Click the picture, or click here, for Meaghan and Mike’s slide show!
Happy Father’s Day, Mike!
The photo session was a gift for Meaghan last Christmas. I think she looks a lot like Andie MacDowell in this picture! Beautiful!
This was the baby’s first glimpse of me. He was waking up from his nap, and there I was. That’s got to be weird!
But he was only freaked out for about 10 seconds before the face of great expressions began! What a cutie!
Here’s that off-center thing I do again. I never did explain why I do that sometimes, so here goes: THIS would make an excellent beginning to a spread in a coffeetable book. The left side would be the left side of the spread, as is, and the right side would be the backdrop colors for an overlay of a storyboard of two or three black-and-whites (or color images as long as they all have the same basic color palette). For a framed print, this picture can easily be cropped as a vertical, cropping out the right side. Cool, huh? This would also work great for a Christmas card. I’d make this whole picture the inside spread of the card, and I’d put the message on the right over the reds and greens. Pretty! See how versatile that one image is? And all because of some creative in-camera framing!
Here’s another one that would make a really cool album spread all by itself. I love pictures that get me to stop and think about something. Maybe it’s just me, but this picture draws me in and I can’t help staring at it and thinking about how big those tiny feet will be someday.
Meaghan, was that a great Christmas gift or what? I think it’s so cool that the timing worked out for your slide show to go live on Father’s Day. It’s a gift for both of you! Er, uh, all three of you!
BONUS IMAGE and CAPTION CONTEST!
Post a comment caption for the image above relating to Father’s Day! Meaghan will get an extra print credit bonus in her store gallery for each comment posted and the first commenter to make me laugh will get lots of blog praise! (One bonus credit per IP address through June 30.)
It’s my birthday month, so that means I give out lots of gifts in June!
Happy Father’s Day to all my blog-reading dads, and especially to MY Mike — a great dad to Bradley, Gregory and Lauren! We love you!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 6:28 am
If you know Mike and Tracey, email them for the link to their slide show. This is their sweet puppy. I love the reflection on their beautiful hardwood floors.
This is their sweet baby girl.
They’re such a cool family.
As would be expected, Mike is totally head over heels for that little girl!
I think he’s head over heels for both his girls! Aren’t they beautiful?
The baby’s room is adorable!
Here’s another angle. Brown and pink with TREES as the main theme! I LOVE IT!
LOVE that tree decoration!
I love to document the scale of the baby with some special object that will remain the same size as the baby grows, but will always be important in her life — mom’s and dad’s wedding rings.
I absolutely love this image! Thanks Mike and Tracey. I’ll see you again in the fall!
Peace,
~jules
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:33 pm
Click the picture, or click here, for a fun slide show of MY family! I’ve been really busy lately, and missing my boys so much, that I took lots of pictures of our day.I have to admit, I was following my family around like serious paparazzi, using the flash like lightening on continuous burst shooting. The picture above is THE MOST PERFECT “MAMARAZZI” PICTURE EVER! I love it!
I was trying to prove to a photographer-friend that sometimes a little fill-flash is just right. In the slide show, almost every single picture I took outside used fill-flash. Not all of them are perfect, but keep in mind, every picture shown is straight out of the camera with no tweaking in photoshop.
Take this picture, for example. The flash is set so low it barely makes a difference. It looks perfectly natural, and yet, there’s just a bit of sparkle on the plum. (That plum came off our purple leaf plum — the one that some people swear is a fruitless variety. Uh huh.)Tree fans — also note that there’s a new picture in the slide show of a zelkova at Borough Hall. We lost one last year, but the remaining 13 are looking great this year!
Here’s another great example of a picture that benefited from fill. It was about 3 in the afternoon and the sun was very bright. Without a subtle flash, the shadows on Bradley’s and Gabe’s faces would have been much darker. The fill lightens them up just a tad without making the picture look like it was taken with an on-camera flash.
Speaking of Bradley, he won the Memorial Day poster contest for the 7th grade! Yay Bradley!All of the winning posters are displayed in the window of the Metuchen Savings Bank downtown. Bradley’s is a detailed split screen drawing, war on one side, Arlington Cemetery on the other.It says, “From war… to memory. But something never fades.” (His poster is hard to see in the window because it doesn’t quite fit the window opening.)I’m so proud of him!
