Day 3: Then and Now.

I decided to take a twist on today's theme... I hope that's okay :) And I am totally cheating because the picture below was a picture I took last week... not today. So, the theme for the joy of LOVE class today is: Then and Now. What Willette wanted us to do is take a "then" photo of someone we love and compare it with a "now" photo. This way we can compare the changes of the person we choose from then to now. Well... this is what I am doing, but with a twist...

I decided to take a photo from a year ago... when I was first getting started with photography. I want to compare the style of this photo to the style I am now incorporating into my photography. Both pictures were taken of my son, the top in January of 2010 and the bottom in January 2011.

Then (January 2010)

Now (January 2011)

Similarities: Evan still looks the same (he hasn't changed much at all), he is posed the same, both b&w, both taken by a north facing window (to get that yummy natural light).

Differences: In the top photo I told Evan how I wanted him posed, in the bottom photo he posed on his own. The top photo is staged in front of a black backdrop, The bottom photo was a more natural setting. I used a wide open aperture to blur out the background. The crop is different (though both are cropped in camera), the top crop is more traditional... allowing the viewer to see Evan's whole face and arms. The bottom is more... umm... abstract maybe? I like it, I like that you can only see part of his face... it's different. For the top photo I remember having Evan looking at my husband who got him to smile for me... probably by saying "say cheese!" In the bottom photo... I don't think I said a thing. I was just letting him do as he pleased and I like how it turned out. He looks like he is deep in thought. 

I love both photos. I probably always will. But I am really enjoying the change in my photography style. I am surprised at how much it has changed in only a year. I love that I can take the same person... and the same pose and get two very different photographs. 

Day 2: How They Look

I love my boy's facial expressions when I take photos of him. I have so many different series of photos of his laughs, smiles, tears, droopy eyes... etc. Here is my favorite from a series of photo's I took today for the joy of LOVE class. The theme is How They Look, and I just love how Evan looks in his hat...

There is still time to join the class :) I love to have an excuse to take pictures, edit and blog... join in, it is lots of fun!

Day 1: What They Do.

During this month I will be participating in a online photography class (YEAY!) I really, really needed something like this to keep me going through the winter. I have neglected my camera way too much lately. If you are interested in joining in on the fun this month then check out THIS link. Willette is offering a FREE online class that goes on throughout the month of February. The class is called The Joy of Love, and it gives us the opportunity to take photos of the ones we love all month long. Today was the first day of the class and the theme is What They Do. I have so many loved ones in my life that I would love to take photos of... but these two kiddos are the ones that I spend each day with (so you will probably be seeing A LOT of them during this class :)). 

One of the many things my kids do is... take a bath! Evan and Makiah love taking baths and if they had the choice they would probably stay in there for hours on end. 

The lighting in my bathroom is... no good. I set the ISO to 800 and I had my camera set to Aperture priority (Av) with the aperture set at 2.8. I changed my white balance to Tungsen light (I usually just leave it on AWB), since the lighting in the bathroom is so yellow. I would love to have a bathroom with windows... just so I could take better photos in there. I love bath time pictures of kids! 

After bath time I took these photos in my room facing the window. I wanted to get some natural light photos in the mix. After shooting off a few shots I looked at the pictures and they were BLUE (ummm change your settings Jessica!) I changed my ISO to 400 and set my white balance back to AWB and ahhh much better :) Makiah was getting grumpy so I only got some pictures of her wrinkly toes.. .she wouldn't even look at the camera. 

Head on over to check out The Joy of Love class... it will be well worth your time!

Real Life.

I have been planning this shoot out in my mind for months. I wanted to do it in January for a bunch of reasons. One being that it's an indoor shoot and it's really cold out! Another reason... my son turned 4 this month, and my daughter is now 2 1/2. I thought it would be so nice to have these pictures to remember this time in their lives.

These pictures did not turn out the way I was expecting... but much, much, better :) I am in LOVE with these pictures and I cannot wait to hang them all over my kid's room!

I took these photos in my bedroom on my bed. I have one small window facing north. The fact that there is snow everywhere helped reflect plenty of light into the room. I used my 50 mm 1.8 lens during the whole shoot. I used the aperture priority setting (Av), and I  had the aperture set to 2.8... right where I like it. I switched the ISO between 400 to 800 during the shoot, just testing things out. Luckily the shutter was quick enough (usually between 1/100-1/200s) to capture some movement. I love having my 50 mm lens for low light... I am finally getting used to the focal length. 

