Welcome Trinity: Newborn Session

Trinity was such a good little lady during her newborn session!

Would you believe I was set up in her parents' dining room? When I say that I bring the studio to you, I'm not kidding.

Trinity's big brothers wanted to help me set up.

I was eager for this session, first to hang out with Trinity. Second, my husband and I made the bed that we used!! I wanted to make a wrought iron style infant bed. We used old wire hangers. My husband welded them together according to some doodles that I had made. Then we painted the frame black. It was a fun project, though my husband says that it'd be best to buy new wire the next time around. It would be easier, it's true. I also had a lot of fun sewing the bedding that went with the bed.

I arrived around 9 a.m. and began set up. I was done packing my car around 1pm. Now, some of that time was spent gabbing. LeAnn (Trinity's mom) has been one of my best friends since sometime in middle school.

It does take some time for a home session, though. I try to bring a few backdrops and work with what parents have on hand for their child as well.

Trinity, you are beautiful. Welcome to your family!

Welcome Trinity: Birth Day Session

LeAnn and I have been friends for a LONG time. We'd pass notes to each other in school, had many overnight stays and spent HOURS on the phone. I got to see her and her family regularly in their first four or so years. Her oldest children were the subjects of many photographs as I learned photography once upon a time. Then they moved across the state and I didn't get to see them as often, nor did I get a chance to photograph her boys very often. Aleesha and Jamie were the flower girls in my wedding.

Finally, a year ago, LeAnn and her family moved back to this side of the state, to Vermillion even!!! I was thrilled. Then, they learned that they were adding to the family!! I was excited for them. And, I was eager to offer my photography services. My skills have evolved since their oldest was little. To be honest, I'd never had the opportunity to try birth photography. If there was anyone I could ask to try this genre out, it was LeAnn.

I was out of town the day that she was scheduled to be induced. I thought that Trinity would have arrived by the time I got to town. But, I was able to join the family for awhile and await her arrival.

Communication is important with any client, best friend or otherwise. We agreed that if LeAnn and Chet wanted me out of the way, that's fine. I photographed a few waiting images. My plan was to be discreet and stay by momma's head. It worked out great. But, when a cesarean delivery was needed, I waited outside with the maternal grandma. It was still amazing to see Chet walk out with Trinity in his arms.

Trinity has a wonderful family surrounding her. She was the tie breaker with two older sisters and two brothers to show her the ropes.

Mom did wonderfully!!! She was a rockstar!

I'm so glad that we've been a part of each other's lives for better than 20 years. I'm thrilled that your kids like me. I think that they're a great bunch too.

Welcome to the family, Trinity. I look forward to watching you grow up too.

Photos by Bub

My son is nearly three and is very keen on the things that he sees my husband and I doing. When he watches daddy work, he wants a tool of any sort of his own. He loves fiddling with pliers, hammers... anything he can get his hands on. He wants to have a job of his own.

He also watches me at work and has taken an interest in my cameras. He loves the act of just pushing the button. We typically just try to get his fingers away from the front of the lens.

And so, there are many images of whatever happens to be in front of the camera at the moment he actually gets the shutter button pressed.







So, I try to help him out and get down on his level. I attempt to put myself in front of the lens.



Then... With some luck... I was able to coach him. I asked him to raise the camera, so that he could see me on the preview screen. And, he got some really nice images!



There, you've got it buddy!!







I know that he just likes the act of holding the camera up and pushing the button, like mommy does. But, I'm a very proud momma that he got a few fun images. :D It will be fun to search out scenes and subjects to photograph together as he grows up!

Wedding Video

Recently, I've been offering still photography packages for weddings almost exclusively.  This season, however, I was asked to film two weddings.  I have worked in television for over thirteen years now, so that wasn't an issue.  I love documenting events of any nature.

I also wanted to explore capturing video in conjunction with still photography.  So, I offered the option to two early season weddings.



The second wedding is available to view on request.

This approach isn't without its challenges, of course. My primary concern involved focusing on still photography. I set up two mostly stationary video cameras. My camera in the back of the church was in a location where I could adjust the shot as I photographed aspects of the wedding. I don't like to move around a lot during the ceremony, so this approach works really well. I added still images to the video to fill in the film and display all details from the celebration.

This spring, I filmed another wedding. My primary responsibility, again, was the still photography including portraits and candid images. This church was larger. I placed my main camera in the balcony, a space that I knew I may not have easy access to during the ceremony.

