Seasonal Ideas

Tired of the same ole' portrait pictures? Spice them up by incorporating the seasons! Plus its an easy and personalized way to add seasonal decor to your home!

Spring

-use bright, cheery colors such as pinks, greens, yellows, light purples and various pastel or light colors

-include some holiday props:

               Easter- bunnies, Easter dresses, flowers, Easter eggs, Easter baskets

               St. Patty's Day- 4 leaf clovers, Irish props, greens

               May Day- May day baskets, candy, spring colors

               Mother's Day- pictures with your mother and/or your grandmother of course

-get outside to show off some blooming flowers or even playing in the April showers

-bring cheer by capturing fun, non-posed moments, playing up the natural spring time excitement

-other prop ideas to include- baby chicks, kittens, spring sports (soccer, dance, ect), gardens, white picket fence, balloons, and any other spring time favorites! 

Summer

-its finally summer and kids do what they do best- HAVE FUN! 

-take advantage of using all colors of the rainbow: greens, pinks, yellows, purples, reds, blues, and oranges

-incorporate summer time activities like playing outside, water (swimming, boating, beach), playgrounds, picnics/grilling out, vacations, pets

-include some holiday props

               Memorial Day- flags, patriotism, veterans, memorials/statues

               Father's Day- with your dad and/or grandfather

               Fourth of July- red, whites and blues, flags, fireworks

-kids are out of school so get them playing baseball, playing outside, but don't forget family pictures while taking a summer vacation

-other prop ideas to include: SUN, sand, sand castles, swing sets, times with friends, fresh fruits and veggies, green landscapes, flowers, summer dresses, and any other summer time favorites! 

Stay tuned for some future ideas for this upcoming fall and winter! 

Graduation Invites

Its about that time when graduating high school seniors need to start planning their special graduation parties and get those invites out! So put those senior pictures to use to make your invites and add any of your personal touches! Invites are so easy and fun to make and can vary in styles, themes, pictures, colors, back/front, paper style, and about anything else you can imagine! I am currently in the middle of coming up with a few variations for Connor's graduation party coming up this May. Take a look of a few different samples and ideas! 

 front                                back

(front)

 (back)

How to Get Vibrant Black and White Photos

Tired of trying to get a successful black and white picture that has a little bit too much grey in them? Its a common problem that everyone has but its quite simple to get that vivid black and white photo using almost any editing program! Follow these simple steps to get a nice contrast between your black and whites!

Starting with a full colored photo, use your picture editing program and turn it into a black and white image, or greyscale. This eliminates the color through out the photo and uses different shades of grey to create the image. This process results in some sometimes boring photos.

Now that your image is in full black and white, use the program to increase the brightness of the photo. You want to get that right amount of brightness to keep it from being too bright but enough to get that intense contrast.

Once you up the brightness, your image might look a little washed out. Now is the time to up the contrast by increasing the blacks in your photo, or by increasing the contrast. 

Your final image should look like this! A black and white photo with high contrast! This method works really well for close up photo shots of a face! It will really bring out the eyes! Check some other black and white images using this method! 

Working with Dameko

My fellow classmate, Dameko, was in the middle of producing a video of his amazing song from his new album. He asked me to take a few pictures of the production aspect, plus a few of him doing his thing. What an amazing artist he is! Dameko had a group of wonderful students all working on different aspects of the project.

I only got to participate towards the end of this production which took place in the Library on campus. We found some moving shelves that lit up when someone walked down them which made for a nice effect, plus it was the most uninvaded space of students studying. We also got lucky and found some books that matched his genre of Gospel rap, titled Religion in Life, which made for some amazing camera shots.

Starting these small connections with classmates starting in the professional world makes me excited to see what they can grow into! I'll take any learning experience I can get and love to build these small connections into professional relationships to help each other gain success! All thanks to UNI's Digital Advertising Class!

Enjoy some of my favorite pictures of Dameko and check out his blog at http://damekobrennen.blogspot.com!

Individual Portraits

Senior Pictures, Baby Pictures, and Beyond! 

Who doesn't love being the center of attention?! Individuals of all ages should express where they are at in their lives. Whether its your newborn, toddler, child, senior, or your a parent or grandparent or you just love getting your pictures taken for a special loved one. See some examples of seniors pictures, toddler pictures, children of all ages pictures and even pictures of grandparents!

Tips:
-plan your outfits out ahead of time
-collaborate with your photographer for personal touches
-be aware of your surroundings
-if your wear glasses, try to bring a pair without the lenses (just frames)
-use props to add personality
-pay attention to body and hand placement
-keep the focus on you by keeping it simple
-being yourself and having fun with give you the best results

senior: Abby

senior: Abby

senior: Abby

toddler: Madison

toddler: Madison

toddler: Madison 

Grandparent: Sharon

Grandparent: Sharon

kids: Jocelyn

kids: Izzy

Family Portiats

Don't miss your opportunity on capturing a family fun moment, a new member of the family, or updating your house decor with some current family photos! And we all eventually need that family photo for our Holiday cards.

Some tips on how to get the best family photo:
-coordinating outfits will seems more put together (not necessarily matching)
-try to squish your group together , you do love each other right?
-check for blinking, especially in large groups, before everyone escapes
-let them be free and fun to get some genuine smiles
-create different levels to get more people in the frame, which makes it more interesting for the eyes
-be careful on the lighting, check for clouding. especially on people's faces
-if children are in the group, bring toys or use bubbles to get their attention towards the camera
-if a large group with small children, make sure all the adults are looking at you, you'll get most of kids and if not, its no big deal, their kids.

Engagement Pictures

I love capturing images of people in love. Love translated through photography is amazing in itself. When that big question gets popped, no better time to put those memories into pictures that you'll have forever! See some examples of wedding engagement pictures below!

Photo Tips:
Show off that new ring!
Personalize your pictures with who you are
Choose a theme that can connect to your wedding
Remember portrait like poses to post in the newspaper
Use a prop for something extra in your photos
The best pictures are found when in a natural setting
BE YOURSELF

Engagement Photos 

Devon and Sarah Engagement

Rob and Kristin Engagement