Portrait: Craig and his Camaro

A couple weeks ago, a new friend of mine, Craig, asked if I could take some pictures of him.  Of course I said yes.  Then I hesitated and wondered how in the world I would take pictures of both Craig and his car, together, without it being all about one or the other.

Here's the assignment:  The school he works for is gathering pictures of all the teachers reading their favorite book. 
Here's the catch:  Craig owns a brand new Camaro.  A Camaro that he had painted to look like Bumblebee from the movie Transformers.  And his principal insisted that Craig's picture be taken with the car.

We found a more "industrial" area of Turlock.  It works.  Bright, shiny new car vs. old, weathered corrugated building.

Fitting that he chose a book on camaros...

Then we took a little drive to Knights Ferry.  Unfortunately, this was about as close we could get to the old covered bridge and the old brick buildings.  And yes, I got to ride in that beast of a car.  Car sounds too wimpy for it though. 

The sky wasn't the prettiest that day.  But at least it wasn't raining like predicted...

How about some more "fine art" edits...

I like this one, but then I don't.  What do you think?

Similar to the one above, but different.  Thoughts?

So after a few hours and a nice little drive, Craig ended up with some pictures to choose from to give to the principal for the school project.  I wonder which one he chose...

*post note:  this was supposed to post last week! and apparently my draft/schedule system is a bit confused.

Exciting Things...

Little by little, which is how I like it, things are growing and expanding round these parts.

• I'm photographying a wedding in June.  A dear friend of mine is getting married, and she asked if I'd be interested in being part of "a team" of photographers.  I said sure, (pressure's off right)?  Well, apparently I'm the "main" photographer and a couple other people with be taking pictures too.  She's such totally relaxed bride, so I'm not too worried.  Plus she's beautiful, and she has great eclectic tastes. 
• A co-worker (that I really don't work with) saw the pictures I took of Elin and her family and asked if I'd be interested in taking some photos of her family.  Sure!  Of course, now we're waiting for the weather to be nicer outside.
• I've been himming and hawing over going to the annual WPPI Convention in Vegas in March.  Although I'm not signed up for the convention...yet... I did sign up for an annual membership.  WPPI is the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International.  Now, to decide if I'm going to Vegas in March to learn, network, and see what all there is out there for photographers.  What's holding me back you ask?  Hotel cost.  So I'm looking around and researching.  Plus I'd really like to go with someone I know.
• A couple other co-workers have asked if I'd be interested in taking pictures of their family.  Alright!
• Being as Rylen has had the twins, I'll be adding "baby photographer" to my list.  Stay tuned for pictures of my "nieces".
• I've got senior pictures for my future sis-in-law's sister.  Does that make her my future sis-in-law too...?
• Oh, and I've got the paperwork to fill out in order to become "legal" in the government's eyes.  Now to fill it out and send it in!  Once I'm "legal", I'll feel more comfortable about starting to charge.

That's it for now.  I wanted to fill you all in on what's going on in my little photography world.  Slow and steady.  It's more comfortable that way.

Details

I can't wait to take your picture! Here are some details and FAQ's that will help our time together go smooth and ensure that we have a blast!

1. Where do we shoot?
   Well, I don't have a studio.  I'm more of an on-location photographer.  And I love natural lighting.  So I prefer a location that is filled with natural lighting.  But I'm willing to go anywhere, especially if it's somewhere special to you.  And as long as they're close together, we can go to a few different places.
   
   
2. What's the best time for the session?
   Honestly, the best time is first thing in the morning or as the sun is setting.  High afternoon sun is not ideal, but we can make it work it that's what time works best for you.  My favorite time to take pictures is starting about 2 to 2 1/2 hours before sunset.  The lighting is warm and full and magical.
   
   
3. What should I wear?
   Wear clothes that reflects your personality.  Bright colors are especially fun.  Don't limit yourself though, if you have a few outfits in mind, bring them along!  As for families, don't think matchy-matchy, but more coordinating and complementary.  Dress for your body type, fitted clothes photograph better than baggy, loose clothes.  And feel free to bring props!
   
   
4. Terms & Conditions
   Courtney Ann Photography reserves the right to use any pictures from our sessions in any form such as, but not limited to the use is advertising, print and online publishing, reproduction, and copyright.
   
   All images and site contents are copyrights of Courtney Ann Photography and it is illegal to copy, scan, or print images without permission.
   

Merry Christmas to me...

I also posted this on my daily, personal blog...  But since it has to do with photography I thought I'd link it here too.  I dare you to go check it out...

Johnson Family

I have fabulous friends!  I'm just gonna throw that out there right now.  My friends, Jenn and Anthony, asked if I could take a couple pictures of them with their "dogaughters" for their Christmas card.  Absolutely!

I only took about 20 pictures, so here's just a couple...

 They're pretty people.  And the dogs are cute too!

You know what Dakota thought of taking pictures...?

To see the full album click here.

Co-Worker's Kiddos

Operation get caught up on blogging beings NOW!  Sometime ago, in mid December, a co-worker asked if I'd be interested in taking pictures of her kiddos for their Christmas card.  Of course I'm interested!  She knows I'm working on breaking into the industry on the side.  So one Sunday late afternoon (after the sun went down) I met them at their house and started snapping away.

Being that little E is adopted, I'm keeping things anonymous for googling purposes.

This shoot posed a couple problem:  lighting and activity level of the kids.  Being that I took the pictures inside, the lighting wasn't the greatest because it isn't natural lighting.  And quite honestly, I don't know how to properly expose the camera for low lighting.  I really need to learn!  And the kids, as adorable as they are, are active.  At 2 1/2 and 2 (E is adopted and J is biological), it's hard to get them to sit still long enough for me to take a slow shuttle picture.  And it was difficult to get them to both look at me at the same time. 

But, despite the challenges, I'm happy with how they came out.  So are Mom and Dad to E&J.  And they paid me!  Score!

So without any further ado...  Little E & Little J...

How do you get kids to sit still?  Give them things to play with!

Mommy tickle monster helped with this picture.  Can you tell that J is scrunching his body up in "don't tickle me" defense?

Uh oh!  Watch out E, she's coming after you next!

Such fascination with the light up ginger bread house.

She is such a doll! 

E had a quick outfit change.  Only because her mom got her 2 Christmas dresses. 

Time for candy canes!

Can-ee.  That's how they said 'candy'. 

Candy = bone, E = doggy.  She woofed and all!

Aren't they adorable!?!

To see the full album click here.