ModestGeniusXL

Top Captures - Serenity Now

And at last we come to the final selection of the Top Captures of 2013.  As I stated earlier, this wasn't an official countdown per se.  So just because this capture is the last one presented does not mean that it was my favorite.  There seriously was no rhyme or reason to how each photo was displayed over the course of the past 30+ days.  However, I did purposely wait to do this one last for a specific reason.

You may have noticed that all of the other photos up to this point all had people in them somewhere.  A child, a man, a woman, an elder, a family...there was a person in the shot somehow.  There certainly is nothing wrong with that.  I always wanted to specialize in portrait photography anyway.  But I also wanted to have another aspect to my work.  That abstract part where there are no people present.

I thought when I moved down here to the DFW area that the abstract portion would pick up exponentially.  There had to be more scenery down here to capture, right?  That is definitely the case; however, I still don't know the sweet spots in the DFW area.  Mainly because I don't get out and scout locations like I would like to.  It's rather difficult when I have a day gig that is time consuming and traffic in general is a pain in the arse.  I find myself confined to mostly to the McKinney area.  And even here I haven't gotten out to explore like I should.

One day I was determined to set out and take photos of something that was non-people.  I believe I even posted on The Book about it.  It didn't even matter what.  Just something that struck me as camera worthy so I could get some inspiration to get some more abstract stuff done.  The first location that came to mind was that very lake where I had done the Levitation photo.  I had no idea what I would find.  Just figured something would hit me.

G went with me using it as an opportunity to get his bike on the trail around the lake.  The first thing I noticed was a branch on the ground with a lone fall leaf on it.  Nothing remarkable but worth a shot.  I wasn't feeling it though.  The lake itself wasn't a big deal that early in the morning either.  I continued walking around the lake for anything that caught my eye.  I noticed this little area off to the side at the exact same moment G was pointing it out to me.  Great minds think alike.

Now I have seen several people post their own photos on The Book of the sun peaking through the clouds.   Most of the time it comes from those who aren't professional photographers.  Just average folks wanting to capture the beauty of nature.  Because I know several of us always associate that type of picture with God's light shining through to earth.  Well this was just a different version of that.  With more vibrance involved and closer to earth.  I saw it as a way of God not only shining through but also touching the earth.  Yes,  I'm just corny like that.

I couldn't wait to get home to get it edited and post it.  To see the reaction that XL-Images fans would give to something that was a step outside of the box for me.  If I'm not mistaken, this was actually my first real nature shot too.  I put got it out there then waited anxiously.   Not one single comment, like, nothing.  It was like the photo never existed.  Poor capture.  Well I wasn't going to let it go out like that.  I decided it was due more shine since I was particularly diggin' it so much.  Which is why you know see it closing out the list of my favortire captures of 2013.

Top Captures of 2013 - Reunion

Not every photo has a great story behind it.  Sometimes it really is just a simple case of the capture being one that holds a special place with me.  That's the case with this one.  There's really not a whole lot I can say about it that I haven't said about other photos.  Especially the ones that came from the same Arkansas reunion from which this one came.  What can I say?  There were just a lot of great photgenic moments from that weekend.

There is something I do think of when I see this photo and that is about Mariah.  Whenever we get a chance to see Mom, Mariah always make sure she gets a photo with her.  She will hunt me down if I'm busy doing something else and makes sure that it gets done.  She does the same thing whenever we see her great grandmothers.  I can't even express how much I love that she has that type of sense of family.

Other than that, nothing else really comes to mind on this one.  As I said, I just really enjoy looking at it so I felt it deserved to be on the list.  I mean it's Mom, my youngest child and my oldest child....what's not to love about that? 

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Rajaa

Do you ever have that one person that you know where you can't remember how you met them but you're glad you did?  That's how it is with Rajaa.  I do know that I met her on The Book, but can't remember how.  I want to say that it was because I saw her on my friend Kevin Brown's page.  Kevin was a guy I had done some shoots with in the past.  He hung out with other model types so I already knew many of his friends, but not her.