The bride's brother in law often documents family events. I asked if he might be shooting video that day and willing to share his footage with me. I could easily include extra video angles with that approach.



I loved seeing the wedding documented from a guest's perspective!!

I'm working on editing a wonderful celebration surrounding Ashley & Damon in Iowa. I filmed their wedding in its entirety and got to focus solely on that role.



More clips from Mr. & Mrs. Berkland's day will be added soon.

I look forward to filming more events in the future. Please follow my channel at www.youtube.com/sieversmavideo

I've set up a few playlists featuring my work and am always adding more material.

www.sieversmaphotography.com

Photo a Day: 365 images

I've successfully shot an image every day so far in 2014. I wanted to limit the instances where I relied on my cell phone. In the end, the best camera is whatever you have on hand.

As the second half of the year progresses, I would like to plan my shots better. I have a bad habit of remembering at 8 o'clock at night that I have yet to create an image. 

I've made some nice images and some lackluster ones too. All said, I enjoy looking through the collection and remembering that day. 

If you would like to look at the first six months of images , please visit my flickr gallery!  

https://flickr.com/photos/50010367@N06/sets/72157639453460643

In the next six months I hope to do more night photography and light painting. I've not been doing much of it lately and I love it!

I did make a photo for my mom's birthday earlier in the year. 

Rugged Gear Carts for all Shooting

I imagine that many people understand that when a photographer goes out, they take a camera, lens, and the needed accessories. But what about the tripod, extra lenses, perhaps a SECOND camera body and that's just if you're a natural light photographer. What if you are working on a portrait session, trekking around an urban environment and hauling lights and reflectors with you? I outgrew my camera back pack years ago, especially when I photograph weddings. I have several totes, each for their own designated category of gear. It takes effort to haul my gear from the car to the church or into the reception. It is becoming difficult to find a bag or a case that is large enough to hold almost everything, but not be too cumbersome itself.
My friend Chad Cable, and fellow photographer, has had similar difficulty toting his photo and video gear as he works on projects. Chad also works for Rugged Gear, a company that specializes in producing carts to haul guns for competitions. A different category of shooting, rather than ammo I need a spot to stash batteries. Still, the two genres can utilize the same cart fairly effectively. AND Rugged Gear is looking at adapting it's current line of carts to meet a photographer's need specifically. The question is, what can stay the same and what should be adapted?
Chad has used a Rugged Gear shooting cart as a dolly for his video production. He reached out to me to see if I would like to work a cart over and offer my own thoughts on how well it is suited for photography work.

I am on board for trying new gear!! As a photographer, gear acquisition syndrome is a very real issue, thus the difficulty in carrying it. I got to try out the burgundy cart that you see below.

                                                       Image from www.ruggedgear.com

I tried to compose some ideas before I received my cart, but that's tough to do without seeing it in person. At first glance, it looks like a stroller. I've been using a large stroller for two years and understand how portable they are.  One can haul a lot of 'stuff' fairly easily. In this instance, I also had been told that lightstands fit well where guns would typically reside, especially if they are extended. You may even leave the strobe head or flash attached.

Standing around in the RuggedGear office, we were able to brainstorm a few more ideas. There is a tray at the top where a sports shooter (not football) would stash their ammo. We thought that would be a nice spot to store small accessories that a person may need quick access to like batteries and a white balance filter. It could be improved by adding a cover of some sort to the top so that it could be zipped or snapped shut. It would be nice to not have to unload every small item when you load and unload the cart into your trunk.

I was also given a clamp that could be fastened to the side of the cart to hold another item. I intend to try it out by attaching a light stand to it. The cart could be a base for an upright light. I've run into issues photographing on location with a light and an umbrella. The umbrella catches a breeze and tips over. I believe that the cart would be heavy enough to keep that from happening. Perhaps it would take longer for me to break an umbrella diffuser again.

Before I pushed the cart out the door, the guys at Rugged Gear were able to show me how easily the cart collapses. There are releases on either side. You simply reach down and pull up, allowing the cart to fold in half. If you need to break the cart apart further, the wheels also come off. The cart fills my trunk, but I am able to close the lid. My husband was able to load the cart into the trunk in a more compact fashion. I need to practice, I think that I could get better too. If the front wheel is turned more, I believe that would help. That's an instance where it's an issue of my technique.

 
I was hesitant about this system. I didn't see how I could be very efficient if I had to pack all of my gear in their cases anyway, just to break the gear apart and load into a cart. Turns out, it's not too different from when I used a luggage cart or another transport cart. PLUS, this collapses better than the other options and holds more equipment. The only difference is that I removed the light stands from the case that I usually carry them in (golf bag) and my strobe lights came out of their suit case as well. 
 
