Category: Family

Diana & Francisco, Engaged

7/26/2014

Diana & Francisco met when she was a tender 14 years old. They eloped at 17, had their beautiful little girl Giselle a few years later, and are now celebrating TEN years together! And to that end, they are having the big wedding they didn't get to have all those years ago. So on August 30th, their wedding/vow renewal will be lovingly documented by Brian and me and we can't wait! We photographed their engagement/couples session at the DC Harbor and couldn't have asked for more perfect golden hour light, breezy summer weather, or a more charming couple. Brian took great care of Giselle (some of those photos will come later) while I focused on Diana & Fran. It was a great evening and we are counting down the days till they dance the night away at The Other Barn in Maryland. Congratulations, you guys...10 years together is amazing! :)

Please enjoy their photos. Remember...click on the horizontal ones to enlarge them! :)

Love,
McCall & Brian :)

3 Comments

Corey & Ed, Maternity :)

6/11/2014

0 Comments

We spent the most fun two hours I've ever had at a maternity session with Corey & Ed, mom & dad to be. :) Golden hour on a warm but breezy Mother's Day evening, at Lake Needwood in Rockville, MD, laughing at their incredibly sweet, incredibly silly relationship. :) They share a genuine bond that I think comes across in their photos, and I know that Baby Smith is going to be one happy, joyful kiddo. :) Can't wait for the newborn session, guys! :)

Have a wonderful day!
McCall & Brian :)

P.S. Click on the horizontal photos to enlarge them! :)

0 Comments

Lizz & Richard's Maternity Session :)

6/6/2014

1 Comment

A sweet maternity session with Lizz & Richard in Old Town Alexandria. Their daughter, Isabella, will arrive very soon and I can't wait to photograph her newborn shoot in a few short weeks!!! :)

Please click on the horizontal images to enlarge the pics. :)

1 Comment

High Tech Tuesday-Cowardly Lighting ;)

1/28/2014

1 Comment

Baby E in her Minnie Mouse hat, snoozing peacefully. :)

Hi! So, one wedding down, two to go. Everything must be caught up by the next wedding I shoot on 2/22 for Amanda & Tom. Well, at least all weddings. We're not going to count the normal shoots that definitely need editing. :) I am finally not a zombie anymore like I've been for the past few days. I'm currently working on Erica & Rich's feature for tomorrow's blog and excited to share it with you. They had such a fun and sweet wedding.

Most photographers I know (at least those who consider themselves natural light photogs as I do) really hate indoor photography. The evil yellow light, lurking shadows, low ceilings, painted walls that we can't bounce flashes off of very successfully. Using our nemesis, the flash. There are a few ways to overcome the icky yellow lighting IN camera. Most people customize their white balance. However, I often find that when shooting an event, the lighting is constantly changing (there can be uplighting, chandelier romantic ambient light, stark light, fluorescent light, etc.) or I'm going from room to room, and having to stop to customize the white balance is a little difficult. Last week I mentioned changing the camera setting to my personal favorite coloration, "Faithful". Well, since you can also customize your other settings, I actually do two things when I walk into my event. I take a few test shots when choosing what type of lighting (Tungsten is often recommended but I find it too cool and blue in tone for my purposes) and usually end up picking between "flash" and "fluorescent light". And after I've chosen that, I lower the saturation level...taking it down one or two pegs depending on my needs. I take one last test shot and find that my indoor colors are much closer to normal skin tone, not yellow OR blue, but flesh toned...which means I spend far less time in post production correcting my coloration.

That's my post for tech Tuesday...I hope it helps!

I'm photographing the adorable Otaizo little ones this weekend, working on pulling together some styled shoots for the rest of winter into early spring, and finishing up my piles of editing. And getting super excited over what lies ahead. :)

Happy Tuesday!
McCall :)

Paula's fabulous ring on yet another cactus. Hey, I was having fun. ;)

Paula & Michael about to steal a kiss...Brian caught this photo of them at the Botanic Gardens and I love it! :)

Paige's lovely sister Laura, holding her adorable little boy during the ceremony. I love the Christmas tree lights creating perfect bokey behind them. :)

Paige's custom made wedding band to fit her exquisite engagement ring, paired with Bobby's strong & classic wedding band. :)

Paige. I have the most incredibly beautiful brides in the whole wide world. :)

