Aviva Photography Blog

I met Katie & Matt at our welcome brief in June of 2007. They were newlyweds. And it wasn’t long before they decided to increase their family size by one. J was born in July of 2008. (You might remember him….he was the subject of my very first newborn photo shoot!) Ready for a wow moment? Heeeeeeere they are!

J is cute as a button, and RUNNING everywhere. He didn’t even walk I think….I’m pretty sure he went straight to running, right Kt? Probably because his dad was deployed and well, we all know how those little ones like to keep you on your toes. Somehow (maybe not the BEST idea) I talked Katie into bringing J to the airport for Matt’s return in December, and letting me come photograph their reunion at the airport. Despite the fact that it was really late at night for J, I think the moments spoke for themselves.

And soon after we made plans to take some family photos. I got to know J a little bit recently. He’s not a big fan of Aviva’s work. We had to get creative with getting him to look at me – or even smile – but patience pays. And so do parents who know how to play.

He’s not much for being held, but that’s ok. Curiosity and wonder make for great expressions too!

And peeks at belly buttons for that matter.

J loves to “find” Mama (when she covers her face)…

And even had some loves for Daddy. It’s hard for a little man who’s been without his dad for months! Matt’s an amazing and patient father…and J is one well-loved little man. This is so precious.

Katie glows around Matt. She always has…but even more so now that he’s home and their family is complete. She knows I’d kill for those amazing blue eyes too.

Can you say “Mini Matt”?! SO cute!

We finished on the beach, where he was content to throw pieces of coral into the water on a beautiful day.

Katie apologized a lot that morning. But I have to say, there are so many keepers – and knowing and remember who he is right now is what’s important. He’s a loved, sweet, smart, adorable and inquisitive little boy – don’t you worry, Katie. We got that!

Have a great weekend, everyone – and if you’re not doing anything on Saturday and want to join GAMU to learn how to use that DSLR of yours – I’d love to teach you! Email me for more information!

It’s here, everyone! The one-day class to get to know your digital SLR (camera with interchangeable lenses, i.e. Canon Rebel XSi or Nikon D40). THIS Saturday from 9-4. $100 deposit required to hold your slot, and $250 balance due the day of the class. (Total tuition: $350)

What the class will cover:

• A general understanding of the functions of your DSLR camera
• ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed – and how to make them work together to get the photos you want
• General tips and tricks for composition and getting your photos right IN the camera
• Reference material recommendations (websites, books, editing tools)
• Access to an online forum for ongoing learning and community-style question and answer

What you will need to bring:

• Your DSLR camera with a charged battery, memory card, 50mm lens if you have it (if not, go order one at B&H Photo!), and camera manual. Bring any other lenses you have or wish to bring.
• A written list of any questions you have or things you’re extra-interested in learning
• Photos or magazine clippings that you LOOOOVE – things that you did or SOMEone did RIGHT. You can’t put your finger on why perhaps –but it just makes you happy!
• Also bring along photos you’ve taken that were not quite right – for whatever reason. It was blurry, it wasn’t composed right, or even if it seems to have all the right elements – maybe it just bugs you for some strange reason.
• Some empty brain space for me to fill

What I’ll supply for you:

• Pens, paper, and written material
• Access code & URL for online forum
• Lunch
• Way too much information

Email me if you’re interested and I’ll send more information and tell you how to make a deposit. First FOUR people to email me get a slot!

Yes, I have photos to share – I’ve done two more sessions since my last post. However, I’m hard at work on them and can’t post peeks just yet, so I’m going to do a little something different. In honor of my ongoing effort (I know, I have promised and promised – it has been  TOO long in coming, but a GAMU is coming. Really. SERIOUSLY. It’s nailing down a location that is giving me trouble – but I’m NOT KIDDING, I’m working on it!) to provide a camera class, and in anticipation of the many more of you who are receiving digital cameras for the holidays – a few before and after shots! Sound good? I know – I LOVE seeing these myself, so hopefully you get something out of this.

