Atlanta Baby Photographer | Atlanta Family Photographer | Newborn Photography

Another edition of Monday Love….  (if you’re wondering what “Monday Love” is all about, read HERE)

A Quote: ‘Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.”  ~H. Jackson Browne

Something Personal: What an amazing weekend!  The weather has been beautiful and I’ve spent the entire weekend with my family.  No work being done (except this blog post of course), and it made me think about how grateful I am to have a job that I truly love and the privilege to be home with my children as well.  I spent many years in the corporate world (I was in Sales & Marketing for 12 years with Renaissance Hotels).  I always enjoyed my career and I was proud of what I had accomplished.  When I got married and had children, my view of the world changed.  The “big” things (like budgets, forecasts, and contracts) just didn’t seem so “big” anymore.   Now I am responsible for the well-being of two little human beings — and there’s not a very detailed job description to help me out!   In honor of the holiday today, I want to celebrate not only the working men and women out there in the corporate world, but also the working men and women that are taking care of our country’s youth – our future.  If you have never really known exactly how this holiday came to be, you can read more information about Labor Day here!

My family celebrating some free time on Saturday! 

Something I love: I’m not sure why, but I have been dreaming of See’s Candies for the last couple of weeks.  Anyone from the west coast will know what I’m talking about – that classic white box of Nuts & Chews (my personal favorite).  Until the last few years, I had not seen them anywhere here in Atlanta.  But now, I get my fix around Christmas time at the little booth in Perimeter Mall.   Of course, I could always order them online, but it just doesn’t seem right.  Kind of like buying Girl Scout Cookies out of season. 

The Love Story:  It is difficult to describe how grateful I am for all of the phone calls, emails, facebook comments, blog notes, and general outpouring of love for me and the new chapter in my life – Tiny Heart Studios.  It has truly been a labor of love, and I am excited to continue sharing more about the business and the plans.    My Newborn and Baby Studio is open for business.  With the help of a fabulous designer, Rachel Oliver, I was able to create a space that is cozy, playful, and inviting.   I will be using this space to photograph the littlest ones, and also to meet with clients for ordering & consultation sessions.

I think the best part about having my own studio space is just the simple fact that I have a place to put all of my many, many, many props and blankets!  (This isn’t even half of it!)  My husband really likes that part about it too!

My cozy sitting area where parents can enjoy a snack and beverage while I photograph their newborn.  And I just have to let you know (because I just realized it the other day), the middle canvas pictured below won me a Recognition of Merit Award in the NAPCP 2010 Image Competition!  Soooooooo exciting!!!!  (Thanks Christina & Brian for having such a beautiful baby boy to photograph!)

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!!!

Another edition of Monday Love….

Another song this time: “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” – by Timbuk3 (I know, I haven’t heard of them either – but I’ve heard the song…. hence the picture of my Jakester below)

Something personal:  Having two children under 5 is hard.  I know, it’s such a profound statement right?  Nobody has ever said THAT before – HA!  Kylie is in LOVE with her new niece Ally and she begged to go stay the night at Aunt Laurie’s (with Nana too) and help take care of the baby.  Aunt Laurie obliged and Kylie left for the evening on Friday.  Jeff and I were left alone with Jake for about 24 hours – for the first time since he was born (I think?).  The house was semi-peaceful and we were relaxed — and nobody came in our room to announce (joyfully) that it was “seven-zero-zero” on Saturday morning.  It’s really too bad that you can’t relax and enjoy how “easy” one kid is until you have TWO!  Of course, I missed my Kylie-Bear.  I even went in her room and looked at her empty bed, and said a little “goodnight” in my head.  Jeff teased “are you going to be alright?”   Then, reality set in when Kylie returned and the screaming, taunting, whining, yelling (and I don’t just mean the kids), throwing and crying began again.  Don’t get me wrong, Kylie and Jake adore each other, but they sure know how to make some chaos together too!  It made me realize that Jake will never have that “peaceful” babyhood that Kylie enjoyed – but I suppose that’s what makes him the little man he is today!

And quite a little man he is…….

I have to give him credit because, shame on me but, I have never purchased a pair of “boy” shades for Jake.  So what is he supposed to do when it’s really bright outside?  He wore Kylie’s shades for about an hour and was quite pleased with himself.  On another note, I made Kylie stand on the front porch and let me snap this pic of her because I thought is was a cute idea for “what to wear” for your next photography session!  The entire ensemble was purchased today at, believe it or not, TARGET!

Something I love:  My girlfriends!  These ladies below (Allyson, Vicki and Cynthia) plus LIZ and AMY came to my rescue when I needed help this week with a HUGE project involving teeny-tiny holes, ribbon, envelopes and stamps.  Of course, there was a little wine & chocolate involved as well.  THANK YOU for your help and your friendship! 

Something cool / Before & After: As I was editing this maternity session, it occurred to me that some people might have some interest in my “vision” when I take a picture.  Now, more than ever, it seems that everyone has a “nice” camera and people often think that if they spend a ton of money on a “nice” camera, they will have really awesome pictures – maybe even professional-style pictures.   A good camera will definitely help improve the quality of a picture, however, I believe that artistry comes from a vision, or forethought.  Yes, you can get some good pictures by accident (especially if you take 300 pictures of the same subject) but when you take the time to learn, practice and master your craft, you will have a vision of what you want to achieve BEFORE you snap the shutter.

So, here is a sample of what I am describing.

The image on the left is straight out of the camera (SOOC) and the image on the right is the final edited version.  I posed my subject here because I loved the blow-out of the back light (so I had to meter properly to adjust for the brightness behind her and not lose the detail in her body).  I loved the texture of the brick and the lines of the wall (matching the lines of her body).  My vision for the image was to highlight the flowing dress and beautiful shoes, as well as the wonderful shape of her belly.  I knew the final image would not include her entire body (and face) but I wanted to leave room for a creative crop.  Another detail, I had her bend her left knee slightly to create the small shadow under her shoe – which gives the image a little more life – and keeps her from looking like she only has one leg (from the side-view).  And so my image came to life exactly as I imagined it, but just like photographers used to use the darkroom to create his or her final look, I used Photoshop to do my final tweaks and cropping (and to clone away her thumb sticking out from her other hand!) 

A peek:  You can get a little peek from my good friend Alice Park’s blog!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!