It’s almost spring and to celebrate, I thought I would offer up a brand-spanking-new “What to Wear Guide”.  It’s been a while since I featured one and I am way past due to dish one up!

Since I think family sessions are the toughest to coordinate, I always try to feature those if possible, as a reference point.  This particular one is for a family who is looking to do something a little different… something slightly hip, a little retro.  Something a little outside of the proverbial box…

And if the “retro” look isn’t for you, the color palette is still a great source of inspiration.  The colors are clean, bright, and crisp.  All of which typically photograph beautifully and are very far away from the tired “let’s all wear denim and matching white shirts”. 

Until next time,

Tammy

Longview Texas Children and Family Photographer

Sometimes photographing large family groups can be, well, not so fun.  It can be a little stiff, a tad stuffy, and can reek of over-the-top-traditionalism (yes, that was my big word for the day.  Go me!).  But, when the *b* family contacted me about a family session, they seemed different.  Not different in a bad way — in a good and potentially really fun way.  In fact, when they emailed me, they even included images of them being really candid (i.e. that’s code for acting silly).  Once I saw that, I was pretty much in 

So, fast forward to our session, which we decided to shoot at an awesome vineyard and winery in Athens, Texas.  It was crazy windy, but in spite of that, we had a great time shooting.  We had so many great shooting options at the vineyard and towards the end, we ended up with some absolutely gorgeous light.  Don’t believe me?  See for yourself!

And finally, a “candid” shot:

Thanks *b* family, it was fun!

Until next time,

Tammy

East Texas Family Photographer

I had a great time doing my Favorite Portrait of 2010 contest, thanks to all who played along!  Your votes coming in were fun to see and the response was overwhelming    Many thanks to my husband, Wes, for helping me count all those votes!  I will definitely do the contest again next year, it just may become an annual tradition.

So, let’s get right to the winners <drum roll please>

First Place and winner of a 16×20 gallery wrapped canvas of their winning image, goes to #6, “sisters”:

Second place, and winner of a mounted 11×14 print of their winning image, goes to #17, “laughing out loud”:

Third place, and winner of a $50 print credit toward a future session, goes to #11, “baby o”:

And because there was a close race, I decided to offer a fourth place prize of a $50 print credit toward a future session, and that goes to #21, “cuteness in front of a red door”:

Thanks again and I look forward to another year of fantastic images in 2011!

Tammy

Though it still feels like summer outside, the Christmas rush is really just around the corner.  And I have to say, I’m officially ready.  Not only because it’s my favorite time of year, but also because I am so ready for the cooler weather that comes along with the holidays!

This year, I’m encouraging all of my clients to book early (think October and early November), to have more chances at available dates.  Here are the details on what’s included in the mini:

All mini sessions have to take place before November 25th,  that gives us plenty of time to get holiday cards back (and saves my sanity a little bit!).  Amazing holiday cards are in the works, examples of those coming soon 

Tammy

It’s almost that time of year again!  Cooler weather, beautiful colors, great light and my favorite, lots of family sessions!

Family sessions are always popular in the fall and this year is shaping up to be one of the busiest yet.  I am already booking sessions into Thanksgiving weekend, so don’t dilly-dally!  Drop me an email or give me a call and we’ll get you on the schedule 

In keeping with the theme, I thought I would share more what-to-wear goodness.  This time specifically tailored for those upcoming fall family sessions.  Have a peek:

I have some sneak peeks upcoming, stay tuned!

Until next time,

Tammy

So you’re all set.  You’ve officially booked a family session with me.  The date and time is chosen, session fee is taken care of, and everything is on the calendar.  You’re feeling pretty good, right?  Then, panic sets in.  You break out into a cold sweat.  A question is literally burning in your brain.

WHAT DO WE WEAR?!?

This is actually a question I get asked a lot, and even after I give suggestions of colors, how to coordinate without being “matchy-matchy” , and tips on where to shop, I still hear doubt in my clients voices when they hang up the phone.   So, I thought I would start including some visual inspiration on the blog to make things easier.

This particular ‘What to Wear Guide’ is great for just about any kind of session that is on location.  At your home, a park, a field, even an urban/downtown shoot:

And this is just a start, you can totally build on this to make it more  “you”.  Mom can add a denim jacket over the top of the dress, Dad can wear a fedora hat, you can add a funky headband for the little girl, you get the idea.  The key is to have fun and feel confident in what you are wearing.

And if you haven’t booked a family session in the last year or two, what are you waiting for?!? 

Until next time,

Tammy

Though the summer has gotten off to a really hot start, we’ve been loving every second of it!  In between sessions and editing, the boys and I have been sleeping in, hanging out at the pool, taking in a few movies, trips to Target (the happiest place on earth) and enjoying our 4 legged family members.

Here’s a quick snapshot of some of our family fun so far, all of these were taken with a wide angle lens (distortion fun!) – enjoy!

Happy Summer!

