::{Jackson}:: sneak peek!

Sorry, you can't take him home with you. I'm pretty sure his parents wouldn't be ok with that. But don't you just want to? I can't wait to show you more. This was by far the most unique shoot I've ever done. I'll give you a hint: A couple of very large animals were involved!

::{Dustin & Megan}:: Engagements

Every once in a while I finish editing a shoot and I think to myself, that went exactly the way I hoped it would! It's happening more often these days, which is exciting for me. This was definitely the case with my last session. Megan is a friend of mine from college and also happens to be Jace's cousin. I love this girl! She is so cute and fun. Dustin seems pretty great too. These two were set up by Megan's aunt on a blind date and they've been inseparable ever since! I'm so excited for you both and I'm so glad that I could do your pictures! I hope you love them.

Family sessions are in full swing!

I am busy busy BUSY this time of year! Turn-around time for receiving your pictures is now three weeks. Thank you for your patience.

Here's a peek from my most recent session...

::{Progress}:: & a new lens

I am definitely in the middle of a long journey. Nearly every day I learn something new. There is SO much to learn when it comes to photography. I think so many people pick up a camera and say, "I'm a photographer". Well, I was one of those people and it didn't take me much time to learn that I had no clue what I was doing. It's great to aspire to something, but more than ever I probably wouldn't call myself "a photographer". Yes, I'm learning photography and I'm taking pictures for people... but I'm just not quite there yet. I recently added a paragraph to my Pricing post explaining why I keep my prices low. When I'm confident calling myself a photographer, I'll start charging like a photographer. Until then, I'm just a tiny little fish in the humongous ocean of photography.

So this is fun...

Here's a picture from my second session ever! This was back in June, just 4 1/2 months ago. Things I like about it: composition (although I should have told Blake to move his hand closer to his body), tilt. Things I don't like: background is blown, I didn't get the baby to look at me, the colors are all off. Notice how their faces are a little bit too orange?

I can't go back and fix the mistakes I made when the picture was taken, but I can show you how I would edit this picture with what I know now. Can you see a difference? Better exposure, less color pop... trust me, it's a good thing, more subtle over-all color, and better skin tones.

I am still planning on posting some tutorials for those that have asked. It is time consuming to write it all out step by step with screen shots, so be patient with me.

And this is the most exciting part of my day...

I got my 85mm 1.8 (new lens) in the mail today and this is the first picture I took with it. LOVE IT!! It's never coming off my camera.

::{Coop}::

Oh Cooper, you crazy little ball of energy! Ashley, I think this may be the best shot I got of him. I tried. I really did. But the boy is a free spirit who didn't fall for any of my "look into my lens and you might see lightning mcqueen" tricks. Ok, you caught me - that's not even my trick. Haha. It's Mary Anne's. P.S. Thanks for letting me borrow that one Mary Anne. Apparently I'm horrible at it!

Before I give you the wrong impression, Cooper is just a typical 3 year old boy. Actually, I think he's pretty mellow for a 3 year old. I just need to pick up the pace! Oh, and learn some new tricks. Isn't this little face so cute?

Randy and Jace were high school (and post high school) buddies. Randy and Ashley have two cute boys that I was able to photograph tonight. Watch out for their full post in the next day or two.

Cutest ::{little man}:: & his mom

Tonight was fun. I felt very comfortable tonight, which isn't always the case when I'm at a shoot. I had a great family, with a great wardrobe, and a great assistant. And to go along with this cheesy "great" theme... I got some great shots!

One of my favorites... so far. The looks on both of their faces are perfection.

::{Robbins}::

I had a great time hangin out with this family! These kids are some of the cutest that I've worked with, and SO well behaved! I couldn't believe how good they were. I said do this, they did it. Seriously, what 1 and 3 year old does that?!

I couldn't go without giving a shout out to Lindsey, the mom. She makes the cutest accessories for your little man or girly girl! Everything from hats (she made both hats that her kids are wearing below), cutest onsies ever, baby booties, and more! I had to put in my order after I saw the cute things she makes. Click HERE to check out her Etsy shop. Need a massage? She's also a message therapist!

This is one of my favorites of all time! You might not think it's anything special, but I've found myself staring at it thinking, "I can't believe I took that picture!". Haha. I know. I'm a dork.





Isn't this such a fun sibling shot? We didn't even tell them to do this! They just love eachother.

Thanks Lindsey! It was a lot of fun. I'm excited to do trades with you in the future!

::{Carters}::

Last week I attempted to take pictures for this cute family. The focus of the shoot was on their little one year old who was having a birthday the next day.

It started like this...

And soon turned to this...
I don't blame her! I'd be cranky too if my nap was cut short.

I knew we were going to have to re-schedule because I'm good, but I'm not THAT good! Haha... totally kidding. So here's what we did. Photo shoot with Brooke (the mom)! I could see it in her eyes that she thought I was a crazy woman when I turned to her and said, "K, pose for me so I can take a facebook picture for you!" Haha. We all got a good laugh and ended up with some dang cute facebook pictures for her.

And here are a few more of the family together...

We're getting together tomorrow to finish up the 1 year pictures, so look out for those.

My favorite shot from last night...

This is Abigail. She gave me knuckles at the end of our shoot. I got a kick out of her. Hope you like this one... it was one of my favorites!

Senior Portraits :: {Alexis}:: / Holiday Giveaway!!

I love having photog friends! My friend Becky McArthur was in town doing a shoot and I asked her if I could tag along and be her second shooter. Becky is an awesome photographer and has taught me a lot. Check out her work HERE.

I really was only there to pick up a few extra shots here and there, so they are pretty simple and straight forward. Alexis is a sweet girl with a good head on her shoulders. It was fun getting to hang out with her.

Keep your eyes peeled for a little shoot Becky and I have planned with each other. We are both sick of never having good pictures of ourselves, so WE will be the main subjects. It should be a good time and you won't want to miss it!

And just because this post isn't random enough... I'm thinking of doing a holiday giveaway. We're talkin' FREE SESSION plus prints! Here's the thing though - you can't nominate yourself. So if you want to spread some holiday cheer, start thinking of someone you feel who deserves a free session and email me their story. If I get enough interest I will do the giveaway. They must live in or near the Gila Valley to qualify (or be willing to travel). Erinhouseholderphotography@gmail.com

Post Processing ::{Before & After}::

Just playin in photoshop tonight and wanted to show you this before and after. It's not a true sooc (straight out of camera). It's my original color edit turned peach vintage with some texture added. Which one do you like best?

If I can get enough interest, I'm going to start doing some Q&A posts or maybe a Fix It Up Friday where I show you step by step what I've done to an image. Is there anything you're dying to know? Leave a question in the comments or send me an email at erinhouseholderphotography@gmail.com

Senior Portraits ::{Kayley}:: continued...

I loved everything about this session. I took Kayley to one of my favorite locations and I think we got the look we were going for. Thanks for letting me take these Kayley!!

What I'm working on tonight...

I'm quickly learning that I'd be happy photographing high school seniors all year round... exclusively! I love it so much. Senior girls really know how to pull out the attitude for those serious "model looks" and then bust up laughing .2 seconds later. It is just FUN! Talanna is SO goofy and crazy. We kept each other laughing and definitely had a good time. Here's a small peek into our session. More to come for sure!