I love photographing children (especially the babies of my brides, but that’s another story!)…capturing the true nature of a child takes a bit of patience and a little foresight. When you are watching your child at play, get down on his level and get close. Getting close gets rid of distracting backgrounds because after all you want a photo of your child not the fence or the tree or…

The best time of day for photography is before breakfast and at dinner time–I know, I know, that’s why it’s a challenge to get good photos of kids. They’re hungry when the natural light is best! Find open shade–under a tree with a large high canopy or next to a building where there is plenty of shade. I personally love backlit photos, but until you are comfortable with your flash, I advise open shade.

Watch what your child is doing and in your mind anticipate his next move. Children are creatures of habit–they’ll keep doing the same things over and over again; that is, until they get bored after about 2 minutes and go on to the next thing! Your job is to watch his movements and expressions and anticipate when the expression you want is going to happen. When you see it coming, take the picture! If you actually see the expression and then click, you’ve missed it. Practice makes perfect. Keep shooting.

I almost forgot–do not ask your child to smile for you! I’ll bet some of your favorite snapshots of your child shows him in a thoughtful mood. If you must have a smile, do something goofy to make your child laugh which may give you a more natural smile (or his mouth will be wide open and his eyes closed…but, that’s a cute shot, too!).

Here are a couple of images from a recent photography session with two brothers. These are such cute boys! We had a great time by the Buck Creek in Helena. In the first photo, you’ll notice the bright sun in the background, but the boys are in the shade. In the second photo, I used the trees to make a nice dark background in open shade.

Please let me know if you have found these tips helpful. I plan to post more so keep checking in!

Shade with lots of sun in the background

Open shade with a little backlight

Baby Kate was back in the studio this week for her 9 month session. She is so much fun! I cannot tell you how rewarding and fun it is for me to watch these babies grow up before my eyes! I feel like an aunt to each and every one of them. As I was working on the images from Kate’s session, I just had to share this one! Watch for more in the coming days. I really like the painterly affect on this one–it really seems to go with her outfit.

I think every bride deserves her own magazine cover so I’m creating one from the bridal session! Take advantage of this special offer! I’m including a 16×20 magzine cover at no charge for all brides who book with me before November 15, 2010! Check out the cover I designed for Hannah Morrison. It made a unique and eye catching display at her wedding reception. She and her mother both have told me that many guests asked them where they could buy the magazine!

Want to be on your own magazine cover? Call me today for a no-obligation appointment. We are quickly booking for 2011! Our specialty is photographs that show the emotions of the day…our ultimate goal is for you, your family, and your friends to be able to feel your wedding day!

Check out Hannah’s very own magazine cover!

Shelby Beddingfield is competing for Miss Teen Alabama, and she just won Most Photogenic for her category and overall! I am so delighted for her! This is the image we made that won the competitions…isn’t she simply beautiful?! We had a great time in the studio, working together to get just the right look. I’m pleased that our efforts paid off. She’s off to another competition in Orlando! Good luck, Shelby!

What an incredible wedding! The weather was perfect…the venues are beautiful…the bride and groom are so much fun…I love my work! Trey and Kristen came by today to watch their wedding slideshow and pick up their proofs. Here are a few of my favorite images and their slideshow, too. Let me know what you think. We had a blast working with Trisha at The Tutweiler, Noona at First United Methodist Church, Carol with Lillie’s Flowers, and Jennifer at The Summit Club! The band was very good–I think their name is “The Next”…anyway, hope you enjoy these images and their wedding highlights slideshow! Also, Kristen and I had such a good time at her bridal session, I’ve included a couple of those images, too.

Classic...you should see this on canvas!

NorthPort, Alabama, is a very cool little town! Julia and Ben will live there once they are married–they have been dating since they were 15! They’ve been in a long distance relationship while Ben attended the University of Alabama, and Julia, Mississippi State. We had an absolutely wonderful time with them in NorthPort. There are so many places to photograph that we could have stayed much longer, but we ran out of day. The owner of Melina’s, a recently remodeled and re-opened restaurant insisted we use her restaurant for some photos. Check out the black and white tile floor and the beautiful woodwork–reminded me of New Orleans! Enjoy the slideshow of Julia and Ben as they celebrate love!

Greyson and his mom, Julie, came into the studio last week for Greyson’s one year old photos. She brought several changes of clothes…we’re going to do a storybook of his images. What a great way to get lots of images and not have to figure out where to put them on the wall! Julie’s thinking about a couple of the photos for wrap-around canvases…we got lots of images for her to consider! Here are a couple of my favorites as well as a slideshow of the session. Enjoy!

Enjoying a bottle while celebrating being one!

Carla drove through heavy rains this morning to bring Kate for her 6-month old session. It was worth it! We got some really cute images. I’ve just started looking through them–these two images just jumped out at me so I thought I would share. Jackson is 2 1/2 and has been coming to see me even before he was born. He remembers everything! He walks in asking for the blocks, a sucker, and peanut butter. When you see me in person, ask me about the peanut butter–it’s a hoot! Enjoy these two images and watch for more posts later! Please feel free to leave a comment…would love to hear what you think. Thanks!

Kate and Jackson

Mason is a very busy boy as you’ll see from his slideshow! Here’s one of my favorite images, too.

Now I'm One!

LaReunion is a cool coffee house (serves the best chicken salad, too!) in Old Town Helena (owned by husband and wife team Robin and Del). The 2010 LaReunion Idol ended tonight after Alexa and Abby, the last two finalists, showed off their amazing talents. Both young ladies write songs, play guitar, and sing (in front of lots and lots of people!), and they are still in high school! If you didn’t get by to see any of the performances, you really missed out. In a couple of weeks, there will be a Junior LaReunion Idol–check out their facebook page for more information. In the meantime, I wanted to share two of the photos I made of Alexa and Abby…beautiful and talented!

LaReunion Idol for 2010

First Runner Up