So, as most of you know I’m AWFUL, TERRIBLE at updating my blog.  It’s a flaw, I can’t help it.  I have issues.  In the mean time please cruise over to my Facebook page and check out the fun exciting and beautiful smiles, hugs and kisses  It’s where all the cool people hang out… ok, maybe just me, but I’m cool right?!

Talk about being thankful for flexible families (and photographers)!  We moved our family session up a day to hopefully avoid possible rain… and one thing it did do on Friday was RAIN!  I don’t think we would of had half as much fun had we kept our original date, just saying cold wet rain isn’t great for family portraits but it can be done.

Looking at the pictures you wouldn’t be able to tell that the temperature had already started to drop, the Bryan’s wouldn’t show it.  The fact that off camera we were doing jumping jacks and sprints is neither here nor there!  I have to admit that even with the chill, some sprints of my own to grab a misplaced lens in my car, and a busted mirror this was a terrific session.  I love how the Bryan’s love each other; they laugh from their toes, their hugs and kisses are genuine, and their laughter is infectious!

Believe me or not but I did NOT set this picture up below!  Bethany was writing love messages in the sand and when I turned around this was framed perfectly!

One of my favorites from the day – I love how Jed is kissing his little sister *hearts*!!

I don’t know what their motto is but Live, Laugh, Love *should* be top of the list!!

Thank you for including me and allowing me to capture your love!

Love, Yvonne

I’ve known Khadidja since we were kids, we met when we were just kids living in Brussels.  Our families spent many holidays together and you could say that our two families practically became one… I wonder if they ever actually thought of betrothing one of us to the other family just to solidify the bound?  I’ll have to ask our parents later!  Anyway, I’ve know Didja F-O-R-E-V-E-R! Spread now across two continents and thousands of miles we were chatting on day via skype with our mothers and Didja shared that she had gotten engaged.  Everyone else already knew but I was super excited for her!  Immediately my mother joked that I should do their wedding pictures and we all laughed (why exactly I am not sure) but we quickly moved on to details of her upcoming wedding and better yet, her handsome groom to be!

A couple of weeks later, can you imagine my surprise when Didja called to inquire about actually hiring *me* for her wedding!  We talked, settled details and before I knew it I was flying off to Charleston SC for a Belgian reunion!  This is where the story gets really good…

Didja and Bernard have a long history, kinda.  They met at work a few years ago or did they? Their paths actually crossed 14 years in Luxemberg when they were both attending a track meet for DoD schools… Bernard went to one in Germany and Didja went to the one in Belgium (obviously!).  Apparently some numbers were swapped (then promptly lost!) and they lost touch and went on their way. Moving into 2008, Bernard stares down Didja at the chow hall in Wilford Hall Medical Center (Lackland AFB) causing her friend to be concerned in November.  December, Bernard finally approaches her and asks if they know each other.  After a few awkward silences, stares and history exchanges they realize they did in fact know each other! Long story short, they started dating and eventually we all end up in South Carolina.  Why SC?  Well, in true military brat fashion everyone’s family is dispersed through different countries and states.  They were told it was pretty, the weather was mild that time of year, it was central for most people, but most importantly it was very reminiscent of their European roots.  The cobble stoned streets and french cafes reflected the theme of their lives perfectly.

Beach houses rented, tickets purchased and everyone met in SC to bond over turkey and wedding excitement!  All the details of their wedding came together perfectly.  Decked in a stunning beaded dress with a Victorian flair, simple beach flip flops and a Belgian lace garter, we headed down to the beach for a simple ceremony with just their closest friends and family.  The skies cleared, the breeze settled, and yes I know this is getting super fairytale-ish, but seriously the stars aligned and we all watched as our friend Didja (the one who said she would never get married) give her heart to Bernard.

Over the past years I’ve been honored to capture several weddings, but there is nothing quite like watching a dear friend who you’ve watched grow up, get married.  I’m truly honored they chose me to capture their day!  Thank you, Bernard, for being persistent and not giving up on pursuing Khadidja.  While some might think it’s creepy to stalk a girl for 14 years, I think it’s endearing!  Thank you both for believing I could do your love justice and capture your wedding!  I can’t wait to see what is ahead for us all; it’s going to be wonderful – I just know it!!

You can never have enough shoes! One for the ceremony and one for the party!

Bernard and his boys went over to the Old South Barber Spa for some close shaves and massages (not featured!)

Didja chilled at the beach house surrounded by her family

First look at a beautiful park in downtown Charleston

If we would of had a JoP, vicar, priest, or ship captain I know they totally would of just tied the knot right then and there!  I LOVE first looks!!

A moment to get some fun relaxed portraits before the wedding… don’t they look happy? HAHA!

These may be my favorite bride and groom portraits to date!

I LOVE the look of the granny in pink!  PRICELESS!

We laughed, we cried and laughed again!