Bradley’s friend, Gabriel Francobandiero, won the contest for the 6th grade. Gabe’s was chosen as the overall winner! Congratulations, Gabe! His design will be used on the cover of the Memorial Day Ceremony program.If you’d like to come to Metuchen on Monday for the parade, here’s some details:The parade starts at 10 a.m., rain or shine, at the Pearl Street parking lot. It travels north to Middlesex Ave, then turns right on Main Street, right on High Street, and right on Lake Avenue. The parade ends at Memorial Park, and will be followed by a brief ceremony.By the way, I fully recommend Memorial Day events in Metuchen. It is a highlight on our calendar, and puts us on the worldwide map as a small town that won’t forget the sacrifices that give us so many freedoms.
We love downtown Metuchen! There are so many fun things to do. What’s the Scoop is our favorite place for ice cream.
Variety Village is our favorite place for just about everything else! In case you haven’t heard, there’s going to be a new owner soon.I was in the store today and Tommy (the owner, always smiling, above) was telling me about the expected changes. Tommy, I know for a fact that my kids will never forget the joy of walking downtown to go to Variety Village. It’s so sad that you’re leaving, but I wish you well on your new adventures, whatever they may be.
Back at the Shaver yard, here’s another “mamarazzi” picture. I love it, fill-flash and all!
Speaking of fill-flash, this picture simply would not have worked without it. When you’re working with children, you have to be prepared for anything! And believe me, they don’t give you very many second chances if you miss the shot the first time. (Well, at least my kids don’t.)
Gregory took this picture! Didn’t he do a great job? This one is a prime example of a picture taken at the worst time of day — high noon in full sun with half the subject’s face in shadow. Yuck! But, thanks to Gregory’s subtle flash, the picture isn’t a total loss. I get precious few with me in them, and even fewer with Bradley actually smiling! Thanks, Gregory!
See ya’ll at the parade on Monday!
Peace,
~jules
P.S. The fun day you see in my family Memorial Day weekend slide show was created entirely on foot. I did not spend a dime on gas or get inside a car except to look for my missing flash.
I LOVE LIVING IN METUCHEN!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 12:01 am
If you know Heidi and Rob, email them for the link to their sweet slide show! (Regular blog readers, clients and friends, let me know if you would like to see it too and I’ll send you the link as well. It’s a really great one!)
I know I say this all the time, but I really do love this one!
Another fave.
I’m just going down the list of faves!
These cat’s eyes have not been photoshopped. They really are THAT green!
I planned for a lot of black and whites in this shoot. Heidi said she really loved black and white, so I looked for opportunities to capture stories that don’t need color.
I was loving that train and those skylights!
Family Unportrait
Hardwood floors are great for photoshoots because they always look so clean!
This is a sort-of-typical posed family shot, but what I love about it is the flow of motion from mom’s fun flowery flip flips up to the trees in the background. The tilt helps make this shot a little more interesting than if I’d hit it straight-on. I love all the angles and bricks and stairs too. Nice composition and texture. Plus, mom and dad look great and even though the kids aren’t looking at the camera, at least their faces are in the shot!
Believe me, this is quite a feat when there’s a full landscaping team across the street with huge lawn mowers making a serious racket! I might as well have been invisible.
Blink. When you open your eyes, Heidi, those boys will be taller than you.
Take it from a mom with two little boys, one of whom is a head taller than her now. I swear it was just yesterday that he was standing on his tippy toes to peek through a window with his little brother by his side.
Sure wish I had a picture of that.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:22 am
And the $150 gift certificate goes to…
Dawn’s family!
Special thanks to all the people who voted for their holiday card! Their design won by a landslide! Happy Mother’s Day, Dawn! I’m SO looking forward to our shoot this October! Congratulations!
P.S. For even more blog praise (open to all blog readers), name the TV show I have in mind that featured the exact location shown in the above photograph on a recent episode. Hint: this is near New York City’s upper-something-side.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 9:06 pm
STACEY, YOU WIN!
