Cute As A Button

We are in the middle of removing carpet and installing hardwood floors downstairs in our home. We are hoping we are slowly on our way to better health in our household. With this being said, I'm slowly getting my photos edited, posted to galleries and ready for those of you waiting. I will be without Internet access from Wed. to Sat. Thanks so much for your patience!

I did a session for Sarah and her kiddos last weekend at one of my favorite Urban spots. They were entertaining and constantly being bribed with candy from Mom ;) Sarah made my daughter several pillowcase dresses and they are ADORABLE. I will be posting some pictures soon. But in the meantime check out her facebook here (yes I am on facebook and love it) and her blog here (click on the word,"here," blogger is not cooperating with me today). Her pillowcase dresses are one of a kind and very, "green." She uses recycled pillowcases she finds at various thrift stores, etc. So you feel good about buying her product and you know your dress will be unique in the fact that no one else will have one. To top it off, her prices are extremely reasonable.
Below is one her dresses for sale. Stay tuned, we will be doing a giveaway next week for one of these adorable one of a kind dresses.
Below is Sarah, I think she loves her blackberry as much as I do!
Here is her adorable son who sat so patiently during the whole session.
Thanks Sarah, I had so much fun and I wish you all the luck with your new business.

Sneak Peek~ Townley

I know Sarah is wanting a sneak peek of her photos so I thought I would post this one real quick for her. What Cuties!

Fun Times

Seriously, it does not get much better than this. What a fun little guy. I had a session with this spunky little boy and his family this past weekend. He and his little brother were the perfect little models. I could not believe how well they did for me. Thanks Becky for letting me capture your family, you guys were such a joy.

Renton, WA Get-together

This past weekend we had our ILP (ilovephotography.com) get-together in Renton, WA. It was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout. There was full sun, which I am particularly fond of, but this day was a little different. I think the sand acted as a reflector and proved to be a great challenge for me. All in all, it was a great day and I look forward to hanging out with these talented photographers again in August. My models that day were Dany and her fiance Will along with their beautiful daughter Teilynn. Thanks you guys for being such great sports!

Miss Bella~ Western Washington Childrens Photographer

I was real excited to have this session this past weekend; I was able to try out a new backdrop stand that my husband found on Craigslist, and a new light set that my friend Jeannine is letting me use. Both worked perfectly and I am looking forward to using them again. Thanks Jeannine, these lights worked perfectly! Add all this together and then mix in a perfectly sweet little girl with the biggest blue eyes and you have a recipe for a great session.

Bella is 6 months old; she may look a little familiar, I did her newborn and 3 month photos as well. She is so pleasant and has such a sweet disposition.

Thanks Alisha for letting me capture your sweet little girl, she is a joy!

Grandchildren~ Western Washington Family Photographer

Janice and her grandchildren drove down from Seattle last weekend to create some sweet memories. The girls wanted to model and pose for the picture, and the boys, well lets just say the boys had other things in mind. They were not really excited to see me walking around with a camera trying to capture some shots. I don't blame them, boys will be boys, and they just want to play, make mud pies and eat ice cream!This little ray of sunshine stole the camera spotlight. Those big eyes won me over very quickly.
They loved the old wooden fence, I thought it was pretty cool myself.

There she goes again, just looking sweet and having fun.

I know, I know, I could not help but to follow her around for a bit, she was so sweet and cute.

Thanks Janice for letting me capture some sweet moments of you and your grandchildren.

A Pause...

I took a pause in the action, and did a shoot with my kiddos. I love my family, everything about each one makes me smile. They are all special and make me realize how incredibly lucky I am to have them in my life.

I had to take this picture because Ethan was actually standing still. I think his feet are moving even before we put him down on the ground. That tireless energy will come in handy one day.

I had to put this bottom picture on the blog for good measure, this was pretty much the way most of the pictures turned out. And Mauri, do you have any other tricks besides lollipops?

Brittney~Senior Pictures

My Senior Shoot this weekend was with Brittney, a now graduated Senior! Way to Go Brittney! I love my backyard, the tall grass makes great backdrops for photos. Thanks Brittney and I wish you the best of luck!

Lewis Family II~ Western Washington Family Photographer

Here are a few more pictures from my session on Friday. Michele wanted to surprise her husband with pictures for Fathers Day, I'm thinking he may have figured out what they were up to. Hmmm, we shall see.What a sweet family
These girls were a riot, never a dull moment!

