Eileen + AJ

Click the picture
— or click here —
and turn up the sound for Eileen and AJ’s slide show. When the show is over, it will automatically jump back here where you can leave a comment and answer a question to win Eileen and AJ an 8×10 print!

A little aside here: I love that picture above! I feel that it represents how my photography has evolved. When I first started, I found it difficult to get parents involved in the shoot because they only wanted pictures of their children. But I’ve come to realize that parents THINK they only want pictures of their children!

Once parents see the pictures of the entire family, and especially the pictures that show mom and dad as a couple — and they see their children’s reactions to those pictures — it becomes obvious that pictures of mom and dad together don’t happen nearly enough.

And I’m not talking about posed shots, but shots like the one above, where all I’ve done is said, “Hold hands. Slow dance. Snuggle. Kiss. Whisper something sexy in her ear.” Wow, things often do take off after that, and I get some great couple shots of mom and dad, the kind that married couples usually only get at the wedding and at a big anniversary now and then. So what’s my point? My point is that my family sessions are not going to be just about the children! Because as much as children love to see pictures of themselves, they also love to see pictures of mom and dad loving each other.

It is so hard to get a family with three children under 3 all looking generally in the direction of the camera. Usually, it’s mom and dad who are not looking because they’re trying so hard to get the kids to look! But Eileen and AJ were great! This picture is so cool in black and white!



Here’s another cool black and white. I can totally see this shot as a large print under a wide white mat and a simple black gallery frame, finished size of 20×26, hanging on the wall in any room in their home. They have such great taste in wall colors! The black and white print would look so cool against it!



Here’s what the wall actually looks like. (I love that father/son shot!)



Here’s another black and white that I love! He’s looking through the bridge of his train set.



We were lucky it wasn’t too cold that day to get outside for a little while!



I heard great stories about all the fun they had in summer on this slide. In full sun all day, the slide would need to be cooled before a child could slide on it, so they got in the habit of turning the hose on it, and putting a little plastic pool at the bottom. Sounds like the kids had a blast sliding into the pool all summer!



I love this shot.



Love this one too!



Cheers!



LOVE the reflection!



That bowl of fresh lemons looks beautiful, doesn’t it? But what makes the picture interesting is the curious little girl checking me out!



How cute is that? I love how the m&m’s are blurred from the motion of the pouring!

This picture is what my new camera is ALL ABOUT! LOW LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY! It was a cloudy day. There are two windows on the far side of the room. The wood blinds were drawn shut for nap time. It was dark in there! But I was able to get this shot with no flash thanks to my fantastic new Nikon D3 using manual settings of super high ISO and a slow shutter speed. It was so dark in there in reality that I couldn’t see if his eyes were open or closed. (Upon close inspection in the editing room, they were open!)

To win Eileen and AJ an 8×10 print in your name, be the first person to leave a comment correctly guessing either the ISO setting of the picture above, or the shutter speed. (For hints, there are lots of photos in other posts (here’s one and here’s another one) that list the camera’s settings for each shot. Have fun and thanks for playing!)

Thanks Eileen and AJ! I really had a great time with your family in your beautiful home!

Until next time, be on the lookout for more Christmas card designs in the winter contest coming soon!
jules