Their first dance was to Rascal Flatt’s Broken Road… seriously, could there of been a better song?!

At first we were sure they were nice, then things went… erm… NAUGHTY!

Their cake was chocolate cheesecake and let’s just say it doesn’t allow you to breathe easy when it’s in your nose!!

I truly believe every marriage *should* start this way: first fight over and done with, sealed with a kiss

A little experiment… not sure… thoughts?

Wrapping up the night with laughter and dance offs… seriously, can it get better than this?

Couldn’t wait to share from the family session this afternoon!!

If I wasn’t all taken care of baby fever would ensue!!  I love me some baby Vito!!

Armed with balloons and flowers I arrived to shoot the Cooks and soon found out it’s not always a good idea to bring balloons to family sessions.  As we watched the green balloon go bye bye and I caught the magic that holds this family together.  Together momma and daddy Cook have all bases covered: while one kisses boo-boos the other is making the sure the mini-Cook doesn’t fall in the water, they swap and continue.  It was pure magic!

I’ve come to the conclusion that a session is not a session without some sort of tears!  It might be tears of laughter, or boo-boo tears, but never-the-less there always seem to be some salt water leaking from someones eyes!  I don’t know if thats the beginning of a good tag line or not!

Love, Yvonne

I met Kris about 10 years ago at one of my husband’s fabulous family Sunday dinners.  He was quiet and always smiling.  I always wondered what he was thinking… Fast forward to last month.  Kris was NOT QUIET but he was grinning from ear to ear!  Seriously, I could not of smacked that smile off his face with a shovel!!  The best thing about last month was that next to his smile was another smile (that would of been equally difficult to remove with a shovel).

Now, I met Lisa a few years back when we were back on the East coast visiting family… at that same Sunday dinner.  I remember thinking, “Wow – they are so happy together”, and I can honestly say that last month when Lisa finally got to walk down that aisle and stand next to Kris… it was perfection.

I was honored when Kris & Lisa asked me to do their engagement pictures and even more so when they asked if I would cover the bride getting ready with her girls!  We had a blast hanging out in one of Huntington Beach’s exquisite hotels, Shorebreak Hotel.  As Lisa prepared it was so exciting to watch her mood change!  This might sound weird, but as we got closer to her big moment, this bubbly bride to be got quieter.  With each passing moment a calm  quiet came over her and you could tell all she was solely focused on was the moment that she would see Kris and they would become husband and wife.

By the time Lisa walked down the aisle, I was about to explode!  Watching Kris & Lisa exchanged their vows in front of their family and friends and we all smiled (and teared up!).  Kris & Lisa’s smiles, were by far the happiest!

In today’s society we all have access to cameras… digital point and shoots, helgas, 35mm, cell phones, key chain cameras and more and more available the infamous DSLs.  I am sure I’ve talked before in previous posts about how I came into photography so I will skip that story… but we all know someone who is a photographer these days!  What sets aside the photographer from the PHOTOGRAPHER?  For me, the easiest explanation is what they do with the image after it’s captured.

Along side the more affordable DSLRs there are an abundance of online tutorials, groups and classes that people can take to learn how to take a good picture.  For most, this is enough. The image is creative, you’ve followed basic composition rules; the technical stuff like exposure, color, white balance etc. are all good; resizing is accomplished… you’re ready to share! AWESOME!  LOOK I’M A PHOTOGRAPHER!!  … but why doesn’t it look like so-and-so’s pictures? And the crickets chirp…

There is more to just showing up and snapping off a few frames.  Before you even get to the point of taking the pictures there is a lot of work and that goes without saying that once you’ve taken the images there is a lot of work that goes in afterwards… this would be called the “editing” phase!

Believe it or not the pictures on my blog or that you buy don’t come out of the camera looking that way!  These are all “edited”.  Now now that doesn’t mean I “photoshopped” the image (a term I despise because it implies that I manipulated the photo so much that anyone could of taken it had they had the software to do so).  Editing programs like CS3/4/5 (photoshop), Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, Picassa, Aperture etc… are all the modern day dark rooms many photographers spent countless hours in EDITING.  Because I use a DIGITAL camera I need to use a DIGITAL process to edit my images.  Make sense?  OK, good, now that’s all cleared up…

Personally my workflow involves reviewing and culling images, soft edits (aka as “proofs”), blog edits, and final edits.  I go through and cull the images – throw out the bad ones where people are mid blink, I’ve missed focus or the picture is just unpleasant.  Then I soft edit – correct exposure, color balance and white balance if needed.  Believe it or not I make mistakes… and I don’t mind making mistakes because I learn something every time I do so (and this will be the last time you ever see me admit this!!). Final edits – I go through and add my flair to the picture.  It’s a unique combination of boosts, curves and super top secret moves that give me my “style” or “brand”.  This is applied to all images so it’s consistent through the gallery.  BUT, WAIT! There’s more… My favorite edits are my blog edits.  These are usually favorite pictures from the session that have been edited a little more.  Sometimes that involves removing blemishes, or removing that photo jumper who ruined the perfect shot or doing a super creative edit with over lays or textures and sparkles and rainbows!  More often than not it’s just extra flair on top of my final edits or black and white conversions.

