August 7, 2014
Someone who knows just how fast children grow and change is Ronda Leavitt, owner of Kayla’s Kastings. Ronda owns a small business that specializes in casting hand prints, foot prints, hand statues, belly casting, custom shadow boxes and so much more!
Her business is named in honour of her third child, Kayla. Kayla came this spring to see me in the studio for a session and she was so much fun to work with (and her Mom and I had a nice little gab too!).
You can visit Ronda’s website by clicking here to see her beautiful custom work.
I love that we were able to capture these portraits, to book your child’s session click here!
Someone who knows just how fast children grow and change is Ronda Leavitt, owner of Kayla’s Kastings. Ronda owns a small business that specializes in casting hand prints, foot prints, hand statues, belly casting, custom shadow boxes and so much more!
Her business is named in honour of her third child, Kayla. Kayla came this spring to see me in the studio for a session and she was so much fun to work with (and her Mom and I had a nice little gab too!).
You can visit Ronda’s website by clicking here to see her beautiful custom work.
I love that we were able to capture these portraits, to book your child’s session click here!
August 7, 2014
August 7, 2014
Someone who knows just how fast children grow and change is Ronda Leavitt, owner of Kayla’s Kastings. Ronda owns a small business that specializes in casting hand prints, foot prints, hand statues, belly casting, custom shadow boxes and so much more!
Her business is named in honour of her third child, Kayla. Kayla came this spring to see me in the studio for a session and she was so much fun to work with (and her Mom and I had a nice little gab too!).
You can visit Ronda’s website by clicking here to see her beautiful custom work.
I love that we were able to capture these portraits, to book your child’s session click here!
July 2, 2014
During a session you will hear me click that shutter a few hundred times (depending on the session type!), I am moving all around trying to get as many angles, props, poses as I can and yet my clients only receive 20-25 images? Why do you not receive every single image I snapped?
1. Amount
Some sessions I overshoot, I get a little snap happy and can (and have!) shot 400+ pictures…if your goal is to have one or two nice canvases made for your living room…do you know how long it will take you to go through hundreds of pictures? Hours…and you will get overwhelmed. I promise you, I am the professional and sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by incredible sessions! It has taken me a few years but I can now cull through a large amount of images to give the most variety, best expression, in record time because my eyes are trained to know what I should be looking for.
2. Editing Time
I edit every single image you see and that takes time (depending on the session and image, sometimes there is quite a great deal to edit and other times only a few tweaks). Half of my skills is the editing…I know how to make buildings disappear from backgrounds, scratches and bruises are done, skin is creamy and pretty, the colours are rich and true…a slightly prettier version of reality. You hire me because you see the lovely finished images, my skill is seeing the final product during the session, turning your loved ones into art. I cannot afford to spend days editing every single image off the memory card and you don’t want to view your images and have to imagine what they COULD look like after I edit them. Every image you see will be completed and finished to a high standard. Showing you an unedited image is equivalent to showing you an image that would be considered naked in my world.
3. Blinks
Do you know the average person blinks 15-20 a minute? Do you want a picture of your eyes closed? Me either:) I toss those ones because I haven’t had any requests for a family picture with everyone’s eyes closed yet.
4. Children Are Curious and Cameras are Boring
True story…the younger the more distracted. They look all around, they explore, they make funny faces, they babble and chat to us and sometimes I catch them looking at me…but I need to be ready. So I keep snapping in hopes of catching some eye contact and maybe if I am lucky a real smile.
5. Sometimes the Picture Doesn’t Turn Out
Some moments happen so fast and us photographers don’t catch it in time, the light changes suddenly and the camera was set for another type of light, someone was moving too fast for the camera, sometimes technology doesn’t always work and the focus (where the picture is true sharpest) doesn’t hot the subject (you want your subject in focus…not the trees in the background).
For an example here are some images from a super quick session with my (then) 20 months old daughter, Cecilia. She is a toddler, has a short attention span and really doesn’t care if Mommy has her camera…these are not edited.
Glaring at the camera.
Something was much more interesting than me calling her name.
And now the two images that did make the final cut and were presented to my family and friends for her 20 month pictures.
In 10 minutes I had snapped about 200 images of my very busy and curious toddler…my goal was 1-2 images and that is what I got! Those two images were printed so they can be kept and displayed, mission accomplished!
During a session you will hear me click that shutter a few hundred times (depending on the session type!), I am moving all around trying to get as many angles, props, poses as I can and yet my clients only receive 20-25 images? Why do you not receive every single image I snapped?
