Murphy's Law of Photography

There is a little law.  You may not of heard of it, but photographers know it well.  If you schedule a photoshoot, SOMETHING is gonna happen to somebody's face.  Fat lip, black eye, stitches, big scratch, bad haircut etc., I have heard it all.  So it should not have come as any surprise when I talked to this sweet mommy just hours before the photo shoot and she informed me they had just spent two hours in the E.R. with a bleeding mouth.  Poor, poor little boy fell and bumped his tooth and gum and it wouldn't stop bleeding.  Somehow she was able to comfort him and pull it all together for their photo shoot.  So far, Murphy's law has been fairly kind to me and we have been able to work around it.

 

So, the moral of the story is--once you book your appointment, wrap your selves in bubble wrap (adults included)!  Either that, or I want to see your ticket for breaking the law--Murphy's law of photography.

 

Considering we had a few setbacks, we got some great shots.  Thanks guys! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Princess Nala--Utah Arizona Pet Photography

 

Meet little Miss Princess Nala, the most adorable little ball of fluff around.  Don't you just want to put her in your pocket and take her home?!  I had to restrain myself! 

 

Even her nose and whiskers are cute!

 

 

Princess Nala is the pride and joy of Mele.  For 10 years they have been together loving, brushing, playing, brushing, bonding, brushing and did I say brushing?  It takes a lot of pampering to keep a princess looking this great.

 

 

 

 

Princess Nala is getting old.  It is so hard to see a pet age.  But Nala is so lucky to have a caring family that dotes on her and pampers her like any princess deserves.  I love seeing how Mele adores her.  Their bond and connection is strong. 

 

One little interaction that I saw reminded me of a well rehearsed dance.  Whenever Mele goes to pick Nala up, Nala lifts one paw just the right way and readies herself to be scooped up.  I am sure they have repeated this little ritual thousands of times without even thinking about it.  It was so sweet, it nearly made me cry.

 

 

This is Nala's safe place.  The place she will age gracefully.  The place she will be brushed, loved, adored, caressed and kissed.  And dang it, now I am crying.  Ofa 'atu little princess.

Baby Tatum and her big bro.

You'd never be able to tell that this little girl had a very rough start in life.  And now she is unleashing her beauty on the world one wide mouthed smile at a time!!!!







And here is just one of two big brothers that share the same sparkly eyed, delicious grins that melt my heart.  Awwwwwww.   







Be still my heart!

Flower Power

If you know me well by now, you will know that I enjoy joining groups with assignments that help me think out of my little box and try something new.

 

I heart faces has a very fun assignment this week, faces and flowers--two things that I love very much!

This is image I recently took when some beautiful desert poppies were in full bloom.  I couldn't believe how relaxed this doll was considering that she was laying on rocks!  She rocked the poppies!

 

 

 

Let Me Dance a While With You

 

How do you adequately thank a teacher who has spent thousands of hours with not one, not two, but three of your daughters?  How do you show appreciation to a woman who has taught them good character, the love of reading and how to grow up gracefully?

You spend just a few hours with her and her own daughter as they dance and play and love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They say a picture is worth a thousand thank you's.  Well, at least that is how I say it.

 

Watch for more thank you's on Face Book.

Frank Lloyd Wrong

Yesterday, a good friend was in Phoenix on business and arranged to meet at a place I never knew existed---Taliesin West, also known as Frank Lloyd Wright's home in the west.  I wouldn't say this is a place I would have looked up and gone visit on my own, but I was up for something new.  I wasn't disappointed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the 1 1/2 hour tour we learned many things about his architectural style, his philosophy of form and function and his secluded desert winter get-away but the most interesting thing I learned was that he had many failures.  MANY.  And yet, look at all of his wild successes.  It gave me courage to learn from frustrating and disappointing experiences.  I will try new things.  I will build on the new things that fail.  I will turn wrongs in to Wrights.

 

Thanks Mele for an inspirational experience!

MoM=WoW

 

Do YOU remember the moment you realized your mother was a superhero?

It was an honor to capture this little guy's moment.  I don't want to say too much because I fear words will just mess up the pure sweetness of this image so I will just let the picture speak for itself.  Thanks again SuperLauren.

 

iheartfaces.   "Celebrating Mother's".  Join me and all the rest.

 

Celebrating Mothers Photo Shoot Giveaway

 

Because I love being a mother, because I have a great mother, because I know many great mothers and mother figures and because mothers are just so dang amazing, I am having a

 

photo shoot give away!

Here are the rules and details (because I am a mother and a mother's life is ruled by rules and details).

 

1)  Must be used by May 29th, 2010--before the dragon's breath heat wave is upon us--or by the end of October when the dragon returns to his lair.

2)  Can be for a single person, a couple, children, single family, graduating senior, or pet.

3)  The one hour photo shoot includes disc with 20 high resolution images of your choosing.

How to win:  Simply go to my Face book fan page and under "suggest to friends"  (on the left side under profile pic) tell all of your friends to "like" my page--'cause everyone loves to be liked! 

Make sure the new fans post a comment stating who sent them my way.  They also need to tell me one thing they love about their mother. 

Another good way to send people my way is to post a comment on your personal page with a link to my fan page.

Who ever sends the most fans over by midnight on Wednesday, May 12th, wins! 

Ready?

 

Set.

 

Go!!!!!!!

**One more reason I love spring**

 

Fishing with my best buds!

Developing and Cropping Tips

The Digital Negative:

I love being able to offer my clients digital negatives so that you have the option to print the quantity you want, as often as you want!  However, one drawback in not selling prints is that when you see your web album on your screen it is important to know that computer screens are not created equally.  For example, the images I edit on my work PC look great and print great, but, if I look at them on some of our other computer screens, there can be a drastic difference.  Bleck.  I hope your screen is not bleck.  This is the risk I take when I sell my digital negatives instead of having clients order prints thru me.  Just know that I trust my screen and hope that you will be satisfied with the final images you receive from the printer of your choice.

Just as computer screens are not created equally, neither are printing companies.  Please avoid printing at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS etc.  Those businesses are great for many things, they are just unable to match the potential of high quality prints that my professional equipment are capable of.  At this time, my favorite professional lab is Mpix.  They have great quality and are not much more expensive than a place like Costco.  Costco also, is a gem.  They have great results and are very affordable.  One of my favorite options at Costco is their 16x20 Poster Prints (they are currently $14.99).  If you have wall space, they make a statement!  You can see them from across the room in their full, high resolution beauty!  They are sturdy with a half inch white border on all sides.

If you are ordering prints over the internet, make sure to upload the images to the printer in the  FULL RESOLUTION option.  You may get a resolution warning if you have not done this.

Developing & Cropping:

Be aware when choosing photos to be printed that it is VERY IMPORTANT to check the cropping feature.

Always check that you like how the photo will be cropped or you may end up with important stuff chopped off!

Sizes LEAST affected by cropping--3.5x5, minis, wallets, 4x6, 5x7, 6x9, 8x12, 12x18, 16x24. 

Sizes MOST affected by cropping 8x10, 8.5x11, 16x20

My recommendation is that if you have an image that you love everything about  and don’t want anything chopped off, try the 8x12.   That size has saved  wonderful images for me many times!

It is also VERY IMPORTANT when you go to print, MAKE sure you select the option to have auto correct OFF. Otherwise, they apply edits that often are much too dark and may or may not ruin your picture. It may not be easy to find where to turn it off.

For example, if ordering from Costco, this step is on the final page when it is time to review and place order. Customer support of your printing company can help or let me know if you have any questions.

Why I love spring 2010