1 Comment

Strike a Pose Thursday: Posturing ;)

1/23/2014

1 Comment

Paige & Bobby on a snowy porch, posing for portraits during the Golden Hour. So perfect. :)

Aloha! I say that because it's 8 degrees in Virginia but I'm willing myself to Hawaii. Lucky for me I only have to feel the cold in small, blasting doses, when I open the front door to let the pups out into the yard. Even they are feeling it-normally wild horses can't get them out of the yard when they are on a mission to go. But these days they run out, skip their ritual "gotta pee/gotta poop" dances, and fly back inside. Then they run up the stairs and cuddle under the covers and blankets next to me before I even get back into bed! :)

Last week I talked about how you can look better in your photos through your stance/poses. I want to continue that by giving a few tips to models...or for those of you who just wanna look like one in your next photo session. :)

Posture itself is very important. In a photo, if you're standing up, you want to elongate your neck and spine as much as possible, as if there's an invisible thread on the top of your head, pulling you slightly upwards and keeping your entire body in one perfect line.

When sitting down, that rigid posture is just as important. Don't slump or slouch in your seat. In this position, you want your chin slightly pointed downward and your eyes meeting the camera directly. A second seated pose tip is leaning slightly forward for some photos, arching your back and neck towards the camera, letting the shoulders fall back in an exaggerated way. Eyes up to the sky or off to the side make for a great haughty "model" face. :)

Next week I'd like to share some images from past models of mine who have the perfect physical expression down...I find that showing rather than explaining is sometimes better in terms of understanding. :)

My crazy editing continues. I purposely booked only one gig this weekend, my second year in a row photographing a large holiday party for a terrific medical research company in DC. It'll be a great night since they really know how to throw a bash...it's like a wedding reception with a band, a DJ, dancing, prizes...everything but the bouquet toss! ;) So I'll be editing steadily tonight, tomorrow, Saturday for most of the day, and Sunday all day.

Some questions (since I missed Monday's blog!):

Inquiring minds want to know: if you could be any super hero out there, who would you be and why?

When you come to my page on Facebook, what do you look forward to most? What makes you specifically like or comment on something?

And on behalf of the missed post on High Tech Tuesday...

If you're using flash, find a diffuser that's perfect for your work aesthetic. You can make your own out of posterboard or paper...you can buy a mini softbox for $20...you can buy a small hard plastic diffuser on amazon.com or you can go with a Gary Fong diffuser, which looks like a giant diaphragm but creates a fill flash look that is warm & inviting. ;)

That''s all for now, folks! Hope everyone's week is going well and remember...tomorrow's Friday! (As if anyone ever forgets Friday.) :)

Happy Thursday!
McCall ;)

Paula & Michael, US Botanic Garden in January for their winter engagement shoot. :) (Incidentally, I was using a small speedlite here, a Canon 430EX, and a small plastic diffuser made by Fotodiox. ) :)

Damien holding his precious little girl. :)

Miss A posing (finally!) in her Cinderella coach bed. I told her that Cinderella sees my posts and that she'd want a photo. :)

The enchanting Kaitlyn. Her bridal shoot was interrupted 10 minutes into the session due to the 27 degree temperature and crazy high winds, but we still managed to take a few pics that did her justice. Can't wait for our make up styled shoot! :)

1 Comment

Wedded Bliss Wednesday-Psych! ;)

1/22/2014

0 Comments

Yeah, remember those days where you used to yell "psych!" after saying something that you didn't actually mean? If not, I've dated myself. How about yelling "Not!"? Still no? Ok, well then I'm old and you'll just have to look it up on UrbanLegends.com. :)

I have been a bad little blogger. Mainly because I've been a good little editor. Editing hours on end, day after day, and trying to keep it together. It's overwhelming, but at least I love it. I adore editing. The creative process is incredibly rewarding.

Today is technically Wedding Wednesday. My wedding blog for Erica & Rich won't be ready until next week, and Paige & Bobby the week after that. So you'll just have to make do with a smorgasbord of pretty pics. I'm so blessed to have beautiful clients to grace the blog with, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Hoping to get back on track with my normal blog topics tomorrow, but don't hold me to that! I'll be in crazy editing mode until sometime in mid February. Wish me luck! ;)

Happy Wednesday!
McCall :)