I’m using the younger set …mostly because there’s not much touch-up involved (I don’t really do a lot of touch-ups besides to fix blemishes and sharpen and brighten up a bit – as you’ll see. Artistic photos with textures and things of that nature – I do that occasionally, but if I did those on every photo it would take me a month to edit each shoot.) and because as an …ahem… thirty-something myself, I know I don’t want my unedted mug on the Internet for all to see, so I won’t do that to my fellow moms.

Here’s Lia…she’s gorgeous. I’m going to write this and I know it won’t be the last time. It is so key to get it as right as you can in your CAMERA…as my wonderful boss in San Diego used to say, “You can’t polish a turd.” This is “straight out of camera” (SOOC) just resized for web. My settings on my camera are all at ZERO. I do not sharpen, enhance, or in any way “fix” the photos in-camera. For those who know what it means, ISO 200, 35mm (focal length), f1.8.

Look at her! GORGEOUS! Not much needed here at all. Here’s the after:

I cropped it just a tiny bit (you can see a little bit less photo on the right and above her head), I smoothed out her skin a little in Photoshop (didn’t take much) and warmed up the photo a little. I vignetted the photo a bit (made the outer edges a little darker). And I sharpened. That’s it! It’s subtle…but in my opinion, the difference makes it better. It is not my style nor is it my desire to make people look different. It is my style and my goal to make sure you see yourself at your best. My clients are beautiful! Blemishes and wrinkles can be smoothed, but when you overdo it, it’s obvious. And people should look like people, not airbrushed overworked alien versions of themselves. I hope that’s what I accomplish.

I also want to note that I usually don’t have to crop too much. I try to crop in the camera because you do lose quality when you crop photos a lot. That being said, on wider photos I like to leave plenty of room so that if I need to crop it, the arms and legs won’t get cut off!
Photo #2 (We’ll do the Lia ones first.): HI, cutie! Again – love this spot. (Even though Lia will tell you there was a stinky smell and trash on the other side of that wall – but we suffer for our art, right?) ISO 200, 35mm, f2.5.

Again – not much needed here! After:

Here I bumped up the exposure just a little bit, smoothed the skin just a tad, enhanced the color saturation a tiny bit, and sharpened. Again, a little vignette was added, but not much. Less is more!

Here’s Nikki! The LIGHT was so gorgeous that day (that’s a biggie – use light to your advantage, and not to make your subject squint) – and her eyes are striking. She also has freckles – nobody messes with freckles! Shot at ISO 200, 68mm, f2.8.

After!

Warming up this photo made her hair and eyes POP didn’t it? I do always sharpen. That was pretty much it on this one, fantastic SOOC.

This last shot is another one that made me gasp the moment I saw it on the little LCD on the back of my camera – Holly. Sitting in the weeds against a garage gate near the Sunabe Sea Wall. (Yeah, you’d think she was in a field somewhere or something, right? Early morning light is behind her here.)

SOOC: ISO 100, 85mm (probably my favorite portrait lens), f1.4. Again – not much is going to be needed here.

After:

Holly also has freckles, so I didn’t do much with her skin. Not that I needed to, she’s like a porcelain doll! I bumped up the exposure a bit on this one, and warmed it up just a hair. Sharpened and boom. Done!

I’m not going to tell you that it doesn’t take time to edit photos. I usually take 200-300 photos at a shoot, depending on the circumstances. I narrow it down to 35-50 and edit those choices to present to my clients. What I’m trying to illustrate here is that it takes a good photo to start with, camera know-how, and software know-how to get it right. An artistic eye and a unique style never hurts. Neither does inspiration or passion – I love what I do so much and I’m blessed to have found photography to express myself.

There is a reason that good portrait photography is an investment – but if you love your photos – if you get that piece of art for your wall – that family portrait that literally stops time – it’s priceless.

(Did you guys like this? Leave some comment love if you have more questions or if you want to see stuff like this in the future!)

I’ll be back soon with some family photos and a group of high school seniors. Happy Hanukkah!