What struck me about Rajaa was how her look was a combination of two of my favorite celebrities:  Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.  Now I should probably qualify that by saying that I am referring to classic Lauryn Hill.  The Lauryn Hill was was the peak of her success in the late 90s with the inimitable cd "The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill".  Back when she was normal.  Not the Lauryn Hill now who when she does show up in public is bound to look a little crazy and a shadow of her former self. 

There's probably something else that needs explaining that has been inferred in a few of these posts but hasn't actually been mentioned.  Any photog and/or model reading these would have picked up on it, but not the average person.  That is that I will occasionally do shoots that are known as 'TF' shoots.  It stands for "Trade For".  It is normally done when an established model and established photog want to collaborate for a shoot.  Rather than one paying the other, they trade.  So neither is charging and the session.

The purpose of a TF shoot is it helps out both parties.  Both the photographer and the model get new photos they can use to better their portfolio.  Usually it is done so one or both of them can try out ideas that would add some diversity to their portfolio.  That diversity would hopefully then lead to more business when potential clients see that style.  At least that's how it is for me when I do it.  I will try to find folks that have a look and/or style I haven't shot before.  That's how it was with Rajaa.

The difference was that Rajaa wasn't an established model.  Honestly, it is hard to find those types in the Des Moines area though.  At least the ones that are willing to do TF shoots.  They either will just flat out refuse to do TF shoots (meaning they want to get paid) or they can't because of some contractual obligation.   Sure, there are exceptions and I had been fortunate to get some of those too.  But I usually had my best luck when I found those folks who didn't travel in those normal model circles.  Plus, when I shot with one of the non traditional model people, I get a chance to showcase someone that the photog and model community hadn't seen before.

With Rajaa, I was very fortunate to get an individual who was not a a professional model per se, but certainly knew how to work it like one.  She was quite reserved and quiet in person until it came time for camera action.  Once in front of the lens and it was go time, she was able to flip that switch.  She could hit poses that were picture perfect with very little to no direction.  Each one even better than the next.  To be fair, I rather expected that to happen based on a few of the selfies I had seen from her.  But you still never know.  Some folks are fine taking pictures of themselves then freeze up if it ever came to an actual photo shoot.  That wasn't the case with Rajaa at all.

This shot almost didn't make the final cut of my edits with her.  I was once again using the gridded stripbox with a black backdrop.  I had a beauty dish in front of her to get an even light.  I wanted the stripbox to provide a rim light of sorts on her right side.  However, I had positioned it a little closer than intended.  I snapped and came up with an almost ethereal glow off to her right.  Had she been doing any other type of pose, it probably wouldn't have worked.  But the expression on her face and her positioning seemed to work perfectly with that light.  I didn't change a thing.

Now there's an old saying that goes "The only photographer I'm trying to be better be is the one I was yesterday".  Although I do subscribe to that, I still find myself subconsciously seeking the approval of other photogs.  Especially those that have been in the game longer than me.  I take it as the biggest compliment ever when I post a pic and a photog who I highly respect "likes" it.  That lets me know I'm doing something right.  At least on that particular photo.  This capture of Rajaa got a few of those type of likes.  Day made.

 

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Levitation

I'm not sure when the whole levitation photo craze started becoming a "thing".  I'm pretty certain it has been around longer than this year.  It just seemed like this year was when I started seeing more of them popping up.  There was talk of it in the IMPC group on The Book which inspired me to try to delve into it.  I just needed to find the right person to pull it off.  And the right scenery.  Well who better than my two sons that are always plenty animated?

This particular location wasn't actually my first choice.  I had an entirely different idea in mind but it required a much gloomier background.  Which also meant it had to be more overcast.  Not nearly as beautiful a day as this was.  However, with Elijah's busy schedule, I have to take what I can get.  I can still do the other idea I have in mind later.  Who knows...it may even make the Top Captures for next year if it materializes as well as I have it pictured in my mind.

