It's baby season!

Wanted to share the pleasure of photographing the Carr's bundle of joy, Nathan:

Congratulations and welcome to the world! :)

TGIF!

Took Harrison out for a shoot yesterday to celebrate the turn in the weather, and wanted to share my favorite shot. His second birthday is in three weeks, I can't believe it! Note the really warm, soft quality of the light; this is why taking pictures an hour before sunset is the most desirable. It doesn't wash out colors or cast hard shadows like mid-day sun.

Spring's Around the Corner!

It's been a while~! February flew by this year, as it usually does (does it seem shorter than other months? haha) I'm busy preparing for my first wedding of 2007 at the end of March, and looking forward to sharing the results! I'm excited to introduce my new assistant, Karie Riley (right), who will be helping me with my "big days" this year. She was the first bride I ever photographed so we have come full circle.

On the family portrait side, I'm excited to be featured in this month's newsletter for the local chain Once Upon A Child. Many of you moms know this great place to buy and sell gently used kids' clothing. They have several locations around Indy, so you should definitely check them out when shopping for spring break!

Speaking of spring, I'm scheduling now for April outdoor and indoor sessions, and I am booked for May, so call me soon to reserve a spot!

LHP is on Angie's List!

wooohoo!!! A client from last fall nominated Lynne Hulbert Photography as a trusted vendor on Angie's List, the Indianapolis homeowners grapevine. Angie's List has a great reputation in Indy, mostly because businesses can't pay to be on....they have to be added by a member. If you're a current Angie's List subscriber, you can post a review about your experiences. I'd certainly appreciate any feedback (good or bad) you have to report! Those of you who haven't checked out "Da List", what are you waiting for? It's a fantastic way to check out others' experiences with any type of service you hire - from florists to plumbers to jewelers.

Take Better Pictures, Part 1

A question I get fairly often is “How can I take better pictures with the camera I have?” I plan to periodically post topics to help you take better pictures every day.

Why compact digital cameras?
Unless you're buying a camera with a detachable lens (an SLR), you're buying a compact digital camera. They're very popular for many reasons. Like most consumers, you want a camera small enough to take everywhere, and you want it to produce sharp, bright pictures at the push of the shutter button. Most of us haven’t read our camera’s manual…and don’t feel we should have to. If you’re among this camp, it might help to know a little more about your camera’s strengths and weaknesses. In certain situations, compact digitals shine. These include outdoor pictures with overcast to bright sunlight. (I took the picture above with a $150 Canon PowerShot on a sunny day).

Unless you have a digital SLR (you'd know if you did!), your digital camera’s lens is very small and needs a LOT of light, especially with moving subjects. Where compacts have a little more trouble is fast action, and indoor low light situations. A compact’s lens struggles to let in enough light indoors to overcome movement – whether by your hand (called camera shake, which can be overcome using a tripod) or a moving target (anything moving faster than a bowl of fruit, which can be overcome sometimes - not always!- by using the flash).

Automatic doesn’t mean accurate – it means easy.
You spot your two daughters playing in the snow and think, “Cute picture time!” You head outside, camera on Auto, and start snapping. But the camera doesn’t see the girls…it sees blinding light from the white, reflective snow. It decides the scene has way more light than it needs, and drops the exposure way down resulting in a dark image…and gray snow. What your camera can’t know – this is where human decision comes in – is that you want the girls to be properly exposed, not the snow. Knowing how your camera will react in a given situation is the key to overcoming this difficult light situation. If your camera has a Manual setting, you would bump UP the exposure, resulting in true colors of the girls, and of course, bright white snow.

Have a question you'd like me to answer? Post it in the comments! I'm happy to help.

Meet Parker!

I had the pleasure of photographing six-month-old Parker this weekend. His parents had been frustrated with studio pictures before, as they wanted to truly capture Parker's exuberant personality! It was a tall order, but I think we got er done! I had a blast playing studio in their cozy home in Eagle Creek. It was a special day because Parker's grandma was in town, and was able to participate too. My favorites were the pics of Dad & son....it's easy to see where Parker gets his great looks and charm.

Something new I'm THRILLED to offer is coffee-table style books filled with images from a shoot like Parker's. I layout each full-color, hardbound book personally, and each book has a unique link so friends and family can order, too! This is a great way to get the images that you loved, but don't have room for every one on display! Its a fabulous conversation piece, and your child will love to see themselves in print in the years to come. Contact me for details...I can do this with past shoots, too!

Welcome to my blog!

Happy New Year!

One of my 2007 resolutions was to start a blog, and share more of my work and life with every one of you! This past year has been filled with so many wonderful blessings. My little boy, Harrison, is growing like a weed! As many of you know, he's been my muse all along....tolerating mommy's incessant shutter-bugging since the moment he was born.

He is the reason I wake up every morning, and my motivation for working so hard at growing my photography business. More than anything else, my role as a mother inspires me to capture the poignant beauty in each and every one of your lives.

Stay tuned here for news, special sneak-peeks and more!