Author: woadmin

Water Oak Studio > Articles by: woadmin

Devin | Houston Portrait photographer

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Devin is 13, and she’s just about the coolest kid you’ll ever meet. Maybe I’m biased because – full disclosure – she’s my niece, but I’m pretty sure you’d agree with me. We got together in Ohio and took some photos at a cool little park with some really neat old doors. We had a blast, and it reminded me of the last time we took photos… Um, she’s grown up juuuust a little since then!

Grace | Houston Baby Photographer

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Sweet little Grace turned one and had a cake smash. It was AWESOME. One of my favorite cake smashes to date… We did this session last April, and I remember the rain started just as we finished – how lucky is that? In addition to the cake smash, we did a few portraits of Grace as well as a few with her mom and dad. I love combo sessions like this. It’s super easy for the parents to get a good variety of images without all the stress of multiple sessions. Hope your next birthday is just as rad, Grace!

Marcus | Houston Newborn Photographer

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Marcus-36It’s little Marcus! We met Marcus last April; I went to college with his parents, and was so excited to see such an owl-y Rice-y room! (Good job, guys!) Marcus was (and is) such a joy of a kiddo. I have his newborns below, as well as a few images from a mini session in December, AND a video I did for them! Lots to look at! Keep on being awesome, Marcus!

 

(As always, click to enlarge photos!)

Baby Sarah | Houston Family photographer

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The photo above is one of my all-time favorite newborn shots. Little Sarah was such an angel… So alert and sweet. She’s super lucky to have such an awesome big sister, too! I wanted to share her newborn session from June as well as a few shots from a family session we did this December… Six months later. You can see how big she’s gotten!

 

Six months later…

The Black and White Truth

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In 2016, I’m offering black and white conversions on selected files. I am super excited about this, but I’d bet you’re sitting there saying, “So what? My phone can do that. My computer can do that. The internet can do that.” And you’re not wrong… exactly.

 

The cool thing about these photos is that you can do the conversion in several ways and get totally different looks from each method. This allows your photographer to create a really striking image that is going to outshine the default B&W (sometimes called desaturate) setting on your favorite program.

 

Let’s take a look at just a few options, using a lovely photo of my cat, Luna. Above, you see the original color version of the photo. Here’s what happens if I convert with a blue filter, which makes all blues in the photo light:

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Okay, cool. But now look when the same photo uses a red filter. Notice how details in the white fur are harder to see, and her eyes appear brighter:

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Here’s an interactive slider, so you can go between the two versions to see the differences better. (Blue on the left, red on the right)

 

On top of those types of conversions, there are stylistic options, too. Here’s one with a slight brown cast, which makes it a bit softer to the eye:

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Another one brings out a ton of detail in her face and fur, as well as making the blanket she’s laying on appear busier. There’s also a vignette on this photo, which slightly darkens the edges. A totally different look from the others:

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And here’s one that’s even darker, which gives it and entirely different mood.

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Kind of neat, huh?

 

The black and white conversions I’m offering for my 2016 clients will be a mixture of the above types (and many more!). Each image has a different emotion and color content, which helps determine the best conversion type to use. This will result in some lovely, original images that have a timeless look. Some of my favorite photos in my own house are large black and white prints!

 

And of course, if there are specific images you want to have as black and whites from your session, all you have to do is ask!

Olivia and Nick | Houston Maternity Photographer

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Speros-13I’m so excited to share this beautiful maternity session with you. It was already starting to get hot in April when I met Nick and Olivia at Sam Houston Park. We had a lovely time, and it just reminded me of how excited I was when I was expecting my own son. Olivia was a much more graceful and beautiful pregnant woman (I was an angry walrus), and I can’t wait to show you the newborn session we did only a few months later!

Regarding Toddlers

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Nute-32There’s something really wrong with the current state of family photography. Somewhere along the way, we’ve put all this importance on the first year of a child’s life. Newborn sessions, 3-6-9-12 month packages, milestone sessions for sitting up or walking, cake smashes… It’s all wonderful stuff, sure, but as soon as our kids hit one, we put the brakes on the photos.

 

I get it. Kids grow and change a lot in the first year, and the development is (in theory) slower than later years. But I disagree with this philosophy. Toddlers are some of the most interesting subjects to shoot!

