Snowy Family Photos

If you've been following my blog, you know that I am officially on Christmas Vacation until January 3rd.  Seeing as how I spend a lot of my time going a hundred miles an hour, I relish the time when I don't have anything pressing to do.  So what does it take to pull me from vacation and time with my family?  A photo session with family, that is no where close to being work.  :)
My cousin is serving is the army in North Carolina, and doesn't get to come home to visit very often.  Seeing him is always a blessing, and taking photos of him and his family made it all the better.  It takes some awesome people to venture out in the cold and snow, but the photos we got were worth it! 
I thoroughly loved this session, probably because I love the people in it so much! Enjoy!

Christmas Vacation!

Tis' the season!!!! I will be taking off until January 3rd to spend the holidays with my family. :)  Keep an eye on the Facebook page as I will be updating it with fun photos, and probably weather photos of all this crazy  weather we have been getting!  For those that are expecting orders for Christmas, the lab (and my slightly obsessive UPS tracking habit) assures me that they are on their way, and I will be getting them out to you as soon as I receive them.
I look forward to all kinds of (good!) changes with the new year, and to capturing more memories. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!
Merry Christmas!!!!
~Holly

Just For Fun!

As much as I love taking that "perfect" photo for clients, I think I sometimes get so caught up in it that I forget how much fun my camera can be.  When we put up our tree a couple of weeks ago I got a quick reminder!  I was using slow shutters to make the lights on the tree sparkle in the photographs, and was reminded of a fun exercise that I had heard about but not gotten around to trying. Here is the result of this exercise + our Christmas Tree!

If you look close at this one you can see hearts and music notes. :)

And you can obviously see the cross in this one.

I would love to see some of your shots like this! Link us in the comments!

I've Been Busy

The holiday season is upon us! I have been busy with card designing, processing, and tons of personal stuff.  It seems that when I get super busy, this poor blog is the one that gets neglected. So here I am, trying to make it up again.  FYI - one of my business goals for the new year is to keep up with my blog better.  Since this is only December, then that means I don't have to start pushing myself on that JUST yet..right? Nonetheless, I'm going to try. 

Since I've been preparing for Christmas for my family, I've been slacking on posting photos here.  I will be trying to catch up on that, but that is not the purpose of this blog.  This blog is actually geared toward my other photographer followers.

Since I have started my business I have participated in a nationwide holiday movement of photographers called Help Portrait.  I encourage you to google it and check it out, and do what you can to help.  It helps others and makes you feel good. The main date was actually December 4th, but I am naturally a bit behind this time of the year.  This can be done anytime, and is a really good way to use your talent to give back.

For my part, I will be doing portraits for three families this year. I urge you to get into the spirit of giving, and join me in making someone's dream of custom portraits a reality.  :)

Mindy and Justin!

Finally a blog post on these two!! I have been swamped the last month, and am finally catching up! This post is a mix of some wedding candids, and their Day After photos.  We had a blast with the Day After photos - gotta love a bride that will lay in a field in her wedding gown! :)

Here's some from the wedding day:

And now some from the Day After! :)

Halloween Mini-Sessions Have Arrived!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be sure to contact and reserve your slot today!!

Krystina's Homecoming

If you follow my blog you know that I never miss a chance to take photos of this gorgeous girl.  :)

Oh yeah............

GO ACES!!

Anyhow....

Don't be Scared!!!

My disclaimer: I did not write this blog. This is borrowed (with permission of course!!!) from my good friend and fellow photographer Danielle McCann, who I adore. :) Thanks Danielle!

Bigger is Better!

We all know that size doesn't matter... or does it?

Maybe it doesn't matter. I am here to tell you, though, that when it comes to portraits on your wall, sizes need to be used in such a way that they create a presence on your wall.

This can be done in several ways -- one way is to purchase a large print right off the bat. An 11x14, you ask? No. 11x14s are TINY!! A single, large print on the wall should be no less than a 16x20 in size. Even at that, some wall spaces make the 16x20 look like a grain of sand. Another way to ensure that you're utilizing your wall space is to create a collage of images in various sizes. Combine some 20x30s, 8x10s, and 10x20s for an amazing focal point in your living room.

How do you know where to start? Easy! Look at these images of a standard-sized couch with some typical image sizes hanging above them. We'll start with an 8x10, one of the most popular print sizes available.

Wow. That's... small! All my life I grew up thinking that an 8x10 was huge. Why do we think that? It's not even a foot long on either side! A single 8x10 image would get absolutely swallowed on the wall, even if you have a very small living space.

Now let's try to beef up the 8x10... Just for curiosity's sake, how many 8x10s would it take to cover the length of a standard couch?

EIGHT 8x10s!? Wow! Honestly, when I was putting together this little "project", I didn't expect these kinds of visuals! I can definitely tell from the first image to the second one that if I'm planning on using smaller wall prints, I need to have several of them to create a "feel" to the wall space rather than slapping a picture on the wall and being done with it.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some other individual prints versus collages to mull over:

I know that large sizes can be intimidating, but clearly small sizes can be the ones intimidated -- by all of the furniture in your living room!!

When planning your photo session, ask yourself why you are getting these portraits done. Is it to share new images with family & friends? Is it to replace some old portraits on the wall? What kind of statement do you want these portraits to make? If you need help, don't hesitate to ask!! I would be more than happy to look at your living area and help you choose the sizes that are best for you.

But please, if you order an 8x10... don't leave it alone and lonely on the wall!! He may get scared up there by himself.

Johnson Kiddo's

When the mama of these adorable kiddo's told me she wanted the grungy feel to her photos, I couldn't have been more excited. Anyone who follows my work knows that I LOVE LOVE LOVE bright colorful photos, and this was the perfect opportunity to really show that off.  Add in three gorgeous little models, and you have a winning combination!

A boy and his dog....

My nephew got a new puppy! What better time for a photo session?

Time to play catchup!!

It's been busy over here!  I had three awesome sessions this week, and haven't had a chance to blog them, so I thought it would be fun to put them all in one big post.  So here we go!!!

First of all  -Mindy and Justin. I love these two, and they are so much fun!  We had a great time, and one big *adventure* that shall remain a mystery. :)  Any session that starts with a fire truck and ends with mexican food is an A+ session in my book!!

The next session was all about adorable little girls, nature, and animals! SO much fun!!!

Annnnnd finally.....this little boy is just as sweet as he is adorable! We had a TON of fun, and even some playtime afterwards!! And we didn't find ANY crocodiles. ;)

Thanks again to ALL of my awesome clients! You are the ones who make my job such a joy! :)