Summerville&Co Photography

The Many Faces of Harlowe

2011-02-03T15:54:00.000-08:00

Some babies are like their mom and some babies are like their daddy, but this baby is such a hysterically adorable mixture of both her parents, I couldn't decide which picture made me melt the most.

I've spent quite a few hours taking pictures of her parents for their engagement, and then wedding, so while I wouldn't call myself an expert or anything, I can say with pretty good authority that this perfect little nugget inherited all her mom's flair for acting.

She handled wardrobe changes like a champ. It almost felt like Danielle and I were playing Barbies, except this one poops. Like a true girl, her favorite outfit was her christening gown. Albeit, mostly because when she kicked, it made a cool crinkling sound... so boy did she kick.

Like her dad though, she wasn't a fan of the hats mommy brought.

Even though she assured us she's a huge Tulsa fan. Go Captain Cane?

She was also quite good at giving me the stink eye.

Yay for photoshoots with little fairy girls.

2010-04-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

As the mom of two boys who have very cranky and dubious opinions about my camera, I couldn't have been more thrilled when Susanna contacted me to take pictures of her girls. I think the little one has to be at least half pixie, and the older one is a fairy princess.

A Different Sort Of Spring

2010-03-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it would be like to arrive in Southern California for the first time? Not in these days, with national geographic and google maps. But as some sort of sturdy Irish immigrant who pioneered their way across the country in a covered wagon. They arrived to the promise land of milk and honey and while the sun does always shine, it also looks like this.

Quite the culture shock I'd imagine if you're used to heather covered hills and bagpipes. Or something.

Then they probably got closer to the coast and thought "oh whew, it really is paradise after all"... plus man eating sharks, scalp hungry Indians and no Hollywood sign gracing the valley. (just kidding... cept about the sign)

But despite the fact that most of us crowd in as close to the beach as financially possible. The desert is beautiful. A study in contrasts. And only a short drive away (well, reasonably short-ish).

This people, is as green as it gets. The advantages of hiking through the desert with two small children?
The flowers and succulents are absolutely stunning. Has anyone ever seen a wedding done with cactus flowers? For coming out of a dull colored and prickly plant, they sure are whimsical and fairyish looking.

Happy Spring.

Serenity

2010-03-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, if you squint your eyes just right, you can imagine all the woes of pregnancy don't exist.

There are no such things as swollen ankles, or hips that require you to roll out of bed and land on your hands and knees. You haven't really gained four pounds in one week, and you didn't actually eat an entire family sized bag of Lay's BBQ potato chips.

Instead you are serene. You are beautiful. And you realize pregnancy is both a full time job and a work of art.
If you've ever been pregnant, or been close to someone who's been pregnant, then you are quite familiar with the full-time-job part. The maternity photoshoot I did over the weekend proves the latter-- Knitting a life together is a beautiful thing.

I'm thinking I should a) shoot more photos on the weekend, and b) take a giant chill pill more often. Rachelle and I shot all these in my backyard, side yard... and front yard. We ate lunch in the middle of them and just generally had a blast.

You'd never guess these shots were also taken in my yard, but despite the fact I live in the country (obviously), I like the urban feel of these photos.

Amazing.

Tutorials- My Camera The Cyborg

2010-01-11T13:03:00.000-08:00

Whether you have a Powershot Point&Shoot, or a Canon 5D DSLR, there is always that moment of frustration, (or in my case...abject terror). For some of us, it's because the lighting isn't behaving, our lenses aren't right, or we pick up the prints from the store and what looked amazing on our computer looks dull or even green when we get the actual prints.

Sometimes my camera acts more like a rebelling cyborg than it does an extension of myself... Like right now.
I look at other peoples photos, and they look so dreamy and easy. Mine on the other hand feel like a ton of hard work for sometimes good (sometimes mediocre) results.

My current cure is to go back over what I've learned in the last 6 years of professional (ish) shooting, and figure out what I did right, what I did wrong, and what I can do better. Feel free to join me, pipe in occasionally, or correct me.

Here's to a more creative year... *clinking glasses* ...and watch your back, you never know when your camera might be plotting your demise.

A Faux Wedding Shoot

2009-11-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

When my friend Lauryl emailed me in the summer with a self confessed scheme I was a little worried she wanted me to fly a prop plane with an ad banner or walk up and down the beach accosting twitterpated looking people with our business cards. Instead, this was the fruit of that scheme...

Her design work. My photography. Together we will conquer the world... or not. Although I did work up a sweat climbing thistle ridden, rattle snake infested hills looking for the perfect manzanita branches to saw off. I also had one minor panic-stricken moment when I accidentally super glued my shutter-button finger to my thumb while fixing the fabric covered letters. But thorns, super glue, and a brisk wind aside, everything went off without a hitch. We got pictures that make me smile whenever I look at them, and really, what more can a photographer ask for?

Lauryl's mom did the invitations and name cards, and they're so cool, I want to get married again and have invitations like these.

I was so excited Janie over at The Brides Cafe, featured them on Monday. If you're checking out her blog, the DIY section rocks.

