October 13, 2013

Beautiful Life … in Ohio in October.

Last week I was blessed to attend and teach a workshop at the I Heart Faces 2013 Photography Conference.  Adrienne, a photographer in Ohio and part of the behind-the-scenes crew at I Heart Faces, and her brave kiddos graciously agreed to be our guinea pigs models as we shot a lifestyle session.  We bantered about the "lifestyle" implications of shooting our session at a hotel that doesn't really hold a special place in the Zwart family's hearts, but we did our very best to recreate [in a hopefully realistic manner] some of their favorite family activities into this very "not-really-home" setting.  And Adrienne and her kids were courageous troopers.  It's kinda a big deal to be willing to relax into a photoshoot and be your real self, even when there's just one photographer with one camera.  Adrienne and her family offered up their real selves for a dozen cameras all at once.  Troopers, I tell you.  Without further ado, the images we captured ...

[music credit:  Mindy Gledhill, licensed thru Triple Scoop Music]

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As always, Jessica at One Willow Presets - whom I had the very great pleasure to finally meet in person at the Conference - makes my editing job a snap.  For all the outdoor images, I used Art Haze Cranberry (with the haze decreased) for the color pictures and Driftwood for all the b/w pictures - both from the new Rustic Collection.  All the indoor images were processed with presets from the Palette Collection.

8 comments:

Adrienne said...

Susan, these are amazing! I love how you captured both the fun and serious sides of each one. Playing both parent roles has meant that I am often busier than I'd like to be with household and work tasks, and I don't get to play as often as I'd like. So the Nerf war shots are especially appreciated and proof that I really can be fun! ;) Thank you!!!

Unknown said...

I love this family session. Adrienne is a lovely girl. She has had some rough issues to deal with over the last few years and she has handled them with incredible strength and grace. I look up to her and respect her so very much.

I am glad you were able to capture this session of her family.

Brooke said...

Beautiful! So well done!

Anita Johnson said...

I have followed Adrienne's blog for awhile...fun to see the smiles here. Beautiful job, Susan!

Tracey said...

Super fun! Glad you had a wonderful time at a "conference" (grin), and that you got to put some faces to names. And, what a beautiful hotel!

Unknown said...

I live in Ohio!! I LOVE your work. Where were the shots of the nerf fight taken? If you ever need more "guinea pigs" I'd gladly volunteer my family ;)

Skeller said...

Hi Amber -
these pictures were all taken at Cherry Valley Lodge, just outside Columbus. :-)

angie {the arthur clan} said...

I know it meant the world to Adrienne to have you capture images of her family being together as themselves. You did such an amazing job in a less-than-ideal, non-home situation! :)

-Angie