Just Plain Awesome
Feb 24
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

Behind the Scenes – Zavrie Urban Session

I’ve had the privilege of having photo sessions with this little diva for about 3 years. When I found out she was going to be in town from Fort Worth I knew I had to get her in front of my camera again. This time I had her uncle Devin Romanowski, a fellow photographer, tag along and he was able to capture some really great BTS- “Behind the Scene” images of our session. This girl has the most amazing eyes and completion, she fits into any setting and is willing to do literally anything I ask her- Bonus!! She is getting older and into her teens so her mother and I wanted to document this exciting time in her life and take advantage of the amazing and diverse locations in Corpus Christi. We had decided on an Urban feel for her session theme. I asked her to wear jeans, a cool t-shirt, and some sassy boots that she can move around in. I didn’t want her to be dressed to formal, almost like I was just following her around a normal day shooting pictures.  The BTS images are a really great way to see how my subject and I move around […]
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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 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 03
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

Helpful Tips when Photographing Children

I am photographer that lives in South Texas in the Corpus Christi area, all the images featured in this blog were created by me within my surrounding area. This blog post is to highlight my 4 favorite tips to photographing my favorite subject, Children. There is a saying in show business: “Never work with children or animals” – say Know what you are doing first! Like mentioned in an earlier post, children are unpredictable, independent, and have short attention spans. So you need to capitalize on every minute you have, you may only get one smile all day.  This brings us to Tip #1: Take advantage to every moment! The photo doesn’t have to be perfect the first time you click your trigger. Take the photo then tweak your surroundings. In this image the sun was hot, the wind was cranking, and I was having a difficult time getting her to engage with my camera. We had given her a piece of candy, tried to tame her wild wind blown hair, and I was trying to bounce some light back onto her face with a large reflector to my right. This was an initial “Test” but ended up being one of my […]
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Jan 01
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

Make a Task feel FUN

I had a really cool session with a young man that I have photographed for a couple of years, last year we did a Blue Cup Cake Smash for his second birthday with a little number 2 candle on top. When we set up the session for his 3 year old pictures the mother wanted to incorporate a number 3 candle into the images but this time without the cake. His father was a car enthusiast so naturally, the theme of the session was going to be about cars, he was gonna be a little grease monkey in a garage. I had purchased football eye grease to smear on his face and arms and borrowed some extra large wrenches from my husband. The mother dressed him in a white tee shirt with rolled up sleeves, red high-top converse, and a pair of jeans with a couple holes in the knees rolled up at the ankles. I had a garage all set up with tires, auto parts, pallets, and tire rims- everything was perfect. When we got there we went straight to work, he already knew me so he knew we were gonna have some fun exploring this garage. I took my […]
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Jan 01
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

Using Games to get the Desired Image

Children can be totally unpredictable, and unwilling to preform tasks that you ask of them. Its not their fault, they have short attention spans, are learning to be Independent, and just want to have fun. Standing/sitting in the same spot is NOT FUN! So as a photographer I have learned a few “Tricks” of the trade that I am willing to give away. Feel honored, I don’t do this very often. If you have a child that is totally un-willing to stand or stay in a spot you have specified I use the Quarter Trick. I learned this in a photography class at Texas School of Professional Photographers a few years back. Now a quarter doesn’t seem like much but for a child that understands (2-4 years) the value of that quarter its Enormous!! They know that a quarter will buy them anything they want in those pesky quarter candy machines in most grocery stores. Normally I don’t suggest Bribing a child to get what you want – it usually ends badly. This trick is very simple if executed correctly. I show them the quarter and explain to them the rules of this game. “I brought you a quarter, and […]
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Dec 31
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

Picking the Perfect Prop

Coming up with new and creative ideas for photographing children can be difficult. Some photographers think that you need tons of props to surround the child and fill the frame. I believe that just a few simple props can enhance your images without over whelming the overall final product. I have a few key props that I bring on almost every photo session I have involving children: a mini white chair, a suit case, an apple crate, and a silver washboard bucket. The mini white chair is always a big hit with not only the child but the parents as well. When I introduce the chair I typically make it seem super special, I carry it to the location above the reach of the child, place it in the position I want it in, and say “I brought you your very own chair, isn’t it cute?” This makes the child seem important and special, the chair is a gift I brought just for them, because obviously its to small for anyone else. Its painted white and has a few scuffs on it so its not a stark white, this color goes with most everything the subject would be wearing but also provides […]
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Dec 30
by Laura J. Middour in Kids 0 comments

Children Photo Sessions Must Haves

In addition to choosing the right clothing for your photo-session, there are some essentials that Moms should bring to every photo session. Keeping in mind what the weather might be like, you might need extra clothing such as stockings or sweaters to add to your little ones wardrobe. Bringing additional blankets for quick warm-ups will also be crucial to keeping a happy baby. Always pack wipes, snacks, juice, and possibly a small toy or pacifier to soothe the child if he/she gets upset. Something else you may not have thought of is Music! Music can make anyone happy, its a quick distraction for the child as well as grabbing their attention in the direction of the photographer. Think of what type of music makes your little one smile and dance and before your session make sure you import it to your phone. Your cellphone is something you carry with you everywhere and its small so you can hide it close to the child but have it invisible to the camera. In the image below Mom held her phone directly above my head while it was blasting an Elmo Song, over and over and we got tons of really fantastic dancing smiling photos. […]
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