This spot is a lake not far from my place.  For my Des Moines folks, it reminds me of a smaller version of Gray's Lake.  It's got the little walkway around it where you can always find people out getting their morning, midday and/or evening exercise.   It even has paddle boats that people can rent.  Although I don't see those used very often.  Probably because they're in the shape of Godzilla-shaped swans.  Well that and the lake is not really that big so it's not like you're going to get much scenery if you go out on it.

Even though this shot only has Elijah in it, I took quite a few different combinations with both him and Gabe.  One of my favorite being a shot where it appeared as though they were floating toward each other as they were reaching out to touch fingers but not quite touching.  It looked like it should have been a scene in the movie "Chronicle".  The reason I chose this one was because of some of the comments that were made when I posted it.  I wasn't sure if people were being serious or if they were just naive about how the shot was accomplished so I wanted to provide some type of clarification.

As you can see, Elijah looks like he's in the midst of falling.  Someone who is not versed on Photoshop (or with just simple photo editing in general) would look at that photo and think that it was done the natural way.  That Elijah jumped from a higher point and I snapped just as he was getting ready to hit the ground.  But common sense should tell you otherwise.  Look how close he is to the ground.  Look how his body is positioned.  If he really fell like that, that impact would have been VERY painful.  Most assuredly would have resulted in an injury of some sort.  Do you think I would post a picture that caused my son injury?  Plus, the expression on his face clearly indicates that he knows he is no danger.

I was on the fence about whether I should divulge how I as able to achieve this capture.  It's really not a secret at all.  Anyone can go online and figure out how it was done.  How many folks actually will though?  I'm guessing not many.  I won't go through the whole process so I can at least maintain some semblance of secrecy.  Just know that there was no movement required on the part of the talent (the word commonly used to describe a person who is the subject of a photo).  The idea is to have it appear as though he is, but the less movement that takes place, the better the shot works.  It all comes down to the editing to make the entire thing come together flawlessly.  That's the part where I would like to think that I really shine.

When I first seriously started taking photos a few years back, my editing skills were severely lacking.  NO way I could have pulled off something like this.  I didn't even have any actual software.  No Lightroom.  No Photoshop.  It was just Microsoft photo editor that came with my computer.  So there was very little post-processing that took place and it shows in the early work.  I eventually stepped up my game and became semi-proficient with both LR and PS.  I realize I'm still probably only using the tip of the iceberg for both of those can do.  I know more than the average person yet not as much as an expert.  However, for someone as anal as I am about how my photos look, that learning process is more than welcomed. 

 

Top Captures of 2013 - Kinfolk

That's what I ended up calling Brandon ever since we discovered something we conspicuously had in common.  See, I always knew I had a lot of family down here.  Many of them that I had never met.  Most of them on my Grandma Fleming's side.  I somehow managed to make several Arkansas reunions but never went to the ones in Texas.  I always thought it was too long of a drive.  Rather ironic considering I would eventually end up here.

Anyway, Grandma's maiden name is Redic.  There are are still several family members down here with that same last name.  It just so happened to be Brandon's last name.  He wasn't from the same town where many of our Redics reside (can't even remember the name of it now); however, he was from a town around the area called Waxahahie, TX.  So we just had to be related somehow.  I tried checking with the elders to see if his parents' names rang a bell.  Never did get confirmation one way or the other.  Didn't matter.  The similarities were close enough that we started calling each other Kinfolk.

We met when I started at my former company down here.  The area does have more minorities in the workplace than I've ever had at any previous job, but he and I were the only two brothas in our department.  Not counting the boss's boss.  Not that it mattered a whole lot.  I would come to find out that there were few real people there.  Folks are friendly with you when you work with them, but the divorce is swift when you leave.  At least while I was there I met a good person with Brandon.

