New Strides..

I made that photograph? Really? I am not saying it's perfect, I can spot at least 5 things I would do differently next time, but that's why I am practicing. I just am amazed at the things that I can do with off-camera flash. If you ignore the obvious faults, to me this photo looks like it was shot in a studio. In fact, it was shot in the client's finished basement, with a bedsheet pinned up on the wall to provide a solid dark background. The light came from one strobe, shot through an umbrella, and my camera was on manual.

This is Valerie and her husband Van, they are expecting their first child any day now. I am deeply honored to have had the chance to capture their moment in photography. This is what photographers talk about when they write on their blogs about feeling so amazing because they were a part of something so special. I hope that Valerie and Van are able to cherish these photos for a very long time.

There was not only one pregnant lady there, there were two! This is

Angie and her husband Jason. They also are expecting their first child any day now. Jason, happens to be Valerie's brother too! Their family is about to get a whole lot more hectic very soon!

I still need to keep working on little things, details like having more lights for seperation - so black pants don't disappear into a dark background and leave floating, pregnant torsos! But soon enough! I am adding more knowledge bit by bit, and I will continue to learn as much as I possibly can.

I really wish to thank Valerie and Angie for giving me the oppurtunity to be a part of their special event, and enabling me to capture it for them so that they will always have these pictures to remind them of this point in their lives.

This family knows how to be goofy and laid back, and it shows. You may recognize the woman on the right as Cherie, the subject of my last shoot. She is Jason and Valerie's sister too! It's an amazing group and we laughed the entire time we were shooting, which made things incredibly easy!

We even got mom in on the action!! All in all a highly successfull shoot I would say! I cannot wait to take more of these!

It's such a powerful thing to capture moments as opposed to simple posed photos. Coming up I have another shoot scheduled with Staci, and of course there should be some (eeek!) newborn photos soon!! Keep your eyes peeled for all the baby cuteness that's about to be happening around here!