Cool Idea!

This is an idea I saw done by two of my favorite photographer (Kara May & Amanda K). They are both on my side bar and are both awesome photographers. They are two that I found through "Pieces of the Picture" which I blogged about the other day. I think this is the coolest idea and I had to figure it out! I am not sure I did it how they did it but I am happy with how it turned out. I cannot wait to use this idea with some high school seniors.



As I mentioned in the last post, I am now looking for Senior Representatives from all surrounding high schools so if you know of any, please have them contact me. I have also added a Senior Rep. Application to my side bar for anyone graduating next year to fill out. I will be choosing 2-3 from each high school, so... let the bribing begin. If you want me to choose you, you should know I love Starbuck's skinny vanilla lattes! Just kidding!!

I will be posting my senior packages soon and will begin booking session just as soon as it warms up a bit. There are only a few photographers that are authorized to take your yearbook pictures but I can do your fun personalized shots for you. I am working on getting put on the list but for now I will be happy to refer you to anyone of those listed for your yearbook pictures. So until it is time to book your session, go ahead an apply for a Senior Rep. position. If you are chosen, I will email you all the details and explain all your great benefits (in other words... free stuff!)

Even if you are not interested in being a rep., I will be happy to take your senior pictures but only if you are willing to have fun and be yourself! I want your pictures to scream who YOU are. I want you to bring clothes and accessories that represent YOU. Since I will not be doing your traditional posed shots, we will head outside and go to places you love. If you ride horses, guess who will be in the shot with you? If you skateboard, guess where we will go? If you are a dancer, we will get shots of you doing what you love! If you play sports, you can bet we will get some shots of you doing that. Whatever your passion is will meet up with mine (photography)! I want you to look back on your senior year and remember how much fun your pictures were. Remember though, mom and dad have to have a few too! Some different locations I want to shoot at are a railroad, an old warehouse, a field, a covered bridge just to name a few but I want to know where you want to go. Let's make these fun and all about who YOU are!

Thank You "Pieces of the Picture"!!

{Update ~ 3/07/09}

Hey, everyone, I just wanted to let you know that the link to "Piece of the Picture" no longer works. For some reason, the blog does not exist anymore. I just want to say that I did really enjoy it and I wish Tommy, the administrator of the site, all the best!

Thank you Tommy, for the great information and fabulous interviews. Most of the photographers that I follow on the side bar, came from reading your blog. Again, thank you and I pray you and your family are doing well! Maybe in the future we will be reading your blog again and you can bet I will post it here if you ever do decide to blog again! Best Wishes!
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I just wanted to say thank you to the photography website "Pieces of the Picture" for allowing me to be linked to their site. This is a wonderful site that I found for photographers that offers some awesome tips and information. My absolute favorite part about it is the Friday interviews with some extremely talented photographers. Having recently started my own business and being self-taught so far, I love reading about other photographers and how they run their business. I thrive on looking at their images and getting inspiration from what they do and how they do it. I am still trying to define my style and with so many fabulous photographers out there, I am discovering so many differently ways an image can be composed, shot, processed, and presented. I don't want to copy their style just draw inspiration from them as I develop my own. I think it will be awhile before I finally decide what my style is because I love so many different styles! My current favorite is photos with lots of deep, vibrant color and great texture! On my sidebar I have listed some of my favorites (including a link to Piece of the Picture) but remember this is just some. Over the last few days, I have found a boat load of awesome photographers out there that I had no idea existed. I have so much to learn but I hope someday to be half as talented as many of these wonderful photographers. So if you are a photographer or want to be one, I encourage you to check out the link above and just see what the world of photography has to offer. You will be amazed at how incredibly talented some of these photographers are and if you are a client please know I am striving to be that great someday. I know I have a long way to go but thank you for letting me photograph you and your family. I love playing with your pictures long after your shoot. So as I am still building my portfolio, as well as style, please tell your friends about me and let me play some more! I have so many ideas, I just need the clients to use them on! I am currently wanting to start adding Seniors to the mix, so if you know of any High School Juniors who will be graduating next year, please pass on my name. I am looking for several senior representative from all surrounding high schools to enlist to help get my name out there. Don't worry they will get many rewards for their help but so will you if you pass them on to me! Until next time, go check out some great photography!

Here is a picture that was one of the first I ever took with my digital camera. It was the first picture I ever took and thought "Why don't I blow that up and hang it on the wall!" So I guess you could say this is the picture that started it all! I also posted the same picture how I would do it now. Leave me a comment and tell me which one you like better. Do you like the plain one #1 or the one with the texture #2? I am just curious. Some people like the texture and some do not (my daughter for one). As you can see lately, I am really into the texture but I need to know what you think. I will not be offended either way, just curious!

