Consider a wardrobe change...

Want multiple looks from your photography session? Then bring a change of clothes. These pictures were taken at one location but have two very different "feels". And don't forget to take the "mom and dad" shot. It's often forgotten. Although, your children may not cherish the memory today, I promise in the future it will mean alot to them. Pictures are memories trapped under glass. Get out and trap your own today. P. S. Can you tell I'm trying to catch up my blogging? For all five of you that follow me, whew, I'm nearly done.

Think outside the box....

Photograpy is all about the lines that draw your eye. Backgrounds should support your subject not overpower them. I'm often asked about location. I'm open to locations in and around Weber and Box Elder County. It might be your backyard, a local park, a wilderness trail or an abandoned building. Just work it. I love the line of the stairs behind the mom and son. And I'm a sucker for brick patterns. THank you down-town Ogden.

Just sounding off about the consequences of your actions...

The beauty about authoring a blog is you have your very own soap box. You can sound off about whatever you want. Plus if you post great pictures of someone's kids, people will come to your blog. THey may not read but they will look. So here's my message. Not every consequence of an action is negative. For years environmentalist prevented the building of the legacy highway. It was too close to marshes and wetlands. It would destroy habitat for nesting birds. After countless legal battles and enormous court fees were paid, the Legacy Highway was built. And did the birds suffer as predicted, as feared? No. They flourished and why? Because the Legacy Highway evened the odds between predator and prey. The raccoon population that feasted on bird eggs couldn't cross the highway without being reduced to a series of roadkill speed bumps. Now before I'm accused of being a raccoon hater, which I'm not. It's just the consequence of the highway. Unfortunately, the raccoon doesn't have an environmental group to champion it's survival. So now should we address caribou and the Alaska pipeline? The heat from the pipeline has provided warm shelter (it's above ground). Go figure. Do something nice for someone so they can wonder waht you're up to.

Not your everyday school "mug-shot"

I've often wondered why we allow our children to have their pictures taken as if they were cattle. They heard them into the cafeteria, line them up, sit them all on the very same chair in front of the very same background and take one shot. Really, even basketball players get two free-throws. There is the hope of "re-takes" where they repeat the same behavior that got the first bad picture. The fastest way to make yourself crazy is to do the same thing you have already done and expect a different outcome. So think outside the box and use your surroundings. Encourage your children to play and have fun so their natural beauty can shine through. Happy back to school! (that's for every stay at home mother that just survived a very long summer.)

What not to do with a one year old

This one year old didn't get the memo about the type of pictures his mother had planned. I always say "lower your expectations and then you won't be disappointed." Not every day is a day for smiles. If you want smiles everyday then hire actors. These are pictures that mom and grandma love now. They are also valuable keepsakes to remember the days of toddler-hood. While you experiance them you are sure they are terminal and the prognosis is poor. But all too soon years pass and children do that unbelieveable thing called "growing up" and then you miss those days when the worst thing you had to deal with was teething and temper tantrums. Stay in the moment and really cherish all the feelings you feel. Joy, sorrow, frustration, and whatever your are feeling today. Make a memory.

Bring fall into your pictures by what you wear...

Make your pictures pop by adding your own color. White is not a good choice for most people although, it does get chosen alot. Choose a pallette of colors that blend so that everybody doesn't have to wear the same thing but they all look good together. And get out there soon. Utah is about to get really cold and that makes this photographer cranky. Now is the time to put on sweaters and scarfs and enjoy the bite in the air. Happy fall everyone!

What about fall leaves?

There is a magic window in northern Utah in which to capture fall color in your portrait. It is difficult to predict and very tenuous. This year it looked like we would get great color because we had that little nip of cold in the night air. And then mother nature had a hot flash and we warmed right back up to mid-summer temperature. While we may have enjoyed leaving our jackets and sweaters off, it changed the fall folage. Without a source of water, the increased temperature tanned and dried out the red leaves. You can still capture some yellow and orange, but be so quick because one good wind and they all fall to the ground. No worries, it's a look we can work with. The point being, now is the time to book and take family photos for that desireable fall look. Call soon.

Location, location, location.....

I'm often asked about my preferred location for taking pictures. I travel all over northern Utah when I need too. But really, you are the focus of my pictures. I don't put fussy distracting flora or fauna in the background because I think the picture should be about you and your picture. I mean really, did you want to frame a picture of grass? This family session was done at Oaklawn Park, a little known secret green space hidden in a residential area. It's an area that is always changing, I was very disappointed when they removed all the dead trees because they were great props for positioning my families. You can still find rocks and trees, bridges and stairs, or a great expanse of green lawn to give you just the look you want.