1. Amount
Some sessions I overshoot, I get a little snap happy and can (and have!) shot 400+ pictures…if your goal is to have one or two nice canvases made for your living room…do you know how long it will take you to go through hundreds of pictures? Hours…and you will get overwhelmed. I promise you, I am the professional and sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by incredible sessions! It has taken me a few years but I can now cull through a large amount of images to give the most variety, best expression, in record time because my eyes are trained to know what I should be looking for.
2. Editing Time
I edit every single image you see and that takes time (depending on the session and image, sometimes there is quite a great deal to edit and other times only a few tweaks). Half of my skills is the editing…I know how to make buildings disappear from backgrounds, scratches and bruises are done, skin is creamy and pretty, the colours are rich and true…a slightly prettier version of reality. You hire me because you see the lovely finished images, my skill is seeing the final product during the session, turning your loved ones into art. I cannot afford to spend days editing every single image off the memory card and you don’t want to view your images and have to imagine what they COULD look like after I edit them. Every image you see will be completed and finished to a high standard. Showing you an unedited image is equivalent to showing you an image that would be considered naked in my world.
3. Blinks
Do you know the average person blinks 15-20 a minute? Do you want a picture of your eyes closed? Me either:) I toss those ones because I haven’t had any requests for a family picture with everyone’s eyes closed yet.
4. Children Are Curious and Cameras are Boring
True story…the younger the more distracted. They look all around, they explore, they make funny faces, they babble and chat to us and sometimes I catch them looking at me…but I need to be ready. So I keep snapping in hopes of catching some eye contact and maybe if I am lucky a real smile.
5. Sometimes the Picture Doesn’t Turn Out
Some moments happen so fast and us photographers don’t catch it in time, the light changes suddenly and the camera was set for another type of light, someone was moving too fast for the camera, sometimes technology doesn’t always work and the focus (where the picture is true sharpest) doesn’t hot the subject (you want your subject in focus…not the trees in the background).
For an example here are some images from a super quick session with my (then) 20 months old daughter, Cecilia. She is a toddler, has a short attention span and really doesn’t care if Mommy has her camera…these are not edited.
Glaring at the camera.
Something was much more interesting than me calling her name.
And now the two images that did make the final cut and were presented to my family and friends for her 20 month pictures.
In 10 minutes I had snapped about 200 images of my very busy and curious toddler…my goal was 1-2 images and that is what I got! Those two images were printed so they can be kept and displayed, mission accomplished!
July 2, 2014
July 2, 2014
During a session you will hear me click that shutter a few hundred times (depending on the session type!), I am moving all around trying to get as many angles, props, poses as I can and yet my clients only receive 20-25 images? Why do you not receive every single image I snapped?
1. Amount
Some sessions I overshoot, I get a little snap happy and can (and have!) shot 400+ pictures…if your goal is to have one or two nice canvases made for your living room…do you know how long it will take you to go through hundreds of pictures? Hours…and you will get overwhelmed. I promise you, I am the professional and sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by incredible sessions! It has taken me a few years but I can now cull through a large amount of images to give the most variety, best expression, in record time because my eyes are trained to know what I should be looking for.
2. Editing Time
I edit every single image you see and that takes time (depending on the session and image, sometimes there is quite a great deal to edit and other times only a few tweaks). Half of my skills is the editing…I know how to make buildings disappear from backgrounds, scratches and bruises are done, skin is creamy and pretty, the colours are rich and true…a slightly prettier version of reality. You hire me because you see the lovely finished images, my skill is seeing the final product during the session, turning your loved ones into art. I cannot afford to spend days editing every single image off the memory card and you don’t want to view your images and have to imagine what they COULD look like after I edit them. Every image you see will be completed and finished to a high standard. Showing you an unedited image is equivalent to showing you an image that would be considered naked in my world.
3. Blinks
Do you know the average person blinks 15-20 a minute? Do you want a picture of your eyes closed? Me either:) I toss those ones because I haven’t had any requests for a family picture with everyone’s eyes closed yet.
4. Children Are Curious and Cameras are Boring
True story…the younger the more distracted. They look all around, they explore, they make funny faces, they babble and chat to us and sometimes I catch them looking at me…but I need to be ready. So I keep snapping in hopes of catching some eye contact and maybe if I am lucky a real smile.
5. Sometimes the Picture Doesn’t Turn Out
Some moments happen so fast and us photographers don’t catch it in time, the light changes suddenly and the camera was set for another type of light, someone was moving too fast for the camera, sometimes technology doesn’t always work and the focus (where the picture is true sharpest) doesn’t hot the subject (you want your subject in focus…not the trees in the background).
For an example here are some images from a super quick session with my (then) 20 months old daughter, Cecilia. She is a toddler, has a short attention span and really doesn’t care if Mommy has her camera…these are not edited.
