You might have read on my home page, or heard from other photographers, the term "natural light photographer" and although I feel like the term is obvious to everyone, most clients might not understand what "natural light" means from a photographer's stand point.

Light is a key element in taking a photograph.  The intensity and the direction of the light source tells me what settings I need to use in my camera to get the best image and helps me pick the best location for each session. 

As a natural light photographer, my light source is the sun.  Really bright and direct light can be harsh and produces unflattering shadows on subjects.  Whereas diffused light, from a cloudy sky or in the shade, gives nice, even skin tones without any shadows.

The direction of the light source, the sun, plays an important role in my thought process during a session to know where I'll place myself in relation to my subjects.  If the sun is high in the sky during a daytime session, I try to pick a location that is fully covered in shade either from a tree or building.  If I can't find shade, or if the client prefers a specific location,  I'll place the sun directly behind my clients.  I position myself facing the sun with my clients looking at me to help avoid squinty eyes or harsh shadows.

A natural light photographer dreams of scheduling every session during 'the golden hour' - the one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.  "Golden hour" refers to the warm, gorgeous, glowy light we see in the three pictures below.  Weekends in the spring and summer are usually jammed with all the family activities so as the sun starts setting later, it's easier to schedule a session for an evening during the week!

Of course not all sessions can be scheduled during the golden hour.  Kids are like clockwork so if dinnertime or bedtime falls in the middle of that short window of time, it's just not ideal to have a session scheduled that late.  Sometimes it's Mother Nature that decides not to cooperate and there's a sky full of clouds.  Sometimes the only available time is smack-dab in the middle of the day.  And guess what?  It's ok!  I can still get gorgeous photos if the golden hour doesn't work or there's clouds filling the sky!  Below are a few examples of how we made it work when the session wasn't during the golden hour and the weather wasn't perfect.

I will always suggest scheduling your session during golden hour so we can get that warm, natural glow but it's important to know that sessions really can be scheduled for any time of the day that works best for you (and your littles!).  And I spend my days leading up to your session stalking the weather and willing away rain and bad weather!

I'm back for another round of weekly wrap-up!  I've never had a problem importing and editing pictures for clients but when it comes to person pictures.... I'm the worst!!  This weekly wrap-up is perfect for keeping me up-to-date on my editing.  And bonus!  It keeps my flash drives empty!

I hope everyone has had a good week & weekend!  We've had a lot of soggy/gloomy weather here on the east coast but my Facebook news feed and Instagram (follow along @cindy.johnson1112) was nothing but pumpkin patches and apple orchards and I loved every second of it!  We're hoping to do all the fall things soon!

Hi there!  Happy Monday to you!  I thought it would be fun to start a new series on the blog.  I'll pull together a weekly wrap-up of pictures that I've taken - both personal and professional..  Follow along and make sure to share about your week in the comments below!

It's been so much fun chasing my daughter around the house as she's exploring everything and cuddling (or sitting on...) the dog!  We're working on just petting instead of smacking.  The sunsets have been absolutely gorgeous this week!  I only wish that there weren't power lines right in the middle of my view!  And I shared a shot from some work I did with a local school.  They are in the process of updating their website so I volunteered some time to take new pictures for them.  It was so much fun meeting the staff and teachers and the kids were so much fun!

I had so much fun during the product photo session with Jenna at Haute Mess Restorations!  Her small business restores old furniture and she has so many beautiful pieces currently available!  Not only did I get to photograph her current inventory for listing on the Haute Mess Restorations Facebook and Etsy accounts (be sure to check it out!!), but I got a small sneak peek at some of her almost-finished pieces as well and I can tell you there are some super cute items that will be available soon that you don't want to miss out on!  

And you've got to hear the story behind why Jenna started Haute Mess Restorations:

"When my daughter was born a little less than a year ago, I decided to leave my crazy busy job in Higher Education to stay home with her. While it was the single best decision I have ever made, dropping down to one income caused our family some serious financial strain. My husband works really hard and has a great job but with the pressure of student loans piling up, we needed to supplement our income somehow. I really didn't want to go back to work so I began to seek the Lord for the answer that He would have. One Saturday afternoon, my husband and I were driving around so that our daughter could get in a nap in the backseat. We drove through a neighborhood with sown beautiful homes and happened to see some people moving a beautiful (but oddly ornate) wardrobe to the sidewalk. I felt strangely drawn to the piece and jumped out of the car to ask if I could take it. They told me that the piece had been in their home for many years and was handmade. I took it home (later that day as I couldn't fit it in my car) and went to work on it. I had no idea what to do with it but knew I could restore its beauty. It took me over 10 days and a lot of paint and precision but I was so pleased with the finished product. From there the projects began pouring in and it became a real business for me. From handmade home decor to all kinds of refurbished furniture, Haute Mess Restorations came to life! Thanks for reading and supporting small business."

I'm posting some pictures below but please make sure you check if the items are still available with Haute Mess Restorations.

Be sure to check out Haute Mess Restorations on Facebook, Instagram @hautemessrestorations, and Etsy!