Ryan + Monica

     This past Thanksgiving, our cousins from Ohio visited us for the week for our annual get-together. These events are always filled with family games, feasting on food, and sleeping in!  We also had another family over, (my older brother Ryan's girlfriend's family) and we were finally able to get some updated pictures of Ryan and Monica.  Aubrey (Monica's sister) and I went to town on this short photo-shoot, and they were reluctant and impatient  willing and adorable models.  To see Aubrey's photos, head on over to her blog, she's got great style! Otherwise, here are a few of my favorites of them.

     More about my photography journey: One of my goals is to work towards having a consistent portfolio and style of photography in set-up, style, and editing.  Right now, I'm mostly exploring several style and experimenting with editing software (I used the VSCO app and iPiccy for these), so my photos may look different and scattered at times, but this is just me trying to expand and improve my style.  

Shout-out to these guys for giving us some genuine smiles in less-than-10-degree weather!

One more--just for fun. ;)

Photography: Ethan [14 years]

     This Fall has been my best season yet for photography! So many people have generously asked me to take their photos, and the bright colors are at their peak right now in the Midwest.
     Ever since I got into photography, I have been my family's main photographer.  These pictures are late in coming, as my brother turned 14 this winter, but he definitely wanted his picture taken in his soccer uniform, so we waited until now.  It took a fair amount of coaxing to get him to simply smile naturally, but the promised McDonald's sundae was reward enough.  Since he wasn't too thrilled about this whole photo-shoot thing, we stayed close to home so as to get done quickly.

Some things I need to grow in/learn as a photographer:

1. How to pose naturally (esp. for guys)

2. Having a repertoire of locations on public property

3. Buy a fancy photo editing software (for now my favorite on the computer is iPiccy and on my iphone, VSCO cam.)
4. Know my camera inside-and-out (manual settings, types of lenses, etc.)

Sometimes all it takes is another perspective, another angle, another detail to see the art.

Natural smiles and laughter are my favorite.

Black & White or Color? It's always a struggle.

Up in a tree.

Life. Is full of adventure.

On another day (Yes, he let me take that many pictures....barely!) We had some fun experimenting at a nearby tunnel.  It turned out the lighting was horrible for taking portraits, but awesome for silhouettes!

Thanks for being a good sport Ethan!  Happy 14th.

Photography: Lenz Family

     I was invited this fall to take some family pictures for the Lenz family.  Unfortunately, the leaves were either not quite at their peak or past it, and we ended up with some very green backgrounds.  Still, the kids were great, and everyone braved the cold and put on a smile anyway!

I was surprised at how bright the sun was so early in the morning!  We made it work though, and with the lake and sunshine, there was this beautiful mist all around.  

Someone was an early bird--enjoying the peaceful lake on a boat in the fog.

Lately, I've been liking the contrasting look of black and white photos.

Also, I'm experimenting with more candid shots, and I like this look much better!

This little guy had (always has!) plenty of energy.  I asked him to please run for me so I could experiment with some lighting and I ended up with this misty photo!

The bright morning sun created soft silhouettes of the family.

Once we finished experimenting with sunlight, we moved over to some shade to take a few close-ups.

{Looking to his parents while taking care of his younger sister}

Little sister has TWO big brothers to watch out for her!

  

Too much cuteness for one picture!

It's tough to capture 3 smiles in one picture, so here are 3 pictures with 9 adorable faces.

...and then we brought out the pumpkins!

"...now make a silly face at each other!"

Back to more family pictures:

 

What a beautiful family!

{p l a y f u l}

Towards the end, the kids were getting cold and tired, but they still managed to smile for the camera!

 Thank you, Lenz family!!

Photography: 21st Birthday

     I offered to take this girl's picture recently, one: so that I could practice more, and two: so that she could have her very own photo shoot and have fun being a model for the evening!  We spent the evening together, finding some fun and colorful backgrounds, eating at Culver's, and experimenting with her new extensions!  Chloe is a beautiful friend of mine, and her 21st birthday is in just a couple of days...so Happy Birthday Chloe!

I had seen this fun mural a few days before when I went out for pizza with my parents. I couldn't wait to take some pictures with it!

You have no idea how excited I was to find this chalkboard just learning up against a wall.  I couldn't believe my luck!  Chalkboards are sort of my weakness right now.

Beautiful smile. Beautiful girl. Beautiful heart.

If your subjects that you are photographing are having trouble keeping a natural smile after smiling for so long, just go ahead and tell them to laugh--works every time!

{Notice how much a simple tilt of the camera adds to this photo (below)}

This picture was taken after I straightened her hair.  She recently had these cute, curly extensions put in, and when I found out that you could straighten them, I just had to try it for myself.  And since we were in the middle of a photo shoot, we took some pictures of her new 'do!

"Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed." {Psalm 34:5 ESV}