I often hear about people having a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach to senior portraits. I realize this is easy on the wallet, but I honestly cringe when people go this route.  You are only a high school senior once in a lifetime – so I love it when people prioritize this milestone and go the professional route.

Even with a gorgeous high school senior, I always do a complete edit on every image I deliver.

You can see how the “straight out-of-camera” image just doesn’t cut it.

While I’m on maternity leave, you will see Macro Lens Challenges on Mondays.

If you haven’t played Macro Lens Challenge before, here’s the rules:

The challenge: name this house hold item.

The first person to correctly name this specific house hold object below in the comments section of this blog post wins 5 points.

Collect enough points and win a Heather Lilly Photography gift card!

This sweet baby girl made her debut just after midnight on September 1st.

Isn’t she a doll?! Which image is your favorite?

If you want to see her entire online gallery, it’s password protected, so e-mail her parents and ask for the link & password.

School is in full-swing for most schools around here.

While it sounded like Miranda had a fantastic summer, I truly got the impression that she was excited about school starting.

Here’s a couple of my favorite images from her Back to School Portraits (which one is your favorite?):

2010 Blog Promo: Get 25+ unique comments about the pictures in this blog post and they will get two complimentary 5×7 prints. One to keep for themselves and one to give away as a gift!

In order for the comments to count, they must be from different people, about the images -like which image is your favorite and why you like it – (NOT notes to the wonderful subjects), and unique.

Please note: once you leave a comment, it awaits my moderation. It won’t be automatically posted (in efforts to reduce blog spam). Thanks!

Chances are you have plans with friends and family for Labor Day weekend.Time to break out the camera!

People often ask me how to take better pictures.

To be honest, I am not going to give away my trade secrets, (I still want you to hire me for portraits, weddings and milestone moments) but I will offer the following suggestions:

1. charge your battery the night before – even if you think you charged it “kinda recently”

2. before you use your camera, download what’s on the memory card, so you have a blank slate to fill with new memories

3. pass the camera around – when everyone has a hand at clicking the shutter, you’ll have more variety of styles of images to choose from and the BEST part: everyone ends up being captured

4. read the manual – all cameras have different quirks and perks, so make sure you look up your camera’s capabilities for the following:

- ISO

- aperature

- shutter speed

- flash

- normal vs. macro mode

Heather & Julian got married in Cheyenne, Wyoming at Lions Park in August. The community house is a beautiful venue for a ceremony and reception!  It is a large park with plenty of green grass, trees, and it backs up to a lake (or large pond).

Cheyenne is about 90 minutes north of Erie, so it was a pleasant drive for my first out of state wedding.

When I think about Heather & Julian, I remember the first time I met them (at their engagement portraits) and the strong chemistry between them. It’s so obvious that they are in love!

Their wedding day was full love from friends and family – which makes for a really fun wedding!

Heather & Julian’s outdoor ceremony and indoor reception had a black & white theme – accompanied by beautiful (and amazing smelling) flowers. Heather use to work for a florist, so I knew her flowers would be stunning.

Here’s some of my favorite images highlighting their wedding day. There are many more to come in their private online gallery. Just ask them for the password. It will be ready 4-6 weeks after their wedding date.

A special thanks goes to Becky Young for second shooting with me.  She promised to get the high and low angles I physically wasn’t able to capture being 8 months pregnant. She absolutely delivered! Her images are included in the preview below.

Also a huge thank you to my sister, Jen, for hauling around my boda bag (i.e. heavy gear) throughout the day. You both made Heather & Julian’s day that much better!

Enjoy!

Here’s a few of their wedding vendors:

Photography: Heather Lilly Photography

Second Shooter: Becky Young

DJ: Phil Vigil

Florist: Danette Robertson

Hair: Amber Archeletta at California Tan & Shear Styles Salon

Make-up: Steele Moore (owner of Simply Skin DaySpa in Kearney, NE)

Heather’s Bracelet: She’s Smitten (Kearney, NE)

Mari Lee Bridal Gown: Swept Away Bridal Boutique

Horse Carriage: S and V Carriages

**2010 Wedding Blog Promo: Get 25+ unique comments about the pictures in this blog post and Heather & Julian will get a dry erase board with their favorite wedding image on it.

In order for the comments to count, they must be from different people, must be about the images (NOT notes to the fab couple), and unique.**

My husband and I are in the final homestretch of this pregnancy and are SO excited to meet our baby boy!

His due date is September 23rd, but we all know babies come when they are ready, so I’ve been wrapping up photography projects and will continue to do so until he arrives.

CONTACT & ORDERS

While I am still editing, designing albums, and answering e-mails/voicemails until Baby Boy arrives, I will take a break from doing so as we adjust to parenthood. Once we get into a routine, I will start to check e-mail and voicemail and respond as quickly as I can.

If you plan on placing an order during my maternity leave, we’ve probably already discussed certain deadlines and expectations for delivery. If you have questions about this, please contact me (sooner the better).

PORTRAITS

I am not scheduling new portrait sessions until January 1st, 2011.

I realize some of you may have more immediate portrait needs, so please ask me for a referral. I have a small group of photographer friends I’m happy to refer you to. If I haven’t already, I would use them for my OWN portraits.

WEDDINGS

I am scheduling phone, Skype and in-person wedding consultations during my maternity leave.

For now I can still meet with couples about their upcoming wedding (I’m guessing for the next couple of weeks) and then I will schedule consultations as I am able to after his birth (probably starting a few weeks after he is born).

FINAL NOTE

Please understand it takes creative-juice to fuel my photography projects, which is exactly why I’ve decided to take a step back until January.

I feel it wouldn’t be fair for you to work with me if I’m running on fumes.

Stay tuned for some exciting times – you’ll be sure to be in the loop (on baby news) if you follow me on Twitter & Facebook.

Brittany is going to be a senior at Westminster High School this fall.

I have been looking forward to doing her senior portraits for a long time – I actually did her sister’s senior portraits a few years ago.

Brittany aspires to become a teacher and is thinking about going to college in Colorado or Wyoming.

We did her senior portraits in Westminster where we had a combo of buildings and trees, grass & bushes to use.

There were so many great pictures of Brittany, but here’s a few that I think show off her beautiful alabaster skin and blue eyes.

2010 Blog Promo: Get 25+ unique comments about the pictures in this blog post and they will get two complimentary 5×7 prints. One to keep for themselves and one to give away as a gift!

In order for the comments to count, they must be from different people, about the images -like which image is your favorite and why you like it – (NOT notes to the wonderful subjects), and unique.

Please note: once you leave a comment, it awaits my moderation. It won’t be automatically posted (in efforts to reduce blog spam). Thanks!