beautiful in black and white!

Some awesome back lighting! I just love the sun!

I love her tank...I mean car! She's quite fond of it too, hence the photos.

The gum wall.

She loves her purses and I love these pics.

A new little.

2011-04-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

I think I just set a world record for getting these pics edited so quickly. What can I say? I guess I'm just highly motivated since my little one will be here any day...or week. :)

Meet Mr. Preston in all of his cuteness.

No words...just pics

2011-03-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

I still love my new lens and I have noticed a BIG difference in editing. The colors are more true, exposure is almost spot on, some are a bit cold, but hey, it was raining and I live in Seattle, and shadows are easily touched up with my adjustment brush. It pays to have good gear. Now I just need some better weather. :)

BTW- her eyes are really that blue! So gorgeous!

New lens test run~ Cute kids

2011-03-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

I. Love. My. Lens! Seriously, I am so in love with my 24-70mm baby that my real baby is kicking me out of jealously. :) Poor little guy is going to have to get used to my obsession since he will be the subject of most of my photos for a while after he is born. :) It feels so good to have gone out and taken some photos despite the rain. Thanks Wendy! Your kids are so super cute.

Here is a peak.

Learning. Playing. "Logoing"

2010-12-30T22:29:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with Photoshop elements and Photoshop just to get the hang of templates and, since I'm avoiding my grading, I decided to add my very cool logo to a photo of mine. Check it out. I feel pretty cool right now...photoshop is freaking complicated, so I did this in elements. I could also just have a bogus version of CS...who knows, but more likely it's just me.

Go, Go, Go!

2010-12-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

This little girl is fast! Her attention span is about as long as 2 seconds and she has a mind of her own. So, how do you take a cute picture of a little girl that moves? Well, you try to bribe her with raisins and then you give up and take pictures of her doing what she wants to do. I think that this is totally fun too! Why make the wiggle-worm sit still for a picture in misery when you can take pictures of them exploring, running, making funny faces, etc.?! Enjoy!

One sitting down shot in front of the tree.

Trying to escape.

She was fascinated with my batteries, lenses, etc.

Playing with Dad's blackberry, ear piece, and laptop while looking oh-so-cute!

Reaching an ornament...notice the lack of decorations below?

Reading.

Sucking on my shutter release cable...she loves gadgets!

She let me take this picture of her shoes! She's all girl!

Cooperating for Mom and photographer #1, or is this #2?

One last very cute smile!

Thoughts, goals, and a baby

2010-12-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

A baby changes everything. At least that’s what I’ve heard, and not really understood, until now. Expecting my first child in May has completely thrown my goals in a different direction, well, maybe not in a completely different direction; however it makes sense to delay some of them and focus on baby for the time being. Let me explain.

I have this goal of having a photography business. I want to be a natural light photographer and my focus will be in portraits and even weddings in the future. My style is simple, clean, bright, natural, and in a word; you. Over the summer I had a lot of time to put myself out there and I even had a few paid jobs which has given me a lot of confidence in my ability to create a successful business despite the saturation of photographers out there. I feel like with more practice and learning my style will become more evident in my work, my ability to focus and frame photographs will become second nature, and posing my subjects will also become effortless. These are a few of the things that I wish I had time to work on right now, but if I’m honest with myself I know that some of these goals need to be put on hold for a while.

It’s not easy to focus so much on such a big goal of mine for just a few months and then be forced to put it off to the side while I focus on the work I have to do in front of me and the growing boy inside of me. But I’ll do it. I’ve realized that this baby is so very special to me already. I’ve waited a long time to be at this stage in my life and I’m moving forward knowing that things will be different when baby is here. He will be my focus, my life, my one main goal will be to take care of him. Photography will be much lower on my list of priorities.

