If you didn't know, I am a new father again (I have a 3 year old and a 5 1/2 month old).

Christian is starting to get very talkative, and his motor skills are starting to allow him to explore.

We took a bath tonight, and he just had a ball playing in the water!

Here's a few pics:


Toes are fun at this age!

Just shooting natural light, focusing on the moments. These are straight out of the camera - no retouching, no enhancement.

Technical info:
Tv: 1/60-1/160
ISO: 200 & 400
Av: 2.8
Large JPG setting
Tungsten WB

Canon 20D, Sigma 18-50 2.8 EX lens, no flash.

Just thought I'd share the laughs!

Shan

Ok, just having some fun here. These shots are literally taken right outside my studio.





I was outside for less than 5 minutes and completely covered in snow!

On a more fun note, new studio equipment is coming next week, so I'll share the toys (and pictures!).

Shan

Wow - what a snowstorm!

I love the snow, and since I live 5 blocks away from the studio, it really doesn't affect my commute (I don't miss my drive to Cleveland in this!) but this was amazing!

These are from my nephew from his 6 month photo session in March - less than 2 months from now! Everything changes soon - beautiful flowers, lively colors, and warm weather isn't far!

I think I'm going to go play in the snow today - get some shots of this weather while it lasts. I'll be sure to post some fun shots!

Shan

We had friends come up from Columbus, and her parents flew into town from NY. I can't believe that I pulled it off - she usually knows EVERYTHING I'm up to! LOL


It was a good time. After the party, we went out with her friends (Oma and Opa were the babysitters - THANKS! ) and had a great time hanging out and laughing at ourselves bowling. We really suck! Steph got a 48 on one game (she improved - but not much) and we swear the lane was warped. The balls just kept going into the gutters! (Had to be the lane - couldn't be us!)

Anyway, how does this relate to photography? Umm...it doesn't really. Well, the pictures were unique. The guys got a single hard light (no diffuser) from above, and the fedora threw a shadow over the eyes for a mysterious look. The girls got a glamour treatment - same light, but no cutter (hat) and a silver reflector right under the face to fill in under the eyes, nose, and chin. The specular highlights added to that "classic" feel. Ian used the same setup as the guys, but the hat was back and he looked toward the light, allowing us to see the shape of his cheekbones and eyebrows. We used a high ISO, large aperture, very high contrast b&w setting with a red "filter" (we shot digital - all settings were in the camera) to simulate an old darkroom print. Printed on high gloss paper with a Canon i9900, and signed with a silver paint pen gave a really unique look.

Until next time!

Shan

Well, it's been a hectic Bridal Show season. We had two very busy shows with Today's Bride in Akron, and I can't believe the response. We've been working hard to find new albums to offer and it really seems to have had a great response. We now have 6 different storybook albums, each with various size, surface, and cover options, and 4 different design options. While this might sound confusing, it's really easy to pick what fits the best with both the budget and style. It's all about choices!

Recently, we decided to go a more "high end" feel in our studio work. Rather than the mall "get in, pick 'em, get out" theme that's so common in studios these days, we've gone the other route.

Our sessions now are booked by the hour, either on location (preferred) or in the studio. No rushing, no lines, no limits, whatever we do in the hour block(s). This allows us more freedom to be creative with the lighting (giving the best possible images) and our clients don't feel rushed.

Once the session is done, you'll get to go home and relax. We'll make the appointment for a week later, so you can see the finished product. We'll go through the images and keep only the best. Then, we'll color correct and exposure compensate those images. Finally, we'll go through and finish all those prints - minor blemish removal, skin smoothing, contrast enhancement - basically, we'll make it pop. You wouldn't believe the difference this makes.

Then we send the images out for printing. Yes, actual prints. (When was the last time you heard that?) Those books you see are what we offer. 5x7 bordered prints, spiral bound, with a nice frosted cover. Our logo is in the bottom right corner, but it doesn't interfere with the image like a watermark does. We also create a CD with email quality images, so you can share them with your friends or your own website. Want a gallery? No problem - it's yours!

We've been working hard on finding a way to make it different, special. I mean, if you're coming in for portraits, it's not just a regular day! Now I feel that our portrait sessions are as special as our weddings. I'm really excited about this change. We have some maternity sessions coming up, and of course this time of year, boudoir has been quite the popular search!

I'll have more later. There's lots going on!

Shan