Having just been down here for a few months at the time, I was really struggling to get the XL-Images name out.  I hadn't yet joined any local photog groups down here.  Didn't even know where to find them.  I certainly didn't want to spread the word at too much at the day gig either.  The head honchos act like they want to encourage a life outside the job, but they frown on it if it involves one being enterprising.  It was during a casual conversation with Brandon during lunch that the whole thing came about.

The Redics were long overdue for a family photo.  He didn't have anyone in particular in mind to do their pics until I showed him some of my work.  He was diggin it, but that was only half the battle.  Naturally, I had to sell the Missus too.  She got on board even quicker.  So we set up an appointment for a Saturday afternoon at a park in Dallas.  One called Robert E. Lee.  Leave it to Texas to name a park after a Confederate general.

The session with the Redics holds a special place with me.  The reason being that it was my first official shoot in the DFW area  since relocating here.  That meant it had to set the bar for future business.  If things worked out, then it would lead to more business with their friends and their friends' friends.  Unfortunately, that part never did happen.  This shoot was several months ago and still haven't had any referrals from them.  I'm still holding out that it will happen eventually.  I just try to be optimistic like that.  But even if it never does, at least I got XL-Images kicked off in DFW on the right foot.

Top Captures of 2013 - Mizzo

I know you're probably thinking the same thing I was when I first met this little fella.  Where in the world did that name came from?  The first thing that came to mind was that whole hip-hop language that Snoop made famous when he throws extra z's into everything.  Come to find out that did have something do to with it.  The name seemed to fit him though.  When I look at him, I acutally see a Mizzo.  His mom just reminded me of what his real name is and now I can't even picture it since all I see is Mizzo.

As for his mom, Teleza is one of the folks who helped get Des Moines First Fridays on the map.  That's another backstory in itself.   I'll try to give you the Cliff Notes version.  Y'all should already know what a First Fridays is.  Every major city has one.  Still not sure?  Google it right quick.  Anyway, when Des Moines first started doing it, they had a regular photog showing up shooting it.  He eventually stopped showing up.  I stepped in to fill his shoes.  It was a gig that ended up being the early foundation of XL-Images.  Thanks to the opportunity they gave me, I was able to get networking that would evolve into the present day XL-Images.

There are still instances when the First Fridays crew will contract me for other events and/or sessions.  They've seen me in action so they know my worth ethic.   Moreover, they've seen my work so they know I have a quality product.  Their ongoing support has led to professional headshots for Michelle, an anniversary celebration (which turned out better than many actual weddings I've been to) for Kraig and now children photos for Teleza.

When she first told me she was looking to do some photos for her son, I thought she meant just your standard school pictures.  But I knew that couldn't have been what she had in mind.  She knows me well enough to know how much I hate those school pictures.  No way I was going to have her son's pics look canned.  Which is why I insisted on a location that I know can always produce good images:  the rose garden at the Des Moines Art Center.  I know some photogs are stingy about their locations and not wanting to give them up.  I don't get into all that.  If you can do pictures at the same location and have them come out hot, then more power to you.  We're all going to have a different eye so you either have it or you don't.

I really wasn't expecting lil dude to come to the shoot all decked out.  Just figured Teleza would have in some casual gear like jeans and a polo.  Nothing too fancy.  Then she has him bust out with this suave little outfit complete with a shirt, tie and vest.  A VEST!  Dude was killin' it!   And was wearing it well too.  He was dressing better than me! 

I couldn't be lucky enough that he would be easy to work with too, could I?  Think again.  Mizzo was one of the best mannered little boys I've ever met.  Whenever I asked him to hit a certain mark and/or pose, he did it without fail.  Then he would have the perfect expression to go with it.  None of those contrived smiles that you see so many kids doing when they take photos.  Mizzo was looking like a little mini-model.

I finished the session and the end result was I call an editing nightmare.  But a good one.  That's where you have such a plethora of great images that you have a difficult time trying to decide which ones will make the final cut.  It created a snowball effect leading up to now.  Because then I had trouble choosing which of his pics would make the Top Captures.  It really wasn't a matter of if one would.  It was a matter of WHICH one would. 