Glaring at the camera.
Something was much more interesting than me calling her name.
And now the two images that did make the final cut and were presented to my family and friends for her 20 month pictures.
In 10 minutes I had snapped about 200 images of my very busy and curious toddler…my goal was 1-2 images and that is what I got! Those two images were printed so they can be kept and displayed, mission accomplished!
June 28, 2014
Is there anything as sweet as a curled up naked newborn? Well yes! A two and half month old baby is just as sweet and adorable! Although, they are not quite a newborn, they are still so tiny, little and delicious!
They don’t curl up and sleep like newborns because the bones have started to harden and they have grown up enough to have lost some of their ‘womb instincts’ and props are not safe with their super strong abilities to roll over without notice but they can give us beautiful eye contact that newborns cannot maintain. They can sneak in a few genuine smiles, lay on their bellies and prop themselves up. They can show us their little personalities, chubby kissable cheeks and overall sweetness.
This sweet little girl showed how she could rock her first photo session and charmed myself and her parents.
To book your little one’s next session contact me here!
Is there anything as sweet as a curled up naked newborn? Well yes! A two and half month old baby is just as sweet and adorable! Although, they are not quite a newborn, they are still so tiny, little and delicious!
They don’t curl up and sleep like newborns because the bones have started to harden and they have grown up enough to have lost some of their ‘womb instincts’ and props are not safe with their super strong abilities to roll over without notice but they can give us beautiful eye contact that newborns cannot maintain. They can sneak in a few genuine smiles, lay on their bellies and prop themselves up. They can show us their little personalities, chubby kissable cheeks and overall sweetness.
This sweet little girl showed how she could rock her first photo session and charmed myself and her parents.
To book your little one’s next session contact me here!
June 28, 2014
June 28, 2014
Is there anything as sweet as a curled up naked newborn? Well yes! A two and half month old baby is just as sweet and adorable! Although, they are not quite a newborn, they are still so tiny, little and delicious!
They don’t curl up and sleep like newborns because the bones have started to harden and they have grown up enough to have lost some of their ‘womb instincts’ and props are not safe with their super strong abilities to roll over without notice but they can give us beautiful eye contact that newborns cannot maintain. They can sneak in a few genuine smiles, lay on their bellies and prop themselves up. They can show us their little personalities, chubby kissable cheeks and overall sweetness.
This sweet little girl showed how she could rock her first photo session and charmed myself and her parents.
To book your little one’s next session contact me here!
June 4, 2014
Dear little Miss Mya,
You were so easy to work with, you completely rocked your newborn session. So relaxed, so cuddly, no pose was too hard and you made every picture incredible. And plus you had the good genes from your parents to be incredibly beautiful too.
You made my job soooooo easy and you are one of those babies that makes me love what I do even more.
So tiny and perfect, I am so glad your parents have captured this brief moment at the beginning of your life.
Dear little Miss Mya,
You were so easy to work with, you completely rocked your newborn session. So relaxed, so cuddly, no pose was too hard and you made every picture incredible. And plus you had the good genes from your parents to be incredibly beautiful too.
You made my job soooooo easy and you are one of those babies that makes me love what I do even more.
So tiny and perfect, I am so glad your parents have captured this brief moment at the beginning of your life.
June 4, 2014
June 4, 2014
Dear little Miss Mya,
You were so easy to work with, you completely rocked your newborn session. So relaxed, so cuddly, no pose was too hard and you made every picture incredible. And plus you had the good genes from your parents to be incredibly beautiful too.
You made my job soooooo easy and you are one of those babies that makes me love what I do even more.
So tiny and perfect, I am so glad your parents have captured this brief moment at the beginning of your life.
May 25, 2014
I had an email this morning asking where I bought my props. At first I though, no way I want to sure that information (I spend hours hunting for props)! Then I was flattered, I mean that means they like my taste!
My final realization was uh oh…I cannot remember where I bought all my props. The simple fact is I have SOOOO many hats, bonnets, headbands, wraps, blankets, etc. I am always buying, sometimes it is just an item here and there…or I get in my head I NEED a certain colour wrap or hat…or I get to a point that I have used everything a few times and want some new fresh options for clients (and myself!).
I can spend hours looking, easily. I have learned to be picky. I do not care where it comes from if it is truly gorgeous! I have bought a few items and tried them in sessions to only see that just don’t suit certain babies…and then a baby come along that you would swear a certain hat or headband was MADE for!
Keeping props in stock also is a fine balance between buying what I love and what I know will compliment a sweet little baby but not over power. It is also finding items that I know Mom’s will love…my favourite moment is asking to use a certain piece, knowing it isn’t the parents favourite but every time parents view their gallery they realize how gorgeous it really was and that is the image they end up purchasing!
