Why Post-process your images?

 

To bring out the eyes and add a little "pop".

 

To add drama. A crisp black and white treatment can make an image more dramatic.

 

Have a little fun. Here I wanted to give it a slightly vintage feel. Not too much. Just a little. 

 

Or, a lot of processing is you want to go for a totally different look. I don't try to hide my editing. You look at this photo and you KNOW I messed with it. That's OK. I'm fine with that. 

 

To bring in a little fill light. I needed Mina's face to come out of the shadows. I could have avoided this while shooting by throwing some more light up at her with a reflector or a flash. But, I didn't so I had to fix it in Photoshop. Besides I really liked the dramatic light on Jairo's face and I'm afraid if I had thrown more light in there I would have lost that. See how defined the angles of his face are because of the natural side lighting?

 

Sometimes you just want a little brightness and even out the colors more. The original was a little drab and I felt it had too much green to it. With a little tweaking I got something I liked a lot more with cooler tones. 

  

To create the vision you saw in your mind. I knew what I wanted from this shot before I took it. I explained I wanted them with severe back-lighting because I wanted to make a silhouette of them. It took a few tries to get it dark enough in front, and I had to move them and myself a few times. But I finally got something I knew I could work with and with some Photoshop action I achieved the look I was chasing.  

Jairo and Mina Engagement

Stacey and Ryan

Dave and Erin get married

It all starts with a handsome groom...

And a beautiful bride...

A little primping

Throw in some simple, yet elegant, decorations.

What a cool couple these two make

Erin letting loose after the ceremony.

Some bubbly to celebrate the occasion

Cheers!

The Dashing Father of the Bride

Sealed with a kiss

No words needed

Redlands Family Fun

I was lucky enough to get to shoot my friend's family for their Holiday pictures. Their daughter is just the cutest thing.

She has the most adorable little face. The best thing about this family is how much love they shared, you could see it in every interaction.

I'm really happy with how these turned out. But mostly I'm jealous of these dang cute shoes!

Family is Important

You know the saying "Friends come and go, but family is forever"? It really is true. As close as your friends are, they do tend to move in and out of your life. And as heartbreaking as that may be, things happen, you lose touch, you get busy, whatever. But family is tied to you by birth, so you need to make the extra effort to stay close.

I had an unusual childhood, and because of circumstances I spent most of my childhood away from one whole side of my family. I regret that and wish things were different, but as an adult I was able to make an effort to change that. I met my sisters when I was 18. They were young and kinda confused about this new "sister" they had, but I was determined to have a relationship with them. I made it a point to travel to visit them every year. As they became adults they reached out to me and over time we have grown so close that we pretty much forget the "half" part of being sisters. We are just sisters. I love them and couldn't be prouder of the amazing adults they have become. Strong, confident, kind, loving, smart. There are so many adjectives that fit.

So for something different than just my normal "hey here's some pictures I got paid to take" I'd like to share some pictures of my family. I love them and Christmas is making me sappy.

 This is me with my sisters, Audrey and Beverly and their (our) mom Barb. I'm the dorky one in the middle.

 Audrey giving me a tour of Santa Barbara

Beverly with her awesome husband David. He's a fantastic brother and I wouldn't trade him for anything!

 Here's the girls after competing in the Warrior Dash. They really are the coolest sisters ever.

Here's some pics of our dad's side of the family. So glad I've gotten to spend time with them. They live clear across the country so we don't get to see as much of each other as we would like, but I love them deeply and cherish the time we spend together.

 My Cousin Aaron and his family

 My Aunt Debi and Uncle bill with 2 of their grandchildren

And here are the Paxton girls. Bev, our cousin Jennifer, Audrey and me hiding in the back.

Merry Christmas everyone, cherish your time with your families!