Coffee Family

I met the Coffee Family through facebook. They have two beautiful cutie pies with gorgeous blue eyes and a lot of energy! :) They had a fall mini session at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens. I love these chalkboards we used to write their names and age.

Spruill Family

I had the honor of doing two fall mini sessions for the Spruill family at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens last weekend. The first session was for their daughter's engagement pictures and the second was of the whole family. The light was coming in just perfectly in these early morning shots. Lots of great ones to choose from here!

Colleen and Stacy's Engagement

I am soooo excited that my best friend is getting married next spring! YAY! They will have a gorgeous outdoor wedding overlooking a vineyard. So, for these engagement pictures they wanted a natural setting where they could show off their love for biking and the outdoors. Aren't they cute together?

What to Wear: Blue and Orange

This would be a cute outfit to wear to a senior or engagement session. Even a family photo shoot would look great with this blue and orange color combo. Other family members could wear clothing in various prints or solids of blue or orange.

What to Wear: Family

This is a great example of a casual style to dress your family in for a portrait session. Keri Russell and her family are wearing similar collared shirts and pants but they are all different colors that coordinate together (blue, white, and black). A classy and timeless style.

What to Wear: Color Schemes

Clients often ask me what they should wear to a photo shoot. I like to tell them to dress their family in a color scheme that has 2-3 colors in it. That way everyone won't be too matchy-matchy. Here's a helpful color clothes chart I saw on Pinterest to help you pick out a good color scheme for your session. Click on the image to zoom in.

Shutterbug Photography Workshop

I am going to teach another Shutterbug photography workshop on Sept. 24 at my studio in Bogart, GA. It will be geared towards beginner to intermediate photographers who are interested in learning how to make the most of the camera they have (especially DSLR cameras). We will learn more about basic manual camera functions, natural lighting, making any location into a great background, engaging the subject, and capturing the moment. At the end of class we will practice what we've learned, so bring your camera!

During the last photography workshop one of my students said about the workshop, "It was great- the small number of people and informal setting to ask questions was perfect. Not intimidating for a beginner like me!"

($30 per person. To sign up e-mail Shutterstitch@gmail.com )

Tie Pillows

I'm working on 13 pillows for a client made out of his grandfather's neckties. Isn't that a great way to preserve his memory? He's going to give them to his relatives for Christmas. I wish I could be in the room when he does that. I bet they will love them!

Williams Family

I want to commend the beautiful Williams family for not only being troopers in the hot Georgia summer weather, but they also did a great job paying attention to my What to Wear blog post. They are all wearing summer blues that coordinate well and aren't too matchy-matchy. One of their son's shirts even matches his brother's shoes! How awesome is that!? A+ :)

What to Wear: Old Navy

Are you looking for some ideas for what to wear for your next family photo shoot? Here are two different ideas I put together for some summer fun. Each ensemble is made entirely of Old Navy clothing, shoes, and accessories.

A few things to keep in mind when choosing outfits for a family session:

1. Pick a color scheme. (Such as yellow/green or blue/orange as seen in the examples). Not every family member has to wear both colors, but your family will look more cohesive if everyone wears at least one or two of those colors. You can always throw in some neutrals to your color scheme like white or khaki.

2. Mix it up! Not everyone has to wear blue shirts. Mom can wear a blue skirt, Dad can wear a blue shirt, and your son could have blue stripes in his shirt.

3. Play with patterns. Not everyone should wear a pattern but one or two polka dots or stripes in the family would make the photos more interesting than all solid colors.

4. Avoid clothing with words, characters, and pictures on it. These things distract from your beautiful faces!

Featured!

I was excited to see my portrait of the little fella with the mustache shirt by Two Lollidots featured on Hugghins Photography's blog. They put together this fabulous collection of clothes to give you an idea of what to wear for your next portrait session.

Bolen Family: Sneak Peek

The Bolen family was quick to take advantage of my Summer Special. I think Rev. Bolen called me up as soon as he heard about it. What a smart guy! :) His family and I met on North Campus at the University of Georgia for a family portrait session. I love the old architecture and beautifully landscaped lawns there. Everyone was a good sport despite the fact it was 95 degrees outside. (You gotta love these Georgia summers!) P.S. The last photo is the family's reaction to the fact that their daughter had a hot date later that evening. So silly. :)

Photography Workshop!

I am going to teach a photography workshop on July 9 at my studio in Bogart, GA. It will be geared towards beginner to intermediate photographers who are interested in learning how to make the most of the camera they have (especially DSLR cameras). We will learn more about basic manual camera functions, natural lighting, making any location into a great background, engaging the subject, and capturing the moment. If we have time we'll practice what we've learned, so bring your camera! ($30 per person. To sign up e-mail Shutterstitch@gmail.com )

Summer Special: Free CD with session

Hooray! Summer is here! Let's kick it off right by giving you some fresh, new family portraits to hang up in the house. During June and July only, when you book a portrait session you will also receive a free cd of your session images. (Normally digital images are $50 each.)

Not sure what to wear or do? Relax. This will be fun and stress-free! I will customize this session to fit your family's unique personality including the location for the session and even wardrobe consultation if desired! Your portrait session may be used for newborns, babies, children, maternity, families, seniors, and couples.

The session fee is $200 and it includes a one hour session in the location of your choice plus 40 high resolution digital images. Prints are not included. The session fee is due at the time of booking. Sessions must take place between June 1-July 31.

Favorite Artist of the Week: Angie Dunlap

I love whimsical children's art so when I saw the illustrations and murals made by Angie Dunlap I was really excited. Wouldn't they look great in your child's bedroom or playroom? See her entire portfolio on her website here.

Photo Restoration

A good friend of mine's father-in-law passed away very suddenly and she asked me to restore an old picture of him from the 1960's. Here are the results. Pretty nice huh? I hope that it will help the family keep his memory alive.