Introducing the Queen of Diamonds

Jenny contacted me through Model Mayhem with an interesting concept last year. It  has taken me a while to get these photos posted, but better late than never. I brought my studio equipment to her and this setup was put together in a spare bedroom. I made use of the existing walls and floor for some of the shots, as well as setting up different fabric backdrops on the opposing side of the room. Most of the shots used only two strobes with white umbrellas, with the occasional third light for accent lighting. 

Click here for the full post on Eden's Edge Studio

Have Camera ... Will Travel

This summer, I moved out of my studio.
It was not something that I ever wanted to do.
I was simply unable to continue using that space, given my current budget.

I am not giving up on photography. I am also not selling off my studio equipment.
Given enough time and patience, I will be able to set up a permanent studio again in the future.

I am still scheduling portrait sessions, only now I have the opportunity to set up a portable studio in the homes of my clients. I have offered this service in the past, and have been able to provide beautiful results. For those unfamiliar with this idea, I bring a background support with a fabric backdrop to set up in your home. I then set up several battery operated lights to create an in-home studio for you.

I also shoot outdoor portraits in natural light as well as natural light enhanced with battery powered strobes. There is nothing quite like having your portrait shot outdoors with the addition of controlled light that  allows you to be part of your surroundings. When shooting with natural light by itself, you tend to get backgrounds that are blown out, or silhouetted portraits. With battery powered strobes, I can balance the light to bring you into your environment instead of separating you from it.

An additional service I have recently begun offering is lessons in photography lighting either as a studio setup, or learning on location. I will share my knowledge with you to help you understand the basics that took me years to understand. There are so many circumstances that can cause your camera to misinterpret the existing light, and a pop-up flash is not always the best solution. I can provide insight from my years of experience to help you eliminate bad exposures and improve your next photographic outing.

Erika

Erika is new to modeling but was willing to pose for me in a variety of setups at my studio. She brought some items of her own wardrobe, as well as utilizing several pieces from my boudoir case. We also raided my prop box and played with some of the hats and other outfits I keep at my studio.

I have found that the best way to help someone get comfortable in front of the camera is to give them directions, but not commands. Erika was great at taking direction and after a short time she was falling into some great natural poses without the need for me to tell her what to do. Especially as she started playing it up for the camera.

Narrowing a full session of images into a handful of favorites is a challenge in itself, but here are a few of my picks from Erika's time at the studio...


Click here for the full set on Eden's Edge Studio

Amber's Outdoor Senior Photo Session

Holding a photo session in the park is a wonderful option for your photo session. I do something that most photographers would never dream of, I bring my lights with me on location! I move the lights away from the camera so you are not blinded by the flash every time I take a photo. Then I turn you away from the sun or bring you into the shade and set my lights around you to get beautiful lighting without super bright backgrounds or accidental-silhouettes.

Amber was a junior this year and is getting her senior portraits done before her final year in high school. She brought a change of clothes and her flute to get a variety of images for her senior year and wanted her photos to be shot outdoors. We set up in a park near my studio, on the lawn, next to trees, and by this little creek that cuts through the park. I used two small lights on stands that I moved around Amber, depending on her position with the sun. I did this so we wouldn't have really dark shadows on her face while trying to keep the sun behind her.

I love the results of this photo session because it could literally be anywhere in America. You would never guess how close to a street we were or that there was a large playground 100 feet away from us. It could be on a farm, in the mountains, near the plains, or even a park in a big city. I kept the angles very protected to keep some anonymity to the location. I know where it is and how we got the shot, but I want you to see a beautiful portrait.

Below are more of my favorites from our session:

Gina

Sometimes you go into a photo session with an idea for what will work, and then you have to abandon that setup and rework your whole plan. That was the case here with Gina. I had a specific lighting setup ready for her when she arrived for her photo session, and after taking a few test shots, I realized that it was not a good match for her. I started by removing one light, and then repositioning the others until we got the shots you see here. Rather than take more photos that did not look as good as they could, I stopped and changed what was not working for us. It was a lesson that not everyone can be lit the same way. I realized that if the studio setup doesn't work one way, there are countless other possibilities for beautiful light.

