Always A Bride ~ A Rock the Dress Photo Party

I became a bride...again. But this time I was not worried about keeping my dress clean, this time, it was to have fun and get fabulous!  You see, I am approaching my 10 year wedding anniversary. WOW...10 years. I can't believe it has been that long! 

My buddy Soozie is an AMAZING photographer.  She has the greatest ideas and an eye for creativity. She has this awesome idea to do a Rock the Dress Photo Party with about 7 of us ladies.  WHAT fun we had.  Professional, Sandy Raley, from All Dolled Up Artistry did our make-up, and Cindy (yes, our very own Cindy) did our hair.

It was an fabulous day with the girls, and a great idea for a party.  Gather up your buddies and get beautiful!  We had Mimosa's and chatted while we were undergoing our transformations from housewife to Model!  It really was a blast!

Here are some photos, to see more go to: http://www.photographybysoozie.com/2011/05/09/forever-beautiful-always-a-bride/

(Yup...that is Katie and Me)

Interested in having Soozie do a party for you? If you are in the Southern California OR Pennsylvania, Let me know or contact Soozie through her web site: http://www.photographybysoozie.com/

*hugs*
Denice

Photo Credit: PhotographyBySoozie.com

Photographer Review ~ NikkiB Photography

I have been friends with Nicole for a few years now.  Nicole is a photographer.  She has been photographing for over 15 years. She provides indoor and outdoor photo sessions. Nicole's specialty sessions are Maternity, Newborn, Children, Families, & Seniors. We  recently went to a local park to shoot some sample photos for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day with my kiddos...the stars that they are! I had a chance to talk a little "shop" with her:

Q: What made you decide to be a photographer?

A: My dad started me at the age of 12 assisting him at weddings, I was cheap labor and he trusted me. As I got older he put a camera in my hands and I began to shoot photo journalistic photos while assisting him. There was no better feeling than when I saw the look on my dads face when he was proud of me because I captured a great photo!! As I got older, and got my BS in Business, I started working for my dad at his studio. Since I was older and had more confidence and already had so much experience, I began shooting my own stuff!! There is no better feeling than the response from people who love the images I capture for them. Its a snap shot of time in their life that they will get to look at forever!!

Q: How long have you been a photographer?
A: Well I guess you could say since I was 12...so 16 years. I have been shooting my own work though for the last 8 years.

Q: What is your favorite subject to photograph?

A: I love kids and babies, but recently I have really been in to maternity photos.

Q: What was your all time best shoot?
A: Wow, that one is tuff!! all my shoots are very different. I did one on my good friends kitchen table with her new born nephew. The mother was very emotional because she had been through a miscarriage and lost a baby brother when she was little. I think the newness of her baby was very scary for her, but in the middle of our session she really adjusted and I saw her eyes light up. When we started she was very disconnected, and when she became engaged with her newborn it was an amazing feeling and sight to see!

Q: What is your best advice for those looking for a photographer to photograph their event?
A: Just call me!! I'm the best. haha. My best advice...Do NOT book some one based on their web site. You need to see more samples, and make sure you see samples from start to finish of the same event. With digital photography the field is flooded with amateurs who could afford to buy a digital camera. Unlike film, there is no cost to capture thousands of images and edit down to the few "good" ones. Many of the so called photographers get a few great shots, create a web site and are suddenly a "professional photographer". The problem is that those images they show you were created out of pure luck! They have no clue about settings, ratios of light, posing, etc. The problem with luck is that you are not always lucky, so that photographer may show up to photograph your event, and not get lucky.

You need to know that your photographer truly knows their craft and can capture great photos in any given environment. Also, there are some very creative photographers, but for an event you should make sure they are organized as well. For events like weddings, the photographer must be good at managing their time and really making sure the day's timing is on schedule.

Thanks Nicole for sharing! Nicole has also offered KDC readers a special for the upcoming holidays

Mothers/ Fathers Day Session $75.00

Session and disk- 2 panels 10 images
(spell out mommy and daddy)
Just contact her at nikki_boz@hotmail.com or 626-391-3455

Now go out and get some photos!!

*hugs*
Denice

Photo Credit: NikkiB Photography

Getting the Perfect Shot

Important moments in life should be captured, and not just in our memory but in pictures. I am a photo freak! I take pictures of everyone and everything. I am by no means good at it, but I am terrified I am going to miss some fantastic moment in life, so I document it in thousands of photos. As most of you know, I had a baby last year, and he is quickly approaching his first birthday. I wish I could say I was as on top of things as I was with my first child, but come on...let's be serious, the second child is often caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. He is a photographed child, but on my iPhone!

So, as his first birthday quickly snuck up on me, I had never even thought of having him photographed! Then I received an email from a local Photographer asking my opinion on an association I used to belong to. We began chatting through email and we instantly clicked! She offered to photograph Cooper for his birthday and I accepted.

Her name is Angel and that's exactly what she is. She was amazing with both of my children, and captured them and their personalities exceptionally. I was so impressed with her that I needed to know more about her and why she does what she does. Here is a brief interview with Angel from Angel Diane Photography:

1) What made you decide to be a photographer?
My father's untimely death. He was 44 and I was 17. He took pictures of the family and they are all I have left of that life. They are images of my memories and a life that is now gone and the only proof of a childhood. From that I started speaking the gospel of, "you MUST take pictures." The photography came secondary. My passion was fueled and the camera found me.

2) How long have you been a photographer?
Professionally, 9 years. I stumbled onto a kind man who saw my passion and graciously mentored me. He changed my life by mentoring me for a year. We did weddings & sporting events together, coupled by college classes. I started in film photography.

3) What is your favorite subject?
I enjoy capturing the bond between people / family. Emotion that exists between people. Weddings are special because I enjoy capturing such an intimate day and freeze framing it for future generations. I also favor capturing the bond between siblings. It's such a beautiful relationship. Siblings are those people that truly know us like no other. They know the good, the bad, and the ugly. And when it comes to hell or high water,they are typically the ones who will stand with us.

4) What is your favorite prop?
Something that is meaningful to the subject. Something that will invoke a memory for the person I am taking the picture for. I don't want them to remember me. I want them to remember a period in their lives.

5) What was your all time best shoot?
Wow! To pick just one is so so hard. I have so much fun with so many people. I laugh with my subjects and somehow become part of their lives. I am honored that my work will become part of their family history. This question causes a flood of memories with so many people I have photographed I seriously don't know how to name one singular experience.

6) What is your best advice for those looking for a photographer to photograph their event?
The food gets eaten, the flowers die, and the cake gets cut. After everything is over, the only thing they are left with is the pictures which will serve as their memories. Make sure you appreciate the photographer's style. It's so much more than telling people to, "smile!" Experience is so important because there are never two variables alike: lighting, time of day, weather, flesh tones, environment, etc...Google all of your vendor's names and find out what they have going on.

7) What is your favorite image you have captured?
This image is special. To me it represents life. Grandma's loving working hands. It was on a wedding shoot and the bride beamed with glee how her grandmother had made her veil. What she conveyed is that she was so happy that her grandmother had made it. I wanted her to have an image of the hand that worked on her veil. She included that image on her final wedding album.

Thank you so much Angel for sharing your passion, and Thank you for the fabulous images you took of Cooper!

If you are in the market for a photographer, contact Angel and check her out. She is very reasonably priced and like I said before, a pleasure to work with. Just a note to all, I paid for my photo session and prints, so this is a true testament of how much I liked Angel as a photographer.

*hugs*
Denice

Photo Credit:

[photography]