I have so many favorites that it’s a little bit silly and almost impossible for me to start weeding them down. Here are a few of the sneak peeks I made up for her mommy, though! (I feel particularly proud of these shots because I knit the little wrap she is in.)

This next one has a little bit of a vintage feel. I have been playing around with post-processing a few photos here and there differently, and I love the look on this one:

Mallory and her sweet family:

I want to talk about lenses (those I love and those I’ve let go) on one of the photography Tuesdays, so I won’t say much more than: if you don’t have it, you need it.

And share these fun test shots. (I wasn’t the only one who got presents today–Will’s presents from his grandparents’ trip to Disneyland arrived while he was napping, too.)

And one that makes my heart melt. I am very lucky to be the recipient of lots and lots of love and hugs and face smashing.

This week? Lighting, part one.

For your viewing pleasure…we have, the bad photo:

And the good one:

The Basics

It’s easy to look at the top photo and see that a flash fired when I used my on-camera flash when I took the picture. The second picture appears to use natural light or at least more skillful flash use (natural light).

The Bad photo has Nic much brighter than his background, with white areas on his forehead and cheek. The flash has cast a shadow on the back wall (we’ll return to this next week) and all in all, it’s not pretty.

One of the most basic pieces of advice when it comes to lighting for snapshots: turn off your flash whenever possible. There are many cameras that fire a flash in almost any indoor setting, and many times it isn’t needed. Turn off your flash and see what happens. Your indoor evening photos will probably look warmer (more yellow/orangey), but that can be welcome, since it is more likely how you remember the scene.

Flash light is harsh and unflattering. When you can control it, it’s better to have more even lighting for your family pictures (near a window, under shade, or outside on a cloudy day).

Step it Up

This is the part where we say that even the good photo sucks a little. The light was even and flattering, but I failed to capture any of it in Nic’s eyes. Great catchlights (the highlights in your subject’s eyes) are at the heart of an engaging portrait. I’ll let adorable Eli from this weekend’s session be my catchlights model:

So what could I have done differently in Nic’s picture to put some catchlights in those eyes? I could have turned him in different directions to see what would happen, but on this flat super cloudy day, I would probably have better luck with a reflector. I have a 5-in-1 reflector that I adore. By holding it angled up toward his face, even on a cloudy day I most likely would have been able to shine some light back into his eyes.  (of course, then I would have to contend with glare on his glasses, but it would have been easy enough to ask him to take them off)

As for the lighting on extra adorable Eli, I took his portrait in front of a window. I could have spent all day playing with him and his amazing blue eyes!

Here’s what’s going on around here:

- First snow of the season on Sunday. “Woo-hoo!” as my son would say (Nic taught him to say that whenever it’s cold.)

- I have some very exciting things coming in the mail that will ensure that this blog gets the attention it deserves. I’d share the news, but that would ruin the surprise.

- I am watching Chuck while I type. Hence the spelling errors (if there are any). I am loving the new fall tv line-up. Chuck and Life are the absolute best. Journeyman, Bionic Woman, and The Next Iron Chef also get my vote. But if you aren’t watching Chuck or Life, you need to start.

And last, but not least, new photos from a new session!

I had to be a little bit sneaky to get her onto the blanket. I told her that all the big girls have their pictures taken on the blanket, but since she was pretty little, I wasn’t sure that she was up to it. I’ve never seen a toddler move faster.

I photographed this little guy when he was two weeks old. His mom and
dad had said that all he does is sleep…but of course, he chose my
visit to have his longest stretch of consciousness in his whole life!
I was bummed, because their house had thousands of opportunities for
really neat sleeping baby poses…but I hope Drew’s parents will like
these!

I couldn’t wait to get home and proof this one. Brian and Naomi just got engaged.

Brian is our friend Laura’s brother, and we spent the weekend at their family’s cabin in the mountains. It was Brian’s idea to drive to this run-down cabin, and I’m so glad he thought of it. I couldn’t have been more excited when I got out of the car and saw this scene in front of me!

I had a great time taking portraits, but I think the weekend will live on in my memory mostly for the hilarious game of Cranium that we played on Saturday night. The highlight of the event was when three of us were desperately trying to act out “waterbed” only to have everyone keep guessing things like “seizure.”

It was also memorable, because it’s my first large group family portrait without little kids! I love the little ones, but there’s something so thrilling about saying “okay–everyone look at the camera” and having everyone actually do it!

And here’s one from my shoot with Shannon, the youngest family member: