What are you grateful for?

I cannot believe how fast the time is flying! Christmas is only a few weeks away! WOW!!! This is the time everyone is scrambling to get their Christmas cards out (hence, family pictures!) What a great time to take a break from weddings and reconnect with family. Being home in Idaho this past week reminded me of just how important family is (and it is good to have that reminder often). I am so lucky that my family is close and that we are a close family in general. When we got together this time, we took a family picture (it had been way too long!) So, this is just a reminder to go out and get YOUR picture taken! Make memories! Remember all of the things YOU are grateful for this year! :)

Homegrown

Although I (Heather) am a transplant to Utah, my heart is still in Idaho. This is a shot Jason took out the back of our home. Yes, it is as beautiful as it looks! I was blessed to have grown up in a small town in the country. No matter where you end up, there is no place like home :)

Know your equipment

We have all done it- you know, see a cool picture, want to know how it is done, learn that the photographer used x equipment and 20 minutes later, it's on its way! :) lol! Ok, maybe you haven't done it, but you've thought about it, right? :) Well, I am guilty! I LOVE gadgets! One cardinal rule of photography is to know your equipment BEFORE you shoot! Practice with it! Learn it inside and out! Guaranteed if it can go wrong, IT WILL :) 

On this particular shoot, I had bought a piece of equipment and I thought it was a straight forward piece- well, it was straight forward plunging it in, but since I didn't practice before hand, I couldn't figure out how to control the power! Yikes! I had to move Jason about 30 feet away to get this shot! Yes it worked out, but having to use a megaphone :) to communicate with lighting probably didn't look the MOST professional :) Lesson learned!

Be prepared and you will be fine! And remember you can do a lot with a little! 

Finding the Light

As a photographer, you constantly hear about lighting! And there are an abundance of answers all over the internet on how to find it, what it means and so on. Maybe I'm just on the slow side but I still didn't quite get it! It seemed I would get a glimpse of "good light" and then 2 seconds later it was gone! GONE! Jason was driving yesterday and saw this beautiful image below but by the time he pulled the car over and got out his phone, the light had reduced by half!!! 

So, what is good light and where DO you find it? That is the challenge for the week- take a look around- I found that light is EVERYWHERE! Take an object and notice the light on it- where does it come from, is it warm light or cold, is it hard light (dramatically dark shadows) or is it soft (you can't tell where the light starts/stops), is it direct light or reflecting off of something or even diffused THRU something? If you get a chance, post your pics with the hashtag #Jandhphotolightchallenge

The Right Fit

Finding the right fit... not so hard, right?

First, Photographers, get your style down. Not everyone is going to love everything you do. Let them see who YOU are! Be sure YOU love YOUR work! A very wise woman told me once that I have to be sold on me before anyone else will be.

Second, don't try to fit your client. Just like in dating, you can't force a great relationship. It is ok! You don't have to try to make every client "work."

Third, when you DO find "the one," nurture the relationship. Let them know you are excited about them! Most brides and grooms are thrilled when they find someone half as excited as they are about their big day! Share in that excitement with them!

And when all else fails, keep at it! (Or grab a spoon and come grab some Jif Peanut butter w/ chocolate chips dumped straight into the jar- yep! That's right! So good!!!!)

Sudweeks Family Fun

One of my favorite parts of taking family portraits is the interaction between shots! Those are the moments I like to catch! This family is one of my absolute favorites! Such a great family!!! And so cute!!!

Rachel and Dallin

Last week we had so much fun shooting Rachel and Dallin's wedding! It was beautiful! I loved her bright colors! As you can tell, Rachel and Dallin are FUN! One of my favorite shots of them was jumping in front of the temple- it turned out SO cute!