You can see their WEDDING STORY by clicking on the photo below. To see the WHOLE story visit their WEDDING GALLERY.

And here is the very best ending you could have to a maternity story– a gorgeous, baby girl was born! Here is Elizabeth Sue at just over a week old. Love you little, girl!

We met at her parents home in Durham one recent morning. Darren, 7 months, and Alya, two-years-old, were in the living room playing when I arrived.

Alya is incredibly adorable with her curls and great smile but, unfortunately she had not slept well the night before and was a bit cranky. I figured she would eventually smile and she did! I wrote about how I got this great photo above in my Local Buzz column on WCHL’s Chapelboro.com for you photo geeks who want know how to do a head swap.

Kathryn had filled out a survey before I came. This helps me to understand who is coming and what kind of photos they want. The most important photo on the list was the whole family- her parents, her family and her brother. Their yard had a great view of a lake and the light was even and beautiful so we easily knocked out the list. The whole process took about an hour and, I hope, was fun for all involved!

Only two head swaps to make the photo above work!

We cannot forget mom and dad! I love this moment between them.

I bet this one will be their holiday card!


A sweet moment between Darren and grandma.

Even though Alya was tired her Uncle Michael could always make her smile! How nice that they are so close!

So, the moral of the story is to not put off until tomorrow what you can do today! My grandma Vivian always said this and it is so true. Book your KPO Photo Family Story at any time or take part in the KPO Photo Fall Family Story Special on October 23rd. Only four slots are left!

Click on the photo below to view their WEDDING STORY.
Or, to see the WHOLE STORY visit their WEDDING GALLERY.

Wedding Coordinator: Barbara Clark, An Elegant Affair
Officiate: Robin Renteria
Floral Design: Tre Bella
Ceremony Musicians: Arioso Strings
Reception Musicians: DJ Joe Bunn
Cake Design: Sweet Memories
Wedding and Reception Venue: The Umstead
Gown Provider: Alexia’s
Formal Wear Provider: Savvi Formalwear

Julia and Jesse are both teachers at The Field School in Washington, DC. When I first met them two years ago at Anne and Matt’s wedding I was struck by how much fun they had together, always dancing and laughing. I am so glad we could be there for their wedding day! They were married at Watts Street Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina and held their reception at Bay 7.

Click on the photo below to view their WEDDING STORY. For the whole story, visit their WEDDING GALLERY. This is where you may purchase prints.

WEDDING VENDORS:

Ceremony Music: Arioso Strings
Reception Music: Groove Town
Ceremony Officiate: Ruth Harper
Flowers: Watered Garden
Catering: Savory Fare
Cake: Sweet Memories
Lighting: Get Lit
Reception Venue: Bay 7
Wedding Planner: Sally Oakley

You can see their WEDDING STORY by clicking on the photo below.
Or, you can see the WHOLE STORY by visiting their wedding gallery. It is also from this gallery that you may purchase prints.

Here are some of my absolute favorite images from Kathryn and Erik’s wedding:

WEDDING VENDORS
Officiate: Reverend Meghan Feldmeyer
Floral Design: Mary Stevens of Fearrington
Ceremony Musicians: Brian Coggins
Reception Musicians: Hipshack
Cake Design: Jill Leckey of Fearrington
Reception Venue: Fearrington
Gown Provider: Priscilla of Boston
Formal Wear Provider: Men’s Wearhouse

You can see the WHOLE story in their GALLERY.

In July of 2011 Michael, Marisa and Maura came through North Carolina again to visit friends and family. I am so excited that they made time to visit me as they had big news and it is just wonderful to see how Maura has grown! First, they are moving from Mexico to Vancouver, Canada. Secondly, they are pregnant and due in October. Maura was so tiny when I first met her. She is now a great walker with beautiful curls and still has her mother’s eyes. At her age she would not “sit” for a portrait, which is fine. So we spent an hour or so just playing. She wandered all over the studio and the garden while I followed her with my camera. Here are my favorites.

Recently I had the opportunity to photograph two such groupings. I prefer to collaborate with my client so that we are partners in creating a Family Story. We typically meet before the shoot to discuss ideas, what to wear, which location- so many decisions! My clients fill out a quick on-line survey and then we are ready to go!

