Creative Portraits {fog inspired}

My boys aren't always so great at listening and not bugging each other... but they are good at modeling for me (and they're ridiculously photogenic). It's a fair trade off, I guess. ;)

Kayleen, Maternity Portraits

This is my lovely cousin, Kayleen. Yep, I'll claim her! We're 5 months apart and grew up on opposite sides of the pacific ocean, but somehow we stayed good friends through the years. She's seen me at worst, for sure, and still claims me too! We've both moved around a lot since we've started families of our own, sometimes even living in the same state at the same time! That's always fun for us!

Marsing Family, Winter Family Photos

I adore this family. I've been taking pictures of these kiddos for about 7 years now! We've done train tracks, gardens, and canyon parks (to name a few places) so this time we tried something different! SNOW! I guess it was meant to be because that morning we got a LOT of snow! 

How Professional Images Actually Help Your Memory

Professional portraits are considered an investment because while we are told our brains save everything we hear, see, read, feel, smell, taste… we have not yet mastered the skill to recall those things at will and with utmost clarity. Try remembering the details of a face you haven’t seen in years… can you do it?

Without high quality images, I wouldn’t remember the details in the baby blue eyes of my now 9 year old - whose eyes have incredibly turned a shade of gold and green. I just couldn’t! Without high quality images, I would hardly remember the mischievous grin,and twinkling eyes of my younger brother who passed away over 10 years ago at age 20.

Images keep long distant relationships alive, and connect us to people we may never see again in this life (or may have never even met). Images keep stories real and memories closer to our mind’s reach. I despair to think how many priceless, precious moments have been lost to oblivion because no one bothered to record anything referencing them. How much more do we cherish the images of our babies - once they’re grown? How much do we cherish images of the best times of our lives - when those times have long since passed?

It is far too easy to let time slip away thinking there is nothing significant about that birthday, that family get together, that random road trip, that whole year, or that Halloween costume. Or have you already experienced the pang of regret that you didn’t get pictures while she was still around or when you went to that one place that ended up meaning a lot to you…

“I wish someone had gotten a picture…” Have you ever thought that?

Now let’s get your pictures taken!

6 Tips to Get Great Pictures of Kids!

Kids.

Oh, kids.

They can be exasperating to work with.

Let's be honest, a happy child is the most wild, free spirited thing you'll ever know and will hardly sit still or look at a camera long enough to say cheese. BUT if you know a few tricks they can be the most beautiful, magical creatures you've ever worked with! 

Here's a few things I've learned that make photographing kids my favorite! (And they don't even have to smile...)

Connect. You have to have to connect with them somehow. If you connect with them they will be more likely to respond to your direction.

1. Be FUN - throw leaves with them. Play a game of making faces. High five them - a lot!

I think it's really important to know their names, and use it a lot!

2. Change it up. K, now jump around. Look at mom. Make a silly face. Now give me your best smile! Now stop smiling and freeze…. Work with their short attention spans! They're guaranteed to get a little cranky (or maybe a lot) if they are expected to sit still and hold a, now fake, smile.

3. Give them breaks. Again, work with their short attention spans, and give them quick breaks to run around or get a drink or go to mom

4. Encourage good behavior. If mom and dad haven’t already bribed - I mean encouraged - them to be (generally) well behaved, then figure out some kind of reward. Small candies (with parents' permission) like smarties (NO CHOCOLATE) or pez work miracles. If candy is a no-go, simple rewards like hopping up and down can feel like a reward (and also goes along with "give them breaks").

5. Don't make them smile in every shot. Sometimes I like to tell the kids, "don't worry about smiling, just look at me like you're listening." Or, "don't worry about looking at the camera right now... why don't you look at _____________?"

6. Follow them around. Let the kid(s) set the pace for a little bit and follow his or her lead. Ask for their ideas, and go with them. If there is a child who just refuses to cooperate you might be amazed at how they change when they feel like they are in charge! Action shots are another great way to capture their personalities. Follow them around and snap away!

No matter what you do, don't forget to breathe. Don't rush through the experience, try to enjoy it and create those portraits that will be timeless for them and possibly generations to come!

You've totally got this!

What are some of your tricks to get great pictures of kids?
What other challenges do you want to overcome in your portrait photography?

Hello, Old Friend!

Apparently the last time I posted anything was in 2014. THAT'S embarassing! With all the different social media platforms available I've been rotating through them... and my blog was sorely sorely neglected. I'm sorry.

But not to worry, I have been taking pictures! To see some of my recent work, you can visit my website aliciastates.smugmug.com, facebook or instagram (@photosbyaliciastates).

Here's a little something recent to brighten your day!

I love those feet

Toes for days!

I love these feet. I love the tiny ones and the bigger ones (though they are all still pretty small). I love that their toes look like little squishy balls.

Oh yeah, and their feet are clean! (But wouldn't that be an image with muddy dirty feet in my clean white bed!)

With 4 boys ages 1-7 this image is kind of a miracle in itself. They were cooperative, and even excited about it. I have an image similar to this of my oldest two that hangs on our wall, and they were happy to try to recreate the image with their younger brothers :)

But those feet! I love their feet! I am grateful for their feet.

Those feet that they stand on, run on, walk on, climb with, kick with (yes, sometimes each other)...

Those feet that will support them throughout their lives. Who knows what grand adventures those feet will take them on! Some they will go on together, others on their own.

Those feet. My GOSH I love those feet.

