Walt Disney Concert Hall Family Portraits
Having the opportunity to meet up with Kelly in Downtown L.A. this month, (October 2019), was a beautiful reunion of two worlds separated by distance. We got to take in some of my favorite spots in dtla: MOCA, Lemonade, and The Broad, and snapped a few photos at the Walt Disney Concert Hall ; I was pleased that she fell in love with The Broad! The best part however was seeing her again, going deep in conversation about life and our journeys, and having the privilege of meeting the two loves of her life, her husband and son.
I first met Kelly while serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Adelaide, South Australia. She is a native Australian and her family welcomed me, loved me, and fed me amazing dinners every week for 4 months. I will be forever grateful for Wednesday nights at the Rochows!
Kelly has been through so much since we last saw each other in 2006. She got married, has become a wonderful mother, and is wading through the challenges and results of having been diagnosed with M.S. a couple of years ago. I am so thankful that Kelly was feeling well enough to enjoy her family’s holiday, including their time with me.
Of her husband, Kelly says: “My husband is someone special; a complete constant. He carries me both literally and figuratively. On the days I can’t walk he gets me where I want to be. He meets me daily with love and understanding. He is my fierce protector and my strength when I can’t find my own. On the days that I feel like I’ve lost who I am, he holds me until I remember again.”
“Thank you for holding my body when it feels weak, my heart when it feels broken, and my dreams when I feel like they are lost. You always help me return to love, and for that I am forever grateful.” xoxo
Kelly said to me, “We never have photos taken of just the two of us!” At your family session I will always make time for photos of just you and your partner. I believe that documenting the love where your family got its start, is so important! (And fun!) xo
Los Angeles Branding Session
Talk about passion for life! Natalie Holbrook (Wellness) is on a mission to make the world a better place through educating us on how to better care of our bodies, especially through gut health. She writes and speaks about holistic nutrition, how to boost your energy levels, weight stability, creating a positive mindset, and manifesting the body and life you truly wish to create! You can connect with her through Facebook here and her website coming soon! We had so much fun creating these images together. It was an EPIC full-day shoot that took us all over L.A. and ended with a delicious dinner at Botanica. Their food was as incredible as our day! Here’s to #EatingBeautifully! xoxo
Dessert should always come first!
San Pedro Maternity Session
There is a story behind every photograph. This San Pedro maternity session is no exception. When I first met Claudia as fellow Grad students at CSULB, she was grieving the deaths of her firstborn child and father. I was in the throes of my dad’s battle with cancer. Our experiences brought us together and we were able to be a source of strength and comfort to each other.
The shoes above were bought for their first son Sebastian.
You can imagine the joy I felt to learn, two years later, that Claudia was expecting another baby, Santiago! We rejoiced together and this session was truly a time of celebration!
Love this next one!!! Erik’s expression is priceless! I truly love getting to create moments and memories like these!!
Congratulations Claudia and Erik on the new addition to your family! You have been through so much together and are still smiling! Your strength is inspiring! Looking forward to meeting baby Santi!!
Long Beach Sweet Sixteen Celebration
It was a gorgeous October evening in Long Beach a day after rain had cleansed the earth and sky. Alex looked like an absolute princess surrounded by friends and family as they celebrated her sixteenth birthday. What made this occasion all the sweeter for me was that I was this young lady’s preschool teacher. Being able to reunite with her and her wonderful family, and witness what a beautiful woman Alex is becoming, was truly an honor! Here are some of the highlights! xoxo
Stay Gold! <3
Backyard Wedding and South Coast Botanic Garden
Full attention was given to detail for this beautiful, intimate wedding held at a private residence followed by bridal portraits at the gorgeous South Coast Botanic Garden. Tracy and Michael met during their employment at a gardening super store which made the backyard of their home and the SCB Garden perfect locations to pay homage to their romantic beginnings and marital union. They worked tirelessly to bring their special day together and I am beyond grateful that I was asked to be a part of it! xoxo
West L.A. Branding Session
Combine good food and photography and I’m in heaven! I had a blast working with Natalie Holbrook, creating content for her forthcoming website! She is an Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) certified Health Coach and has trained at the acclaimed PLANTLAB Culinary. She teaches people how to heal their gut and create more radiant and active lives. You can find out more about her services here.
Cerritos Portrait Session &Fine Art Editing
Ask any photographer and they will likely say that the most time-consuming part of photography is the editing process. Of course there are gorgeous presets that offer some one-click fixes, however, presets only make general adjustments to things like tone, contrast, and saturation. I always find that there are certain adjustments I want to make that require intentional and specific choices, ones that a computer would never be able to intuit on its own. At least not yet. 😉
So let me take you through my process; one that I call fine-art editing. It is part of what you invest in when you hire me you create your portraits. And I feel it makes a world of difference.
