Project 12

Project 12. Completed.

Published January 2, 2012 | By Rachel

I started this Project 12 in January, so hopefully we would have 12 good family pictures at the end of 2011. It was not easy. There are several months that I had to do 2 pictures, simply because we didn’t have time/ I forgot. I am very glad we did this. It became apparent early on, that I was going to have to get creative or else they would look the same. Some of these, I have no make-up on, some are the best we could do simply because we have two small children who are very uncooperative in front of the camera sometimes. (Some would call this perspective.. me learning what it’s like in front of the camera.)

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June was actually taken at Addy’s birthday.

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I feel like this project really helped me with my positioning of people and also helped my photoshop skills, as I had to learn how to photoshop my kids into pictures.

April is probably my least favorite month.. with a toss up between August, May, or November being my favorite.

September is probably hands down the best picture of the girls, but too bad my eye went wonky in it.

I don’t think I will do another one of these for 2012.. although they are nice to have, they are a lot of work, and I feel like I exhausted the grandparents taking these pictures. Or ya know, Tracie, who took a good bit of them too!

P.S. Dear Grandparents.. If you want one of these pictures, please just tell me and I will order it. Don’t steal them off the blog and print them. It will make me sad so see a poor quality picture of my family framed in your house.

Posted in family, photography, pictures, Project 12 | 14 Comments

Why you hire a professional photographer.

Published October 21, 2011 | By Rachel

Sometimes, when I am in my time-suck otherwise known as, Pinterest. I come across something and I’m all, “Oh. This is happening.”

A certain Superman picture (that has since been taken off Pinterest. Boo.) made me think of this little boy:

As a photographer.. I can make a lot of things happen if you show me a picture you are going for. I know what I am doing there. I may not be a Photoshop genius, but for the most part, I can make things happen.

The problem is when you, the photographer, want someone else to take a picture for you. No matter if you describe to a T or even show them the picture, most likely, they won’t get it.

J was pretty pumped about the picture. We tried to take it at the party and after two hours of hell, trying to Photoshop Claire into a picture, John took one look and said, “No. I need to be in a suit.” Well.. okay. Wish I would have known that on Sunday.

So, I gather the supplies and tell John to meet me at his mom’s after work and we are doing. this. picture.

He starts in on how he needs Clark Kent glasses.. um. Okay. Then you need to go find them. He wants me to grab some 3D glasses (!?!?!) and bring them. Done.

About 3 minutes into this photo op, I want to chunk these glasses in the road. He wants to be throwing them.. Um. Okay.

And we have a 5 year old and a 2 year old.

Pictures are hard for kids that age. I know. This is my life. I get it.

I also use tricks and noises and generally act like a fool to get kids to look at the camera and sometimes it doesn’t work.

We took 99 pictures to try to get this family picture. (NINETY-NINE.)

(Side note: I am doing a Project 12- one family photo a month for a year and it may kill me)

While I am not showing you all 99.. I am showing you a few of the gems we have. This is why you hire a professional people! Which is what I really need to do. But I am stubborn.