lovely ladies and little men

Look at these sweethearts!  We were able to run outside last minute on one of our recent nicer weather fall days and shot just a few pictures.  I think we got some fabulous shots of them together, but loved these particular images and just had to share a preview.

daddy's girls

These two cuties sure do love their daddy!  And he's certainly one of the proudest dad's ever.  The girls just modeled like its something they do all the time (hmm, perhaps they do have this sass all the time?!)  Very fun session for all.

Free Session This Friday

I'm looking for one model to do a session for me this Friday (Nov 11) at 4pm. I want to play around with some outdoor sunset shots, so I need someone willing to dress warm! In exchange, the model will receive a CD with approximately 30 edited images along with reprint permission. Kids should be at least five years old, but I'm open to having a senior or adult as well.  If you are interested please email me at brandi@sprayphotography.com First one to respond will get this opening!

Little Rockstar ~ fargo newborn photography

Little man couldn't have been more cooperative.  I think this may well have been the best newborn ever.  He hardly flinched when we moved him and I think the whole session took around an hour (uh, yeah, seriously!) We got so many pictures of this little guy in a ton of poses, but this series of rockstar images is my favorite :) 

On The Minds of Moms ~ Fargo-Moorhead

Hi all, its been a while since the last post but not for lack of being busy!  I've actually got a backlog of blog posts that'll be coming up soon!  In the meantime, I wanted to share with you all an article that local magazine, On The Minds of Moms, has in their latest issue.  I know a lot of people ask me about what Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is and once I tell them, they usually ask how I can do what I do.  Well, its not easy, but its a job that I believe God has given me to do (whether I want to or not!)  Here's a link to the article, hopefully it will provide you some insight as to the work I & numerous others do in our community.


http://www.onthemindsofmoms.com/tami-norgardunexpected-healing/

hey jude ~ fargo newborn photography

Such a pleasant little guy through the whole session hardly even made a peep (did he even peep?  not so sure!) Very calm and his mom is an absolute doll herself!  Looking forward to watching this little one grow up.

tyler ~ Dilworth newborn photography

This little guy is just a honey.  He's got a special story too as just before he was born his grandma had a severe heart attack and ended up needing a transplant.  She's doing wonderfully now and able to enjoy her first grandchild.

Hat & diaper cover courtesy of SM Little Creations

babies babies everywhere ~ Fargo newborn photography

I've been taking lots of newborn photos recently - and all super cute ones.  This little one I find particularly sweet, perhaps its because she's my cousin's little one, or (more likely) because she is just genuinely adorable.

couple of cuties~ fargo outdoor photography

Ok, so I can't believe I didn't already post this one! If it has already been up here and I double posted it, please someone let me know.  But these kiddos were so fantastic!  Super cute, easy to work with, and of course a fun mom!  

adorable little ones ~ hillsburo photography

This family was really fun to work with.  Their CD is going out this week and while I did put one quick peek up on the Facebook site, I thought I'd also get a little preview up here as well.  I'm so glad I was able to get connected to this family, I look forward to watching these little ones grow!

Oh Olivia! ~ Fargo Newborn Photography

I feel like I've been waiting for this little gal to come almost as long as her parents.  I've been photographing her big brother since he was a newborn, did maternity pictures for her, and now she's finally here! 

I have to say, I have a super hard time getting these cute sleeping folded up pictures.  I guess you wouldn't really notice it much because I really TRY at every session.  But a newborn session usually takes hours, not just a quick in and out session over a lunch break.  I've discovered that having a heated blanket on and warming the other blankets baby will lay on has made a big difference.  Most people do have their house nice and warm for baby, but there's just something about helping baby feel warm and secure, even when they are laid down, that helps them relax. 

Another hat from SM Little Creations.

New camera recommendations

I am often asked about recommendations for a new camera.  I personally own two Canon SLRs and a Sony Cybershot.  Here's a reply I recently sent a friend after she asked me what suggestions I have....

I tell everyone the same thing, buy the best one you can afford :)  Its like a laptop computer, they usually are out of date before you can even take it out of the store and they are all basically the same but with extra bells and whistles.  I prefer a point and shoot that does video, I find I use video more than still images quite often.   I have had a Canon Elf in the past as well as a Sony Cybershot (currently) and really like both. The Sony has pretty dang good video.  They are both super small (just a little bigger than a cell phone) so I keep mine in my purse most of the time. Some people prefer one that is a bit bigger so they can hold it more steady, but I already have a big SLR so I don't want a big point & shoot. I've never really looked at or compared those middle size cameras.  If you want to be able to get fast shots, indoor sports/events, etc then I'd go with an SLR its really the only way to truely snap a picture and what you see is what you get without a delay. The downfall is they are bulky/heavy and usually cost quite a bit more. To get the most out of an SLR you will want to take the time to learn how to use manual settings as well.  So, its all about what you want to invest, both in money and time.  Check out the website http://wwww.dpreview.com to read reviews and once you narrow down a couple choices you can compare them side-by-side. Good luck!

couldn't be cuter ~ fargo natural light photography

Now, seriously, could this little guy be any cuter?!

