Just Plain Awesome
Jan 17
by Laura J. Middour in Stuff 0 comments

Standard Work-flow

Work-flow is the method in which a photographer imports the images from a session into their computer and then complete a series of tasks to prepare each image so it is ready for the web and for printing. What makes a difference between a professional photographers images and ones that beginner captures or even your own? The difference is their work-flow, we don’t just upload photos straight from our cameras- there is a huge amount of time taken to work on each image before our clients ever even see them. Basically an editing process can take anywhere from 2-4 hours for every hour spent shooting the session. I use professional editing programs from Adobe. I always start the editing process in Adobe Lightroom and finish an image in Adobe Photoshop if needed. I import the images into Lightroom where I can sort through them and choose favorite and cast off any non-keepers. Non-Keepers are determined by facial expressions,  composition, and the “Feeling” I get from an Image like was discussed in a previous discussion- “Listening to my Inner Yes.” I make edits in Lightroom and basic tweaks that can be applied to many different photos at once. I also treat each […]
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Jan 16
by Laura J. Middour in Advertisement 0 comments

Your Personal Online Gallery

After each session there is a period of time (specified before or after session) where I take all the images created during your session and I sort through them and personalize them with editing. Each session is treated individually and each image is treated uniquely. This process can take anywhere from a couple of days for a portrait session, or a couple of weeks for a whole wedding. Once I have completed editing your session I will create an Online Album on my Website www.ljphotos.com. With every session or event, an Online Viewing Album is created that is unique to your session. In this gallery I upload the fully edited images from your session and you will be able to view your images in the comfort of your own home. You are also able to share your album with family and friends. There is an option to password protect your images, or you can choose to leave the album open so others can view your unique images without having to use a password. Outside of your specified print credit, you will be able to use this Online Album to purchase additional prints from your session. You can purchase individual prints, print packages, or buy the digital files […]
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Jan 16
by Laura J. Middour in Advertisement 0 comments

Making Memories with Photography

One of the greatest hurdles of being a Professional Photographer is helping people to realize that photography doesn’t just capture memories, it Makes Memories and makes them tangible. The idea of photography in most minds is that its just for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, graduation and other events that come up only a couple times in a life. Photography is so important for capturing the everyday memories and really should be viewed that way. I’m not saying you should hire a professional photographer to take your kids to the park, although that would be super fun, but taking an opportunity to enjoy your family in a beautiful setting and having those moments captured shouldn’t be a foreign idea. Typically in a family unit there is one member of the family that is rarely in any of the family images, why? Because they are the ones taking the image. Why not take the opportunity to have someone tag along and capture those moments for you, with everyone visible. One of the most momentous events that often gets over looked is birthing photography, this is probably the Most important event that often doesn’t get documented. I have been hired to capture these moments […]
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Jan 15
by Laura J. Middour in Newborn 0 comments

Newborn Session Safety

Newborn sessions are a fantastic way of capturing those precious moments when your new baby is still tiny and fresh. I absolutely cherish newborn sessions and they are some of my favorite sessions to shoot. The best time to book your newborn session is when they are 7-14 days old- having them this young ensures you will get the best poses.  The thrill of capturing images of a perfectly sleeping tiny human in really whimsical poses & the first little smiles are my favorite parts of the session, but its really important to never compromise the safety of the baby for those elusive shots. Sure you might be able to pose a baby in a position where they can balance their own head in their hands for a few minutes, or prop them up for some amazing poses, but the question is “Why would you risk the safety of your child?” All those set-ups can be achieved safely with the use of composites and cloning with no risk to the child. This is a little more work in the post production phase for me when I edit the images, but its more important to keep the baby safe. With props that are a […]
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Jan 14
by Laura J. Middour in Family, Kids 0 comments

Client Love Letters…

An important part of a Photographer/Client Relationship is feedback at the completion of the session and finally when they view their images. Getting a personal note from my client is one of my favorite moments of a session. We have already completed the session and created a unique bond spending time together or they have just view the images in their private album. These are my favorite notes from my clients when I truly get to understand how they felt about their session. The images of their babies that I captured have now become my babies, and and that moment I realize they Love the images as much as I do is such an adrenaline rush. I cherish every second you take out of your busy day to tell your friends, write an email, or even shoot me a text to let me know how you feel. I have decided to start creating “Client Love Letters” to share those expressions with other clients, Hope you enjoy! Keep them coming…
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Jan 12
by Laura J. Middour in Before and After 0 comments