I looped the strobe cases around the gun holders. The light stands stacked well on top of my camera and flash bags. I forgot to bring bungee cords along, those would have been helpful. My husband was a dear and delivered a few to me. Toting back to the car went more smoothly with those. I also would suggest shortening the straps on the strobe light cases if you also decide to hook them over the gun brackets. I found that the cases rubbed on the wheels.

Initially, I thought that a drawstring on the mesh bag would be handy. However, it's a great place to stash extension cords. And the cart travels well with the cords in the bag. That's an item that doesn't need to be unpacked.

 
There are pouches around the cart that would be great to hold lenses if you are switching between a couple through the shoot. I found that they also hold snacks and a beverage handily.

 

The cart was quite a bit messier on the return trip to the car. BUT, I did try leaving the strobes assembled on their respective stands. I also had to throw my case with video gear in it on top of everything. The bags and lights all stacked into my car and back into the trunk well.
The cart does come with a rain cover. I'm not sure that it would cover all gear in this particular situation. If I were photographing outside, I don't think that I would be carrying ALL of this gear either.

I have had the opportunity to use the cart at a second wedding, with similar success.  I made sure to have the bungee straps with me.  That really is a critical step in securing the load and making the transport smooth.

The reception was outdoors and I appreciated the minimal effort needed to push the cart back to my car.

Overall, I like how the cart is setup in its current form. A cover for the top tray is my main suggestion. I think that I might add some long Velcro straps to help lash items to the frame for quick transit. I have some additional shoots coming up this summer, including a wedding reception at a state park. I would also like to use the cart during a portrait excursion. I want to try out my plan to use the cart as a light base. 
 
I also think that the cart by Rugged Gear would be a nice tool when out on a photo walk with friends. No one person would have too much gear to haul, but perhaps three friends could share pushing it along with a cooler of choice beverages. After my initial use of the cart, I think that it's a great piece of equipment for all types of shooting.

If you are interested in checking out more products, the company's website is www.ruggedgear.com, or you may call an associate at 1-800-784-4331.

 

Cardboard Craftiness

I really like crafting things.  Wait, strike that, I love it.  I come by it naturally.  My mother hoarded supplies in case of creative inspiration.  I have a whole room filled with fabric, some paper goods, glue sticks, plus a variety of books and photography items.

When inspiration hits it may take awhile before I get around to making the item in mind.  Make no mistake, I will get around to it and it will be awesome.  Except, when sometimes it isn't.

I really love including things that reflect who the child is and what they are into when creating portraits.  My son has enjoyed tractors since the day he was born.  He loves other things, like pushing buttons on my camera to...  But he really is into tractors right now.

I thought that it would be cool to build him his own tractor.

I began breaking down and hoarding cardboard boxes about six months or so ago.  They fold flat and are easy to stash.  Lately, we always have large diaper boxes on hand too. 

I probably waited a little too long to start the project (about six weeks before his birthday), it wasn't done quite in time for his two year portraits. 

I worked over the course of a month, beginning in the living room on the floor and then moving to a space upstairs. 

 

I  had measured my son and worked to create a tractor that would 'fit' him... but I neglected to measure our door frames.  I got very nervous when I had difficulty moving the project to another room.  The good thing about cardboard is that it flexes. 

My son loved it immediately.  He soon figured out that it was something for him.

 

 

I lost track of how many sticks I put through my glue gun.  I'd say at the very least a dozen.    I used brown paper to line the interior of the cab so that the diaper box graphics could be covered.

I had a lot of fun putting this together.  I've been told that I should make a pattern and sell it.  I don't know about that.  That's the fun about a piece of art, usually you don't find two that are the exact same.  And, I would have no idea how to go about creating instructions for something like this.  I do think that I may be able to make a second one more efficiently. Or, it'd be more elaborate and no time would be saved.  :D

I was asked if I planned to paint the piece.  I imagined it being just cardboard.  I thought that would clearly convey that this was a play thing that may have been imagined by a child in possession of cardboard.  I like the simplicity of an unpainted tractor.

I think that it photographed really well too.

  

   

Thanks for visiting my blog.  I can be commissioned to create an imaginative piece for your session as well! We are post portrait session and the tractor is still being played with.  We bring it out in the yard when the weather is nice.  It will live in my son's room until he is done playing with it.



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