The Taylors - Family Portrait Session

They look so nice when they aren't trying to strangle each other! :)

I had a fantastic time this past weekend taking pictures of the Taylors! Brother/Sister sessions are so much fun. I also did some individual portraits of them as well.

These were taken on my parents' farm. It made for a fantastic location. Here are some of my favorites.

She really was petrified of the horses. Such a good sport! Love this face though!

Wedding - Kait and Alex

I had a fabulous time as both a bridesmaid AND the main photographer for my dear friends, Alex and Kait.
Granted, I never want to wear both those hats at the same time again.
But it was fun.
And it was a beautiful wedding.

Here are some of my favorites that I have edited up so far.

 Black and White version

Color version (not sure which I like better, honestly)

I still have to get through the reception photos. I've been through them but haven't edited them yet, but some of them look pretty good.

It's so easy when you have a photogenic couple. ;)

Liz

Engagement Session - Kait and Alex

My dear friends Alex and Kait got married this past October. They had me do engagement photos and their wedding photos.

Here are some of my favorites from their engagement session.

Such an adorable couple! And so fun to shoot!

Liz

Portraits - Charlie

I'm not blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with children. Or siblings. But I am blessed with friends. And one of these friends has a beautiful little boy named Charlie.

Charlie has been forced to cooperate for me on many occasions, thus I have many photos of him as he has grown up.

Charlie, around 3 months old

Charlie's first birthday

Charlie 13 months

 Charlie, 18 months old

 Charlie, 18 months old

Charlie, 18 months old

Charlie, 18 months old

 Charlie, 2 years old

Charlie, 2 years old

You may have noticed in this line of photos that I learned some tricks about photoshop. Charlie has been instrumental in me learning and developing my portrait photography skills. He's not always terribly cooperative, but part of the challenge is learning to shoot a moving target and then editing and correcting accordingly. 

I may post later about some of the photoshop techniques I use, but they are constantly evolving. I'm not sure if this is something many photographers experience, but it is certainly true of me. Maybe it's because I'm a hobby photographer - I'm not sure. 

Hopefully I can continue to shoot this handsome little man as he grows up. He's such a cutie and he's so animated. I've learned I actually LIKE doing sessions with kids, especially at parties. You can get some great candid shots of the little guys in action.

That's it for Charlie. For now at least.

Liz

Introductions

I have had several people request that I begin a photography blog.
I'm not 100% sure what exactly most people would like to see in such a creation, so for now, I'll just sort of wing it.

When I started taking pictures, I didn't know or even care if I was good at it. It was just something I enjoyed.
Many of my friends liked what I photographed, and after a while I started getting requests for portraits. I never expected to actually get any attention for it.

I've found that, much like my writing, people either like my photography, or they hate it. I've had one photography teacher that really liked my work. I've had another that thought I should just sell my camera and move on.

Much the same, I've found many critics who hate my stuff and I've found critics who love it.

I'll leave it up to you to judge for yourself.

I got my first "real" digital camera back in 2005 as my high school graduation present to myself.  Not long after that, I got my second graduation present - a trip to Europe. Having had very little training, I was pleasantly surprised at some of the resulting pictures.

Well, that's the only one I've got for now. 

Anyway, I love landscape and still life photography. It's what I cut my teeth on, but it rarely gets real appreciation. Here are a few more of my favorites, from various time points.

Cooperative dragonfly at Aldridge Botanical Gardens in Hoover.

The famous Bourbon Street

A view from a steam boat tour down the Mississippi River in New Orleans.

Moss Rock Preserve in Hoover

Anyway, just some samples to get us started. Next, portraits! :)

Liz