When someone asks where I bought a certain item…there is a good chance I cannot remember… I order, I adore it and promptly take it to the studio and can never keep it straight from which vendor it came from. I have a little list of vendors I regularly purchase form and for now that list is my little secret. It is hours spent looking and comparing, checking out reviews from clients, shipping times, shipping fees…
My advice, hit up Etsy! I can easily spend hours hunting for the perfect prop. I am especially addicted to finding one of a kind items that I know no one else will have on hand. To be completely honest I get a little excited when I get packages in the mail with stamps from South Africa, Poland, Romania, England, Greece, etc….
I have also learned that finding beautiful props is NOT cheap…bonnets can easily be priced around $40-50, blankets $50, knit hats $30-45, headbands $20. I cannot complain because you pay for quality and I have yet to be disappointed!
I had an email this morning asking where I bought my props. At first I though, no way I want to sure that information (I spend hours hunting for props)! Then I was flattered, I mean that means they like my taste!
My final realization was uh oh…I cannot remember where I bought all my props. The simple fact is I have SOOOO many hats, bonnets, headbands, wraps, blankets, etc. I am always buying, sometimes it is just an item here and there…or I get in my head I NEED a certain colour wrap or hat…or I get to a point that I have used everything a few times and want some new fresh options for clients (and myself!).
I can spend hours looking, easily. I have learned to be picky. I do not care where it comes from if it is truly gorgeous! I have bought a few items and tried them in sessions to only see that just don’t suit certain babies…and then a baby come along that you would swear a certain hat or headband was MADE for!
Keeping props in stock also is a fine balance between buying what I love and what I know will compliment a sweet little baby but not over power. It is also finding items that I know Mom’s will love…my favourite moment is asking to use a certain piece, knowing it isn’t the parents favourite but every time parents view their gallery they realize how gorgeous it really was and that is the image they end up purchasing!
When someone asks where I bought a certain item…there is a good chance I cannot remember… I order, I adore it and promptly take it to the studio and can never keep it straight from which vendor it came from. I have a little list of vendors I regularly purchase form and for now that list is my little secret. It is hours spent looking and comparing, checking out reviews from clients, shipping times, shipping fees…
My advice, hit up Etsy! I can easily spend hours hunting for the perfect prop. I am especially addicted to finding one of a kind items that I know no one else will have on hand. To be completely honest I get a little excited when I get packages in the mail with stamps from South Africa, Poland, Romania, England, Greece, etc….
I have also learned that finding beautiful props is NOT cheap…bonnets can easily be priced around $40-50, blankets $50, knit hats $30-45, headbands $20. I cannot complain because you pay for quality and I have yet to be disappointed!
May 25, 2014
May 25, 2014
I had an email this morning asking where I bought my props. At first I though, no way I want to sure that information (I spend hours hunting for props)! Then I was flattered, I mean that means they like my taste!
My final realization was uh oh…I cannot remember where I bought all my props. The simple fact is I have SOOOO many hats, bonnets, headbands, wraps, blankets, etc. I am always buying, sometimes it is just an item here and there…or I get in my head I NEED a certain colour wrap or hat…or I get to a point that I have used everything a few times and want some new fresh options for clients (and myself!).
I can spend hours looking, easily. I have learned to be picky. I do not care where it comes from if it is truly gorgeous! I have bought a few items and tried them in sessions to only see that just don’t suit certain babies…and then a baby come along that you would swear a certain hat or headband was MADE for!
Keeping props in stock also is a fine balance between buying what I love and what I know will compliment a sweet little baby but not over power. It is also finding items that I know Mom’s will love…my favourite moment is asking to use a certain piece, knowing it isn’t the parents favourite but every time parents view their gallery they realize how gorgeous it really was and that is the image they end up purchasing!
When someone asks where I bought a certain item…there is a good chance I cannot remember… I order, I adore it and promptly take it to the studio and can never keep it straight from which vendor it came from. I have a little list of vendors I regularly purchase form and for now that list is my little secret. It is hours spent looking and comparing, checking out reviews from clients, shipping times, shipping fees…
My advice, hit up Etsy! I can easily spend hours hunting for the perfect prop. I am especially addicted to finding one of a kind items that I know no one else will have on hand. To be completely honest I get a little excited when I get packages in the mail with stamps from South Africa, Poland, Romania, England, Greece, etc….
I have also learned that finding beautiful props is NOT cheap…bonnets can easily be priced around $40-50, blankets $50, knit hats $30-45, headbands $20. I cannot complain because you pay for quality and I have yet to be disappointed!