I wonder what he was thinking?

lisa & ross ~ fargo wedding photography

Some quick previews for Lisa & Ross! 

quadruple the fun with triplets plus one

I love this family.  They are fun to be around, entertaining (to say the least!) and just plain nice folks.  The kids behave so well its amazing.  I suppose with triplets plus one only a year apart, a mother HAS to be good!  Here's just a couple little previews from their more recent session.

SM Little Creations ~ Baby Hats & Photo Props

There really are not too many things cuter than a nearly naked baby wearing a super cute hat for pictures.  I have hit the jackpot & found an up and coming babywear designer and have a TON of new hats for my sessions.  Awesome part is they are super affordable and really good quality.  SM Little Creations is based out of Casselton, ND and will custom make pretty much any thing you want.

There are hats, diaper covers, baby wraps, cocoons, onesies and t-shirts to match too!  You can get them in almost any color. Of course, I'm also super excited because I got to take a ton of pictures for her website :)  Here are some samples of hat she has instock and designs she can customize.  She's also got a bunch on her Etsy Site of these cool little nests and of course birdie hats to go with them!

Tea party Time

Click here to view this photo book larger

For those looking for deals, Shutterfly has a deal right now that if you "share" a book (like mine above) on your blog you get a $10 off code!  Want to learn how to make books like these?  I demo the Shutterfly application in my digital scrapbooking class and teach you how to make your OWN layouts for these books as well.  Or, I can also completely do the design for you using your own pictures!

Baby Bjorn ~ Fargo Newborn Photography

I'm seriously in love with a LOT of the images from this session.  Here's just a quick preview of a few that I played with first :)

FirstChoice Clinic ~ Community Photographer

As I'm sure you may have noticed, I like to do volunteer work in our community.  I also do a lot of donations to things like silent auctions and fundraisers, help out at various events, and of course donate my services.  For the last four years I've been the Area Coordinator and Infant Remembrance Photographer for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (http://www.nilmdts.org/)  A couple years ago I was even selected as our area's only photographer to go to specialized education to be a certified trainer for that organization. 

And, as if its not totally obvious, I really working with healthy babies!  And to support healthy choices and healthy babies, I've been blessed enough to work with FirstChoice Clinic in Fargo for their annual Christmas card and other promotional pictures.  Because its now well past Christmas, I'd like to share with you a few pictures from this past year's session.

delightful duo ~ fargo outdoor portraiture

I had SO much fun with this mother & daughter duo today.  The weather was FANTASTIC and we had a great time.  I have to admit, I am having a hard time thinning out the proofs and it was even harder to get just a couple previews, they are all really cute!  Very photogenic ladies I tell you.  Enjoy!

Photoshop Quick Tip ~ Prairie Yarns

If you've ever met me in person and talked with me for any amount of time, you'd discover that I have an obsession with fiber arts.  I'm talking knitting, crochet, spinning, and all other (wool) fiber goodness.  I'm also what many might call a "yarn snob" in that I only use good quality stuff. 

Well, in Fargo we are fortunate to have a couple nice yarn shops.  One that I tend to visit most often is Prairie Yarns.  When the owner asked me to take a few pictures of the new shop (they moved into a new site last fall) and of course I jumped at the opportunity to support another local business.  She wanted a panoramic image and I didn't have enough space to just get it all in one shot; this required me to take several shots then compile them into one. 

Here's the result-

To do this using Photoshop here are the steps:
1.) Shoot several overlapping images and get 'em on your computer (its best that they are all the same camera settings, so use manual settings on your SLR to ensure your color/shutter/aperture, etc. is consistent)
2.) In Photoshop, click on File -->  Automate --> Photomerge
3.) A dialog box will show up and that's where you'll pick which images are going to be combined
4.) Wait patiently as Photoshop processes the files.  If you only 3-4 it shouldn't take too long, but its does take some processing time.
5.)  Once its done, THEN do your image adjustments for contrast, brightness, etc. so that the same setting is used for the whole image

Voila, thats it!  Really, its that easy!

landen! ~ audubon newborn photography

So, these pictures were taken the day before his due date, when he was three months old!  Yeppers, this little man was born pretty early, but is entirely perfect :)  Didn't score too many sleepy pictures, but it was really fun to have him in for his "newborn" session.

 

  

Photoshop Quick Tip ~ Family Vacation

This past winter our family went on a big vacation to DisneyWorld and on a cruise to Mexico.  Of course, when we went it was a replay of a Lampoon's vacation, but we all had fun (even though it was C-O-L-D the whole time!)  I did manage to get a couple shots of my daughter in the hot tub and my niece in the hotel room with my little Sony CyberShot camera that I thought were cute, but they needed some fixing up.

For both of these I followed the same steps.

1.)  Open file then go to Image --> Adjustments --> Brightness and Contrast (Make adjustments to your liking.)
2.)  Click OK then again Image --> Adjustments --> Photo Filter (Use the drop down and find one that makes your picture look better!  Don't forget to adjust the density slider and see how that changes the image.)

That is all.  Really, just two steps.  Not too shabby, eh?