I had such a great time shooting this stylized tea party with this sweet, little spitfire! This is my third shoot with this soon to be 3 year old.
I recently posted a blog about family photos. I wanted to share a photo I took of my mother, Helen, last Thanksgiving. She is one of the youngest, most active 74-year-old women I know (as is her twin sister, Dorothy)! You can see a few photos of them in the old photos I posted previously.
I want to acknowledge my mom for being so supportive of me in pursuing my love for photography and gifting me several cameras over the years (not to mention her support in some of my other endeavors)!
Thanks Mom, I really appreciate everything you do for me!
I asked the bride to share how she and her groom met. They are such a cute couple! :
“I had a crush on him in middle school, but he swears we did not really know each other. My first day of freshman year, a girl stopped me in the hallway to lipstick me (it is a tradition they used to have at my high school). Justin stopped and lipsticked me as well and then we ended up going to the same class right afterwards. We talked for a week and then he asked me to be his girlfriend. We have been together for seven years. There have been some rough patches, but we made it through, and I could not be happier. We haven’t even been married a week, but I already know he is going to be the most amazing husband.”
Loved this playful shoot with Bailey. Her mom wanted some with her overalls with the tractor. That’s Bailey!
This is Madison, a gorgeous junior from Mitchell High School, which is located in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. These photos were taken in Spuce Pine and Little Switzerland, NC.
Many people ask me how I got into photography. Well, here goes:
I’ve always been a photographer. I’ve taken pictures for over 40 years, for as long as I can remember, definitely since grade school. I have old fading photos of friends sporting their orange and white safety patrol belts, hanging upside down and doing handstands on the playground and just hanging out being kids. I was fortunate to be raised in a neighborhood reminiscent of the “Wonder Years” back in the good ole days of the late 60s and the 70s. I know I’m now telling my age! To you “youngsters,” I must sound like I’m ancient, but you know what “they” say, “50 is the new 30…?” 😉
Many friends say that if it weren’t for me, they would have very few photos of their families. I always have a camera with me, so they expect me to be there to take photos of whatever we’re doing. I have countless albums of cruises, trips, just cats, tons of flowers, sunsets, family and friend get-togethers, and thousands of loose photos stored in boxes.
I remember the first camera I used had the cube flash. 4 flashes, and you had to change the cube. Then came flash stick. I think you got about 10 flashes with that one — amazing!! Then came the camera (film) w/ a BUILT IN FLASH!! Woo Hoo! I’ve gone through several point-and-shoot digital cameras (both film and digital), the handy dandy Polaroid and countless disposable cameras! And, how can I forget the iPhone! I can’t imagine the money I’ve spent on film and prints over the years. Thank goodness for the invention of the digital camera!
In the 90s, my uncle gave me my first SLR, a Canon EOS 10s. I was thrilled! However, I never had the sense back then to take the thing off auto. Cringe! What a waste!! My uncle is an awesome landscape/ wildlife photographer and I had admired his work since I was a tike. He did try to explain Aperture, ISO and shutter speed to me, but for some reason it seemed too much like algebra to me (NOT my best subject in High School). He is a doctor, so I knew he was probably a lot smarter than I was!
Last year, I finally got my first DSLR, a Canon T3i. I decided it was finally time to take my camera of auto and actually learn how to use it! With the help of several mentors and hours and hours of studying, I now shoot in manual, RAW, and have decent editing software. I recently updated to a full-frame camera, a Canon 6D, and LOVE it!
Now I have thousands of photos stored on my computer and back-up hard-drives! More on all of those photos in my next blog…….
I had the opportunity to do a session in Cancun, with these beautiful sisters, Jordan and Camryn, and their parents! What a fantastic experience!
Lifestyle Photography
I was very flattered when a fellow photographer (brytneeannephotography.com) asked me to write a guest blog about lifestyle photography. That was when I also realized I rarely blog (or write) on my own blog site! I admit I can be a slacker when it comes to writing.
So, what the heck is lifestyle photography? I guess it is kind of self-explanatory, but I think of it as capturing those moments when the subjects aren’t really paying attention to the camera. It’s capturing them, living their lives without being posed. I prefer natural light, so my shoots are usually done outdoors. I seem to favor black and white images for lifestyle photography, probably because of the mood it creates and it is not as distracting as some color images.
Because I seem to always have a camera in my hand, my friends and family now expect me to be taking pictures of all of our get-togethers and of other life events. This also makes my gift giving easy. Those photos make great Christmas and birthday gifts!
I love shooting children interacting naturally with their parents. It’s amazing to look at the photos later, and see where you’ve captured tiny, loving nuances in their expressions while they play, smile, tub noses and kiss. Those are memories to cherish!
While doing actual family portrait sessions, I try to snap lots of photos in between trying to get the child(ren) to LOOK at the camera! Ok, don’t look at the camera! Now I’m off on a tangent, but don’t you hate having to say the child’s name, over and over…I feel like I sound like an idiot. And, I’m sure the child agrees! And, I often use a “shutterbuddy,” * which is a silly looking little lens cover of an animal and has a SQUEAKER. So, I’m running around calling the child’s name, “squeaking ” and pleading with the child to LOOK at the animal (or whatever it is). Well, for what it’s worth, it does work. Sometimes. I can’t imagine what the parents are thinking.
I think it’s also important to catch those moments when a child isn’t so happy. That is usually when the child is tired of the “old” lady with the black box in her face, following them around. So, don’t forget to get those pouts and tears, too! Those will be great shots for their parents to embarrass them when they’re older and they show them to their boyfriends/girlfriends.
Of course you always want to try to get shots of genuine laughter. I can usually get those shots when I’m backing up and falling over a rock (or a big stick, or a dog). They always seem to think that is pretty hilarious. They also find it amusing that once I am on the ground either from falling or trying to get “at their level,” I can’t get up, not very easily at least. I sometimes have to roll around to get to up on my good knee. Ha ha. Very funny. “I meant to do that!” ;-p I get so wrapped up in shooting, I fear one day I’m going to back over a cliff I’m sure many of you can relate.
Ok-seriously though, just get out there, let the parents play with the kids and shoot away!
I have found that many of my clients’ favorite images are the ones they did not know I took. Sneaky, huh?
This fun family shoot was shot at the beautiful home of my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. I love the pond, especially when I can get some good reflection shots! Look at all of Reagan’s cute expressions.
lisalemmonspowersphotography 