So, despite my sadness and feelings of being left behind in the world of building my own business while many friends and family members move forward I’ve also realized that there are some advantages to waiting. Here are a few:

• I can still make money with what I do. I just won’t raise my prices or be able to offer fancy print packages. I’m just not ready yet.
• I have this time to practice and perfect my skills. When it’s time to open that business it will open in a big way. I’ll be more than prepared.
• I will finally be able to take pictures of my own baby.
• I have more time to discover and read books and blogs. There is so much to learn just from observing and then figuring out how to get a similar look in your photographs.
• I can focus on my current full-time teaching job, which I happen to enjoy a lot as well.
• I learned how to take photos on film with my canon AE-1 and there are a few amazing photographers out there who use film. It's possible that I may inherit a medium format film camera, so I want to learn why photogs are turning back to film, what the benefits of film are, is it cheaper, what kinds of film are out there, and just the overall pros and cons of film. The thought of going film professionally is very intriguing to me...very intriguing. I'll have time to really think about my options with film and digital.
• I can learn how my friends have built their business. I’m not about to reinvent the wheel with this one. I will beg, borrow, and even steal ideas that seem to work. Seriously, why not?
• Opening the business after the baby is a bit older and we’re adjusted to one another will make it easier to focus on it. Baby will be number one for me.

Anyway, I hate to have to slow down and back away from this business for a while, but in the end it will be more than worth the wait. Besides, I waited a while until I found the right guy and he was completely worth the wait! This baby will be more than worth the wait too.

On another note, here are some cute shots of my friends’ baby. He loves to have his diaper changed so I snapped some shots of him in his moment of pure joy. :)

My bro and his brood

2010-11-27T22:45:00.000-08:00

One of my bro, his photog wife, and their little Marlie. Smiles provided by my Shem. :)

A bunch of Hams!

2010-11-14T22:05:00.000-08:00

My nieces and nephews are a bunch of hams! They know how to be the star of the show and they love to be funny! I can't tell you how much fun it was to photograph them, but I can tell you that the kids all had their own ideas for poses and Mom and Dad made them laugh those real-oh-so-cute-smile-laughs during the whole shoot. Here are my faves.

And then we had some fun in the leaves...these pictures capture the true personality of the kids and mom and dad.

I love this picture above even though it's not perfectly focused I think it's awesome!

Senior Shoot at Gasworks from September

2010-11-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

My brain turned to mush and my energy level tanked a few weeks after I found out I was pregnant so I totally forgot to post this senior shoot. This guy is amazing by the way! He wants to go to Stanford and he'll probably get in, he did a great job in my husband's IB physics class last year (and that's not easy to do), and he wants to study Biology. Not only is he incredibly intelligent, but he was a lot of fun to talk too during his shoot.

A fall baby

2010-10-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Amanda had her third boy about a week ago...he's so cute! I hope my baby is just as cute and happy. More to come later...in the meantime I'm going to daydream about my little one coming in May. :)

Portland Wedding with Nikki! ~ Sally and Doug

2010-10-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few from my camera last Sunday. Nikki did an awesome job, so go and check out her favs from the Wedding. BTW, I have a senior and family shoot to load as well...they will be up within the week. :)

Love, love, love Kate Spade! If only I could afford it.

Below is a classic shot my Dad always takes at weddings of the rings...I think it's timeless and classy.

Issaquah Senior Photographer-Brooke

2010-09-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

I think the music to Glee helps my creative juices to start flowing because I had so much fun editing these photos! Brooke is an awesome girl and she loves to run, hence the reason why we took her pictures at Lake Sammamish State Park. I love her red hair and her fair skin...so pretty!

I love Texture.

2010-09-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

I love fields and pictures of people in fields are even better because of the texture and I think it's just fun to lay in a bunch of tall grass. Doesn't Brooke look incredible? I loved her gorgeous red hair and pretty complextion...more to come later.

A favorite of some favorites

2010-08-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Rachael and Richard are our good friends...they feed us good food, eat cheese with us, talk about intelligent things with us (She has a law degree from BYU and he's an accountant), and they make everyone happy. I can't wait to have you guys over for dinner! :)

More of Sam.

2010-08-20T11:14:00.000-07:00

I still love this shoot...enjoy! School starts soon, so this may be the last post for a while. Oh, and I can't leave without thanking Sam's parents, Sylvia and Charlie! Thanks for making Sam smile to his full potential, for making him laugh, and for holding my reflector. His pictures wouldn't have been as great without you both. :)

Parent love...

I'm so freak'n excited about this shoot!!