In this image you will see that Aly’s face is in shadow. I want her face to be there area of focus. In order for that to happen it needs to be brighter. First I selected her face, arm, and hands and brought up the level of “light” using a curves layer. Next I smoothed out skin tones and added a touch of color to her lips. I noticed that there were a few bright highlights on her hair which I found a little distracting so I darkened them. My eye kept getting caught on the space between the two metallic phone booths so I pulled a different view of a single booth from another image and “masked” it in. (This all happened in Photoshop CC). I removed the marks/spots from the metallic booth and took out that tiny speck to the left of the prism reflection (the rainbow curve on the left side of the image). I smoothed out her dress. Finally, I brought the saturation up just a bit on the reds, decreased the yellows, and brought up the overall brightness of the image.
And voila!
In this next image you can see that Aly’s face and hands are a bit overexposed. The first adjustment I usually make to an image is in relationship to exposure. I do this by adding a “curves” layer which adjusts the brightness of the area you select. When I felt I had an even skin tone, I moved on to smoothing the skin. I usually take several versions of the same image in case eyes are closed or squinting– that way I have options to work with. Aly’s left eye was out of focus in the primary image I was working with so I brought in a left eye from another image that was in focus. (Sounds kinda funny doesn’t it?) During the session I had adjusted Aly’s hair giving it a bit more volume in one image in this series. I brought her hair into the primary image that had the expression I liked best. I added eyeliner. Finally, I removed background distractions including really bright highlights, dimming them down, and filling in the top left corner with flowers.
Here is the final edit:
This last image was a slightly more complex process because I used three images to create the final edit. In this first image I liked the way Aly’s right arm was covered by the curtain. I also liked that I could see more of her dress at the bottom of the frame and more of the curtain to her left because I was standing further away from her for this shot. I used this image as my base. (You will notice the big yellow circles in the center– I had been experimenting with twinkle lights and two of them are very prominent here.)
I pulled Aly’s face and dress from this image as Aly’s face was mostly free from harsh highlights which were in abundance because she was standing right next to french doors.
Sometimes I reframe an image if I feel the subject is too far to one side and I feel centering the subject would look best. I centered Aly by creating parts of the curtain that weren’t there to begin with. I used the cloning tool to do this after making a copy of the image and shrinking the size of the top image so Aly had more space surrounding her. Imagine two identical images stacked on top of each other and then shrinking the upper image down so you can see the borders of the image underneath it. Aly now appeared to be centered and smaller within the frame. I merged the two images together, created extra curtains to cover up the border of the bottom image and then went to work evening skin tone, smoothing skin, removing harsh highlights on her dress, and giving her a touch of lip color and eyeliner. I then brightened selective areas of the image…. Light, airy flow!
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about my editing process and that it helps to give you added understanding to the value of the work photographers do after they’ve taken your photos! xoxo
Lighting Workshop Arts District dtla
I hosted my first off-camera flash Lighting Workshop (1.0) this summer. The following are images created during the practical application (2nd half) of the workshop. According to the attendees, the only thing they would have changed about the overall experience would be to include ice cream. (Loved that! :D)
If you are a photographer who has been wanting to learn off-camera flash, or is struggling to figure out how to evolve your approach to low-light situations, I am now offering 1 on 1 mentoring sessions and a bi-annual workshop. If you are interested in attending or scheduling a mentoring session, please email me at: daltiercreates@gmail.com
The next workshop is slated for January 2018! Stay tuned for announcements and more info! Thank you to all who helped bring this wonderful event together! xoxo
SoCal Bridal Session and First Look
It was so much fun photographing this summery pre-ceremony session with this cute bride and groom that started with a “First-Look”. Traditionally, couples wait until the ceremony to see each other for the first time in their wedding day attire. However, it is becoming more and more popular for couples to share this moment right beforehand. Here are a few reasons why I recommend adding a “First-Look” to the beginning of your wedding day time-line. 1. It calms the nerves. If you’re the type of person who gets nervous around big crowds, or prefers not to be the center of attention, first looks are intimate and ease you into the rest of your day with your sweetheart. 2. Your make-up, hair, attire, and beautiful selves are at their FRESHEST! Imagine how great it will feel not having to roll through all the family and bridal party portraits… and then– when you think your mouth can’t manage another smile– that’s when it’s your turn to shine in all your wedding day glory! Why not do that first? 🙂 And my personal favorite: 3. More opportunity to get those creative couple shots you’ve been gathering on your Pinterest boards.
