Then came daylight savings time and we decided to try again. We thought we’d keep him on standard time and he’d start waking up at 6 a.m. and going to sleep at 8 p.m.. So come 6 p.m. each day, when previously I would have been getting him ready for bed, I now have another hour or so to kill. Since it’s staying light outside later, we’ve started a new evening routine of hanging out on the front stoop together, saying hello to neighbors and passers-by and waiting for Daddy to come home.  I tell him to say hello to the nice ladies or to the jogger running by, and he replies, “hi nice ladies!” and “hi running man!” I love the reaction on people’s faces when greeted in such a manner by a not-quite-two-year old. And nothing beats his reaction when he sees his daddy rounding the corner on his bike, arriving home from work.

While I’m really enjoying the temperate evenings before the humidity and mosquitos of summer arrive, I’m sad to report that our ploy has failed. Somehow my son’s body clock figured out we were trying to trick it, and with the exception of one or two lucky days, he’s continued waking up well before 6. We’re giving it till Wednesday and if we still haven’t been able to shift him to a later schedule, it’ll be back to the earlier bedtime once again and no more evenings on the front stoop.

p.s. – for anyone who cares, yes, that is a DC United jersey.

p.p.s. – for anyone who cares about the technical stuff, these photos were taken with my new Canon 5D MkII and a rented 24mm f1.4. It is a super sweet camera! The lens is so freakin’ expensive that it’s actually cheaper for me to rent it to use for every session for the next year than to buy it. Sigh.

The first week of the new year for me was marked by fever, coughing, and an ear infection. When I started feeling pressure in my ear drum that reminded me of childhood illnesses, I knew it was time for a trip to the doc and some antibiotics. Now I’m catching up on things I had planned to do last week…like write a post for the new year…

I just wanted to say a big “thank you!” to all my clients from the past year. It was a privilege and a blast working with each and every one of the families that I photographed.

December was a busy month of designing cards for myself and my clients. I was really pleased with the results and hope my clients were too. Here’s my own holiday card featuring my lovely subjects from the past year(which some of you may have seen already ).

These three are from an assignment I did for the Howard County Times of the Howard County Spelling Bee in March 2007.

]]> http://juliekubal.com/blog/2009/09/05/bee-memories/feed/ 2 http://juliekubal.com/blog/2009/08/18/nest-away/ http://juliekubal.com/blog/2009/08/18/nest-away/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 02:41:55 +0000 Julie http://juliekubal.com/blog/?p=537 The other day I met with Michelle to present the images from her son Cashion’s session. When I arrived, Michelle was just putting the little guy to bed, so in the meantime I hung out and flipped through one of Michelle’s magazines, House Beautiful. I love checking out these types of magazines, which are full of inspiration, but also make me feel a little inadequate on the decorating front. When she rejoined me, I mentioned the fact that the only time in my life when I managed to do a really good job decorating a room was in the months before my son Sasha was born and was afflicted with a serious case of nesting. All my creative energy was channeled into finding the perfect paint colors, the perfect bedding (see photo below), and the perfect wall hangings, resulting in a single decorating victory. Through some e-mail correspondences with Michelle the following day, I noticed for the first time at the bottom of her signature block a link to her blog, Twig and Scraps: Ideas for Nesting, (great name) all about said affliction! In all the excitement about Cashion’s photos the night before, Michelle forgot to mention the blog to me! Check it out people, I mean nesting mothers-to-be.

1.  Well rested,  well fed – The best time to take pictures of a baby is during a “quiet, alert” period, which usually occurs right after a nap or meal. When scheduling your session, it can be hard to predict when this period might occur. We might set an approximate time based on when you expect the baby to wake from a nap. Then on the day of the shoot, we can coordinate the exact time with a quick phone call.  I don’t schedule any other appointments on the day of your shoot so there is a lot of flexibility for shifting the start time. I would much rather move the time if it means the shoot will be more successful. If necessary we can also take a break to let the baby get in a little cat nap and still get nice shots.

2.  De-clutter - If we decide to use a location in your home for the shoot, think about clearing the space as much as possible beforehand. A clean background can make a huge difference in making compelling photos. This helps keep the focus on the baby and not on a distracting clutter. In my own home, this can be a tall order (as anyone who’s been here knows), but when I want to take nice pictures of my son I’ll at least move the bright colored plastic toys out of the way.  Take the series of pictures below. The baby and the ball make a simple scene framed against the blank concrete wall, while the colorful graffiti wall in the background adds another interesting visual element that says something about the location. Any guesses where this is?

3.  Complimentary colors – Just like the previous tip, we want to keep the focus where it is intended to be: on the people in the photo. I’m not necessarily into everyone wearing matching clothing, but if we’re doing a family shoot and one person is wearing bright red and another is wearing bright green, the viewers’ eye will linger on the bright colors and not on the intended subject matter. Consider having family members wear complimentary colors.

4.  Props – The right props can add a nice touch to your pictures. I like to include items such as a hand-knit blanket made by grandma or a favorite stuffed animal. Don’t forget tip #3 though! A brightly-colored patchwork quilt might be distracting.

5.  Relax! – The best images come when you’re able to be yourself. Your baby probably won’t notice that I’m snapping away, but adults are usually a bit more self-conscious and used to posing for the camera. Rather than posing, think about how you normally interact with your baby. If you’re like me with my son, you probably get pretty goofy and playful and can’t keep that loving look out of your eyes. I do my best to make you feel comfortable and uninhibited for truly great images.

The customized service level you are sure to experience will be amazing.  The knowledge that your final images are the result of someone caring about those moments so much that they take extra time ensuring that the artwork you receive is good enough to stand by with their name on it.  That level of quality and commitment  is all but lost in the age of “mass produced,” “mass marketed,” corporate “everyone is a number”.  Custom photography is based on being unique to you.  How great an experience would be,  to be able to sit back and allow a photographer to do this highly custom work for images that you will most likely cherish for a lifetime?