What I’d like to know is why there is no ice cream being handed out at the finish line for the adult race?!  Kids get all the fun!

This year’s Race for Justice is Saturday, JUNE 19th.  Click here for more information.  It is easy this year to register and ask for pledges online!  Hopefully I’ll see you there!

SALC helps bridge the gap for families who do not qualify for Legal Aid and can not afford to hire a private attorney. As a result of the legal representation that SALC provides, families have increased financial security, stay off of welfare and are overall more productive members of our society. And more children also grow up in positive and safe environments as a result of SALC’s intervention.

You know this picture is going to come out every time Evan brings a “significant other” home to meet the parents.  But how can anyone resist this little cutie on his literally “sheepskin” rug.

Dr. Brandon also provides FREE initial exams for children under 3 years!

I will let you know when the new Dr. Brandon website launches.  It is pretty cool!

Keris arrived in September and we scheduled her portrait shoot in November.  Katie should be an interior designer for as you see below, Keris’s room is beautifully decorated in pinks, spring greens, beiges and white.  Katie wanted a framed keepsake, something that Keris would always have, to hang above the changing table.  I suggested this collage of Keris surrounded by a clean simple white frame with lines to match the chest of drawers, which would always remain in Keris’s room beyond her diaper changing days!

I love this image for so many reasons.

From the technical aspect, the “halo” effect comes from the subject being “back lit.”  This means the strongest source of light (in this case the sun) is behind the subject.

In this “back lit” situation if you let your programmable camera select the settings for your exposure, most likely your subject’s face would be too dark.  This is a good time to use a handheld light meter to read the light exposure coming from the brightest side of the child’s face.  Setting your camera to the  ”manual” mode, you set your aperture and shutter speed settings according to your readings off your light meter.

Here’s a little trick to measure exposure readings for photographing moving objects like little tikes on the run like this guy when in outdoor settings.  Place your hand in the same orientation as your subject and take the exposure reading off your hand using the handheld light meter.  You don’t have to be in the exact same spot as your subject.

Another reason why I love this image is the curls of Luke’s hair!  This is my third portrait session with him and he has had these lovely locks since he was a little baby.  Its hard to resist messy up his hair with your hands when you see him.  I’m also in love with his expression, no cheesy smile just soft and sweet.

I asked Sam if he would step into the “camera zone” so I could test my lighting set up before the other family members were ready for this portrait session.  Though this was just a “test”, it is one of my personal favorites from the session but I couldn’t pinpoint the reason for liking this.

I sought help and shared this image with fellow photographer and my mentor, Jamie Bosworth.  [Check out her work and you will see why I'm always inspired by this pint sized powerhouse photographer!]  Her feedback was  ”intriguing shot… a little dreamlike” and noted that the scale is “little odd… like many things are on the small side… a little Alice in Wonderland. Drink me.”  Cool insight.  Thank you Jamie!

“what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or conversations?”  - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, Ch. 1

Corbin and his  family came to our place at the Riverplace Marina where the nearby garden pathways are lined with tall wispy golden grass with splashes of purple, greens and reds provided by beautifully landscaped flora.  It was a beautiful fall morning but the moment they arrived, the sky opened up with torrential rain.  Plan B was to set up inside our condo.  With such an adorable happy little guy, I don’t think we missed the fall colors. Besides, Corbin and our “cow” chair became great buddies!  How do you like his “shout out” to “Where the Wild Things Are”?