Hi, everyone! It’s been busy here at Aviva Photography. I know a lot of people are PCSing and trying to squeeze in that last session. I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of families that sent inquiries, but I’m otherwise completely booked, with one slot left on Saturday, June 13th.

Except for newborn sessions and bump & baby sessions, I will not be booking shoots until September. Several factors involved in that decision include:

• It’s ridiculously hot and sticky in the summer, even in the early morning. Editing doesn’t fix sweat and cranky overheated faces.
• My daughter is out of school and that drastically cuts my editing time.
• Many people are on vacations in the states and wherever else over the summer, or they’re new to the island (WELCOME!) and don’t know about me. YET.
• Rescheduling due to typhoons and other inclement weather is very difficult.
• I plan on traveling a bit this summer as well – to climb Fuji with my family (wish us luck!) and to Hawaii for the first time ever!
• did I mention it’s HOT?

The GOOD news:

• For those who are here, I’m finally going to have time to get to GAMU – I WILL be putting together digital photography/get-to-know-your-camera sessions which will take place on Saturdays, somewhere air-conditioned. Promise.
• Newborns don’t mind the heat one bit – so if you’re due this summer and wish to schedule a newborn session, I’ll be doing a few of them – please email me if you’re interested. (If you’ve already scheduled – I know who you are.)
• If you’re on the island of Oahu over the summer, and you’d like to schedule a session let me know! I’ll keep you posted on my travel dates.
• I’ll be around until at least June of 2010, but we’re looking to extend until June of 2011 – so I’m still here! I’ll be opening the fall calendar during the summer and will let you know the information as soon as I have it together. The fall weather is glorious!

Just wanted to keep you posted, my friends. I’ll be around for most of the summer and if you have something else in mind (i.e. an indoor shoot or some other special case) I’m open to it! Just email me.

I know I can’t post without photos, so here are a few from the recent dragon boat races on May 5th. (Army & Air Force girls, I have galleries online with your photos, if interested, email me. Navy – I’m ALMOST done. THIS WEEK, promise!)

I really did not saturate and mess with the color of the water. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and this was in the late afternoon during one of the men’s final races. I loved getting in close with my 100-400mm from the dock; the spray was so cool! (I wanted to jump in SO badly.)

No, they weren’t in a swimming pool.

There are food stands everywhere, and lots of carnival games; one in particular gives away colorful chicks. I still hope this doesn’t do them any harm – they come in pink, green and orange. I know they lose their fuzz and don’t stay this color, and they seem fine.

And Mia – with her new friend, the Orion Girl. Doesn’t Mia look HAPPY?

What?

I was her DD. But I did have to wrestle the car keys from her.

More soon. THREE shoots this weekend – no rest for the busy! But I’m ON it, my friends!

Well, Nikon D40 owners who want to purchase a 50mm lens: YOUR camera does not have autofocus in the body, only in the lenses. If you want the 50mm lens, you’ll have to get the AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G Autofocus Lens. (Sorry gang – you saved $300 on your camera body – but you’ll have to fork it over for the lens…) It costs $485 on B&H and is currently back-ordered. Not sure how long that will last. I do apologize; as I’m not a Nikon shooter, it’s something I completely forgot to take into consideration!

Thanks, Julia! I miss you!

Hi, everyone! I am back! Well, I guess I wasn’t really GONE, but I took a short session break even though I really didn’t. Now that THAT confusing mess is over…

Meet Jamie. She’s a kindergarten teacher. (So some of you might recognize her.) She’s not working now because she had a baby! Also meet Brian. He’s a jet pilot. He’s a proud papa too! And lastly  – meet 7-week-old H. He was on his best behavior.