 

A lot of my clients say they aren’t getting 18-month or 2 year photos done because their kids “can’t sit still,” or “get into everything,” or “don’t listen to my instructions to sit on this ledge and place their heads delicately on their hands like a pageant princess,” which is all very true, certainly. Toddlers are a different beast altogether, and expecting a perfectly posed portrait session is asking for a ton of stress and a likely disaster. Toddlers move, and in my opinion, the most successful sessions are ones where we (myself and my parent clients) embrace that independence and spirit.

 

I often liken children’s photography to a safari: my job is to watch the kids, interact with them, and wait for the photographic opportunities to present themselves. In doing so, I am rewarded with vibrance, excitement, and movement in the subjects and images. Toddlerhood is when your child is really beginning to become a little person, and who wouldn’t want to capture that?

Jesse | Houston Baby Photographer

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Jesse-2Jesse turned one! I love this family; we did a cake smash and family photos, as well as a few individual shots for mom and dad while I was there. Every once in awhile, a client will ask for “atypical” shots, like individual photos of mom or dad, and I am happy to oblige! It’s hard enough to get all dressed up with a baby in the house… Might as well take the opportunity to grab an updated shot of yourself! It was fantastic to meet Jesse’s grandparents, too, who got in on the photo action as well. I love involving grandparents in sessions! I wish I had more photos of myself with my own grandparents when I was a kid.

Anyway, I loved this session because Jesse was super displeased with being messy from the cake! No thank you, cake, he prefers clean hands! It was really cute, and we managed to talk him into a little bit of mess before he politely requested a bath. Check it out!

 

Claire and Bradley | Houston Family photographer

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Nute-34Claire and Bradley are bright and active two year olds with big plans! Our session was a lot of fun. I plan to do a post on photographing children at this age, since it’s so different from the first year “milestone” sessions I normally do. Anyway, these two twins were awesome, and it was really fun trying to capture their personalities while they explored. Thanks for the fun day, kids!

Sage | Houston Newborn Photographer

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Little Sage is such a sweetheart! Her session was last February, and I got to hang out with her and her newly-minted older sister, Serena! Sage is part Turkish, so we got to do some fun shots with some of the evil eye stuff around the house. They also had some amazing matching pants with their names printed. Think they come in adult sizes? Welcome, Sage!

 

Cameron’s Big Surprise | Houston Baby Photographer

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Cameron-3Cameron has some news, everyone: She’s going to be a big sister! When we took these photos, mom and dad didn’t know the gender of the baby, so we did photos with two different signs. This way, they were able to grab the images they needed for their pregnancy announcement… And we got in a few shots for Cameron’s birthday party invites, too!

 

 

Valentine’s Superpost

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Back at the end of January, I did an indoor Valentine’s day “photobooth”. Parents could show up and see their kids in a few different setups: Valentine’s Day, Spring, or a Brick Wall option. They pay nothing to show up, but have the option to buy images from the gallery. I do something similar during Halloween. It’s a great way to get one or two shots for an otherwise minor holiday. We had a great time! Here are just a few shots:

Tilley

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I held off on posting this session because the pictures were a surprise present for her grandparents, but it’s coming up on Tilley’s first birthday, and it’s time to share them! Tilley’s Aunt was in town and we did a session with the two sisters and their sweet little daughter/niece. It’s crazy to look at these photos and know how much bigger little T is now, but that session will have to wait for another blog day!

As always, click to enlarge!

Evan and Melissa | Houston Engagement Photographer

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Oh, just about forever ago, I was honored with the chance to photograph a proposal in Hermann Park! How cool is that?! The groom-to-be, Evan, surprised his now-fiancee, Melissa, with an adventure of epic proportions, culminating in a dramatic flash mob dance routine! I am not making this up, and yes, I am just this lucky to get to shoot this kind of stuff! Congrats, Evan and Melissa!

As always, click to enlarge images.

Free weekend!

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We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming of adorable sessions because guess what? This weekend, I’ve had the rare, elusive free weekend! No sessions booked, which means it’s time to play around!

First off, I am super lucky to live in a neighborhood with a TON of babies… And sometimes I can trick them into coming over and doing pictures! Woohoo!

Then, I got some new flash equipment and played in the studio, with my always-willing model:

And then he decided he was going to just be adorable tonight before bed, so we couldn’t ignore that…

And this week, I have a lot going on, so my blog backlog will increase even more! Spots for August are filling up quickly, too! If you’re interested in booking, shoot me an email at jacki@wateroakstudio.com!