The "After-Portrait" Session

During most of my portrait sessions, I have an audience that follows me around the property and distracts my subject. At the end, then, I often have to take a few seconds and grab some photos of them, because they want their turn in front of the camera...and sometimes the results are hilarious =)

 Despite the fact that she was dying to get her picture taken, Katherine decided to run away from the camera...

...without watching where she was going =)  

They were all eating onion strings...and pretending to be little country children =)

This series makes me crack up.every. single. time.

And these two are my absolute favorites =) They're just so random and happy...

Okay, and this photo needs an explanation: Amanda and Michael were standing there...and they reminded me of the painting "American Gothic." So I had Anna run to the garage and grab a shovel so I could take my own version of it...and here it is =)

Obviously not perfect, but it does remind me of the painting...so it makes me happy. And there you go =)

It's Break! Oh Yeah, and Here Are Photos of Anna for You =)

So, I love photos. And I love my sisters. But the biggest, and most important-feeling, news of the hour is that FALL BREAK HAS STARTED!! We're all just a little bit excited, in case you couldn't tell. Despite the fact that it's just four days off...it's our first break so far (other than Labor Day). So PHC students are rejoicing right now, and scattering to the four corners of the country to enjoy our short time off...

In other (more photo-related) news, Anna finally got her birthday portraits taken =) I don't have a ton of pictures from this shoot, because I had a lot of ideas that didn't work out quite as well on camera as they did in my mind...but I only needed one official one =) So here's what I ended up with...

This one wasn't super exciting...it was the first photo of the evening, just to test the light. But it turned out to be a very nice photo...but I can get at least a little more creative than that =)

Ahhh, gorgeous sunset light...Anna's so much easier to take pictures of than the youngest kids: when you say "look at the camera and smile," she actually knows what to do! It's great =)

This was the "show some attitude" picture =)

Okay, not really. But I was tired of her hands down in front of her, so we tried this =) 

The glow of the sun is sooo cool...before I edited it, it was way stronger...like you could hardly see Anna for all the glow... 

And this is my favorite, the one we're going to use for her official 11-year-old portrait. Despite the fact that it's obviously fall, and her birthday is in August. Last year's photo has traces of snow behind her, and she's wearing a winter jacket--this is a big improvement =) 

Anyway...I don't have any parting words of wisdom for you...I had a Latin test today, plus homework due (plus lit and work and chapel and other stuff)...so my brain is shot. But I'll post again soon with some other fun photos I took this same day =)

Oh, also--I have too much free time right now, so if you are (for some reason) dedicated enough to read to the bottom of these posts, here is a warning that the look of the blog might change a little. Not sure, but there are cool things I could do. So I might. Sorry if it's confusing =)

(Oh, and look--capital letters came back! Aren't you excited?)

Okay, I'm really done now...

In Which Katherine Gets Her Own Photo Shoot

i.e. prepare for lots of cuteness =)

and in which I am also reminded how hard it is for me to take horizontal portraits that I like. (though the next post will prove that I can, in fact, do it on occasion.)

and in which I apparently become like e.e. cummings and develop an immense distaste for capital letters.

anyway. on to katherine.

isn't she adorable?

she's a little tricky to take pictures of, especially when she has a big audience distracting her...but it's a ton of fun...

...because the results are always just so darn cute =) 

also. white tables make amazing natural reflectors. which I didn't realize till after we were done and I was looking at the photos. but they do. (note to self: have subjects sit/stand on white tables whenever possible) 

plus, the light was beautiful...fall sunsets are (as the last post, I think, pretty well proved) amazing for photographers. I enjoy taking advantage of it with my portrait sessions...the benefit of having subjects who live with you and can be ready in five minutes =)

ah, here's proof of the challenges I dealt with =) this is her "camera smile." she thinks this is what she's supposed to look like...not exactly what I was going for...

but you know, it'll make a great photo for her graduation/wedding slideshow someday =) I hope I get put in charge of that...

(capital letters will return next time (probably). though I really enjoy the look of writing without them...and the idea that I'm like e.e. cummings in some small way...)

Fall Light

Fall is my favorite season.

I look forward to the weather all year.

But among the things I had forgotten about fall is how much I absolutely adore the golden, mellow light of an autumn sunset...I was reminded of this the other evening: the college students from my church (along with a few friends and siblings) went on an excursion to Bear's Den to watch the sunset, sing, and eat campfire food =) It was cold and a little slushy, with the remainder of the freak snowfall from the day before (seriously--snow in October?!?! What in the world is wrong with the weather?!?!). But it was beautiful--the fall colors were still amazing. As a result...there are quite a few photos in this post. And yes, I did just blame my trigger-happiness with my shutter finger on the sun--do you have a problem with that? =)

We brought a hatchet. I wasn't quite sure what I felt about Josh holding it...

Though I knew it was safer than Rachel having it...this is a pretty accurate description of Rachel and Grace's relationships ;) 

They're gonna kill me for saying that...oh well =)

Can you see what I mean about the colors?? So beautiful =)

My fellow author, diligently documenting every moment...

Some people climbed trees, some people threw snowballs, some people played guitar...

Some people were nice and posed for our pictures =)

My fellow photographer--we had lots of fun being the annoying paparazzi for the evening...

Our musician-in-residence...

Instance of the amazing light from the sunset...just look at it! Plus, it makes potato chips transparent...which is just cool =)

Sigh...yep. This is what we were watching....

Rachel's awesome converse...wet from the snow but still carrying on intrepidly =)

Sarah's camera...just pretend it's mine, since I never get the chance to take good pictures of my own...that way I can say how much I love it =)

The picture above is what I was trying to get...the picture below is what somehow kept happening...

Sunset...

Just so you know, I love PhotoShop Elements...it brought you the picture above, which is one of my favorites from the night (except for that obnoxious stick caught in the tree...if I were better with the program, I'd get rid of it. But, sadly, I'm not. So we shall have to live with it as is...) 

Anyway, that was the amazing view we were looking at as the sun went down...

Only Presbyterians carry a backpack full of hymnals up a mountain so they can sing at the top =) A wonderful idea, though!

This is their Psych pose...I believe that Grace is Gus and Rachel is Shawn. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go on Hulu or Netflix and find out. You'll waste hours of your life, but you'll be the better for it =) And you'll laugh a lot =)

Happiness all around =)

Singing hymns as the sun set...perfection.

Then, since there were signs that said not to build a fire out at the cliff, we were good citizens and found the fire pit by the lodge, so we could cook our dinner.

Evidence of the dinner being cooked...though I think you can't actually see the hot dogs with the flames in the way there...

And, of course, we had to have marshmallows for dessert...what I don't have a picture of is the great singing that was going on around the fire here...it was awesome. Zach taught us a bunch of songs, and we attempted to sing rounds, and it was great. Yep. Thanks so much to Caleb and Caroline for putting the trip together--it was a beautiful night!

Did you notice this, too? I didn't use a single emoticon in that last paragraph! Whoa. That was weird. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled blogging... =)