East Wenatchee senior portrait: Cody

Got to meet another cool teen for senior portraits this weekend. I'd heard Cody was a bit reluctant, well, maybe uninterested is a better word, about having photos done. But from the moment he got there, he was easy-going, quite funny and I thought he looked pretty relaxed. I could tell his mom and grandma are super proud of him, and they should be -- he had a great way of making everyone laugh and feel at ease and that is such a great, and valuable personality trait. Even though he might not have been super excited to have the portraits made, I could tell he knew they were meaningful for his family and he handled all those eyes on him like a champ. Congrats, Cody, on your upcoming graduation and best of luck!

Oroville senior portrait: Breanne

Breanne! I had the best time shooting you yesterday. You are such a photogenic girl, super sweet and easy-going. Love it! Made my job easy and fun. My daughter called later to ask how it went. I told her it went great and also that "I wished we lived closer because I would totally be friends with her mom!" And, not that I'm rushing you or anything, but now I'm excited about shooting your wedding someday. It sounds like you have a bright future ahead of you and I'm honored you let me capture a little bit of this exciting time for you. Here is a sneak peek of the first few images. (By the way, we got a lot more than 10! You photograph so well!)

Wenatchee senior portrait: Ashley

I always consider it an honor to be asked to photograph someone. And I consider myself lucky to also get to enjoy something I do so much that I don't really consider it "work". This past weekend I got to spend some time with Ashley shooting her senior portraits. Such a nice girl, meeting someone like her always makes me feel hope for our nation's future. She is polite, friendly, funny (loved her interacting with her little brother!), and I know she makes her parents proud of the young woman she is and the woman she will be all too soon as she graduates high school. Thanks Ashley for trusting me to capture a little bit of your senior life for you.

A quick sneak peek with many more to come:

Before and after: Portrait with point and shoot

My one and only blonde daughter decided to go brunette. I loved her blonde, I love her brunette and either way, wow, she is so beautiful! Is it appropriate to be jealous of your own kid?? Probably not. Anyway, this is a photo of my middle daughter taken with a cheap "point and shoot" camera. Nothing fancy, but, and here's the important part, it was HANDY. What's the best camera? The one with you, or the one you'll use. Ghetto lighting all the way (a lamp on the floor beside her, in an all white closet.) It gave a really nice "beauty-dish" look. "Beauty-dish" being a type of lighting used in the cosmetic industry to achieve that flat, shadowless, even light on a face close-up. Yes, a bit overexposed, but shot in auto, with a camera that was HANDY, it's a shot I love that I wouldn't have had otherwise. I did a bit of hilight recovery in LAB to bring back a bit of the skin and ran a few favorite TRA actions (+Contrast Luma and Lux-soft), as well as sharpened the eyes and lips (using the duplicate>overlay>high pass method). That finished the middle color image. I then tried a "greyscale-ish" version by running a TRA recipe (sorry but I couldn't find it online any longer. It ts Brooklyn and Get Faded Winter at 40%) and then adding back in some warmth. Love the different feel to each version!

I [heart] faces: Sepia children's photography

The theme this week at I [heart] faces is "Sepia". This is one of my favorite photos of my youngest daughter. Her relaxed expression made her appear older than she was (7 here) and I think wise beyond her years. The sepia toning enhanced it, removing color as an element and suits the graininess, which is part of what I love about the photo. Wanted to use a photo of her for this entry as this little imp is visiting her grandparents for 3 whole weeks - her first time away. I miss her so much. Today is my birthday and it didn't seem right without her here (or my oldest who is also gone for the week helping run a volleyball camp.) I decided our family tradition of birthday dinner out at the birthday-ee's restaurant of choice would have to wait until they're both home. No fun with 2/3 the brood gone. Love and miss you girlies!