Amber's Family Session

Amber is a co-worker of mine and when she mentioned that she needed new pictures of her and her daughter I immediately jumped out of my chair and said "Ya know, I do that part-time."  Shameless plug, I know.  But Amber is super sweet and agreed to let me take her photos, and asked if her boyfriend Mike could come along too.  When I asked her what her style was and she responded "kinda country" I knew we had to go to Cedar Hill State Park in Grand Prairie, TX.

If you can't tell by the above photo, Amber's daughter, Madi, is a hoot!  Seriously, this girl should have her own Disney Channel show.  So much personality for a 7-year-old.  And I love it.  And Mike... well the first time I met him was right before this photo shoot and he said "I brought my red high heels and leopard thong... too much?"  Needless to say, I knew this day would be a lot of fun.

Amber did a fabulous job on coordinating outfits for everyone.  I love all the fall colors she chose.  Good looking and funny family.  Mike also has three kids who live out of state and will visit for Christmas.  Crossing my fingers that he gives me a call to take some pics with them too!  I can only imagine how much fun they are if Mike is this hilarious.

A big thank you to Amber, Mike, and Madi for letting me be a part of these wonderful moments.  You are all such a joy! 

The Stahn Family

Forgive me while I catch up on my blog.  This holiday season has been very busy!

I met Tatiana and Clayton Stahn through an old friend several years ago.  I recently re-connected with Tatiana at another friend's baby shower and we got to talking.  Since having their son, Wes (who by the way is adorable), she realized they needed updated family pictures.  She had a fabulous idea to go to a local playground and let Wes do what he does best... be a kid.

I met with The Stahns at Casey's Clubhouse in Grapevine, TX.  This is by far the coolest playground I have ever seen.  It's got zip lines, and slides, and boats, oh my!  I love, love, love that they chose this place for family pics.  It was so much fun!

Fun fact: Wes loves the boat.  It's his favorite thing at Casey's Clubhouse.  And while he manned the helm he said his first sound effect, "beep beep!"  And I caught mom and dad's reaction on camera.

This is why I love photography.  For moments like these.  Thanks Stahn family, for being so awesome!

Portrait & Family Photographer

Announcement Time! Erica Ille Photography will no longer be doing Weddings. Being a part-time photographer I have decided to focus on family, maternity, and senior portraits. If any of you are planning a wedding and need someone, I recommend Shelley Foster Photography and Amy Horton Photography. They're both SUPER talented!

My Tip Monday (er… Wednesday)

Ok so I know I've delayed My Tip Monday.  But I have a reason!

Are you wondering how I edit my photos in Photoshop?  Well sadly I don't have enough time today to go through my entire process.  However, a large portion of it is spent using Photoshop Actions which I have purchased through Amanda's Actions.  Actions allow you to play a series of events on a separate layer.  These events can involve Brightness/Contrast, Pop of Color, and Vignette.  You can then make adjustments to that layer to better suite your style.  For example, one of my favorite actions is "Wowza" but I like to remove the Center Light, Color Pop, and bring down the opacity for several other items.

Amanda's Actions sells quite a few different series, each with a different style.  I'm in love with the Matte Series!  It gives a hint of vintage without overpowering my photos.  I found out about Amanda's Actions when she sold her Collision Series for $39.  I figured, what the heck I'll give it a try!  Her Collision Series has a little bit of everything for editing photos.  Warm It Up, Cool It Off, Fill Backlight, Correct Overexposed and Underexposed, etc.  It's a nice little package to get you started working with Actions.

Well I'm happy to report that today only, Amanda's Actions has the very same Collision Series available for $39 (a $79 value).  Wahoo!  So try it today.  It's easy to download, and it makes a huge impact in your pictures.  And while you're at it, check out her other series.  Several are affordable!  I'm currently saving up for the Renew + Retouch Series.

Buy Amanda's Actions Collision Series Today  

Tara's Maternity Session

I've known Tara for a long time.  We've become great friends!  I'm so happy that she allows me to capture her special moments like her wedding, and now her maternity photos.  Her and her husband, Jordan, already have a 3-yr old boy named Caleb and now they are expecting a baby girl named Chloe.  So happy for them and their wonderful family!

We went back to Grapevine Botanical Gardens for this maternity shoot.  I just love that place!  So beautiful and quaint.

Congratulations, Tara and Jordan on your new baby girl!  Can't wait to meet her!