Images of the details help tell your story!

Documenting the details of a scene, holiday or moment allows you to take your picture making to a whole new level so that your images read more like a storybook. This is especially helpful when attending or hosting events and parties throughout this holiday season. You can easily create a photo book out of all of the images and your detail shots will add so much to the presentation with your candid images (psst.....also makes a GREAT thank you gift for the host!)

Here are some images to inspire you!

Have fun and if you're looking for more gifts to make with those great images, go to the Photo Tip section here on my blog for some custom photo gift ideas. :o)

December's Image of the Month

Love Is The Message!

This is one of my amazing clients Jelynne! I met Jelynne at a workshop not too long ago and we connected right away. Discussing both of our issues with being 'People Pleasers' and always available for others and not making time for what WE need and want. Taking full responisibiity of course and recognizing that we are the ones who have to change the habit of neglecting ourselves.

We decided to do just that! Setting the intentions to nurture ourselves, set aside time that we need to accomplish our dreams and to stop feeling so bad about setting boundries with others. Putting ourselves first so that we don't run ourselves down, and end up not able to help anyone.

We kept in touch and Jelynne hired me to do her headshots on one of my trips back to NYC. During the processing of the images from our shoot together, I came across this image and was floored. I have never seen anyone carry a bag saying 'I Love Me' and here it is showing up at her photo shoot walking so clearly in the background right after she declared that she would start loving herself more! I love how stuff like that works!! :o)

**BTW - Jelynne owns a restaurant called LITM which stands for 'Love Is The Message'. How wonderful! She was able to build a very successful restaurant from scratch and now she's giving back by teaching others to do the same. I can't tell you what she has in store, but it's BIG and you can check her out at www.restaurantfromscratch.com.

Create the best conditions for indoor images!

Indoor photos can be fun and gorgeous!!

**Natural light is key so bring the light into the room by opening all blinds and curtains. Even turn lights on inside during the day to let the room fill with light for your picture making experience!

**You can also create an image by capturing the mood with less light in the room and using only a nearby window like this one below.

Have fun and scroll down to see more indoor images from previous photo shoots to give you some inspiration! :o)

This is me with Michael Bernard Beckwith from the movie 'The Secret'.

I had the honor of meeting and photographing him at Marianna Cooper's 'Summit By The Sea' event last week in Carmel California. He gave an inspiring presentation and his wife's beautiful music filled the room! After taking so many photos of him with everyone there, he handed my camera to another person and asked that a picture be taken of us together.

Kind and generous, just as I expected! :o)

Violet's Beach Photo Shoot

October Image of the Month!

Max & Family having a GREAT time at the Beach!

September Image of the Month!

August Image of the Month!

When the breakdown moments are keepers too!

As a professional photographer, I know to just keep clicking away when it could end up being a funny moment captured with kids. Most of the time they are some of my clients favorite images so I want to make sure that I get the shots for them. They are those breakdown photos that are just too good and funny to get rid of!

You definitely want to remember these too because it really adds to the story of the day, time, or situation. No one got hurt, it's just a little temper tantrum that is over in seconds.....well, minutes anyway! ;o)

Above is little Parker and he couldn't walk so well in his little Uggs and was just so upset by that! I'm surprised I got the shot because his mom and I were laughing so hard at the way he was trying to walk. Look at those chunker munker legs!! Don't you just want to eat him up?!

Also, here is Colin who is a gorgeous free spirited kid and he was so not cool with having wet jeans on and not to mention his hands were sandy and it was driving him crazy! His mom ordered a print of this and told me she couldn't resist and had to have it. All was fine a minute later when he was able to get his jeans off and I think there was chocolate involved too. Doesn't that make everything better? :o)

To capture your kids personalities (and I mean ALL of them), don't forget to keep snapping when some of those funny moments happen. Place them in the album with the others you took that day and see how the story unfolds!

A little inspiration....

I subscribe to a website called The Daily Motivator and here's a recent quote from them that was so appropriate for me right now, so I thought I'd share it with you!


Each setback provides an opportunity to recover. And each
time you recover, you grow stronger.

The route to your goal is not a straight line. There will be
many times along the way when you find yourself off course.

When that happens, it can seem like your destination is
unreachable. Doubt, fear and apathy will take hold if you
let them.

The key is not to let them. For as hopeless as the situation
may feel, there are actions you can take that will enable
you to quickly get back on track.

Much of the substance of achievement is in becoming skilled
at making a quick and solid recovery. Each setback gives you
the chance to practice and strengthen and refine that
valuable skill.

Know that whatever has slowed you down can provide you with
a way to move more effectively forward. Quickly get back up,
and feel the new strength you've gained.

**Click HERE if you'd like to get inspirational quotes emailed to you from The Daily Motivator**

July's Image of the Month

Tips on Capturing July 4th's Fireworks!!

Above is a picture that I took in Spain at New Year's 2010. See below for more images of fireworks!

Here are 8 tips (without getting too technical!) that will help take some of the guesswork out of trying to capture the fireworks this holiday weekend:

1- Arrive Early

Get there early if at all possible so that you can find your best location with the least obstructed view of the show. This not only includes people and crowds, but also street lights and trees that could end up ruining your chances of amazing images (and of course watching the action live too!).

2- Position Yourself Wisely!

Position yourself up-wind of the fireworks so that you have less haze obstructing the fireworks in your images as the previous set blows away.

3- Use a Tripod

Using a tripod is best, but not always practical for the occasional shooter. With the combination of low light and fast action, your result will be best and create sharper images if your camera is on a steady surface like a tripod. You can also get creative and use a flat rock or your cooler or a sturdy chair!

4- No Flash!

Make sure your flash is off so that it won't ruin your shots.

5- Play Around!

Try different modes on your camera to get different looking images as well as test to see what mode you're liking the best. There are a few to choose from like landscape, night mode and a lot of cameras have a fireworks mode built in. Check to see which modes you have before heading out so that your prepared when it gets dark!

**Take a small flash light or use your cell phone light to adjust the camera settings in the dark!**

6- Don't Forget the Details

Get creative and take images of the crowds to remember how many people were there or the great spot you found. Taking pictures is not just about capturing great images, it's about telling stories. So take pictures of everything of interest as well as the firework display to remember the story of your July 4th!

7- You'll need Extras!

Don't forget your extra batteries and memory cards!!

8- Focus! (One last tip that I'm adding this year!)

It helps if your camera has selective focus and you can focus on something stable in your background or foreground and snap the shutter when the fireworks go off. This way you'll be ready with a slower camera than a professional one and you'll get amazing images of the exploding fireworks! (note the image above I focused on the cathedral and below I focused on the skyline buildings).

Have a GREAT time and a safe holiday weekend!! Don't hesitate to let me know how it goes! :o)

June's Image of the Month