Beach Bum turned Snow Bunny

On the last full day of my Niece Elise's Christmas visit we took her snow tubing at Ski Roundtop. Being from Florida, she's never actually seen it snow (though has seen snow a few times). We weren't able to help her out with seeing it snow, but we did give her this new experience. After exchanging hats (she didn't want to wear the Eagles hat) we were off for 2 fun hours of tubing. Everyone had a great time (except Trey had his fill a little early), but it doesn't come close to Tobaggoning through the Alps. The tubing hill is relatively small compared to the full ski slope which became the backdrop of our day's activities. As a surfer-girl the lure of snowboarding the mountain was very enticing for Elise. Unfortunately, there would not be enough time on this visit.

The point of this post isn't so much the snow tubing, but rather this quick portrait I made of the Florida-girl playing snow bunny in front of the mountain. This was done by cooling down the white balance on the camera and flashing her with a warm light. The end result is a natural looking subject in the cool blue background. The colors help emphasize the mood of the photo and separate the subject from the background.

I had to grab this quick shot also. It wasn't until we were about done that I noticed she got out of the car without one of her shoes on. I still think I should have made her wear the Eagles hat.

Noah, Laci and Grant

I was scheduled to go photograph Noah on a brisk fall day at their house. They wanted a selection of outdoor shots as well as indoor photos. Because it was a drizzly morning they thought that they should postpone the session. In the end though we decided to go ahead. As it turned out, it was absolutely the right decision. We still got rained on a time or two, but the rain made for richer colors and more interesting textures. In addition the cloudy day created less harsh lighting. See for yourself.

In this photograph you can especially see the richer textures from the rain. This really created a cool look IMO.

This is a tender moment between child and dad.

Noah up a tree. Mom is behind with a firm grip on his sweater.

The whole family (dog included - always a challenge) outside.

Indoors with a clean white background.

Just before heading back indoors. Look at those eyes!

This piano has been in the family for generations. Any time a "prop" like this can be used it adds to the shot and helps make the photographs speak more directly to your family.

A little Tom-foolery to make. Noah with his hand caught in the fishbowl.