Aviva Photography Blog

Jennifer contacted me a while ago. I knew her hubby Jeff had returned home (he wasn’t there when we took these photos – oh my GOODNESS – well over a year ago!), and the weather has cooled off finally – it was time to take photos with all of them! We had such a beautiful day. I love seeing my clients again… and reunited!

Oh Jennifer – I told you then I didn’t know WHERE you found the energy – I can imagine how wonderful it was to have help again. You two are just amazing together.

Did I mention that even though they’ve grown up a lot in the last year, S & C are still balls of energy? Yes. This was an active morning!

Oh this makes me emotional…

…and THIS makes me smile!

S & C in the golden light of morning…sigh. Love it!

I think there is much more time spent playing together happily than fighting – S is so sweet to his baby sister, and C holds her own with the tough big brother!

I love that moment. And this one.

I’m so glad we could do this again – with everyone this time! It was a pleasure spending the morning with you all. As you can see, it was torture.

Have a great weekend, everyone! More soon…

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!

Melissa contacted me a while back and we scheduled a 1-year-old shoot for her family with their EDIBLE daughter, A. She slept in the car coming from Camp Courtney…so at first, she had that “huh? what?” look on her face.

I got to hold and take just a tiny little nibble of this cutie pie. Peaches & cream, I tell you! And she’s just so obviously the center of attention at home – Melissa and Justin are fantastic with her. Daddy with his little girl – yes, I melted.

Yes, one more of Justin with his little girl. A favorite.

LOVE those puckered lips!!

Mom & Dad always have trouble remembering what it was like BEFORE a baby…so we try to have some grown-up time.Does grown-up time involve some West Virgina gear? HECK YEAH it does!

Melissa has such a warm and friendly smile. It’s no wonder she was a kindergarten teacher.

So Miss A definitely woke up after awhile. She was crawling and grinning and have I mentioned that I LOVE this age?? And she started babbling, clapping, and generally feeling quite pleased with herself! LOOOVE these!

What a sweet and great-lookin’ family.

Sorry these took so long to post, you guys! I am frantically trying to finish editing before the holidays. (Meanwhile, Hanukkah starts on FRIDAY! This year is slipping away much too quickly!)

Anyway, more soon everyone – maybe even something personal for a change. Stay tuned.

I finally had a spare moment to take photos of my new offering – gorgeous flush-mount albums! I’ve researched, and found a wonderful product and can’t wait to share it.

Both albums are custom-designed by yours truly, and may include all presented images from your photo session. The core of the pages may be black or white (shown are the 6×6 mini session album in black, and the 9×9 session album in white), and the covers are waterproof! Each album arrives in a black presentation box, ready for your coffee table or wherever you’d like to keep it.

The 6×6 Mini-Session Album has a black leather cover:

And inside are 10 flush-mounted pages (20 sides) that have a beautiful matte finish and are coated for durability.

Another fantastic thing about these albums is that I can make a full-spread page! Perfect for those scenic shots of gorgeous Okinawa that shouldn’t be limited to a square!

The 9×9 Session Album has a custom-designed full-color (also waterproof) cover:

(As you can imagine, when I received this sample I was jumping up and down and yelling. Seriously. My husband thought I was insane. I am in LOVE with these!)

And contains 15 pages (30 sides) of glorious huge full-color images!

Again – the construction and quality is extraordinary – and as with all of my prints and products, I guarantee your satisfaction.

If you’re already booked for a session, when you have your gallery slide show in my home, you will get to look at these, touch them, feel them and I can promise you – will WANT them! These session albums are available both a-la-carte or as part of my money-saving collections. I will not lie – they are an investment. But for you – only the best. Your memories are priceless. If you have had a session in the past and would like to find out about ordering one, email me and I’ll send a price quote and a time estimate. Photo compilation and page design (my job) takes approximately two weeks, and album production/shipping (their job) takes approximately four weeks – possibly longer during this holiday season – but WORTH THE WAIT! I know, I have no patience either.

Any other questions? Email me or comment!

Jim and Diann joined me for another shoot recently and it was delightful! No more summer heat, adorable holiday outfits, and a cool cloudy day that was just perfect for playing outside. Gorgeous clothes choices! (Diann – ya did good, girlie!)

I cannot tell you how much fun I have talking to these kids. Stephanie (also hairdresser extraordinaire – but don’t get attached, she’s leaving int he spring! SNIFF!) came to help out and she’s friends with Diann as well. The kids were so at ease, and their imaginations and vocabularies are just incredible. (A couple of smart parents had nothing to do with THAT I’m sure…) As we were shooting, little N would say “CHEESE!” and then move on. I started joking with him. “Perhaps swiss? Brie? Havarti?” By the end of the day – he was saying, “Havarti!”

