Friday's Photo Tips: Tip #1

I know lots and lots of people LOVE photography...I do too!!! I thought it would be a fun addition to my blog to teach you some simple tricks so you can improve your photo-taking skills! However, this doesn’t mean that if you get good you get to stop hiring me! Okay? OKAY! I'll be posting these tips on Friday's as often as I can. Here I go...

Tip #1: The Rule of Thirds is an amazing but super easy trick used in design. Using this trick can make an ordinary snapshot into an interesting, beautiful photograph. The Rule of Thirds is a compositional guideline. In fact, it is probably one of easiest things you can do to make your image (weather it’s a painting, a photograph, or graphic design) better.

Here’s how you do it:

Think of your image to have a grid of 9 equally spaced squares.



When you are snapping a photo, imagine this grid in your viewfinder as you compose your image. By placing your subject or an important part of your subject on, close to, or even within one of the intersecting lines, you create greater interest, energy, and just a more creative composition for your photograph.

Here are some examples:

FYI:
1) This rule doesn’t have to apply to everything. You can totally get cool images without using it. You also use it pretty loosely and still get good images. It's just a good/easy guideline.
2) This is also a good rule to use when you are cropping an image.

Whitney - Class of 2010

Remember Whitney? Here are a few more of my fav's from her senior portrait session. I have no idea how I'm going to only pic a few to put on my website. She's such a beautiful girl...which makes me job 100 times easier.

Fall Portrait Special Results

You remember that big Fall Portrait Promotion I was trying out in October? Well here are some of the results.

Mandy and Brandon

Paul, Nowelle, and Ben

The Madsen Family

The Gibb Family (I love all Gibbs)!

The Henri Family

The Davis Family!

Two of the Jensen Family's kiddos.

Needless to say, it was a total success and I'll be doing it (or something similar) again next year!

Help Me! Finding a New Do...

So I love having long hair, right? Right! I love it when it's down, straight, and flowing. It makes me feel gorgeous and feminine. BUT, having long hair takes time and work. I don't have the time for it right now. In the last week, I've only had time to do it once and I'm SOOO sick of wearing it back in a pony tail...it makes me feel old and ugly.

I'm thinking that I'm going to cut it. Not super short, but much shorter than what it is now. I NEED HELP. Will you please? It's been a long time since I've had short hair and an even longer time since I've had short hair that I liked! Here are a few of my ideas:

Love Kate's hair in this photo. I'd probably go just a little longer.

Very practical...I don't know, if I'm going to cut it then I want to have a little fun with it.

Love this Mandy Moore do. I usually love her hair anyway.

I don't know if I just love this because its Claire Danes & she is stunning or I just like the hair cut.

I like this alot...simple and classic but also kind of fun.

I beg you to give me your thoughts! Well, that is unless you plan on telling me to NOT cut it. Come on, help a girl out!

Preview: Whitney's Senior Pics

I owe this gorgeous girl a preview of her senior pics. I had a hard time just picking out a few to edit real quick and post. I can't wait to get busy on the rest! Sorry it's taken me this long, Whitney! I hope this gives you something to look forward to.

Hopeful Relief

So the last two weeks have been pretty much miserable for me, for all of us. Leon has been getting up 3, 4, 5 or even 6 times a night. He refuses to go back to bed unless I feed him. Nothing else will work. We can't hold him or rock him or bounce him back to sleep - he has to eat or he is unconsolable. It is like having a newborn again. And most days he has been a lot less happy than normal. Oh, and he won't take his pacifier! GRRRR...

We tried letting him cry it out. He cried for almost two hours. I hated every moment of it, but I was desperate. After a couple of nights of this I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I called the doctor, spoke to the nurse, and scheduled an appointment. Yesterday we went in. I found out that he has a ton of fluid in his ears (Doc said it probably caused by the snotty noise he's had for the last 3-4 weeks) and he has gained LESS than 1 pound in three months (14 lbs 7 oz @ 6 months and 15 lb 6 oz @ 9 months). No wonder he wants to eat, right? The poor kid is starving! I don't know what is up with that...maybe my milk supply is diminishing? Anyway, the doc gave us a prescription for an antibotic. We also decided that for my piece of mind and relief to wean him onto formula. We have a checkup in three weeks to check how everything is going. Man, I hope all this works. I'm so exhausted and I have so much to do (so many photos to edit, my house is pretty gross, we're getting ready to work on the kitchen). Getting some sleep and getting Leon to sleep has become an obsession I'm so tired of.

I wanted to breastfeed until Leon was 1, but to be honest I am relieved. I'm hanging on my a thread and really could use a break. I love being a mommy, but it really can be hard at moments. At first, I felt like the world's worst mom for wanting to stop but the Doc made sure to let me know that it is okay and I shouldn't feel quilty about it at all. I needed to hear that.

I tried giving Leon formula yesterday. Of course he didn't like it. I've read it takes time for them to acquire a taste for it. And it takes time to wean the right way. I'm trying to be patient. Wish me luck. Heck, pray...I am.

Kyle's also been studing like a mad man for his actuary exam coming up on Monday. I'm sooooooooo beyond ready to have my husband back.

Miss Reese

This baby girl is soooo beautiful! I think she looks like the sweetest little thing with that dark hair, untouchable smooth skin, and those amazing blue eyes! And did I mention the dimples???? I'm so glad I had the pleasure of taking her portraits!

SO gorgeous...I need to get me one of these!