dtla Family Session
Even though this Los Angeles family session was done towards the end of last year, it seems so relevant (on several levels) to today! Firstly, wishing all the Mommas a joy-filled Mother’s Day! I know motherhood/parenthood does not come easily. This Momma and Papa waited/tried for 15 years to have their sweet Emma. The little ladybug over-alls you’ll see her wearing in some of these images was the first outfit they bought when they were hoping an dreaming of having a little girl.
The first two photos are in honor of the struggle most of us have been experiencing as we feel our way through the Covid-19 pandemic, and all the consequences that continue to ripple outward because of it.
Thinking of all who are involved in keeping us safe and connected during these uncertain times; of the healthcare workers especially, giving their energy, talents and skill, and sacrificing their own well-being to help people fight for their lives! Mindful of all the women who long to be mothers or have lost babies due to tragedy. My heart goes out to you all! Here is to life, health, love, connection, healing, and rising above adversity!!! xoxo
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 Maternity Session
Southern California was having a heatwave the day we ventured out for this maternity session! ‘Ave wore the perfect summery dress, and she and Quincey handled the afternoon like pros! It was so much fun working with this sweet couple and I look forward to the arrival of baby girl Kennedy! Please enjoy these highlights from our session! xoxo
Vogue all the waaaaay! #calvinklein
Cerritos Newborn Session
Can there be anything sweeter than bringing a healthy baby into the world and holding that child in your arms?? This Cerritos newborn session was a true celebration of life! Good things do come to those who ask… and wait! Baby Dean was a trooper the day of our shoot and Lindsay and Mike are taking on first-time parenting like pros! Please enjoy these highlights! xoxo
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!!
San Pedro Engagement Session
This San Pedro engagement session will forever hold a special place in my heart; not only because these are my brother’s engagement photos, but they were taken just two days after our father passed away. I had considered rescheduling this session, but felt our dad would want us to keep our plans and enjoy the day.
In addition to the emotional charge of the circumstances, this was also a mentoring session for off-camera flash. I had the opportunity, (thanks to Eve Rox Photography), to teach one of the sweetest photographers, Bora Chan; you can find her beautiful work here.
We courageously fought domineering gusts of wind and the chill of the fading afternoon sun and captured some beautiful images as a result! I am excited for Justin and Tiare’s wedding in September!
If you are a natural light photographer looking to develop your flash technique and skills, lets connect! I would love to teach you what I know! You can get in touch with me through the “Contact” link above! xoxo
Family Portraits Seal Beach
Another fabulous family portrait session in Seal Beach! I absolutely love working with this family! My first photoshoot with Angel was back in 2012 when I was honored to do her graduation photos. Now she is a beautiful mama to two gorgeous boys and she and her hubby make such a wonderful couple! I love documenting their family as they grow! Please enjoy some of my faves from this session! Much love! xoxo
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
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
Echo Park Family Session
Creating these family portraits in Echo Park was so much fun! This stylish young couple have the sweetest baby girl who was full of smiles and giggles throughout the entire session! We had a great view of the DTLA skyline and the weather was perfect. Such a great shoot! xoxo
Next time you schedule a portrait session for your family, why not use it as an excuse to update your headshots for your business profile or website?
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’s true that the best sunsets follow the rain. This Griffith Park engagement session started off with stormy skies and some serious drizzle. We were pumped to adventure out in the inclement weather, but I have to say that I was grateful when the sun burst through the clouds and the sky “caught fire”. Seriously the best sunset on a shoot yet! And so glad we got to catch it with this sweet, laid back couple. Looking forward to their wedding in June!
Pasadena City Hall Engagement Session
It was so much fun to shoot at Pasadena’s prestigious City Hall. Talk about a stairway to heaven! Mayra and Matt are such a sweet couple, full of generosity, knew exactly what they wanted, brought their own ideas to the table, and were a breeze to work with. I don’t think a photographer could ask for anything more. Looking forward to your wedding in March!!! xoxo
L.A. Arboretum Engagement Session
We had such a great afternoon creating these images at the L.A. Arboretum! So many beautiful plants in bloom and fun spots and sculptures to add character to the shoot. That said, have you ever met a couple you knew were undeniably right for one another? This is how I feel about Adam and Angelique. They get each other on so many levels! I love the way their humor and intellect mesh so seamlessly. If you are familiar with the song “Such Great Heights”, the lyrics fit: “I have to speculate that God himself did make us into corresponding shapes like puzzle pieces from the clay….” I’m so happy these two connected, fell in love, and have welcomed me to be a part of the most important day of their lives! Looking forward to the wedding in January! xoxo
Rancho Los Cerritos Family Session
Talk about panache! You may remember Angel from her graduation shoot here. Since then, she has married, brought a son into the world, and is in the midst of obtaining a Masters degree in Education. GO girl!!! 😀 We had a great time catching up and I loved the energy they brought to the session. Here are my favorite images. Enjoy!
Downtown Long Beach Couples Session
I’ve known Hannah since the day she was born. It’s hard to believe she’s all grown up and married now! (Adam and Hannah flew in from Washington the night before our shoot. Needless to say they were a bit tired the next morning.) I had suggested we start at sunrise for a dramatic sky. I’m so pleased with the results! Check out the first two images! Well worth rolling out of bed at 5 a.m.! 😀 Thank you for your patronage Hannah and for a wonderful morning cruising around Long Beach! Congrats to you and Adam and much love to you both!