FAMILY LOVE! HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!

This could be my favorite Daddy/Son photo I’ve taken. As soon as I saw this moment I knew it would be.

Diann & A – sweet beautiful girls. (Yes, I’d KILL for Diann’s blue eyes.)

It’s really such a shame when the kids have NO fun at all on the beach. You end up with these sad photos of sad faces…HA! Right.

A quick walk on the beach….

…and we sought out some shade. (Family photo FAVE! A swing!)

And then a hilarious time with A & N. OH the silliness. Probably my favorite part of photographing children!

So much love – THANK you all for a glorious day! More soon, everyone – Another shoot in the hopper and a product update! I have some gorgeous new albums to share. SOON!

Ever hear the expression “busier than a one-legged midget in a butt-kickin’ contest”? Crude, yes. But that’s a pretty accurate comparison for my life at the moment. But you know what? I love what I do – I’m blessed, lucky and thankful to share time with families and friends doing what I am passionate about. I am so much happier being busy than I would ever be if I was bored – and I have a big problem saying NO. I enjoyed a glorious Thanksgiving with friends and my family. Thanksgiving weekend I had three shoots, so no change in the amount of BUSY…but that’s ok!

Up first – Kristel and her hubby David with their sweet little girl A who was just about to turn one. Kristel’s mom and dad were in town from Buffalo for this AMAZING weather – does it get any better than that? David had to go to work in the morning, but when he arrived in his uniform I was really kind of happy about it – I rarely get clients in uniform, and it was so sweet to see that part of this family. A has been walking since NINE MONTHS – so it wasn’t walking. It was RUNNING!

And DANCING!

Another example of a couple who is still ridiculously in love…(Kristel & David, you are SO flipping sweet together!)

Kristel’s parents were definitely enjoying being in warm beautiful Oki around their adorable grandchild when who knows what the temperature was in Buffalo (rainy and upper 30’s this week – just looked).

Kristel. You are BEAUTIFUL! This photo took my breath away.

And I adore this color on you, David – mmmhmmm…no DOUBT a hubba hubby!!!

See that title up there? Princess? Um, yeah. This girl is very well-loved royalty.

Sweet precious 1-year-old darling…

Go get your squeegee – I just melted into a puddle when I saw David play with his little girl. (It says “Birthday Princess” on that crown…which stayed on for about 4 minutes.)

At the last moment we played on the beach for a few minutes, and then I think we were all done!

Thanks to all five of you – it was such a fun morning and it was delightful to spend it with you!

See you soon, folks. Another blog post this week for sure! (At least one!)

Of course I could begin each post (most of them I realize I do!) with how I know these people….suffice it to say, I met them through wonderful friends, and they are just a lovely family. We headed out to the sea wall so that I could go swimming in all their amazing blue eyes…oh, and one hazel-eyed gentleman as well (sorry, T – I didn’t forget).

Holly said “no kissing pictures”…I can abide by that rule. But that doesn’t mean you won’t see the love when I photograph them together.

HA!

These kids are smart as whips. I tried all my usual gags and mostly they just thought I was a goofball I think. Kids now are so advanced – and of course, I’m just so NOT cool anymore. But with Dad there to tickle, and me with a couple of butt jokes (hey – whatever works!), it was all smiles!

(TOTALLY loving that “brother” painting we found! I think that might be new.)

It was a little drizzly that morning, which made for the coolest sky – I like this one. I think I would like to have this of my family.

Oh T…you say you have no girlfriend. (Um, that’s not going to last long.)

E is a middle child AND a girl – which could be a feisty combo. But she was so sweet and honest. Definitely the girly girl of the crew in her pretty skirt – but she was still happy to climb on the sea wall with the boys.

And young J. He was a tough one. Very cerebral (maybe it was the glasses). And very matter of fact. But when he was talking to me, his eyes opened wide – and they were so expressive and SO BLUE. J – you’re adorable. I know, ew. But you are.

Mom had to take off to teach Sunday school (Saturday it POURED so we had to bump our shoot day), but that meant she would have surprises in store. Photos she wasn’t there to watch! This is one of my favorites! (SEE, kids? THIS is why you trust me when I wipe off a rusty rail and make you climb into the tall grass. Gorgeous!)

