Bill Jr Stages - 1 Year

It has been wonderful watching this young miracle grow from a moment is mother's belly to a moving and grooving one year old. Moving and grooving really describes him because he was all over exploring and having fun in the park with his mother and dad.
I came with my trusty 50mm and 85mm prime f1.4 lenses, but the 24-70mm lens ruled the day. This lens allowed me to zoom in and out as needed following all the energy Bill displayed.
Every once in a while Bill would slow down for a family shot, but not for long. The above photo was rounded off with more smiles and laughs.

I was told the swing his favorite and I could tell why. I think I have never seen anyone laugh as much as he on this pendulum ride. Well, I guess mom may be in the running since she was really having a good time on the seesaw.

View the slideshow of this great time I had...

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Clifford Brown Jazz Festival

My boys enjoy music so my wife suggested we make a family outing downtown at the jazz festival.  There was great food and music.  Because of the likelihood of rain, I left my camera in the car.  However, after sitting for a while watching my boys having fun, I had to get my gear and a blanket for us to share.
I only had the 50mm f/1.4 lens, but this workhorse can get the job done, flash or no flash.  I cranked up the ISO and caught the moments.  Soon it began to rain and we opened our umbrellas.  The large golf umbrella served as a mini tent as my oldest son let rain drops roll down the back of his hand.
It wasn't long before the boys had to burn off some of the funnel cake energy and played in the rain drops.  My youngest let the light rain sprinkle his face.
Little moments like these are what I like.  My oldest took a picture or two of me.  However, the funnel cake sugar didn't allow him to keep a steady hand and the shots were left on the editing floor.

BPAS - Family Photography Workshops Beyond Point and Shoot

I have been asked many times for advice on photography methods and if I give classes.  On rare occasions I have given private lessons, but had not given workshops much thought until now.

Why now?  Well, because as I enjoy the moments I spend with sons capturing the little things they do, I realize the connection my clients have when they request my services.  These loving parents want to document a special time in the life of their family.  Some of these moments happen when I am there and other moments are not so structured and occur at the oddest of times.  If I have my camera available, I capture it as close to the way it occurs as I can.  Most of my parent clients would like to do the same.  So, I have started gathering my notes from what I have done or shared to put together the BPAS Workshops.

Here's how to tell if BPAS is for you:

• You are a parent or grandparent of small children
• You love or want to take pictures of your children
• You want more than the traditional and common point and shoot poses
• You want to get more out of your camera

Well, BPAS is designed so you, the common parent can feel comfortable with your camera and take pictures beyond the stop-pose-point-and-shoot method.  Topics include camera basics, advanced camera settings, personal style and digital file management.  Yes, I have forgone film years and years ago and like the quick gratification of digital.

The workshops are structured for small group, direct interaction between me and the parents.  There will be hands-on activities setup in a comfortable family room setting staying away from the technical theory and more toward the application to get family album results.  The information is derived from my personal documenting style for my clients and my own family life.

If you are interested, send me an email or use the contact link and I will add you to the distribution list to be notified as the sessions are scheduled.

Baby's First Year for Lawrence and Titania

I love this couple. From their wedding until now, they have been great. Now there is more to love about them with their baby son. For this session they chose to mingle with the vibrant colors of a local playground. Nothing says baby more than bright colors.
With my extra gear in my backpack, the baby bag and my two cameras, we started off with a few posed shots since the baby was into it. The 50mm f/1.4 was great for the opening shot, but I switched to my trusty 70-200mm f/2.8 for the lovely portraits.
Toward the end as the sun began to get lower in the sky, I decided to give the photos a kiss of flash to brighten up the family while maintaining a decent background. For the photo below, I blew out most of the frame and then brought it back in with post production exposure to give it a special look.

Every family has a story and this one has beautiful stories.

View the slideshow...

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Corinne - A Day in the Life

Corinne is a high achiever with many accomplishments to her name. On this day, I had the opportunity to document a day in her life with her latest milestone of her prom. No prom day would be fitting without fresh make up and hair styling from the professionals. In the presence of her onlooking father, she transformed from the day to day to Miss Extraordinaire.
It was a fun day hanging out with Corinne and her family learning about the major tasks and volunteer efforts she had done. Using my prime lenses, I was able to up the ISO and capture nice photos in her home with no flash (except for one or two posed shots). Outdoors, lovely shallow depth of field portraits were achieved of her, her date and her friend.


A fairy tale ending for a princess to be home by midnight (or there about).

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