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Friday, April 29, 2011

Molly (3yrs)

I met with Molly and her Mommy in the middle of the most recent weeks of storms and rain.  It happened to be the only day that didn't rain.  Molly was playing painfully shy for most of the shoot.  We were to start the shoot at one of my new favorite spots in downtown Jeffersonville but things didn't go as planned.  I'm guess they blocked it off with snow fencing around the time of Thunder to keep people out.  I kept asking myself why the horrible winds couldn't have knocked down that area.  Ha!  So that place was out of the question.  After some fasting thinking we went to the next place....which also had their lot chained off.  Needless to say it was interesting and kept me on my toes.  We finally settled on three different places in downtown Jeff.
Little Miss Molly is just too stinkin' cute!  When I was her age my hair was like her plus some extra crazy curl.  Despite her being so shy I still managed to get a lot of good shots.  At the end of the shoot it got a bit cold and windy so we wrapped her up in her Mommy's scarf.  You can view the entire album on Facebook by following the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.199559416750200.44972.100000884290765&l=e32cba26af




Sunday, April 17, 2011

Sheldon & Carolina (wedding) (pt 1)

Sheldon and Carolina got married in March of this year and allowed me to be a big part of their special day.  There were lots of unexpected curveballs throughout the day but overall it was beautiful and a wonderful experience.  I shot Sheldon and Carolina's engagement pictures in November of last year and have anxiously awaited their wedding day.  Carolina's family is mindblowingly talented and you could see their work from the wedding dress to the decorations to the brooches placed on Carolina's shoes to add a special touch.  I prefer to take group photos before the ceremony but poor Carolina's hair fell in the few minutes after it was finished leaving her family with the job of fixing it with not much time left.  Can you imagine?!  I wouldn't have stayed composed!  As a result most of these photos were taken at the golf course where the reception took place.  It was beautiful there!  If you would like to view the full album on Facebook follow the link below.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=190516180987857&id=100000884290765&aid=40407&l=4f63eda23e


Here are a few of my favorites.







Adrianna (newborn)

This shoot was my second newborn session of the day.  I was exhausted and very hungry!  It was 3p and I still hadn't ate yet.  Call it nervous excitement but when I have a big shoot I look forward to a lot I would rather prepare and brainstorm all day than mess with "trivial" things like eating.  Ha!  This shoot was great in location!  Mom and Dad live in a town home. The upstairs got better light so Mom decided their bedroom would be best.  The rocking chair to feed Adrianna, a changing station and other things that would help keep her happy were all in the room so it was great!  Mom and Dad had a tall bed with a big headboard so I laid her on the bed and draped the background over the headboard.  Little Adrianna was five days old the day of the shoot.  You will soon see but she is so beautiful!  After the shoot I spent some time cuddling with her.  She's such a sweetie!  I mostly used my 18-55mm lens for this shoot.  If you would like to view the entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=195377310501744&id=100000884290765&aid=42183&l=7579e0acec


Here are a few of my favorites from this session.



 


How do you do newborn shoots?

It usually looks like I'm moving in if the newborn shoot is at Mom and Dad's house.  Personally it's easier for me to do it at my home but I've been a new Mommy before and understand not wanting to get out of the house much in the first 10 days.  Things I bring?

A large Boppy pillow
Several backgrounds whether that be blankets or actual backgrounds
Baskets or other containers
Props (blankets, hats, hair things and/or letter blocks)
A clear shower curtain
A heating pad

I use a series of layers when I do the shoot.  If I have a certain background I want to use I drape or hang it on whatever I can but usually a headboard, couch, on the backs of kitchen chairs or on my studio frame.  I then use the background to cover the boppy.  Between the background and the boppy is the clear shower curtain to catch little "oopsies" that may occur if the little one is without a diaper.  Between the boppy and the clear shower curtain is the heating pad on low.  Little ones need to stay as warm as possible which would mean layers until you get a photographer in the mix of things.  My first newborn shoot was my son Jude.  I was so in love with every inch of him that I took pictures of his little fingers, toes, wrinkles in his legs, hair, belly buttons...everything!  I knew he would grow up before I knew it and I didn't want to forget one single thing about him.  I want to do the same for you which is why they're either in diapers only or showing off their streaking skills at a young age hehe!  With that being said we need another way of keeping them warm.  That's where the heating pad comes into play.  It's under the (folded) shower curtain which ends up being rather thick, and a layer or two of backgrounds.  As I work it's easier to put the new background over the old one.  So all that to say the heating pad is not directly on your baby at any time.  Even with the layers I frequently check to make sure the baby doesn't get too hot.  These shoots are filled with frequent stops to feed, change and console the baby that for the first few days of its so far short life have been spent in someone's arms.  Some don't mind being laid down, but some sure do!  It's all about patiently working with them to get them comfortable and asleep.  It's hard work but so much fun!!  I'm known to use whatever will work including a kitchen table :)  One thing is for sure though, no matter where I am in the house or what I use I always put things in the exact order it was when I arrived.  Below is an example of using a not so likely place (kitchen table)
This photo and more are in the Jaxon newborn album in an earlier post.  If you have any questions or are interested in newborn session pricing please feel free to email me at foxtreephotog@aol.com, on Facebook (Foxtree Photography Amber Middleton) or send me a message here.  

