Babies Love Roses/ Columbus Ohio Baby Photographer

Whetstone Park of Roses in Clintonville, was the perfect place for Monday's portrait session. The roses were at their peak and the fragrance was heady! It was like heaven on earth! And I was delighted to meet Baby J for the first time! The last time I "saw" her I was doing maternity shots with her mom! We had such a fun day at the "rose farm" playing with rose petals and dinosaurs!

A Summer Morning / Joy St.Claire Columbus Ohio Children's Photographer

child·hood
noun
1.the state or period of being a child.

The dictionary doesn't quite convey the word or period of being a child! Childhood to me means magical, in the moment, trusting, laughing, being free, hopeful, without guile, innocent, fleeting.

I love photographing children being themselves, playing, laughing and being in the moment... because those moments are so precious and once in a lifetime! I had a wonderful day of play, and being in the moment with H & C at Inniswood Metropark. I love what I do - & I love being able to keep these moments forever... to be visited again & again!


There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise. ~ Story People

The Gulf Coast Disaster

Images of tar balls on beaches and oil covered birds and wildlife are streaming across our TV screens, computer screens and iPhones. The lives of animals & oil rig workers, & the livelihoods of Gulf Coast residents are being lost. I feel helpless.

A shop on Etsy, Help the Gulf Coast, has been formed uniting Etsy sellers to bring help to the Gulf Coast. Proceeds from sales from this special shop will be split 50/50 between Oxfam America & American Bird Conservancy . This is a great opportunity to purchase art by independent (indie) artists and at the same time have your purchase help OUR Gulf Coast in this disaster. We can do little things to make a difference! Please visit this shop. If you are an artist, please consider making a donation to this shop. I have donated the above image to this cause and will be donating more art in the future.

How do I Process? / Central Ohio Photographer

Photographers are often asked about how they get their images to look the way they do. Each professional photographer has their own special "look", and process to achieve that signature look. My look starts with my lens - I love my 50mm lens. The framing it gives is beautiful and I love the light that pours into it. As I child, I hated the "formal" stiff poses I was put in. Now, as a professional, I strive for natural poses that lend themselves a fun & relaxed session. In addition to signature processing, photographers have their own style in posing and settings for portrait sessions. When selecting a photographer to take your family portraits, it's important to be familiar with a photographer's signature look and feel and make sure it fits with what you want!

The images below are an example of my "post processing". The image on the left is SOOC (straight out of the camera). It is unretouched. On the day these portraits were taken, it was rainy and quite overcast. The images were taken between 9:30AM and 11:30AM. I wanted to give a bit of a sunlit or warmer tone to the images. I always use Adobe Lightroom to process my images. (Try the FREE download for 30 days!) I find Lightroom easier and more intuitive than Photoshop. Often, I will start with a preset and then tweak it for my needs. I have created a few presets of my own, especially for landscapes, to create my own signature look and tones. In some instances, I pull a texture over the image to give it a little more depth or edge. Some of my favorite presets came from Jenn. Her presets are geared toward those who shoot in jpeg. And I will often use my own textures (check out the menu on the right side of my blog), those from Flickr groups or Beth Armsheimer. I hope this has given you some helpful insights and resources!

A Windy Day at Creekside/ Columbus Ohio Senior Portrait Photographer

Great senior portraits aren't just about trendy poses. A great location adds a special touch, and a connection between the photographer and senior really helps. It is important to me that the people I photograph feel comfortable & natural. I feel the best portraits come from people being themselves. I had a great session with Brittany at Creekside Park in Gahanna. It is one of the most beautiful lush settings in Central Ohio. A little preview of our session...