Make no mistake, our work is unique! We have a style of our own and it is somewhat unconventional. Our clients are usually looking for something fashion forward, stylish and more contemporary than what many “traditional” photographers offer. That being said, there are some things you may notice when looking at our work that is different from what you might be accustomed to…

” Tight Crops & Head Chops ” – This means super close close-ups where often the face fills most of the frame or an image where part of the head is chopped at the top. These images are all about the eyes, and often the top of the head is not included in order to bring the focus in on the eyes or to make the image more visually appealing by applying the rule of thirds. We meant to do that!

” Not-So-Smiley ” – So many of us have been brought up to believe that a smile is a requirement to make a great photo. So not true! A well placed pensive look can be just as gorgeous as a great big smile. We meant to do that!

” Let’s Be Negative ” – Negative space is when the subject is placed off to the side of an image and the rest of the image is empty. This is done for artistic impact. We meant to do that!

” Left of Center ” – The most boring position for a subject in a photograph is smack dab in the middle! Not what you always thought, right? Trust us! There is a little something in design called the Rule of Thirds that we photographers often employ to enhance visual interest.

The rule states that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines (like a tic-tac-toe board). The four points formed by the intersections of these lines can be used to align features in the photograph. Aligning a photograph with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the photo than simply centering the feature would.

Huh? Trust Trust, your child does not need to be right in the center of an image for it to be a good portrait! We meant to do that!

” The Light in the Eyes ” – The hallmark of good portrait photography is good lighting, and the hallmark of good lighting is something called a ” catchlight “. The catchlight is a reflection of light in the eyes. We love big catchlights! I purposely position my lights and my subjects for the best and largest catchlights, especially for close-ups. Flip through any parenting or glamour magazine and look at the eyes – what do you see? Big bright catchlights! A lack of catchlights leaves the eyes looking flat, dull and lifeless. We meant to do that!

” Out of Focus ” – You may notice that certain areas of the photo or even subjects within the photo will be out of focus to various degrees. This is a photographic technique and is called the depth of field. Having certain areas of the photo in sharp focus and others out of focus creates an intentional viewing point by bringing the viewer’s attention to the part that is in focus. We meant to do that!