It's Time to Update Your Child's School Photos!

It's amazing how quickly your kids grow up and how much they change over the course of one school year. Look back at their school portraits from the beginning of the year, and you can see - it's time to update your child's end-of-school-year photos! 

I am offering these quick and easy mini sessions in the Fredericksburg area on the evenings of 
June 3 - 6 and June 10 - 13.
Special evening sessions will be held in Bristow on June 7th for an additional $5 travel fee.

Super Special Savings
School's Out for Summer
mini sessions

20 minute outdoor session
5 edited digital images (per child)
print release

$50 for the first child
only $15 for each additional child!

HALF-PRICE PRINTS
4x6 - $2.50
5x7 - $5
8x10 - $7.50
(minimum $20 print purchase)

These sessions are for individual children's portraits.
Different groupings, props, and outfit changes require a regular full session.

Photo Tips: Flowers

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there! Tomorrow is the day when children, grandchildren, husbands, etc. will honor you and all that you do. Many of you will probably receive some flowers of some sort, so I thought it would be the perfect time to post some tips on how to capture some lovely images of your special bouquets! I'll try to keep it sweet and simple.

I didn't actually have a bouquet of my own, but I did have this lovely bit of lilac, which smelled heavenly!

Turn off your flash!

That harsh, too-bright light that your camera (or phone) gives off is so unflattering! It causes harsh shadows and flat light, which usually washes out the nice colors of your flowers, and takes away from the general loveliness of it all. Try positioning them in a space with soft, natural light coming in through your windows!

Don't be afraid to get close!

Try moving in closer to your flowers. You can capture more detail and block out any distracting clutter that may be in the background. When you look back on these pictures, you'll want to remember the lovely gift you received, not the dirty dishes piling up in the sink behind it ;)

Move your bouquet!

Don't be afraid to move your flowers to get a good shot! You might have the perfect spot to showcase them for the week, but try moving them around while you're taking your pictures. The photos above are okay, but the background is a little bit distracting, so I moved the vase to the floor for a few photos. This gave it a nice, neutral background, light coming at a slightly different angle, and I was able to get a different perspective.

Get on the floor!

Sometimes, in order to get a unique image, you need to try shooting from different angles. It is not unusual to see me laying flat on my belly on the ground to get a good shot! I may not look too cute, but I'm not the one in the picture, so it doesn't matter ;) Try getting low, so you can shoot up! When you shoot through the leaves, you can get a nice blurred look, while still getting a sharp focus on the flowers.

If you're shooting in manual, keep your aperture wide open (at a low f stop - these were shot at 1.4), and don't be afraid to bump up that ISO if you need to!