Nicole

I met with a very camera shy Nicole on a Thursday afternoon in March.  I had planned on using two beautiful tulip trees but the sudden sleet and snow the weekend before killed every chance of that.  I did some discovering at the first location and found more useful areas that were semi hidden.  My second location is one I've used a few times.  I mostly used my 50mm for this session.  If you would like to view the entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=194247060614769&id=100000884290765&aid=41773&l=d0efab4326


Here are a few of my favorites.



Nikki (bridal)


My greatest ideas come to me riiight as I'm falling asleep.  I knew the perfect place for my session with Nikki.   had been anxiously awaiting this shoot with Nikki for about two weeks.  What had me so excited you ask?  Nikki is a cool girl with a fierce personality.  I loved the contrast between her $2,000 wedding dress and her tattoos.  I love placing myself in situations that are outside of the norm for me.  It challenges my creative abilities and opens new opportunities for me.  This would be one of those times for me.  The March weather had been rather normal right up until the time we left the house where Nikki got ready.  It went from pretty sunshine to...wait for it...sleet and snow!  The weather can be so unpredictable here!  Luckily she was as excited about the shoot as I was and had brought along a coat.  She bundled up between shots and it worked out great.  The place we went is also a personal favorite of mine that I had only used once before.  I switched between my 50mm and my 18-55mm lens.  To view the entire album on facebook follow the link below.  Here are a few of my favorites. 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=193791263993682&id=100000884290765&aid=41611&l=4fbd69338b

I will try and keep it to only one entry..try lol!






Shane & Shawna (engagement) (pt 2)

Here are a few more favorites from my session with Shane and Shawna.


Shane & Shawna (engagement) (pt 1)

I met with Shane and Shawna one Saturday evening in February.  I discovered this cool little place a few days before the shoot.  It's always a thrill to shoot at a new location.  Shane is my brother in law and Shawna is a close friend of mine.  Seeing two people close to you fall in love and deserve it almost more than anyone else is an awesome thing.  Their love is as great as their friendship and I think it's obvious through their pictures.  My favorite shoots are when there is such an undeniable connection (not just romantic) between people that it can't help but flood every image.  This was my second shoot using my 50mm and once again it left me with a fluttering heart.  I love this lens!!  It was so worth getting lost in Louisville to find the only store that carried them ;) hehe!  If you would like to view their entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=185682238137918&id=100000884290765&aid=38464&l=0cc4d25096


I may end up making two posts to showcase all my favorites.  Below are a few.

Alyssa (pt 2)

As stated in part one I had a hard time picking just a few photos so I decided to split the shoot and the blogs into two.  I went to three different locations with Alyssa.  I'll be posting pictures from the third location in this post.  To view the entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=181001751939300&id=100000884290765&aid=36608&l=c96dfca9ea


Here are a few more favorites from my shoot with Alyssa.

Alyssa (pt 1)

I have a few more older shoots but have decided to start uploading more recent shoots.  This shoot was a very exciting one for me.  Earlier that day I had purchased my 50mm or Nifty Fifty lens and could NOT wait to break it in.  I had been waiting for quite some time to purchase this lens and it did not disappoint.  It has helped bring me to the level I'd be striving for.  That's always exciting :)  This shoot took place on an unseasonably warm January day.  To view the entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=181001751939300&id=100000884290765&aid=36608&l=c96dfca9ea

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot. It was hard to just pick a few so this blog will have a second part.



Markus & Kristen (newlywed)

I met with Markus and Kristen in December of last year.  It was dreadfully cold!  In chilly or cold shoots I give clients the option to wear their coats.  Most choose to do a mixture of with and without coats.  Just because they don't wear coats doesn't mean they stand there the entire time freezing.  I figure out what I'm going to do and how we'll pose, place them then collect their coats.  As soon as I'm done with that pose (I can work fast!) they bundle back up.  These photos were taken right before Markus went on deployment and were a gift from Kristen in an album once he was gone.  To view the entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=167600289946113&id=100000884290765&aid=31101&l=5641369764


Here are a few of my favorites.

Tristan is 1!

I met with Tristan and his Mommy and Daddy on a chilly Fall morning in 2010.  It was mostly a one year old shoot but we ended up doing some family pictures as well.  Tristan is a super shy, reluctant cutie.  I just did a newborn shoot with his new little sister (Adrianna).  Check back to view that album.  To view Tristan's entire album on Facebook follow the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=153638214675654&id=100000884290765&aid=24165&l=12024aae58


Here are a few of my favorite from the shoot.