This Tuesday I will join a group of enthusiastic moms for the first of three classes on camera basics.

The class is created especially for parents who want to take better pictures of their kids and have made the investment in a nice camera but are now feeling overwhelmed by all the controls, dials, and settings it offers.

The three week course will cover understanding your camera and it’s many functions, getting off of the “auto” mode and into manual, how to get a correct exposure, how light affects your photos, and tips and techniques that will help you to compose images you are excited about. We will demystify terms like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO and get you familiar with all your gear. Most importantly you will learn how to capture images of your family that you will love!

I will be holding the course starting June 12th and have spaces for 8 attendees. Please call me at 936.697.1726 or email me at leah@thesaltedimgae.com to find out more.

It starts with the yellow of the mustard weed (terrible for allergies but so vibrant and pretty to look at) and moves quickly into the blooming of the blue bonnets (followed by the indian paintbrushes, coneflower, coreopsis, vervain, etc.  I could go on. And on. It truly is incredible).  Now if you live in Texas and are a parent, you pretty much are required to take at least one shot with the kiddos in the bluebonnets.  And if you grew up in Texas, I am sure you must remember with much fondness being drug into a thick mess of flowers at the side of the interstate.

It is a right of passage here.

We found a pretty spot away from the hustle of the freeway and I think the kids had a good time exploring and running through the wildflowers.

Why yes, now that you ask, I do think my husband had purchased tickets to the gun show. That’s my man. He was the least excited and cooperative of my subjects. Take one for the team Dustin. Dustin also grabbed some pictures of me but since this is my blog I get to decide who is featured.  Since I can’t seem to look non-weird I think I will treasure those images in private.

Hope you are enjoying your spring. Wherever you may be!

This casting call is open to anyone ages 12 and up who is comfortable in front of the camera, willing to work hard and able to happily follow directions.

I am also looking for families who are open to having a session in their home and documenting their daily life.  This session must take place in the next three weeks.

The images will be used in print and web material for my business and model/parent must be willing to sign a model release.

Models will receive complimentary digital files from the session.

For details or questions don’t hesitate to email me at leah@thesaltedimage.com.

Adalay is a sweet wisp of a girl.   She is the epitome of the nursery rhyme, What are Little Girls Made of. She is sugar and spice and everything nice.  She enjoys sharing and caring for others.  She makes me smile every time she thanks me for making dinner.  She wants to wear a dress everyday. And a nightgown every night. She is all about pink and princesses, ruffles and ribbons.  She is pixie-cute and heaven help us because she knows it.  She loves to be close and snuggle.  She is a daddy’s girl 100%.  She leaves her Mama baffled by the ultra-girly girl that she so proudly is.

She is one amazing child and I am one blessed Mama.

I love you Adalicious and hope your birthday is full of all the pink  you could ever need!

She was so comfortable in front of the camera, that it made taking her photos a snap!

Accessories are always a great idea for a session.  Dorothy had picked out great outfits but her jackets and scarfs really gave the images some additional pop.  I love when clients think beyond the traditional “white shirt and jeans” outfit and wear something that shows off their unique personality.

By this point in the shoot, the temperature had really dropped. And by “really” I mean REALLY.  Now I admit to being a major weather wuss, anything below 70 degrees is too cold for me. The frigid temps didn’t seem to bother Dorothy and we finished the session after squeezing out every last bit of light from the day.  When I got in my car, the temperature read 42.  So see it really was cold!  I dreamed about hot tea while my fingers itched the whole way home but I thought the pictures were worth it.

The next week we met up again at the UTSA’s recital hall and continued our session by adding in a grand piano.  Dorothy is an accomplished pianist and I enjoyed listening to her play while I photographed her!  I love trying new locations and situations and loved the chance to pull out my off-camera lights to try some different looks.

Dorothy, you’re a gem!  Thank you so much for being so willing to split your session into two parts and for never complaining about the cold.   I am sure your recital will be extraordinary and I hope to be in the crowd watching you!

