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!

  

My Tip Monday

My tip today is a wonderful website called Creative Live.  If you are interested in learning more about Photography, Graphic Design, Music/Video, Crafting, or even Running a Business, you'll find it all here.  Anything live is free to watch, but you'll have to pay for any pre-recorded items.

Last week I watched a 3-day session on Senior Portraits alone.  She talked about composition, posing, lighting, and even keeping a wardrobe on hand.  I never even thought about keeping a closet full of outfits for customers.  A fabulous idea if that is your niche.

Photo Week starts September 15th.  A week full of photography tips.  I'm excited!

Project 365: My Beautiful Mess

So many things can happen in a day.  I know I experience at least 27 emotions in one day.  Excited, frustrated, bored, scared, relieved, etc.  But at the end of the day, I want to feel love and happiness.  I find that the older I get, the less I appreciate life.

It got me thinking about the film "About Time" starring Rachel McAdams as Mary and Domhnall Gleeson as Tim.  If you haven't seen it, watch it immediately.  It's a wonderful film about a man named Tim who learns on his 21st birthday that the men in his family have the ability to travel in time.  However, he can only travel between his own memories.  Ok, I've lost you right?  Sounds totally weird.  But I swear, it's the best movie!  Tim learns that as he travels back in time to perfect certain moments in his life, the best moments are the imperfect ones.  Near the end of the film, his father decides to share his secret to happiness.  He tells Tim to live an ordinary life, day by day, like anyone else.  Then to go back in time and re-live the same day.  The first time would be filled with tensions and worries that can keep you from noticing how sweet the world can be, but the second go-around he should stop and appreciate it.  And so begins my favorite scene in the movie.  It's a wonderful lesson about life.  Enjoy it!  When I was a kid I looked at the world with amazement.  Everything was shiny and new with all its wonder.  It's so easy to do when we are children, but somewhere along the ride we have forgotten how.

Well I for one am tired of it!  There are so many amazing things in life that I take for granted every day.  So I decided to challenge myself mentally and physically, through photography.  I will do a 365-day challenge where I take one photo a day showing the beauty in life.  It doesn't have to be perfect, as life rarely is.  Life is messy and crazy and chaotic, but it's also beautiful.

I won't annoy my readers with a photo every day on this blog, but I may share one on occasion.  If you would like to see my journey, visit Erica's Project 365: My Beautiful Mess.

Day 1: 8/14/14 "My Beautiful Mess"

I'm always in a hurry!  Laundry everywhere, makeup all over the counter in the bathroom, and shoes that cover my bedroom floor.  So today I decided to stop and appreciate the mess that is my crazy life.  Today, I embrace it.  Tomorrow, I clean!  

    

My Tip Monday

I've been doing product photography as a part of my full-time job for about 4 years now.  Learning how to take a product and light it properly in a studio is very challenging and fulfilling.  But I found myself wanting to know more about photographing lifestyle shots outdoors.  That's what started my journey.  Now I have a part-time photography business and enjoy every minute of it.  I continue to strive to be a better photographer with every click of the camera.  So I'd like to invite you to join my journey in a little segment called "My Tip Monday."  Once a week I will provide tips on photographing and editing images, while also share the latest and greatest products.

Let's start with my favorite website that I frequently go to for tips.  Check out Click It Up A Notch.  This lady is so awesome, I could literally spend hours on her website!  Whenever I have the itch to buy a new lens, I check her blog for a photo by photo comparison.  I really wanted a 50mm fixed lens, but I was debating between the f/1.4 and the f/1.8.  Her website allowed me to see examples of photos, and ultimately I chose to go with the 50mm f/1.8 because of the price.  It's still a beautiful lens and a bargain at $215 on Amazon!  Check out my 50mm f/1.8G.  My dogs make good models...

I also found a little gem about setting your White Balance.  And though I ultimately chose to go a different direction, I think the blogger had some amazing tips!  I'm constantly on the go, and wanted to be able to set a custom white balance quickly.  Grey cards are too bulky, and setting the camera on Auto is never the solution.  So what did I get? The ColorRight PRO White Balance Tool.  This dome-like shape allows you to set a custom white balance in any lighting in 15 seconds or less.  For just $35 on Amazon, I can ensure that my color is spot on and saves me editing time.  Check out my before and after photos.

Working with Shelley Foster Photography

I found Shelley Foster through a mutual friend.  She is an amazing wedding photographer and kind enough to let me follow her around and learn a few things.  Shelley invited me to Morgan and Jared's wedding last night at Ashton Gardens in Corinth, TX.  It was beyond gorgeous.  What a beautiful space and even more beautiful couple.

Shelley taught me more about working without a flash in low light situations, using off-camera flash for receptions, and how to have fun with poses.  Thank you Shelley Foster for letting me be your shadow.  You are a true artist!  I learned so much in such a short amount of time and I can't wait for our next meeting.  Check out Shelley Foster Photography.

What's your style?

Are you interested in scheduling a photo session, but unsure of your personal style of photography? I can help!  Take this short quiz to find out if you like Classic or Modern Photography. From there, we can customize your photo session to make sure your style shines through your photos.

So what are you waiting for!?  Take the quiz now.

Happy 1st Birthday, Joshua

Joshua turned one year old and I was lucky enough to take his pictures!  Big thanks to his mom, Kristin, for making such a cute box!

He is adorable.  And he melts my heart!

He's going to be one handsome man!  Happy Birthday, Joshua!

Shelby's Senior Pics

Shelby is my husband Robbie's cousin, and therefore my cousin.  I love being a new edition to their wonderful family!  I was beyond thrilled when she asked if I could take her Senior photos and make an announcement card for her graduation.  Her party is tomorrow night, and I can't wait!

Shelby is a sweetheart!  She's helped me on occasion with other photo shoots.

She graduated from Plano Senior High on Wednesday, June 11th.  She's a varsity cheerleader with country gal charm!  Her plans are to attend Aveda, where she'll study cosmetology.  Check out her prom dress... gorgeous!

Congratulations, cuz!  I wish you all of the best in your future endeavors.

The Carroll Family

Speaking of Los Rios Country Club...

Remember a wedding I did there last August?  You know, the one with the adorable ring bearer and awesome wedding party?  Well they called me again to take their family photos and I couldn't resist!  I absolutely love this family!

You can just see their love for each other in every photo.  So beautiful!  Autumn is April's daughter, Sean is Chris's son, and Matthew is their son together.  Sean just graduated high school... congrats to the grad!  

Autumn was loving the hiking trails at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano.  And Matthew's new favorite word was "SURPRISE!"  What a doll.

Thank you, Carroll family for always putting a smile on this photographer's face.

Sambola Wedding

Teresa and Walter discovered me through their venue, Los Rios Country Club, in Plano.  Thank you Los Rios for recommending me!  I love seeing couples like this, who have children already and have found love later in life.  It's so sweet to see you get your happy ever after.

Teresa has two daughters, who were also bridesmaids in the wedding.  And to make things even sweeter, they walked her down the isle!

Their unity candle was extra special with four candles, joining together as a family.

The ceremony was beyond sweet!  But this couple hired me because they like to be silly.  So bring on the silly!

What do you do if your groom is a police offer?  Bring out the handcuffs, of course!  They brought a whole new meaning to the term "ball and chain."

And let's face it, no wedding is complete without a dance circle!  Seriously... is this guy available to hire for anyone's wedding?  He was the life of the party.

Thanks, Teresa and Walter for including me on your big day!  I had a great time, and I hope you did too!