Scotty and Lakesha

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Shooting Lakesha and Scotty was so. much. fun.  Koree (the boyfriend) came along again and we all wandered around Uptown Park discovering new spots for a while before heading over to another location right before sunset.  L&S are just gorgeous and so easy to photograph!  This was one of my favorite engagement session ever, so be prepared for lots of pictures!

Koree grabbed awesome close-ups like this next one while I did more full-body shots.  LOVE Scotty’s face here, what a sweet smile while he nuzzles Lakesha :).

I frequently tell people to be serious for a certain shot.  Often, it’s a secret ploy to get them to laugh.  Scotty nailed the serious pose here and totally stayed in character, but this is what happened with Lakesha!  I love how hard she’s trying to be serious in the second shot!

Another great shot by Koree!

See?   We did lots of laughing.  I’m training myself to stay composed during all this laughing or else I get blurry pictures from all the bouncing.

I loved how the purple flowers in the background matched her dress.

They really like the color orange, so this spot was perfect for them!  Just in time too, a few days later I drove past this spot and it had been tagged.

Perfect way to end the shoot.

Chubby Seth

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Who doesn’t love a chubby baby??  It’s one of the only times in a person’s life when someone will pinch on those little fat rolls and call them adorable (and mean it).  Seth was one of the chubbiest little guys I’ve photographed!  The arm rolls just kill me.

This next one cracks me up!  What a poser, eh?  I love the look he’s giving me too.

He needed a little power nap.

Then he showed me how well he can sit (as long as those cute arms hold steady).

Sometimes, babies make really funny faces.  I love capturing them on camera!

Did I mention he’s ticklish?  I just wish my arm was longer so I could tickle and take the picture at the same time!

Editing Pictures

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I’m often asked about my editing process by clients and, in an attempt to explain it here, I’ve got some visual aids for you.

I’m going to show you a few examples of each image below.  The first in each example is what photographers call SOOC, or straight out of camera.

This is what the picture looks like the moment it goes onto my memory card and the first thing I see on my computer.

The second shot is after what happens to every picture that gets proofed.  I import it into Adobe Lightroom and contrast/color correct each picture.  All of the images that go on my proofing site or get put on a disc have been edited in Lightroom.

The third shot is what happens to my favorites, the client’s select favorites, and anything that gets blogged or printed.  These are what I called “detailed edits.”  A limited number of these also go onto a disc.  These pictures have all gone through Adobe Photoshop after I export them from Lightroom.  I often get rid of blemishes (though there were none to be seen in this shot!), smooth skin, selectively increase contrast in certain areas, and sharpen the picture.

First, SOOC.

Next, after it’s gone through Lightroom.

Last, after it’s been photoshopped.

Last example, SOOC.

I cropped this one in Lightroom just a touch, but kept the same dimensions.

Sometimes, there’s not much of a difference between the Lightroom and the Photoshop version.

Occasionally, I’ll edit a picture in color and also want to do a monochromatic one (black and white, sepia, etc).  This was also done in photoshop.

So there you have it.  I hope that clarifies things a bit.  If anyone’s interested in step-by-step Lightroom or Photoshop editing leave a comment!

Juliana

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Aren’t these the cutest little feet you’ve ever seen kicking around??  I’m in love.

Red, yellow, and gray=a winning color combination.  Put an adorable baby in the middle and this is one picture that just melts me.

Ah, baby hands!  They’re often moving far to fast to get a focus on them, but how darling they are!

There’s a whole lot more cuteness where that came from!

Emmanuel

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Manny was such a blessing to his hopeful and patient parents!  After waiting two years and going through several “almosts,” they were finally able to adopt their baby boy.  I’m pretty sure he was worth the wait!  They didn’t even know about him until he was already a couple of days old and they got the call!  I think they were out the door before the person on the other line was able to finish a sentence.  Isn’t he perfect?!

Manny is also a model baby for why it’s so important to do newborn pictures early!  I’ve had a few babies right at 7 days recently and each one has been a dream.

This yellow blanket belonged to Manny’s dad!  I’ve had so many clients lately that have had me use a blanket that has special meaning during their session.  I love it!

This next one is my favorite.  What a sweet boy.

Manny is named after his great-grandpas and this hat was the hat that Grandpa Manny wore.  His wife (great-grandma) was the one who made this blanket!  Maybe when this Manny is a little bigger he’ll get to wear the hat on his head.

We got several little grins throughout the session, and this was one of the last.  How sweet is he.