Depending on what type of event and  number of pictures, these edits can take a couple hours or a couple of days.  It’s a process.  The fact that it can take a couple of hours might seem quick but also throw other clients, emails, family, kids, dogs, planes, trains and automobiles… it takes a good chunk of time.  Photographers keep weird hours too.  Stay at home mothers keep even weirder hours ; )

Here are a couple of before and after edits…

Above is a good example of how just the slightest boost can take a drab straigh out of camera shot and turn it into the masterpiece I knew it was capable of with the right edit!

I have a tendency to shoot a little safe, so I shoot with my histogram as far to the left as possible. I know other photographers who “shoot to the right” but when I do I sometimes blow out highlights.  It’s very easy to blow those out and lose the little details like white flowers on white dress or the lace in the veil.  I don’t want to miss ANY details!!

Again, a shot this a little “safe” which gives it the appearance of being a little under exposed. It also looks filmy and dull straight out of camera to me, what do you think?  The middle edit is my edited version with the “Yvonne touch”… this also happens to be my “proof” because, yes, I’m that good! HAHA! I kid, I kid!  Last but not least is a creative edit I did with selective coloring.  I’m not normally a selective color girl but when I converted to black and white I thought it needed a punch!  I know the hot momma, Angela, liked it ; )

Speaking of Angela and Marc… I just heard they had their bundle of joy!!  Let’s welcome their little guy to the world!!  I’ll be photographing him very soon for his debut!!

Love, Yvonne

So in preparation of the summer coming to an end and my babies getting ready to start school soon I’ve decided to take a little while off.  Here are two of my favorite pictures of the punks partaking in one of their favorite summer activities… swimming lessons!

Enjoy!

Love, Yvonne

When it comes to pictures and taking pictures there are a lot of different things out there that just interested me.  As I explained last WW weddings and flash were two of the furthest things that interested me photography wise.  Macro photography might not of been on the list of run-a-way-from but one of the things that just didn’t interest  me was macro photography. That was until I met a new friend at the local smug mug (find more information on smugs HERE as it’s a whole ‘nother topic for a whole ‘nother day!).  Anyway, my new friend Michelle, talked volumes about how much she loved architectural and macro photography.  Really? Pictures of buildings and really close up things? Does you here the excitement?  But something happened, the more I listened to her talk the more I heard something… that something was the same passion and excitement I have for my pictures of people!

After a couple lengthy phone conversations and facebook msgs I decided to give it a whirl.  I rented a 100mm 2.8 macro from barrow lenses and went to work.  I surely didn’t expect to find what I found, myself lost in a world of giant tiny features!  After a few days of playing I had to do something horrible, it took every ounce of control and composure I could muster… I packages the 100mm back in the sad lonely fed-ex box and sent him home to barrow lenses.  Yes, he, was I my lens and I named him Carlos.  He was tall, dark and smooth.  Carlos paid attention to details.  Here is a collage of our times together.

This mini red blossom is the size of my thumb nail!  Even though it suffers from a little motion blur I still love the details I was able to capture in the petals and the anthers and stigma… I would like to go back and get closer to the stigma and really focus on that one day because it’s soooo tiny and weird looking!

I know the next two may not immediately have anything in common but when I was playing I wanted to see how the lens would capture different items at different f-stops.  The Bird of Paradise leaf was captured at f2.8 meaning there was a shallow depth of field (less of the object in focus except for a specific point) which created this very abstract green piece, while the nail polish was captured at f13 (the greater the depth of field bringing more of the item in focus) which looks more like a product piece.  I loved both of these pictures even though they are both very different…

This might be one of my favorite from the whole series… I’ve played with all my other lenses and have not been able to quite capture the detail I was with the 100mm here!

Even when I cropped into this the detail was still amazing!  I never knew that eye lashes were so…. gross!  The whole idea that hair grows out of  your eyelids does bother me for some reason… I don’t know why : x

My last experiment was inspired by another smuggie, who I’ll call “J”.  After 14 failed attempts at capturing a water droplet splashing into a glass of water…

.. I lucked out and got this! Simple set up of a glass of water set up on a smooth seamless blue piece of card stock, an umbrella with flash set up to the right, and my trusty side kick Emily with her water dropper telling me “now!”… “Now!”… “NOW!” and me clicking away!!  I was pleased with it : )

Over all I feel like Carlos and I’s adventures were great.  He helped me learn a lot about my self: made me venture outside my comfort zone and try new things.  Where I’m far from mastering any single aspect of this trial, I rekindled my love of photography and added new interests.

What has inspired you lately?

Love, Yvonne