Welcome Lillian- Newborn Session at Home
Every time I leave a session, it's my new favorite.
So, take this with a grain of salt, but Lillian's newborn session is my new favorite.
It's true that you get pretty sappy once you become a mother. What can I say? When I look at this precious little one, and think about how briefly my two were such tiny babies, and then I start to imagine all the wonderful adventures she will have, just like I have been blessed to have with my daughter, it melts me!
It's an incredible honor to be trusted for this incredibly special session, and I always hope that a newborn session is the first of many photo shoots that we will have together.
I look forward to capturing all her big milestones in life.
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"Sweet 16" - Victoriano's Session at The Pearl Brewery | San Antonio, Texas
"Traditionally in our culture we have Quinceañeras for girls and don't really celebrate young adulthood transitions for males. As a first generation Mexican-American. I try to keep parts of our culture within our celebrations but also deconstruct and reclaim it in our own ways. For this reason, he is wearing a mix of our traditional dress attire in a more modern presentation." -Sandy O.
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I love that Victoriano and his family honor their heritage in this way, and are making it a point to celebrate this young man turning 16. It was an honor to do this session for him.
Happy 16th, Victoriano!
Want a session like this? I would love to chat with you!
One Year Birthday Session
Six years ago, I was at the park with a new friend I had met in the new city I was living in, San Antonio. We had met at a mommy and me gymnastics class. It was the perfect fall day to be at the playground, and our two little girls were enjoying the breeze while we pushed them in the swings. My friend told me a story of a women she observed at the grocery store, doing her weekly shopping with her four children in tow. One in the cart, one on her hips, two tagging along. "I want that one day" my friend said to me.
There is a lot of things that happened between then and now, countless playdates, pregnancy announcements, moves, births, celebrations, milestones, many photo shoots. But I will skip ahead to yesterday, when I was in her living room taking her fourth child one year photos and thinking of how quickly the past five years has flown by, and what a beautiful family she has grown in that time. What an honor it has been to be her friend, and to photograph so many of her exciting milestones along the way. Lua, you are a blessed little girl to be in this family. I hope for many more photo shoots together, celebrating happy occasions and big milestones.
Siblings make the sweetest little photos shoot crashers.
Are you interested in a session like this? I would love to chat with you!
Why Are People Still Hiring Photographers | Maternity Session In San Antonio, Texas
Why is anyone still paying for professional photography these days?
Let's be honest for a minute, you have probably asked yourself this questions recently, haven't you?
(Or, maybe your spouse has asked you this questions when you were planning your annual family portraits.)
Quite frankly, I have asked myself this question too. I have been doing photography for 12 years now. Twelve years ago... not everyone had a great camera on hand at any given moment. Cell phone cameras are continually improving, and they're already pretty great. I would know, I use mine multiple times a day to photograph my kids. Then there is the fact that anyone can easily access the same editing software and apps that I use for my images, so it might beg the questions, am I being put out of a job? In short, my answer is: NO.
I am not worried about it in the least, and here's why:
Yes, cell phones can take really good pictures of your kids day in and day out, in fact, I teach moms how to take great photos of their kids in Facebook group
(*and my new course come soon. !)
But the value of photography goes so far beyond a good photo. What is photography truly about? It's about moments and memories. It's about having someone who you are comfortable with, creating a time capsule of your life. Preserving all the little details that you are so certain you will remember in 5, 10, 20, years, but they slip from our memories so quickly until we have a photograph to bring it back like that moment was just yesterday.
It's about capturing your little ones pudgy hand clasping your blouse, squishing your face. It's about the way your kids look at you with adoring eyes, the way your husband smiles while watching you play with your children.
The way you relax into your husbands arms, he pulls you in a little tighter and you smile. It's about being in that moment, and trusting someone else to preserve your most precious emotions and memories in beautiful images.
It's about having photos of our loved ones who have passed on already, but we can stare at their smile in their photos, sit with our children and tell them all about the amazing person they were.
It's about having images that tell your love story, the story of your family, the story of the best days of your lives.
I spend time visiting with all my clients prior to your session, so that I can get to know you and your story well, and do my best telling it. For a change, you can put down the camera momma, and be in the moment. Leave it to me to capture all your favorite parts of life.
I take pride in helping my clients feel relaxed and natural while I am in your home, or on location with your family, so that you are comfortable to be yourself in front of the lens. During over more than a decade of working with people, I have learned how to help you feel at ease during your session, and how to encourage precious moments to occur naturally, and how to expertly capture it.
Does your cell phone do that?
If your interested in planning a session like this one, I would love to get to know you! Hit the button to begin chatting.
What I Learned From Taking My Own Headshots - A Photographers Perspective
Ten years of guiding people through their session in front of my camera has taught me a lot about posing, but not quite as much as 20 minutes in front of my own camera did. I swear I forgot how to human when I was in the "hot seat".
