Perspectives

It’s always fun to photograph a family over the years and watch the kids grow up.  I’ve been photographing Roger and Debbie and their kids for many years now.  We had arranged to meet at one of my favorite areas to shoot, however, a community parade route changed our plans and blocked access to our shooting location.  

I quickly called them and told them to stay put until I found our new location.  Our new location had lots of scenic places and while the family were en route, I quickly walked the area and choose three to shoot at.  There were several other photographers already there, so I wanted to choose some unique locations.  

The last area I choose was by a lake, which by itself seems like it should have been scenic, but really most would have dismissed as too crowded and ugly.  There were at least 50 people fishing at the edge of the lake, lots of trash cans, signs and lunch tables.  It wasn’t pretty.  But I saw something.  

I’m not great at behind the scenes images, I’m focused on creating great in front of the camera images. This time, however, I did take a quick photo of just a little bit of the view to show how a change in perspective can change everything.  

And that’s a thought that can be applied to just about anything.

Photographer's Quick Tips: How to take better pictures of your kids and family this holiday season

The holiday is upon us and there'll be lots of picture taking going on this week.  Do you want to make your holiday snapshots more meaningful this year?  Here's a few of my favorite tips for taking better pictures of your family and kids this season:

1.  Don't Chimp!  What's "chimping"?  Looking at the back of the camera to see what you've got.  Look at the images later.  While you are taking the pictures, focus on what's in front of your lens and capturing the moment.  I've seen many moments missed because the camera operator is looking at the back of the camera to see what they got.  Look at your first shot to make sure everything looks good exposure wise and shoot.  Look at the rest later.

2.  Get close.  Use a longer lens, or walk closer.  Fill up the frame with those beautiful little faces!

3.  Your subjects DON'T have to look at you!  Every time you ask your kids to look at you and smile, you're training them to give you the dreaded fake smile.  Capture the moment and the feeling of what's going on.  Most times, the best images are the ones about the feeling.

4.  Get down on their level.  You've probably got LOTS of pictures of your kids (or pets) looking down on them. This year, get down to their eye level.  Squat down, kneel down, lay down.  They'll engage more with you when you're on their level and you'll love the resulting image!

5.  Put yourself in the picture!  Don't forget to include yourself in the pictures.  Hand your camera to someone else, use the timer, take a selfie or get creative and use a reflective surface.  Just put yourself in the images.  Your kids will thank you!

Bonus tip:
This year, DO something with your pictures!  Whether you print them and put them in an old fashioned slip in album or create an online album and have that printed, make a coffee mug, a calendar or a refrigerator magnet.  Pick a few or pick them all--print your photographs and enjoy them!

Happy holidays!

Here comes the New Year!

A little more than two weeks away from 2016 and I've been thinking about WHAT A YEAR! 2015 has been!

Laura Schmidt Photography (and I) grew by leaps and bounds this year and I find myself so thankful and grateful for the opportunities to grow and shape my business and to reach toward my goals.  I am so lucky to have worked with and for amazing clients who have trusted me, my direction and vision.

I am so grateful...
to be trusted to get the job done, done right and done on time
that my clients recognize and tell me how appreciative they are of my work
to have made so many amazing connections, both professionally and personally with my clients
to hear how fun it was to work with me and how much my clients actually enjoyed the experience
to be pushed into new creative areas, challenging me to be a BETTER photographer, a BETTER business owner and to learn something new everyday
to you, dear internet, my followers and website visitors for your time, your interest, your feedback and support

It's time to think forward to the new year and its possibilities and goals--I already know it's going to be a doozy of a year--full of change, both personally and professionally--and I'm ready--Bring it!

Thank you so much for your support--it's been an honor and a pleasure.  I wish you a New Year filled with good health, laughter, sweet moments, a little magic and spectacular success and look forward to seeing and working with you soon!

Featuring Merry and Bright: The Carlson Family

When your client works in retail fashion, it's a given that the clothing selection will be taken care of.  I was super excited to come up with something different for the Carlson Family when they told me they wanted bright, fun, silly and in the studio!

I liked the idea of a white background to set off their bright, silly outfits and the kind of hard light and shadows you see in fashion editorials.  Right before this shot, Lulu the dog was running around like crazy--but hey, just call me the dog whisper.
Merry and Bright!

Portraits not only make great holiday cards, but they make great gifts and there's still a little time left! Give me a call to schedule your appointment time!

Featuring: Family portraits with the Lyssy family, Forth Worth, Texas

It's always great when you can combine business with pleasure and in this case, I was able to hang out with one of my besties after I finished my corporate shoot in Dallas.  Even better, we were able to carve out a little (tiny!) time to shoot a few family portraits.  Ten years ago, just before she moved to Texas, I took a few portraits of her (so little!!) kids, and we even recreated that portrait of them today.  All in all, our session was fast and furious, but the crazy weather cooperated, the kids cooperated and even the dog cooperated!  Great to see you Lyssy family!!

My favorite holiday card designs!

This year, all of my clients asked for custom holiday cards designed around their portraits and I've been happy to oblige.  As a confessed font-a-holic, I really enjoy designing them!  I loved each and every card I designed this year and have been jones-ing to share some of them!  Since I've gotten the go ahead to share from these families, here are a couple of my favorites!

This family loves their social media and this Instagram themed card was a perfect design for them!  Just in case you're wondering, I used Arial for the main body font! :-)

This "free people" style shoot had so many wonderful images that the final card ended up a folded card with TEN images!  But the cover image is still my fav.

The Royal Tenenbaums is a Kopenhefer movie favorite, so we styled their session to be a little goofy, very beautiful and a whole lot of fun--and we needed a card to match! 

 I just LOVE my Christmas tree on the beach and the super warm California feeling from this family!   

I never know what's going to happen when I set my camera up on the tripod and fire away with the remote.  Having a dog goody in your hand doesn't hurt!

Wishing you a season filled with warm moments and cherished memories...
Happy Howl-idays!!!