Sneak Peek~ Lewis Family

I had so much fun on Friday with these group of girls. They were full of life, spunky, and ready for pictures. This picture is just a small indication of how the session went. Thanks Michele for making my afternoon exciting.

Baby Aquilina~ Western Washington Newborn Photographer

I had the pleasure of meeting baby Aquilina this past weekend, and I must say he was a perfect angel. He wanted to cuddle and be swaddled the entire session, what a sweetheart. Thanks you guys for such a fun session, even if my backdrop stand broke right in the middle of the shoot. Good thing I have an awesome husband who found me a great deal on Craigslist today. I just mentioned that my backdrop broke and he emailed me with a listing he found. Sometimes I don't know what I would do without him.

I know I'm supposed to be working on putting my watermark on my pictures, let's just say it is a work in progress.

Fun in The Sun~ Western Washington Childrens Photographer

I've been trying to take 3 year pictures of my little girl in between sessions, so here is the first shoot. I have a few more locations/outfits we are going to play around with. She is so much fun now, she loves to pose and then tells me, "take my picture right here." At least I have one poser in the family.I have a new watermark, thanks to Bethany at Bethany Haile Photography. You can access her site by clicking here. She makes custom cards, logos, etc. She is such a talented person. I have it downloaded and everything, now I'm having trouble figuring out how to place it on my photo. I really need to take a class to better understand my Photoshop Program. I think I have the photography side of Photoshop down, now to understand how to make items such as templates, work with colors, text, etc. One day, *sigh*

Evening Shoot~ Western Washington Photographer

I had my first shoot the other day at 6:45 pm. Initially, I thought I would be searching for light, but the time was perfect. I had sunshine, but not directly, so the lighting was ideal. I think I will start doing my evening sessions between 6:15-6:45. Baby Bella was so sweet, she just stood and looked around as I snapped away. I've been working on my black & white conversions, so I thought I would post a few of my favorites.
What a sweet little girl, I could just squeeze her to pieces!

Thanks Thuy for letting me capture some sweet moments with you and Bella, I look forward to more shoots in the future!

Pre-Baby Aquilina- Western Washington Maternity Photographer

We did Lisa's maternity shoot on Saturday and she had baby Aquilina on Monday, Whew, we were cutting it close. I wanted to try something new with my maternity sessions, so we headed outdoors. Other than being stalked by a particular yellow jacket, we had a great time. Thanks Lisa for a great Saturday morning, I can't wait to meet baby Aquilina Sunday morning!

First Budoir Session~ Western Washington Photographer

I feel like it has been forever since I have posted. My youngest little guy has been under the weather, and well, my priorities are taking care of the fam. With that being said, it is nice to jump back in with my editing. I did my first Budoir Session last weekend and it went great. I commend my friend Erin for doing this session as a gift for her husband. I am only posting the one decent pose we did, my Mom visits my site daily and my Southern Baptist upbringing makes it a little awkward. Love ya Mom! I encourage any Mom or Adult Female to do a Budoir Session. It makes you feel great and encourages you to embrace your body!

Precious Bundle of Joy

I had the sweetest little boy visit me right before the Memorial Day Weekend. Seriously, he smiled at me during the first few shots. He was a little shy of 2 weeks and he had the calmest disposition. His parents are wonderful people, he is blessed to have such a loving mom and dad. Here is the picture of him smiling and winking at me; he won me over very early. This is my husband's favorite.
Thanks Isaac & Merriann for letting me meet your little guy; he is such a charmer!

Kaylie Part II~ Western Washington Senior Photographer

Here are a few more favorites from my shoot with Kaylie. Thanks Kaylie and Mom for hanging out with me on a Friday afternoon. You guys were willing to try anything and trusted me with various locations and props. Thanks for all of your positive and encouraging feedback; I love to know that my clients are excited and pleased with their shoot. Can I say again how much I love the sunlight in my pictures. If it is an overcast day, I find myself hoping the sun will peak through the clouds.
Kaylie was such a joy to shoot, I think I may have found another model to practice with!
I had to add the picture below so you guys could get a glimpse of the front of this car. The owner could not believe I wanted to use this car in my pictures, he even watched from afar to see if I was joking.

Kaylie~ Western Washington Senior Photographer

I've been so excited to proof this session, I am only a few pictures in so I thought I would give Kaylie a sneak peek. I shot again in full sunlight, which I love, and I found the coolest old car. The owner of the shop gave me permission to use his old cars and his property anytime, what a find! I hope you enjoy your pictures Kaylie, more to come in the next day or two.