Here is the progression of faces in the first few minutes:
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Realized my lighting was NOT slimming my face, changed my lighting
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Forgot how to human, lip is trying to makes its escape off my face
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Trying to make "normal" faces, looking like a half smoldering half "I'mma kick your butt" face
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Landed on something I like, even though I as looking at a stain on the carpet, just slightly off camera
Edited version:
I want to be very candid with you. I'm going to show you the good, the bad, and the beautiful.
Because every person at every shoot ever, has probably had more images that they hate than ones that they love.
Most photos we see are carefully selected and then edited, so in the spirit of honesty, I wanted to share some images SOOC (straight of out camera) vs. edited.
Btw, makeup really helps a lot. My favorite way to bring out my eyes in a shoot is FAKE. LASHES. They will make such a difference in your photos.
Now, reality check! Before getting to that pose up there that I like, came this awkward glory below:
This. THIS is why photographers may not want to show you the back of the camera. Heck, even during my own shoot I was hesitant to see the back of the camera, because I didn't want to see a photo of myself that I hated, and then be obsessing over a double chin, or squinty eye during the rest of my session.
Above is a shot my hubby snapped of me. I feel like this "what I really look like". But below are some images I snapped once he left the room, and I felt more comfortable hamming it up for the camera. You will see the difference. You guys, thank goodness there isn't video footage of me fake laughing, leaning into the camera, tossing my hair around, etc. I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but I landed on some photos that I feel look like me at my best.
My point being, don't be afraid to really go for it at your session. Those will be the best shots. You think those instagram models are nailing it on the first shot? Here is secret: hell no they ain't! They are patting the side of their hair, looking strangely slightly off camera, and "candidly laughing" for several attempts before nailing a photo that they love.
Fake nose crinkle, and fake laugh. Also, fake lashes.
Is it still me? Yes, but its' me striving to create a flattering/approachable looking. Me if someone just happened to snap me in the middle of a cute giggle.
Even these "natural" looking shots that I love, actually felt super uncomfortable when shooting. I was sitting on the edge of my seat, angling my chin out, turning my shoulder slightly to the side, sucking in and laughing, or throwing out my best big smile.
This photo is totally random because my daughter decided to crash my shoot, but I'm putting it in here because...how adorable is she?! Answer: the most adorable!
The shot I love, vs the awkward one that came a split second before it:
Can you handle the cringe?
So, all awkwardness considered, here is a roundup of my top ten tips to help you pose for your own headshots.
POSING TIPS:
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It's hella awkward
- for everyone, so don't be shy! Get in there, and have fun.
2. It takes practice
- you won't nail it the first time. That's okay! Keep shooting until it get's better.
3. Sit on the edge
Scoot to the tips of your chair or bench, turn slightly to the side, you don't want to have your shoulders squared to the camera completely. If I am facing the camera straight on, I'm typically leaning with my hand sin my lap, or running my fingers through my hair. Not flat staring straight into the camera like a deer in the headlights.
4.When you're uncomfortable, it probably looks good.
-Again: sitting, leaning, sucking in, pouty lips and all that... it may be a little uncomfortable to hold that pose, but it might end up being the one that's your favorite.
5. You will have to loosen up -release your inner supermodel!
-Don't be afraid to play with different faces, or poses, or even throw out a giant fake laugh. Your photographer will love that you're changing it up, and you will land on an expression that you adore. Feel free to strike a pose. Do what you need to do, crank up a great playlists, or involve a glass of bubbly in your session.
6. You're going to look silly, and that's good
-for myself, and for my clients, I've seen that the best moments happen in a split second in between silly or awkward moments. Go through some poses that don't work, to find the ones you love.
7. You don't want to see the back of the camera
-Seeing yourself caught in an "awkward" moment can be a major hit to your confidence. Keep striking poses, and trust that your photographer will deliver the best images to you, ones that you will feel great about
8. Know when to reset
Feeling stiff, and taking images you don't love? Time to reset. Stand up. Shake it out. Take some deep breaths. Close your eyes, breathe deep. exhale, open your eyes, look into the camera, and snap.
9. Play with your hair or pockets
- hands can make or break your shoot! It's so hard to know what to do with them! Here is my advice, put them to work. Play with your jewelry, run your finger through your hair, rest a hand on your neck, or hook your thumbs in your pockets. This give you something to do and adds a candid playful feel to your photos.
10. Gather Inspiration
Before you start, look on Pinterest or social media to gather ideas of poses you like and practice different looks in the mirror if necessary!
One second (captured above) me looking human, a half a second later, me malfunctioning in front of the camera.
Duck lips live on!
Did you enjoy this? You might also like : tips for photographing kids
I own a photography business based in San Antonio, TX and I specialize in story telling sessions for families and teaching moms how to photograph their kids! Want to connect? Contact me here.