This is Our Life - Project 52 | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Photographer

2012 brought along a ton of challenges.  But I'm happy to say that 2013 is here and I'm tired of looking behind me thinking of what I could have done better.  This year I've committed myself to participating in two 52 week projects.  One of them is a lifestyle project documenting our lives, as they are right in this moment.  This project is near and dear to my heart.  My family is growing and the years seem to slip past me way too fast.  So with the help from Paint the Moon Photography I'll be doing my best to make sure I capture something - at least once a week for a whole year.  

This past week's prompt was "nightly rituals".  This is my take...

 Bath time.

Use What You Have! | Southern Maryland Photographer

The holidays have come to a close.  The new year has just started.  And with that, people are probably running on tight budgets.  I know I am!  

If you're like me and would love to still take a variety of images of your kids and you don't want to spend any extra money on backdrops, then keep reading.  I hope that I can help offer up a few tips that inspire you to look everywhere for new ideas.  

Aside from being a photographer, I'm also a mom.  My husband has blessed me with the opportunity to stay home with our daughter while she's still young.  And these moments are fleeting!  I always have my camera within reach (even if it's my phone's camera) and looking for backdrops in my home that we already have on hand has become a necessity.  Here are a few examples of images I've taken of my children using items I had laying around.  

If you have blankets around your home that are special to you in some way, use them!  Choose fabrics that have texture to them.  Or use a patchwork quilt that has lots of color to add interest.  Here's a tip: when using a patchwork quilt, have your subject wear a solid color shirt so the patterns or colors aren't distracting.

In the image above I used my yoga mat!  This actually happened by total accident.  My daughter was playing with it and I just happened to notice that her shirt matched with the color of the mat.  Because my camera is always within reach, I snatched it up, rolled her on her back and started dancing around and making faces.  It turned out to be the perfect backdrop for this photo!  Not only does it offer a nice pop of color, but the mat has added texture. 

This is a holiday photo that I did of my daughter, inspired by my door wreath.  Yep!  That's a wreath that I purchased at Lowe's two years ago!  I took the wreath off of my front door, grabbed a furry rug that we had and I set her in in the wreath in front of a blank wall.  The lights you see as the background were added digitally in Photoshop.  I didn't even have to have a set of lights laying around!  You can find the digital lights at Modern Baby Photography's store.

This last image was taken using the same rug I used in the holiday photo, above.  And I did actually use a seamless paper backdrop for this.  However, something like this can EASILY be recreated using other items in your home.  Think of using a solid wall you have at home.  Do you have a solid colored sheet you can tape to a wall?  Use that!  (Make sure you iron it first though.  Editing out wrinkles are a PAIN!) 

Take a few minutes to look around your home and take note of what you've already got.  Be inspired to try new things!  Once you get bitten by the creativity bug, you might find that it's tough to see things the way you used to.  :)

A Day at the Park | Southern Maryland Lifestyle Photographer

I needed to run some errands today and since I've been working hard at shooting my kids more (I know...sounds horrible - LOL!) I thought we'd stop by our local neighborhood park for about an hour.  It gave Thea some fresh air and time to chew on the dirty swing and eat leaves.  All kids need to do that, right?  Hahahah.  

If it wasn't 38* outside today and breezy, we could have stayed there longer!  The sun has finally decided to pop out from behind those rainy clouds and it was nice getting out of the house for a change. 

Our Winter Days | Southern Maryland Children Photographer

First, I have to say that I'm soooo super excited that 2013 is here!  It's a new year, new beginnings, new things to learn and uncover.  My new branding was created just a short month or so ago, and today I spent some time creating this blog/site.  So, WELCOME!  :) 

Our winter this year has been filled with more rain than snow.  This makes me a little sad because I've had my heart set on taking the kiddies outside to enjoy the white fluffy stuff.  Especially since my daughter's first birthday is coming up soon and I think it would be the most amazing thing for her to see snow before then.  Until then, we're mainly stuck inside...which suits the kids just fine!  (Considering Christmas just passed and they've got TONS of things to keep them occupied.)  

 

I'm actually totally ok with this arrangement!  Because my oldest won't be 'this' young for much longer.  And right now, he's very willing to spend his days playing with his baby sister.  <3

I'm still secretly wishing for some snow though.  Haha.