Memorial Day Sale on Organic Bloom Frames!

Today only we’re having a sale on Organic Bloom Frames. Purchase a 5×5 or larger Johnny (circular) frame and receive a FREE 5×5 Johnny – in your choice of color! These frames don’t go on sale often, so take advantage of it now!

Here’s what the Johnny frame looks like:

It comes in a FABULOUS selection of colors – I just ordered FOUR for my own walls! 🙂

I recently got in a huge shipment of frames for my clients and snapped a few pics of their beauty:

They are completely fabulous and so very popular – they’re hot sellers. And justifiably so – they’re well made, durable, and come in every color imaginable. My walls are quickly being overtaken by these frames, and I LOVE IT. Everyone who sees them in person ends up ordering some… they’re THAT fabulous!

Here are two I just hung in my bedroom of my own kiddos – the Lucy and the Gilligan in the color Parchment:

Pretty, huh? Please contact me today to place your order for your free frame. You do NOT need to be a client of mine to place an order. Just send me an e-mail at melissadevoephotography@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to send you more details.

Happy Memorial Day!

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Photography Workshop with Audrey Woulard

I am beyond thrilled to be blogging about a workshop I attended last week in Chicago given by the amazingly talented and successful Audrey Woulard. It was a very small and intimate workshop (the best kind) with a great group of women from all over North America. They were the type of women that I just clicked with instantly, and I know I’ve made lasting friendships!

The workshop far exceeded my expectations – we were able to watch Audrey photograph several children, see her post processing and workflow steps, discuss marketing, branding, pricing, and I even got to sit down with Audrey for a one-on-one mentoring session during the last day of the workshop.

I honestly learned more than I ever thought I would. There’s a reason Audrey is so successful – these things don’t happen by accident. Not only is she a talented photographer, she’s smart and an amazing businesswoman. I am striving to run my business as smart as she’s run hers!

As I mentioned, we had several kids come join us during the workshop and were they ever cute!! Here are some of my shots:

And here is a group shot of us girls at the workshop — somehow I ended up smack dab in the center of the photo! Thanks to Patti Hale for taking the picture for us!

If you’d like to visit the blogs of some of the other girls who attended, and hear their thoughts on the workshop, here are their links:

Red Wagon Photography

Chosen Moments Photography

Many thanks to Audrey for a fantastic workshop!!

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Fix-It Friday

I decided to participate in this week’s Fix-It Friday. Nevermind that it’s actually Saturday…!

I think I’m in the minority when I say that I actually enjoy editing photos. I feel like an artist creating a masterpiece, bringing out colors, cropping, sharpening, etc. I know most people hate the editing, but I really enjoy it. I can sit in my pj’s with my big glass of Crystal Light Iced Tea (I know… so sophisticated), maybe a snack, and get ’em done!

For anyone curious, I use Photoshop CS4 for my editing.

Here’s the original photo (provided by I Heart Faces):

And here’s the edit:

For anyone curious about Fix-It Friday, it’s hosted by I Heart Faces. You can visit them to see others’ submissions and for more information.

What To Wear Guide | Spring Edition

I know choosing your family’s wardrobes for portrait sessions can be difficult. The old trend used to include everyone wearing matching outfits – all white shirts or everyone in khakis and a black shirt. But the trend has changed for portraits.

The way to look your best is to have everyone coordinate – NOT match! This means you should pick a color or two and build your wardrobe around it. In this first example, we see a great shade of blue and some tans. Notice that everyone incorporates those colors into their outfits. Try incorporating a color using accessories – jewelry, shoes, a cute belt, etc.

Another important thing I always tell clients is to be comfortable! If you’re wearing something that isn’t “you”, it will show in your pictures. Always be yourself and let your wardrobe reflect your family’s personality and style.

The next example uses yellows and greens. I just love yellow for spring, and you can see from the children’s outfits that there are some things that reflect their personalities – cool sunglasses and a funky t-shirt!

If you need assistance selecting your outfits for a portrait session with me, I happily provide assistance with that! I always ask what you’re wearing and provide guidance on outfits before you show up for a portrait session. I want to make sure you’ll look your best and be happy with your portrait experience!

A big thank you to Melinda Brookshire Photography and I Heart Faces for this season’s style boards.

Spring Mini Sessions Available!

Spring Mini Sessions are now available!

If you’d like to capture sweet little Easter outfits, give a Mother’s Day gift, or just have a few updated pictures, then these are for you!

Please contact me soon to book your session! Space is limited!

Fix It Friday!

I’m a big fan of I Heart Faces, they have wonderful tutorials and are a great resource for photographers. They do a weekly Fix It Friday in which they supply a photo that needs some editing help. This week I decided to participate and put my own spin on the photo.

This is also a good example of what goes into custom photography (and why it costs so much – you don’t see Wal-Mart or Sears doing these things to your photos!). It takes a LONG time to master Photoshop, and if you’re hiring and paying for a custom photographer, make sure they know their stuff! I spend a huge amount of my time sitting at my computer after every session making each image perfect. You wouldn’t believe the details I look at in every shot and make sure everything’s super duper!

So, on to the photo. Here’s the before:

And the after:

Here’s some of what I did to the photo, all in Photoshop CS4:

1. Crop
2. Run an unsharp mask
3. Clone out the white door in the background
4. Used MCP’s Magic Color Finder Brush (Vivid) on everything but the skin
5. Used the spot healing brush very lightly on portions of his face
6. Ran TRA’s Oh Snap action at about 75% opacity
7. Burned the edges of the photo slightly
8. Re-sized and sharpened for web

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Just for Fun!

Had a little more fun recently with my macro lens and wanted to share a few images! Hope you enjoy!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I got some use out of my macro lens yesterday. For those who aren’t familiar with macro photography, it’s essentially just taking super close-up photos with a special lens. My macro lens is rather new, and I looooove it!

I hope everyone had a LOT of love this Valentine’s Day!

Raleigh’s Cutest Kid Contest Winner!!

After two straight weeks of LOTS of voting on my Facebook page, I’ve crowned the winner of my first annual Cutest Kid Contest!

Koen!!

I’m sure I don’t have to explain why he won… here is the photo his Mommy submitted for the contest, and I think the cuteness speaks for itself. 🙂

Koen, I can’t wait to meet you for your free photo session!! Congrats!

Lancaster

This past weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Lancaster, PA and staying right amongst the beautiful Amish farmland. The house we rented had horses running in the backyard. They were so beautiful!

The wide open fields and farms covered in snow were absolutely breathtaking. Granted, I froze my fingers off taking photos, but it was worth it!

And the covered bridges… all I can say is WOW. I spent a morning driving around finding the covered bridges and took many, many photos. This bridge was the longest and by far my favorite. I love the old, rustic look of it.

And lastly, just an interesting photo of a scooter belonging to an Amish person, left propped against a barn. Everywhere we went we saw people of all ages riding on these scooters.