Wordless Wednesday {Cypress, TX Photographer}

I'm so excited to be adding this Wordless Wednesday {with a twist} feature to my blog!!

Here's the idea: Every Wednesday, I'll simply post a photo with no description or explanation. A picture is worth 1,000 words, right? Well ... in this case it's going to be a little different!

I challenge you to share the first word that comes to your mind when you look at the image. Just one word! You can leave a comment on my Facebook page, or on here if you don't have a FB account.

Every so often, I'm going to randomly draw a name from those who left comments, and the winner will receive a gift from Faithful Steps Photography Whoo-hoo!

Ready to begin? Here's our first Wordless Wednesday image:

Announcing Fall Mini Sessions!! {Cypress, Tomball Family & Child Photographer}

It's time to announce the two dates for my upcoming fall MINI SESSIONS!!

Mini sessions are absolutely perfect for those who want just a few great shots of their children or family. These sessions are only $85 and include 5 fully edited digital images with a print release so you can have the photos printed at the lab of your choice.

Sessions will last 20 minutes and will be held on two different dates, at two different locations.

Sunday, October 3rd in Tomball -
5:00
5:30
6:00
6:30

Thursday, November 4th in Cypress -
4:45
5:15
5:45
6:15

Contact me with any questions or to schedule your session!


Note: The session fee is due in full at the time of booking your session to secure your appointment.

Wow 'Em Wednesday {Back to School Photos} Cypress Children's Photographer

Summer's ending, and this will be my last photography tip post ... at least for a while. But don't worry, I have something new in store I'll be sharing on Wednesdays! In the meantime, if you really loved reading the tips, let me know! Comment on my blog, post on my wall, or shoot me an email! If I know you really liked them, I'll be much more inclined to bring them back!!

Now onto today's tip - Getting Great Back to School Photos!

Can you believe school starts on Monday?? Maybe you're planning on snapping some pics of your kids right before they head out the door for their first day of school. It's definitely a good idea to get some pictures of the momentous day, but how crazy is your morning already going to be?

You know what I'm talking about: Kids waking up late because they're used to sleeping in, getting them dressed with hair fixed and looking presentable, breakfasts eaten and lunches packed, school supplies all together, nerves acting up, etc. etc. Do you really want to then say, "WAIT! WAIT! Let me get a picture of you! STOP! SMILE! Stand here! No, not like that, like this!"

Now imagine the exasperated response you get from them.

Really, you want to deal with that in the morning??

OK, breathe ...

There is a better way! Have a first day dress rehearsal. Try on the new outfit a few days early, pack up the new backpack, and take your time having a fun back-to-school mini session with your child. Do it after dinner when it's cooler out. Find a place that makes a nice setting. Spend some time telling your child how much you love him, how special he is, and how wonderful his year is going to be.

That way, you'll have cute pictures of your child to mark the occasion without the stress of doing them at the last minute.

Now, I'm not saying to not take shots as they climb onto the bus or do special first day things! Knock yourself out snapping away as they go about their routines. But for that cute, posed "she's such a big girl" shot, do it early!!

Here are some other back-to-school photo tips:

* Snap a picture of your child holding up a sign with their new teacher's name on it.

* Take a picture with your child and his new teacher at Meet the Teacher. Then take another one around Christmas break, and a final one at the end of the year. It will be a fun way to watch how much your child grows and changes as they stand next to someone that remains the same.

* If you have a little one, send a picture of yourself in their lunchbox as a reminder that you're thinking of her and love her.

* Use props in a few pictures that reflect your child's interests at this time in his life. Is he really into dinosaurs? Star Wars? Won't it be fun to look back on those later?

* Take a full-body shot as well as a close-up. Don't you want to always remember those knobby knees and bruised legs? Oh, and that baby face will look very different by the end of May!


If you have any other ideas, post them, share them, tell us all!!!!!


To all my teacher friends - Hugs and best wishes for a fabulous year! You all rock and I love and miss you!

To all my parent friends - Congratulations! You survived the summer! Now it's time to par-tay!

And to all my parents-of-kindergartners friends - Meet me after drop off and we'll all cry together!

The N Family {Tomball, Cypress Family Photographer)

I am having a terrible time narrowing down which pictures to share for this great family's sneak peek! Maybe it's because I've known them since before they actually even became a family, so in every picture I see their unique personalities. Maybe it's because their son is just WAY, WAY too darn cute. Or maybe it's because I just totally rock and each image is amazing. (OK, that's probably not it!)

Anyway, this was such a fun session, and I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them!

This last one is my favorite! I brought along the frame, and it was their idea to smooch! Love it!

Wow 'Em Wednesday {The Rule of Thirds}

This week's tip focuses on a common way to give your pictures that wow factor simply by changing where you place your subject in the frame.

The human eye has a natural tendency to be drawn more strongly to certain parts of an image. So, imagine a tic-tac-toe board drawn across your photo to break it into nine equal squares.The four areas where the tic-tac-toe lines intersect are the strongest focal points. Then, the actual lines are the next best focal points.

So, if you try to place the part of your image that you want people to notice into one of these intersections or lines, your photo will have more oompf.


Here are a few examples, but please note that I am not a complete rule-follower!

By placing Ella in the top right part of this picture, the eye is naturally drawn to her, while creating interest by showing the arc of the tree and the curve of the bridge, as well as more depth.

If I had just put her in the center of the frame, the picture would have lost some of that interesting detail.

With this picture, one of the grid intersections would be near her left eye. Again, this makes the picture more interesting and it shows her natural surroundings.

When I take photos of people walking on paths, I like to try to put them in the bottom of the grid or the top of the grid. It is much more visually appealing than placing them smack-dab in the center.

The Rule of Thirds is something fun to try, especially if you feel that your photos need that extra boost of interest. It does not work for every circumstance or every photo, so don't feel limited by it!! Just give it a shot!

Wow 'Em Wednesday ... er, uh, Thursday! {Get Down on Their Level}

Whoops, I admit it! I completely forgot to post yesterday and I am SO sorry to those who were watching for my weekly tip!! No excuses, just apologies!

Now, on to the good stuff:

This week's tip is to think about what level you are shooting from. Have you seen those pictures of your friends' kids or babies (or even pets) where you can tell the photographer is standing way above the subject, so the subject's head looks huge and their body looks tiny? It's definitely not the most flattering look.

So, pay attention to where you are in relation to your subject. Here are some angles I really like to work with:

It's OK to be slightly above the person. This helps get the wide-open eyes with light reflected in them. Just don't be too far above them.

Try kneeling, crouching, or sitting down.


If I would have been standing, I would have missed this shot of cute little E making perfect eye contact with my camera.

Lots of times, I even lie down on the ground!

Trying different levels makes your pictures more interesting and can add a whole different perspective!

Whoa, Mama! {Cypress TX Child and Maternity Photographer}

BEAUTIFUL! That is all I can say about this sweet mommy and her precious 1-year-old.

Usually when I begin editing a session, I have one or two shots that jump out at me as early favorites. Not this time! With this session, I had to force myself to only put up these for their sneak peek. (But don't worry, I'll add lots more to Facebook when I'm finished!)

Enjoy!

Thank you, Ellana, for a wonderful morning!