Top Captures of 2013 - Angel

Figured I should probably do something geared toward Christmas for this point in the Top Captures.  Thanks to the last minute rush on Christmas themed shoots that I had late in the year, I probably could have used one those images.  I may still do it.  We'll see. Instead, this one came to mind.  Cara doing a shoot in angel wings is sort of close to Christmas since it's the whole angel look and all.  Yes, I realize it's reaching.  It's my list.  I do what I want.

I met Cara thanks in part to another photog in the DMI area a couple of years ago.  He had done a couple of different shoots with her that showed up in my news feed.  She clearly appeared to be a professional who had been doing modeling for a while.  Definitely longer than I had been shooting at that point.  I didn't think she would be interested in working with someone so green, but thought I would take a shot anyway. 

It turns out Cara was a very down to earth individual.  She may have projected a bigger than life image with her poses in what I saw; however, her personality was quite opposite.  It worked out very well for me as it it made her much easier to work with.  So when it came time to collaborate ideas for shoots, I never had to worry about ego and/or her not being open to ideas.  In fact, sometimes she would come up with the theme. Like in this instance.

I had actually been wanting to do a fallen angel type shoot for a while.  What I had in mind was a much larger set of wings though.  I had no idea where you could even get wings like the ones I was envisioning.  But the ones that Cara already had weren't that difficult to obtain.  Plus, they worked better on her body type since she is a little dainty.  Not sure wings with a seven foot wingspan would look quite right on her.

The original idea we did was her laying down amidst a pile of disheveled feathers as she was looking expressionless.  The thought being that she was a fallen angel per se and the photo had caught her at the end of her descent.  It came out rather amazing.  So much so that it was an honorable mention that some of you may have recalled from earlier.  That capture inspired other ideas using the same look.  This one would more or less be considered the before shot.  We see her basking in the a surreal innocence as I intentionally made the scene as bright as possible to add to the aesthetic. 

One thing that is definitely worth noting about Cara and why one of her photos is here is because of what she brings to a shoot beyond just her photogenic exterior.  It's the way that she is able to put aside serious health issues so that it doesn't affect her work regardless of how she feels inside.  Cara suffers from a disease known as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).  I had never heard of it before meeting her.  It's basically where her joints are causing her constant chronic pain.  Apparently, doing a photo shoot is one of the few things that allows her to take her mind off that and actually makes her feel better. 

Cara is another one of the people that I know can fill in for a shoot if someone has canceled last minute.  Both of us end out coming ahead.  She gets a period of time where her AS won't bother her.  I get an experienced model who I KNOW will produce top quality images every single time.  She always shows up on time and already prepared.  You would be hard-pressed to find an individual as reliable as Cara.  So whenever I have the opportunity to work wtih Cara, I always take it. 

Top Captures of 2013 - The Neelys

Now you seriously didn't think I was going to have a Top Captures list and this photo WASN'T going to be in there, did you?  When I announced that I would again be having the Top Captures this year, I asked everyone for a little feedback on which ones they wanted to see make the list.  Of course people chimed in with their own biases, but there were  good number of folks that mentioned the Neelys who didn't even know the family except from my photo.  That was telling me I must have done something right.

I have known James dating all the way back to my days at The Principal Financial Group.  Back in the days when the company had went on a mission to up their minority presence and was hiring minorities in droves.  I had never seen so many Black folks migrated from the south for one company in such a short amount of time.  Now how many of them are still working there is another story altogether.  You just don't go from no real winter weather to horrible constant cold for three months straight and think everything will be be peachy.  Man, I got sidetracked on that one quick.

What I meant to say was James and I initially connected on the basketball court.  There were a group of us from work that would come in on Saturdays to play on the court that the company had in one of their buildings.  That eventually evolved into playing one night a week at a local church that hosted pick-up games in their gym.  Then that eventually evolved to the same group of guys getting together a team to compete in a weekly Urbandale league.  That was years ago and I only keep in touch with a couple of guys from those days.  Erik being one and James being the other.

