It's Holiday Photo Time!

What a crazy time of year - family to visit, decorations to hang, presents to buy, joy and stress wrapped up in a green and red package.  And for many it is also holiday photo time.  My super smart clients hire me to do a holiday photo session in October or November (and yes, we can even squeeze them into December for those procrastinators, of which I am one.) They know they will get some lovely family portraits in the beautiful outdoor settings we enjoy through winter in our southern climate (gotta love it!)  Then they can purchase prints and enlargements of their beautiful family and/or little ones to proudly frame and hang in their home and give to family and friends.  And most folks like to buy digital negatives (i.e. images on CD) to use for holiday cards, gifts, photo books and more.  Its like a two-fer, well, more of a five-fer!  Very smart, indeed. 

So the family I am featuring in this post was really all about having fun.  And why should a photo shoot be drudgery?  At my photo shoots, fun is a requirement.  As long as we are having fun, we'll get great photos.  Don't you think the two are strongly correlated? So we did this shoot at Deepdeene Park in Druid Hills - my clients' choice.  Its a hidden little park with a deciduous forest and creek to explore.  I love how I get to discover cool new places around my Atlanta/Decatur home that I never even knew existed.

To start the shoot off, I unloaded my equipment and props from the car after meeting the family at the entrance of the park.  By the time I had made it from my car back to the entrance where I was setting up our first shot, the kids were 400 ft. away, down the hill, running across the far edge of the huge grassy field.  And they were having a ball!  I was so glad to see their joy and I could just tell that we would have a great shoot.  Their parents corraled them back up the hill and the fun began.  As the shoot progressed, the family got more and more comfortable and by the end they were one big pile of laughing bodies! (You'll see what I mean.)



 

 

 

 

I have edited the images in this post with a beautiful black and white treatment called Velvet Ash.  Actually, its not true black and white as there is some color added.  I simply love black and white processing and sometimes an image just begs me to make it b&w, as these did.  However, my clients usually prefer color so I always provide them with plenty of those. 

 

Here are a few color images from this session.  I'll let you decide which you prefer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decatur | Atlanta | GA | Holiday | Portrait | Photography 

Newborn Baby Love: Times Two!

What an opportunity to photograph newborn twins!  I was so happy their parents allowed me into their home at such a wild, wondrous time to photograph the new babies.  They were so gorgeous!   I could have sat and watched them for hours.  And I of course had to hold one (every chance I got) to help momma out, since there were two of them.

So the story goes that you should photograph newborns in the first ten days of life, to maximize their sleepiness and ability to be manipulated into adorable poses.  But these little ones were three weeks old and very cooperative, once both finally fell asleep at the same time.
 
First we did some shots that were perfect for b&w...

And with their gorgeous skin tones, I had to do some in color too...

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

| Cindy Jackey | Newborn Photographer | Decatur Atlanta | GA |

Fur Babies

I haven't had the opportunity to do much pet photography, but when a chance encounter happened with the most adorable little Miss Chika - a Pug, Chihuahua, Jack Russell Terrier mix - I knew I had to grab my camera out of the car and shoot off a few frames.  This little girl was the impeccable model.  So poised.  So delightful. Striking a pose at every turn.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was like she was saying, "Look at me. I'm a super model."   If all pets are as easy to shoot as she was (and I'm quite sure they're not!) I'm in! Bring on the pet shoots!

 

And this last one has to be my favorite.......

 

 

There are so many possible captions for it:

 

1. So dogs really blink during photo shoots like people do!?!

2. I think I'll take a little cat nap while you fiddle with that big black box you are holding.

3. I'm on my break - I can't be bothered right now.

4. This is what it would look like If dogs could purr.

 

Etc, etc, etc!

 

 

 

 

 

| Cindy Jackey Pet Photography | Decatur | Atlanta | GA

Mural As Background

When I shoot portraits, I generally like the background to fade away.  I like for the subject to stand out and be the main focus.  But recently, some very cool murals have been popping up around my city and I thought it would be fun to shoot a children's photo session in front of one.  I think the colorful, urban feel of the mural enhances the photograph.  And bringing a few props from home helps to keep things playful (chair, jewelry, flower).

One thing to remember about using your background as a feature in your photograph is that you really have to pay attention to it - the colors, patterns, lines, etc. - in relation to your subject.  Otherwise, its easy to end up with odd shapes/lines/trees/poles/etc. growing out of people's heads (and yes, this did happen to me during this shoot!) See...

Prominently featuring your background in your photo can be fun but it does add another layer of considerations to challenge your brain while shooting.  And I don't recommend bringing a four-year-old along as your "assistant", although I have to admit mine was very good at making faces at and extracting smiles from my model.

 

| Cindy Jackey | Child and Family | Portrait | Photography |