Adam & Vanessa II~ Western Washington Engagement Photographer

Here are a few more from Adam and Vanessa's engagement shoot. Below is my husband's favorite, very classic. This house is leaning so I had to rotate the image to make the house appear somewhat even. Thanks Adam and Vanessa for spending the afternoon with me; you guys truly are an awesome couple, I wish you both the best of luck.

Adam & Vanessa~ Western Washington Engagement Photographer

I met Vanessa and Adam last weekend for an engagement session, and they were so much fun. She was joking around after the session stating that she was not photogenic and how she hoped I was able to get decent shots of her; I will let you guys make the call. This girl is gorgeous and has the face of a model. Not to mention I would give my arm and leg for her hair, OK maybe just an arm, I still have to chase around three kiddos. They were just smitten with each other; it makes me want to get married all over again. You know, renew my vows and go on a second honeymoon....hint, hint John. I still am traumatized from our cruise that felt like we were in the eye of the hurricane. The food was great though, OK back to my session. It has been a while since I posted a B&W, I am still trying to find the right recipe for my conversions.
I will post my husbands favorite tomorrow night as I have a few more that I want to share. I can't wait for you guys to see the senior session I did next to an old rusty car I spotted off the highway. I'm a woman on a mission.

Meet, "The Q"~ Western Washington Newborn Photographer

I had the honor of doing this little man's session at 3 days old. He was the perfect little angel, that is until the last few minutes of the session when he decided to pass a healthy amount of meconium onto his Mom's clothing. I was so proud of him, breaking Mom in early! Babies are so sweet and peaceful, my heart melts every time I do a newborn session. Thanks Molly, for introducing me to the other Man in your life. I can already tell he will be a charmer, mark my words !

Mini Sessions III ~Western Washington Photographer

I am so glad to be back in the game, the photography proofing game that is. My laptop crashed a couple of nights ago so I've been frantically trying to make sure all of my photos were on my flash drive, which they thankfully were. Who knew that Vista was so finicky. I've had XP on my desktop for several years so when I bought my laptop in March I had to deal with Vista. For those of you with Vista as your operating system, make sure all of the, " automatic updates," are downloaded before you shut your computer down. With this being said, I was almost finished proofing my second of third session when my computer locked up; calculate 2-4 hours from beginning to end on each session and you can bet I was not a happy camper.

My husband and I both agree that we like this photo the best.

Don't you just love her hair, so stinkin' cute!
Thanks Alisha for your patience and for being such a great sport and wearing pink for me this day ;)

Mini Sessions Cont.

I hope this post and the one to follow will inspire some of you Moms to do a photo shoot. I think as we become a Mom, we do so much for our family that we sometimes neglect pampering ourselves. This was a lot of fun and I hope next year for Mothers Day I book twice as many Moms for individual shoots. John went to spend some time with our oldest and has not returned, so I'm pretty sure he fell asleep. I will take a chance and say this picture will be his favorite, he likes the simple, classic look of photos. I love this photo because of the green grass, but mostly because I love the expression on Shanee's face.Shanee says she wishes her skin looked like this everyday; if it makes you feel any better, I did not, "doctor," your skin in this shot.
Below is my favorite, mostly because it feels funky to me. Sometimes funky and out of the box suits me just fine.
Have fun in California Shanee, bring back some sunshine for me!

Finally...

I was so excited about this session for two reasons; I was able to get some great shots of Madalyn smiling and looking at me (second photo), and I was able to take a few great family shots with everyone. Thanks Jen for coming out for a mini shoot, you are one amazing person. You should check out Jen's blog site here, it is amazing.

I loved the grass in the photo below, I went back to do a Senior shoot this past Friday and they had mowed my beautiful field of weeds, sniff. My husband is back in the game and below is his favorite shot of this shoot. Below is my favorite shot, I love the haze of the shot and the expression on her face. Madalyn can be very shy and reserved at times, especially around a lot of strangers, but when she smiles and laughs, it melts your heart.

Glam Girls

These girls came ready for the camera; they posed from beginning to end. I barely had to say anything, they just posed, and worked my camera like they were pros. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing the love between Mom and daughters. Thanks for hanging out with me last weekend, you guys were so much fun! They were directing me and telling me what poses I should shoot =)
Here is the next Kate Moss

Your family has grown so much Dany, I remember doing a session with you guys when your little one was just a newborn.

