Kayla's GCU Graduation

Graduating college is such an achievement, so a big congratulations to this pretty lady! We were so excited Kayla came to us for her graduation photos and we had so much fun taking them. It was incredibly windy so it required some patience, and the balloons she bought for the shoot flew away before we even got to use them! Kayla stayed so positive though and had the best attitude. She was just smiling the whole time. We couldn't have asked for a better shoot.

Kayla also wanted to make sure we got a shot with the chalkboard thanking her mom and dad. Such a sweet idea! 

Graduation is so much fun and we enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate this moment in Kayla's life. 

Sweet n' Sassy Senior Portraits at the Sugar Bowl

We had the honor of taking photos of this gorgeous young woman once again, and this time we took it up a notch. 

Amanda is so much fun and super sweet, and on top of that she's got crazy, amazing, edgy style! She's the ultimate cool girl. So for Amanda's senior photos we wanted something that embodied exactly who she is. We feel like this shoot was successful in that, and we couldn't be more excited with how it all came out. Also, we all had a lot of fun while we were at it which is really all you could ever ask for. 

Getting In Front of the Camera

“I have always believed that fashion was not only to make women more beautiful, but also to reassure them, give them confidence.” — Yves Saint Laurent

Being in front of the camera is something I'm used to I suppose. My aunt used to be a professional photographer. So every holiday or get together she's got her camera there to take some photos. Now that I'm engaged to a photographer I'm pretty used to having a camera snapping some candids. I can't say it is something I've gotten used to though, or something I'm super comfortable with for the most part. Especially being alone in front of the camera. I sort of freeze up. I prefer being behind it. It's more comfortable for me that way. 

That being said, this shoot turned into more fun than I had really expected.

I have been obsessed with this dress for years if we're being honest. I just never could bring myself to buy it because let's face it, it's like a big t-shirt and pretty expensive. However, almost every time I was lurking on the Free People website I found myself looking at this dress again. 

So I was recently passing some time by looking at some of the new things Free People got on their website, and I once again was looking at this dress. I just needed to stop staring at it and get it. So I did! I am just as obsessed with it as I was before. The best part is that it gives me the feeling you should have when you put something on. I feel comfortable, happy, confident, and mostly I feel like myself. I've always been a big believer in this concept. Fashion doesn't have rules really. You dress for you, and you dress in the clothes that make you feel good because at the end of the day that's what matters. It was this very idea that helped me become more comfortable in front of the camera to take these photos.

Never underestimate the power of a good outfit.

What I'm Wearing:

Dress - Free People Marrakesh Dress

Hat - Urban Outfitters

Necklace - Lucky Brand

Shoes - H&M

Makeup - Urban Decay Naked Palette & Make Up For Ever Lipstick

A Little Post on Post Production

We don't usually go too much into what happens behind-the-scenes here, but I'd like to start changing that a little!

When you're on a shoot with us and we're showing you the back of the camera to give you an idea of what the images are going to look like you'll have a tendency to hear me add a little disclaimer. I will point out that this is just how it looks out of the camera. My goal for this post is to point out why I mention that.

Once we've had our fun on the shoot everything comes home, gets backed up, then it gets organized. That's when the magic of editing begins.

All that you need to do is grab the center button and drag it back and forth to see the before and after for each photo. Then you can see the difference editing can make, and why that little disclaimer means more than you think.  

This first one is an automotive photo from our shoot with Jayjay and his WRX. The light is pretty standard for a sunset here which really helped to make this one pop. I always make my global adjustments first in order to bring back some of that contrast and bright quality. After that I'll work on my local adjustments. This is where dodge and burn comes in, and it's where I try to bring as much focus to my subject as possible. After that I use curves in order to tone my photo. That's where a majority of the color comes in.

This next photo is from a shoot that we had with my friend Shane. This is a more typical portrait retouch. Again, we're assisted with some beautiful light which is something we try and take advantage of whenever possible, but this time it was coming from a strobe with a soft box on it. The technique is the same as previously: global adjustments, local adjustments, and then toning. Here we had to bring back a lot of the shadows in order to help Shane stand out.

Not all photographs require the same amount of work done to them. However, they do all get some kind of treatment. I'm looking to make the best possible image that I can, and this is what allows me to do it.

If you want to check out either of the full posts with these pictures in them you can find Jayjay and his car here, or Shane and his Beetle here!