It has been raining (and freezing) a lot this winter. When the weather is like this, it’s not only bad portrait weather (Who wants their hair all frizzed out because of the weather?), but it’s much easier to stay inside, you know, where it’s warm.

So, with all of this picture-less weather, what’s a girl to do when she just got a new camera?

First, she gets something warm to drink.  Vanilla Carmel Tea, Coffee & creamer, or Apple Cider, it doesn’t matter too much as long as it’s tasty & warm.

Then she slips into her super-cute new rain boots.  Which she loves. A lot.

Then she hunts around the neighborhood and finds some winter details.  Neat seed pods, right?

And, then, hiding behind the winter pods, she finds some surprisingly pink berries.  Seriously, they were that pink.  Haha, I found you, you hint of Spring time!

Finally, she gets very, very cold (and a little wet) and decides it’s time to get home before her ears get so numb they give her a headache.  And snuggles up with a book, and, of course, another warm cup of yumminess.

Rainy weather, I love you. But couldn’t we get a few consecutive days of temperatures over 55?

Entwine #2.  I hope you enjoy how I’ve interpreted it this week. I mean, what could be more figurative than a set of wedding bands? : )

Aren’t those bands lovely? (And, no, they’re not mine & Chris’ — ours are silver because I love silver more).  : )  These are a set that my mom inherited from a family friend that she let me borrow to take some images with.

I love macro images like this and it’s one of my favorite things to capture at weddings: the details that make the day unique.  I think it’s those little things that the couple takes time to plan, but can still miss in the busyness of their day.

Well, enough philosophizing from me, Happy Tuesday to All. ; )

Trapped Inside Your Fairytale.

{by me}

Hope you enjoy. : )  Sorry it’s so short for a Friday post, but I’d like to believe it’s pretty enough to make up for it. ; )

New four-week set: Entwine.

Inspired by this image & influenced by the flickr group: inter}{twine.

For the next four weeks, I’d better go hunting. ; ) I’ve had this picture for a little while now & I decided this morning that I would base my next set of Tuesday posts on this idea.  I hope everyone enjoys (and that I don’t run out of creativity!  lol).

Happy Tuesday!

So, I thought I’d do something a little different today.  It’s a combination of an “inspiring post” as well as “suggestions.”  If you’ve never seen my What to Wear post, & are looking at booking a session, then please go check it out.  It’s a simple guide on ideas of how to dress for your portrait session, assuming you want to take it a step beyond t-shirt and jeans. : )

This is something of an addition to that.  It’s a list of props (and accessories) that can add that bit of personalization and pop to your portrait session.  I’m presenting images from other photographers to give you a boost of inspiration (and me too).  : )  They’re all from Senior Sessions, since we’re in that time of year.*  And, as always, if you click on the link, you’ll be sent to the web page/flickr account of the awesome photographer.

One final note before the photo goodness: if you do plan to bring a prop, which I would love, do let me know.  That way I can think about what fabulous images to take before we get there. : )

Emma from aephotographyblog.

Playful, imaginative & just a touch whimsical? Balloons. Whether a whole handful or just one lone balloon. They’ll add a bright pop of color to your photo (and we’ll do our very best not to loose them). : )

shinnphoto on flickr.

Personal & Memorable. Your instrument.  Tuba, Sax, Drums, Guitar, Flute, it doesn’t matter to me as long as you bring it.  Even if it’s large & hard to move – like a piano – we’ll work out whatever we can.  You’ve spent hours learning how to play it so there’s no reason to not include some shots of your talent.

Nasai from Gunnar Cook on flickr.

Great Accessory? Hats.  They can add a vintage touch, tell your favorite sports team, or be immeasurably fun.  (And if anyone wants to take off their high heels/converse & get into some water, definitely don’t be afraid to let me know).

Zach by Jharp242 on flickr.

Hobby or Sport.  Skateboard, baseball bat / glove,  basketball, photography.  It is undoubtedly important to you – you’ve spent all that time learning it, after all – so include it in your photo shoot.

Kristie from Sarah Lane Studio’s Blog.

Unique & just a little out of place? A chair (or other piece of furniture).  I love the bright color that the chair adds to this image (and her skirt, but that’s not the topic).  If you have a prop that’s bigger, let me know.

Likewise, if you have a chair that’s brightly colored and can be moved by a single person (me) but that you don’t want anymore, do let me know.  I’d be happy to get a chair specifically for portrait sessions, and while I have my eyes peeled, I’m looking for unique furniture & so instead of tripping over it in the garage, I’ll take it off your hands. : )  Or if you just know where to get one because you saw an awesome chair, but knew it wouldn’t quite fit with your current decor, shoot me an email!