Beverly~ Western Washington Maternity Photographer

I am starting to proof the first of my Mothers Day Mini Sessions. My first appt. was with Beverly, she is due in September and looks great. We stepped outside of the norm and did her maternity session at the abandoned barn. It was fun and made me realize that I CAN do maternity outside of the studio. She is my next door neighbor and definitely one motivated gal. She works full time with the Gottman Institute, teaches at a local college on the side, is an author; http://www.terribletenor.com/, and I think she has another role but it has slipped my mind right now. She and her husband are wonderful, with her husband helping me relax at night by practicing his bagpipes. She once asked me if I could hear him practice and wanted to know if the music bothered me, I quickly told her he was not practicing Loud Enough! She looks wonderful pregnant, she has that glow!
I am currently trying different watermarks and wanting to find something that looks professional! Send positive vibes, lots of prayer, or whatever you think so I can get motivated and get this done!

Oh Me Oh My

What a fun day I had on Friday. This little Miss was full of energy and I had so much fun burning off the previous day's meal:). She danced for me, she modeled my sunglasses, she pranced for the other customers at the nursery, and she twirled in her tutu. I love the innocence and fun ways the little people view the world. It is such a breath of fresh air to come home and pull up my pictures only to see the world through a child's eyes. This is my favorite shot. I love how she is patiently trying to find all the fish in the pond.

Sweet 16

My friend Catey let me take her daughter on a sweet 16 shoot. We had a ton of fun and she walked away with pictures of her Ed Hardy's. What more could a girl want. I want some of these shoes, don't you think they would look cute with my jeans ;)
These pictures were taken in a field behind my house, it is so nice to have a great place for a shoot that is within walking distance.
Thanks for hanging out with me Raechel, just think, in a few years I will be doing your Senior portraits. Catey, I hope I did not throw you in a state of panic.

Black & White

Percy & Adrienne stopped by before their Black & White so I could do a quick shoot while they were dressed to party away. They are the cutest couple and if you need any great ideas about landscaping or you want to see an awesome backyard, then Percy is your man. Below is my favorite, my husband is downstairs organizing the pantry so I thought I would not disturb his diligent work to find out his favorite. Although he has to get back in the game, I am always intrigued by his taste of poses/photographs.

Russ & Emily II~ Western Washington Engagement Photographer

Here are a few more from my recent Engagement session. I'm finally catching up on my editing since my husband decided to come home from Cali. Again he is snoring beside me so his favorite from this session may have to be for my ears only. I love all the trees in Washington, I'm still amazed at how, "green," this state is. Russ & Emily, thanks so much for a fun day and the relaxed atmosphere that you guys created. I know you will have a beautiful wedding and tons of memories.

Russ & Emily~ Western Washington Engagement Photographer

Emily has been so patient, I thought I would give her a sneak peek of her pictures. I'm almost finished proofing their shoot so I'll post more tomorrow. Emily & Russ, you guys were so much fun! Below is one of my favorite shots so far, my husband is snoring beside me so his favorite will have to wait until the second batch. I'm learning about textures and still lovin' the sun!
I actually sought out the sun, it just gives a boost to the pictures. What a great feeling to know that an element that I have avoided for so long is now something that I love to have in all of my photos.
Yes, yes, it is the red barn again. I'm trying to get as much use out of it before they tear it down.

What a Trooper

It was so cold when we scheduled a shoot with Alexis; she was such a sport and hung in there with us. She had the sweetest smile and was such an easy subject. She did exactly as we said and made my job super easy. Thanks you guys!

I'm thinking of buying another pettiskirt, I need to expand my props :)

Party of Five

I met with Darlene and her family this past weekend at Windmill Gardens. She is in my MOMS Club here in Pierce County, I hear she is one busy Mom! I had so much fun watching another Mom round up and corral up three kiddos. I think she does a much better job than I do, I think I need to invest in a lasso. Just kidding. Her children were so intrigued with the Gardens, they wanted to explore every square inch. They are definitely independent and exude a sense of confidence, way to go Mom! Thanks for hanging out with me in one of my favorite calming locations; I just love the sound of the waterfall in the background.

This little guy is the same age as my youngest, it was neat to see him wander around and explore on his own.

She is working that boa, what a princess.

I can't believe they all stood still for the pictures, maybe she needs to share her tricks of the trade with me.

E-Session

Here are my favorites from the Engagement Session, I had a really tough time choosing which ones to post. I have to say that I enjoyed shooting in full sun. I have avoided the harsh sunlight for so long, and then after reading the blog of one of my favorite photographers, I decided to give it a try. At least I'm not terrified of the light anymore, just adds a little more challenge to the court.