Honestly, I probably would have lost touch with James also had it not been for his interest in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.  Everytime we would have events, he would be in attendance showing his support.  He would later take that to the next level by pledging the grad chapter....ooops...I mean by participating in the intake process to become a member.  Which brings us up to date with how I ended up doing his family photos.

This was once again an instance where I knew both the parents of a family but none of their children.  I do recall seeing a couple of the boys at one or two of our past Black and Gold Scholarship Balls.  I just couldn't remember their names.  And honestly, I barely remember their faces.  Is it just me or do kids seem to grow rather fast at their age?  They can look entirely different from one year to the next.  But it didn't matter that I didn't know them as well as their folks.   They certainly had the welcoming personalities of both Bridget and James which made them easy to work with as well.

As for the dog?  Well this would be only the second time I had done a shoot with family pet.  When James asked me if it was okay if they bring Prince, I insisted on it.  Primarily because I had always wanted the opportunity to do another shoot with a family pet.  Also because I wanted to see what a dog named after my favorite R&B artist looked like.  Not surprisingly, Prince was very well behaved.  He even took direction well as you can see here.

I really could have chosen any number of poses from this session as a contender.  These folks were creating classics with every click.  One of the poses of the boys looked like it was the promo for an upcoming sitcom.  One of the poses of James and Bridget looked like it belonged on a Hallmark greeting card.  But this one just always stood out to me.  It's easily because of Prince stealing the show.  All I did was call his name and he gave me that look you see.  Fortunately, everyone else was ready to go at the same time and the rest is history.

Top Captures of 2013 - Gabe

There are a few interests that I have that Gabe actually shares.  I'm still trying to work with him on the whole Chiefs fan thing.   Can't seem to get him off the Packers.  Even though pretty much all the family from my side all hail from Kansas City.  I've attempted to logically explain to him that the only reason he even started liking them in the first place was because they happened to win the one Super Bowl that he actually watched.  It hasn't gotten him to change his mind yet but we'll see.

Anyway, at least he likes basketball as much as I do.  The playing part that is.  Haven't been able to get him to watch an entire game on television yet.  He may watch a little bit of the NBA All-Star game.  Maybe even a little bit of some of a NBA Finals game.  But NCAA ball is out of the question.  Which amazes me that he knows so much about players in the League without actually following their careers.  But again, at least he like playing it. 

Competitive sports here in Texas is no joke.  And they get them started at an early age.  So kids that are Gabe's age at his school have already been playing for years.  Even getting involved with different AAU teams.  They start honing their skills early in preparation for successful high school, college and pro careers.  A little premature?  Well it's not near as serious as they are about football, but still intense.  Gabe isn't to that level so he started off on a smaller scale:  The Boys and Girls Club.

The Boys and Girls Club here has their own little league for different age groups.  Each Club comprises their own team that would compete against the other teams from the Boys and Girls Clubs from surrounding areas like Plano, Allen and Richardson.  It worked out rather well logistically.  Even though the other teams are from other towns, all of the games were held in McKinney.  So we never had to worry about fighting evening traffic for any of Gabe's games. 

Gabe ended up having quite the knack for hitting three pointers.  I was rather surprised by it myself given his size.  He's probably the average height for his age, but it just seems like there are a good number of kids taller than him.  So even getting the shot off was a challenge.  Yet he still found a way to do it most of the time.  Not the most sound looking jumper although still effective.  Heck, Reggie Miller had the worst looking jumpshot of all-time and look how it panned out for him. 

There are parts of his game that we still need to work on.  His handles are not near where they should be.  I was trying to remember back to when I was his age and I recall being the same way.  It wasn't until late in high school that my skills in that regards were more polished.  However, I don't recall having near the touch from the floor that he does when I was that age.  Not a bad trade-off.  You don't get points for dribbling.

