Little M's Birthday Party ( photo shoot)

I was super surprised and totally honored when my old friend Jessica asked me to photograph her little daughter, M's First Birthday.  I couldn't wait.  I love to photograph different situations and people. I feel like I learn so much every time I photograph something new. And she was going to pay me...bonus!

Her mommy did up her party in a ladybug theme complete with a bunch of stuff from Etsy.  I'll get the links from her later. But it was super cute including this cake.

It was a great day, a little overcast and then a little rain but that light made for some great photography.

Apparently, her little boyfriend even came :) She better snatch him up now. Cute little guy.

She even took time out of her party to push her big brother on the swing.  Look at those bloomers.

Then of course it was time for this little cutey to get some cake...

It was present time....

M and her Daddy

She thought she was a present.

Look at that smile with her new rocking horse. And the happy grandma in the background.

 I took about a ba-jillion  pictures and  have already knocked it down a ton but I still have to make some cuts and tweak the winners so off I go.  This was so much fun. Thanks Jessica for letting me be a part of her special day.

Technical Stuff for other learning photographers like me

The light was great that day. The overcast-ness of the day rocked. I was shooting mostly in Manual with a little AV thrown in there. My aperture was all over the place depending whether I was inside or out  I did tend to shoot more wide open(2.8) to get that soft background. However then I had a bunch of shots that the focus was not tack sharp in and I know that is why. Sigh. I hate that. It's just part of the leaning curve I suppose.  I was using AI SERVO a lot more for this since the kids were always moving but it's a little hard to get used to. It's a whole different way of focusing. Sometimes I miss my manual film camera. It was all up to me and if it didn't work, I knew why.

The indoor shots had a very high ISO of 1000-4000 even with some flash thrown in there. Again, I'm still learning so indoor stuff is where I need  a bunch of practice. I had to help them in post-processing ( I use Photoshop)

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY Show Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Debbie Does Creations - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday
 Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely  -SNAP

Thursday
 Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life - The Shabby Cottage
The Taylor House- House of Hepworths 
Two In Diapers-Mommy Brain Mixer


Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Here Comes the Sun

Saturday

Six Sister's Stuff

Cheerios and Lattes
Natasha in Oz -Say G'Day

My adventures of second shooting at a wedding

 Last October, I was lucky enough to be asked to second shoot at a wedding. I was excited and nervous as hell that I would have nothing but crappy photos. Mark, the friend who asked me, had shot some weddings before and  really knew what he was doing.  He is very knowledgeable about all aspects of photography and how to use it to his advantage.

I feel like  I have some vision but some of the technical stuff is still  lost on me. I learned a ton doing this. I did shoot manual the entire time with RAW and JPEGS so I could  manipulate images later. I don't really have any formula or anything , just watching my ISO, shutter speed and aperture depending on the situation. I also primarily shot with my 28-70mm zoom.  I love that lens.  I use almost all of the time whenever I'm just even taking pictures around my house.

I met him at the wedding site at Jefferson Barracks Park ( yes, the national cemetery is in the same park )  There was this great outdoor space called , that I had never heard of or been to, that the families of the bride and groom  had set  up with chairs and an arbor.

Mark  was the primary photographer so he was front and center with the procession, the ceremony, and all of the important shots.  It was my job to take the side shots and anything else that caught my eye. it was nice to not have all of the pressure:)

We took some pictures of the site and then waited for the bridal party to start showing up.  They were such a cute couple and so easy going. They let us tell them what to do 99% of the time. The didn't have a list of shots and they were happy to try anything we suggested.

Then after the ceremony, we took the group shots that they requested. It was again my job to make sure no had silly faces, or messy hair or  in one case a cell phone in a pocket that I could see in the photos. Whoops!

Aren't the boots awesome?

The flower girl was the niece of the bride  and she was so cute and photogenic.

One of my favorite pictures of the day

After the more formal pictures,  we walked around and took some more pictures of the wedding party. All of these were taken less than 100 feet from the ceremony site.  It was a great location.

We did go down the road to another great location that had more trees with even more color.

The reception was very intimate, had a great dance floor, and just enough room.   I learned lot  about indoor photography with my flash. But there's always room to learn more. Indoor, night time photography is definitely not something I'm 100% with yet.

Like I said before, this wedding seemed easy because they were both so cute and the nicest most easy going people I have ever had to photograph yet. They have spoiled me I'm sure. I can't wait to do this again!

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY How Off
DIY Shop - Lines Across My Face -I should be mopping the Floor
Great Fun 4 Kids

Tuesday
How to Nest For Less - Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime - Debbie Does Creations - Funky Polka Dot Giraffe
The Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday
 Thrifty Home - Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
- Junk in Their Trunk  - Southern Lovely  -SNAP

Thursday
My rePurposed Life - Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
Loving this Crazy Life - Fireflies and Jellybeans - The Shabby Cottage
The Taylor House- House of Hepworths

Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now
Here Comes the Sun

Saturday

Six Sister's Stuff
Be Different Act Normal
Cheerios and Lattes
Natasha in Oz -Say G'Day

Event Photography: Women helping women

Back in April, I was asked by my good friend Jessica to take some event photos at a luncheon for the non -profit organization that she works for called "Our Lady's Inn".  They are a wonderful organization that houses and helps pregnant women who are homeless, need a place to live, and help getting jobs. You can donate money (anyone) or clothes/things to  their second hand store ( us folks in St.Louis and St.Charles area)

The Garden of Life Luncheon was held at Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church in Frontenac in their gymnasium.   With this luncheon, was an auction and  a fashion show.   All of the clothes worn at the fashion show were from their second hand store, Twice Blessed. All of  the profits go back to the women that they help. With this fashion show, everything that is modeled  is available to buy and  with some additional stuff they  brought  on the side.

I got there and started taking pictures of the tables and auction items.

 There were lots of cute things for the auction like this cute dog made out of flowers. There were also items made just to sell like handmade cards and  necklaces.

All of the ladies got to mill around and bid on the auction items before lunch started. There were all kinds of gift certificates, toys, and home items to look at.

And there was the awesome catered food. Yum-me!

 Look at that dessert table...don't worry, it was all gone when the lunch was over. 

After lunch was the fashion show, there were so many cute things that people had donated.  There were women and girls strutting their stuff on the runway.

My friend Abbie, Jessica's daughter

The shoes were a little too big for her so she went for comfort instead.

These two stole the show.

 When everything was said and done , they raised a bunch of money and a lot of people walked away with a lot of nice things. I learned a lot about indoor lighting and my camera. But I have much more to learn.