Dear Natalie: Composition.

Hi Natalie!

Your photos are always so beautiful. When you're doing portraits (especially family portraits & when working with children) do you suggest poses for the people you are working with? What's your secret to keeping your photos looking natural and nicely composed?

Hello Friend,

That's a great question as well as a wonderful compliment! THANKS! For the most part I try VERY hard to create natural looking images. I really strive to capture the essence of my subject. I love to capture moments. REAL MOMENTS with REAL EMOTION. That's my favorite thing about being a photographer. I also think that's what sets me apart from many other photographers out there. . . That said, I would be lying through my teeth if I didn't admit to posing pictures. PARTICULARLY for a couple/family/bride who may not be very comfortable in front of the camera. Some direction will certainly put your subject at ease.

Here's the formula. Start with some direction, like this:
Obviously they didn't just walk up to that PERFECT place all by themselves and get into that PERFECT position without a little help. . . or a lot of help . . . from me. BUT whenever I do things like this, I'm looking for something ELSE. Something OTHER THAN the pose I've created. I'm searching to find the shot within the shot. . . the shot within the contrived pose. Like THIS:

A REAL moment. Sure I encouraged it a bit, but then I stepped back and waited for the magic. I love this shot, minus the mad edge burning. . . I need to loose that. . .but I'm definitely too lazy on a Friday afternoon to mess with that.

So there's the formula with adults. Kids? TOTALLY a different story. TOTALLY.

You'll NEVER find me posing a kid. AT ALL. It would SO backfire. With kids you just stay patient and grab what you can when you can. I'll encourage them, you bet your bottom dollar. "Hey, look inside my lens and see if Tinker Bell is still in there. She came for a visit this afternoon." Or "Hold Daddy's hand, he's feeling lonely and needs some special love from you!" Or "Don't smile. . . don't you DARE smile." That's when you end up with shots like THIS:

This isn't the greatest shot ever, but this little honey's mom and dad told me that they don't have ANY pictures of her smiling. . . and well, I got like 40 . . . so something in this equation is adding up. . . and quite nicely.

Well there you have it. . . short question, LONG answer.

xoxo,

Nat

PS- Happy shooting!!!

Jones Family Teaser.

Me on the Web.

My article A Fresh Look at Depth of Field went up today on Digital Photography School. This article is mostly about composition, and will be helpful for beginning and advanced photographers alike. Many of you have expressed a desire to learn compositional tips. So off you go!

I Couldn't Resist.

I'm "Light Bulb." Who are you? Find out here.

Check it.

Check out this radical shoot by photographer Sean Flanigan. He never ceases to inspire. Oh, and I'm taking guesses as to what this girl has in her mouth.

Love Letter.

To: Natalie
From: Meg

So I'm one of the 1000 stalkers who frequent your blog... I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to chase my passion.... whatever that may be. I find your blog so inspirational. You make me want to be a better, funner mom, have more color in my life, and focus on the small simple things. Keep up the good work!!!

Meg,

Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. Inspiring people toward happier, more centered, driven, meaningful lives and loving relationships with the people around them, THAT is what I want to do more than anything, the photography and the blogging. . . they're just the medium. . . the means to the end. You've inspired me to want to do more, to reach out more completely and more fully! Thanks for saying thanks!

xoxo,

Natalie

Back in the Saddle: Here's Melvin.

Melvin is sooooo beyond his years. He's got his head square on his shoulders. It was so much fun spending the morning with you Melvin! Congrats on the graduation!

My Man Melvin.

You're going to have to settle for ANOTHER teaser. I'm having a hard time getting pictures to upload the last couple of days. . . thanks for being patient. I should be back in full force later this afternoon!

Melvin.

More to come from Melvin's senior session.

Good Morning: Giveaway Recap.

Random picture= Morning at Hukilau.

Ok everyone who chimed in with your to do lists on the Shall We Dance giveaway last week. . . how'd ya do? A simple YES or NO will suffice. "YES" as in "yes I rocked that list of junk right out". . . or "NO" as in . . . "NO, need I say more?" In order to answer with a YES, you MUST have completed everything on your To Do List.

Happy Monday everyone!

Dear Mom.

click to enlarge: if you'd fancy a giggle

Dear Mom,

I'm breaking my "no posts on Sunday" rule for you on this very significant day. It is Mother's Day, yes, but more significantly it's the first such day you have spent without your sweet little boy. I know that he is thinking of you today and longing to be near you just as you long to be near him.

If I may be so bold as to speak for a moment in his behalf:

Dear Mom,

Hi Mom! Thank you for being so wonderful! There could not have been a better mother for Natty and I than you. We both feel so blessed to have you. You gave us your whole heart in everything, and always. What an angel mother you are. I know you miss me today mommy, I miss you too, but remember where I am and all the wonderful things that I'm doing. Remember how happy I am. Remember that I'll see you soon, and mostly, remember that I love you sooooooooooooo much. Ooooh I love you! I am nearer than you know. I walk beside you in the sunshine and I dance with you through the wind. I am forever your little boy, and I love you.

Mom, I'll see you sooner than you know.
Happy Mother's Day!!

Yours forever,
Gavin
AKA: Gavin Son, Gavtron, Gaver Dave, Gabbie, Gavzilla, Venus. . .Unkie

PS. "You're so bamboo tops!"

Mom, we do love you, Gavin and I. So much more than you could ever know. We will all be together again very soon. Thank you for always giving yourself to us completely. Thank you for teaching us to work and to play, to love and to forgive and to accept others unconditionally. Thank you for teaching us to be independent and strong but mostly thank you for teaching us to be humble and for teaching us about He on whom we should rely for all things. . .

We couldn't have asked for anything better, not in our wildest dreams.