Getting all of these shots was more challenging than I expected for a couple of reasons.  The first being that the gym they played in was rather tiny.  It wasn't like I could sit at the baseline to get good action shots.  If I would have done that, the boys would have been right on top of me whenever they were on that end of the floor.  I suppose I could have just moved over to the side, but that would have defeated the purpose of getting those close-up action shots where you can see the intensity in their faces.  Instead, I was sitting in the bleachers with my 200mm lens trying my best to work some magic.

The other reason being that I still am not all that comfortable with my sports photography skills.  I can count on one hand how many sporting events I had shot prior to doing Gabe's games.  It has been a combination of lack of opportunity to do so and not having the right lenses to properly catch the action.  As with anything else, if you don't get to practice enough, you won't be that good at it.  It's all good though because it's not the niche I would like to get into anyway.  Just don't have the loot it takes to invest in the right equipment to do that genre justice.

So I did what I could while shooting Gabe's games.  I found myself constantly adjusting the settings the entire time.  The light would always change depending on where they were on the court based on where I was sitting so I was getting my own workout.  Didn't get near as many usable shots as I would have liked, but I got enough to get this nice little composite.  More importantly, got to watch my son out there ballin' it up.  That alone was better than any capture I got.

Top Captures of 2013 - The Marnins

Have I told you how much I enjoy repeat customers?  It just says a lot when a client has so much faith in your work and ability that they want to keep you using your services.  It comes in especially handy in this type of business.  If you get in good with the right family, you could end up having their business for years.  Shooting the children, graduation parties, engagements, weddings, maternity pics, newborn pics, senior pics...the possibilities are endless.  So yeah...it's rather a big deal. 

Summer has been one of those folks that have supported XL-Images since day one.  I can still remember the first shoot and how it happened.  We were expecting rain in Des Moines.  It was the perfect opportunity to do the shoot in the rain that I always wanted to do.  I sent out a message to all my FB contacts asking if anyone was game.  She responded.  I had forgotten I had even added her as a contact so had to look up who she even was.  Just the fact that she was willing to shoot was already a huge plus.  Naturally, the rain didn't cooperate since it turned out to only be a very light drizzle, but it got me in the door with Summer so the day wasn't a total waste.

That ended up being the first of several shoots with Summer.  She had no problem being a guinea pig of sorts whenever I had different concepts I wanted to try.  It worked out perfectly since she is not only very photogenic but easy to work with as well.  You may recall she was the vampire in that epic Halloween shoot that made the countdown a couple of years back.  The same photos that would end up having some religious folks unfriend me.  That still cracks me up.  Anyway, I would quickly find out that her daughters took after their mom in both regards.

The first time I did their family photos was a few years back.  Wow, time flies by.  Doesn't seem like it was quite that long ago.  Even that was an experiment of sorts.  It wasn't the first family session I had done (although it was one of the early ones), but it was the first I had done with the family pet included.  I would discover that even their dog worked well with the camera.  The shoot produced some incredible captures of everyone.  Of course, Cabo (the dog) included.  We all worked so well together that I was asked to do the family photos again the following year.  Which brings us to this photo.

First of all, it's important to note that any number of pictures from their session could have made this list.  That's always the hardest part about making these selections.  What I eventually end up doing is choosing the one picture that can act as more or less a representative of sorts for that entire shoot.  And I really hated not choosing a photo that incorporated Summer's other daughter also, but this one just cracks me up everytime I see it.

Anyone that knows Summer knows how much she loves her children.  I made sure to say "children" because it extends beyond just her two daughters.  It also includes her pets as well.  But she REALLY loves those two girls.  I've never seen any parents dote on their kids as much in a shoot as much as she does.  Naturally, they are to the age now where the gushing can sometimes be amusingly embarrassing.  That's exactly what we get in this picture.  I have no doubt at all that the girls really enjoy it inside.  Being teenage girls, they still have to try to be somewhat cool on the outside and act like it's not a big deal.  Even though it really is.