Avery is over it.

I am shooting pics for a friend tomorrow so this morning I gathered my little model and my camera and off we went to check out lighting and get some practice shots.  I was THAT mother with the screaming child.  Avery is totally over it so it's a darn good thing I have some new little ones lined up!  LOL!  That's okay though, even with her defiant attitude I still found the perfect background, lighting and got some great shots like this...

A very special dress

Avery's grammy's cousin Aurie made her a beautiful dress.  She gave it to me when Avery was just a baby and I fell in love with it.  Well I realized the other day that she can wear it now!  So I said to her, "We're going to put this pretty dress on you and go outside so Ma-Ma can take your picture."  She did so happily  and here is a pic... 

Newborns on the horizon!

Thank you to all of you who expressed interest in getting me to photograph your little ones.  I cannot wait! 

In other news, I have a newborn shoot scheduled for early spring and am so excited!  I did a little practice session with Ander this morning, my first indoor natural light photographs.  I just love them.  He's not a newborn any longer but is still the picure of baby sweeteness to his proud mama :)

p.s.  My mom made that adorable blanket for him!

'Tis the Season!!! Want a free photo session?

Hello!!!  I've been busy but am so excited to be back on my blog!  What a gorgeous weekend.  I did a fall shoot with the kids as well as pictures for our upcoming Christmas card and I love them!  I know it seems early but the rush is starting and the holidays will be here before we know it. 

Now for the fun stuff!  I'm trying to gauge level of interest so if you are interested in a free session of your little one(s) along with one free picture (a digital file for you to use/print as you please) then leave me a comment here or send an email (contact info provided in my profile).  I will follow up with you to provide the details.  I'll be serving primarily Birmingham and Chicago areas.  I can do Birmingham area easily and if you are in Chicago we will just have to coordinate schedules.  Time is limited and it's first come first serve so hurry!  And now here are the pics of the weekend... :)

What's in a name?

No pictures today, just some heavy text...

A few weeks ago I sent the link to my blog to members of my family.  My sister Betsy replied, "I love the photos-Dad would be so proud!"  I can quote it because I read it over and over and then moved it to my save file. 

My dad sadly passed away in March, 2002.  He lived a long full life but his passing was rather sudden and rather hard for me to swallow.  He passed right when Jay and I first started dating.  He never met him and this is something that continues to sadden me.  I know how proud he would be and I know he would be such a wonderful grandfather to Avery and Ander.  I wish so much he were here to be a part of their lives and so I struggle with how to keep his legacy going.  Even though he isn't here in person, he lives on in spirit and through me.  It wasn't until now that I realized how much... bear with me, I promise to not make this a novel!

My dad was an amateur photographer.  He took pictures as a hobby because he loved it.  I still have many of his photos and they are beautiful... of animals, street signs, random people, windmills, family (and me), etc.  He was really talented.  He bought me my first camera and never complained about developing pictures of the cat week after week.  Not once! 

Over the years I have continued to take pictures because I love it and because I love having the memories.  Well once I captured that picture of Ander it dawned on me that I may actually have a natural talent for photography.  I also don't think it's by coincidence that Ander looks a lot like my dad (just compare their wavy red hair! :))  I absolutely love capturing those beautiful moments, expressions, sweet smiles that only last a second.  To quote my sister Betsy again, "capturing the extraordinary in the ordinary."  It's not as easy as I previously thought but the result is oh so worth it to me for those select extraordinary pictures.

Getting back to my original point... after reading that email from my sister I had an "ah-ha" moment.  All of this really comes from my father.  This is his legacy and I owe any natural talent I have to him.  I can only hope to carry on what started with him; my photography is a way he will continue to live on.  My dad is not only in my heart but also very much in my art. 

Thus I am changing the name of my blog to Tyler Plank Photography to honor my father, Robert Fulton Plank.  I love you always and miss you immeasurably.

Alright I get it

In all of my cramming and experimenting I have gone from JPEG to RAW back to JPEG and my final decision is RAW.  There are many reasons why but I won't bore you all.  Here are pics from today shot and proofed in RAW.  The ones from the previous 2 posts were going back to JPEG.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.  I was resistant to change because of the learning curve but I get it now... I hope.  I'm ready for this to get easier.  Grrrrrrr   :)  Thanks as always for letting me share!

How fun!

Awwww, thanks Mom for the old pics!  I'm so old I should add the "vintage" texture to the pics of Avery for better comparison.  LOL!!