Cocoa Slurpees…

I have been making these sweet treats for over two years now and my stepdaughters love them.  I recently made some for my visiting niece and it was a big hit for her also.  So, I just thought I would share this cool drink for the rest of the summer heat that is still to come.  Just take one or two packages of powdered hot cocoa mix, fill the blender 2/3 full of ice cubes, add 1/2 cup water or milk (really doesn’t matter) and add the cocoa mix and blend till it gets to the consistency that you like.  Add more water or ice as needed.  Top with whipping creme if desired.  Oh yea, I recently found out that Dairy Queen is now selling Icy Hot Chocolate – guess what it tastes like!  Yes, almost exactly!  You could make these really low cal too with low calorie hot cocoa mix and nix the whip creme.  They really are yummy – give it a try.

 

Expressive hands…

I just love what hands can say within a portrait.  If the hands are all by themselves, like the first image below, you can tell a full story of the 4 generations represented here of all these wonderful women and women to be…Grandma, Mom, daughters, granddaughter and great-grand daughter.  Then you have all seen the ring photographs of the bride and groom where it tells the story of their new life beginning together and what the rings symbolize.  There are other types of images, like the full image of a group where the family members are all touching each other in a very loving, relaxed way.  And the daddy holding his newborn son, the size of the dad’s hands so protective and just a peek of the newborn’s tiny hands   One of my new favorites is of this image below of a young girl.  The pose, the touch of makeup and the expression all speak of a budding teenager, but not quite.  The soft child like hands tell that this young woman has a little while to go before she truly enters the next stage of her life.  Some of my favorite images.

 

Baby portrait Hands of a 3 generation portrait Portrait of a family portrait of a teenager

Model Photography…

What does it take to get into modeling?  Have you ever asked yourself this question?  For yourself or for your children?  You need the desire first, ok, check.  Then you need to start off with a really good head shot or portfolio of images.  Most agencies now are looking for a digital file that is uploaded to them which they can keep on file for reference.

I will be having a modeling week special August 20-24 this year and the next one will not be until January 2013.  These are for all ages, (babies need to be sitting up) and will focus on you with a minimum of props.  A clean, contemporary style is what the agencies will want with only one person per session.  These sessions are at the reduced price of only $50.00 with digital only packages starting at $195.00.  If you have ever thought of going into modeling, or just need some really great images of yourself or your child, please call to set up an appointment during this week.  This is a deal too good to pass up!

 

child modeling images

Beach Buttercups…

Beach Buttercups Ok, so I do know that all the pretty little yellow flowers that you occasionally see at the beach are NOT buttercups!  But it does sound better, doesn’t it?  These two cousins came down to the beach with their families to spend some time together.  The older girl comes from out of state and the younger one lives here locally.  The two families and the grandparents all were spending time at a condo on  Treasure Island and chose to have me create beach portraits for them.  Of course we did some of the entire family together, but they also wanted a special one of the two cousins together.  The older one was so sweet to her two old cousin and did everything she could to help her cooperate.  This image tells the story of discovery and sharing between the two.  Personally I feel that this would make a great art piece in a 20×40 on the wall in the grandparents house as a memory of the week spent down here together.  Just a lovely feeling is evoked by this image.  And even though yellow is not something that I usually recommend for a beach portrait, it just works so well with the beautiful blue – green color of the water to offset the yellow.  Good choice of dresses!  Call me today to schedule a beach portrait of your little flowers!

Dancing Kristina…

With all the model, fashion and glamour type of images I am doing, I tried out this new look out on a beautiful young girl this past week.  The trick is to use the right shutter speed and  aperture combination to get a crisp face and a flowing skirt.  The large image on the top is the one I love to have a “stand alone” image of.  The face is tranquil and lovely and then there is so much movement in the skirt and the scarf. It just tells volumes about the girl becoming a young women.  She seems so at peace and confident in who she is becoming.  I also love the series, it tells a story of fun and excitement at this session!  I have decided to make this storyboard a new product line available in a 10×20 to take advantage of several different images that my clients might like to have together.  Dancing girl