2010-08-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

I loved everything about this shoot! The lighting, the senior, his helpful parents, Gasworks Park, the sun, the cool machinery, and the lighting. :) One of my favorite shoots to date. This is a pre-sneak peak, so more to come after I lay my new flooring this weekend with the hubs...fun times.

Do you like the lighting? Is there a better way to edit this photo? Let me know if you have any cool ideas!

Beautiful Roses

2010-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Get ready for a picture overload because I have a lot to share! Last weekend, on a cloudy Saturday morning, I got together with some good friends for a family session. Their little one turned one last week, so this shoot was all about her! We took loads of great shots, so there will be more to come. :) Thanks guys, I hope you like them!

I love these shots of her climbing the stairs with her friend. What great expressions and she was so proud of herself when she reached the top!

So cute!

Her prefered way of walking.

Yes, those are my toes. I love it when my subjects like to get up close and personal with the camera. :)

More Beautiful Baby Eyes...*sigh

2010-07-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

This little gal has to-die-for deep blue eyes and I love them everytime I take her photos. She's even cute when she isn't happy. And thanks to my awesome husband who came along to hold my reflector! I'm so lucky to have him...he's been working so hard with me on our house to remodel it this summer and I couldn't ask for more from him. :)

Little Miss E...

2010-07-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

One year olds are unpredictable and Miss E decided to not be in her normal happy mood for pictures like in this shoot and this one when she was a newborn. I've been photographing her since before she was born and it has been so much fun to see her grow up! I see some newborn to 1 year old packages in the future for Ruth Thompson Photography. Heck, I should even discount the package for families having their third or more kid because my Mom had tons of photos of me when I was a baby, but once she had her third and onto her sixth kid documenting their 1st year became less of a priority while balancing life with six crazy-attention-seeking kids.

Anyway, here are a couple shots with Miss E...we'll probably do a re-shoot of this little gal when she's in a better mood, but until then here she is cuddling with mom.

Baby details.

2010-07-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

This little boy was such a joy to shoot! He was awake and very interested in his world around him. Here are some detail shots of little B.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Baby Feet

2010-06-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

I LOVE this shoot that I just finished of my friend Rebecca's new baby! Here are his feet. :)

As promised, the finished product!

2010-06-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

I seriously had so much fun on this shoot and I think that seniors, Gasworks Park, and summer time (with sunshine) are my new favorite things! Okay, I've always loved the sunshine, but taking pictures of seniors is a lot of fun! "Y", pictured below, is amazing! She was so open to whatever I wanted to do and naturally looks and posses like a model. She's accomplished in all aspects of her life and will be earning an IB diploma from Interlake in 2011! Hanging out with her and her friend was a treat and she's going to do many great things in her life after high school.

Here is your sneak peak!

Despite the sun flare I love this picture below!

Senior Sneak Peak.

2010-06-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

I had a fun shoot with this girl last week. More to come later today or tomorrow!

Online gallery viewing/website/order prints here!

2010-06-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

I've been working diligently tonight to get this account set up. This will be a place for anyone to see my photography, clients to see their personal galleries, and you can even order prints right after you view your gallery! I'm so excited! Go and check it out here

This is why I love Seattle

2010-06-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

A hippie at Gasworks Park, Seattle.

For anyone who loves Mr. T

2010-06-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

Shem let me take some photos of him at a blueberry field in Bellevue today. Normally he complains about being my model, but this time was different...he offered to be my model so that I could play with my flash on an overcast day. So, for anyone who is a fan of my Mr. T enjoy! Show him some love too...he'll give you extra credit. :)

Freedom = time to catch up!

2010-06-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished editing this shoot of my niece Kaybrie. I can't tell you how good it feels to be done with school and to be able to spend time taking and editing photos! These pictures aren't the best since they are grainy (Canon 20D @ ISO 800 = grain) and I should have used my flash, but I liked the natural light and I thought I would try it. Anyway despite the grain my new niece and her family really make these pictures spectacular!

Photo Contest! I heart faces.

2010-05-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

My friend Paige entered the I heart faces contest, so I checked it out and it looks super cool! Here is what I'm posting.

This site looks like a lot of fun and when I have more time in the summer I plan to post more. :)

This weekend.

