Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The aunt with the camera

When our niece's friend, Kali asked if I would shoot her college graduation photos I was hesitant. Oh sure, I had taken photos for her friend/my niece, Kaycee when she graduated from ASU. And I took them of Kaycee's sister Kelli for her high school graduation too - but I considered those to be a little favor for the graduates. Plus, those girls are my nieces and they knew going in that I am not a professional photographer. I'm just the aunt with the camera. Always with the camera.


Well, Kali had seen Kaycee's photos and loved them, so when she asked me a couple of months ago I said yes and then proceeded to worry about it just a little since then. Not really worry, but... well... just anxious about how the whole thing would go and hoping I could pull it off because there was payment involved this time. Yikes! That always makes me nervous.


When Kali and I met up over the weekend she had her friend/my niece Kaycee with her. I thought that was great because Kali was nervous about being photographed, and I knew that Kaycee would be a fun addition to our session - Kali needed her support.


At the beginning of our photo shoot, Kali was quick to tell me how un-photogenic she is. "I take terrible pictures!" she proclaimed, and I told her not to worry. She told me that if, after our session, we only had THREE good shots she would be happy and so would her mom. That didn't phase me because by the time Kali was telling me how bad things were going to be, I had already started shooting and had captured at least three good shots while she was telling my how impossible that was going to be.


As you can see by the photos in this post, Kali relaxed and we really had a fun time at the park Saturday afternoon. I loved uploading my photos later and seeing the progression of her shoot. The first set of photos were good, but there were a few forced smiles or slightly awkward laughter shots. About mid-way we hit our groove, and by the end Kali was having fun with it and hanging from trees! LOL.


I loved the entire process of shooting Kali's photos! I loved the planning that went on in my head before the shoot; loved the challenge of proving her wrong when she believed she was not photogenic; loved talking to her and joking around until she relaxed and trusted me; and I loved knowing that I captured some beautiful images of her at this exciting time in her life. It felt like a huge responsibility and I feel like I delivered. I'm honored that she chose me to photograph her.

Congratulations, Kali!
And all the best for your very bright future, sweet girl!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well Deb - you certainly have a talent for taking photos of pretty girls - these are just fabulous.

Anonymous said...

Deb these are lovely! I bet Kali and her parents were absolutely delighted with them.

Susi said...

Lovely shots Deb. As good as any professional shots I've seen. May I ask what lens you use and do you shoot in raw or use an editing program.

Jo said...

Wow, you got some really great shots, I bet she was so pleased :)

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

:o) Thanks for the sweet comments, everyone.

Susi - In answer to your question, I shot all of these with a 50mm lens and I always shoot in AV mode. I use Photoshop for editing and that's where I really need some more practice. I think a photo editing class is in my future! I usually do an auto adjust on the levels, and then I adjust the lighting to remove shadows and also up the brightness. Thanks for asking - and I will email you just in case you don't come back and read this. xo

Susanne said...

Those are lovely shots - you made her shine a little brighter.

scrappyjacky said...

Some great shots,Deb....I just love the tree one.

Robyn said...

GORGEOUS job, Deb!!! These are fantastic!!

Karen said...

You certainly did deliver! These are fantastic; I especially love the one of Kali upside down with the backlighting. Awesome job, Deb!

alexa said...

What a wonderful aunt you are! You have the skill of taking great photos, and the knack for enabling your subject to shine :). These are truly lovely.

traci said...

Well Kali is gorgeous and very photogenic and you my dear did an amazing job capturing her beauty!!!

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

You really do have a talent for portraits Deb. Your subject looks very relaxed and I should think she is delighted with your captures.

Miriam said...

I agree, you have a wonderful talent for portrait photography Deb. these are absolutely beautiful. the back lighting on picture four is fabulous.

Margaret said...

I think you should consider yourself a professional.

Barbara Eads said...

Your pictures are gorgeous! I would love to have an aunt with a camera just like you! Or a sister, friend or acquaintance!

cedarmerefarm said...

Fabulous, Deb! Your subject looks soooo sweet and you captured her personality nicely.

Ruth said...

You've done a fabulous job! I'm sure she (and her family) loves them.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...