The Betke Maternity Slideshow

ENJOY!





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Miss M

Every now and then, I like to look around the room and find the most beautiful person, approach them, then bribe them to let me take photographs of them.

Just kidding. Miss M and I have known each other since we danced together at Tekurio Nui a few years back.  She's still representing, performed in the Heiva 2009 in Tahiti, and generally just doing amazing things. She approached me for some headshots and dance portraits, because you know a freelance polynesian dancer can never have enough promotional ammo.  I was all over it, because, well... look at her.  Practically all I had to do was stand there and click.

We went to Huntington Beach, it was perfect and secluded and... windy.  And cold.  And.. windy.

I took hundreds of shots, and only a handful didn't involve hair blowing into her face.

The good news: She brought her own lighting assistant.  Her BFF, who I've known for just as long, was willing to hold the bounce reflector- and HELLO!!! great lighting.  Gotta love a client who brings their own crew.

Anyway, she looked incredible, we dodged the beach security during costume changes, and voila! Sports Illustrated here we come.

Enjoy!

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

The bump

I was so honored when Mel B booked me to shoot her maternity photos.  This is her third child, and her third BOY.  Just take a second and think about that.  She is so outnumbered, it's not even funny.  Being the only estrogen representative in the house, she decided she wanted to document this time in their lives, as she really has no photos of herself while pregnant with her other two (side note- I just realized after this shoot that I have no preggo photos of myself either!).  So, I was determined to make this shoot as intimate, special, and artistic as possible.  I want her to really love these.  The day of the session, despite multiple days of sunshine preceding it, was windy and cold!  Well, California cold, anyway.  She was such a trooper and braved the wind, even baring her belly (the goosebumps were airbrushed out!). 

Being pregnant is such a weird time, especially when you're expecting number three.  Your days get overwhelmed with caring for the other two, and you almost forget most days that your belly is this large, that there's a person in there.  So I really love these photos, if for nothing else than the fact that they're a forced moment of pushing the 'pause' button during a really special time for her. 

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

Cupcakes=good.

Check out Enchanting Edibles.  UNBELIEVABLY delicious baked goods. 

I got to the event about an hour after it had started, and they were already running low on cupcakes and cookies!  That just shows how good they are- people were coming back for seconds, thirds, one dad even rolled his chocolate-covered  toddler in a stroller up to the booth and said, "I just wanted to show you how much he loved them. So did I."  and he grabbed another two.

If you're looking for a super delish dessert option for any event, this is your deal.  Seriously.  SO TASTY.  I even placed my own order with her.  Yay for cupcakes!!!

Real talk.

Listen.  There is bad photography.  There are bad photographers.  There are photographers with incredible technical skills and no people skills.  There are photographers with wonderful people skills who couldn't compose a shot with the rule of thirds printed out from wikipedia.  People have different skills, for sure.  But by FAR, the most important skill a photographer can have is self awareness.  To have the intuition to know yourself, and adjust your actions and you words accordingly.  If you think you're amazing, and you just plain aren't, well then that's a problem.  For you.  If you think you're terrible, but are actually quite good, that's also a problem, from a business sense. The same principle applies to business sense, by the way.  You cannot expect to run a business and act and speak as an amateur.  If you want to charge people money, you can't whine and complain about something your kids are doing to your PAYING CLIENTS while expecting them to take you seriously.  You can't do eight different things half-assed then wonder why none of them are successful.  If you are completely unaware, and have no sense about your own abilities, you will fail.  No question.

How do you obtain self awareness? Through a combination of humility, intelligent discussion, and being open. If you are incapable of any one of these things, your process will be stunted.  As will your artistic growth.

One of my biggest pet peeves with the portrait industry right now is copycats.  Everything looks the same.  And I think it's a symptom of lack of self awareness, on many levels.  For one, there are master photographers out there with a specific style and voice who are open and willing to share their knowledge and skill with those who want to learn.  This is a wonderful thing.  And the freeflow of knowledge is an important and vital thing in a creative industry.  The flaw, however, is that so many photographers are not aware of their own ability, and even more tragic, their own voice and point of view.  So they take classes, pay for seminars, read books, blogs, beg other professionals for tips and tricks.  When what they are really seeking is an actual voice.  Because they have none.  Nothing identifiable as their own. You wanna waste your money and your time and your effort trying to be a watered down version of someone else?  Go for it.  But don't expect anything in return.  Certainly not my respect.  Certainly not the label of "artist" or "professional".  There is a massive difference between inspiration and just plain copying.  And it's apparent.

