New Life ... CT Birth Photography

My lovely friend, and fellow photographer, had asked me a few months ago if I would be interested in photographing the birth of her second child. I said yes right away...but I can't say that I wasn't nervous. My first ever birth, and my first experience with a birth other than a c-section (my own). This was such a beautiful and amazing time. I am blessed and honored that my friend asked me to do this. I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to capture these moments. I want to do more. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in having your birth captured in lower Litchfield County.

Connecticut High School Senior - Litchfield County, CT

I am lucky enough to have a beautiful model in her senior year of high school, my awesome niece...

Sometimes....

...you need to pass the camera off to another person so you can be part of the fun and have some keepsakes of that show you were here.

This was my boys' birthday...Thank you to my awesome husband. :)

Beautiful Day = ...

It's winter...and usually COLD and not very nice out. The other day it hit 60. I had my boys skip their naps so they could spend the afternoon playing outside. Well, one of my little guys zonked out on the couch after having some yogurt. We looked over and he was out like a light. LOL! Such a sweetie.

I loved the look of the black and white one so much that I created an action for it! Hoping it looks as nice on many pictures to come. :) If I new how to share it with others I would! LOL

Images © T&T Photography 2012

Website Cleanup...

This past week I have done some housekeeping on my website, and of course here on my blog as well. If you care to take a peak and let me know what you think ... I'd would love some feedback. Just leave a comment below. :) 

T&T Photography ... the Website

Thanks! 

Newborn Prop Hat on the Cheap!

Many of you know that I make all my own newborn hats (and sell them too). But when I went shopping last night and found this...I couldn't resist! A buck. That's what this "hat" cost me. I am a sucker for a great deal, and really, who isn't. I could NOT pass this up. What is it though? It's actually a knit boot cuff. It was on the most wonderful clearance rack where I also scooped up a very long, wide, soft and stretchy $40 scarf for $11. to use as a wrap (with some of my crafty skills put to work).

How cute it this?! Excuse the makeshift bow. I grabbed the first ribbon I found to test my new "hat" out. Also excuse the picture quality, I quickly took it with my iPhone. ;) 

Go to local Marshalls, TJMaxx, etc. and look in the clearance racks. Spring items are going out and winter stuff is being clearanced out, though it feels as though winter has just begun. The snow is falling and we are enjoying watching the white stuff fall gracefully.

So, enjoy today and find yourself some good deals this winter!

Gallery Blocks Galore

You know that feeling you get when you are expecting an awesome package in the mail, then that package arrives and awaits for you to check it out. That was me today. I was so excited to get my client's order from Artsy Couture...a whole bunch of Gallery Blocks. I love Gallery Blocks and show them to everyone. The are beautiful, easy to clean, looks stunning in your home, and did I mention beautiful. 

I wanted to share with you what arrived today. 

Oh, and that little cube up there? That's something totally new to the Gallery Block collection. I wasn't sure what I was going to think of it, but my client wanted one...and I ordered four. Yes, four. Such beautiful pieces of art to add to one's home.

Gorgeous, right?! I think so...an my client (who is such a dear and old friend as well) thinks so too!

Editing Options: Lightroom or Photoshop or Both?

I have been playing around with black and white processing and trying to find a look I really love. Well, not all looks work with all images. So, here are a few of my favorites...each achieved differently.

How Lightroom and Photoshop Work So Well With Each Other

Lightroom and Photoshop compliment each other very well. When I find that I want to further edit and image and have reached my knowledgable limits, well, I head over to Photoshop. I was working on a black and white conversion last night. I wanted to achieve a certain look. I only got so far and knew that there were things I could do in Photoshop to help me achieve my look. I had a preset that I created in Lightroom a while back and applied that to my color edited version of the image. Then I further edited the picture using Photoshop and did more tweaks there - levels, curves, contrast, added a color layer as well. I created an action for that so I can use it again on other images. Of course, no action or preset will work on everything and will likely need adjustments. In the future, I can achieve this look quickly because I have saved my preset and action. 

I really like editing in Lightroom. However, sometimes I find an action that works amazing and makes editing all the easier. Last night, I found an action created by a Clickin Mom member (*see her work at the link provided at the end of this post). I saw her example and absolutely had to try it out! It's great! I had to do some extra tweaking, but that's the case in virtually all actions - tweak it to make it your own. This action created a look I was having difficulty achieving on my own. Of course I shoot in RAW, therefore each and every image must be edited in order to bring the image back to life. The color image was edited in primarily edited Lightroom, only making one minor adjustment using levels in Photoshop, something I could have used Lightroom for to achieve the same look. But when I brought the image into Photoshop, it was then that I decided it needed that extra touch. The black and white was converted in Photoshop.

Sometimes I Don't Use Photoshop to Edit

This last image is a preset I created in Lightroom. It's actually the same preset used in the nature scene above, but without the Photoshop extras added as I did in the nature image. I have a lot of presets ... but nothing really works for me the way I want them to. I want to love them. I want to use them...I did pay for them after all. I have a handful that I like, but since learning how to do more things for myself in LR, I rarely use them any longer. I know how to take advantage of tweaking an action, but presets I find are harder to tweak. I am thankful for CM forum. I have learned a lot of extra tidbits there that I didn't know before. My editing has definitely improved to make my images have more pop and life.

All images © T&T Photography - all rights reserved.

*The black and white action was created by: Lauren Sanderson Photography. Her work worth taking a look at!

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CT Newborn Greater Waterbury Area Photographer

One of the easiest newborns for me to photograph so far. Enjoy some images of this adorable little guy.