We are giving away our first ever set of LR presets for our Facebook friends!  I know that many of you have been frustrated when shooting backlit images.  Even the best photographer can angle the camera so that too much light gets in and a perfectly beautiful shot gets washed out.  In the past these were time consuming edits for me until I developed my own LR workflow fix.  I am sharing it with you now.  These presets work best on RAW files, and may or may not require some adjusting with your brightness/contrast bars.  Color and temperature should adjust easily to your preference. I do about 80% of my editing in LR, then open in Photoshop for the final artistic and skin editing processes.  I will be posting a video tutorial on how these work for me very soon.  You can get your set by visiting us at www.facebook.com/fromthetreetop or by clicking the image below. Thanks!

TIPS FOR BEST RESULTS-

• Use on RAW image files
• Adjust your exposure/recovery first
• Best on well or slightly overexposed sun flare shots
• Underexposed images won’t work as well with this set

“Life’s greatest happiness is to be convinced we are loved.”

We added lollipops adorned with layered cupcake wrappers that were left over from our baking session.  I hope you all have a very  Happy Valentine’s Day.

This session is one of my favorites from last fall.  The light that time of year is truly magical and this day was no exception.  I have been asked if I enjoy working with older children and the answer is an adamant YES!!  Children between the ages of 7-12 are usually eager to be photographed and easy to work with.   Once they feel at ease with you the rest is effortless and fun.   Take a peek at these gorgeous siblings.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is forming relationships with my clients.  Photographing newborns, that become babies, that become big brothers/sisters, is so special to me.  I am a very sentimental person and honestly get very sappy about my repeat clients.  They feel like family.  I am in LOVE with this image of these two, and so were their parents, it captures them both so beautifully.  You can see some of the other sessions I have had with them here & here .

Well, its official-I am now the mother of two teenagers! (Help me…)  My sweet Colton actually turned 13 last September.  I took his birthday session photos and I did not get around to editing and blogging them during the crazy holidays.

If you aren’t familiar with Colton’s story you can click here and read my past posts.  We are so very proud of him and his accomplishments.  He is a very driven little boy and we know the future holds great things for him.  A friend recently described Colton as a “future Bill Gates”.  Maybe he won’t be the next Steve Jobs, but he is certainly an innovative thinker.

If any of you reading have a child who was recently diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, I know how hard and scary those early days are.  I hope that Colton’s success will encourage you.  These children are special, and I wouldn’t change Colton for the world.

Who could forget this adorable little guy?  I will always remember how cute he looked and how fast he managed to crawl in those cowboy boots! lol  See the rest of this session here .  Now he is a big boy and big brother!  Take a look at these two sweet boys.  Thanks J for trusting me again with such important memories…

I never tire of photographing brand new babies.  They each have their own unique look and personality.  This little angel reminds me of a porcelain baby doll.  Congrats to her sweet Mommy & Daddy, you did a great job making such a beautiful baby! ;)  See her Mama’s stunning maternity session here .

It’s time for another FB fan exclusive giveaway.  That’s right, become a fan of our Facebook page  to download this adorable Valentine’s card template!  Click here or visit our fan page at www.facebook.com/fromthetreetop !  Just our way of saying “thanks”!  Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s Day!

{still life}

One of the goals of the “elevate” fine art project is to encourage you to stretch yourself, artistically speaking.  I am and will always be a portrait photographer at heart.  People, children in particular, move me and I find an image all the more compelling for it’s subject.  I believe that personality, mood and even soul can be captured in a photograph.  Isn’t the same true for objects or places?  When some “thing” or place sparks an emotional connection with the artist, a personality emerges in that image.  The beauty of “seeing” things through another person’s eyes or soul is truly a gift and a reason that this genre of photography is so widely appealing and regarded as fine art.  I encourage you to try your hand at still life photography.  Discover a place or thing that stirs something inside you and capture it as only YOU can.

The following is a series I shot in New Orleans.  This city holds a dear place in my heart and I focused on what moved me.  I hope you find some inspiration and I encourage you to share your work with me.  I would love to see the world through your eyes.

Read more about “Elevate” a fine art exploration.

For more “Elevate” follow the circle to the next artist, the talented Wendy VonSosen | San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

I really do love the holiday break, but it’s so nice to be back to the routine again too!  I have been wanting to blog this session for some time.  There are a lot of images and even more I didn’t share because the post would never end!  A few of you may remember these precious babies.  I have had the honor of watching them grow and capturing their annual portraits.  If you would like to see their previous sessions click here 2009, 2010 .

Their sweet mama and I have much in common.  She is always so fun to work with because she puts as much effort into the planning as I do.  I look forward to their sessions even though it takes three grown women to chase these two down, (they run in opposite directions! lol) I always come away with adorable shots.  The famous Mount Vernon home was our backdrop this year.  Wow, is all I can..what an amazing estate.  Take a peek at our session.