Wednesday Wildlife & Nature

Happy Wednesday!!  Who is watching the Hawks game right now??  Well i'm listening to it as I work.   I normally don't do nature and wildlife photography but thought these shots came out pretty cool.  

My mom has a hummingbird feeder on her carport.  We were down visiting and I had been trying to get a shot of this guy for almost an hour.  EVERY single time i'd move my camera up to my eye, he'd fly away.   He was making me crazy.  So I sat.  Sat some more.  Finally, got him in my frame in time.  These guys are such cool little creatures.  There were several who came to the feeder and chased the others away.  The fact that the American flag is in the background makes this even better to me!

Hummingbird on a feeder - Cherokee, Alabama

 My husband yelled to me to hurry up and grab my camera.  I ran out the door as this was going on.  Such pretty colors, reminds me of a painting.  I'm a huge fan of sunsets.  How about you??

Sunset - Momence, Illinois - from my back yard

This guy....

Meet my youngest little guy.   Everyone say "Hi Jase".  He says hi back =)  Jase turned 6 months not too long ago.  Of course, I had to do a session for him!!

Look ma, I can sit!!

This little guy has been a GREAT baby so far (yes, i'm knocking on wood as we speak!).  He doesn't mind mommy snapping pictures like my other two children, either.  I'm sure a few more months and he'll be shoving me away!!  Well i'm going to enjoy it while I can!  

Hello, Ladies!

Keep checking back to see more updates on this fave guy of mine!

Engagement Sessions = super fun!

A few months ago, I ran a contest on my Facebook page.  The idea was to get couples who were newly engaged in on the fun.  I had participants send me a photo of themselves with their partner and added them to an album.  They were then to share their photo with family and friends.  The photo with the most likes would win a free engagement session.

The couples really got into it and the response was great!!  Our winner was announced and we picked a date and place.  I was SO excited, as was the couple who won.

Flash forward a few months (work schedules, weather etc) and we were off to Perry Farm park in Bourbonnais.   The weather was gorgeous, sun shining and all.  There's a few trails that lead to the river, so we decided to take a walk and capture some amazing images.

The newly engaged couple walking down the path towards the Kankakee river.

This area is so beautiful but further down the path there's much more!  We even had a little furry friend to help us out on our journey.

Meet Nicole, Mike & Coop.  Sitting near the Kankakee river on an old wooden rail.

Cooper was the most adorable little thing ever.  He was super tired from our hike but was a trooper!  His humans absolutely adore him and it wouldn't have been the same without him there.

Love this one, the heart symbolizing their love.  The caves here are fantastic!

We got a lot of great shots during our time.  Mike's mom was also there, who was a great help!!  She came up with a bunch of ideas for poses that I didn't even think of.  Like these below:

He asked....

She said yes!!!

These were taken in the prairie of Perry Farm park in Bourbonnais. 

There are a ton of images that I haven't shared with the world because I'd be here all day.  All in all, this was one of my favorite outdoor sessions to date.  Mike, Nicole, Coop and Mom, thank you for letting me capture these moments.  It was an honor.

To print...or not to print

Hey ya'll!!  Yep, my southern roots come out sometimes ;). I wanted to talk about portrait printing today.  I get many questions as to why print releases and high resolution digital files aren't included in my session fees and packages.

I know, I know, you want to show the world your amazing photos.  I do too!!  However, as a photographer, I want my images to be shown in the best possible way.  Having them printed at a big box store is great if you are in a hurry.  Having them printed by your photographers professional lab, is however, the best option.

My equipment and software is specifically calibrated to my professional lab, which means what I see on my screen is exactly what I get back from them.

For example, the image you see here from http://lauraacton.com
shows the difference between professional labs and retail chains.

It may not seem so different to your eyes but to a photographer it is a big deal. 

Testing

Hey!  Testing out our blog on our website for the first time!