Puppies Too

Along with babies, I really want to learn to photograph pets. (Furry ones at least.) I drew my sister in law's name for the Christmas exchange...my daughter walks her dog "Moose" every once in a while. We secretly borrowed him a little extra on one of those days and did a photo shoot. I was very glad for my M's help as she has such a way with animals! I took one of the photos and had it printed on a canvas...IT CAME OUT SO COOL! Will let you know how she likes it! (I'm writing this before Christmas so don't know yet.)

Puppy dog eyes...

This is the photo I used on the canvas. It's pretty big and the spittle on his tongue is really clear!

I think Moose looks like he's laughing in this shot.

Cake Smash (First Try)

My friend who's 11 month old I had photographed earlier asked me whether I'd be willing to do a cake smash session. I agreed (at her house :) ) and this is what came of that...

TWINS!

I can not tell you how stinking excited I was to get to do a twin photo shoot! I loved every minute of it! We had quite a challenge lining up their sleep, but they were so sweet and itty bitty. They even seemed to mimic each other. I'm really hoping to get to follow them as they grow.

Mini Sessions

I set up a Saturday to do mini sessions for the MOPS mommas. (Well actually their children...but you know what I mean.) I had set to do 15 minutes for each shoot, but because we only had 4 people signed up, I was able to devote a bit more time to each one.

I had set up 3 different backgrounds and we just moved around trying different things. Here's a few of the shots I was able to capture.

Mobility

My next challenge was to photograph and eleven month old. Cousin to my previous post's kiddos. She was quite photogenic, but also quite mobile...keeping her within the background area was a challenge. Handing her a Christmas bow was the perfect distraction and added to photos too!

Clean Editing

One of the things I'm learning is how to edit better. I've used Photoshop Elements 6.0 for a few years now and can do quite a few artistic type things with it. My main focus had been on digital scrapbooking. Editing real photos w/o a preset was a new challenge.

I found this tutorial on Pinterest (my favorite time warp!) It really has helped me to make the photos look good and clean before I start playing with the filters and presets.

My second photo shoot was with a friend's kiddos. She was totally happy to just let me try whatever...the baby wasn't quite as eager to be a model, but we finally captured some great shots...and then some with her siblings.

Plate Spinning

I'm determined to learn to take great photos. I am drawn to newborn/child photography...and pets. I finally got a "real" camera this past summer, so have a bunch to learn. I'm jumping in with both feet, collecting props, backdrops and other necessary froufrou.

I feel like I have to learn to spin plates. All the different things to learn and think about. I get overwhelmed sometimes...but then I put the photos I've taken in Photoshop and shazam...they start looking good. I don't want to have to depend on PS, but glad to have it for now.

My first "official" photo shoot was for my newborn nephew. I made no promises and was beyond grateful that my brother and his wife let me borrow Odin...I'm glad I captured some keepers!

Re-edited this one after learning a new technique.

The following photos were my first attempt at editing...learned something new on my second shoot, which I'll show on my next post.