Learn Photography One on One

Have you ever wondered what settings you should use on your camera but don't know who to ask? And when should you use a tripod or a flash? I am now offering one-on-one time to teach you techniques, composition, exposure, and whatever else you've been missing in your photography. Discounts are available for multiple lessons or group workshops.

Book a time with me using the links below and I will help you improve your photography after your very first lesson.

After Surgery - This Is Me

Side View Extension - Self Portrait / X-ray of my neck after two cervical fusion surgeries

In January of 2011 I underwent surgery to repair two herniated discs in my neck, and unfortunately that fusion did not heal properly. A second surgery was necessary to help stabilize my vertebrae and was far more invasive than the first. The first surgery was anterior (through my throat) to remove the damaged discs and place spacers between the bones and screw a metal plate into each of three vertebrae. You can clearly see this plate in the photo above. The second surgery was posterior, through the muscles in my back and left me with a sizable scar running down my spine. The doctor took a bone graft from my hip to use in stabilizing my spine and then attached rods and screws down either side.

The photos and X-rays were taken three months after my second surgery. The day after I had X-rays taken, I took several self portraits at my studio standing in the same poses. I just recently received the scans of my X-rays from the hospital and used them to create a composite overlaying the two as near as possible to the actual placement. I did the same after my first surgery, which I have included at the bottom of this post. But first, here are a few other angles from my most recent surgery:

Cherry Brandi in Color

My previous post included an all black & white set of classic Hollywood inspired photos of Cherry Brandi and I couldn't be happier with how well they turned out. That session was photographed in color and later converted to black & white to achieve the vintage look. There are some subjects that look better in color, and some that are fantastic in black & white. I think you'll agree that Cherry Brandi is able to do both very well.

I have pulled together some of my favorite color images of Cherry Brandi from our latest photo shoot:

Hollywood Glamour featuring Cherry Brandi

Cherry Brandi came to me with an idea for a photo shoot emulating classic Hollywood glamour. She had a few samples of the type of photos that she wanted, and after studying them for a short time, I was able to engineer a lighting setup to match the style she wanted. They looked good in color, but converting them to black & white changed them into the vintage shots she was after.

I have worked with Brandi twice before, and each time we have come out of our sessions with so many great photos, its hard to pick favorites. This session lasted only half as long as our previous meetings, but produced just as many fantastic shots. I have selected several favorites to share here, but there are even more that will have to wait for another time...

Fowler Family Album

Shelley Fowler contacted me by phone to see if I had any openings that evening for a family portrait session. Five hours later, their session was complete. Last minute sessions are not the norm for my studio, but I work hard to accommodate everyone's schedule to create beautiful photos.

My favorite photos from their session are below:

Laura & Reid Engagement Photos on Location

I attended the Women's Expo event at McGee Park last week to promote my photography business where I held a drawing for a free photo session. Laura & Reid were the lucky winners. They wanted their photos to have a more natural feel so we held their session somewhere they felt comfortable, the Farmington Public Library.

Here are my favorite photos from their session:

Keanno's Senior Portraits

I photographed Keanno in my studio as well as on location in the areas around my studio.
We started by taking some head shots in my studio with controlled lighting and three different backdrops. He didn't want to take any photos with his cap & gown, he wanted to be in his regular clothes and act like himself. We took a series of photos, both serious and goofy, inside my studio and then moved outside for more. 

My favorite photos from this session are below:

Weddings - Revisiting January 1, 2011

Tawnya and Ernest were married in St. Mary's Church on New Year's Day 2011. I photographed them before their ceremony getting ready with both formal and candid shots. During the ceremony I used my portable lights to illuminate the inside of this very dark church both on my camera and setup in the choir loft. After the ceremony we took formal photos of the bride & groom with the wedding party and different combinations of family members. Then I followed them outside the church for individual photos and then to a snow covered park before arriving at their hotel where the reception was waiting for them. I took more formal individual photos of the bride & groom in the main lobby of the hotel, where there was a beautiful fireplace we used as a backdrop. I shot a lot of candid photos during the reception and outside in the snow again where there was another roaring fire on the patio. Their wedding is definitely the largest I have ever photographed, but it was a lot of fun to work with them.