I love this old schoolhouse in my town; it was actually the first and only school in Bonney Lake a loooong time ago.
I love their shoes, what great taste!
Such a tender expression....
My husband's favorite below; I always ask him which one he likes best.

Don't you just love the flower in her hair, it just added to her wardrobe.

First Ever..

I am so excited about this session for many reasons; my first ever engagement session, I shot in full sun, and I LOOOOVE her wardrobe. I'm in the middle of proofing this session and I am so pleased, I think I will like doing engagement sessions. Thanks Amy & Pat for driving from Renton to hang out with me this past weekend! More to come later on!

Pre Baby Gapol

My friend Molly and her family came over this past weekend so we could do her Maternity Session. She is due next week, so we are all anxious to meet the new addition. The session was so much fun and Molly let me try out a few different poses! Thanks for hanging out with me, you guys were great! Now go and have that little guy so I can take his newborn pictures.

Get-Together Completed

I am finally finished proofing all of my get-together pictures from this past weekend, whew! Here are just a few more for those of you that have been on me to post more. Now off to work on maternity pictures before my little one wakes up from a nap.

Get-Together Off Camera Flash

Here are a couple of shots using the Off Camera Flash (OCF). I really loved the effect and the brightness it added to each photo. I will have to add a battery pack to my Chrismas list! Thanks Destini for being such a trooper; you froze and smiled continuously for 1 hour, way to go!

Western Washington Get-Together

On Saturday morning, I met with other photographers that live in Western Washington for our get-together. We met in downtown Sumner and did an Urban Shoot. It was so much fun and I learned about Off Camera Flash, which I am crazy about. I will post my pictures using this method tomorrow; I'm already wanting a battery pack so I can take my lights outside.

Below is Destiny, and her gorgeous red hair. You probably remember her from the red barn shoot. This little girl's Mom is a fantastic photographer and is the one that showed us all how to use Off Camera Flash. She lives 10 minutes from me so I'm excited about getting together and doing some shoots with her. I'm upstairs on my laptop, so I will have to post her information tomorrow when I post some other shots.
Below is a cutie patootie that preferred not to be bothered by the cameras. She just wanted her cheerios and her freedom. She is stunning in her Matilda Jane outfit.

And for the grand finale tonight, we have Nathaniel. What a ladies man; he worked the camera for all of us. I was so proud of him and his attention to our lenses. Shanee, thanks for bringing him out on Saturday, he did great!

Born to Be Wild...

I am blogging tonight to show my Mom that I attempted to take pictures for her this morning. She has been asking me for months to send her pictures of all three of my kiddos. My husband was off work today and we had some free time before we ventured off to the fair; we loaded up and gave it an honest try. My friends here in the NW know how active my youngest is; but now I have proof for everyone in the South. He has places to go, all the time! Below was the second attempt at a different location to get all three in a picture. The picture below was Blaise trying his hardest to hold on, Ethan just thought it was funny. The picture below was, "take 2," and again, Ethan was enjoying himself. I had to crop my husband out of most of these pictures because he was chasing Ethan and trying to put him back in place next to the others. I think at this point Addi was fed up, she wanted to take care of business so she can go to the fair. She had no time for goofing off :)

Here was, "take 3," and trust me, there were at least 3 more just like this one, but we knew defeat was imminent. Ethan was just having too much fun running from everyone. Sorry Mom, I did try. I have one more shot that I'm working on that may be halfway decent, but I think Ethan was in blast off position in that one as well.

By the way, thanks Shanee for Ethan's cool shirt, I LOVE it!

Mini Sessions

I will be having mini sessions on Sunday 3rd at my favorite Red Barn. I'm hoping they don't tear it down before then, but if they do, then I've found another Red Barn. What is it with me and Red Barns???? I love the color and textures!

Sessions will start at 8:30 in the morning with each session lasting 15-20 minutes. You will have 10-15 images to view online in your private gallery along with a posting on this blog. Session fee of $30 must be paid to secure your spot.

Email me at jennifertibbetts@ymail.com to inquire about session times or you can leave a comment below if you have any questions about the mini sessions.

Is It Really Spring?

Yes it is supposed to be Spring here in the NW, but you see what my kiddo is wearing. It was really breezy and cold today.

Addi is now at the age where she wants to dress herself; hence Ethan's hat and my scarf. That's OK, I'm promoting independence over here.

I am booked for the rest of April except for a couple of time slots; how exciting is that! I am having so much fun doing something that makes me happy, and challenges me at the same time. I am still learning new things everyday and am excited about the journey ahead.

