Here is what Nicole has to say about her Love Letters….

“Made with LOVE, my cakes, cupcakes and cake pops are created using the best quality fondant, chocolate, flavors, and ingredients. My letters are hand painted and decorated, using non toxic, water based paint. They are superb quality wooden letters to spell out your little one’s name in their brand new nursery, or any child’s room. Use the letters as an accent for home decor in the kitchen, bed, bath, or wherever you are looking to say something special and just can’t seem to find the right words and colors to fit your style. They make a perfect, unique, and thoughtful baby or bridal shower gift, inspirational or housewarming present.”

We can tell you from the cupcakes we devoured, her edible treats are Amazingly Delicious!!!

You can find Love Letters on Facebook and Etsy.

Here are a few helpful tips for photographing flowers…

• Before you even get out your camera, keep an on your garden to see when the light is the best. Decide whether you want images with high contrast or even lighting and shoot during that type of lighting.  The gray days of May provide even, flat lighting such as the photo at the top of this newsletter.  Bright sunny days will provide that contrast you might want.
• It is best to select one flower to highlight in your photo.  To do this be sure to set your camera to a wide open aperture such as 4 or 5.6.  This will cause the background to blur so your one bloom stands out.
• Try different angles, get down low, shoot from above, shoot from the side, even from underneath.  Flowers are amazing from every angle.
• Get in close!  The insides of flowers are just as amazing as the entire flower.

Your business should have a brand and a marketing message.  Consider these when planning for your headshot.  Your portrait and expression should convey your marketing message.   One way to do this is to decide on a few key words that describe you in your professional role.

If you are an executive such as an attorney, CPA, realtor, doctor, banker, etc. you need your portrait to say you are… Confident, self-assured, reliable, trustworthy and capable.

If you are an artist, therapist, acupuncturist, holistic healer, yoga instructor, etc. you need your portrait to say you are… Open, friendly, creative, caring, and helpful.

Keep these words and the feelings they evoke in your mind as you are being photographed.  Feeling each of your key words will help your mind, body and facial expression convey that emotion and get your message across.

I recently photographed a therapist.  She needed a portrait with a soft expression to convey that she is caring, open and willing to listen and help.  A portrait with a big smile could possibly be a deterrent to her potential clients who are looking for someone to help them, not be a cheerleader.

In the case of someone who is creative, allowing a fun, creative, open personality to shine is a perfect way to attract new clients.  Tilting the subject within the frame can create a more fun, casual feel.

Be conscious of your marketing message and adjust your expression and portrait accordingly to support your marketing message.

Clothing is very important to any portrait, but essential to headshots.  Remember, you are marketing yourself and your business, but also, don’t be afraid to let your personality show a bit, after all you do want to stand out.

The first question I have for headshot clients is, “what colors are used in your brand, on your business cards & website?”  You want to coordinate your clothing with these colors to create a cohesive look.  Of course, if you look terrible in the colors in your brand, you should select clothing in a complimentary color.

I advise my clients to select clothing, accessories and colors that you look and FEEL good in.  If you have an outfit that you always get compliments on when you wear it….that is what you should wear for your portrait, as long as it fits with your marketing message.  The more comfortable you are, the better your portrait will be.

A few things to avoid when preparing for your portrait….

• Don’t wear a top with loud, bright patterns… they distract the viewers eye away from your face.
• Don’t wear trendy clothing …you don’t want your portrait to look outdated in a few months.
• Don’t wear a plain white shirt… unless you are tan or a darker complexion, white will wash you out.
• Don’t wear too much makeup.  Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to overdo your makeup for a portrait session. Wear your makeup as you normally do.
• Don’t NOT wear makeup!  If you never wear makeup, at the very least wear mascara and lip gloss for a fresh look, professional.
• Don’t try out a new hairstyle or get a haircut a few days before your portrait.  This can be disastrous.
• Don’t get too much sun the day before your portrait, especially with sunglasses on.  Digital can do wonders, but raccoon eyes are a tough fix!

If you can’t afford to have a professional portrait taken, find a friend with a good digital camera, someone who has a good eye and will be honest with you.  It is helpful to have someone who will tell you if you look awkward, your hair parted wrong, your lipstick needs refreshing, etc..

Please!  Do NOT have a friend take your photo against a white wall with your phone!  Photos with a large shadow on a wall behind your head says you were too cheap to get a decent headshot done.  Either go outside or find a window that you can stand near for light.

If you choose to do your portrait indoors, find a window with soft (not direct sunlight) that you can stand about a foot from, but is at least 5 feet from the wall in your background.  Open any blinds or curtains to let in as much light as possible.  It is best if there are windows on both sides of the room to light both sides of your face, but if not be sure to turn more into the light.  Look at your background and move any distracting items or clutter.  Have your photographer stand close to the wall ahead of the window.  Walk up to the window leaving ¾ of it between you and your photographer.  Stand about 1-2 feet from the window and have your photographer make sure the light is falling softly, yet consistently on your face and chest.  You don’t want any light spots or shadows to distract the viewer from your face.  Turn your body slightly away from the light so the light will skim your clothing, bringing out depth and texture.  Turn your face toward the light.  Have your photographer look at the light on your face to make sure one side is not completely in shadow, if that is the case, turn more toward the light.  Be sure your eyes are looking directly into the lens.  Have your photographer use a large aperture (5.6 or 6.3) to soften your background.  Using soft natural light will soften your skin and brighten your eyes which will give you a fresh look.  The graphic below illustrates positioning.

