Big Boy Andrew

While in South Carolina, we met up with our good friend Kelly who just happens to have a handsome son the same age as V. We took some nice studio shots, but the patience of a two year old doesn't allow for too much of that, and we ended up just hanging out and shooting with the flow.

Look at that smile!

Andrew has this awesome custom mural in his room and I immediately knew I wanted to make a portrait of him in front of it. I've never seen a two year old take directions so well. He would sit down, stand up, move closer, whatever I asked him to do.

I took a few minutes to set up an impromptu high-key studio setup and we got to work.

Of course, V got jealous that daddy was taking pictures of another kid so she had to get in on the action for a few shots.

Andrew feeds Kelly some goldfish (hey, whatever keeps him entertained).

Andrew busts a move for momma.

Soon enough it was time to burn some energy outside. Andrew revs up his hog with the neighbor kids.

Panning with Andrew helps give the image a sense of motion.

Andrew passes the basketball to Kelly.

Finally, mother and son stop for a moment on the steps of the front porch.

It was great seeing you Kelly and Andrew, and I had a blast taking these photos. It was too fun watching the little ones flirting with each other!

Baby Isaiah

During our recent trip to South Carolina, we were able to visit the newest addition to the family. Little Isaiah was only five weeks old and I took the opportunity to make some newborn images.

Hello there Isaiah. Thanks for waking up for a few minutes. Smile for the camera!

Alida, obviously the mother, snuggles with Isaiah.

Paul and Alida with their newest addition. I have to take a moment to explain the lighting here. I hadn't really planned on any formal studio shots, figuring I could improvise with any old background in their house. But then I started to want that pure black background more and more. Unfortunately, I left my large black background at home as I was trying to travel light. While there are some tricks to getting black background inside, I wasn't able to get the light close enough for that to work. Luckily, everyone was willing to shoot the photos on the back porch. There are trees behind them but they are far enough away that everything goes black. The rim light was balanced on a patio chair, and the main light (umbrella) was sitting on the hot tub. Luckily, the rain held off long enough for us to get these in!

Baby feet are a standard detail. Adding Paul's hands creates a little more depth to the image and puts things into perspective.

Big sis Alexandra joined in for a full family portrait.

Alida holding Isaiah.

I used a long lens to pick off some unobtrusive photos that let the family behave naturally.

Later in the week we wanted to try some more photos. We used a dark blanket draped on the couch for these with the intention to go back outside later. We were able to get all the shots right there in the living room.

Congratulations Paul, Alida and Alexandra. Isaiah is quite handsome and I'm glad I had the chance to make some photos this early in his life. Good Luck!

Harbison State Forest

I recently had the opportunity to go for a short hike in Harbison State Forest in South Carolina. I didn't take too many photos but did manage come home with a few.

Tis the season for blazing star. I found a nice patch of these in full bloom adjacent to a large meadow.

I was happy to find this large meadow after leaving the trail.

An interesting bug visits some Queen Anne's Lace flowers.

A vine of some sort climbs up a pine tree.

Everywhere I went the goldenrod was blooming nicely. This little scene seemed to represent fall with all the rusty orange and yellow colors.

This isn't a great photo, but I just love seeing a nice open forest that you can wander through freely. The soft bed of pine needles everywhere was a bonus.

These photos were from a recent trip to SC. I took lots of photos so I will be posting them gradually in the coming days. Stay tuned.