Last of the peeks is Derek – I figure that Holly doesn’t have a single photo of just him – and she should. He has such a warm smile. Mmmmhmmm….

hubba hubby!

Thanks for coming out after the rain, everyone. I’m excited to show you the results after Thanksgiving!

Speaking of which, have an amazing Thanksgiving everyone. I plan to post a family photo or two of my own perhaps this weekend…one of the MANY things I’m thankful for. Along with each and every one of YOU. Yes – even the ones I don’t know that are reading in say…. Malaysia. HI THERE! I’m waving at you! I saw someone in Malaysia looked at my blog today! So cool.

I’m so very blessed and thankful. Enjoy this holiday with those you love – and for those overseas and away from their families right now, I’m thinking of you, and I hope you come home soon and safe.

Lovely Lia (and her amazing head of curly hair that you know I immediately fell in love with) attends Kubasaki High School. We initially had plans for her shoot in October when she realized that WHOOPS it was Homecoming day! So finally after a month of waiting – her shoot day came. And what a BEEEAUUUUUUTIFUL day it was. Look at this yummy light!

Lia’s favorite class is Journalism, and she’s really enjoying her MCCS Marketing internship too. (Lia and I – we share some common interests. I have a former life in marketing myself….)

The best thing about senior year: “All the freedom which you seem to acquire as a senior (although it does come with an equal amount of responsibility) & recently attending the Far East Journalism/Yearbook conference in Tokyo.” This girl has her head on straight!

What keeps Lia busy after school? Lifeguarding, loads of homework (I’m sure!), and being the journalism &  yearbook editor.

Most listened to song on the iPod right now? There are a ton, but she picked “Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift. LOVE IT!

Yes, Lia – you are GORGEOUS, sweet, and smart. And kinda have a Mariah Carey thing going on….BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Lia’s favorite t-shirt is her OKI ALL DAY shirt! (total Okinawa fad – my kid has one too)

Who does she admire most? “Those with enthusiasm, passion, zest, creativity, motivation, integrity, confidence, and respect for life and others.”

Well said, Lia – you exhibit those qualities and more! (She totally spotted these tiles and REQUESTED to lie down on them. SIGH – I love you, Lia!)

Don’t you love how walking around in the city can still offer a grassy field? This one is a fave!

Oh – did I mention? She also requested to bring her new camera and have it in her photos because she’s totally getting into photography! Before you leave you’re SO taking a photo like this of me, girlfriend. (And know that I wish I’d look like that in the adorable little white dress. I totally dress that way and pose like that when I’m shooting…right? Totally.)

What do you want to be when you grow up, Lia? “I’m split between becoming a pediatrician and becoming a journalist. (My dream is to be the editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine.) We’ll see ” Keep dreaming…you never know!

What’s Lia looking forward to most after graduation? Spending the summer at my grandparents’ house in Italy. ITALY!? OH yes – her family is ITALIAN! Oh. Gee. Look what WE found! In Japan of all places. This should be POSTER SIZED in your room, girlfriend….FAVORITE!!

We had quite a time getting this cap on Lia’s head due to all those curls (and some uncooperative wind)…but when my trusty assistant, Shannan, found a stairwell we hit the jackpot! The cap even stayed on…and the light in there was gorgeous!

What will Lia remember most about her photo shoot? “I will remember the knowledge that you passed on to me (I gave her a couple of camera tips). It was great talking to somebody who has a passion for photography just like me, and who has much more experience than I do. I will also remember how fun it was!”

Thanks so much for your patience while my folks were here and I had to put editing on hold, Lia. It was a JOY to spend the morning with you! I can’t wait to share them all – talk to you soon. I sure do hope we can head out for a shooting day at some point and I’ll lay some more tips on ya!

And as for you, everyone else – thank you for waiting two weeks for a new post – I’m back! Soon to come – photos of the totally kick-booty new albums I am offering, and a sweet and great looking family of 5! HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!

Kimberly is leaving the island soon and wanted to get some photos done. I had NO time. (I didn’t.) But – I kind of did. My parents are coming to visit and I explained that I could do the shoot, but probably couldn’t get to editing them until after she had moved. And well, you know me – I couldn’t let her go without playing around with the photos just a LITTLE bit…

“There’s this path near my house….do you think that would be ok?” Clients two biggest questions; location and what to wear. Location – home, near home, somewhere you go a lot, someplace special to you…THAT is where it should be! Your back yard? Great! Your street to the park with the kids? Perfect! These images will be on your walls and in your albums for years to come. They should be of you, comfortable, relaxed, and loving your family – in the environment where you’re happiest. And where your memories are the happiest. Make sense? YES, the path near your house is perfection.

