Haley is graduating from Winters HS. She’s involved in Softball, Cheerleading… and I might have heard the rumor she made ACU’s cheerleading team for next year. : )

With no further babble from me, enjoy the images!  There are a few more than usual because I just couldn’t choose.  Does anyone else think that happens alot?

Our first meeting ended with a nice downpour, so we used the opportunity to shoot with an umbrella then decided when to reschedule for another day.  Sometimes it just happens… but we got some cute pictures! ; )

The sky was gorgeous both times I met with her.  When it actually rains, it’s a problem, but when it’s just thinking about rain, you get the loveliness of these sessions.

We found a tall field of wheat… hay?… either way it was very green & very perfect for Haley’s images. Don’t her blonde hair & blue eyes just jump out of the image?

If you want to see more, I uploaded quite a few from this session to flickr… sometimes I let my flickr “presence” slack since I’d rather post on my blog, but I was feeling in a flickr mood lately, so click over for more.  I know I would. : )

Haley: The photo shoot(s) were so much fun!  Thanks for being so full of ideas & up for anything!  (And thanks to your mom for driving us around, lol).

I mentioned the wonderful senior that’s a ballerina in my post on Tuesday.  And here she is!  : )  Don’t you just love her curls?

I don’t think I told her this during the session, but it must be said: Brooke, I love that necklace… oh, and that you were so wonderful to work with… yeah, that was awesome!

: )

Um, lovely peacock hairpiece… Yes!  : )

Pointe shoes!

I absolutely adore how expressive she was during our session. : )

Beautiful… just beautiful.

The sunset was gorgeous!  : )

So, tall grass, ballet shoes, back-lighting, beautiful senior… can it get any better?  : D

PS The answer is “no”… “no, it can’t get any better”… ; D

Lauren has a beautiful smile… and when she was playing the piano, it was wonderful!  I wanted to keep taking pictures so she’d keep playing. : )  So think of beautiful piano music as you look at these images:

See? I just love her smile… and her necklace is cute, too. ; )

Beautiful stained glass at HSU.

Check out her pink shoes.  Aren’t they cute?

And, as promised, the awesome Jacob’s Ladder makes another appearance. : )  Isn’t it perfect for full-body shots?

Well, she’s not smiling, but she looks thoughtful in this image to me.  And maybe a little determined, which I love!  If you check this post, though, it’s the picture that happened in the next 3 seconds, hehe.

Jacob’s Ladder again. And look at the clouds in the sky!  We had great lighting that day.

Haven’t I had the most gorgeous seniors this year? : )  And I’ve still got another post coming from the sessions I did during Spring Break & they’re just as lovely!  : D

Happy Good Friday & Easter, everyone. Have a wonderful holiday!

Okay, so last week’s opinions were split right down the middle… so I thought I’d try again. ; )

Well, actually I just thought it was fun to see what people voted on & why.  So if you’ll indulge me for another week, here’s another lovely image to give some opinions on:

In completely unrelated news, I thought I’d share just for funsies that my excessive tweeting about book contests has paid off.  : )  I’ve won 3 contests so far, hooray!  If you’re interested in such things, click on over to my Twitter page & poke around to find some chances to win free books (mostly YA/urban fantasy/paranormal) from nice bloggers that review books & host contests.  Although, I did use the word excessive for a reason to describe the number of tweets & maybe I should create a new Twitter account just for such things… In fact, I think that sounds like a dandy idea!

But enough of that, tell me what you think: Color or Black & White on this image?

Happy Tuesday!

As I promised, here is some beauty to enjoy:   : )

I just love her dress. : )

And, like I said last time, those eyes!  : )  So blue.

Okay, so confession: it was really really sunny that day.  Glaringly sunny.  And that means I have to think extra hard & keep my eye on harsh shadows.  But it did make some nice back-lit images & lens flare. : )

There’s a place at ACU called Jacob’s Ladder.  It was fabulous!  I’m so glad Emily told me about it.  Watch for it again in Emily’s friend Lauren’s session which will be coming up soon. : )

So I’m pretty sure the image above is my favorite close-up image. : )  The details and her smile are just wonderfully wonderful.

And, finally, I just love this last image.  : )  Her dress, shoes, pose, and the little bit of yellow stripe peeking into the image off the pavement.

Ah, senior sessions, they’re so fun!

So I thought I’d take a break from my Tuesday post schedule.  Maybe it’s because I’m curious about the answer, or maybe it’s because me & my camera have been inside a lot lately working on the computer. Maybe it’s both.  Wink, wink.

Seriously, though, I’m curious about this.  Do you prefer Color or Black & White on a “typical” close-up portrait.  By typical portrait, I mean the subject’s face takes up most of the space in the image & is focused on the eyes and other features.  A headshot, in other words. Now, the easy answer for these is that it depends on the photo. And I know, it does to some extent, but on the other hand, when I’m doing processing, I’ll typically convert a handful into black & white & I’m just wondering what others think.  I’m a black and white fan (though I also like color), but I want some feedback.

With this in mind, I present one of Lauren’s portraits from last week’s session.  I just love that you can see her laugh in this image.

So what does everyone think? Do you usually like color but like this particular image in black and white? Or vice versa? Or are you flat-out always going to choose color? Share!  : )

Happy Tuesday to all.

So I had a busy week (as I’ve mentioned in previous posts), and here’s a little taste of what’s coming.  : )

This is a shot of Emily from our session last Saturday.  Isn’t she beautiful? Look at those pretty eyes.

Much more beauty to come soon!  : )  I’ve got a busy day, but I’ll have much more for you later!

Happy Friday.

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. : )

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. ; )

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).