Before and After Monday – Portland Texas Photographer

So I thought maybe I would make this a “Thing” for Mondays, because lets face it my brain doesn’t always work fresh on Monday to come up with new ideas to talk about. Besides I thought it would be fun to revisit some old sessions and explain my thinking process. Normally I don’t really do extensive editing on my images, but sometimes you have these ideas floating around your head that would just take an image to the next level! This was one of my favorite family sessions that my dad and I did in the studio we have in Rockport TX. This family was a Blast and were very entertaining with minimal direction from either my father or myself. They own a BBQ place in Rockport and also offer alligator watching Air Boat rides on days the BBQ place is closed. So they naturally wanted to highlight their Outdoor experience, its also something they enjoy doing together as a family. They brought with them a full Duck Blind, decoy Ducks, Shot Guns, Camouflage, and Face Paint. It took us about 45 min to re-construct their Duck Blind in the studio, making sure the angle was correct as well has […]
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Jan 09
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Listening to My “Inner Yes”

My “Inner Yes” can be defined as that moment when I am looking through the lens of my camera and I get a chill or that butterfly feeling. After being a photographer for 4+ years I have done quite a few photo sessions, and like mentioned in an earlier post, I use a lot of the same locations, same basic posing techniques, and a few of the same props for most sessions I do. So, you ask, if everything is almost the same for each session, How do you still get a chill or butterflies? Well my clients are the ones that give me the Rush. Each group or individual is completely different then the next, every person I have a session with has a different personality, move differently, and its my job to capture their individuality! I don’t take tons and tons of images and just hope for the best, every click is calculated and thought through. If I don’t feel the rush I don’t pull the trigger.   There are a few things I do before a session to prepare myself for each session. This gives me time and focus to dedicate myself to providing unique portraits of each and […]
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Jan 08
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

How to get Meaningful Expressions from a Child’s Portrait Session

I love images of non-smiling children but the difference between a serene expression and a grimace is a very fine line. Children are carefree and happy little people, but also are able to express deep emotions- far better then we give them credit for. Parents have become real professionals when it comes to taking photos of their children laughing and smiling (mostly posed smiles), I feel its my responsibility as their photographer to capture all of the emotions they can express with a simple glance. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good belly laugh and smile as much as the next person, but I feel its equally important to capture the thoughts of your child through expressions. I love to deviate from the typical forced smile, or even the real ones during a session with your little one. So how do I do this without creating a grimace or frown? Here are a few ways I, as their Photographer, achieve those meaningful expressions from children I barely know: I try to let them get out all the fake smiles they are trained to preform when in front of a camera. Like mentioned in an earlier post I love to use […]
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Jan 07
by Laura J. Middour in Stuff 0 comments

Natural Photo Session – Lighting Options

When scheduling your photo session you want to keep in mind what will help your photographer create the best images possible for you and your family. And who better to trust in then your photographer! Your personal photographer will give their professional opinion and guide you when booking the perfect time to book your session and its your job to Trust they know what they are talking about. I have had clients that were upset the day of their session because they looked out the window and saw that it was cloudy outside, for me I’m excited for a little cloud cover and I’ll tell you why. Clouds create a natural huge Diffuser, if you think of the sun being a large flash or light source, having a cloud in between you and the sun makes the quality of light softer and more even. When you are in direct sun it can create harsh shadows across your face, make you squint, and over all make it difficult for your photographer to create quality images. But there are ways that you can combat shooting in harsh sun. Find Open Shade– Open shade is a fully shaded place that is flooded with […]
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Jan 06
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Talkin’ About Winter Sessions

I live around Corpus Christi Texas and in south Texas we don’t really have blisteringly cold winters, but that also means that when it gets below 70 Degrees outside people bust out their Parkas, gloves, boots, and beanies. Anywhere else in the world 70 degree weather would be lovely shorts and t-shirt weather. Even though we are “Babies” when it comes to the colder weather months this doesn’t mean that you can’t plan a fabulous family session or even wrangle the kids for a session. I personally love colder weather to shoot sessions in. I’m normally a jean and boots wearing kinda girl, so slapping on a sweater or light jacket is awesome for me. Here are some other reasons why I love winter sessions: The landscape is a little more bare and more beautiful then normal. Having a background that doesn’t demand attention can make YOU as my subject be the main focus in an image and will make you and your family POP. The colors are naturally warmer and and look cozy. If you are wanting a greener spring time image this can easily be achieved in post processing of the image by adjusting the greens in editing […]
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