Do-it-yourself Photo Studio

I LOVE photography.  It is especially fun when you have some fun subjects (Luke and Abbey) that live with you and are always around.  When Luke was just a few months old (in December 2009), we purchased our first digital (DSLR) camera.  We decided on a entry level Canon (Rebel T1i) and found one for an excellent price.  Part of the cost of it was purchased as a Christmas gift from Drew's parents.  We are still using this camera regularly.   We decided to go entry level when choosing a DSLR because we knew that we could easily change the function of the camera by adding new lenses.  We added a 50mm 1:1.8 lens since we purchased the camera and absolutely love the lens.

I love capturing moments that I may have forgotten without the photo memory.  I also love capturing the beauty in our two blessings of Luke and Abbey.  Lastly, I enjoy the art aspect of photography.  There are so many fun angles & perspectives, cool tricks, neat lighting options and plenty of fun editing tools that go with photography.

So, it has been two and a half years since we got this camera--why did it take this long to create our own studio?  I really don't have an answer except that we just got busy with other things.  Recently, I saw an advertisement for sheets that were on sale at target, so I purchased a black set and a white set.  This morning, I decided to throw the white set up, supported by two bar stools, for a quick photo session.  When I say "quick" I mean the "shortest photo session ever".  I was probably snapping pictures for literally 2-3 minutes.  That is about the maximum time a photo session can last when you are by yourself with a toddler and infant.  I only used the natural light coming in from our front door, since we do not have any special photography lights.  The 50mm lens does really well though in low light situations.  Luke thought the backdrop was super cool.  He loved posing at first, and even later pretended to be a professional photographer:

Luke has a beautiful smile, but sometimes this is the face he gives me when I ask him to smile for a posed picture.

Then, the session began breaking down when Luke thought the backdrop made a cool tent.  Nevertheless, I did capture some cute photos.   I probably need to edit out some of the drool though.  :-)  I decided we are going to try this again when Drew is home.  It's probably never a good idea for the kids to outnumber the adults when attempting a photo session.  Or, better said, there should at least be more than one adult present: one to be responsible for the camera and the other to corral/take care of the kids.  The following are some of the results of my quick session.

there's our sweet boy!

I had to capture some of her "rolls".  I definitely want to remember these!

Of course, she was looking at her brother.  :-)

This one is my favorite!

I loved having the backdrop and can't wait to try new fun photo sessions again soon!