The Fierstine Family

Another snow filled session!

I had a great time with this fun family. It was filled with running and laughing and making silly faces. 

My favorite part though was that we went back to the location that we took Jayson and Katie's wedding photographs. 

I think the Motor Mill by Elkader IA is even more pretty in the winter than it was in the summer. 

Enjoy this preview and if you want to see the whole gallery, click the galleries tab at the top of the page.

It will be up for a limited time.

Why I shoot in RAW

First of all what is RAW?

Simply it is the unprocessed, uncompressed information for each photo. It takes up a lot more space to store all that data, but gives you a higher quality image in return.

What does that mean?

More time in post processing and editing for the photographer. Instead of just running the images through Photoshop, I have to put each image through additional software and process each file. 

Why shot in RAW if it means more time to edit later?

Good question. The last two years that I have been shooting in RAW I have seen my photos improve. I can confidently shoot in manual mode, letting me tweak the settings just how I want them, instead of letting the camera do most of the thinking. This helps me learn what I like best and more importantly - what I don't like.

The great thing about RAW is if I do make a mistake, I can adjust it later without compromising the quality of the images. 

Since every post is better with an image here is an example:

The left is the RAW file, right is the tweaks I made before processing the RAW file into a JPEG.

The bottom image is the final edit after running the JPEG thru Photoshop.

F2.8    1/4000    ISO 400    50mm

That is as technical as I get. I hope I didn't bore you with details!

Have a great day!

Jake and Quinn

I have been debating on weather or not to keep doing weddings for a couple years now.

Why? 

They are stressful, you have to accomplish a lot in a little time and be several different kinds of photographer all in one day. Also you book them out so far it doesn't leave a ton of room for flexibility. Ken and I love to volunteer our time teaching others about the bible, and want to be available to adjust our schedule if necessary. That can be difficult if you are committed to a wedding a year or two out.

However

After this session with Jake and Quinn I realized that even though I'm not booking weddings anymore it doesn't mean that I can't still capture two people in love - which is my favorite part of wedding photography!

Seriously

How adorable are these two? I love love love the images we captured of just the two of them during their family session. And really there is something special about a couple that has been married for years. 

To see the entire family session for a limited time click here.

Ari is One Year Old!

I adored this session, this family, and this location!

The tricky part was waiting for the snow, and for all the kiddos to be healthy at the same time. We had to reschedule twice, but it was well worth it! Patience really does pay off.

Photographing in the snow is the best - it looks so fresh and clean, makes the colors pop, and acts as a natural reflector so I have pretty light wherever I want to go.

To see the whole gallery for a limited time click here.

Also... part two coming soon. 

I can't wait to post a few of just mom and dad together!!!