I feel like such a slacker. I haven’t posted to my blog in almost 3 months. I know, I know. My millions of fans have been so disappointed. HA! This business of having two boys is NOT easy. My oldest will be 6 next week and my youngest will be 6 months next week. SIX!!! SIX MONTHS!!! Where has the time gone? In a little less than 2 weeks I will be dropping my oldest off at kindergarten and crying as I drive away.

What else have I been up to? In the spring of 2009 I got the AWESOME opportunity and privilege to be one of the mentors on Clickin’ Moms. Just recently I started teaching a natural light workshop over there. I have “met” many new friends in the process, and it has been very challenging and thought provoking for the participants. It is a win win for everyone. The first natural light workshop was in May. I am just finishing up the second run of the natural light workshop and a third run is coming very soon. There are several FABULOUS workshops and instructors already, and many more to come. They have been selling out at the speed of light since the beginning. So, what are you waiting for? Come check us out today!

To close out this (long awaited) blog post, here is a mish mash of some recent pictures of my boys. I have made a promise to myself to capture my boys in their own environment, doing the things they love. It makes me very happy and it is my sincere hope that it comes through in my pictures of them. ♥ ♥ ♥

My baby boy is already three months old (sniff, sniff). It just isn’t fair how fast they grow. But, I do have to say that he is the best baby ever! He already sleeps 10-12 hours at night. He smiles and coos and blows bubbles. He is very inquisitive and likes to stare at Mommy & Daddy. He is a chunky monkey too and was 12 pounds at his 2 month check up. Sometimes I wish he could go back to being teeny, tiny. But, then he would not be as snugly as he is now. Here are some recent pics of him. Isn’t he adorable? ♥

As many of you know, I have been on maternity leave since the middle of December. I just wanted to let all of you know that I am ready to get back to work and I am now scheduling sessions again. A very limited number of sessions will be available each month to allow me to spend more time with my family. For the time being I can only schedule sessions on Saturdays in the morning or evening. The first date I have available is Saturday May 1st. I like to schedule outside sessions first thing in the morning or about 1 & ½ to 2 hours before sunset. Studio sessions for newborns and children can be scheduled anytime during the day.

I have made some changes this year to my prices and collections. Desk prints 8×10 and smaller are now $40. I have also transitioned to pre-paid collections that include your session fee. Pre-paid collections start at $500.

Hurry and book your session because starting today all sessions booked and paid for by 5:00 p.m. on Friday April 30th 2010 will receive $50 off their collection as well as 3 additional desk prints.

And last, but certainly NOT least, here are a few recent pictures of my sweet baby boy. ♥

I look forward to hearing from you!!!

There is so much to learn when you are just starting out in photography. I know when I first started I had so many questions that I was afraid to ask. I thought it would be helpful to put together a Q&A using questions I have received recently via email and private message. And since I can’t post on my photography blog and not include a picture, here is a picture of my son from last week.

Now, on to the questions.

Q: “I just saw your newborn image in the basket w/the pretty sun! How did you set that up? Do you use fill flash or was it all natural light? I struggle w/clarity/crispness/cleanliness in my images. Does that make sense?”

A: All natural light. No flash or reflector. This picture was taken about an hour before sunset. The sun was starting to go down behind the trees. The backlight was soft enough that I did not need additional light on his face.

Q: “What setup do you use for your newborns? Any advice for that type of session? I want to do more newborns, but wow I have the hardest time w/them!!!!”

A: I use one light inside a giant softbox and a reflector opposite my light. My advice would be to bring a beanbag, a space heater and lots of patience. Ask mom to feed baby before you get there. Don’t worry too much about getting baby into a specific pose or switching out lots of hats and blankets. Many times that can irritate them more than anything. Just take your time and have fun!

Q: “I was admiring your beautiful website and noticed that your images are not overly processed. Did you teach yourself Photoshop or take any classes that you could recommend. I prefer to “get it right” in the camera, but sometimes Photoshop would come in handy. I have it, but have rarely used it and would like to familiarize myself with it. Thanks in advance for any help you could give.”

A: I learned Photoshop by reading tutorials online and by trial and error. There are many great online forums geared towards photography that can help too.

Q: “How do you get those perfect beautiful silhouette images? What kind of processing do you have to do to get the end result?”

A: For my silhouette pictures, I expose for the sky behind my subject. I like to get really low to the ground to get as much of the sky in the picture as possible. I also like to eliminate as much of the ground as possible so the subject’s feet and legs don’t get lost in the blackness. This usually means I am lying on the ground and covered in stickers when I am done.

To process my silhouette pictures I keep it simple. In ACR I will increase my blacks and increase the color temperature for a more golden tone. In Photoshop I usually add a multiply layer. The multiply layer will darken your silhouette and give the color a boost.

Q: “I love how your pictures are crisp, clean and look naturally beautiful. Although I like the look of bright colors and actions, I am really trying to master just a beautiful picture that looks natural. And you produce just that. I am just learning Lightroom, but I can’t seem to produce images like yours. I am really excited to see that you are or were using the 40D. I have the Canon XS with a 50 mm 1.4. Do you have any suggestions for someone like me?”

A: I honestly 100% believe that proper exposure and proper focus is the key to clarity (of course, nice equipment helps too). My processing is very minimal. In ACR I will tweak color temperature and exposure. In Photoshop I will do a simple S Curve for contrast and a Levels boost to brighten the midtones. Sometimes I will add a soft light layer for contrast or a screen layer for brightening. It just depends on the picture. For outside or urban pictures I like to push the processing a little bit further.