I love you Mom!
Happy Happy Mother's Day!
xoxo,
Nat

What's in YOUR Bag Allie Anne?

Meet Utah photographer Allison Cox of Allie Anne Photography. Allison and I go way back, to ELEMENTARY SCHOOL in fact! We lost touch for years but reconnected at the Jonathan Canlas Workshop in March. What a HAPPY HAPPY coincidence. This girl is A.MAZING. Not only is she an amazing mother and friend, but she is a fantastic photog. She CONSISTENTLY produces quality images. Very fine art and totally timeless.







Well, without further ado, here's my interview with Allison. . .

ME: So, what's your MAIN camera body?
Allison: My Contax 645 film camera. This is my baby :) I use it for almost everything.

ME: What do you use for backup?

Allison: My Canon 5D. Also a great camera. I like to have it on hand where ever I go.

ME: You shoot both film and digitally. I want to hear your favorite things about each medium. Let's start with film.

Allison: Aw, film. What can I start with? There are so many great things about film. One of the biggest things I love about it is, I don't have to do much post work and they always look fabulous (straight out of camera). I don't like to spend hours on end on the computer, so it's great that I can use 99.9% of my shots and not have to edit them much. The depth, saturation, and color is really unbeatable. Also, I like that it's tangible, something I can see and feel (weird, I know.. but I just like that about it). Film is just classic; it will never go out of style.

ME: Ok, now what about digital?
Allison: I have to admit that I love my digital camera. I love the instant gratification of seeing my images right away. It's so fun and easy. I also (sometimes) like to play around with my images in photoshop and see what I can come up with. It's just fun. There are definitely advantages for using digital -- it's cheaper! I use my digital camera around the house a lot photographing my daughter. It's very handy :) I also use it for weddings/bridals/ and pretty much everything as a secondary camera.

ME: Tell me about your lens selection. Which lens can't you live without? Why?
Allison: I actually don't have a huge lens selection. I'm a pretty simple gal. I don't have oodles of equipment.
ME: I'm glad you brought that up. I wish more beginning photographers would realize that they really don't NEED a whole lot of equipment to get rockin' images. I've never shot with more than 2 lenses at any given time. I'm planning on buying a third here pretty soon, however it's not a necessity, just a perk . . . anyway, so tell me about your extra gear.

Allison: I totally agree. I have:

• Contax: I only have one lens for my contax 645 which is the 80mm f2.0 that I've had for years. I love this lens. I have gotten great shots with this lens time after time and been so happy with it.
• 5D: For my 5D I just have two lenses. The 24-70mm f2.8 and the 85mm f1.8. These two lenses are really all I need for now. I love the versatility of the 24-70. since it's my only wider angle lens, I use it for everything. So, to answer your question... I guess I can't live without any of these lenses since they're all I have at the moment!
  

ME: Any other camera toys you dig?

Allison: Yes, the Holga. I've had my beat up Holga since my first year of college and I absolutely love it. I recently purchased the 'diana' -- which I'm growing to love more and more. These cameras are so unpredictable and lovely.
ME: Because of you, Jonathan and Leo, I've really become a fan of the Holga. I'm buying one next week in fact!

ME: What else do you bring to every shoot?
Allison: I don't leave the house without my light meter. I'm not the most technical person, but I've learned that this little tool is a must have if I am to get good results using film.

ME: What's the best piece of advice you ever received about photography?
Allison: It would probably be something along the lines of -- shoot what makes you happy and what keeps you inspired.
ME: That's GREAT! I couldn't agree more! I wish more photographers would keep that in mind. That advice is worth its weight in gold.

Be sure to check out Allison's blogs: old and new alike.

Allison,

Thank you so much for sharing with us!
You are a bright light in the world of photography
as well as a great friend
I'm so glad to have rediscovered!
May everything that's wonderful be yours!

xoxo,
Nat

Don't miss previous issues of What's in YOUR Bag? So far we've heard from:

Jasmine Star
Michael and Anna Costa
Ed Pingol

Check out the interviews here.

Doxey Family.

This darling couple was SO fun to hang out with. They're AMAZINGLY comfortable together. I LOVED shooting them. They just graduated from BYU-Hawaii and now they're off to gallivant around Europe for the summer! It was a joy guys! Congrats on the graduation!

This post is gonna be a doosie. . . I'll warn you it's LONG. . . Deep breath, and here we go.

What's a Girl To Do?

What's a girl to do when every image from a shoot is her favorite image? Well, I'll tell you what she'll do. Tomorrow, she'll post a LOT of images. Stay tuned for the Doxey family!

Guess Who?

Guess who I ran into last week.


Good thing I recently started riding the "Lost wave," otherwise he would have just been the big guy standing next to me at the book store. . . . I'd never have known. We chatted it up for a few minutes. He was very gracious and kind. His girlfriend was ESPECIALLY darling and sweet.

And well, there you have it.

The end.

Got an Absurd Dating Story?

Got an absurd dating story? Sure you do. Go visit Mormon in Manhattan, enter said absurdity, and be entered to win a "NYish pressie."


Here's the quick link to the contest.

Be sure'n spread the word! How fun!

Tatum and her Man.

More a comin' soon from my fun quickie portrait session with Tatum and her fun mom and dad!

Callie's M&Ms.

Finally getting caught up on editing. . . sort of. My week off, really was a week OFF! Catch up time!! More coming soon from this fun portrait session with Callie and her new bruddah Krew.

$500 B&H Photo Giveaway.

Pioneer Woman Photography is hosting a $500 giveaway to B&H . . . enter to win here. All you have to do is comment on the post to be entered. Wahoo!

I hope I win. But if you win, I guess we can still be friends. Muahahahahahaha!

Craft Time at the County Fair.

Well no, not literally at the County Fair. Do they even really have those? Mystery.