Celebrating Eleven!

This month we had a celebration in the house!  Streamers, candles, cake and all!  Celebrating her eleventh birthday, my daughter's busy schedule was almost too full to fit in a birthday session.  Somehow the stars aligned and in short notice we managed to carve out a little pocket of time before the month of April was over!   I can hardly believe she turned 11 years old!!  It's been a treat to watch her learn, grow and try new things.  I treasure this time with her!!  Happy Birthday to my wonderful daughter!

Next Stop....Graduation!

It's been such a treat to have an early spring this year in Minnesota!  We found the perfect evening for this handsome High School Senior's session!  I so enjoy working with High School Seniors.  It's such a pivotal point in a young person's life.  This senior comes from a large family but wanted to get a few shots of him with his youngest sister, someone very special to him.  I love what we captured!!  Best of luck to you in your bright future!  Here's a quick peek from your session:

These are precious....she loves her big brother!

More fun in Arizona!

I do love the desert, but that is not all that Arizona has to offer.  We headed downtown Tempe and strolled along Mill Aveune to capture more of that urban look.  There is so much character to that area every street and alley we walked.  I had so much fun spending time with my two nieces!!  They are growing up so quickly and are the nicest little girls!  I wish I could visit more often!  Here a little peek from our trip to Tempe!  Enjoy!! 

One of my favorites.....

and a few more from the desert....

Just gorgeous, isn't she?

A desert session

I have always been attracted to the desert landscape.  Maybe because it is so unique and different from the midwest.  I am fortunate enough to have family in Arizona and get the opportunity to travel to my favorite part of the country fairly often.  I am even more fortunate to have two adorable little subjects to photograph - my nieces!   I was so inspired by the warm weather, sunshine and these two sweethearts!  This is a little mini-session in the desert, which I quickly learned even though the ground looks dry and flat, it is in fact full of little hidden prickles from nearby cactus and prickly plants (yikes).  Enjoy your sneak peek, girls!! xoxoxo

New in 2012...

A New Year comes with New Year's resolutions.  Along those lines, I set some business goals for myself for 2012.  The first goal was to develop a marketing package to create a cohesive look among my printed materials and packaging!  I also wanted to add a few new items including both Gift Certificates and Digital Packaging.  

I am offering a Facebook Fan special through the end of March!  Click 'like' and become a Fan of Colleen Davis Photography on Facebook to take advantage of a $100 gift certificate for only $55!  Offer expires March 31st, 2012.  Gift certificate expires December 31, 2012.  Please note that one gift certificate can be redeemed per session.

Exciting new products this year!!

I'm excited to be offering these creative new custom collages.  What a beautiful way to display your favorite images from a session!  Now available in several sizes including 10x20, 11x14 or 8x10.  These collages will come mounted and protected to let you display your piece of art with or without glass.  Upgrade mounting available, just ask to see a sample!

Talkin' Shop

I love photography!  I love to talk ‘shop’ with anyone that might be the slightest bit interested in photography.  Several people have asked me what kind of camera I own.  I use a Canon 5d Marks II.  My camera and the lenses I own are great tools for capturing creative images.   I chose my camera because of it’s incredible high iso ability to capture images in low light conditions.  I can crank that puppy up to 3200 iso and still get a pretty clear shot without too much grain.  The fact that it’s a full frame camera (vs. a cropped frame) I’m able to take advantage of my lens’s full capability without sacrificing a crop factor.  I own three lenses;  50mm 1.4, 24-70 2.8 L, and my 70-200mm 2.8 L.  Each one allows me to create something a little different when it comes to creativity.  My 50mm, with it’s 1.4 f-stop brings in an amazing amount of light when wide open and is perfect for those lower light situations.  My 70-200mm has such incredible zoom and compression creating that creamy bokeh look that I love.  And my 24-70mm is a perfect lens for portrait photography.   Put that lens on a full-frame camera like the 5d, its wide angel ability is pretty impressive at 24mm.  Do I have a wish list for additional lenses?  Sure, I do.  There are so many amazing lenses on the market and knowing the strengths of each lens will help in deciding which lens is right for each particular situation.

Sometimes People mistake the camera and lenses themselves for creating the final image.  You may actually be surprised if you see an image straight out of camera (SOOC).  I’ve included a few before and after below.  Because I shoot in a RAW format I am not allowing my camera to process the image.  Unlike jpeg format where the camera compresses and processes the image leaving little room for changes in post processing.  Instead, I download the RAW files on my computer which acts like my digital ‘dark room’.  I pull the images into a program called Lightroom.  That is where I sort and organize my images and make initial edits to exposure, contrast, brightness, saturation and vibrance.   I then take my images into CS5 (Photoshop).  I use the image taken in my camera as almost a rough draft to my final masterpiece, if you want to call it that.  I can enhance the image with vibrant colors, sharp features, touch-ups as well as crop and add a vignette to a photo to be pleasing to the eye.  I personally like to add textures to enhance an image and give it either a vintage or edgy feel depending on what I see in my vision.  Photographers each have a slightly different process depending on their own interpretation of a photograph.   That is what makes us each unique.  I think when choosing a photographer for your family or event it’s important to look at the photographer’s individual style and make sure it matches up to your taste.    

I  applied for my business license in late 2009 and made things official for Colleen Davis Photography.  I have a passion for what I do.  And as much as there is to learn out there, I enjoy every minute.  The people I meet, challenges I give myself in creating images, and editing photographs to capture what I see - it’s all wonderful!

If you’ve read this far, I assume you’re interested in photography as well.  If you ever want to talk ‘shop’ I’m always eager.  Thanks for reading this post.  

Colleen

Someone is turning th...th...thr...

Three years old!!  That's a difficult one to say!  Probably more so because he's our baby and he's growing up so fast!  With a January birthday, I never imagined that he would ever get an outdoor session for his birthday unless he was bundled from head to toe to beat the cold.  But this year, with temps in the 40's here in MN (unheard of for January), we headed outdoors and took some images that really captured his personality.  He loves being outside!  All summer he spent hours on the play set...climbing, swinging, sliding.  Even as it got cold, this little guy would bundle up just to get on that tire swing!  What a perfect week of warmer temperatures to celebrate his birthday and be able to enjoy the outdoors!  Happy Birthday!  We love you and are so happy you're part of our family! xoxoxo

    and a little sun flare on this warm January day!

Happy New Year and Welcome 2012!

Happy New Year!  It's already January 3rd.  After a full two weeks of enjoying family, friends, and all of the festivities that come along with the end of the year, I'm back in my office.  I'm back and being grateful for all that 2011 brought.  With close to 40 sessions including a dozen HS Seniors and three weddings, I met some wonderful new people in 2011.  I feel so blessed.  I look forward to all that 2012 will bring.  Happy New Year!

There's something about the Christmas season...

One of the most peaceful times of the Christmas season for me is enjoying the beauty of Christmas tree lights.  There is nothing more relaxing after a hectic day than quietly sitting in front of the tree as it lights up the room with a soft glow.  When kids are tucked in, backpacks and lunches are packed for the next day (ok, I'm really not that organized) and the house is quiet, I love nothing more than to enjoy the Christmas lights on the tree as they reflect onto the window.  To me, this is such a peaceful photo.

 
Here are some tips on creating beautiful Christmas tree light photos:  Use only the lights on the Christmas tree when capturing your image.  You can accomplish this without a flash if you slow down the shutter speed and use a tripod or steady surface.  You can open the aperture of your lens as wide open as possible to allow more light into the camera.  This image was shot at 1.8f, 50mm and a slow shutter speed of .4 seconds.  Experiment with your camera and have fun capturing the beauty of the lights.