2009-11-22T22:44:00.000-08:00

I might have been in the sun too long, we went camping this weekend in the desert and now I want to do a bridal shoot out there. We were at the Agua Caliente hot springs and besides the part where it just felt wrong to don a swimsuit in November, we had a ton of fun. I spent most of the weekend finding all kinds of photography potential and getting chills every time I looked across the horizon. The sky was that dark blue that looks photoshopped straight out of camera, the abstract sand art was pure awesomeness and if you can get over the chilly nights, biting wind and thick layer of white dust over everything, then it was pretty much paradise. The last two might also pose problems for a photoshoot, but if anyone knows of a bride who loves jeeps, blue skies and doesn't mind getting dirty. Let me know.

I met a crazy old Canadian who insisted we refer to him as The Crazy Canuck-istan (no lie). He was an outdoor photographer himself and was less than impressed when I mentioned I was a wedding photographer. I just wanted to talk shop with him and have a friendly fight around the campfire about Nikons vs Canons or whatever, but instead he mocked me for taking pictures of people. Something about how I have to find my subjects, and his are all over the world already waiting for him. I tried to tell him that rocks don't have souls and cacti don't fall so in love it makes my lens sizzle when I try to take pictures of them, but he wasn't interested. It's true though, a chiseled canyon that has seen thousands of seasons is impressive, but that same canyon sheltering a bride and groom whose love is about to stand the test of time is a million times more powerful. To me anyway... which is probably why it's a good thing I'm in my business and not his.

Zach and Becca

2009-10-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm still processing this wedding over in the digital darkroom, but here's a sneak preview. Let's just say it's hard to photograph a wedding where you know and love everyone so much it's hard to meter your camera through the moistness in your eyes.

What Happens...

2009-09-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

Q: What happens when a fun loving sorority girl stays up all night talking and swapping ACT scores with a handsome but serious dude?

A: They fall in love and get married of course!

......................

I did Danielle's headshots back when I was pregnant with the sprite baby, then earlier this year I hung out with both her and her fiance Ben where we (er...I) may or may not have gotten lost, met at the beach, taken engagement photos, and then gone out to lunch where for some inexplicable reason I detailed the horrors of having your belly cut open and a child extracted via c-section. True story. And yet, after all that, they still wanted me to take their wedding photos.

There were so many fabulous details and wonderful pictures from the day, I couldn't choose which ones to put here. Ironically, fate intervened and Adobe Lightroom gave me the message of death telling me to pour the blood of my first born son over the keyboard or else it was leaving in eternal doom. No worries though, the pictures are safe and backed up on numerous hardrives and external devices in case of just such emergency, and my wonderful husband is fixing the problem. Ah the joys of switching from jpeg to raw, I'm feeling the love already.
These are the images that I managed to get off before the program commited suicide, so enjoy a teaser and I'll be back with more pictures, more excitement and more about the ongoing struggle between jpeg and raw.

Sometimes...

2009-09-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, when you watch your friends go through hard times, your heart aches for them too. Sometimes you applaud them for their perseverance and faith, while you cheer from the sidelines. And sometimes you're just so doggone happy for them you have to put you camera down and just grin from ear to ear.

The Ghosts Of Cameras Past

2009-09-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

Among the short list of things I wasn't allowed to have as a child (besides the typical no sugar, no barbie dolls and heaven forbid I listen to the backstreet boys), I also wasn't allowed to have a camera. Too expensive to develop the film is what my mom said, but I secretly was convinced I could be a famous photographer if someone would just let me get my hands on a camera. Shockingly, when I got my first camera (one of the first generation digital point and shoots) I couldn't take one decent picture. Two more point&shoots and an old Minolta DSLR later, and I was slowly improving. Upgraded to a brand new Olympus DSLR in 2003 and shot my first wedding. I don't even want to go back and see what I think of it now, but at the time I was stoked... and hooked.

I'm sure that in another five years I'll look back at the photos I'm shooting today and see improvements I could have made, things I did wrong, equipment I could have handled better. There will be hundreds of more hours I pour into this craft and profession that may never make me famous, but certainly does make me do a happy dance inside. And it's kind of like that elusive carrot on a stick, I'm always convinced the next step forward is going to be the best one...and then I discover you actually have to take another step, and another.

And so for all the people who love photography too, this blog will (hopefully) be filled with tips, rants, pictures and just generally all things photography.

Wedding Packages

2009-09-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

VIP Package: $1,500
6 hrs coverage
CD of pictures with full reproduction rights
100 pictures edited with my own signature flare
Engagement session
Online proofing gallery

Celebrity Package: $2,000
8 hrs coverage
CD of pictures with full reproduction rights
200 pictures edited with my own signature flare
Engagement session
Online proofing gallery

Rockstar Package: $3,000
Unlimited coverage
CD of pictures with full reproduction rights
500 pictures edited with my own signature flare
Engagement session with 8X10 canvas print
16x20 Canvas Gallery-wrapped wedding print
Online proofing gallery

2008-09-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

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