Boys! {NC Beach Photographer}

We went on a family vacation to Myrtle Beach back in June. As luck would have it, an old friend and her best friend were there around the same time. So we got together with the kids for a little session on the beach. It was a challenge, so thank goodness I had beautiful subjects! Sand was flying everywhere and it was close to 100 degrees even in the afternoon. But look how cute these little guys are....

Baby A! 9 months {North Carolina Child Photographer}

This little dude is special to me. I've been photographing him since he was a newborn. Check him out at 9 months old- from Oct 2010.

Why are my pictures blurry?

Camera shake, slow shutter speeds, and a moving subject are all sources of blurry photos. What can you do about it? If you own a DSLR, stop letting the camera decide what settings to use- get that thing out of auto and learn to shoot manual. Show him who's boss. We'll talk manual mode another day.

-Camera shake is exactly what it sounds like. Shaky hands? If you can't get your shutter speed high enough to compensate then break out the tripod.

-Low shutter speeds will cause blur. Most of the time you'll see this with dim lighting and no flash. Your camera is leaving the shutter open longer in attempt to gather more light, so it's very sensitive to any movement. Always shoot with a shutter speed higher than the length of your lens. Or, move to an area with better lighting and get out the tripod again.

-Your kids won't be still because grandma fed them junk food and brought them home that way as payback for all the gray hairs you gave her growing up. Back to the subject. Tripods won't help in that situation. Nothing you can do here unless you are shooting with a fast shutter speed. It's gonna take at least 1/250th to freeze motion- I prefer 1/500th. This applies to your kid's soccer game equally well. Again, you have to be the boss of the camera. Spending all that money on a DSLR and leaving it on auto isn't going to give you what you were looking for when you wrote the check. The "your camera takes good pictures" article comes to mind. Please read it.


Sometimes blur is intentional and fun. I took this at night in December of 2009 with my older camera. And I like it.

Baby L and Baby J! {North Carolina Newborn Photographer}

First up we have baby L. I believe he was about 5 weeks old in these- February 2010. I'm a bit behind on blogging photos. You think? I'm so excited to be seeing him again for his 1 year photo shoot the end of this month!




This is baby J from April of last year. He has an older brother that's just as cute as he is. That's for another post :)

Tuesday Tips- Back it up! {Henrico NC photographer}

We all need some system of saving our important files should you become victim of the dreaded computer crash. At the very least I'd suggest purchasing an external hard drive. $100 spent on prevention is much more economical than data recovery which can run into the thousands. Here's my process:
-Files are uploaded from memory cards and the raw image data is copied over to external hard drive #1
-Backblaze runs whenever the computer is on and automatically backs up all new files. It's my favorite.
-Once your images are edited I copy them to discs and both external hard drives.
-DVD's are stored in a fireproof safe; sold by my dad. If no one is going to be home, the laptop and externals go in the safe too.

So I have 3 forms of back up here (externals, DVD's, safe) and one source at a different location should disaster strike. Something for everyone to consider. Back up those files!

Cute kiddos! {Warrenton, NC Child Photographer}

As you know I prefer to do most of my work outside with natural light, especially with kids. Winter rarely allows for that, so here's what we do when it's cold out. Have a reasonably sized open space in your home? Great. I'll bring the flashes and set up shop. Here's a few examples

Nicholas Wedding {North Carolina Wedding Photographer}

What an awesome day! I had the privilege of shooting my first wedding on October 30, 2010 for Meagan and Michael. The weather was perfect, the church was glorious, and I couldn't ask for a better family to work with. Here's a few of my favorites from her bridals and the wedding.