Tag: Casa Water Oak

Water Oak Studio > Casa Water Oak

Sarah

Posted on by woadmin

I’m lucky to be asked to occasionally photograph members of the Houston academic community, and was fortunate to be able to photograph Sarah before she left town for her next adventure. Academia requires a certain seriousness, and it’s fun to balance those with more open/ accessible shots with smiles.

Recent headshots

Posted on by woadmin

These are selected shots from a few fairly recent headshot sessions I’ve done. Clients usually walk away with 20-30 images and overwhelmingly tell me the session was super easy and very low pressure. I’ve loved expanding into headshots over the past few years: they’re a good balance for the fun, wild kid sessions!

Penny

Posted on by woadmin

I loved this session– I’d never spoken to the client (except via email) before the shoot, and she told me she was super uncomfortable with photos. It took us just a few minutes to really warm up and get things cracking. I think “photo-averse” clients are some of my favorites, because we generally end up pretty happy with the results, and I like being able to provide a really low-pressure environment for them.

Jasmine

Posted on by woadmin

When I shoot portraits in my studio, I generally ask clients to bring three outfits: a business one, a casual one, and a “normal workday” one. Of course, people are always welcome to bring whatever they need- some clients even use their headshots for things like dating profiles, personal websites, or just a social media refresh. I am very lucky to be able to photograph so many of my friends in my studio! I always have fun with Jasmine, who is one of my favorite friends and an absolute natural in front of a camera.

T + M

Posted on by woadmin

I’ve photographed this family for a few years now. They often bring their parents and siblings along for a few photos, which I love. It’s so nice to have a record of your extended family, especially for the kids to see as they grow. In a rare move, I invited these clients into my house (something I generally only do for headshots!), and we had a fantastic session out of the heat.

Sima

Posted on by woadmin

I am super lucky that, aside from photographing amazing families with adorable children, I get to meet and photograph some amazing people. We took these photos at Casa Water Oak. I often meet clients in my office for well lit, easy, and inexpensive headshots. The best part is getting go talk to them about their careers while we shoot!

Alessi

Posted on by woadmin

Sometimes parents want to get newborn sessions but find they are too busy, overwhelmed, or distracted to take photos when they first come home. Imagine that! Like there aren’t a bunch of new things to do with a baby or something! Alessi’s parents contacted me when she was a few months old. We were able to get great squishy baby photos while also documenting her in a little-more-awake, little-more-engaged mood. I love these images and this beautiful baby!

Andrew

Posted on by woadmin

I am pretty shameless when it comes to forcing my husband and kids to be my guinea pigs. Luckily for me, Andrew is a patient man and needed some updated headshots, so here we are! It’s always fun trying to figure out what qualities to bring out in headshots- every pose telegraphs certain qualities about a person. Body language is a big deal!

Naomi Turns One

Posted on by woadmin

I love this family! They joined me at Casa Water Oak to celebrate Naomi turning one! Congrats, little Naomi! We ended up at Water Oak thanks to some pretty ridiculous rain- we’d planned to be outside, and I think it rained for exactly the length of the session and then stopped! I loved sharing this space with them and getting some fun, laid-back shots.

The Black and White Truth

Posted on by woadmin

Luna-1

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:

Blue-1

 

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:

Red-1

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:

Chocolate-1

 

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:

Detail-1

 

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

another-1

 

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!