Several days ago I was able to download their newest offering, Simple Wedding Photography. This is a 200 page e-book covering everything you can imagine about running a wedding photography business. From how to set up and shoot common wedding day situations to workflow, post-production, products, pricing and accounting. This book seriously covers it all. If you are new to the wedding business, have been second shooting or have numerous weddings under your belt, this book will be a great resource.

Here is what they have to say:

• First up you’ll get a 200 page beautifully designed PDF, filled with practical information you can use.
• Written in a casual, “real speak” manner, like a conversation with your photographer friend!
• Packed with over 220 photos to help you see the concepts in action.
• Includes diagrams and examples to make ideas easy to understand
• Can be viewed on any computer, and your iPad for a super enjoyable learning experience
• Unique interactive navigation makes it not just a book, but a valuable reference to use over and over again

They are offering the book for 40% at $23.97. Which is a ridiculously low price for all the info you are going to receive.

While you are ordering their book be sure to check out the rest of their site. They have lots of great articles on many subjects from how to photographers can overcome shyness to building better album templates.  If you haven’t been to their site it is definelty one to check out thanks to their extensive library of freebies, useful articles and easy to understand tutorials.

So go check them out, you can thank me later!

I’ll give you a dollar (not really) if you can tell which images are his!

I love to give a couple different looks for a portrait session, so after we finished downtown, we drove to what is quickly becoming my new favorite Conroe location; A nice grassy field under a train track. Ah yes, how romantic.

Michaela and Sean, you guys were incredible and you made my job so fun and easy.  Thanks so much for being so amiable and willing to try whatever locations we recommended.  I hope you love your images as much as I loved taking them, and I hope we get the chance to work together again!

For this session, I was joined by the uber-talented Sarah Bunch, of Sarah Bunch Photography. Be sure to visit  her blog, I saw her images of this session and they are fabulous!

He is everything I could have wanted in a firstborn and a son. What an awesome little boy he has become and what a great man he is becoming.

He loves to create with watercolors, pencils and legos.

He wants to learn to play the keyboard and violin as well as learn karate and boxing.

He loves superheros,  Michael Jackson and hip-hop. He can belt out Reliant K’s “Celebrate the Day” and “Glory to God” like no one’s business.

He loves to dance; especially breakdancin’, dubsteppin’, and doing the robot.

He is not quick with his affections but once you have gained his trust he is fiercely loyal.

He is a protective and responsible big brother. He adores Leighton and asks constantly to hold her and loves to make her smile.

He gets upset when people are rude to each other and hates to see animals get hurt.

He loves to help-out and detests being the center of attention

His relationship with Adalay is a constant see-saw of torment and devotion.

He is beginning to read and so proud of each word he sounds out.

He can go from this…. to this in seconds…

I treasure each hug, smirk, and laugh. I love his frequent use of the words “however” and “although”.  I cherish his seemingly endless stories and made up games with ten thousand rules.

He is worth the stretch marks and baby weight.

He is worth all the time I “lose” by answering his questions and exclaiming over his triumphs.

He is worth putting my business on hold.

He is worth putting my sanity on hold.

He is worth it all to me.

Happy 5th Birthday Gavin. You are worth far more than  I could have ever imagined.

I can’t wait to show them the rest!

Caitlyn was perfectly sweet and beautiful.

Thanks to a recommendation from May (thanks May, you rock!), we found a cluster of bamboo that was the perfect ending to Caitlyn’s session. These are now some of my favorite bridal images ever. I mean look at her!

Caitlyn and Zacj! Thank you so much for being available last minute and for giving us SO much of your time.  Zacj, you were a perfect reflector and light-holder.  All your work and help was so appreciated.  Caitlyn, thanks for being so excited and enthusiastic.  You made it way too easy.  You were both so much fun to work with and  I hope you love the images.