2010-05-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend was full of fun, work, and some much needed relaxation for my hubby and I. Did I mention that I loved the warm sunny weather this weekend too? It was fabulous!

We had a surprise party for my MIL and these were the pretty flowers on the table.

My niece picked this bouquet for my MIL. Isn't she talented! She did a great job of putting the flowers and colors together.

And yours truly. Hanging out, laying in the sun on the grass at the park.

More from Saturday

2010-05-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more from Saturday. Taking pictures of family is so much fun and I love how the kids seem to be more at ease and comfortable with a familiar face behind the camera. The pictures of the kids really show how they each took to their new baby sister.

Sneak Peak of Kaybrie!

2010-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Here is one little shot of the new little one. She didn't want to sleep at all while being photographed...so cute!

All about Zia

2010-04-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

My Niece Zia is, as of today, a big sister! She and her brother Malik are the proud siblings of Kaybrie who was born this morning. In honor of Zia becoming a new big sister here are a few more pictures of her from my shoot with her. I absolutely love her expressions...they make my heart melt and I think they tell a story about a cute little girl who can steal your heart with her blue eyes and blonde curly pigtails. :)

And here is one of big brother. :)

Teaching Rachael about her camera

2010-04-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

My friend Rachael (who knew my sister Joy very well when she served her LDS mission in Lansing, MI) and I spent a lot of time together during my spring break. One of our activities was going out and teaching Racheal how to use the manual controls on her camera and in the process I got these shots. She's such a beautiful, tall, and fun Mommy and Anna is so blessed to have such a cool Mom to raise her!

I think I like this picture in black and white more.

I think that I enjoy natural light photography the best. After shooting in a studio setting I still want to play around with it and see if I can get better results, but in my opinion nothing beats an un-posed natural light photograph...as long as you have good light. :)

Playing with the backdrop and kids!

2010-03-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day taking pictures of kids in a studio setting with lights and a backdrop and I think I did really well! I kept the lighting simple and bounced a spotlight off of an umbrella and the had a reflector on the opposite side with both light sources angled toward the center. It was a real easy set up.
Here are some samples.

More adjustments in Lightroom

2010-03-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

You can also locally adjust exposure with the adjustment brush in Lightroom. Look at the difference on Shem's face from the picture on the top to the picture on the bottom. His hat shaded most of his face while mine got a lot of sun. I wanted to see the detail in his eyes so I used the brush to dodge in that shadded area. So cool! I also brightened his blue eyes a bit.

Localized adjustments in Lightroom

2010-03-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I started to think that I had a pretty good understanding of Lightroom and then I bought a book and discovered the local adjustment tools. :) I feel like a whole new world has been presented to me and I want to discover how all of these tools work. So, I took a picture of myself (Shem really took it) and started to tinker a bit.

Here is what I came up with before using the adjustment brush:

In this first one I only used the aged photo preset and I decreased the clarity to give my skin a soft look (it also reduces the apperance of blemishes). When I first edited this photo I really wished that my lips had been more red and that my eyes were brighter.

Check out what the adjustment brush was able to do:

With the adjustment brush I was able to brighten and enhance my eyes, put some color into my lips, and whiten my teeth. What do you think? I really like the effect on the eyes. When I take pictures I always try to get a nice shimmer in the eyes.

A few more from Newport Beach, CA

2010-03-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Shem and I were at his friend Ryan's Wedding on a boat and I decided to walk around and take pictures of interesting details. I mostly just took pictures of the cake, but whatever. I think that once I get this business up and running I'll want to do a few weddings a year. Why? Weddings are beautiful ceremonies and create the kind of memories that we want to remember. Like this one below. Ryan is an incredible musical artist and while we were waiting to begin he created a song on the piano.

wedding in newport beach, ca...tender moment

2010-02-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

I took this shot of Shem's friend from high school, Ryan, and his Mom before Ryan's wedding. He is an amazing artist and as he composed a beautiful piece on the spot I caught this tender moment between the two. I don't know them very well, but from this picture I think that they must have a special mother-son bond.