My first shoot was booked this past winter so we had been planning it awhile. I had photographed the Harry Family last fall at their farm in Orange County, North Carolina, just outside of Chapel Hill. Kim Harry asked me if I would be available for a Family Story at the North Carolina coast this summer. Her extended family would all be together so it was a golden opportunity for a big family portrait. So the week after school let out we arranged to meet at Kure Beach. I loooove the clothing they chose and we ended up having so much fun at Fort Fisher.

My other recent large family portrait was for the Broun Family. I met Margie Broun and her husband, Ken at the Dispute Settlement Center’s Silent Auction. She bid on and won a KPO Photo Family Story. They have two adult boys who are both married with two children each. She really wanted a great photo of all of them together as well as some smaller groupings. They have lived in Chapel Hill forever, close to the UNC campus. So we met at the Forest Theatre on the UNC campus and then finished the shoot at their home so we would have a lot to choose from. Here is what we came up with.

Do you have a family gathering coming up that would be a great opportunity for a big family portrait? You can sign up for KPO Photo Family Story here.

To get ready for the shoot I always ask what kind of photograph they are hoping for. Tatyana said she wanted it to look very natural, almost as if it were just a snapshot taken at a family event. She wanted it to be outside rather than in the studio. I asked her to bring several outfits. I figure since you are taking the time to do this we may as well end up with several different looks to use for various occasions. That way you will not have to take another headshot for many more years. Above is the first outfit. In the beginning of a shoot I ask my clients view the images on a large screen television so I can get used to what they like and dislike. Most people have a “best side” and do not even know it!

Then we switched to a different outfit and went by the hydrangea bush.

And, finally, she tried on one last outfit and we headed for the shade. This whole process took less than an hour. I truly hope that people actually enjoy their photo session and that these are images that they will be proud of for a long time. Thanks for coming, Tatyana, and congratulations on ten years of marriage!!! I would love to meet Juliette and Fion next time around!

Are you in need of a great headshot? You can sign up for a KPO Photo Headshot here.

At the beginning of May my children and I began noticing holes in the yard. At first I wondered if we had a serious, miniature vole problem. But then we started seeing exoskeletons on leaves. Soon, we could not ignore the fact that there was a loud wall of sound. Some neighbors thought it was a car alarm at first. It was seriously so loud that I could not talk on the phone outside. I recorded 50 seconds of it just so you can get an idea. Remember this is only 50 seconds but it really went on all day long for weeks. Thankfully they rested at night.

Brood XXIX Male Mating Call Audio

Although they look a little creepy they are harmless. They don’t bite and they won’t destroy your garden. The newly emerged cicadas are pale with bright, red eyes. They mature to a dark color and then take to the air in search of a mate. The males sing to attract a mate. Once fertilized, the females split open twigs to deposit their eggs, which hatch after about six or seven years. After hatching the nymphs drop down into the soil below where they will feed on roots. They end up laying just 10 inches below the surface, which happens to be right below the frost line.

Now, over a month after they first emerged, the call of the males has quieted and their spent and limping bodies are all over. The piles of exoskeletons will decompose and nourish the earth. 13 years ago I was a childless, single woman trying hard to establish myself in my chosen field. The movie, Patch Adams was being filmed on the UNC campus that summer and 911 still referred only to the number you call in an emergency. In 13 more years, God willing, my oldest child will be 23 and all the unrest in the Middle East will be hopefully be a thing of the past. But, the cicadas don’t care. They will continue this amazing cycle regardless of what we crazy humans do.

PHOTO GEEK FOOTNOTE:

These images were captured with a Canon 7D using a 50 mm/ f2.5 macro lens. I shot at the lowest ISO possible, mostly 100 and tried to have an f/stop of at least 5.6. so I could get some nice depth of field. I sometimes used my 580 EXII flash bounced off a reflector if I needed extra light. All images were captured RAW and were converted to jpeg using Aperture. I finalized the images in Photoshop using Totally Rad Actions.