I told my kids to dance, jump and play... and they did. We had some music on and that got their energy going. They had a lot of fun. Then they decided to pull out some books... not part of the plan, but it worked. So. Perfectly. I love these photos :)

This is why I love lifestyle photographs. So simple and beautiful. Relaxed and candid. I love that my kids had fun the whole time I was taking pictures... no tears, or begging for them to pose just right. I just followed their lead and things worked out just perfectly.

I love a good change...

A new year and lots of changes. That's how it usually goes... right? I feel like I have neglected this blog for the past month or two. I am still here and I have still been taking pictures... even though I haven't been posting very much. I needed some time to re-group. To think about the changes that I want to make. Near the end of the fall season I started to feel like I was just going with the motions. Taking the same pictures in the same places. I was at a loss when it came to creativity. I have had time to think about goals for the upcoming year, about where I am in my photography journey, and the style I am trying to portray in my work. The time was well needed and well spent. I am ready for the new year and the opportunities that will come my way.

This year I want to focus mainly on my photography style. Over this past year I have come to love Lifestyle Photography. I am slowly developing the style that I hope to have for my future business in photography. Lifestyle photography has played a significant role in developing this style. I hope to convey real life in my photographs this year.

This year I not only want to post about the sessions I've done... but also inspirations, ideas, and learning experiences. I want this blog to be a place that you can come to and learn, and grow in your own photography journey. I hope to learn with you as well. I have much to learn and I am excited to continue in my own personal journey.

I hope that this will be a place that I will meet new people and make new friends. Feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts... I'd love to meet you and hear what you have to say!

I have made several changes to my blog. If you'd like to take a look around, feel free. I changed my about me page, and put in a new information page (both listed above in my link bar). I also changed my header. I like it... it expresses the feeling that I want to capture in my sessions. I appreciate all my readers... thank you for stopping by and commenting. I love to hear from you and I am grateful for your support!

I am also really excited to share a session that I did with my kiddos today. I have had this session in my mind for months now... and it didn't even go as planned :) But I am loving the results! Be sure to come back later this week to see the photos :)

2010 Babies!

As I was working on my previous post I decided that I just had to do a post just for the babies. Every time I look back at the baby photos I took last year I fall in love with them all over again. These babies are absolutely beautiful! I have come to love taking photos of newborns and I hope the coming year provides me with more opportunities to do so.

I also wanted to thank the wonderful moms of these precious babies. They were all so patient with me! Newborn sessions take a great deal of time and patience. It is also during a time that the moms and babies are tired and needing rest. Thank you moms for these wonderful memories and beautiful photographs. I appreciate all you do!

Photography Journey 2010

I now know why it took me so long to post about 2010. I have been going through photos all morning and.... wow! Where do I start? I have met so many amazing people this year. These photos mean so much to me. 

This year has been my first full year in my photography journey. I bought my first dSLR camera in 2009 and in January 2010 I made a goal to do a photo session once a month for someone outside my family. I posted on my family blog to spread the word and asked if anyone wanted their photos taken. My first session last year was in February and it was a success! I fell in love with the photos and I had such a wonderful time (despite the cold weather!). 

From then on out I took any session I could get. I had wonderful friends who let me take photos of their cute kids and families. In April Jessica Bateman Photography was *born* and I was so excited to introduce my new blog. My first baby session was one of my favorite sessions and I couldn't wait for my next baby session. Another session that I will always remember was when I took photos of three adorable best friends. It is so fun to capture the moments that children have! My last session of the year was also very memorable. I had so much fun with some good friends of mine.... I took photos of them while they took photos of my husband and I. It really was a blast!

I also enjoyed taking photos of my own children... I post most of these photos on my personal blog, but every now and then I will share a little bit about them here on my photo blog. I love my children so much and I owe them all the credit when it comes to photography. They are my inspirations! 

Throughout the whole year I did 24 sessions. I am so grateful to all the wonderful people who trusted me and let me be the one to capture the special moments they will remember forever. I have enjoyed every step in my journey and I am excited to see what the new year will bring. 

Here is a special thank you to all my 2010 families! I appreciate everything you've done for me... it has been a wonderful year!