Technical Dificulties

2010-02-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love gadgets...but I hate it when they don't work for me. It makes me feel like I'm crazy because when something isn't working I keep telling myself how it used to work and through the process of trouble shooting I start to feel a little looney. :) My DVD drive isn't burning discs anymore, but thankfully my handy husband is around to tell me I'm not crazy and to help me fix the problem. Anyway, here are some edited pics from my last shoot that I'm waiting to burn to a DVD.

Almost done!

2010-01-25T21:36:00.000-08:00

One of the advantages of digital is the freedom to take as many photos as your memory card will hold; however, it's also one of the disadvantages. I'm finally through the "rough" edit as I call it of this shoot and tomorrow starts the fun artsy stuff! :) I think that I will make it my goal on my next shoot to really think about each shot and then only take what is needed. I've also discovered that if my f/stop is set too low, and if my subjects are in front and behind each other that either the person in front or in the back seems to be more soft. I'll definitely close down that aperature to something between 2.0 and 2.8 next time for optinmal crispness! :)

Baby "E" is just too cute!

2010-01-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a preview of baby "E". I took her newborn photos back in May and today I had the chance to take some more pictures of her. Mom, Dad and baby are just so photogenic and I love taking their pics. Lot's more to come later! :)

SOAR! Video

2010-01-04T21:42:00.000-08:00

So I've applied for this photography scholarship sponsered by Me Ra Koh http://www.soarwithmera.com/ which will give 3 women all of the tools they could ever dream of having to start a photography business, cool huh? Since I'm really in a great position to go through a program like this I figured that I'd apply just because I knew that if I didn't I would wonder what would have happened if I had. So, go check out her website, she's super cool and inspiring and she's in Seattle! We find out this Friday who wins the scholarship and I'm so excited to see who will get it! :)

P.S. I'm a total dork in my video and I think that I sound funny, but my pictures and the music are great!

A splash of spring...in winter.

2009-12-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I love winter and even the Seattle rain and the cold rain in my lungs when I go running, but somtimes during these dark winter months I need a pick me up...I hope this makes you happy too! :)

To not eat chocolate is to cease to live!

2009-11-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks,

I seriously should update my family blog, but this is more interesting right now...chocolate!!! I love the stuff and at times it's a true battle to keep myself from eatting it at every meal. It doesn't help that my husband at times will crave it like crazy either. He just walks in the door after work with a big bar of chocolate like it's perfectly okay that he has already eatten most of it already and then...I give him the "you've got to be joking me look! I can't believe you ate the whole bar!" look. Yeah, we love chocolate! Enjoy!

External Flash canon speedlite 580x

2009-11-22T00:08:00.000-08:00

I bounced light off of the ceiling and used a Gary Fong (http://www.garyfongestore.com/) diffusers for this shot. Shem is literally in mid-sentence saying to me: "you need to find a manikin to photograph." The first picture is with direct flash and then second is diffused and bounced off the ceiling. As you can see in picture one the flash was so bright that he refused to open his eyes...maybe I should go find that manikin for late night photo experiments. :)

One shot from today...Thank goodness for tripods and quick legs. :)

2009-11-15T00:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I'm not that fast, but I was fast enough to pose myself in front of the camera in 10 seconds!

Cropping tool in Lightroom 2

2009-11-14T13:44:00.000-08:00

Post processing results. The difference is very slight, but in the bottom picture "S" looked like he was sitting on a slant, but after some cropping and straightening it looks much better.

50mm f/1.4 lens

2009-11-14T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'm really loving this lens...I hope I can get it! The depth of field is amazing!

My christmas family photos are coming soon! Check back to take a look. :)

Q and R's Family sneak peek! :)

2009-10-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from this weekend! I love taking pictures and even though I don't feel like I'm amazing yet and I find mistakes with my work I love the learning process and willing models!!! Thanks Q! :)

Fall in Washington

2009-10-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

I love crisp fall leaves...more fall to come. :)

My husband is a model :)

2009-10-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

When my husband was in high school he had a teacher ask him if he was a model. If you know Shem then you'd know that he would do nothing of the sort, yet by a lucky strand of DNA he really could be a model if he ever aspired to be one. I doubt he would ever do that, so in the meantime he's my model and a very handsome one at that! :)

Cute laugh, Fun Dad

2009-10-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

Close-up shots of Kids

2009-10-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've learned that kids are fast...really fast especially when it comes to taking pictures of them. I think I took at least 20 pictures of nephew "S" above and the best one was this one. Mastering the art of capturing a child in the momemt is one of my goals as a photographer because they're only small once and they change interests so quickly. How fun would it be to remember how much your kid loved trains and obessively played everyday until they got involved in trucks? I want to capture those moments. :)

Chicken Carnage

2009-10-18T14:28:00.000-07:00

Eatting chicken can a serious business for a hungry 4 year. That chicken never had a chance against the chomps of boy chicken eatter.

