Children

What goes into a digital session set

This was a lovely session held just before Halloween. Everything fell into place perfectly. Many sessions this past Fall have been rather weather challenged to put it mildly. This one was no exception. When we started the wind was gusting and the rain clouds were looming. Fortunately the dark clouds moved away and the breeze dropped. Dad even managed to arrive early from work and we got him into more family portraits than planned.

I am blogging this session now because I am wrapping up my work on the family’s order. The family had a hard time selecting prints because there were so many choices. (That happens a lot. It is always my aim to produce work that makes my clients spoiled for choice!) In the end the family opted for the session set of files. This is really a great choice.

Digital file session sets require a lot of work. Some clients may only want to own images to view on a computer screen but that’s not the product we sell. All our images whilst looking great on the computer are perfected for printing as portraits.

I am meticulous with all my orders but digital file sets are especially labor intensive due to the number of images that need to be prepared. It takes many hours of work to individually prepare the 20+ portraits. Sure, I could cut corners and save time by running automated Photoshop actions on the entire group of images. I don’t do that. I prepare each portrait as if it is going to be printed and framed as a 10×8. This includes various touch ups, drool removal on babies, stray hairs, background distractions to name a few. I also sharpen and then convert each file to black and white. Clients get both a color and black and white portrait for each image. I could run a black and white converter on all the images at once to save time but again I don’t do that. Each image is unique and one type of black and white conversion does not work for all portraits, the background may require different tones and faces require precisely the correct amount of contrast for best results. If a client opts to purchase a larger file to be printed for wall portraits another layer of preparation is required to ensure they look great when printed for wall display. In the end my clients are given file sets that can remain as files on the computer, as a special keepsake or can be used to make their own high quality print portraits, now or in the future. Call me old fashioned but for me and my photography, it still comes down to creating a beautiful printed portrait.

And so all that is left of this order is for the mini accordions to arrive back from the lab and it will be shipping out …

Girl with red flowers

Boston family photographer

Sisters portrait

Dad and daughter

A boy and his dog

There seem to have been quite a few dogs present on recent sessions and this is one of the nicest ones, he was such a pleasant mild-mannered chap! Of course the little boy loves him and gave him plenty of robust hugs, which he accepted most patiently. I thought these images turned out well, the color of the dog was well matched to the autumnal tones of the fields. We did this session in some preservation land in the Lincoln/Concord area, one I have not used too many times before but I really liked because of the nice grasses that make for lovely portrait backdrops. There were also some plants that had dandelion type seeds, something no typical young boy would be able to resist tossing in the air!

boy and his dog

boy and his dog

Boy and dandelion seeds

Back in the studio

As is always the case at this time of year I have been doing many outdoor sessions, this is my busiest time of year and much as I enjoy doing outdoor work at our many local wonderful locations I am quite looking forward to the more frequent studio sessions that the colder weather brings. Here’s a selection of portraits from a recent newborn studio session of a local family from Concord. These three sisters together were so delightful. I am looking forward to mailing out this portrait and digital file order within the next few days.

Sisters and baby

boston baby portrait

Sisters in studio

Children growing up

Anyone who has ever visited my portrait studio in Concord will probably recognize this first image that appeared on my blog several years ago – I have a giant gallery wrap of it on display and most comment on it and the detail that is visible when seen in person. I had the pleasure of photographing this family again for a Fall family portrait session and one of the joys of my job is that with my repeat clients I get to see the children grow and it brings me great satisfaction that I can play some part in documenting their lives. The last image is one of my favorite family portraits from the session and I was so pleased it was ordered as a large print with a digital mat as shown, it’s great to know such a lovely portrait is hanging on the wall of this family’s house!


Children by pond


Girl fall portrait


boy portrait


Family fall portrait

Big Dog

I believe this dog holds the record for the biggest I’ve ever had on a session! He was so well behaved though and made a great subject. Of course, so did these kids and their parents. This was a fun session and I think it comes through in these pictures. This first picture of the boy and the dog ended up being a lovely 14×11″ gallery wrap, it was great to see the product come back from the lab – so much character!

Dog & boy

Boston family portrait

Boston child photographer

A splash of summer color

This session took place at one of my favorite locations, whatever time of year it is there are always settings available that produce great portraits. In this summer session there were wild flowers in the field to provide little splashes of color, which complemented the  lovely summer dress this little girl was wearing. I’m busy working on this order right now, here are some of the great images I’ve done already as I work my way through it:

Outdoor baby portrait

Boston child outdoor portrait

Baby in grass

Dog days of summer?

Dog licking boy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully those hot summer days are coming… The blog has been a bit neglected recently and when going through the backlog of sessions I came across this image which made me laugh and I can’t resist sharing it! The session was actually in the fall and I will share the rest of it later this year when it is more seasonal, I love how this area allows so many different moods with the changing seasons.

 

Brothers in the studio

Mother and newborn

Boston baby portrait

Boston baby photographs

I’d taken portraits of this young boy previously as a newborn, now he brought in his new baby brother. It’s always special to capture those very first interactions between new siblings, and we also had some lovely timeless images of baby alone and mother and baby – a great session!

More outdoor goodness

Another session from last year to remind us what we can look forward to as the weather warms up – outdoors in the grass and flowers! This baby just loved sitting and playing in the grass and had a terrific brother to play and cuddle with, both were such happy children.

Portraits On A Cold Day

 

Just posting images from one of my favorite late Fall sessions from last year to show that great sessions can still happen when the weather is cold. It was a really chilly late afternoon last November but with a great choice of outfits everyone stayed warm and still had fun. When it rolls round to late October it gets cold even when the sun is shining it’s last rays of the day so outfits have to be planned carefully. Sweaters, layers, simple tailored pea coats or jackets work well. It’s never a good thing to be photographed in the big ski jackets but they are still handy to wrap up in between photographs.

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