Here is a sample of a window light portrait.  The window is on the right of the image, the background is about 20 feet behind him which causes it to go out of focus, there is light coming from windows across the room on his left lighting the right side of his face.

If you decide on an outdoor portrait, an overcast day provides beautiful, soft light.  If it is a sunny day, try to find a shaded area with bright light.  The shady side of a building, porch or even the doorway of a garage can all work.  Just be sure your background is uncluttered.  (No hoses, BBQ grills, mailboxes, etc.)   You don’t want to be in full sun as this will wash you out, make you squint and can give you dark circles under your eyes.  Step just into the shade so there is consistent, soft light on your face and chest.

I try to avoid using trees for shade as they can cast a green hue on your skin that is unflattering.  Trees can also cause hot spots and shadows across your face and body which are too distracting for headshots.  You want nice soft, yet consistent light on your face.  Have your photographer check for this.

Once you have found a place with good light, have your photographer walk 180 degrees around you to find the nicest angle and background.  Have your photographer shoot from several different angles for different looks.  Try squatting down and having your photographer shoot from a higher angle to eliminate a distracting background and elongate your neck.  Or have your photographer stand on a step ladder for a different angle.

Here is a sample of an outdoor photo with the subject standing just in the shadow of a porch.  Notice how soft the light is on her face and the nice light in her eyes from the sunny sky in front of her.

Posing….If you can sit, you will probably be more comfortable.  Sit down parallel to your light source.  Turn your body and shoulders away from the light and your face back toward the camera and light.  Your eyes should look straight into the lens as if you were looking at a client.  Sit up straight, slightly tilt your shoulders, breathe and think of your key words and the emotion you want to convey.

If you have to stand for your portrait, avoid standing directly toward the camera with your arms down to your sides.  Your arms will add weight to your body.  If you are large breasted, turn slightly away from the camera and have your photographer stand on a step stool to shoot from a higher angle.

Turn your body toward your light source at approximately a 90 degree angle from the camera and bring your face back to the camera.  You want your eyes to be looking straight into the lens as if you were looking at a client.  Your photographer should be standing with the light source to his or her side, your face will be into the light and your body at an angle to it to create texture in your clothing.  I already look slimmer than in the initial photo above!

Now stand with all your weight on your back foot, the foot furthest from the camera.  This will shift your weight and cause one shoulder to lower, creating flow.

Slightly bend your front leg while bringing your knee toward your back leg and point your toe toward the camera and hook the thumb of the arm closest to the camera in your pocket or put your hand on your hip or waist.  The other arm will be straight at your side.  If your photographer will be cropping for just head and shoulders, you can place both hands on your hips to create space between your arm and body.

Stand up straight; very slightly bend at your waist toward the camera, elongating your neck.  Slightly tilt your head either way to give your body a nice C or S curve.  Breathe and think of your key words to express emotion!!!

Have your photographer move in close or use a zoom lens to photograph you from mid-chest up.  Or crop the image as I did.

If you or your friend cannot do minor retouching to your photo, it is a good idea to hire someone who can lighten the whites of your eyes, remove blemishes and dark circles from under your eyes.  You don’t need to go crazy with retouching, but you do want to look fresh and as good as possible.

Here is an example of a photo taken on the shaded side of a house with the light coming in from the left side of the photo.  Tilting the subject within the frame gives the image a little motion.

This posing technique will work for you in any standing portrait situation, including groups or family portraits.

Most photography subjects are a bit nervous about how their images will look.  To help with nerves remember to breathe deeply often, relax your shoulders and forehead.  This is where having a fun photographer comes in handy to help you relax and enjoy the experience!

Here is what our moms are saying…

“The portrait of Elias is so precious, we will treasure it forever.  Thank you!”  Tina

“The entire experience was so great.  I was very comfortable during our session, especially considering that we had to stop so I could nurse him several times to get him asleep.  The atmosphere was very laid back and Sarah just encouraged me to take my time.”   Danielle

“I was blown away by the images and finished product.  We’ve shared our experience with others and our friends and family just love the images.”  Liv

If you are pregnant or know someone who is pregnant, please forward our information to them.  We would love to photograph their newborn!

We hear from our new moms that the best part of our BumbleBébé sessions is that mom doesn’t have to fret about outfits for herself or baby, she doesn’t have to worry about her hair or makeup.  She just bundles up the little one and arrives at our home studio to be pampered with fresh baked cookies, a beverage of her choice and a much needed break while we photograph baby.

A few things we’d like to emphasize about our BumbleBébé Sessions….

Preferably, babies should be under 10 days old.  They are the tiniest they will ever be, very bendy and sleepy at this age.  However, if you’ve missed this time frame, don’t worry ~ with our expertise and patience we will still capture outstanding images of your baby.  We understand a new family may be feeling overwhelmed, but we will take care of everything.  So all you have to do is arrive and we will do the rest!

Adorable little baby Jack came to be photographed all the way from Hemet, CA.  He had a hour long ride and nice long nap so he was Wide Awake when he arrived.  He was very curious and interested in the heater, lights & me.  It took a few feedings by mom to get him to finally drift off so we could work with him.  He was 10 days old so he was outside the time frame of wanting to curl up.  He was more interested in being stretched out and showing off his new found muscles.  Once he settled, we were able to highlight his adorable little lips and nose.  By adding a couple cute props we could change up his look without waking him up.  He was a real trouper and ohhhh so sweet!   There is nothing like holding a cuddly little baby.  He gave me my baby fix for the week!!!