Playing around

2009-10-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

I'm looking at some new lenses to add to my arsenal and so far my favorite is the 50mm 1.4 beast of buttery blur. :) Check these out.

Catching up with the finished products from Amy and Justin's shoot

2009-08-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

I like these dreamy looking pictures, I think it makes them look sweet.

Memories...

This one is one of my favorites and I really don't expect a lot of people to love it, but I think it really makes them pop!

A Taste of Amy and Justin's Engagement Photos

2009-07-10T12:01:00.001-07:00

While Shem and I were in Marquette, MI visiting my friend Amy and her fiance Justin I took some engagement photos for them. Here is a sample! I had so much fun with them and the lighting and sites were just perfect!

I just love baby feet and Lightroom 2!!

2009-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I've been feed, napped, and in a word; revived! :) I should be making my review packet for my students' Spanish final, but I just couldn't help but edit a couple pictures! Don't you just love baby feet! :) I love our angelic the top one looks and in the second one how Christie's hand looks humungo (sp?) compared to Ellie's little feet. :)

Ellie Lynn's Debut!

2009-06-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

Ellie is the cuttest baby and she was so much fun to photograph! She was sleepy, then awake and just so adorable! These are just out of the camera, although for a couple of them I changed them to black and white for some definition. Enjoy, touched-up photos will be up soon. :)

My Favorite from Christie's Shoot

2009-05-19T17:13:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite shot of Christie, I like how the high contrast BW shows off her perfect skin and dark hair. More pics are coming soon!

Maternity Shoot with Christie and Alan

2009-05-09T22:34:00.001-07:00

Christie and Alan let me take pre-birth pictures of Ellie and I must say that she's a beautiful baby in the womb! :) I look forward to taking her newborn shots soon. (this is just a taste of what I took too).

Baby Charlotte's Blessing Day

2009-05-03T21:17:00.001-07:00

The proud parents!

Angry baby...I love this shot!

My newest niece was blessed today in church and my sister-in-law Liz asked if I would take some pictures of her and here are a few of my favorites. I was dissapointed with the fuzziness of some of the shots, but also really amazed that I was hand-holding my camera at a 1/4 sec!

Mount Vernon Tulip Festival

2009-05-03T21:01:00.001-07:00

While I was at the Tulip Festival I really wanted to take some pictures of some kids playing in the fields and I thought to myself that I would offer my assistance to the next family that asked me to take a picture with their camera. So, a family came along, they needed assistance and in turn they allowed me to take some family photos with my camera. :) We both assured one another that we weren't creepers and exchanged phone numbers and emails in order for me to send them the shots. I had so much fun with these kids and they really just did their thing without any prompts from me.

Tulip fields w/o color...I can't think of words to describe this photo, feel free to share your adjectives with me!

Shem asked me why I took a picture of a dead flower and I just responded: "why not?" it looks cool, so I took it!

More from Vancouver

2009-04-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

A bride and groom showed up at the park, so I was sneaky and took a couple shots.

I love benches.

Shem took this sunset picture from the car while we were waiting at the border to enter the states again. He did a great job!

Some pictures from Vancouver, BC

2009-04-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

After recovering my camera, which was in our car that had been towed while we ate lunch at Stepho's, Shem was my model and was very patient and let me take lots of pictures of him! I have a ton of pictures to post, but I still need to edit them, but here is a taste of my madness in Vancouver B.C.!

My faves

2009-03-31T19:43:00.000-07:00

March Madness!!

2009-03-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

Random picture of our phone...I'm practicing framing my subject on an angle. I think I'm on my way to having it all figured out. :)