Tracy by LaurieNowling on Flickr.

Vintagey & Modern? A bright flower headpiece, a headband made of pearls, a peacock feather clipped into your hair.  Perfect.  (And don’t forget the nice conglomeration of necklaces she’s put together).

*Although, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t add that doing your Senior Portrait session in the Fall is actually a better idea since you have more time to get ordering done, announcements made & printed, etc.  But I know that the spring semester is when the end of your senior year is in sight & you remember those little things you needed to get done. : )

Don’t get me wrong.  I love the rain & cold weather is nice… for a while.  It’s been cold a little long this winter and we’re only in January.  Of course, since we’re in Texas, it should clear up in a few weeks (haha), but I am looking forward to not having to dig a jacket out of my closet to do something as simple as run to the store.

As you can imagine, this image is a few months old.  I was digging through my archives, to delete some images that I never sorted through a while pack and stumbled upon this lovely.  In color, it’s not so fantastic, but after I switched it to black & white, I just love it!

In other news, I got my new camera yesterday.  It’s a Canon 7D.  I’ve been looking forward to upgrading for several reasons, but after taking some experiment/play shots last night, I plugged my new “toy” into my computer today & my image program couldn’t read the files.  After a moment of “oh-my-gosh-what’s-wrong”, I googled the problem & found the fix.  Thank goodness I waited a few months to get my camera (or else the update wouldn’t have been ready).  Everything is much better now, running just like it should.  Hurrah for my new camera!

My first session in 2010 and I absolutely adore the results.  (Of course, I like the subject, too, I’ve known him just about forever). ; )

Ryan is a senior in Lubbock & is planning to study music in college next year. And with good reason: he got second chair in all state choir this year.  Amazing, yeah? (Especially to me – I’d like to have musical talent, but, well…)  On to the fabulous visuals.

How photogenic is he? And if I wore glasses, I’d try on ones like that first!

There are these neat old train cars outside of Lubbock that are set up on the side of the highway & if I understand correctly some type of Christmas celebration/decoration happens there every year… but when that stuff isn’t up it’s the perfect place for some photography.

Cotton!  And look at that sky!  So blue!

Can black & white get any better? His expression, pose, & the textures – I just love it!

His expression here makes me smile every time. Just a little bit of mischief, I think. ; )

Good news. The client/ordering section of my website can now process credit cards!  : )  I’m very excited about this because I know that’s much more convenient for most people.

I’m going to go eat my lunch now (left-over stuffed peppers – yum).  Have a fabulous Tuesday!

I love the sky in this image – it was seriously so perfect for this shot (and others… you just wait!)

Wouldn’t this shot make a gorgeous canvas? (Check these examples!)  Seriously!

More on Ryan later, when he gets a full post…

Now, I have another question for you, my blog-readers.  I’m thinking of changing my official watermark. If you’ve never noticed it, check out any posts that aren’t Tuesday Posts, like this one or this one.  I want the watermark to be subtle but readable, and I’ve begun to decide that my old watermark had trouble achieving that (plus, it works much better on the bottom corners than the top corners but if the image has grass or pebbles or any texture in the bottom, then it has to move to the top).  So, I was thinking I might simplify to something more like the watermark in the image above.  After all, it’s the New Year, right?  And a whole new decade.  Changing at least a little something seems logical. ; )

Anyway, if you have any opinions, give me a comment.  : )

That’s all for this Friday.  I have some processing to do and some fun to have with my husband (his school starts back up  next week).

Starting a New Year always makes me want to be fresh & organized… but that rarely happens what with the busyness of the holidays.  So, this year I wanted to show off my husband’s project. : )  He’s been cataloging our books (all the non-fiction, I can’t decide if I want my fiction categorized since I don’t know if it will split up my favorite books & authors, but eventually I’m quite sure I’ll give in)… Although it seems a little OCD since at the moment we’ve only *officially* got 2 bookshelves, I know that it’s a good idea for the future.  He’s going to be a professor (talk about someone who collects books!) and I absolutely adore the written word (evidenced by my majoring in English)… so knowing how to find books when we have more than 2 bookshelves is a good idea.  I’m just very glad that he’s the one putting in all the effort & not me!  : )

His bookshelf looks like a little library shelf… Ever since he started, I’ve been joking about how wonderful it would be if my office (when we actually get our own place) were like a library, with rows of books and then my desk in a corner…  only I’m half-serious with my joke.  I would love to work in that environment all the time… I just love books & having them all organized on book cases would make the room look clean even if my desk were a heaping mess, and it usually is!  : )

Happy Tuesday!  I hope there’s something that seems neat & organized & fresh for your New Year (even if it’s just that you cleaned the trash out of your car – which is also something I did… more or less!)