Photo #1


Photo #2

Love is in the Air!

Wow! If anyone drove by Shawnee Park this evening around 5:00, you may have noticed the temperature was a little warmer. Why? I had two people who are very much in love having a photo shoot and let me tell you things got a little heated! I don't usually post two in one day, but I know they are a little anxious for a sneak peek so here you go...
Happy Valentine's Day!

New Location Scavenger Hunt

I had the kids out looking for a new shoot location again and here is what we came up with. I have to go get an antique looking suitcase to take to this location. I think my son holding a suitcase about to jump aboard the train would be so cute. I guess this weekend I am going antiquing...

Happy Valentine's Day Daddy!

This was a fun shoot! It was going to be in the 50s on Saturday so why not schedule a photo shoot, right? Well, unfortunately there was still ice everywhere! I had a shoot scheduled with a family who wanted to surprise daddy with some pictures for Valentine's Day. We got to the park and had to walk over a long, long, long, did I say long, sheet of ice to get to the pavilion where we planned to meet. This is a surprise for daddy, remember, so mommy is bringing her 2 1/2 year old and 17 month old alone to the shoot. Well, what do you get when you have lots of wet, sloppy ice, two little ones, and a stranger that they don't know yet trying to help mommy? A few tears, wet cold pants, and one super mommy ~ that is what you get! The baby is crying, the little girl falls down landing in ice cold water, and mommy handles it all with a smile. I have to say that the little girl was a HUGE trooper! Her pants were soaked with ice water and I kept following her around putting a camera in her face and she still managed to smile and be adorable for the camera.

Because of the snow on every path, we ended up being stuck in the pavilion for all of the pictures but we were able to get a few really cute ones. I hope daddy likes them and realizes how much his family went through to get these for him. Daddy, by the way, gets his turn later in the week. Hopefully the ice will be gone when we do a "Couple's Shoot" for him and mommy in a few days.

I know mommy is probably anxious to see if we got anything out of the day, so here are a few sneak peeks just for her. Mom, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what we were able to get!

On a Search for the Perfect Location

I need your help! I am putting together a list of cool, fun, beautiful, different, adventurous, urban, rustic locations for my clients. When someone calls me, I want to be able to give them several choices for a great location depending on the look they want. I will take suggestions for indoor or outdoor locations anywhere around the Dayton area. A few of my favorites are...

Shawnee Park
A fun little park in Beavercreek (behind National City)
A cute little park in Bellbrook
Dayton Art Institute
Cox Arboretum
Indian Mound Park on Rt.42
John Bryan State Park
The Market Downtown Dayton
The Greene
Help I need more ...

If you know of another or several, please leave me a comment. Your ideas can be parks, fields, streams, old dilapidated houses, alley ways, playgrounds, flower gardens, cool church steps, brick buildings, barns, cute town streets, anything. Use your imagination! Some places I may need to get permission to be there, so let me know your idea and I will check into that. I am gearing up for the Spring and I want to have many locations at my disposal. I will post all your ideas here and then when someone is looking for a locations, they can come here to see some cool places around Dayton.

My #1 goal is to find an urban location. If you know of a cool, urban location with allies, loading docks, old fire escapes and even a colorful dumpster, I will be forever grateful!


Remember, leave me a comment! Here are two of my favorite pictures at two of the above locations.

Winter Wonderland

I have decided since I keep adding pictures of my kids, that it is okay to have personal photos on here too. I was just using this for my photography business but since my personal life is a big part of who I am, why not put in favorite personal pictures too! If you are tired of my kids, you should be ashamed of yourself! They are so cute! Just kidding. Business is a little slow right now with all the cold weather, so I will fill my blog with some people who matter the most to me!

We have had so much snow lately, I had to put in some snow pictures. I also have been playing with textures and overlays. Some people may wonder why I want my pictures to look dirty ... Well, I really don't know. I think it just looks cool! I am really into the grunge/urban look right now! I have told you already, that I am so anxious to take some urban shoots and as soon as it is warm, I promise I will take some. My daughter is appalled that I want to take her picture in front of a dumpster and graffiti, but that is exactly what I want to do!! So whether or not you are into the grunge/urban look or not, I hope you enjoy the new photos. I have a couple shoots coming up, so maybe soon I will have more to post than my own kids!! But aren't they so cute....