TBT: Newborn baby and newborn photographer

I mentioned in an earlier post, that the big push to get a DSLR was when I found out I was pregnant- I wanted to be able to take quality shots of my child's life with a quality camera.

The Christmas before Zoe Kay was born, I finally got my camera. However, I really had no idea how to use the thing. So, for a good long while (almost a year), I pretty much stayed in auto mode and adjusted ISO. So, pictures were pretty much hit and miss. 

I decided to take on the task of taking my daughter's newborn pics all on my own. I have to say, for the lack of skills and knowledge I had, I managed to pull off some halfway decent photos. 

Here are some of my favorites I took within Zoe's first couple of weeks (all unedited- someday I'll get around to that.....):

Not too bad, right?

....yeah?

I'd like to think that my skills have much improved in the 18 months since I first got my camera!

Roses for a baptism

My beautiful niece, Genevieve, recently turned 8 years old and will be getting baptized later this month. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this big event in her life, so she asked if I would take pictures of her in her beautiful baptism gown. How could I resist?!

I asked what she thinks of when she thinks about baptism. She thought for a moment, then said, "For some reason, when I think of baptism, I think of roses!"

DONE. We got a bouquet of roses for the shoot! With a white dress and flowers she definitely started looking like a little bride- it was adorable. (my husband thought it was kinda weird...pfft. whatevs, dude.)

Here a some of my favorites (most of these have been tweaked in photoshop):

 
Isn't she beautiful!? Look at those bright blues!

Genevieve LOVES horses, so naturally we stopped by a                                                                          neighbor's pasture to take some shots with the horses!

 I tried to incorporate symbolisms of baptism- mostly the water aspect. (with roses!)

My focus for this shoot was on taking some good portrait shots- posing, creativity, proper focus, etc. 

I am definitely struggling with focusing properly!!! GAAAAHHH!!!! It's pretty frustrating to look through your pictures after a shoot and realize a lot of great shots were OUT OF FOCUS!!! Any tips or tricks?! 

I also struggled to adjust aperture appropriately. There's still a lot for me to learn!! 

Luckily, Genevieve was a patient and cooperative model and we got a few good shots to help her remember her special day.