Personal Journey and Adventures of Nina

Inspired by the innocent look dolls, I have started this new series in which my models take on the appearance of a doll. It's just new so look for more to come here!

I had this shot in my head for weeks. Finally I had ten minutes to shoot it and I was extremely happy with the results. Firstly, I started out with my non-swimmer to test lighting and angles. I used two 1600 Alien Bees with strip modifiers. The subject was placed in exactly the right position to let enough light define both edges w little or no definition through the middle. Then when my real swimmer was around, I shot him. I am excited about marketing these images in my upcoming material. This is my test subject... Here is my real swimmer!

There is definitely something in the water! I have been photographing newborns all week! Just a week old and Kennedy has the sweetest smile!

This week I had the pleasure of photographing newly born, Cecilia. Though just over one week of age Ceci, (named so by her family) has all the being of a much older baby. She is alert, attentive and full of energy, which is unusual in a newbie. I am certain that she was even having a conversation with us at one time! I had the sets, lighting and exposures all ready for a smooth shoot. For this I used my American Girl Doll as a stand-in. I started with this white, cloud-like setting for which the tutu was perfect. I used a two light set-up with a large Octabox for softness. Ceci looks as though she is an angel floating down from above. Then I moved on to the more dramatic black background for dad to hold his daughter for size comparison though as you can see, Ceci is not a small baby! I have dozens more ideas so look for more images in the future.

Here are just a few designs. Please stay tuned for more designs....

What a fabulous family and wonderful children, each with their unique outstanding personality made for a fun afternoon of  shooting. This family have an avid appreciation of photography so I had to keep on my toes and come up with some different ideas as well as add in a few more traditional ones. Clearly at ease with each other, the family fell into poses very naturally. I suppose because we were in their home, this added to their comfort.

We photograph around the same time each year, just in time Christmas cards and gifts. What a terrific family and location. The fall colors were wonderful and as the sun set, the light was pure golden. Just lovely!

This was so much fun! Everyone was relaxed and comfortable. We had a terrific time. The location was Fields Park. I used a combination of natural light, reflector and strobe. I like that these images make me smile!

Well, I got out the paints and created a backdrop that I am extremely excited about! I love the drama I can cre ate with lighting. Here I've used a three light setup. Sometimes I use four. I love the mood of the tinted image and the vibrance of the color. I also love that I have the flexibility to shoot indoor or outdoor.

Just some of the shots from this wonderful shoot. This time the setting is Willamette Park. We had perfect lighting and a perfect new assistant (thank you Ali) and perfect weather - just as we finished the shoot, it started to rain so we really had good luck!

What a fun time we had! My subject was just adorable, fun and happy. A photographer's dream. We had fun going to different locations, dressing up, playing and just having a wonderful time.