Is getting a good family photo taken a myth? No, I don't think so. A little planning on everybodys part to somewhat match and agree on a color scheme is important. You don't have to go out and buy all of your shirts at the same time to match exactly. Everyone has their own personality. Is time of day important? YES! If you want to do an outdoor photo indeed. You may have to wait from day to day to wait for the perfect weather opportunity but it will be well worth it. When possible, try to do early in the morning, about an hour or so after sunrise. You can also do an evening shoot. Plan on starting about an hour and a half before sunset. Spontaneous placement lends itself to a much better appeal in the finished product. We took the photos Wednesday morning and then enjoyed the day together. Thursday morning Rhonda and I uploaded the photo to MPix.  We had it printed on their metallic paper and received it Friday.  It's on display, I wish you could see it!  It looks awesome...

Stew. Short for Stewart. Say hello. Three feet away from this cat can be quite intimidating.  But what a great opportunity to get this shot!  I took this with a small point and shoot.  A Canon SD800.  I had it on manual so I could set the white balance and ISO.  I couldn't set the shutter or aperature but the camera chose 1/200s and f5.6.  I turned off the flash.  I can't imagine what how Stew would have reacted with a flash going off in his eyes.  I certainly don't want to find out either.  I really wish I would have had my D90 or D200 with me but I am quite happy with the results from my point and shoot.  I am thinking of the movie Ratatouille when the chef says "anyone can cook".  I think the same holds true for photography that anyone can take great photos.  It just takes practice and patience.

Tennille needed a new profile picture for MySpace. I like these kind of assignments when I am given liberty to do whatever I want. She just got some new eyeshadow and made a rainbow out of all the colors. So creative, just like her dad! I used a shallow depth of field and stood on a crate! Anyway it is my first day of vacation and I am happy to be at home with my family doing these kinds of projects!

I was doing some photography for a group last week involving golfers and printing and then putting them into frames. I take a photo of the golf foursome before they tee off and while they are doing their 18 holes, I process the photos and print one copy for each participant. Everything is all fine and good until I see the generic photo put into the 5x7 frames that this company provided. I really wish I would have kept it to show you. It was terrible! This girl is all wet but she looks like she is slimy and sweaty. Her look is something between a heroin addict and Cindy Lauper with jogging shorts and a tank top! Well I was lucky enough 2 days later to do Senior Photos for this great gal pictured here. I am afraid I may compare her to all future Senior Photo clients. She remembered my instructions from the beginning of the shoot and smiled graciously throughout. I would like to unofficially submit this photo as the replacement for the hideous "frame picture". Thanks Autumn, you were great!

Today is September 1, 2009. This has to be the most georgeous day on record. I could not pass up this day without taking some photos. I planned on taking my daughters out to take photos after dinner. I was going to supply each of them with a camera and see what they came up with. My oldest has other plans to hang out with friends, typical teenager. Victoria was game! I gave her a Canon SD800 point and shoot. You can see her holding it in the photo. I used a Nikon D40 to take this photo of her. Since the sun was still pretty strong, I put the color on MORE VIVID and the white balance to direct sunlight. When the camera is set to being extremely vivid, the contrast can sometimes be too much and darken the photo. I set the exposure compensation up a 1/3. This was definitely a picture for me. I can't wait to print it tomorrow.