A Super Kid in a Superhero Family..

We had the pleasure of working with the A family recently. They wanted to get some holiday-themed photos so we worked with them to create their vision of the holidays for their cards. Their home is beautifully decorated so it wasn't hard to find plenty of spaces for us to work with them in. 


But then...we spotted the superhero room...

The superhero room is actually an office in their house but because this is a family who collects all things superhero, well, this was one cool room. We decided we needed to capture little J in his parents office, complete with...you guessed it...superheros! 


Not only was J one of the calmest children his age that we've worked with, he was absolutely awesome with us throughout the entire session. And though the A's were worried about their dog Morgan not taking to us, we managed to get some cute pictures featuring our new canine friend too. 

Even J's grandfather got to get some pictures taken with his grandson--they were adorable together and you can just feel the love when they are around each other. 

It was a real pleasure working with the A family, Morgan and especially "superkid"...

This tiny little sneak peek is especially for them...

Sneak Peek for the M Family

We recently had a morning shoot with three lovely ladies from the M family. 

They were a fun bunch and the girls made it clear that this was their photo shoot, which we got a big kick out of (as did their mom).

We hope they are happy with the results and that we get to work with them again soon.

A Sneak Peek for Alan and Nelly...

True Story Photography was on Long Island last weekend to photograph the wedding of Alan and Nelly. 

Since the editing process is a long one (and we know it is hard to be patient), we figured we would give the happy couple a tiny sneak peek while they wait for the editing process to be completed... 

It was a beautiful gathering. The ceremony was held on the gorgeous grounds of their home and included family, friends and a beautiful dog named Isabella, who we are told is an extremely important member of the family. Isabella actually walked the groom down the aisle. She also had some special bonding moments with the bride prior to the ceremony.

 

The bride's grandmother, who helped raise her, was also on hand and the two had a special moment. She is in her nineties and seemed very proud and supportive of her granddaughter. 

After the ceremony, the couple and their guests headed over to the warmly-appointed wine cellar room of a great restaurant to celebrate. 

 

The setting was picturesque, the guests were a fun group and the bride and groom really seemed to enjoy themselves. We considered ourselves lucky to be able to document their special day for them.

Baby Boom! Sneak peek for Mer and Nick

Round two on the baby boom here at True Story...this happy expecting couple is Nick and Mer...congrats to the happy couple!

 Here's a peek from your session with True Story...

Baby Boom! Sneak peek for Jill and Bill

It seems like lately, everywhere you turn there are glowing expectant mothers, awaiting the birth of their new little bundle of joy. 

At True Story it has been no exception: we are regularly receiving calls from loyal clients wanting to document that special time. 

This post is a sneak peek for Jill and Bill. Jill is 39 weeks and definitely has that glow about her, doesn't she? And Bill looks pretty happy too...


Enjoy your sneak peek!

Sneak Peek for Carolyn and Doug...

This past Saturday, Dany and I worked with J and A and their Mom and Dad. We have worked with J and A in the past and it is no secret that they have a lot of energy. It was fortunate that Dany and I were alert when they arrived because if we hadn't been on our toes, they would have definitely made sure we were in a very short amount of time.

 

Having worked with these two fun kids before, we were ready for the laughing, fun and goofiness that they love to display. Add in the brother-sister dynamic and you have an instant fun shoot. There was lots of laughing, lots of joking and plenty of energy displayed. 

It is always so nice to work with our repeat clients because the kids know what to expect and the parents are usually very relaxed because there are no surprises for them. It's so nice to have that vote of confidence and we appreciate watching the kids grown up.





Enjoy your sneak peek, Carolyn and Doug!

Business As Usual (or maybe not...)

Laura

We've all seen them or had them taken: those stilted, stiff looking business portraits that feature the same style and background. Perhaps they are functional but they speak volumes about how important photographs can be to your business marketing. After all, YOU are the first step in creating your brand. Regardless of what you do for a living, having a dynamic portrait that speaks of who YOU are can make a huge difference in how you present yourself to others professionally. 

Donna Thomas, Fine Artist

Steve Bollar AKA Stand Tall Steve

Lynn

At True Story, we love business portrait clients. In fact, one of our favorite sessions to shoot with clients is also one of our most popular: the Business Portrait Package from True Story Photography. This mini-session is not all that time consuming and provides our clients with a custom session and a set amount of retouched images on DVD. The images on DVD can be used for print, web or both, which provides our business clients with lots of flexibility. For more information about booking your Business Portrait Session, contact us at info@truestoryphotography.net.

An Average Woman in A Superwoman World

(Please note: True Story Photography is closed for vacation from July 3rd through July 11th but we will answer any inquiries when we return)

Dancing Days Are Here Again...

We're scheduled to shoot the 8th Grade Dance for Indian Mills tonight and I have been thinking all week about the ways that we are documented in photographs as we pass through our rites of passage. Throughout so many times in our lives we document the variety of events in our lives with photographs and often there are some pretty bad photographs that fall into this category. Too many times have I looked at a weird snap shot from a graduation or viewed an equally horrid dance photo from one of my friends and wondered (to myself) how I could have made that photo better.

