Capture Las Vegas

I am not fond of taking pictures of weddings, because it turns something so beautiful into a job, but when it is an amazing couple capturing their memories is worth while. That was how it was with this pair, they decided to skip tradition and take pictures before the ceremony. We went to Calico Basin, just the two of them and me. There were no fighting crowds trying to take pictures over me, and no families to round up, it was peaceful and beautiful. This was one of my favorite photographs because it was not posed, they were having a moment about 2 yards away from me when this was snapped. I added the glow effect to make their happiness more luminous.

This photo was posed, but I still love the innocent memories it conjures of young love. I had an image in my mind of how this would look, and they did it so naturally it was better than I expected. This will always be one of my favorite wedding sessions, because it truly was about the couple in love, and not about the many guests they were trying to entertain. Tradition went out the window and in its place were just two people.

It is not everyday that an expecting mom wants to capture her third child’s pregnancy, but when it happens it creates a wonderful opportunity to allow big brothers and sisters to be part of the moment. This baby will be welcomed into the world, with not just one big sister… but two.

And this little one has some big shoes to fill, these two girls couldn’t be more different, but both filled with so much energy. One is spirited, but can be tamed by her mother’s stern voice, but the oldest is daring and adventurous. She didn’t stop during this shoot, constantly looking for the next place to explore. It was energizing just watching her run around. It was important for this mother to have these photographs with her daughters. We took them a few weeks after we got some of just mom and child.

While we took the girls outside to a place near Red Rock, the mother’s photo shoot was more private. I wanted her to feel comfortable since this would be her first time taking professional pictures during this delicate time in her life. She had a great time and ended up with some poses that not only captured her playful side, but the beauty of an expecting mother.

I used the glow effect on all of her pictures, because of the delicate texture it added to her photos. I think it added the right touch to soften shadows.

Just 5 days old, many parents would not want to separate from their child, let alone allow a photographer talk them into turning the heat way up, and taking the little babe’s clothes off. But these brave parents played along, and found they loved the results. It did take some time, we took some pictures then allowed time for feeding and sleeping- and made sure she was truly asleep before trying to take these pictures.

Sometimes, not often, if you are ready and can catch it, there can be a moment in which a beautiful smile or adoring look can make a photo shoot worth while. Maybe it’s gas, or I like to think she was dreaming, but for that half a second her smile was caught on camera. For some pictures I added a glow effect to create another dimension of lights and shadows.

This photo shoot was done in the comfort of the new parents home, which allowed them to feel comfortable in times of feeding or clean-up. And, yes, just as soon as we got little Cami’s clothes off, she unleashed a nice present on my pure white prop. Thankfully I was prepared for such an event, and no damage was done. But being part of this family’s life from pregnancy to welcoming Camilla to the world is something I wont soon forget. It’s those life changing moments that make memorable snap-shots in time.

Pregnancy is a very delicate time for a new mother, but when you are on TV it can be even more daunting. But you would never be able to tell that from weather forecaster Gina Cancelliere. She was a beautiful young mother, who seemed to only gain a little bump. She chose to capture this time in her life in a very basic form, outside by a waterfall. Many women opt to not just show off their pregnancy bump, but actually show it in its natural form. Gina wanted her pictures more classic, adoring her baby, but not showing off skin. As tiny as she was, the baby bump was perfectly noticeable. This photograph is one I love because of how happy she looks, as she is adoring her unborn daughter.

I wanted to get some shots of just the mother and child. We took several of Gina cradling her unborn daughter, both looking down at the belly, and looking at the camera with a simple, peaceful smile. I wanted to capture the serenity of that connection.

But we were also able to get some shots of her husband and her hands protectively clasped together over their child. There were also quite a few great momens with the parents.

As a photographer, knowing your subjects should be your first priority. Unfortunately for me, I found that out the hard way. This little beauty was part of family number two for the day and I forgot about nap time. When taking pictures of children it has quickly become my first question, “Do we need to work around a nap time?” You see, I did not ask that question to little Kate’s parents and despite their best tries, Kate was not in a cooperative mood that day. It seems it was around her lunch and nap time when we decided to make her pose for pictures. We were able to get some incredible shots of Kate, by letting her run around on her own, but the family shots were lacking. There were a few ok pictures, but I could tell they were not happy with the shoot. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but there are questions that are now part of my scheduling conversation.

Oh yeah, did I mention the dog too? It was an interesting shoot; dog plus toddler equals maybe one or two good pictures. No matter how frustrating it was, families and babies are still my passion. I have the patience to wait for that moment, that one picture that will make them smile. It’s those innocent smiles that make it all worth it.

Taking pictures of children can take time and patience. On this day I scheduled one family after another. This little beauty was with the first family. It was mid-morning and she was in a great mood. Her parents had her smiling for more than an hour taking one picture after another. She was a tiny little girl and trying to get pictures of her alone were difficult without being in her parents arms. For this shot we put her next to a bench and let her hold on. We went through several shots with her parents arms showing up in the picture frame when they thought she may fall. But the payoff was a shot of her looking at her parents with a beautiful smile.

The family session is never easy with a child. These two shots were taken at the end of the session and the little one was getting tired of playing along. She would rarely smile and after lots of fussing, she finally calmed down again in her mother’s arms. She stayed happy long enough for several shots with her mom and one great family shot. Shadows created a bit of a problem with the lighting during that part of the day, but I was able to correct some shots with photoshop. I was, and truthfully still am trying to learn as much as I can about lighting. But at the end of the day, this family was thrilled with their pictures.

Everyone needs someone to volunteer to be their first… for me is it was Mia. She and her mother met me out at Calico Basin to shoot as many photos as I could to help me update my portfolio as I delved into the photo world. This picture I took as Mia ran ahead of us on a great wooden pathway. She was a good distance away when she suddenly turned around and I snapped this picture. There was actually an ugly old bench in the top right corner that I was able to crop out so Mia was the focus. I love this picture for so many reasons, but mainly because it captures Mia’s defiant, spirited soul that is forever intertwined with her mother.

This picture shows the relationship between mother and daughter. Her mother is so protective, and loving and this picture says it all. There is a look on her mother’s face, and the serenity on Mia’s knowing she is safe, right there. There was this beautiful site where months of rain had pushed down what looked like grass, but after climbing down in the thick of it, those were hard weeds. These two were troopers sitting in uncomfortable weeds, but the pictures were amazing. This one I messed with the coloring to give it a sort of older feeling. It was definitely the best shoot I could have ever planned.

A lull in the economy let me have some fun with taking pictures of my dog. Fortunately for me she posed for the camera. This picture was seconds before she actually tried to climb up onto my lap. You see for a few very brief minutes she did actually pose…