First of all – I have to say, that photo up there almost looks like one that comes with a frame. They’re great-looking, aren’t they? Secondly – you probably notice, they’re indoors! It was COLD out there. And with the baby I didn’t think it was wise to play around in the cold and wind even though they live near a beach. Their home had a beautiful big double sliding glass door in the living room – and look at these shots – it was PERFECT lighting! The other bonus is, I could capture them in their home – that’s special while we’re in Okinawa, isn’t it? I’d love to offer that to everyone, but here’s the problem. Light in homes on base is not great. Those of you who live on base – I’m not telling you something you don’t know, and you realize I’m not trying to insult you – unfortunately, the homes there were built to withstand typhoons not to open big picture windows and enjoy a great view. So if you have or are scheduling an upcoming shoot and you know of or live in an indoor location with fantastic big windows – let me know if that’s where you’d like to be for your shoot or for part of it. I love capturing families in their homes!

Sigh. I just got lost in those pools in your eyes, H. This adorable shot was the very first one I took. I knew it’d be a good day.

This one (and several others during their shoot) was Jamie’s idea! I love that they’re fans of photography and that they had ideas. Creative clients are fabulous! I will always give credit where credit is due. And I will ALWAYS love the bare feet shots!

Speaking of creativity… my fabulous assistant du jour, Shannan, spotted a huge world atlas. Those blue eyes next to that blue East China Sea are just great, wouldn’t you say? Here’s to Okinawa Babies!

You know I don’t usually post in black and white, but this moment is so pure and beautiful – I really do like it this way. Brian and Jamie are amazing new parents, they’re so sweet with their little man.

Strong pilot hands + sweet swirly-haired tiny baby head = Aviva in a melted pile of goo.

Ok. This isn’t fair. They do NOT look sleep-deprived and stressed. They look fantastic. It’s lucky they’re so nice or I’d have to hate them.

This is about as close to a smile as I captured – but this little smirk is SO CUTE, isn’t ‘it? He’s leaning on a blanket made by his grandmother. It’s a quilt with a bear on an airplane. Of course!

Thank you for the coffee, the invitation into your beautiful home, and the opportunity to meet sweet H. The photos will be done soon and maybe I can return the coffee favor!

Coming soon: Two shoots from a while back that I wasn’t able to post until later (a bridal shoot and a jewelry shoot!) – stay tuned…

AKA – Digital SLR class!

This is in its early stages (planning-wise) – but here’s the head’s up. It will be far enough out that you have time to get a 50mm prime lens. Prime means it’s a fixed focal length – or as we like to say – “foot zoom”. No zooming, except when you use your feet to get closer. Don’t be intimidated. This is a GOOD THING.

Okinawa folks: B&H is where to go to buy your lenses, bags, accessories, cameras – any goodies you need. Get the “USA” version, not the import even though it’s a few dollars cheaper. Trust me, you want the USA warranty and such. Yes, they ship to our APO/FPO address. Yes, their customer service is bar none the best you’ll find. Yes, you might find the lens for a few dollars cheaper elsewhere (not on Okinawa though), but if ANYTHING happens – I can guarantee B&H will handle it for you with better service than any other store.

Canon shooters, this means the 50mm 1.8 which is now $84.95. I also recommend getting the lens hood for it and a UV filter. (Lens hood protects your shots from sun flare, and protects your lens if you drop or lower your camera too fast. Worth every penny. USE IT.)

Click on this banner to go shopping:

Nikon shooters, you want an AF Nikkor 50mm 1.8 for $109.95. Same deal – get a lens hood and UV filter. (Lens hood protects your shots from sun flare, and protects your lens if you drop or lower your camera too fast. Worth every penny. USE IT.)

Click on this banner to buy it:

Even if you aren’t taking a class, or if you decide you aren’t going to take my class, if you’re a new SLR owner, this is a no-brainer investment. It’s a better lens than the kit lens your camera came with, you’ll take better portraits, you’ll be able to shoot in lower light without a flash, your camera will make you breakfast in bed… ok, maybe not that last one, but really – you won’t be sorry. If you want to spend a bit more for the 1.4 – hey go for it! If you have any questions, email me at aviva@aviva-photography.com or leave a comment.

Class will probably begin in late February or early March. Hope to see you there! What? More photos? SOON. I promise. Must go back to work now.

FYI- B&H is in NY and they will not sell anything to you online or otherwise from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday (EST) during any given week in observance of the sabbath.