NEW blog and website

Hi there! If you are reading this...thank you! Thank you for following my blog and my journey into the photography business world!

I have branched out and started an official website which includes a blog... so- please, continue to join me on this journey!

                                    www.wrappedincloverphotography.zenfolio.com

Baby Shelby

I was super excited that Katie, a good friend of mine had asked me to photograph her newborn baby, but also nervous. I had never done a shoot with such a young baby, but all the reading I had done said it was best to shoot before the baby was two weeks old. I arrived and Shelby was asleep, curled up on Mom and all sorts of adorable- but as soon as we tried to get her in a position to photograph, she began crying. 

Over the course of several hours, several feedings and a whole lot of tears, we got a few good shots. However, I wasn't happy with the results and wanted to make sure that this family had more than 15 pictures of this special time in their lives. So- about two weeks later- I went back. This time Shelby was much more agreeable and even Mom was more well rested :)

Finally calm in the arms of her Mom and Dad

iPhone photo

All in all it was  a great experience and I learned a lot about newborns :) I'm looking forward to maybe having the opportunity to photograph Shelby and her family as she grows up- but also having the chance to work with other families to capture such a special time in their lives.

The Ellis Family

While I have lived in the area all my life, I had never been to Kinder Park more than to just pick up my brother from a baseball game. I was amazed to find that this beautiful park had so much to offer!
Not only for me as a photographer, but to keep these two little boys interested during the photoshoot...that was priceless!

                             

Some precious father son conversation...

       

Plenty of hills to roll down!

   

Super Moms!

Spending the morning with Moms who care about their health, want to spend time with other adults, AND want to spend time with their little ones, was an eye opening experience!
Karen Davis, owner of Stroller Strides/Fit 4 Mom of Annapolis asked me to cover her grand opening last week, and it was a really eye opening experience!
There were at least 50 Mom's there and some super cute kiddoes-

Karen did a great job of making sure the work out was just that, a work out, but also involved the kids. One of the stops was to do wall sits, and sing "If you are happy and you know it". 

Another stop involved some squats, jumps and of course- tickling! 

 It was nice to see Moms being outside, exercising and making some new friends...everyone hung out afterwards and chatted or went and played on the playground. Karen is really creating a great space for these Moms to stay healthy...physically and emotionally! And who knows, maybe some of these kiddoes will grow up to be BFFs!

Behind the scenes...

A lot of people have asked me about what goes into photography "behind the scenes". Photography isn't just about taking pictures...trust me- I wish it was!  Photography takes a lot of steps I never considered before starting down the path of "professionalism".

First of all- lets forget for the moment all the time and effort it takes to market yourself in order to actually get a client. Lets skip to the part where I have booked a client, figured out the date, time and location, not to mention spent hours pouring over ideas on Pinterest and reading blogs for ideas and tips...oh yeah, I said I was skipping that part :p

Ok...so day of. Obviously I need to make sure all the camera equipment is ready to go and I know where I'm going (and can get there with enough time to spare.) 
During the shoot I'm obviously taking pictures, making the client comfortable while also trying to get husbands, fiances and children to cooperate (and wives, Moms and girls in general to relax...yes you look beautiful!).  Now insert the arm and leg workout...yes- that camera is heavy and holding that squat to get the perfect shot is tough work! 

After returning home, it then takes several hours before your photographs are ready for enjoyment. 
I shoot in RAW so I can't just look at the pictures as soon as I put my memory card in. I have to catalog them in Lightroom first. 

After they are in Lightroom I can then go through and make changes, fix small imperfections, alter lighting and add some artistic touches (such as turning the image Black and White).   

As I go through the pictures, I give them a rating. The pictures that get 5 stars- the ones I LOVE- get put on Facebook as a sneak peek for you, the client! 

Then it time to make your DVD, and wrap it in clover to enjoy and have your special moments...captured! to cherish forever!

And there you have it...a super simplified version of what happens behind the scenes...

Jennifer and Will {Baby Bump Shoot}

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with Jennifer and Will. Witnessing two people so in love and so excited to meet their first child- it was really a moving experience. 

I had never taken "baby bump" pictures before, but Jennifer and Will had plenty of ideas and were up for anything! It was a beautiful day so we headed to Quiet Waters Park for some fun in the sun and on the playground.

And of course, we had to take shots with just the belly  - after all, that's where this miracle is happening!!

This picture is one of my favorites from this shoot!

                  Jen is due in April with baby William, who they will call Liam for short.

Back at their house, we had fun using some props and fun lighting for some more belly shots.

Congratulations to Jen and Will and I can't wait to meet Liam!

Motown!

Last week I was in Detroit for an International Baccalaureate conference and I of course took my camera. Sadly, I didn't have much time to take pictures and it was one time I really wished my eyes could take pictures. 

When we arrived we had a few hours to kill, so we wandered to Greektown. I didn't take my camera, so these are all from my iPhone. Greektown was like a movie set! There was music playing over loud speakers, Greek and American flags hanging across the streets and steam coming up from manholes....BUT it was empty!

The second night, we ventured out to a local brewery for dinner. The beers were great, the pizzas were delicious and the service was awesome!

It was pretty cold the whole time, and we were so busy that I didn't have much time to play. So these were the pictures I nabbed through windows...

Dabney and Carlton

Saturday I had the opportunity and pleasure of photographing Dabney and Carlton in downtown Annapolis. Unfortunately, we were stuck with some pretty nasty and FREEZING weather to contend with- but Dabney and Carlton made the best of the situation by staying close together.  Due to the fact Carlton, an officer in the Air Force, is currently stationed in New Mexico- we had to work with the precious time we had.

Right off the bat these two showed me that they weren’t going to have any problems showing off how much they loved one another – they were ready to be close and I often had to remind them to stop being so cute when I wasn’t ready with to take the shot. All kidding aside, these two were a dream to work with and made the freezing cold shoot a whole lot easier. 

Our mutual friend Laura, who also happens to be the one who told Dabney about me, brought along a bright green umbrella in case the rain/snow didn't stop. Luckily it did, but also lucky she brought it because it made a fun, bright spot on a rather gray day.

These two had such great chemistry, it was hard to believe they had only been dating a year!                                  

So happy for these two and wish them all the best!