February 2013

This is the season for L.O.V.E!!! There have been so many wonderful Valentine’s sessions taking place at the studio this year. Many of you have been so creative…props, chocolates, flowers, cute little outfits…your better halves won’t be expecting THIS this year huh? <3 Thank you all for letting me make this holiday a truly special one!

Mr. Halston….Mr. Big Beautiful Blue eyes!!!! We had such a GREAT time with him! He can be a little shy…then a little exuberant! How can you resist falling in love with this handsome little boy….I know I couldn’t! We did Halston’s photos here at the studio, but then took him out back into the alley for some shots by the tire stacks…and luckily…there was a fire truck at the shop next door that let us use it for some truly unique photos that mom loved so much, she got a big ‘ol canvas of! <3 Can’t wait to see little man again!

Marshmallow Pops

Here is a simple and cute treat you can put together for Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients

Marshmallows

Almond Bark (Flavor of choice)

Sprinkles

Lollipop Sticks

Directions

1. Put one marshmallow on each lollipop stick.

2. Cut off 2-3 blocks of almond bark for use, and place them in a microwave safe dish.

3. Melt the almond bark in the microwave for 25 seconds.

4. Take out and stir so as not to burn.

5. Put back in microwave and cook for another 15 seconds, then stir melted chocolate.

6. Repeat step 4 and 5 until bark is all the way melted.

7. Dip marshmallows in melted bark about half way, then use sprinkles for decoration.

8. Enjoy!

Capturing Emotion In Your Photos

Does it seem like everyone but you can get the fun shots that they want? Ever feel like your kids just pull the cheesiest smiles when the camera comes out? With Valentine’s Day coming up this month, we thought it would be fun to share a few quick tips on how to capture emotion in your photos. Many times it can be hard to get that natural smile, especially from your own kids. So we have a couple of quick tips to help you get that emotional magic from the hardest of subjects!

Here are 3 top ways to get emotion from your subjects:

1. “Snuggle”. This can be an easy way to coach your subjects whether they are best friends, siblings, or lovers. Just telling your subjects to “snuggle” can get them closer and more into each other.

2. Scream, jump, run. Having your subjects do any emotion can get them to relax, have fun and in the mean time, you are capturing an emotion.

3. Don’t pull your camera down. Once you have your subjects doing something fun like screaming, jumping, or running, leave your camera ready to shoot. Shooting the fun emotion is great, but capturing the magic moments where they are laughing right after they scream, jump or run can be priceless too!

Extra Tip: Some point and shoot cameras have a delayed shutter speed which makes getting the shot even harder. If you don’t have an SLR with a quick shutter speed, consider trying the camera on your phone. A lot of camera phones, including the iPhone has a very quick shutter speed, which helps you grab the moment as it is happening!

How To Prevent Ugly Wall Holes

Hanging pictures in your home can be an inconvenience when using nails and a hammer. Not only does it take time and manual labor, it leaves a nice sized hole in your home! We wanted to share another option with you that might just make your day; the Command brand picture hanging strips! This easy-to-use product works by sticking the very strong Velcro strips to your frame or picture, and then those strips also have a very strong adhesion that holds your art to the wall. It’s as simple as peeling and pressing for just 30 seconds to help the art have a strong grip onto the wall. It’s not damaging, easy to apply, and simple to remove! When you want to change your wall art and are finished with your Command strips, simply pull your frame off the wall and then pull straight down on the tab at the bottom of the strips, and they will pull right off with no damage to your paint or walls! What a great alternative for nails, and the perfect tool for hanging your pictures!