Every day I get closer to finding my own voice, my own perspective.  But I can, at the very least, say that I am always myself.  I have never once, not ever, seen something incredible and tried to copy it.  (Oh, how do you do that? I wanna do that!)  Never once asked someone how to do something so I could try to do the same.  I am aware of my own abilities, my own point of view. And for that, I am proud.  

And of course,

Dying to win an action from AMP!!!

http://amymcmasterphotography.com/2010/05/win-one-of-my-action-sets/

I just emailed this woman this morning with a quick question about her actions, as I'm debating getting Lightroom or CS5.  She replied to my email so quickly with so much detail, I was so impressed. 

Good customer service really makes my day.

:)

B and A Day

Curves adjustment, added dark sky texture overlay, erase face to reveal lighter background, dodge point of light.

Just because...

And sometimes, I get to play with photos just for fun.

Director's Cut

Here's the full version of the slideshow for the Thomas Family. Enjoy!

The myth.

White Point

I am DEFINITELY going to have to do a shoot in Pedro.

Went for a walk yesterday with my prolific cousin, Jace. Sometimes I need to check in with him, San Pedro, and the Sea. It sorta pushed the "reset" button for me.

And I can't believe I never walked the trails at White Point. Down by the battery? Incredible.

Now I just have to find someone in Pedro who wants a photoshoot.....

The strength of a family.

I mentioned this family a few weeks ago, but yesterday I had the honor of taking the very first real family photos for these guys.  The dad is in the Marine Corps, and was relocated when their son was only six weeks old.  Since then, he has been moved around all over the country, and served two tours, in Africa and Afghanistan.  During that time, Mom has been doing an incredible job raising their son.  She made him a doll with Dad's picture on it that they say goodnight to every night.  She leaves "presents from dad" in the mailbox.  Her strength and commitment is undeniable.  And throughout his three years on this earth, their little boy has only known his dad through these rituals, phone calls, and letters.  The day before his third birthday, his dad came home.  And the transition couldn't have been easier.  They are so grateful to be together again, and you can absolutely see the love and genuine connection they all have for each other, despite what they've been through.  I can't tell you how much respect I have for this family. I pray that they enjoy their photos, that they can look back at them and remember how it felt when Dad came home.  Enjoy their slideshow, and take a minute to be grateful for the ones you love in your own life.

Just through June ...

Got some great shoots coming up, can't wait to post and talk about the great things happenning around here.  But until then....

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

Prom 2010!

On the radar:

Retirement party, Family shoot, Military shoot, Headshots, Dance portraits, Birthday party, and Maternity shoot.  And that's just this month!  So excited for things to come!

E-Facelift!

Launching the new website layout~

http://intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

More galleries, more info, more music, more branding .... just...more.

:)

Bowleriffic.

Just a sneak peek of yesterday's Bowling Party. 

It's Mother's Day, and I am a mother. So I won't be editing too much, I'm going to do my best to enjoy the day and relax.  Look for more tomorrow. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Click on this one to see it large:

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

Color pull

New toy!

The color palette present in this photo:

Cool, huh?  :)

(I have no idea how I'm going to use this yet.)

a luminance.

"Our function is to use our experience to celebrate a color or to celebrate a luminance." - Christopher Doyle, HKSC

Little A Mini Session

This guy.  I mean, seriously. 

He wasn't really that interested in the hat I brought for him, or any other things I had.  He just wanted to feel the sand, walk towards the water, and look handsome.

He's a sweetheart, a cutie, a heartbreaker.  He's our cousin's little joy.  And you can see why.

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/

The L Family Mini-Session

How am I so lucky to get the best looking families to photograph?  Good genes, I guess. (she's related to my husband! :)  )

These guys showed up, took a minute to primp, and were ready to go.  All except little Max.  He was NOT. HAVING. IT. The thing about shooting a family with four kids is, you have to build that in.  The margin for angry faces, closed eyes, tongues sticking out, and general silliness increases significantly.  There was a point where the two boys decided to demolish the sandcastle my brother had made earlier in the day.  It was hilarious to watch! Anyway, we did our best with Max, and luckily, even though he was clearly not in the mood, everyone else was happy, smiling, gorgeous, and ready.

Come on, Max!!!

http://www.intuitiveimagesphotography.com/