Daddies

Just so you know, most dads DREAD family pictures. They are always cooperative because they love their wives, but sometimes it is really hard to get them to loosen up . That being said, dads sometimes provide the SWEETEST shots ever! I am so lucky to get to shoot so many cute dads. I seriously sigh when I look at some of these photos. The best part, while I may have sat them somewhere, all of the interactions were 100% daddy driven.

Enjoy!

And my favorite Daddy . . . mine.

Decisions Decisions

The processing of the New Hampshire sessions begin tonight. While I was moving photos from my laptop to my desktop today, I did quickly work on one for Shannon, my friend, host and booking agent. Her children are darling. I especially LOVE this photo. Now I just have to decide which version I want to use on my site. Thoughts?

World's Best Couple (at least one of them)

Last night I got to shoot one of my favorite New Hampshire families. Through a series of events, relationships and friendships they have become yet another fun reason to visit the East Coast.

And their daughter . . . be still my beating heart.

Just ask Sam.

I love how life works out. :)

Leaving on a jet plane

For those of you who need to order prints, Sam and I take off for the East Coast tomorrow! Since I will not have my files while I am there I will not be able to order until we get back. You can catch me on email or by phone if you have any questions.

We will be busy playing:

Him

Her

Her

Her

Him

and many other cutie friends! Photos coming soon!

What do I wear?!

If you are anything like me, you HATE finding outfits for family pictures. It is a major chore and I never know what to pick. Luckily I watch Studio 5 in Salt Lake all the time and over the holidaysr they focused on this very topic. Here is the link.

http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=58&sid=8661143

Fortunately there are some people like Laci who excel at this sort of thing. My sister's friend Cato can do it too. We recently did photos for her family and Cato did an AMAZING job of coordinating everyone. They also found a wonderful location. You can see their individual photos in the previous post but I thought you might like to see a shot of them all together.

Aren't they the cutest family you have ever seen? I spoke to Cato last night and told her she should consult for families preparing to do family pictures. Guess what? She's in. We haven't worked out all of the details but if you have a shoot coming up and need a little bit of help with clothing choices let me know and I will put you in touch with her. Seriously, this girl is ADORABLE. She'll be styling my next family photo. :)

No Trespassing!!!

Tonight I was able to do pics for the cutest family! The sisters found the perfect location. A sweet lady kindly let us shoot there.

And then her jerk neighbor yelled at us because it is private property . . . just not his. He even tried to tell his dog to eat me. Not cool dude. Not cool.

I know Cato is DYING for pictures so here are a couple sneak peeks at the girl's individual shots. So darling.

Kate

On our trip I was able to do photos for my sister. Her little girl Kate is a crack-up. Anytime you ask her a question she answers by saying "I don't know" followed by the actual answer. For example. If you ask her names is she says, "I don't know . . . Kate." Super funny.

Kate and Aunt Tracey got to go out for our own little photo shoot. This is pretty monumental since up until this trip, she has been pretty shy around me. We had lots of fun. I think she liked the part where we stopped and bought M&M's on the way home. I told her that we had to wait to eat them until after dinner. She gave me a thumbs up and said, "Good idea Tracey."

The Carousel

My two boys on one of our favorite Disneyland rides.

How's this for quality photography?

We are in Cali with our friends at Disneyland. Sam is Ben's BFF and our little guy is named after him. Obviously when Big Sam suggested a Mustache Vacation, Ben agreed. Here is a sneak peek of one of the 'staches. From my cell phone.

Nap time

May 10th Photo

For some reason I am really intrigued with Oquirrh (Pronounced Oaker) Mountain Temple. I want to photograph it all the time. Tonight we saw a storm rolling across the Salt Lake Valley so I kicked the boys out of the car, grabbed my camera and drove across town to try to catch the light. I then proceeded to shoot in the rain for 45 minutes. I have problems.

Recipe from a slacker

So with graduation and Mother's Day I didn't do so well posting this weekend. In an effort to redeem myself you are getting 2 posts today including a Photoshop Recipe. What can I say? I'm a giver.

This photo is my cutie pie cousin. I love her tongue. This is the straight out of camera shot (SOOC) Notice, its a little dull.

But then the magic happens. I love TRA Actions. They have changed my life. Here is what I did to the image.

First, I ran Yin/Yang and lightened up the whole darn thing. (Brush set at 30%)

Next, Pool Party at 20%

Oh Snap at 100%

Claire-ify at 45%

+Contrast at 50%

Finally, Punch Out at 100% (I love me some Punch Out! Sometimes a little too much . . . )

Then watermarked and saved for Web.

Dear Photoshop. I heart you. Love Tracey

Texting During Graduation

The following pictures are not examples of my work, they are examples of my life. They are also examples of what happens when my dad gets bored.

Tonight Ben (my husband) graduated with a PhD in Chemical Engineering. After they read Ben's name, my dad started getting a little antsy so he started texting Ben. He can't type very fast on the phone so eventually he made me start sending the texts. Here are the photos that go along with the texts.

Tracey: Ben, my dad wants you to do the Winston Churchill "V for Victory" sign with both hands so we can get a picture.

Ben: When?

Tracey: Now!

Thanks for humoring us honey!

Miss L

I'm totally cheating and using another picture from Tuesday. But I promise tomorrow and Saturday will be filled with pictures from Dr. Ben's graduation! YEA!!!

Little Miss L is such a funny girl. She's uber cute and she knows it. I love her little face in her hand not to mention her cute little knees pushed together. And the backlighting. Oh, the backlighting. It makes her look like the little angel that she is.

Photography Challenges

It seems like every time I have a shoot, I lose something. I've lost my phone . . . twice. I've lost memory cards. (Shannon found it) Sometimes I lose my mind.

This time it was props.

Note to self:

Balloons + Wind = Disaster.

I'm looking . . . kinda

This morning I shot my uncle's family. My cutie cousin is 7 and autistic. He is such a funny little guy. He did a great job this morning while I took his individual photos. I died laughing when I saw this one! I love how his body is facing me but his little eyes are looking FAR FAR away from me. He really took looking out of the corner of his eye to a new level.

May 3, 2010

I'm booked all week between shoots and other obligations so I wanted to take Sam to the park this morning. Too bad it was windy and cold. Instead we went for a ride. I shot this from the window of my Expedition. I love morning sun.

365 Days of Photos

I have had a couple people on my case to start a photography blog for the biz. I've been reluctant for some reason but now I have a reason.

365 Days of Photos

Apparently this is a wonderful exercise for photographers and a great way to make sure you use your camera each day. The goal is to take and post a photo each day.

I thought it was only appropriate to start with the subject that is constantly trying to avoid me.