Cupcake Catastrophy

While discussing the baby shower plans for tomorrow a memory popped up that made me wish I had my back-up drive handy today.  I'm working from the laptop while on some doctor ordered bedrest at the moment, so I'll have to pry the pictures out a little later.

Some of the most hilariously perfect photos happen when you are "there for set-up".  I often pop in to the venue on the day of an event and take a look around to get a fast mental image of the where-and-what to expect when we arrive at a reception.  On this particular day I arrived at the same time as the baker and the desert delivery and the ever so cute flower-girl in her sparkly pink and white dress.

Yep... anyone with babysitting or parenting experience can see where this is going...

Part of the delivery of deserts was a tower of beautiful cupcakes and lady-finger treats, all delicately frosted with an array of soft pinks, spring greens, and cheerful blues.  I saw the colors and made a mental note to get some good images of the colors before the reception turned them to crumbs, then headed upstairs to see the bride. 

The bride was lovely and already most of the way through dressing and hair so we had a chance to play with images of the bridesmaids.  We did some lovely images in front of the dressing room mirror and the window to catch the pristine white of her gown.  Just as we were ready to head down to the ceremony site outside, the bride asked where her flower girl was and a frantic search ensued as nobody had kept track.  Like any concerned mom I had a momentary "if that was my kid what would I do" then remembered the last time I had spotted the flower girl and where.

Yes, as you can guess she was mostly safe, though I'm not sure how long it took for her to work off the sugar rush.  Only about ten total cupcakes and cookies were mangled, but the results were slightly hilarious to behold.  Thankfully, the flowergirl, bride, and nervous mom (a bridesmaid so the girl was supposed to be under grandma's watch) were all fine though nothing could be done to save the pretty toddler dress from some very large stains.  What I did get for images were actually quite cute.  Covered in crumbs and frosting, the big grin on that messy little face made an appearance in the wedding album and I remember the bride asking for prints to share with her friend later.  

So what does all this mean to me?  Well, when life gives you cupcakes... MAKE A MESS!

The Busy Season

Wedding season is a wonderful time of year.  I honestly love getting to be a tiny part in the memories of a lovely day.  My time behind the camera is a reward for all the hard work I do on week days and all the hours of editing that it can take later.

It looks like August to September has been a slow month for wedding bookings, so I'll be offering more deals around that time for couples that need to book and any brides that would like to try boudoir.  Until then, I think I'm going to do some new floral photography when I don't have weddings to test out color works too.  Between weddings, wings, and flowers, I think this blog is beginning to look decidedly girlish.

Have A Plan B... and Plan C... and Plan D

Planning your wedding can seem like it requires an army.  Catering, venues, place cards, invitations, hiring vendors and contacting guests and party members is hard enough... so when the day comes, you don't want to be stressing about missing those great moments.  For that reason, I suggest that brides work with their groom and family to make a list of shots that you absolutely want to have taken on your big day.

Adesso Wedding Guest Book
Sadly, this company closed but some vendors may still have albums to sell.
My personal wedding guest book is from this company.

Make a portrait appointment or secure time prior to the ceremony for bridal headshots once make-up and hair have been finished.  Having that one image of the blushing bride as she awaits those steps down the aisle can mean the world to your family, both the new one being built with your other-half and the one letting go of their little girl.  The portraits can be taken at any time as and place; take this recent beauty as proof.

Taken in the dressing room just before her trip down the aisle, that
solid color backdrop is actually just a darkly painted wooden wall.

Do yourself a favor, go online and start an idea collection that you can share with your photographer.  Make a list of vital people to be sure to include in photos and email the list of names to your photographer, simply saying "oh, I need a picture with my Nana" will be less helpful when the photographer has not met your family and does not know Crazy Uncle Joe-Bob from Grandpa Mark.  Those wearing flowers or dressed in outfits that match the wedding colors will usually stand out, but letting them know who needs to be in a portrait will always speed things along.

Extended family photo of the groom's "brothers" and mother at a friend's wedding in 2008.
For those paying close attention; yes, that is my husband in that group on the left.

Plan the images of bride and groom you absolutely want to have.  Is there something you saw on a website while searching for dresses or looking at venues?  Maybe there was that photo of the bride wearing the groom's top hat, or the idea of a kiss framed against a glowing sunset on the beach... you will want to let your photographer know about those things so they can be sure to pose you for them.  Those moments are just as vital as telling them to make sure you see the center pieces that Great Aunt Louisa made all on her own time.  We want to know what is important to you!