Until next time,

Tammy

Have I mentioned before that I love my “job”?  Nothing makes me happier than showing up for a session at a sublime location, with an adorably cute (and sweet!) little family and fabulous, golden light, just waiting to be captured.  That was totally the scenario with the *L* family – Mom, Dad, two year old *z* and 5 week old baby girl *a*.  I had such a good time getting to know them while we were shooting, I felt like I had known them forever.  And honestly, trying to narrow down my favorites from this session was like trying to choose my favorite child.  Impossible!  I loved them all for different reasons 

I have to start out by introducing little *z*.  Insert happy sigh here.  She is the tiniest, cutest little thing, who happened to be wearing this perfect little dress that had a slightly vintage feel to it (l.o.v.e.).  She has big, brown, melt-your-heart  eyes, and the best thing?  The fact that she wanted to hold my hand when we would walk from place to place during the session.  Insert another happy sigh here…

Next, some family time… the expressions, the light, the cute factor.  Oh my goodness, I was in photographer sensory overload and shooting as fast as my little finger would let me…

A few of Mom and baby *a*, pretty girls…

Mom and Dad with their newest addition, little *a*:

Next, some of Dad with a couple of his favorite girls.  I love both of these – the soft side of Dad and the fun side of Dad:

And last but not least, a shot of baby *a* by herself… she was so good, even at the end when I know she was tired and hungry.  Isn’t she just yummy?!?

Thanks, *L* family – I hope you love them as much as I do.  Gallery coming soon, I’ll be in touch!

Until next time,

Tammy

Over the last year or so, I have been incredibly lucky to become good friends with several of my photography peers in the area.  I love having a group of friends who know exactly what I mean when I utter any of the following words/phrases:  f1.2, iso, tilt shift, back lit, alien bee.  Or having a friend who can help me find “the sweet light” in any given room or situation, in under .02 seconds.

One of these awesome peeps, is wedding photographer, Alex M .  Not only is Alex an amazing wedding photographer, he’s also a super nice guy *and* a great husband and Dad to 4 really cute little people.  So, you can imagine I was pretty nervous stoked when Alex asked me to photograph his family.  I mean, photographing another photographer is a little different.  They totally know what you are or are *not* doing right    Plus, everyone has their own distinct sense of photography style that they like (or else they wouldn’t shoot that way!).  My style is soft and warm and fuzzy compared to Alex’s more modern, rock-star, humorous style.  All that said, we had a great time and even though we had some major things to overcome (locked gates, crazy cows, FULL sun (a photographer’s worst friend!), a grumpy old lady, ants, a few tears) we ended up with some awesome imagery.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed shooting it.  Gear up friends, this is a long one:

Okay, quick story on the first image… the truck (that I LOVE)  in the image is one that was a little difficult to get to.  The people that owned the property, that assured me they would be there on the shoot day, weren’t there.  So, what other choice did we have, but to trespass climb a fence?  So, imagine all seven of us, plus my gear, plus a ladder, making it over barbed wire fence.  Thank goodness there was this really HUGE guy, with big muscles there to help all of us make it over    The climb was worth it, don’t you think? ::

A little family fun in the sea of yellow that surrounded us:

And I really like the simplicity of this one, a family together:

As we were shooting in the field, a little herd of cows began to make their way towards us… normally, this would not be a big deal.  But, these cows were “different”.  They were aggressive and mean.  Totally out to get us!  Well, not really, but the kids seemed to think so    So this last image, came after both Alex and I had jumped through lots of hoops to keep the cows at a somewhat “safe” distance and the kids were a little emotional at the entire experience.  But, I love this image of Alex and his wife, Danielle, with their brood.  You can see the humor on their faces about the situation and the little “pile” of children on top of them wearing completely different expressions…

Next up, a few shots of just Alex and Danielle (which every married couple need!).  You have to know going in Alex is a pretty funny guy and Danielle is super sweet and a little quiet.  I think she spends a lot of her day (in between taking care of four children) laughing at Alex.  See exhibit “A” :

But, I did capture a sweeter side of them too:

And this next series, I love, love, love!  I so *heart* how their expressions reflect each others.  And isn’t Danielle seriously cute?!?

Next, another family shot.  This image is one that Alex had in mind of he and Danielle with the kids and I do love it.  Their youngest, Eli, crying is really what made the shot for me – a true snapshot of a day in the life with kiddos…Finally, we made our way to another field and let the “M” family just be.  While they were just “be-ing”, I captured this one of Alex and Jo, catching some major air and I have to say, it’s fab-u-lous right down to the flying flip-flops and Alex’s priceless expression:

Thanks “M” family for letting me capture you being “you”, I loved every minute of it!

Until next time,

Tammy

A few quick shots of my own two little stinkers being, well… um, stinkers.  I’d be lying if I said that shoots with the boys aren’t totally insane.

Cause they are.

Since I’ve always encouraged them to have fun while they are being photographed, they have kind of taken that to a new extreme.  It’s like they know they won’t have another opportunity to totally act like fools and be rewarded for it.  So, they take advantage of it.  And as the insanity level climbs, so does the noise level.  We get laughing, silly faces, funny phrases (in my house anything that involved the words “poo-poo” or “tee-tee” is hilarious), running around, falling down, etc.  The whole time my husband is trying to *discourage* it, while I am trying to *encourage* it.  By the time we are done, we’re all exhausted and my husband (bless his soul) dejectedly asks me if I was able “to get anything”. 

So, that being said, here are a few of my favorites from a typically insane session with the boys at the studio…

So yes, it was crazy.  Yes, we were tired.  But truly, it’s oh-so-worth-it to be able to get images that truly “grab” who they are, right now.  Stinkers or not!

Until next time,

Tammy