{ Lisa } Preview | Raleigh Beauty & Boudoir Photographer

February 26, 2013 0 Comment Beach, Boudoir

Last night we met for happy hour & Lisa’s highly anticipated image reveal! Nerves were high & I am not sure who was more excited!

We lifted our glasses for a toast, and began her slideshow.

I heard a few “is that really me” and ” I absolutely love this”. Love to hear those words.

I have the thumbs up to blog her session (yeah!!), and that will be coming very very soon – hopefully on my new Beauty & Boudoir site that is almost finished!

A beautiful woman & a gorgeous portrait.

It’s in the eyes and I get chills when I get connection like this…

I’ll be back soon with more!

~Kathy

Little Miss M | Preview | Raleigh Family Portrait Photography

February 19, 2013 0 Comment Children, Portraits

Friday afternoon I had the pleasure to meet this little sweetheart. She wants to be an actress & she most definitely has the sparkle to make that happen!

I also photographed her awesome siblings, and am anxious to share those as well.

Here is adorable Miss M & those eyes that will melt 1,000 hearts …

~Kathy

Portrait Photographer Raleigh NC

Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2013 0 Comment Uncategorized

I made my tea this morning gazing over fresh cut roses The kids woke to cards and new books from their Dad. This afternoon they will come home to big chocolate kisses from me.

We will eat our favorite marinated steak tips & a big veggie filled salad for dinner, with fresh chocolate dipped strawberries (by me) and whipped cream for dessert!

Hope your day is filled with love & indulgence!

~Kathy

Tuesday Photo Tip | Confetti Fun!

February 12, 2013 1 Comment Portraits, Tuesday Photo Tip

Last week was my oldest daughter’s 14th birthday. She requested a photo shoot weekend, and of course I obliged!

One of the fun shots she wanted was blowing confetti. We decided to make it a fun and colorful birthday pic, so I visited the local fabric shop and picked up one yard of fabric for the backdrop. I seriously don’t understand why people spend hundreds of dollars on backdrops, when you can spend $7 on a yard of fabric!

Next was to find confetti. I wasn’t sure what would work best, so I purchased several different types. Used in this photo is THIS paper confetti I purchased on Etsy. Awesome stuff. Second favorite that floated and sparkled beautifully was a shaker of gold confetti flakes that I purchased at Michael’s. I cannot find the link online, but if you shop for some it looks like gold flakes in an ice cream sprinkle container.

Now, for the set-up. My favorite location – the front porch. The perfect light. Click HERE to see my previous “Simple Lighting Technique’ tutorials about using a covered location for beautiful lighting.

Our first two attempts I noticed she was closing her eyes when blowing.

ISO 640 f/2.8 1/320th

Not really the shot either of us wanted. We also wanted more confetti around her head.

So I got my youngest to stand on the stepping stool and drop confetti one count before she started blowing.

“Keep your eyes open” I yelled!

We got this …

She still kind of looks likes she struggling with the eyes, but it also looks happy to me so it’s a keeper!

(You don’t get too many attempts with a teenager I tell you)

I edited the photo by softening the background with radial blur, clone stamping a few confetti spots to fill in the blanks, slight brighten and contrast increase and cropped it square (it’s for her instagram afterall)