Stacey correctly answered both
trivia questions! For all her efforts in checking the blog everyday, posting comments in each of my card designs, and then winning the tie-breaker, Stacey and her family will be treated to a free family session! And, as an extra bonus, I’ll add to that a set of 50 greeting cards. Congratulations, Stacey! Happy Mother’s Day! Call me asap to schedule your appointment because I have very few time slots left for the year!
BOB, YOU ALSO WIN!
Bob also checked the blog everyday, posting comments in each of my card designs. He and Stacey were entered in the tie-breaker contest to see who would win the free family session. But I swear Bob let Stacey win because he not only didn’t answer the questions correctly, he answered them SO wrong and I know he would have gotten the “little red wagon” answer because he’s the master of
Coffeedrome, where the whole
Tree Grower’s Diary began. Bob, you are the sweetest guy on the planet. So, because I know you have a very large family, I would love to come hang out at one of your family gatherings and take pictures for you — a free extended family session. So take a look at your calendar, and let’s figure out when the next big gathering is! Happy Mother’s Day! Say hi to everybody for me!
By the way, the correct answers were: “What is 15?” and “What is the little red wagon?”
Check back later to find out who won with the most votes for their holiday card design. My mom is spending the day tallying the votes for me. Thanks Mom! I love you!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:29 am
Click the picture, or click here, for Jack’s latest slide show. When the show ends, it will jump back here where you can answer a question and win Jack’s family an 8×10 print!
I love Jack’s eyes in this one especially because it makes me stop and wonder what he’s thinking. LOVE Jack’s dad peaking around the corner! So cute.
Speaking of eyes! They’re all gorgeous!
I bet Jack will be tall like his dad.
They’re such a sweet family. This is “our photo place.” We’re planning to take a family picture here every time we do a shoot, or at least every time we do a shoot at their home.
This is Jack’s 5th photo shoot since he was 10 weeks old. I spent a lot of time at this shoot just trying to capture the essence of what it means to be 10 months old and experiencing the first taste of freedom and exploration. In this one, Jack enjoys crawling into the space under this side table. He sits there a while before crawling out. In case you were wondering, THIS is lifestyle photography at its best!
A 10-month-old who has just learned to crawl and pull himself up to standing enjoys this activity even more when there’s a reward on the table.
He will investigate what’s on the table from all angles.
He especially enjoys getting to go outside in the wagon…
…with mom by his side in the pretty light of near-sunset.
Today’s question: Be the first commenter to answer this question and you’ll get bookoos of blog praise and win the family a free 8×10!
The hat Jack is wearing has a specific name in fashion terms. What kind of hat is that?
Have fun! And to Jack’s family: see you all soon at Jack’s birthday party! I can’t wait! But I also can’t believe the year has gone by so fast!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:30 am
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 8:15 am
The winter contest rules stated that the three holiday card designs that received the most comments would be entered into a finalist round. We ended up with FOUR finalists because there was a tie.
So, pick from the numbers below and leave a comment with your vote for the ONE CARD DESIGN YOU LIKE BEST.
What’s at stake? The family with the card design that receives the most votes will win a gift voucher for my online store worth $150! It can be used toward anything in the store, or toward a new family session in 2008. So tell your friends to stop by the blog and vote for your favorite design!
To enter a vote, click “comments” below, enter your valid e-mail address, then your first name, initials or nickname in the “name” field. Type the NUMBER of the card you are voting for. You may vote ONCE per e-mail address. In case of a tie in the voting, I will add in the number of comments from the original card posts to determine a winner. Voting ends at midnight-NJ-time on Saturday, May 10.
GOOD LUCK!
There was also a competition among blog readers to leave the most comments relating to card designs. The person who left the most would receive a FREE FAMILY SESSION in 2008. You guys are GOOD because there was a 5-way tie! So, I’m going to keep counting and just see if any one of them falls out of the contest by not noticing this post. Sneaky, huh? If there is still a tie, be on the lookout for a tie-breaker in the form of a trivia question. I will post the question as soon as I determine that there’s still a tie.
ALL WINNERS will be announced on Mother’s Day!