We walked down Kimberly’s street to head toward the path – and though I’m sure she thought I was nuts, I kept stopping them to get shots here or there – why waste shoot time? I LOVE shooting out in town. Because you get a great faded blue garage door. that perfectly matches your eyes.

Or a rusty fence that becomes something interesting and totally amusing to grab onto!

So S here is the big sis, and this was one of our FIRST shots of the day…this is an energetic young thing right here. Rocks, sticks, bugs, nothing is safe. But I’m quick! And when you’re patient, and you really get down to the kids’ level and talk quietly – something happens…

SL (how dare you give them both the same first initial!?) was more of a challenge, but oh my goodness those blue eyes….and those ruby-red pouty lips…are ya kidding me?

I only say she’s a challenge because she is a Mama’s Girl – but she was easygoing as long as Mama was in plain sight. Or throwing her around. Another favorite! LOOK at those teeth

Is it any wonder these kids are stunning. Hellooooo, Kimberly. Yowza.

And that path? Yeah…it was definitely a good call.

Small note about the weather….it was cool and cloudy. Pouring rain won’t work – but cloudy is GOOD. Less squinting..and as you can see from these photos, the colors still pop. It was a perfect portrait day. I’d so much rather have a cloudy day than harsh bright sunshine. I’m ridiculously happy that fall came early this year! If it had been sunny, even in the shade, S would’ve squinted when I had her look up at me. But instead…gorgeousness and wide-open eyes. (Even S loved this one when I showed it to her on the camera! She squatted back down to do it again!)

Back at the house there was a bit of climbing and hanging upside-down… can’t pass up THAT fun. (Note the orange goldfish stuck in her molars!)

And the last one – I just had to get the squeaky shoes. Worn out from walks to the path on the concrete, and the girls are ready for new pairs.

Kimberly – you are so strong and sweet and amazing. I couldn’t wish you more good things when you go back to the US. I’ll be in touch very soon when I’m finished! For now – I think I might be offline for about two weeks. See you on the flip side, everyone!

OH – I had to mention – most of these photos were taken with my new SO favorite lens that I’d happily ditch almost everything else in my camera bag for it, Canon’s 35mm f1.4. As always, bought at B&H – the wonderful company with the best customer service in the universe who actually ships to my FPO – and FAST! If it doesn’t exist at the PX or BX (which most things I want do not), I buy from B&H. There’s always a link in the banner at the bottom of the blog there. Yep, right down there. Come on – the holidays are just around the corner! If you want lens or camera advice, leave a comment – I ALWAYS answer emails and comments. Always.

I love watching clients grow. Anna & Jay wanted photos together with their girls this time. By some miracle (and after several attempts), Jay was actually in town and not on duty, the weather cooperated, and we made the shoot happen after tropical storm Lupita headed out.

You last saw these two at four months of age…

Presenting identical twins (left to right) G and C! (TEN months old now!)

Still the happiest kids ever…and just to show you that they were all there…

See why they’re such cuties? Totally beautiful Mom & Dad.

So many times, snapping away while we’re trying to place kids (especially crawlers) makes for the fun action shots, right?

Oh how those make me LAUGH! We did a lot of laughing that morning… and had a bit of a baby-lifting workout too.

These two would do anything. You know how I love that. And my friend, amazingly gifted photographer, and apparently twin-whisperer Annya Eyestone assisted that day. It turned into more of a babysitting gig at times, but I’m SO thankful she was willing because it helped me so much, and it allowed the grown-ups to skedaddle and get THIS:

And, say it with me….HUBBA HUBBY:

And probably the most self-deprecating woman I’ve ever met aside from myself (though I have NO clue why…) ANNA:

Seriously, Anna. Holy smokin’ hottie. I sent this to her before posting here and she wrote, “I think I’m going to have to buy Jay the BIGGEST photo of me so he can hang it on his wall at work and make all his buddies jealous!” I’m not kidding. From Anna this is the biggest compliment I could ever hope to receive. Beautiful, inside & out.

Back to the whole family…

Annya – I LOVE that you brought this rug! We couldn’t have planned for the colors to work better!

And the last one for today…an all-time favorite of mine. You just never know when you’ll look to your left and see a trolley sitting there. Jackpot!

OH there are too many more, but I must stop here and get back to work. Anna – I’ll finish soon! I have a feeling at least G will be walking by their 1-year photos. And the fun continues!