JAMES HODGINS PHOTOGRAPHY

You have heard me say it before, sometimes the best images are when your subjects are not even looking at the camera.  We just finished the “water” session with the family and kids were having some fun before the next shoot.  I just love the faces of the two brothers as their sister takes control with the splashing.

I knew the moment I tripped the shutter that I captured a great moment between these sisters.  No prompting, no coaxing, just good o’l fashion sisterly love!  I love photographing kids outdoors.  Finding the right location with a subtle background and nice soft lighting with warm colors just brings the whole image together.

When the Kolar Family came in to view their images from their session earlier this week, we decided to photography Baby Mila on High Key White to show off her new hat. We could only get her hand out of her mouth for maybe a split second before she shoved it right back in there.  Well, why fight it?  If that is what she likes,then that is what we are going to capture.  Personally, I prefer the hand in mouth look myself.   (I’m more known for foot in mouth myself).

We photograph the weddings, we photograph the families, and now we photograph another chapter in our clients lives.    We have been in this  business for more than 17 years now and our clients are coming full circle as most of them now have their own families.  What a wonderful thing to capture throughout the years.  Thanks again Treena & Jimmy for trusting as yet again with your newest addition to your family………..baby Mila.

We always take the time to photograph the kids individually while on a family session.  Most of the time it’s outdoors where the kids get to romp around and just be themselves.  Family members are all trying their best to get the child to laugh or smile, and most of the time it’s a great success.   You don’t have to have the kid looking directly at the camera to capture one of those “Kodak Moments”, all you need is good lighting, good exposure (you don’t need a good camera either), proper lens choice and kids smile to make it all complete.

Just finished this photoshoot with Piper Pickle (aka the Niece ) at my studio as it’s been a looooong time since we have had an updated photo of her.  Heavens knows that her mom wouldn’t bring in so it was up to Grandma LOL.   I tried something different with this photoshoot as I only used my Lumo 160 flashes for this image.   No studio strobes or fancy dancy stuff expensive lighting.  Why?  Just to show you that you don’t have to break the bank to create stunning images.  How do I know this?  Because I used to do the same thing when I first started out in photography.  Learn the craft, become a master and it doesn’t matter what equipment you have, you should still be able create something beautiful.

I had lunch with my friend Jamie and my other little buddy Jesse.  Unfortunately Jesse hasn’t been feeling that well for the past few days, so I thought I would post this image of him to cheer him up.  Get well soon little buddy.

This little princess is growing up fast.  I have been photographing Courtney for years now (actually since she was born, and even before).  We have done many different portraits over the years (like this one).  In some way, this does make me feel old, but that feeling quickly goes away when I look at how awesome it is to document someone’s life.

I LOVE big o’l catchlights in my subjects eyes, especially babies and kids.  They eyes are the key to a great portrait.  If you have  no light in the eyes and the eyes look dull then you get a dull portrait.  I see alot of studio and outdoor photographers just not grasping this concept and some of them have been in the industry for years.  Now I am not perfect and not ALL my subjects get the big o’l catchlights, but we really do try our best, especially in the studio where your lighting is controlled.  I LOVE creating portraits like the below image.  Simple.  Well light. Cute subject.  Proper exposure and a great expression.  Everything a parent would want in a portrait of their child.

Oh I am still dreaming about the days of warm sun and no snow, but I know those days are soon over as the winter season is now upon us.  But I can still post images from the days of warmth, of children laughing and playing outdoors, and green grass to mow instead of white snow to shovel.