Friday, December 26, 2014

Party Photo Booth


 
We always host the family Christmas Eve gathering at our house.
This year I wanted to add some extra fun, so I set up a
"Photo Fun Booth"!
 
It was a HIT!
 
Everyone loved posing with my colorful props.
I posted the photos on Facebook and people tagged, shared and saved them.
 
It was so much fun, I decided to do it for our New Year's Eve party...
and you can do it, too!
 
What you will need:
 
Colored card stock paper or glitter paper
Grilling skewers
Wide mailing tape
Cool glue gun
Scissors
Ruler
A white sheet, blanket or white wall
 
I bought lots of glitter paper at our local Scrapbooking store.
You can find it at other craft stores, but the scrapbooking stores
have die cuts for you to cut out various numbers and sayings.
 
I cut out three sets of the year 2015,
and Happy New Year.
 
 
Scrapbooking paper is perfect for this project as
you need the weight of cardstock for the shapes to hold up.
 
Simply think up fun hats, crowns, champagne bottles and glasses and
use your glue gun to create them with the glitter paper.
 
 
On the back, use wide mailing tape to adhere the skewer
to the right or left of your creation. 
 
Point side should be UP and covered in tape. 
 
 
It's fun to have my kids home so they can pose for me
and I can actually get in a photo!
 
 
These are the props that I created.
They don't have to be perfect.  Have the kiddies help!
 
They only have to be FUN!
 
 
I set up my booth in the garage!
 
I created that white board to use for my professional portraits,
but you can hang a white sheet or blanket from the ceiling or use a
white wall.
 
I ADORE garage light.  Make sure it's just beyond any harsh rays.
The natural light in a garage against a white background is exquisite!
 
This is a good way to start your party.
Have your guests stop in the garage as they arrive.
You can take photos with your camera,
or simply let your guests capture their photos on their own phones!
 
 
 
The photos are a wonderful keepsake for your guests
to remember your FAB party!
 
 
UPDATE:
 
Here are some of the wild and crazy photos from the New Year's Photo Booth.
Everyone loved it and posted their photos on Facebook and Instagram!
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
This would also be a great idea for a birthday party,
plus wedding or baby showers!
 
 

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Christmas Eve

 
It's so close to Christmas, and if you have little children around,
I know that there is plenty of excitement in the air!
I want to share some photos I took last year and posted for Christmas Eve.
 

 
The idea for  this next series of portraits came in a vision
that popped into my mind when I found the Santa sack at Goodwill for 99-cents.
 
I have told you before that I get clear visions of what
a portrait should look like when I find certain clothing or props
at thrift stores.
 
These visions are very detailed and I feel COMPELLED to
re-enact them to a TEE.
 
In this vision, I clearly saw how the sack was laying on its side with gifts pouring out.
I also saw my son's old yellow Tonka dump truck next to the sack,
with a little boy staring up at Santa in awe.
 
I had this scene set up in my living room for a week worrying how
I would get the little 2-year-old to cooperate.
 
The day he arrived, he was having a crying tantrum.
 
 
I decided to stay calm and let my vision play out. 
I felt if I was given a vision, I would just have to trust it
would come to fruition.
 
I laid down on my belly on my family room floor and had my
camera set and ready to shoot.
 
I instructed the mother to stand on my hearth to the left of this photo.
I coached the dad to place the child in front of the toys.
 
I then had the mother call his name so he would look up.
 
OH, MY LORD!!!!
 
The moment was perfection! 
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!
 
I was having one of those tingling moments
when my vision plays out!!!
 
 
His mother told him to look in the sack for a treat.
 
Click! Click! Click!
 
 
The utter purity of these photos brings me to tears!
 
2-year-olds are absolutely PRECIOUS!
  

 
 
He had no idea that he had created magic.
 
He just wanted to play with the big yellow truck!
 
 
I hope you are having a magical holiday season!

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Christmas Card Portraits 2014

 

 
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My very busy Christmas card portrait season is completed!
 
The Christmas portraits are always my favorite of the year.
As I have shared here many times, I LOVE scouting thrift stores
for clothing and props for my portrait work.
 
When I found this gorgeous vintage dress at a thrift store
over the summer, I knew it would take a special gal to wear it
because the waist is SOOO teensy!
 
Eleven year old Madelyn wears it so well.  I decided to
use it for this Christmas shoot after I found the pink
ornaments and pink pointsettia...of course, at a thrift store!
 
 
Fabulous winter wear is also a FAVE find, so
this year, I shot both indoors and outdoors.
 
 
Christmas trees make a wonderful, colorful background.
 
Just shoot with an aperture on the wide side. This was shot at f 2.8.
Place your subject as far from the tree as possible to
create the gorgeous bokeh.
 
 
In these photos, I had six-year-old Isabel facing a large window
to brighten her face with natural light.  I never use a flash.
 
 
Then it was outside in this wonderful thrift store coat, hat and gloves.
The ho! ho! ho! sign...also from a thrift store for 99-cents!
 
We didn't get snow as I was shooting my Christmas portraits,
but I show you how to add fake snow HERE.
 
 
All props come from...yep...thrift stores for pennies!
 
After I've used them a few times, I return them so others can find these treasures.
 
 
Yes....I found the green skirted chair...at a THRIFT STORE for $20!
 
I have used it many times in photo shoots.  I keep the furniture for reuse.
 
To snag my sparkly snow overlays that I used in these photos for FREE...click HERE.
 
 
Isabel's birthday is Christmas Eve, so I pulled together this
pretty look using my thrift store finds and adding snow techniques.
 
 
My grandniece Fiona is extremely photogenic with her natural
ringlet curls.  I photographed her in her grandmother's gorgeous
toile bedroom with natural light.
 
Her grandmother now has a 20 X 30 portrait of this framed
and matted hanging in that bedroom! 
 
Great idea to take a portrait in a room and hang it in the room!
 
 
Fiona should be a model.
 
At three years old...she is great at posing!
 
 
I ADORE natural light!
Just look for windows and pay close attention to how
the light is falling on the face.
 
 
I love Fiona's outdoor look in this creamy thrift store ensemble.
 
 
The muff and hat set is from Ebay where I won the bid at $12.
 
I have lots of thrift store flowers to spruce up hair and hats.
I simply hot glue them to little clips.
 
 
The inspiration for Miss Ella's cookie baking shoot
came when I found that cute Christmas apron at Goodwill.
 
I sewed the baker's hat from red scrap fabric and added
one of my flower clips.
 
The green vintage bowl was inherited from my husband's Aunt Blanche.
 
 
Ella needed lots of added snow to wear this
festive winter cape for her outdoor portraits.
 
 
I hope this post gets you to think outside of the
box for portrait sessions.
 
Thrift stores are a gold mine of props, clothing and IDEAS!
 
I'll share more of the portraits on Christmas Eve.
Enjoy your holidays!