(Hey! Hey, guys! I don't know if you know this, but I love those feet...) :)

My Little Princess... a photo project

I shared a little teaser in my last post of the project I was working on, My Little Princess a Photography Project. Remember I talked about learning new things? One of the things I learned to make was flower crowns, and I used them for this project.  This is a natural light : natural beauty project that emphasizes softness in facial expression, natural lighting, soft colors and texture. This is a photo shop project as much as a photography (straight out of the camera) project. Adding and blending the texture is what I feel make these images more than just nice pictures, but portraits. Pieces of creative art that would make someone want to hang on them on their walls. :) t's all part of the learning curve. Trial and error. Practice, Practice, Practice.

I am super pleased with these images, and hope you enjoy them!

Rediscovering Me

Have you ever done or experienced something so life changing that it kind of reawakens a part of you that has been dormant for... well, a long time? No? Go do it.

I'm at a good place in my life right now, (a calm before a storm? I hope not! knockonwood) and have been motivated to learn new things. I've been brave enough to start growing my own herbs, we're eating healthierish (yeah it's a thing), I've been trying new lighting/fabric/textures in my photography and I'm loving the results! Today I even set up my sewing machine!

It's no secret that I'm not fan of Winter, and finally summer is here! I thrive in the summertime!

I considered starting a new blog for the things I'm learning and experiencing... but let's be honest... there's a pretty good chance it will be badly neglected. So I'll share somethings here. Hope you don't mind!

And for your viewing pleasure... A beautiful little princess! (I've also learned how to make flower crowns and I'm in love with them!)

Little Boy Blue {A 3 Year Old Photo Session}

This kid is so dang cute.

And he's mine.

I've been trying to do better at at least getting birthday pictures of my (four) boys! It's harder work than it should be. I have been a slacker with my older boys, and I need to get pictures because they are both in their jack-o-lantern phase... and boy is it awesome. (Hey! Everyone goes through it!)

Anyway, here's my darling boy. I'm super pleased with these as I didn't intentionally over-expose them. I usually avoid mid-day like the plague, but it's the time we had to work with so there you go! We survived, and got a few gems that I will cherish for always!

Tough Guy.

Anyone out there a third child?

So is this guy. He's the third of our four boys, and sadly, this was the first time I took him out to get pictures of him. I mean, sure I have head shots of him, like I do all the boys, but I really don't have images that capture his personality... and we've never gone out just for him.

Of course, my first son has a plethora of images and one-on-one photo sessions... but for some reason this little bugger has gotten caught up in the mix and has been slightly over looked and photographically neglected. Well, his two big brothers are in school now... so we get more one-on-one time. I love it.

I am biased, but what a gorgeous kid! And his smile! Oh, I'm a sucker. I'll tell you what though, (if you'll let me brag for a sec) when he is sweet, he is the sweetest thing in existence! He is generous with his pleases and thank yous, (I wish I could take full credit for that, but they just come like that, you know?!) and that little voice is just angelic.

But don't let him fool you. Like any two year old he has his moments. And when he doesn't like what's going on... watch out because this kid is loud! And when he's in a mood, attitude seeps out of his pores. You can see it, can't you? Brrrrraah! Those are some tough learning moments for both of us.

I'll confess... it was hard to get images of him. He didn't hold still for two seconds unless he was being cautious with that board (he is my cautious one), and he did not want to look at the camera (believe it or not...) and he definitely wan't going to make this easy for me and just smile for it!  But obviously, I got a few keepers.

I love these images of him because 1) he's mine. and as his momma I am allowed to gush over him no matter how awful the lighting might be ;)  and 2) It's been a little while since I've done portraits for a little boy, and I remember how fun they are, even if they never stop moving!

It's been fun to "get to know" him better and spend time with him when his older brothers aren't trying to dominate every conversation and situation. He's got big personality in that little body. It makes me wonder what incredible things are in store for him!

If you're a third born, what tips do you have for me as a parent? What should I be aware of to help my third born? 

*side note, if you're interested in birth order: I'm a first born (of 6) and my husband is a second born (of 8).

The Cook Sisters {Pt. 2}

What beautiful little girls!! It was an absolute joy to take their pictures! You may remember when I took first year pictures of their baby sister... well, we got together again and this time we had the balloon! Each girl had pictures with a yellow balloon for their one year birthday sessions, and last time we got together all the balloon places had closed! 

The lighting was beautiful. Obviously, I have a thing for morning and evening lighting. The backlighting and highlights are gorgeous. 

These girls were natural posers, but even when they weren't actually "posing" they were stunning. It was darling to see the older two interact. I could tell without even guessing that they are the best of friends. 

It's always fun for me to take pictures of girls since I only have boys. It's fun to be around their girly energy and I get to be silly in ways my boys would think were just weird. :) I could never ask my boys to flip their hair or twirl or pop their hip... lol... (I'm chuckling just imaging it!)

Venture off the beaten path

These cute girls are my boys' favorite babysitters! We traded some baby sitting for a photo shoot, and sure had some fun last week. McKaida's cute headband matched beautifully with the spot we found, and she worked it! This was the first time Jorie took pictures with me and it took her a minute to warm up, but once she did, she rocked it! We will definitely be doing this again! I would love to do photo sessions in this same spot in each season... just sayin', girls...

I am in love with these images. We woke up bright and early (for a Saturday) complete with some Del Taco hashbrowns and caught some gorgeous morning light, in a spot we just happened upon. True Story. I heard the little brook and ventured off the beaten path to find this tiny clearing that was pure magic! The smells, the sounds, the light... We could have stayed there all day! ...but we filled up my SD card... so until next time!!

I will be back.

Enjoy.