I have included more photos of their special day below:

Headshots & Boudoir in One Session

Last month, I held a "Random Like" contest on Facebook, and Rebecca was the lucky winner.
To celebrate my page's third birthday on Facebook, I posted a short message saying I would choose one "like" from that message to receive a FREE photo session. There were only a few people who replied, making it a short list of possible winners.

I met with Rebecca to discuss the type of photos she wanted, and we came up with a dozen ideas for poses and styles. We started off with formal head shots, and moved on to pinup and then boudoir.

While she was very shy about what to show and what to cover up, she warmed up to the camera rather quickly, and soon felt much more comfortable in my studio. By taking it slow, and starting with head shots, she got a feel for how I take photos and I was able to observe her mannerisms and incorporate her natural posture in the way I asked her to pose. Near the end of the session time, she was getting into my prop box and going through my wardrobe collection trying on different outfits and playing for the camera.

Below are a selection of images from our session:

Weddings - Revisiting Pasadena

Although my portrait studio is located in Farmington, New Mexico,

this particular wedding took place in Pasadena, California

This couple was married overlooking the ocean near Pasadena, California. After the ceremony, we traveled to an old Spanish mission for some beautiful photos. I was able to work with the bride and groom away from the wedding guests and family so we could focus on their interaction with one another. Below, you will find a selection of my favorite images from their wedding day.

Weddings - Revisiting Fort Collins

I realized recently that I have not posted any wedding photos to this site since it began. I have only been adding images from my most recent portrait sessions, and failed to include wedding photos I have taken in the past. I will be posting some of my favorite wedding photos from the past over the next month to make up for the oversight.

Although my portrait studio is located in Farmington, New Mexico,

this particular wedding took place in Fort Collins, Colorado.

It is an honor to be the person asked to capture a day of memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. My focus is on the interaction of the bride and groom, and their connection to each other. My one-on-one time with the bride and groom is my chance to capture their love.

Headshots for the Business Professional

If you are just starting out in the business world, you will need a professional looking photo to represent yourself online, in print, and in advertising. You want to show the world that you are professional, and a respectable businessman. This is not the time to skimp on your budget either. A snapshot of you at your desk under fluorescent lights is not the way to prove your professionalism. You need to take the time to schedule a professional photo session to get you a variety of head shots you can use for promoting your business.

The gentleman I photographed during this session, is just starting his own accounting business, and was in need of a variety of different photos he could use for promoting his business. I instructed him to bring a variety of wardrobe options so we could achieve a wider range of options that didn't all look like they were cookie cutter shots from a discount store studio. When he arrived, he had a half dozen options to change into through the course of our session. A variety of colored shirts and ties, and two suits: a black suit and a lighter earth-tone suit.

Kimi's Maternity Progression at 30 Weeks

17 weeks through 30 weeks

I have been following Kimi's pregnancy since she was 17 weeks along, and still barely showing. We have had four progressive sessions, each of them matching wardrobe, poses, and lighting, so that I can edit a seamless sequence like the one shown above. Our first session took the longest of them all because it was when we were deciding which outfits would work with which backgrounds, and just how many variations of each we wanted to have. All of our following sessions have gone much smoother and flow from one setup into the next without much fumbling and wondering if we're doing the right thing

The consistency is good for matching session to session, but can become tedious when that's all you are photographing. The funnest part of our progression is when our repetitive poses are complete and we have a chance to try new ideas and experiment with poses, wardrobe and props. I like to collaborate with my subjects to come up with ideas that we both agree would work for their personalities, and of course are flattering to them.

Kimi has been great all around to have as a model for her pregnancy. She brought many of her own outfits to use, but also utilizes the props and wardrobe I have on hand. I like to have a variety of fabric, cute tops and props to cater to any of my maternity subjects. Many of these props are also the same I use for beauty and boudoir photography sessions as well.

You can find more composites and recent poses from our sessions below...

Baby Riley's First PhotoShoot

Riley was born in November, and was brought in for her first photo session at five weeks old.

I photographed her mother at 28 weeks as part of a maternity before and after progression series.

You can find photos of her pregnancy in earlier posts on this blog, here and here.

We tried several different outfits, hats, and poses while changing the backdrop and props during Riley's photo session. In addition to her solo photos, we also photographed Riley with her siblings, and with the whole family.

You can find more beautiful photos of Riley below: