I'm not the most extroverted person you'll meet, but I am ambitious. I don't know how many years I spent just wishing I could find the courage to make that leap from my cliff of solitude. Only a few years ago, I learned that forcing myself to get outside of my comfort zone was the only way I would really survive owning my own business. That's something I still have to work at, every day and somehow as the years click by one day at a time, I actually have grown out of most of my social anxiety, which is a huge blessing.
Blogging was actually one of the first ways in which I started exposing myself to communicating with others and putting myself out there to deal with my social anxiety. It was college assignment for basics of web development. I found it very helpful to hear the comments of people who were actually responding to what I put out there. It made me think, "Hey, maybe I'm not an unlovable freak". I don't even know where I got that notion in the first place... but I sure had to deal with it.
Now I blog because it helps let people know who I am and connect with me on a level deeper than just the photos I take. I want people to know how much I really care about the photos that I make and how each one is connected to me, just like a painting. I want people to see the creative visions that I have and I want people who care about the same things to reach out to me and work with me to make them happen!
I've been a busy busy lady since I moved to my new studio on the square. It's a narrow, somewhat awkward space, but I'm so glad to be here and I have a vision for it that is slowly coming together. I've been working on making an art gallery in the front with my favorite photos. Soon I'll have my photos on floating shelves lining the wall. I'm replacing the ugly fluorescent lights with track lighting to compliment the art on the walls. I also have a great window in front that I use for natural light for taking baby photos. And I just started doing in-person sales for my photo sessions which again, is taking me outside my comfort zone with people. But I'm proud to say, that too is going better than I imagined.
So I think I've gone on long enough about myself. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed getting to know me better. By opening myself up to you, I hope you will do the same with me! I would love to hear from someone who want to comment on my work or has a challenge for me!
With Love,
Natalie Eberhard
]]>Melissa describes her and Tim as a laid back rocker couple who like to ride their motorcycle and go exploring. They wanted to stay somewhat traditional and add their rocker vibe with black bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen tuxes, with red roses and white accents.
Capturing photos that reflect the couple's personalities and the mood of the day is always what's important to me. In a way this gallery is different from the others because of the unique theme that Melissa and Tim went for.
Melissa's father, who passed away recently, was remembered at the wedding by placing his pins and badge onto the inner layers of Melissa's dress. In a way, he was with her, as she walked down the aisle.
Melissa's brother got to escort her down the aisle. His most important task was to remember to respond to "Who gives this bride away?" with "Our mother and I" and after rehearsal, nobody was sure he would remember! But he did say it without any trouble at the ceremony.
Try not to cry at a wedding where the groom just can't stop himself. I don't know how Melissa held her composure, but I'd say Tim is a lucky man to have such a strong woman by his side.
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The talented florists at May's Floral in Nevada, Mo created some amazing (and huge) pink rose centerpieces for the reception tables. Pink and Gold everywhere! The church was beautifully decorated with gold and white chairs and flowers. The cake, made by Sweet Designs Cakery in Pittsburg, Ks, was detailed to perfection and just so beautiful.
Don't everybody get ready all at once!
I've never had so much fun with the bridesmaids. These girls are up for a good time and they're not afraid to show it!
Oh yes, I did take some of the groomsmen too!
It poured during the wedding, but afterwards was light enough to take some shots outside. I've heard it's good luck for it to rain on your wedding day. Now they'll always remember it as a lucky day!
They also really liked this location in the middle of a prairie hay field which of course I was thrilled about! Katie said, "We're not picture people" uncertain that I would be able to make them look good. But whether she knew it or not, all three of them effortlessly made the photos perfect just by being themselves - especially Hadley! Her freckles and country girl next door charm will sweep you off your feet! Enjoy the rest of this session!
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You can see more of my photography at my website!
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Kim definitely isn't what you might call "mainstream", not like all the other girls. She knew she wanted something different but simple that suited her, possibly a vintage dress, nothing extravagant or "girly-girl". The dress she finally chose was found by her sister online, described as a 1930's flapper dress. It seemed made for her, the perfect style, comfortable and a steal of a price as far as wedding gowns go.
Even though Kim is only a young lady, for her the era has a nostalgic significance. Her parents, John and Kim, have owned an auto restoration business for more than 34 years and many of their builds and person street rods are 30's models.
Nearly all the wedding decor was recycled/re-purposed items such as buttons, marbles, ribbons and old Mason jars. Kim and Will thought it was wasteful, not to mention costly, to buy all new decorations. They found items at flea markets and antique stores and together with their closest friends, created candle holders, table decorations and bouquets. Again, she added a personal nostalgic touch by using buttons in the table decorations that reminded her of sifting through her grandmothers collection. Kim said she thought that in the 30's putting together a wedding would have been similar. They would have used what they had instead of purchasing a bunch of throw away items from the store.
The crowning moment that tied the theme in a perfect bow was when Kim's father drove her down the "aisle" in his 1935 Ford street rod pickup. Kim spent a lot of time growing up with John and his cars. They quietly sang along to "My Girl" by The Temptations as they cruised toward the ceremony. Kim says she couldn't imagine a more perfect way for him to give her away and it was the most amazing moment she's had with her father. (And I'm crying now.)
As the ceremony ended, it was about 7 p.m. on that June day and we were in the golden hours as the sun dipped below the tree line, creating that famous magical glow. The timing was perfect for these once-in-a-lifetime photos reminiscent of time gone by. The music started up, played by Sunset To Burns a band who plays (but isn't limited to) a style called Folk Rock.
For more photos by Natalie Eberhard, visit her website.
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Well for one, set the camera to continuous shooting so you can take several photos quickly. Normally, I try to minimize the amounts of shots I take, watching through the lens, waiting for the perfect moment, to save time sorting through photos later. But with these little ones, expressions change so fast, you really have to keep shooting.
