Ella in the City

Oh Ella, you are always a guaranteed fun shoot. Of course I am biased, she's my niece and all, but what an awesome morning we had together. Thanks for sharing the second half of your shoot with your two loopey nutjob cousins (next time will have a new baby and hopefully a visiting baby Bekah for a five cousin extravaganza)! Have a fun time choosing mom and dad, cousin togetherness to follow.

Red Shirted

He just can't believe they are going to the Rose Bowl.

Little Man

This was my first shoot with Magnus, it was also his first time at Inniswood Metro Gardens. He wasn't sure what to make of me or the gardens. Luckily he had monkey to hang on to and help keep the weird lady at a distance. Good thing for him, I like tough guys.



Yeah I know you weren't crazy about the part where I decided maybe I should carry you to the next spot, but seriously Magnus, I promise there is much cooler stuff to come. You have to trust me. . .just a little bit, I come highly recommended from your mama's friend, and she's known me since 8th grade, a little trust Magnus, just a little.



See buddy, now that's what we're talking about! I think Magnus would have happily ran back and forth through here for half the photo shoot, but one can only take so many pictures of the half leafed out willow tunnel. Man did we make him mad trying to get him out of there, but he discovered the "secret garden" is pretty sweet too.






You'd think I put him infront of a fake brick backdrop! All I had to do was get in position and then queue the random strangers to walk by. He tracked, he followed, he waved, he laughed. . . he tried to follow them out.






Mom's got a frame to fill and is debating maybe a 4 pic frame instead, so there will be a couple of these 4x6 matting recommendations in this proof set.









Still in the "secert garden" I managed to get a few more out of him. I play a mean game of "ribbit" and hide and go seek. I dunno, the one at right had a bit of a blu pallete and I just sort of ran with it. I don't start off knowing what I'll do with pictures I just, well, let them speak to me. I'm very impressionable.



I am one funny frog lady. Do you know how hard it is to ribbit and hop like a frog and then get crouched back down and get the camer in focus before an 18 month old stops laughing. It's harder than you think, this is one of the many reasons I often wear yoga pants to shoot in.



It was time for a juice break, it was HOT today and we were shooting midday to work things in around naps and family time. So we went to one of my other favorite spots. Magnus wanted nothing to do with the rope bridge, but he did sit adorably on the tree house steps, and give his monkey some encouragment too.



The second picture is processed with a retro honey, it's Magnus, kicking it back 70's style. I promise we only had juice to drink.



I already knew I had gotten some decent pictures, not a ton to choose from but definitely something, so we started winding our way back to the car and stopped at my favorite family photo bridge. Well it's wide enough for a picnic, for Magnus that is. At right: "Hey! Give me that fruitabu!"



These were all shot around him demolishing several snacks, lucky for mom and I he felt like eating tidly today.



Okay everyone wants to catch the great smiles, but I love these ones almost more. Left says (especially that eyebrow), "I don't know about you lady, I think you've been out in the sun too long." and the one at right says, "Whoa there! Camera lady has lost it mommy, let's run!"






He was such a trooper and patiently sat on the bridge by momma as I snapped and snapped hoping to catch a smile or two. Almost caught him, you can tell he stopped that smile on purpose, little stinker.



For framed sets of the more ornery variety.






Just making our way to the car, the long way, come on you never know what you might find on the scenic route! Like nifty stone paths.



He's not tired, no siree!



Absolutely not tired.



Thanks Magnus, you did awesome buddy!
Portraits available 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, storyboards are 8x10. Framed sets are sized for 4x6's, I can walk you through that after you decide what you like and what you want to fill your frame with.

eta: again with the after midnight, please excuse the rambling and typing

More Boy, Less Flowers

Rowan was very excited to go to Franklin Park, he was very excited to be outside. He was not, however, excited about the gorgeous daffodils I took Maycee's pictures in front of a couple of weeks before. I had to "manify" that first one, it was looking a bit too girlie, rust stains always work, and rinsing out some of those foo-foo colors, there we go. And see that there on the right above? That's him looking at the John Deere garden master, not the flowers. He did do a lot of this below, running from the flowers.



I just love this stair shot, I can't explain why, and the processing just made me love it more.



Rowan was all about the stairs, I have about 100 pictures of the back of him slimbing various staircases from this day. This one was the keeper the, it just had that extra pizzazz, especially with the sun infront of him. I love the sunlit fringes of his curly hairs in the second one. Mama has waited a long time for hair on this kid!



You'll see three of these 4x6 frame sets. Mom has a frame in mind and I wanted to mock up the monogram panel and recommend soem groupings that made nice sets. I'm starting to think everyone should have a frame or two in mind like this, I love filling them!



Same courtyard I took Ella and Maycee too, but an 18 month old is running and doesn't want to sit on cool bricks. I had not noticed how cool this railing was, good job Rowan!



I play a pretty wicked game of peek-a-boo. I can be quite entertaining, when I'm not bringing out the "serious" in small babies.



Of course it always helps when Momma is willing to make a fool of herself in public too. That and I was leaning backwards on a set of stairs, children are always amused when I am in mortal peril.



He had a little clapping session for awhile, the one at left was the keeper. Love that smile and look! The elusive hair! I bet mom doesn't even remember me taking the one at right. As we left the courtyard he headed back to the garden truck, and we called him back to us, and as he ran back I took 3 pictures at my hip really fast. This one was just awesome, and a good crop can hide any ole ugly asphalt road.



Note to self: always remember that while the Palm House has really photogenic stairs, it also has a fountain, doh!



Mom took it in great stride. It helps that the sweater didn't show the wetness, but I think it grew 5 inches as he tromped around the rest of the Conservatory.






It's hard to get really cool shots here at the koi pond, there's not much space to the wall, and you can't go across from the pond. Oh and 18 month olds don't stay very still. With older kids you could get some real gems, especially if you had a small step ladder.



I processed this in a different manner on different days and they all ended up with the same look to them, I guess the lighting and the Chihuly just spoke to me.



Gettign him to pause infront of this Chihuly display was nearly impossible, but I got one! And again another coming down the stairs picture, except this one is a bit more whimisical/funny then artsy. Those chubba cheeks!



I just love this photo, the end. I was again in some ridiculous pose on the landing below him and he just looked down at me thinking, "WHAT on earth are you doin' lady?!??"



These both can be summed up as "I'm not not throwing gravel at you camera lady!"



The second one is for daddy, yup, baby boy likes to hang out down a the precinct, keep the bad guys in jail. And yup mom, got one with the train going by! What am I going to do when they take my train away?



On the other side of the train display. The lighting's a bit funky over here, I couldn't get them processed just the way I wanted, he has such fair skin it's easy to overdo it.



"Choo-CHOOO!"



Yup that momma is one silly lady! I am lucky to have friends willing to degrade themselves for baby smiles! The one at left is my favorite, even if he leaned back and his face is slightly out of focus. Little bugger was jumping and laughing and the light was really low, he made me work for it.



I don't know where I was going or where I came from with this last storyboard, it just um, well I don't rightly know. There's something to build on there, just have to figure out the proportions to get it tack on.

edited to add: it's 12:30 am, please excuse any typos, I'm sure there are a lot.