Those photos aren't just a piece of paper with an image on it from a past event. They are the solid manifestation of our memories of an event. You can look at a photo of you from your middle school dance and remember all kinds of things from that night just by viewing your poofy hairstyle and the horrid outfit you wore. Just got a glimpse of my business partner's 8th grade dance photo and if someone can make her look bad, well, there's little hope for the rest of the world. :)

I think my goal going into events like this evening's dance or the prom photos we photographed a month or so ago is to take the best possible photos for those kids. I would say my business partner probably feels the same. Someday I want them to look back and actually not think too badly of their photos. Yes, I know hair styles will change and certainly dress and shoe styles will change even more. And yes, we always look back and make fun of our lousy hair or the weird shoes we are wearing. There's no way around that. But at least when they look at the dance photos and prom photos we provide for them, they will be able to see themselves as younger versions, filled with hope and possibility. That is my true hope and though there are often times, throughout the process, when it seems fruitless, at the end of the editing and post-processing, my faith is often restored that we have achieved this goal.

I guess as far as goals go, mine isn't too lofty and hopefully we will nail down that goal tonight and make things happen (photographically) for another bunch of young people going through one of life's many rites of passage.  Those young people probably won't come close to appreciating our efforts for years and years but hopefully they WILL someday appreciate the results of our efforts. One can only hope...

Sneak Peek for Sandi...

We had a fun portrait session with Sandi yesterday and wanted to give her a small sneak peek. 
Sandi is a wonderfully vibrant and fun person who is not only creative but also wears many hats, from radio show host, to artist to saleswoman, etc...we wanted to get that translated into her portraits while still making her feel comfortable with the process. The nicest part was her involvement in the session (great props!), which added a nice additional creative touch to what we were doing. The proofs are still in the works but here's a quick peek for her while she waits for the editing process to be completed.

We had a lot of fun with your shoot, Sandi! Hope you did too!

Model perfect....

Every once in a while, a little munchkin walks into our studio that we know is going to be special. Little A was our latest "model" child. Not only did he follow instructions perfectly but he really seemed to engage with us and have a good time. He was a lot of fun and really, had quite the personality. It isn't often that a child as young as he is shows the ability to follow directions like he did and we think he will continue to do really well in the modeling world. Kudos!
Here's a sneak peek for A and his Mom :)

Beauty and the Average Woman

We've had a fun time with a few of the recent boudoir shoots we have completed for women. It is a genre we both enjoy working in because we really understand what it takes for an average woman to put herself out there and be photographed in this type of session. We are really good at making people feel comfortable as themselves and they've been very happy with the results of our efforts so far, which is very cool.

This blog post was actually inspired by Dany, my True Story Photography business partner...She posted a comment on facebook recently admiring the work of some of her favorite boudoir photographers and the women who have been photographed even if they are self-admittedly less than perfect:
 
"I want to say that the women that have done boudoir shoots with us have such amazing self esteems. At the end of the day, even if they think any part of them is not their favorite, they still are beautiful and comfortable enough in their skin to be photographed! To my favorite boudoir photographers for bringing out sexy.Women need you!!!!"

I think that the most important thing a photographer can have is empathy for the people they are photographing. That empathy helps create a connection that is so important--Connection is the difference between photographing a lifeless object and photographing the spark that makes up a person's essence. It isn't really definable but you sure can tell when it isn't there! You can be the greatest technical expert in the world but if you can't feel and connect, your photos won't have the same sense of life and spark. The lighting can be perfect as it drapes across the curves of a face but if the life isn't shining in those eyes, it is not going to create an emotional connection with the viewer the way a good portrait should. It is pretty tough to create that life in any way other than directly with the person...last I checked, there isn't a Photoshop plug-in designed to add life to otherwise lifeless portraits....


Both Dany and I have been photographed in various ways over the course of growing up and even as adults. I recently did Dany's boudoir shoot and I have also had portrait sessions in the recent past with various photographers. I can tell you that, regardless of how attractive you might be, FEELING attractive is actually what makes that spark shine brightly when you are being photographed. I, like Dany, am proud to be entrusted with the task of photographing a woman in a way that makes her feel beautiful and lets her inner beauty shine through. Whether you are tall, short, average, thin, need to lose a few pounds or look like a supermodel, everyone wants to feel comfortable when having their photos taken and also wants to feel their true selves and beauty shine through in their photos. One of the favorite parts of my job (and I'm reasonably sure Dany would agree) is making someone smile and feel a boost in their confidence because of how we have photographed them. I think we're very fortunate to get this opportunity all the time and we are looking forward to continually spreading the confidence around as much as possible, one click at a time. 
 

Sneak Peek for Five Cool Kids...

Last Sunday we shot these cousins (basically two sets of siblings) and we had a really great time with them. Not only were the kids incredibly well-behaved but they were incredibly fun too! They wanted us to try out their posing ideas and cooperated beautifully through the entire shoot. What a pleasure to work with! Here's a little peek for their parents...now, remember that this is just a little peek...there will be more to see soon!