Q: “I noticed that you were from Tyler. I reside in Texarkana and was wondering if you ever hold workshops in the area. I would have no problem traveling to Tyler for something like this. I’ve not been able to find any good workshops in our area but think I would benefit from something hands on.”

A: I have really been considering this. I will probably offer a 1 on 1 mentorship rather than a workshop though. Look for an announcement in the near future.

Q: What are your favorite actions for Photoshop?

A: Honestly, the actions I use most of the time are actions that I have made. I do have a few others that I use and love. But (for the most part) I like to hand process my images with my own processing and style. I feel like using too many actions is taking another photographer’s style and applying it to my images. One of my favorite actions I use on every image is an edge sharpening action.

Q: “I am thinking of buying a DSLR and was wondering what equipment you have?”

A: I have a Canon 40D. Most of the images on my blog were taken with the 40D and 50mm 1.4 lens. I also have the Tamron 28-75mm 2.8, Canon 100mm 2.8 macro and Canon 15mm 2.8 fisheye. But, 99% of the time my go to lens is my 50mm 1.4.

Q: “How do you get your inside pictures so well lit? I am struggling with the studio equipment.”

A: Studio lights can be very overwhelming at first. I would suggest starting with one light and a reflector. Once you feel comfortable shooting with one light, add a second light and then a third. A light meter is a MUST. I highly recommend the Sekonic L-358.

My oldest son got a Radio Flyer wagon for Christmas from some good friends of ours. I have had this image in my head since he got the wagon, but I kept putting it off because I was pregnant and then because I had just had a baby. So, yesterday I said to myself “Self” (yes I talk to myself quite often) “No more procrastinating”. Daddy got home early and he fixed dinner and watched baby brother while we went to catch the sunset. I want to do this same picture again when baby brother can sit up in the wagon and have big brother pull him in the wagon. Good thing there is a strap in the wagon to buckle him in because it does have the potential to be a disaster. I will keep you posted on that one. But, for now, here is the image I captured last night of my son and his wagon. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This is what childhood is all about. ♥

I thought he would never get here, and now he is almost 4 weeks old. SIGH. Where does the time go? It is all a blur in between the feedings and diaper changes and piles of laundry and sleep deprivation. I really am enjoying documenting this time in our lives though (in between yawns and cat naps). I just have to share some pictures I have taken from the past few weeks. I love that I will have these images to look back on when he doesn’t want to snuggle or get kisses from Mommy and Daddy anymore. Hopefully that won’t happen for a long time though.

Some with big brother.

Some with Daddy.

Just because he is so cute in his jammies. ♥

And last but not least, my favorite. I just love how magical the light is.

He is finally here and I couldn’t be happier!!!!! My precious baby boy was born Saturday February 20th at 10:26 a.m. weighing 8lb 2oz and 20 & 1/2 inches long. I love him so much. He has such a mellow personality and he loves to snuggle. His big brother is so excited he is finally here. He has nothing but love for his baby brother. He is such a big helper too! I plan on taking some more pictures with Daddy and big brother later on this week. I just had to share the pictures I have taken of him so far. He is so adorable and so loved by so many people. I thank God every single day for him. I never knew I could be this happy!!! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Just in case anyone is wondering (from my previous post) his big brother gave him the duck and hasn’t touched it since.

It looks like our little one has decided to show up fashionably late! His big brother is on pins and needles waiting for him to get here. I snapped a few frames today and wanted to share. My son came home from church a few weeks ago with a baby gift someone had bought for us. One of the items was this cute little duck that has a rattle inside. He has drug that thing EVERYWHERE. At this point I don’t think he has any plans of handing it over to his baby brother when he is born. Even though he strapped it in his brother’s car seat and got it all ready to take to the hospital. . .

He also drew a picture of me. See his baby brother there in my tummy? ♥

And one from last week that I am just in love with. He had just come in from playing in the snow and asked me to take his picture. That does not happen very often, so I jumped at the chance.

Thanks for looking and stay tuned. I am sure I will have tons of pictures of a certain squishy and fuzzy little baby boy very soon! ♥

Welcome to my brand new blog! I am sure some of you have been wondering what I have been up to since I have not posted on my old blog in quite a while. I am actually on maternity leave right now waiting for my little boy to arrive. He only has about 4 days left. He really has no idea what he is in for. My husband is already shaking his head at all the pictures of him I already have in my head. I am sure he will be making his appearance on my new blog very soon. I plan to start booking sessions again in early April.

Along with my new blog comes a whole new look complete with a new logo! Here you will find many exciting things. I will post blog sneak peeks from recent client sessions as well as my own personal pictures. I will also be posting about some REALLY AWESOME specialty products I offer and why you simply MUST have them. I have a special client section with all the information you will need to prepare for your session. I also have a list of some of my favorite inspirational photographers. If you are new to Elisabeth Ross Photography then WELCOME! I have an investment section that will give you an idea of where my prices begin. Feel free to contact me for a complete price list or with any questions you may have.

And since no blog post is complete without a picture, here is a recent picture of my son. Okay fine, it was taken on Christmas day. I have just not got around to posting it until now. I just love his sweet little smile. He is so excited about his baby brother he can hardly stand it.