Top of the wedding arch at the most recent wedding.

A tip of the groom's hat from our lovely bride.

Lovely tea rose from a wedding bouquet in 2010.

You Look Smashing!

Earlier this week my son turned one.  I was agonizing over what approach to use for his cake-smash photos because I wanted to capture the entire event without going too artistic and loosing the quality of the moment for the sake of one or two images.  After having to fight my instincts as a mother, I went for a bold color choice in frosting and made an effort to really light the area at an insane level so I could ensure that every little detail was visible.

 

The boy was an amazing model yet again, really getting into the moment and giving me some wonderful expressions in his wild celebration.  The start was just a little timid, poking the frosting then looking at and licking his fingers.  For a moment I even thought he was going to go Godzilla on the poor cake and belly flop on it in some sort of mini pile-driver.  He got his feet, hands, even his bottom into the act when he sat on the cake at the very end.  

 

Thankfully it was followed by a bath since we have a full bath with tub at the studio, but I got stuck with the epic clean-up while my husband simply took bath duty.  The hardest part of the whole event was getting the little man to bed that night after the amazing sugar rush.  Thankfully he did nod off around one in the morning, but by then I was already to tired I was debating if he would ever have cake again.

Directions In Photography

I do not claim to be the world's best photographer. I have spent years learning and teaching others, but I will never claim to know everything about my craft. I shared a blog recently about being humbled and shaken when a peer gave a scathing comment on my request for advice, and I still find myself looking at work sometimes saying “I should have moved just a smidgen to the right” or “I wish I waited just a second longer so his eyes would be slightly more relaxed from the last flash”. These are the worries and thoughts of a typical photographer, and may have been distilled perfectly in a quote a fellow photographer made in a forum I was once reading:

A GOOD DAY FOR ME IS REMEMBERING TO POINT THE CAMERA IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

This is a man who has his work in Vogue, Elle, and a million other places I can just hope to achieve in my lifetime. But his words have more meaning when you think about how a photographer is actually doing their client a service by freezing a moment in time.

Expression is huge, but only lasts a second. Shock and joy on the groom's face as his bride comes into view, or that warm candid moment when the Mother-of-the-Groom gives her son a kiss with tears rolling down her cheeks because he is all grown up; these are all something you can only capture just as they happen. These are true moments of candid photography. I need to be on my toes every moment at a a shoot so that I can capture the perfect image.

Perhaps even more so than weddings, working with children requires almost inhuman speed and attention to detail. I am talking about this because it will be a vital part of my shooting tomorrow and is weighing on my mind. Tomorrow is my son's cake smash sitting. Cake smash photography is a quickly growing avenue for child centered studios because of the honesty and silliness it embodies. To make it simple, a toddler is placed on a bare backdrop with a cake or cupcake in front of them and the photographer documents the following chaos.

I was introduced to the idea while working for a chain studio that absolutely forbid it because they kept a strict policy against food in the camera room. When I moved on the the studio chain, where I was responsible for training newer photographers, it was something very warmly welcomed. Now that my own studio is open, I am more than open to doing this kind of work and will soon begin looking for a local bakery to coordinate our efforts.

My son is a perfect test subject for the studio. He is constantly in my advertising and I have begun to market him out to infant and toddler talent agents because his aptitude for brilliance in the camera room could honestly make him a good deal of money to put aside for college. I also use him to test out new concepts and techniques, something I do often in an attempt to grow as an artist... but as a mother I am facing some worry that I will dislike the results.

What I want to do is really intensify the images tomorrow by choosing a stark white backdrop and a bold shade of blue-green for his cake. Next is where I am reaching my point of tension, because it is a huge risk as well. What I want to do is use a very tight depth of field and play with a slight distortion in focus. My goal is to change how we see the moment and bring out the “dirty” part of the experience.

Unfortunately, cake-smash is the kind of photography where one cannot simply “reset and try again”. The child's reaction will inherently be different because they understand that they have absolute freedom in that moment. As a mother, I want these images to be something my family can cherish just as much as myself. As an artist, I want to take advantage of this ideal opportunity to advance my skills as a photographer.

I will make the executive decision tomorrow as my husband places our boy on the subject mark. Once I can review the images I will post a selection and allow the results to be seen. But for tonight all I can do is take the advice of my photography hero and just hope that “my camera is pointed in the right direction”.