I love watching kids grow up. It always amazes me when a family comes back to me to see just how MUCH their children have changed. How beautiful and perfect they are at each stage I get to see them.
The lovely Miss G has reached an important milestone — and her family wanted to capture it and make it EXTRA special by letting me capture this amazing young lady at this moment.
LOVE!
So listen.
When you are photographing children under the age of say…oh…10…
You have to be on the ball. There’s no “okay. just hold that while I get it right” going on. There’s no three hour window.
Little kids move fast. They tire of you quickly. And there are many times when you have to just trust to the powers that be that you are going to get the images you hope to get.
Knock knock jokes started us off today.
Then silly faces (omg wait until you see THOSE).
Dancing.
Yeah. I was heavily into trusting the outcome would be good because we never stopped moving. ::grin::
I was super impressed with these two beautiful girls today. The charming miss N. and miss S.
And when they busted out the tutus? Seriously?! Could they be cuter?
You tell me…
C — here’s your sneak peek. Thank YOU for letting us have fun with the camera today!
WHAT ADORABLE PHOTOS. YOU REALLY CAPTURED THEIR PERSONALITIES. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE REST OF THEM!
So. Yeah.
Being in client meetings can be stressful. Because you are presenting your work (yes, I did just start a sentence with because…deal with it. ::grin::) and you want people to be REALLY impressed with you…your skills as a photographer…your image…the whole package. Because (there it is again. this is really a long run on sentence.) photography is very personal — it’s YOUR viewpoint you are showing people…so sometimes when they don’t like an image it’s hard not to get to wrapped up in feeling it personally. But that’s a WHOLE OTHER BLOG POST. And has absolutely no relevence to this story.
Let’s just reiterate the first sentence: being in clients meetings CAN be stressful. This meeting wasn’t — I was relaxed — which is usually dangerous as you will see…
So I’m at this client meeting today. He’s looking at the photographs…he’s liking them, blah blah blah. I put together two separate storyboards for him to look at. (for the uninformed – storyboards are multiple images printed as one. ) I am going to share them both with you right now because…well…I love one of them to pieces and the other is completely critical to this blog post.
LOVE:
Relevant to story:
He’s looking at the second one and saying — “…you know. I think I’d like to put that over by the guitars.” I nod my head wisely. And then I say…in my most sophisticated Tammy way: “You know. That would look great in this room. The colors would be PERFECT.” (or some variation of that. but you get it.)
Um…we were sitting in the room this picture was taken. And he was talking about hanging it over on the wall nearby. So yeah. DUH.
Of COURSE THE COLORS WOULD BE PERFECT TAMMY. ::laughing::
….
Now. GOOD CLIENTS would just nod their heads in agreement and move one. But oh no. Not JR. He looks at me with his eyebrows up and says: Thank You Captain OBVIOUS!
::pause a moment while I crack up laughing all over again::
Captain Obvious. Who SAYS that?! ::laughing::
Go ahead. I know. Those who really know me are thinking “classic Tammy moment”. My best friend saysthat my life is a series of Seinfeld episodes. I’m okay with that. At least I’m laughing a LOT!
…Captian Obvious. ::shaking head. still laughing::
Thanks for letting me share. Later I may share more pics…
That’s hilarious!!!!
Scene One: Dear Tammy. I found your blog and love your work. I’d like you to photograph my son and I.
Scene Two: Enter Tammy. Father & Son laugh nervously. You want what?
Scene Three: Father issues world’s best quote to Tammy: “I can’t believe I’m paying you for this”
Hahahaa. I’m still laughing over that comment. Jeff and his son C. were amazing in front of the camera. It’s not easy sometimes being photographed by me — I’m the first to admit it — because I play off many things while I’m shooting — environment, interactions between people, pets, light, color. I ask you to do things that you think are weird.
Mostly you like the images later. ::grin::
So much fun shooting these two — the images are amazing and we got a wild RANGE of types of images — so I’m happy. I work best when the people who PAY ME (nod to Jeff ::grin::) also are willing to deviate from their original ideas and let me just play. That’s when it’s fun.
So thanks guys!
oooh, i love that top one. and the 2nd one. when you come shoot w/ me in june, you will meet najib, and you will be converted to a cat-lover by the awesomeness that is a bengal.
“I work best when the people who PAY ME (nod to Jeff ::grin::) also are willing to deviate from their original ideas and let me just play. That’s when it’s fun.”
Isn’t this the honest truth.
super kung fu 
When you have a family/dog/engagement session…you end up with a lot of different and cool pics…so here’s one more of an important family member: Sophie.
So. How was your holiday? Good? Fun?
Ours was really nice. I try really hard to get gifts that are silly — especially for stocking stuffers. The trend has caught on in my family — leaving us many many hours of hilariousness and joviality. We try to out match each other for goofy things. This year — screaming superhero flying monkeys were cool. At least the dog thought they were cool… ::grin::
And the hat. My mother bought it. We all loved it.
And my mother. She’s ALWAYS resistant to photographs. She has this one face she makes…I should probably just get a photograph of it so I can show you — but really — it’s not a nice face. Today, for some reason, she was willing to play. And I have more pics coming — but how much does this rock?!
Now. Some of my brides are including a photobooth from me at their wedding. Imagine…just imagine how COOL those photos are going to be?! More about that later….
love that top one!
also, hi tom!
another thing to add to my ‘things to do before I die’ list – drink herbal tea and eat gingerbread with tammy’s mom!
apple and tree… that’s all i’m saying.
Wow. Your mom looks like a total blast. Glad you had a good time. That *does* explain a few things about you, T.
Merry New Year soon!
So yeah. It’s what…three days before the holiday? And yes, I am still playing around with my client’s photos for their holiday cards. Yep. I have it bad, what can I say?
This one might be my all time favorite for the holidays though…it’s so darn cute…
You may like my blog.
You may like my website.
Both of these things give you an idea of what kind of work I do and a little bit about who I am…
But the day to day nitty gritty Tammy? Not so much.
If you are hungering to know, for example, that I ate more cut out cookies over the past two days than a baby elephant, or that I watched Fred Claus and hated it, or even that over the weekend I had a mini-temper tantrum at a hallmark store (they wouldn’t take my $100 dollar bill. As it was all I had in the moment and I was buying $85 worth of stuff – I was a wee little teeny tiny annoyed), you can be my friend on Facebook, Be a FAN of Tammy Swales even, and follow me on Twitter.
Have you found Twitter yet? So so much fun.
So yeah. All Tammy all the time. ::grin::
Come play!
They jumped. Their pose. Love love love the way the image turned out. Sometimes I think I want to marry photoshop.
How fun is this?!
Copyright © 2008 Rochester NY Photographer Blog – Tammy Swales | Subscribe To Updates
3.16.2009
AWESOME Tammy!!! Thank you! Love them! Can’t wait to see them all!
3.17.2009
Gianna- you look so beautiful! I’m so proud of you! God loves you!
3.17.2009
These are the best first communion pics that I have ever seen!
3.18.2009
The middle picture is awesome! Before you know it we will be looking at her wedding pictures! What a doll!
3.20.2009
OMG she looks absoluely precious!! What a little Angel!
3.23.2009
I love your dress GG! You look so beautiful. Love Jay:)