Want to stay in touch? LIKE KPO PHOTO on FACEBOOK. Or, follow us on TWITTER. To receive the quarterly KPO Photo newsletter just SIGN UP ON-LINE. And finally, you can subscribe to the KPO PHOTO RSS FEED. And, as if those are not enough options, you can email Kristin at kpo at kpophoto.com or call the office at 919.933.8403. Thanks for visiting!!!

My column is called SNAPSHOTS FROM THE HILL.

The description of the column:

-A column about photography and the stories behind the pictures. Kristin Prelipp Oguntoyinbo, owner of KPO Photo in downtown Carrboro, has spent her adult life telling stories with her camera — capturing the everyday and extraordinary with her camera lens. She graduated from the UNC Chapel Hill School of Journalism and worked for The Chapel Hill News and The News & Observer before founding KPO Photo in 2001. Kristin’s passions revolve around this amazing community we live in — raising her three children, cultivating her garden, and documenting the important moments in her clients’ lives. She writes about the art of photography and the local people and happenings she has met and experienced while exploring her craft. She is very open to suggestions for stories. If you know of a person or event you think deserves to be documented, please write to her at kpophoto@chapelboro.com.

TIP 6: NATURAL LIGHT

Professional photographers spend years learning how to work with light. The goal is to make their artificial light look like beautiful, Rembrandt-style, natural light. But why spend all that time learning how to modify light when the real thing is right in front of you? I am going to show three examples of using natural light versus the on-camera flash. For those of you using a point and shoot, you may have to consult your camera manual to learn how to turn the automatic flash off, when you so choose. Also, in darker situations, it would be nice to know how to turn your ISO up a bit, maybe to 800 if you can.

My first example is shooting indoors at night. Roman’s birthday is right before Christmas and Leo’s is right after, so the holidays are really big for us. It is right before bed and Roman is playing with his new train that he received as a birthday present from his Grandma and Grandpa Oguntoyinbo. First I photograph him using the on-camera flash. This photo is fine for capturing the action but it is rather bland.

In this second version I turned the flash off. I think that this image captures the scene much better- a quiet, dark room with the beautiful, twinkly Christmas lights. The only caveat with using no flash indoors is if you inadvertently shake camera the image will be blurry. In this case, I was down laying on my stomach on the floor. I put my elbows on the floor and used my body as a tripod so that the camera did not shake.

Next we are indoors but during the day this time. Most point and shoot cameras automatically turn on the flash when you are indoors. Often there is plenty of good light indoors to use. At least it is worth a try! In the first example the automatic flash came on. This illuminates the subjects closest to the flash but almost always renders the background very dark. In this case my background is ugly and messy, (see Tip 4) so maybe that was a small blessing, but normally I would like to see what is going on in the perimeter as it adds detail and information to your image.

In the image below I tried again. I used a plain background and had the girls close to a large window with the flash off. I think this works much better!

Finally, we are outside in front of a bonfire. First I let the on-camera flash do it’s thing. Again, this is not a horrible photo but the second photo with the flash off captures the mood of the evening much better, don’t you think?


Did you miss the fifth tip? Click HERE to read it. You can also read all of the tips on our FACEBOOK or TWITTER page.

We got together for a BUSINESS STORY as he has several big events and happenings coming up and needed publicity images. He had been trying to get some good photos of himself at the store all week but after many unsuccessful tries he called me to schedule a shoot. As he put it, “I always seem to look so good in your photos!” Thanks, Travis!

One event is The Art of the Scarab in which he collected various North Carolina species of scarabs (or beetles) and created one of a kind pieces. The proceeds of sale of these pieces will go to the North Carolina Museum of Art.

He is also going to be featured in the next issue of JCK Magazine. This magazine is to a jeweler what the New England Journal of Medicine is to a doctor. It is the industry standard. Their show is held annually in Las Vegas, NV and is the largest jewelry show in the country. He spoke to them about how to shop the show. He came up with a great idea for his photo. He saw himself in front of a wide range of jewelry to create a visual metaphor that shopping the show is akin to a cleverly played game of poker. We had two versions. Then we also just took some great photos of him with his most prized possessions, his family.