LookBook! ~ Anthem Family Photographer

I'm so excited to announce the Pure Child Photography LookBook!

I've been working on this for weeks! The LookBook shows off the sessions and products that Pure Child offers. (Beloved sessions for couples are also available. They'll be getting their own brand and goodies in the coming months.) Feast your eyes on the love-y, yummy goodness.

This is just a teaser. If you'd like your own copy of the complete LookBook so you can browse the offerings in depth, just drop me a line and I'll email you one right away!

In Which I Discover My Life's Work

So if you've skipped down to the pictures you might be wondering why all of a sudden I have images of adults on here and how that fits in with a blog post about discovering my life's work. Fair enough. I'd be wondering about it too if I were you. So bear with me as I explain...

Let me start at the beginning. I have known Tessa since we were twelve years old. That's twenty one years for those of you counting at home. She was my best friend in high school and we've stayed connected this whole time despite cross country moves, multiple colleges, different life stages. When she told me she was getting married, I knew that even though I don't do weddings, I just knew that engagement portraits had to be my gift to her. We chose a beautiful location that had special meaning to them and headed out just before sunset. I was nervous because, while I do usually include a few portraits of just mom and dad in my family sessions, I had never done a complete session with a couple before. And they were nervous because they had never had portraits done before. So before we started, I knew we needed to get grounded and connected so that we could focus on what was really important here and let go some of our nerves. I asked them to just take a moment and breathe and look around at the gorgeous mountainside. To feel the cool breeze blowing and see the beautiful golden light that bathed the trees and grasses. Then I asked them to really look at each other, to think about how special this time in their life is, and how much they truly care for each other.

As the session progressed they became more and more comfortable and connected to each other. And my confidence also grew as I saw how beautiful and in love they looked. And I knew that after three years of teaching myself photography, I was finally in a place where I knew for sure I was nailing the shots. And I was so delighted to be able to share this gift with someone who was so important to me.

That night, Tessa asked if she and Alison could look at the pictures. Normally I choose my favorite images and edit them first before I share, but Tessa pulled the best friend card and talked me into it. And that's when I truly realized how important the experience was for them as a couple. They saw how beautiful they truly are. They knew that how they feel about each other at this moment will be preserved forever. They know that they will be able to share those little moments when Alison looks at Tessa with such love and adoration and when Tessa grins her crooked smile at Alison with their children and their children's children. And that's when it all clicked for me. Watching them watch the slide show of their images, witnessing how meaningful it was for them to see themselves in this way, I realized that this is what I want to capture, this is what I want to provide for other people, this is why I became a photographer. I want to provide people with an experience of love. An opportunity for them to stop time and truly enjoy the company of those they care about the most and then reflect back to them the pure beauty of that connection. A way to honor and celebrate all that is special and unique about a person, a family, a couple and to reflect all that specialness back so they can see it too. And I am so very thankful for the gift of this discovery.

So stay tuned here for all the exciting ways I'm planning on creating these types of love experiences for the wonderful people I have the great honor to photograph. Family snuggles, boudoir glamour and couples canoodling are on their way and I can't wait! And if this sounds interesting to you and you'd like this experience for yourself. Give me a call. I'd love to love on you! Your life is beautiful!

And now, without further ado, the stunningly gorgeous Tessa A. the ultra handsome Alison D! To be married this weekend!

Print Competition

The first time I went to a print critique at the local PPA (Professional Photographers of America), I thought it was a casual meeting when other photographers would look at and offer feedback on each other's work. Boy was I in for a surprise! I decided at the last minute that I wanted to go to the meeting, so I printed my images at Costco. That was mistake number one. The color balance was way off and every thing looked just a little weird. But I didn't think it would matter since it was just a friendly chat between friends. Um, no. Print critique is a big deal, judged by some of the most respected names in the industry like Arizona's own, Kay Eskridge, and my shabby prints just weren't going to cut it. Thankfully, I was right about how friendly the people there were and Kay gave me some great advice. I learned a TON about what types of images do well at print critique and most importantly, what not to do again (see aforementioned Costco prints...).

At the beginning of May I went to my second print critique and I was much more prepared. Below are two of the images I submitted and what the judges suggested.

The first image I chose was this one that I named, "Old Soul." I love how the horse looks right at you like he knows something but he's not going to tell you what it is.

The judges felt that this was a strong image, but that the mountains distracted from the horse. When I made the image, I liked the mountains because it gives the horse a sense of place and because the line of the mountains echos the line of the horse's neck.

I received two suggestions on how to improve the image--either make the mountains darker so that they're the same intensity of the horse or to remove them completely. Below you see the image with darker mountains. I wasn't happy with this version because I felt it made the mountains even more distracting.

This is the final version of the image. I removed the mountains entirely and added a border. One of the other suggestions was that for print competition it's a good idea to give the image a "treatment" that gives it some context/framing on the page. Much better! We'll see how it does the next time around.

This is the second image I submitted. It's one of my favorite images that I've ever taken. I just love the tenderness between the two. As soon as I saw this image come up on the back of my camera, it took my breath away. It's so cool how such a simple, everyday moment can have such beauty. And I was so honored that the judges felt the same way and this print did merrit. In fact, one of them said that it was her favorite image of the night!

And here it is after implementing Kay's suggestion to use a black border and make the image smaller in the print to give it a more intimate feel. This is very different from how I would display it in a family's home but it's interesting to think about all the different ways there are to present an image even within a single canvas. It's definitely broadened my perspective on what's possible to do with the work I create for my client families.

So what does all this mean and how does it help me in real life sessions? Look for ways to make the image even more simple, and in doing so to make the subject shine so that the viewer can see what's truly important. This is what I strive for, what my heart longs for and, my mission every time I pick up the camera.

Hugs,

Miki

Two Tiny Teeth I Anthem Baby Photographer

Be still my beating heart! Last April I photographed this beautiful mama's Maternity Session. She was back in town and I finally met her beautiful little man "T." Aren't his cheeks just the most squeezable! And those two tiny teeth just kill me!

Beautiful mama and daddy...

Hooray! I'm standing!