Sweet and Spunky Six-year-old | Idaho Children Photographer

Our sweet little E turned six earlier this month. What can I say, this girl makes me smile! She just finished Kindergarten and is headed to Pre-First. She is kind and loving, always giving people hugs. She's both independent and hesitant at the same time. Once she's comfortable in a situation, she's all energy and charges right ahead. But, if things are new and different, she hangs back for awhile analyzing the scene. She's a great big sister to Little J and adores her big sister M. She loves to sing and dance. She's a great runner too!

When you have more than one child, it's neat to see how each really have their own personalities. I want to help her shine in whatever way I can. She's our sunshine and we love her so much!

Fields of Flowers | Idaho Children's Photographer

 

It's definitely spring here! Lovely warm days intertwined with cool, rainy ones. Everything is in bloom. And even though these little purple flowers are technically weeds, they can make a really pretty backdrop, especially with a lot of bokeh!

What is bokeh? 

"In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image," as defined by Wikipedia. It's the look when the image background looks all blurry and fuzzed out while the subject seems to pop out of the image.

Bokeh is achieved when you have a shallow depth of field. Without getting too technical, depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image. So for example, because I focused on her face (mainly the eyes) anything in front of that plane (in the foreground) and anything behind the plane of her face (background) will be out of focus. Some lens do this better than others, and the distance of the subject to the background also affects bokeh.

Bokeh is also affected by the aperture used. Aperture controls how much light is being let into the lens and hitting the film or in this case the digital sensor of the camera.

This was by no means an in-depth lesson, but hopefully you learned a little something. And if you have more questions about anything mentioned here or other basic camera questions, leave them in the comments and I'll answer them in another post.

Essence and "Your Story" sessions are both available now, so call today to book your appointment. I will have a limited fall schedule, so don't wait until the last minute to capture memories of your loved ones. Enjoy your weekend!

2013 Seniors ~ Idaho Senior Photographer

            I love working one-on-one with seniors, capturing your lifestyle and telling your story. It's such an exciting time for you, getting ready to head out on the next journey in your young life. Contact me today for a free in-person consultation and to schedule a "Your Story" album session. Session dates are available beginning April 1. 

If you happen to be a 2012 and still haven't had portraits done, then we can schedule those too!

A new senior gallery and updated website will be available soon. 

"Your Story" album samples are available for viewing. You can check out a few blog posts too.

Best Times of Your Life
 An Idaho Cowboy
A Dancer's Story

All Smiles ~ 8-month Essence Session | Idaho Children's photographer

This little cutie came over a couple weeks ago with his parents when they were picking up his older sisters from a playdate with my two girls. I couldn't resist getting him in front of my lens for a little while. He's grown so much since this newborn session, almost nine months ago! He's usually a pretty somber little guy when I see him out and about, but he was so smiley during our impromptu session. I can't get enough of sweet little babies!

To find out how your little one could be a baby model for me in the month of April, give me a call at (208) 674-1283. Happy Friday everyone!

One-year-old Essence Session ~ Idaho Children's Photographer

It was so great to see little R again for his one-year Essence session. He's grown so much since I first met him at 6 months old. I LOVE when clients keep coming back! It's great to see how the little ones grow, and this time was no exception. Little R is really into books, and reads a lot with his Grandma, who brought him to the session. He's also walking now, and it was fun to see him toddling around. Thanks Kathie for letting me capture these milestones!

If you'd like to know more about an Essence session, give me a call today! I have a few spots open this spring. This mini-session is perfect for capturing milestones of babies, toddlers and children when it's still too chilly to be outside. Your Story Album Sessions will open up beginning April 1.  Album Sessions are for newborns, children, teens and families.

If this blog post receives 20 or more comments, this family will receive a fun gift from me!

Glimpses Week 5 ~ Idaho Lifestyle Photography

So I was looking around my house this week and not feeling too inspired by some of the stuff that makes up our every day, but then I realized I have done a few interesting things outside the house this week. Most of my clients know, but some of them may not that we live and work on a ranch. We raise registered Angus and Hereford cattle with my husband's family, which means we raise the parent stock (bulls and females) that cattlemen use to raise the beef that goes on the dinner table. In fact, before I started taking people portraits, most of my subjects looked more like this. This week, we were taking photos for our upcoming bull sale in March. This guy will be one of the highlight bulls in the sale.

Hope you're enjoying the "glimpses" into my life. To check out more see the Chic Critique Forum

Beautiful Couple ~ Fall Wedding | Fruitland, Idaho Photographer

  

 

 







 It was such a pleasure to photograph Kelcie and Blayne's fall wedding. They are such a beautiful couple both inside and out. They are madly in love, and it showed. Surrounded by family and friends, they said I do just before sunset on a lovely September evening. Thank you both for letting me be a part of your special day. God bless you always!

Dimples ~ Oregon Child Portrait Photographer

When little "R's" Grandma contacted me about photographing him when he turned six months old, it was easy to tell she was very proud of her first grandchild. She told me he just had the cutest smile and could light up a room. And boy was she right! Look at those dimples! It was such a pleasure being able to capture these memories for Kathie and her family. Thank you so much!

I had the pleasure of getting to know Kathie through the Idaho Business Women's Network, and through her work as a public relations specialist and the Executive Director of the Treasure Valley Children's Relief Nursery.  Both of these are great organizations. IBWN helps foster and grow relationships among Idaho's businesswomen, and the TVCRN is committed to helping prevent child abuse. Check them both out and see how you can get involved!


Don't forget to leave comments on this post. With 10 or more, the family will receive a complimentary 5X7 image from this "Essence" Mini-Session.

Fotos for Food ~ Purchase portraits and help others this season!

I am so, so excited about this program I am started this week-Fotos for Food.

From now until Dec. 31, 2010, you can receive $1 off a portrait order for every can or box of non-perishable food item you collect. In addition, I will match each item donated with an additional item that I will donate. All food will be donated to the area foodpantries in the western Treasure Valley.

I know there are several clients getting ready to place orders for the holidays. This is a great opportunity to help out those in need in our community and receive your beautiful printed memories from Maggie Malson Photography! (Thanks again to Accent Design for this fun logo.)

You could be a model, help a great cause and maybe even win a new car!

I am soooo excited about this! I am attending my first workshop of 2010 and it includes a great special for all of you. Check it out!

Maggie Malson Photography & Design is participating in the International Charity Model Search to select North America’s Cutest Family and to raise funds for the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation. (NILMDTS.org). Last year’s competition featured 2,000 model’s images and raised $164,775 for the NILMDTS organization.

I heard about this organization a few year's back. Some day I hope I have the courage to apply to be a photographer to help families who have lost a little one. Some day.

Are your loved ones North America’s Cutest Family? We’ll give you the opportunity to prove it! Many exciting prizes will be awarded, and the grand prize winner receives a new car!

Model Search Special from Maggie Malson Photography & Design: (This Family special runs from Jan. 13-March 30, 2010)

$40 entrance fee includes a 30-minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery. This fee is a discounted session fee and prints from the package will be available for purchase.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Each vote is $1 (no limit on the amount of votes you can cast), and all proceeds from votes benefit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS.org).

Grand prize international winner will be determined from the 52 city finalists. The winners will be selected from the finalist gallery by photography and modeling industry experts. The winning family also receives a session with the renowned portrait artist Sandy Puc and international recognition.

Call (208) 674-1283 now to enter your family in this exciting contest and to book your modeling session.

*Contest open to residents of the US and Canada. For more information, visit http://sandypucmodels.com/.