It’s that time of year again! Our annual BLACK FRIDAY SALE is now up and running! 50% off all gift certificate amounts and mini sessions for $150! Such a killer deal! This makes such a fabulous Christmas gift and is the best way to stock up on next years photo shoots.

We’ve had such a good year, with so many fantastic photo shoots! I can’t wait to see what the new year brings! Plus, share this on your social media pages for a chance to win $100 gift certificate for you and a friend! Let’s share the love of photos!

Clink the links below to purchase!

$150 MINI SESSION

30 minute mini session with digital images

$150.00

$100 Gift Certificate for $50

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$200 Gift Certificate for $100

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$250 Gift Certificate for $125

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$300 Gift Certificate for $150

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$400 Gift Certificate for $200

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$500 Gift Certificate for $250

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$600 Gift Certificate for $300

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One of my goals for 2020 is to be a better blog poster! Let’s see if I can keep it up. Lol! This sweet little one was my first session for 2020.  She was so cute and the session couldn’t have been more perfect.  For this time of year inside sessions are best.  If you have little ones and a room with lots of light, don’t forget that I have a portable studio that can be set up in your home.  Great option for this time of year when the weather is less than pleasant!

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine. It would be really great if it decided to stick around for awhile.  I’m not ready for the rain! Just finished editing this fun session.  There’s almost nothing cuter than a boy and his dog.  These sure make me smile! 🙂

Can you believe it’s already JULY?!! I can not! This summer is going to fly by! Do you have anything fun planned?  We are spending lots of time with family and may even throw in a quick trip Disneyland with friends! As always with it being July, it’s time for our CHRISTMAS IN JULY SALE!  50% off gift certificates and $125 minis for 2 DAYS ONLY! This is the perfect time to stock up for summer and fall shoots, an upcoming senior session, birthday gifts, etc.  Sale ends 7/3 at MIDNIGHT.  Click on the link below to purchase your certificates.

It’s that time of year again!! Time for our annual PERFECT PICTURE WORKSHOP!! This year is my 11th class and I’m super excited! I’ve got so many fun things I want to share with you!! Did you get a new camera for Christmas and don’t know how to use it? Do you have a camera and want to improve your skills? Do you want to get out of the auto mode? Do you want to learn how to get that PERFECT PICTURE? Then this class is for you! We go over all the parts needed to get that perfect exposure, how to pose your subjects to look their best, how to organize your photos, what and where to print your photos, how to edit in photoshop, have a yummy lunch, goodie bag and more! It’s going to be SO MUCH FUN!! Class will be SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2019 at 10AM-3PM. Class fee is $100, register with a friend and you both save $10! Everything is more fun with a friend!! Space is limited so register as soon as possible! Click on the link below to register! Can’t wait!!

Are you undecided? This review and photo below from Katie Tidwell who attended the workshop and who now has her own photography business might be helpful for you! Katie is taking some fantastic pictures!!!

Thank you so much for letting me be apart of your class! Just walking into it I felt comfortable! You have the cutest set up and handouts that I still turn back too. Note pads for note taking, lunch, you thought of it all! You did a great job of breaking down how to use my camera for Nikon and Canon users, then provided us with super cute models we could practice on. All in all the day was really fun and I took a lot of knowledge and excitement to take photos away from your class! Looking forward to taking another,  maybe an advanced one In the future! ~Katie

Hey guys!  I LOVE a good Black and White photo! Love, love, love them!  They just draw me in!  I have a super easy, super quick photoshop edit for you to help you get those great Black and Whites.  And when I say easy,  I mean EASY!  Check out the video below to see just what I mean!

Hello friends!!  I am excited to get back to our Workshop Wednesdays!  So far we have gone over ISO, SHUTTER SPEED and F-STOP.

Now it’s time to put all these elements together!  Doing this properly is what will give you that PERFECT PICTURE.  When I get to a photo shoot this is what I do.

1. I analyze the setting.  What does my light look like?
2. What is my subject? Lots of people? 1 person? Old or young?  This will determine my f-stop and depth of field.
3. Once I have chosen my f-stop then I use my in camera meter to help me get the right shutter speed for that situation.  I also will take a few test shots, look at my screen to see what I need to adjust.  Am I too bright?  Is my photo to dark?   For me I  always like to shoot wide open, meaning I am choosing an F-stop with a low number.  This allows me to get the most light in as possible.   Of course you don’t have to do this!  That’s the beauty of any art form!  Do whatever you like best! 🙂

The ISO and Shutter Speeds balance each other out. This is what you need to remember!!  If I have a LOW ISO then I need to have a HIGH SHUTTER SPEED number.  If I have a HIGH ISO then I will need a LOW SHUTTER SPEED number.   They need to be opposite to get that PERFECT PICTURE!

Okay so let’s put this to the test!  Are you photographing in a bright space with lots of light?  If so go for the low ISO and high SHUTTER SPEED.   Is the spot you’re photographing a low light situation?  If that is the case then go for a high ISO and a low SHUTTER SPEED.  Easy as that! 😉  Good luck!  Any questions leave them in the comment section!

If any of you know The Madill family you know HOW SPECIAL these photos are!! They have prayed for this little miracle! I am so honored to be able to photograph this moment for them. Love them big time!!!

Hello friends! Happy Wednesday!  It’s that time again!  Last week we had spring break so I took a break from posting so here we go!  This is a good one!  We have been talking about the Big Three! Those three little things that go into creating the PERFECT PICTURE or we could say PERFECT EXPOSURE.   So far we have covered, ISO and SHUTTER SPEED. If you missed those posts you can click HERE for the ISO episode and HERE for the SHUTTER SPEED.   Lots of good info there you will want to read!

Okay let’s get on with it!! The last of the 3 SETTINGS is APERATURE or F-STOP.

The aperture is the size of the opening in the lens, and is yet another way to control how much light enters the camera.  If the shutter functions like a blinking eyelid, the aperture is like the pupil of the eye.  It gets larger or smaller depending on how much light there is in a given situation.  Unlike our eyes, however, the aperture does not adjust automatically- that is up to us!  If you want more light in, choose a larger aperture.  If you want less light in choose a smaller aperture.  It’s pretty straight forward.  If it’s bright go smaller, if it’s dim go bigger!

Another word for aperture is F-stop.  For the largest aperture opening use the smallest F-stop number.  This is really confusing at times.  It would make more sense if the largest opening was the largest number but that would be to easy! 🙂  The largest aperture- where the most light comes in- has an f-stop of 1.0 (f/1).  The smallest aperture- where the least amount of light comes in- has an f-stop of 22 (f/22).  I told you it was confusing!

Changing your aperture also gives you another powerful tool in determining the outcome of your image.  Aperture controls your depth of field.  The depth of field is the amount of your image that is in focus.  Let’s say for example, you are taking a portrait of a child.  You want his face to be sharp and the background to be blurry.  This is called shallow depth of field.

Now let’s say you are photographing a beautiful landscape like the Grand Canyon and you want the entire image to be in focus.  This is called a deep depth of field.  Here is another example of where the numbers are reversed.   A large aperture (low f-stop number) a smaller area will be in focus.  A small aperture (high f-stop number) a larger area will be in focus.

There you have it! The confusing world of the F-stop! Now next week we are going to be going over how to put these three together to get that perfect exposure. And it will ALL MAKE SENSE!  It is going to be a fun post! I’m going to give you my exact recipe. 🙂  Thank’s for reading! I really am enjoying these weekly posts and hope that you are all learning something new!