I love comments, questions, or even feedback; I am still learning and having fun while doing so. So, let me know you stopped by, it is always uplifting and encouraging to see other's thoughts!

Head Shot

Meet Jessica; gorgeous, intelligent, genuine, and Mother of three! She needed a head shot for her business card and website. She is finishing up real estate school and about to be in business! My hat goes off to her; she goes to school, has a part-time job, and raises three beautiful girls. I'm sure she is thankful to start her real estate career and leave school behind. I wish my husband was home yesterday, I would have taken her on an impromptu shoot. Thanks Jessica for hanging out with us yesterday, it was a lot of fun!

Baby Jaxon

Meet Baby Jaxon! He was such a sweet boy at 6 days old; he did not cry one bit, and was a perfect little gentleman. I love newborns; their smell, their skin, but my favorite are their feet. I could look at, squeeze and kiss my kiddos feet all day long...I know, I need foot therapy!

Western Washington Photographer - Teen Shoot

I had a ton of fun at my shoot this weekend! I was able to visit my favorite barn and take shots of a gorgeous red head! The best part about the whole deal; she lives down the street from me. I will be doing another shoot with her in a couple of weeks, our photography group will be meeting for a get-together. Thanks so much Destini for hanging out with me and being adventurous. You are one cute gal!
This picture is my husband's favorite...
This is my favorite. I love the colors, the feel, and composition.

Custom White Balance

OK, most of you that read my photo blog know that I feel very passionate about utilizing Custom White Balance. I can remember when I first put my camera on manual, oh boy do I remember those day. I could not understand why my pictures lacked the luster, the color and the umph... I kept looking at other photos on my favorite forum, and thinking, "my photos look so flat and lack something." I finally read a tutorial about Custom White Balance and thought I would give it a try. I have been hooked ever since. Seriously, no color issues, and no sitting in front of my computer trying to figure out the best way to warm my photos, as well as remove color cast. Check out the tutorial below: It is put together by a wonderful person with MLK Studios, which has awesome online courses!

Custom White Balance Tutorial Here

Here is the straight out of the camera shot
Below is the final photo after my edits. I know the below photo looks so much better, and it should. But, you have to admit the above photo is not bad, especially for a straight out of the camera shot. The color balance is right on. I only cropped (tried the rule of thirds grid but wanted to keep the frame around my subject), used the unsharp mask and then burned out the edges. Oh yeah, resized and sharpened for web! What do you think?

Baby Shower & Yummy Cupcakes

Last weekend a group of us gave our friend Molly a surprise Baby Shower. It was at the coolest restaurant, BJ's; the decor was so rich with color and every wall was covered with some cool print or mirror. Liberty, the main organizer did an amazing job decorating and pulling the entire shower together. Looking at these cupcakes from Indulge in Puyallup is making me hungry.

I had 2 shoots today, but one was cancelled due to the snow. The snow finally melted enough for my afternoon shoot, which I am real excited about. I was able to take pictures at my favorite abandoned red barn, which will be torn down soon :(

Sweet Lil' Bella

Sweet Lil' Bella... Here she is posing for her 3 month pictures. She is getting so big so fast. She was so pleasant and easy to shoot. I can remember like yesterday taking her newborn shots. Alisha is a good friend of mine, so she lets me practice on her family whenever I want... how nice! Thanks Alisha for letting me use your sweet little one as a model.

It felt great to take pictures with my studio lights.. I'm slowly getting the hang of them, although I'm itching to get outside. I have an outdoor shoot on Sunday so I'm hoping for non-rainy weather!

Rule of Thirds

I have recently been using the rule of thirds on a majority of my photographs. I like to pull up my grid before I start processing to see if I am close to the intersecting thirds. Eventually I will not use this grid, but for now, it keeps me focused on composition! Here is a link to an awesome post on rule of thirds. It was started by an awesome photographer, Shaz.

Rule of Thirds Link

Below is my SOOC (Straight out of the Camera) shot, before using the rule of thirds.

After applying rule of thirds

Thrift Store Find II

You guys get to see the full profile of my latest Thrift Store find, I'm head over heels for it. The best part about the whole deal, just $5. John says no more thrift store purchases unless we buy a storage unit; we could convert our garage, OK maybe not.

I am having so much fun, or at least as much fun as I can with the daily rainfall. I feel like I'm finally understanding and actively working on composition, post processing, custom white balance, and yes... EXPOSURE! The next step I want to address is my style. I'm finally getting comfortable with the mechanics of my pictures, now to relax and create pictures that have my signature....