"Click"

Oh Elizabeth....

we always sing that song to her...  she used to get annoyed at us but now she just sings along. It's a good song... she's a good girl.

A Little Photoshop Magic......

I'll be the first to admit that photoshop overwhelms me- there is just so much to know that I can only take in bits at a time.  I can develop my images in it and fix minor blemishes but that's only because I ask Den how to do different things.  Our conversations usually start out by me saying, "I read something somewhere that if you do this to this and then put that on this layer you'll get such and such effect, now how would I do that?".... and he says, "you go like this and this" .. and it's done... and I crinkle my nose and say, "huh?"... and he says "you go like this and then this".. ok, got it.... and that kind of stuff is fun to me.  

..... but the big fixes, no matter how hard I try I can not get them to look nearly as good as when Den does them... so I don't even bother - I just say, "Hey Den, do you think that you could fix that annoying log in this photo for me?"

he says, "ok."

 

Cool, huh. 

I have quite a few requests sometime and I say, "thank you very much" often.

For Grandma - {Livingston County Newborn Photographer}

My sister came over this afternoon so I could take some pictures of her new baby....  Mom, this is what baby Vince looks like today.  Golly, he's sweet. 

I really wanted to get some color in these so I stayed away from the plain black background and added some blue... 

 

 

 

I bought this little doll bed at IKEA the last time I was there... isn't it cute?  Den put it together for me yesterday and now I'm wondering if I should paint it white or leave it plain... or order another one.. anyone have any cool ideas? 

 

 

These are all  taken with natural light, 85mm lens, f 1.8-2.2

Hooray For Outdoors....

Outdoor picture season has begun and I'm pretty happy about that.. partly because of the switch from backdrop/flash photography to natural light  and mostly because I get to go for a walk and work at the same time.  Can't exactly beat that.  Here are some samples from my first outdoor shoot of '09--  I think that I had some pretty hansome models tonight, don't you?  

On a side note- you'd think I'd be fired up enough on Spring  to show some color  in my images but nope...  love my black and white.. 

 

 

 

 

ok...  I like some color as well...

 

 

... you've got to love a  photo of a four year old boy with a real smile... they're pretty hard to come by. 

 

 

... and a little more color...

 

Thanks for coming to see me guys!

Have a Happy Thursday.....

A Few More- {Livingston County Children's Photographer}

I finished this set late last night as Den was doing fixes on some pictures that need to go to the printer on Monday. 

The thing about being related to me and getting your kid's pictures taken is..... you're kind of at the mercy of what my galleries look like.  For instance...  I needed more pink in my preschool gallery-  ta da! out comes the pink.  Sorry if you don't like pink- I need pink. ... I'll do the colors that you want as well, but I'm gonna squeeze some pink into the session. 

 

... and I keep a lot of the non smiling pictures. I like them. Some of my favorite pictures are of kids not smiling... why you ask?  Because you notice their eyes more, and all kids have awesome eyes.

 

... and if I see a couple of stray hairs falling funny, I may just give a teeny tiny trim... but not before I take the picture because every kid needs a photo where their hair looks a little crooked.  Don't worry though...  I took plenty of pictures afterwards too...   

 

although... the more I look at this picture the more I'm thinking I should have combed it a little better instead of cutting.. which is why I'm the photographer and not a hair dresser. heh.

One From Today -

I had my niece for the day today and got to take her three year portraits.  She was a trooper-- she looked, she smiled. she sat, she jumped, she let me tell her some not so funny jokes and she smiled some more...

 

 

then she had enough. Session over.

 

Have a great weekend!

Bedtime Stories

 

Of all the photographs that I take, these are the ones that I'll treasure the most.. real life.

I told them..

not to get all wet... and their reply was, "ok, mom- we won't"  ... oh well.

 

 

Senior Pictures- Livingston County Senior Portrait Photographer

It is time for you to start thinking about scheduling your Senior Portraits for 2010. Since there are so many different needs and preferences, I'm going to be offering 3 different option to choose from. 

 

Option 1: This option includes mainly studio images with a limited number of outdoor shots. The studio portion will take place in my home studio with a variety of traditional and modern backdrops and props to to choose from. The outside images will be take in my yard only-  meaning anything outside of my half acre lawn, will be considered on location.  With this package, you will recieve 20-25 images in an online gallery to view  and to order from. 

The sitting fee for this option is $30

NOTE: My yard is not manicured for picture taking purposes, It's made for swings, sandboxes and blow up pools- you'll get the basic outside photo with this option....  just keepin' it real  :)

 

Option 2: This includes on-location photos only,  there will be no studio shots in this option.  You can choose up to 2 location within 30 mile from my home... any additional miles will be $.50 per mile over the initial 25 miles.  You will receive 20-25 images in an online gallery to view and to order from.

The sitting fee for this option is $50

 

 

Option 3:  This option is the combination of options one and two.  You will come to my home for the studio portion of the session and then we can go on location (within 30 miles from my home) to 2 places of your choice. You will receive 30-40 images in an online gallery to view and to order from.

The sitting fee for this option is $75

 

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*Feel free to book with a friend, two, or even three and make a fun day of it.

*If online viewing is not an option at your home, I will happily invite you to view them on my computer or we can print the proofs out for an additional charge.

* Your gallery will be ready 2-3 weeks after your appointment for viewing.  This gallery will be open to order from for 30 days after I give it to you.  A rehosting fee will apply if you do not get your orders in to me within those 30 days

 

Yearbook:  Each school has different requirements for their yearbook- please bring in your sheet with the requirements so we can get the correct image for your school.

If you would like us to resize and crop your yearbook image to their specific requirements and send in your copy, a service fee of $10 will be added to your order. (we will have an option for that when you order).

If you choose to handle it yourself, we will email you a low resolution, copyrighted  file that you can only use for the purpose of the yearbook.

 

My Vacation Plans: I am headed up North June 28th - July 11th for some fun, sun and mosquito bites- if you book the week prior to that, it will take me a little bit longer to get you your proofs.

Whew:  I think I covered it all... If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call (517.304.8397) or email me at julie@jclportraits.com

Have a great day!

Julie

 

 

 

 

I was going to...

do a little blurb about senior pictures but then I came across this photo from today and it was too fun not to process and post.  She thinks she's pretty tricky on the swingset these days..  and the truth- she is.  She climbs up the ladder and down the slides like it's nobodys business....  gives her dad and everyone else who watches her a heart attack but- she's as steady as a rock so...   

 

... and check out her cute little head. I scored another hat from my sister last week- I think it's my favorite.  She asked me to try it on Aubrey so she could check the sizing  on an order that someone placed with her and well, she never got it back.... heh....   

Happy Monday, everyone.