Just Plain Awesome
Feb 02
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Martinez Family – Corpus Christi Photographer

Last week I had the most amazing session with a beautiful family. The family is rather large, with four children, so naturally I was a little nervous and intimidated about this session. But right away I was put at ease when the youngest boy came right up to me and wanted to talk to me. Mom was tucking in shirts, fixing pant legs, brushing hair and just overall getting everyone ready like a good mommy. I used this opportunity to start to get to know the boys, introduce myself, ask them how they were feeling about the shoot, ask about school, and get them use to talking to me- a stranger with a camera. Lucky for me these children were really outgoing and very well behaved. I was able to create some images that had been floating around in my head for weeks- stacking the children almost on top of each other on a comfy blanket and shoot from above and I was really happy with the results. We walked down to where we were gonna start shooting, did a bit of exploring to get some energy out. Once we do that,  I know that when we start the session they would be […]
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Jan 21
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Using D.O.F to Create Unique Images

D.O.F or Depth of Field is the range of distance that appears sharp in an image, this is achieved with aperture and focal distance. Or in plain English its the area in an image that is super sharp where you focus your lens while the surrounding area seems to get softer or blurry. I love to use this in my images especially when I want to focus on just one subject while softening the background or other subjects to demand importance in a specific area of an image. This is a great way to focus your attention to one area while the background is soft and pretty while being non-distracting. I use this a lot with sessions involving small children. I love images that focus on that small child while the parents are visible in the background but not the main focus. I often use picture frames to frame out the parents but the main focus is still the child. These often are some of the most popular images with the parents. In the session below I asked him to hold the frame and make a yucky face while I instructed the parents to have a quick smooch.  Have an […]
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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 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 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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Jan 02
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Let it Snow – Marina

This little girl has a special place in my heart, her mom and I have been friends for a long time, but had lost touch at one point in our lives. We were reconciled later after she had given birth to her little girl, Marina. We were briefly catching up at a local grocery store and I mentioned that I had started my photography business, and she got super excited and told me that she was gonna call me up to have a photo-shoot with Marina. We picked a day and set the theme, she wanted to include a bunny or some little chicks around spring time. I called up a local feed store that had both and asked my strange question of “Borrowing a bunny for an afternoon” as a prop for this photo shoot. They told me that was totally fine and we had a blast shooting in a neighbors yard with lush green grass, and beautiful shade trees. Marina was maybe 9-11 months old so she wasn’t walking but could sit and stand, which is my favorite age to photograph (they can’t run away from you). Since then I have had the pleasure of shooting with her three other […]
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Dec 31
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Quick Edit- Before and After

When editing images you can totally go over board with a heavy Photoshop hand. For me I absolutely love to use Adobe Lightroom for most of my editing, I tend to go as minimal as possible when it comes to my editing style. I feel that a minimal edit will give a true to life image, without making your subject look plastic. With Lightroom you can make easy adjustments to exposure, shadows, clarity, and contrast/saturation with a simple slide of your mouse. You can import a multitude of presets or even create your own presets to use on different photo sessions. Lightroom enables you to import a complete session and view all the images at once verses Photoshop opening one image at time. From Lightroom you can export to Photoshop for more intensive editing. When I use Photoshop I use it for major editing like, removing wall sockets, major blemishes, adding textures, using the liquefy tool to take a few pounds off a family member, or even switching faces if i have a major “blinker”. But from Photoshop I always save back to Lightroom and do my final finishing all my images there. So for the most part Lightroom, for me, is […]
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Dec 31
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Conquering the Cold

Layers and Locations. When choosing your outfit- if its cold outside dress WARM! Don’t think that you can trick the camera into thinking you are warm, especially with children- it will be written all over their faces, cold equals miserable. Think about using layers, sweaters, hats, scarfs, and boots, the last thing you want is to look cold in your images. Also if it ends up being a little warmer then expected you can remove some of your layers to create a new look, use layers to your advantage. Be playful with your outfit and atmosphere, there is nothing cuter then a snuggly cold hug yourself image. Or holding your love one tight! Also think about your location, if its really cold and windy choose a place where you can shield yourself from any harsh elements.When choosing the location look for different types of areas that can be used in that one location, it gives you and your photographer more bang for your buck. A great location has many areas that looks like you traveled to multiple locations during your session. Tree coverage is not only great for creating great lighting without harsh sun and shadows, but also can be used […]
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Dec 27
by Laura J. Middour in Family 0 comments

Choosing the right Clothing for your Photo-Shoot

When picking out what you and your family will be wearing on your photoshoot, keep in mind where the final image will be displayed. If you are wanting a family portrait to hang in your family room keep in mind your home decor- it may sound weird but- dress to match your couch! You will get the maximum “Wow factor” from your new artwork if you really conciser the space you will be displaying it. Think about a cohesive color palate, you don’t want to be “matchy-matchy” per say; think of an accent color or colors and have your family wear “like” colors. Whether your style is contemporary, shabby chic, industrial, classic, or you have an island getaway feel, consider your personal style when choosing the wardrobe for your photo session. This family is a great example of dressing the family with color cohesion- each person has an individual style but they also belong to the group! Also think about the type of location you are wanting as well- again keeping the final hanging place in mind when choosing. Your photographer no doubt has a variety of locations in their arsenal, but picking the right one for your family is […]
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