HERE ARE THE CARD DESIGN FINALISTS 
DESIGN #19: “JACK’S FIRST CHRISTMAS”
Click here to see the rest of this card and read the original comments on its design. Be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back here!
Click “Comments” below to vote for this design. Write “#19″ in the comment field.
DESIGN #3: “BEAUTIFUL IN BLUE”
Click here to see the rest of this card and read the original comments on its design. Be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back here!
Click “Comments” below to vote for this design. Write “#3″ in the comment field!
DESIGN #5: “CENTRAL PARK”
Click here to see the rest of this card and read the original comments on its design. Be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back here!
Click “Comments” below to vote for this design. Write “#5″ in the comment field!
DESIGN #11: “EVERYDAY MIRACLES”
Click here to see the rest of this card and read the original comments on its design. Be sure to click your browser’s “back” button to get back here!
Click “Comments” below to vote for this design. Write “#11″ in the comment field!
Want to send this contest post to your friends? Click here to link to the post or to copy and paste the url.
Oh, and by the way, these contests are meant purely to drive traffic to my site and increase my Google rankings. I DO NOT harvest email addresses from comment posts in order to send you email messages about my business. If you would like to subscribe to my newsletter, click here.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:07 am
Click the picture, or click here, for Ed and Susan’s slide show. When the show ends, it will jump back here where you can answer a question and win the family an 8×10 print!
The little sister is adorable!
See? (Love that pokey lip!)
The big sister has an unmistakable “Shirley Temple” look.
She was digging through the costume box by the window. None of those pictures are posed. I was just hanging out on the couch chatting with Susan while we watched her daughter putting costume pieces on. I love every one of those shots.
It’s always a good idea at a family shoot to plan a family activity like dying Easter eggs.
I think people sometimes feel a little awkward at family shoots (at first) because they’re not sure what they’re supposed to do.
Other than dying Easter eggs, here’s some ideas: have a tea party, build a gingerbread house, roast marshmellows on a chiminea, play a game like Twister or CandyLand, dance to some lively and slow songs, play catch, make up silly rub-your-tummy-and-head-at-the-same-time-as-you-wiggle-your-toes games, tell jokes from a silly jokebook, have a box of accessories handy and have fun trying on different looks.
Young children pretty much ALWAYS love to read books with mom and dad. I love this picture of the little girl on the way down the hall with her books.
I have fantastic memories of playing in the hallway with my brothers when we were children. We would turn off all the lights and shut all the doors so that it would be completely dark. Then we’d turn the lights on our Hess trucks and pretend we were on the highway at night. Little did I know I’d grow up to live that scenario every night for 20 years! (I used to drive home on the Turnpike every night at around 2 a.m. Now I leave earlier so I get to take the train! Train beats the turnpike ANY day!)
So many people ask me what I did to a picture to make the eyes so bright. Here’s my secret: LIGHT must be shining deeply into the eye. That’s what brings out the color. In this case, the only light source is a large window, which she is facing. If you were to look really closely at this picture, you could see that there is a little tear under her right eye. I just love how expressive she is. (She wanted some of her toys that had been banished to the basement in the “great photo shoot house purge” that most of my clients, a-hem, enjoy. That’s what I need to do — hire a photographer to come to my house so I’ll be forced to clear away clutter!)
One of my goals at any family shoot is to get a picture of the whole family. We try to get that out of the way early in the shoot so we don’t have to worry about missing the opportunity. I personally challenge myself to get a new “unportrait” for my collection of family unportraits. Above, there’s one.
LOVE this one!
This one’s my fave.
This picture would get the “clip stand” treatment if it were my family! I’ll explain the “clip stand” treatment in a blog post soon. You’ll LOVE it, so be sure to bookmark the blog.
Win Susan and Ed an 8×10 print! Here’s today’s question: In the slide show, there’s a close up of the older daughter’s hand with her father’s hand. What does the sticker on the little girl’s hand say? (They were looking through her 1st year scrapbook. It’s such a cool shot!)
Susan and Ed, I hope you love your slide show as much as I do! Your girls were so much fun to work with!
Peace and happy Sunday,
jules
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 8:26 am