I recommend allowing at least an hour of photo time for the First Look and couple portraits. If you have any questions about creating an optimal time-line for your wedding day, feel free to email me. I’m happy to share recommendations. Now for photos! P.S. Check out the bride’s hand-made one-of-a-kind blush colored gown! And those finger-curls! xoxo
Griffith Park Engagement Session
It was such a beautiful, bright spring day for this engagement session at the old Griffith Park Zoo. We were not the only ones who thought it was a perfect day to be here. Once we arrived, we found film crews tucked behind every nook and cranny– and there was the beginning gatherings of an outdoor evening movie at the park; soon thereafter the Halloween theme song began to waft through the air on an endless loop; not exactly the most romantic soundtrack for an engagement session, but it made us all laugh! Lauren and Ken were up for anything and made this session a lot of fun! Looking forward to their Veteran’s Day wedding later this year! xoxo
Palos Verdes Portrait Session
Palos Verdes served as a gorgeous afternoon backdrop for this SoCal portrait session with the vivacious and beautiful Wren Barnes. The dramatic California coastline and salty sea breeze carried us from one lush setting to the next. Between acting, traveling, consulting, and some big film projects in the works, Wren is truly taking the world head-on and making her dreams happen! It was a pleasure creating these images with her. Thanks for reaching out to me on Instagram Wren! xoxo
Downtown Long Beach engagement session
The sky couldn’t have been more in our favor for this downtown Long Beach engagement session. With Shoreline Aquatic Park as our backdrop, we had an array of stunning scenery to work with, not to mention Jenny and Matt make such a dang cute couple! I’ve got a lot of love for these two, dating back to the days we worked together at the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center, connected to CSULB (our alma mater). It was there that I found my love for photographing people and Jenny and I worked on creating visual yearbook dvd’s for families to take with them at the end of each year. I learned so much from my experience at Is Pat and from Jenny. I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am for the time I worked there. It is an honor to be chosen as Jenny and Matt’s photographer. I’m looking forward to their wedding in June! Enjoy the photos! xoxo
Long Beach Plant and People Portraits
After a Naples family session, I had arranged to pop over to Lisa’s house, from Succulents for the Soul Instagram fame, where we met for the first time! I photographed her amazing yard and met her adorable grandson named Dean. Lisa has poured hours into landscaping her beautiful front and back yards! She has created an oasis to surround her home. <3
Costa Mesa Portrait Session
Light and shadow were in full effect for this Costa Mesa portrait session. This couple had been wanting to have professional photos taken for some time now to celebrate their love. I am a huge supporter of documenting relationships at any and all stages. Whether you are celebrating 6 months together or 60 years… I am ready to document your love! Thanks for trusting my process and experimentation Mary and Jordan! SO happy with this first “ring of fire” shot!!! It was a blast working with you both! Enjoy! xoxo
Arlington Garden Engagement Session
This Pasadena engagement session at Arlington Gardens was filled with lush landscapes and native California flora. I loved exploring the garden with this sweet couple! Notable details included a plethora of passion flowers, (ooh la la!), an agave larger than us, and a super cool walkable meditation labyrinth!! (Insert heart eyes here.) Enjoy! xoxo
Dawn Altier Photography is on instagram
If you didn’t know already, Dawn Altier Photography is on Instagram! The reason I mention this is that April is this blog’s birthday month, and being that birthday’s are a time for celebrating, I thought I’d share with you how much fun I’m having on this app and invite you to join me. Pictured below is the Picante Crush, Green Crush‘s signature drink, filled with tropical fruits and lots of spice! You can check this image out and others on my Insta account here. Happy 5th birthday lil’ bloggy poo! xoxo
DTLA Graduation Session with Courtney
There are sooo many things I could say about this shoot! First off Courtney, THANK YOU! This shoot brings me so much JOY! It was such fun running around DTLA with you! This first image puts a big smile on my face! What a wacky random portrait! LOVE IT! The theme for this shoot was art, music, and literature– I think we nailed it! 😀 Courtney is about to graduate with a Bachelors in English from CSULB! Congratulations Courtney! All your hard work is about to pay off! I’m so excited to see what direction you take in life. I know you will bring creativity and ~vision~ with you wherever you go! xoxo!
Los Angeles LDS Temple Wedding
I’m so excited to be able to feature Lindsay and Mike’s wedding day! Their ceremony took place at the LDS temple in L.A., followed by a yummy dessert bar and tons of dancing in Mike’s hometown of Lancaster. I was especially fond of all the beautiful details they incorporated into their day! Lindsay’s tiara and the guys’ cuff links were top of my list! Thank you for your patronage! I had a blast photographing all the fun! May love fill your days and nights always!
San Francisco
San Francisco is, by far, my favorite city to visit. Talk about zany, eccentric, colorful, and fun! A friend and I drove up there earlier this month, (March 2014), and it was great to be back exploring the uniqueness of the neighborhoods, parks and local markets, as well as climbing the mountainous thoroughfares. Highlights from the trip include crossing the Golden Gate Bridge by foot, savoring salsiccia pizza and ricotta cannoli amazingness at Pizzeria Delfina, and cruising down Haight Street for a little shopping. Here are my favorite images from our meanderings. Enjoy!
