I’m on a quest. My quest is to find some new cool props. I have some suggestions for firemen’s gear, chef’s hat with a wooden spoon and whisk, red wagon, any sort of sports hats – be it baseball, football – sporting good paraphrenalia, etc. Also a cute idea from a past client was some old “Clark Kent” type glasses with the Wall Street Journal.

So, hit me up! What do YOU think are some cute prop ideas?

Thanks for your opinions!
Until next time,
Ally

I’ve gotten a ton of requests to post more from Princess M’s session on Monday. I just finished editing her session and there are a bunch of really great ones. I’m only going to post a few more here on the blog…the rest are on my Frameable Faces facebook group page. Go check it out!

M wasn’t very smiley during her session since she was super tired from all of her modeling. She’s a very beautiful baby and again, I had a great time working with her, her great mommy and her super sweet grandma!

I’m off to finish editing “I’s” first birthday session and I’ll post more from his later on.

Thanks for checking in!

Until next time,
Ally

Today I got to work with a friend of mine that I’ve known since I was about 11 years old. She’s in town with her new baby from Texas for our 20 year high school reunion. Yesterday, I got to meet Miss “M” for the first time and I was awed at how pretty she was and how much of a blessing this little sweetheart is.

I shouldn’t be surprised at little M’s beauty – I thought her mommy was the prettiest girl in school (and I’m not just saying that!!!). Her mom is as pretty on the inside as she is on the outside and little Miss is going to be just the same way.

M came in today with her grandma, too. It’s always so much fun to be around grandma E! Such a blast…the three of us were cracking up for almost the entire session!

When I finish editing the rest of M’s images, I’ll post back. It’s almost midnight and I’m totally capitalizing on the fact the my own kids are away at camp, so I’m still working! But enough is enough for one night, so I’ll leave you with this one image. I happen to think it’s studio worthy. M is smiling her big bright smile…that in and of itself should make it great. But if you look closely, you’ll notice what I initially thought was her Mommy’s earring. It’s not!!! I love when these precious little moments get caught!

Until next time,
Ally

Princess H came into the studio today for the first time. I’ve known her forever – even before she was born – and I photographed her mom’s maternity session. She’s simply beautiful! We had the best time today, even though Miss H decided not to sleep at all! But we did manage to get her to sleep for about 10 minutes so we could catch a couple cute ones of her!

She’ll be back when she’s 6 months old so you’ll be able to watch her grow up with me. If you join my Facebook group, you’ll be able to see the rest of her session as soon as they’re all edited.

Until next time,
Ally

P.S. The first image totally shows how DONE H was at the end. Notice how she’s shakin’ her little fist at me! LOVE that!

So, I’ve been thinking that it’d be kind of interesting to share some of what I’ve learned throughout the years about photography. Here’s one of the most important bits, I think.

Take a look at any magazine. Check out the cover model. Of course that person looks beautiful and all, but check out the eyes. What do you notice? In every single photograph the person has some sort of white light in the eyes. Sometimes, they’re square. Sometimes circular. They can even be shaped like an octagon. The point is, they’re always there. Those catch lights make the model look alive. If a model is lacking those catchlights, the eyes look “dead.” Not exactly a look most people are going for, unless of course they’re photographing in the morgue for forensic photography or something.

The other type of catch lights are called “Pin” lights. Those are found in images that use a pop up flash or the flash on the smaller digital cameras that most everyone has. Those pin lights aren’t bad…just different. Pin lights almost always show up in the center of the pupil as alittle orange dot. Most true professional photographers know how to use the flash correctly to avoid the pin lights, which in my opinion, look amateurish.

A professional photographer will have catchlights in the model’s eyes (from studio lights) at either the 10 o’clock or 2 o’clock position (or somewhat close to that). If that photographer is shooting outdoors, the catchlights will have much different shapes or may not even have a true “shape” at all. Just some really nice light in the eyes.

That’s one thing I”m always striving for and one thing I’ve learned to look for. Nice, good catch lights. So whether you choose to work with me or anyone else, be on the look out for cool catch lights. In my opnion, it’s one of the differences between a professional and an amateur.

Until next time,
Ally

Meet A. We had THE best time working together. He just “got it” and was completely comfortable in front of the camera. I don’t think we had any bad shots! Makes for a very difficult time editing, ya know?

A definitely came with some locations in mind, too. So now I have even more awesome locations to select from! Woo hoo! A was a major trooper and didn’t even seem to mind getting rained on and scratched up while getting to a pretty cool brick wall! LOVE that!!

With his amazing sense of style and his ease in front of the camera, I’m going to have to stop blogging about him and get back to editing! This was a session that was jam packed with style and personality!

Be on the look out for some more on my Facebook group page!

Until next time,
Ally

L was referred to me by my current ambassador and she assured me that he was great. Well, she was right! L had me cracking up left and right!

First off, he’s an incredible person. He’s really into the theatre and athletics, and anything Raider, which automatically hit home with me since I’m a Raider, too!

We had such a fun time together from the clothing changes to the mini voyeur (she was all of about 2 years old) who had her eye on L when he was changing his shirt in the front window…I can’t wait to work with him again. OH! And it doesn’t hurt at all that he’s a pretty darned good looking guy!!

There’ll be more images of L on my Frameable Faces Facebook group. There are a ton of really great images – send me a friend request if you want to check ’em out!

Until next time,
Ally

And then he finally arrived! Baby M arrived into this world in mega style. And 13 days later, he made an appearance in the studio. M was so good during our session, even though we needed to do just a bit of coaxing to have him strike this pose. What a sweetie! Just a quick share from this session…I can’t wait to get back to editing his session!

Until next time,
Ally

I knew that we were going to have an awesome shoot and we totally did! She’s absolutely stunning and is just the sweetest thing ever! S is going to be a senior at NFHS in the fall and is my newest senior ambassador. She’s super active and does a ton of extra curriculars…like plays, Poms, etc. She’s truly one cool girl!

I can’t wait to do another session with her. We had the best time and got so many awesome shots, but these are just a few. I have about 60 more to edit on top of the 10 that I already have! They just keep getting better and better…I can’t wait to get back here to edit some more!

Make sure you check my group on Facebook for some more images. You’ll definitely get some more awesome ones of Miss S. She’s gorgeous!

Until next time,
Ally

D came in to the studio yesterday with his dad and we were able to get some amazing shots. These are just a few…I’m holding out on my favorites and I think I MAY have one of my all time favorite images from his session.

D’s graduating from Wyandotte high school in a few weeks and then he’s off to college. He’s got a bright future ahead of him – he’s got brains, brawn and looks…what else could any potential employer want, right?

Good luck, D! Thank you so much for putting up with my poses. Even though you weren’t comfortable (at all!), I think you’ll appreciate the end result!

Until next time,
Ally