For Garrett, it was a combination of talking to him without the alien camera in front of my face, getting him to smile and talk, then quickly shooting several photos. I had to do this many, many times because often they were too blurry or the focus was in the wrong place. Even some of my favorites here aren't perfect, but what I do love about them is the beautiful expressions I caught, without too obvious of imperfections.
I really like the natural feel of these, its well suited to a baby. We did most of them on the couch in my studio with no light but from the window. I used my 50mm 1.8 Canon lens with the aperture wide open on aperture priority mode, I really like the shallow depth of field and bokeh background that produces.
I also made sure his eyes were pointed toward the window to get some nice reflection in his eyes, but I think the couch could have been moved a little closer to the window for some brighter light in his eyes. I was able to help that with some editing, but it would have saved time and probably looked better to set it up that way from the beginning. It also helps to bump up the ISO slightly for indoor, natural light. I had mine set to 400, but that's as high as I like to go, so I also increase the exposure compensation slightly which helps so much. Since I've started using the exposure compensation, I've really enjoyed the results. It's definitely worth learning to use.
The first thing to remember is that you're on their time, not yours! Plan for delays. If you think in your ideal world it would take about 45 minutes, I would plan for an hour and a half. It will most likely take extra time and patience. Fortunately, I have plenty of patience and have no expectation that a toddler will want to cooperate.
Use the fact that they are easily distracted to your advantage. If your toddler doesn't want to sit still and smile, that's alright! We played peek-a-boo and other games to get this guy smiling. They don't have to know its picture time. The focus should be on having fun and you can let me worry about getting the good photo.
If things do go bad, don't throw up your hands and give up! One thing that I found to work very well is to ignore the toddler (while still keeping an eye out of course!) and pretend you're having fun without him. Take some photos without him. He'll want to get in on all the excitement in no time!
We weren't without tantrums. Don't think that we were like the Pinterest family and photographer who had it all together. In fact, our studio session wasn't going so well. We were fortunate that the weather had done a complete turnaround from the day before. If the weather is nice, head for hills and get that child some fresh air!
These are some tips that allowed us to get some good photos and will definitely help you have a less stressful photo shoot with a toddller. These parents are also very patient and kind, a great family to photograph!
We decided to meet at the beautiful Grand Falls in Joplin, Missouri.
I decided that I could get a nice view of him getting out the ring behind her. I just told her I was getting a focused picture of her with him blurred out in the background which I told Nate beforehand. She didn't know he was getting out the ring behind her!
When he was knelt down and ready, I told Whitney,
" Okay, now close your eyes..." she was a good friend
and did exactly as I asked while asking me why.
I ran over to get a side view and told her to turn around...
Obviously, she said yes. As you could see in some of the photos there were
several onlookers who were gawking as Nate took a knee.
They came up to say congratulations after the proposal
and to tell Nate how cool he was.
At this point, Whitney and I are both crying. I'm really glad I had the opportunity
to be a part of this amazing moment and their real expressions
that were captured are truly priceless and will be treasured by generations to come.
Congratulations Whitney and Nate. Now the question is, how will we top this at the wedding?
Check out my website for more photos, pricing and scheduling info.
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Almost every time parent bring in young children for a photo shoot, the end result is a very frustrated parent and consequently a teary child who is "not being good". While I completely understand this frustration because I've been there myself, I have learned that this stress for the parent, the child and myself is totally unnecessary.
My all-time favorite photo of my son Ethan, is of him holding his baby leopard toy like a baby. I didn't tell him what to do. I just moved him to some good window light, asked him to show me how he takes care of his baby and voila!
Side note: this is possibly the cutest toy a boy or girl could have. I think it was a Diego or Dora toy maybe and it came with a bottle that prompts it to make feeding noises when inserted in its mouth and it purrs when you stroke its fur.
I'm still learning how to handle that tense situation when a child won't smile no matter how much his parents plead and promise sweet treats as a reward or threatens punishment if he refuses. However there are a few techniques I've learned to implement and will get easier with practice:
l) Spend time just hanging out before whipping out the camera and giving the child orders to behave. Children need to get their bearings, they can't fake being comfortable in strange situations like we can!
2) Take your time, no rushing! This does not work and usually has the opposite effect of making the shoot last longer and making everyone grumpy.
3) Don't try so hard to get posed photos of the little ones if they're not cooperating. Distraction with songs, games or even a favorite toy can make for great portraits of your child that will be treasured memories.
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I was really fortunate that Lori Bledsoe contacted me on my facebook page to take photos at her wedding in June. Not only for the obvious reason of getting a job, but this was my first professional wedding shoot. I didn't want to disappoint and I was nervous! Then Lori walked in and we met for the first time. She was an angel of mercy! She paid me up front and was just happy to be getting married. I took every photo I could think of throughout the ceremony and the reception. Lori made no special requests but I wanted to make sure I had enough photos and details of the day.
See, I know that people often don't appreciate the importance of a photo when its being taken. It's only afterward that they realize just how special capturing that moment was. You don't forget the things that happen on your wedding day. But after a few years go by, do you remember just how your bridesmaid looked when she realized your ring was still tucked safely in her bra when it comes time to place it on your beloved's hand? Will you remember that everyone was supposed to wear the same color of purple and the best man's tie was the wrong shade? Probably not, but photos don't lie and so I had to make sure nobody would remember!
When I was asked to change the color of his tie, I didn't hesitate, it was all they asked of me! It was actually a very simple edit to make and I was glad to do it, because a few years down the road, when the memories fail and the pictures tell the story, they will say that everyone matched flawlessly... and they lived happily ever after.
