Tag Archives: photography

With a photographer in the house, it’s no secret that we take a lot of photos. I’ve also said before that the majority of those photos remain in the computer or hard drive. However, when we do print them, we prefer to do more with them than just printing a regular photo. We prefer unique methods of printing, like on canvas, metal or acrylic. Plus, sometimes we just don’t feel like buying frames!

There are many photo-printing companies out there, so we do love trying new-to-us companies to see the quality that is delivered. When we needed a very large photo for Aubrey’s nursery (we had a very blank wall to fill), we turned to Posterjack!

We had never tried Posterjack before, and after being introduced to them, we chose to get one of our favorite Cinderella Castle photos from Brett as a metal print. We initially wanted it to be an acrylic print, to give it a more glossy and vibrant look, but chose to get a bigger size in the metal print for 2 reasons: 1) it’s a little cheaper and 2) it offered a unique look that we thought would be great in her room.

I will admit, we had an issue with our initial print. Mr. Photographer noticed something that needed correcting, so I contacted the company and they rushed a brand new print out to us. I was pleased with how they handled it.

Once we got the 2nd print, we were very pleased with how it came out and how it looks in her room.

Printing on metal has several benefits:

- The colors are extraordinarily vibrant and the depth of the coating gives photos a luminous quality that no paper print can achieve.

- Less costly than having to buy a frame and matting. Also, no glare from being covered in glass.

- Provides a modern look and several hanging options.

- Lightweight, but rigid.

We chose one of their hanging kits to come with the print (stand-off kit). It looks ultra flat and almost like it is floating off the wall.

Depending on how you look at the photo, the image seems to have a 3D effect, with various things in the picture “popping” out at you.

We really like how the deep purples and blues are displayed…perfect for her purple and gray room! A large print like this is a great focal point for any room!

All prints are available in a variety of sizes, from 8×12 to 36×48 to panorama to fit your decor style.

Ordering from Posterjack is easy! Simply go to Posterjack.co, upload a photo, choose your print and size, then sit back as it gets delivered straight to your door!

If you can’t find a photo, you can visit Posterjack’s art shop and choose from 1 million photos to create a piece that’s perfect for your home.

Which ever you choose, the end result will always be the same: a stunning piece of photo art that’s unique to your home.

 

To learn more and buy, visit the Posterjack website.

Get social with Posterjack:

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I received a credit to go towards this purchase, but I paid a portion of the total. All opinions are my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

 

 

Newborn photo sessions can be tough. You want the baby to be asleep because that’s when you can pose them however you want and they won’t be crying/eating/pooping. The benefit to having a live-in photographer is that of instead of trying to get all the photos in one session, we can just try to get one or two photos during random naps over the course of a few days.

Of course, us being the Disney fans we are, we had to get a photo of her in a Minnie Outfit! (Crocheted Minnie Mouse outfit from Etsy)

The little mouse tail kills me!

And don’t even get me started on those booties….adorable!

We also couldn’t resist a newborn princess crown (newborn princess crown on Amazon!)

I love the contrast of the bright yellow on the gray in these next photos. We also gave up on keeping her asleep for these photos, since she was wrapped up and couldn’t move around anyway!

We also started her weekly progress photos. (Baby Age Blocks from Pretty in Polka Dots)

We also got monthly progress stickers just like we did for Trent! (Disney Princess Monthly Progress Stickers from Etsy)

We originally thought her hair was brown (we even asked her doctor and my boss what they thought because we were unsure!) but these photos and how it’s looked in recent days make us think she will have blonde hair! Wouldn’t it be funny if it turned red like Trent’s hair?!

I started a “See Aubrey Grow Page” to keep all of her milestone posts on one page, just like we have for our “See Trent Grow” page.

Stay tuned for posts/photos of her birth story and nursery…coming soon!

 

One of Brett’s most popular photography packages is the Baby Plan…where parents can get professional photos of their baby as a newborn then at 3, 6 and 9 months, and then finally, 1 year old.

Of course, we are no strangers to personally taking progress photos. I took pregnancy progress photos with Trent and some with Aubrey, and we also took a monthly photo of Trent through his first year. We hope to take a weekly photo of Aubrey!

The possibilities are endless with progress photos! First day of school for each grade, pregnancy months, child months/weeks/years, anniversaries….it’s always so fun to look back on the progress no matter what it is.

Pretty in Polka Dots has just the product to help you take any kind of progress photo for kids…Baby Age Blocks!

What makes Baby Age Blocks from Pretty in Polka Dots different:

1. We PRINT directly on our blocks with a flatbed printer. Our blocks are more vivid, clean, safe, & permanent that any other on the market (no more peeling stickers or chipping paint!). We purchased this printer recently solely for this purpose (though it has opened other markets for us). We do all of the work and printing in our home (myself, my husband and my littler helpers – 3 children under 4… EEK!)

2. We cut, sand & inspect every one of our blocks by hand to make sure they’re perfectly safe for babies and of the best quality.

3. We gift wrap every set of blocks and include an optional hand written note if requested. We are also now branching into the world of wholesale and offering retail packaging when required.

4. Because we print, our blocks are COMPLETELY customizable. On our website, we let our customers select their own colors, font outlines, block finishes & more.

 

Of course, we just had to use these blocks for Aubrey’s progress photos! Look who is 1 week old today!

What we really like about these blocks is that the letters and numbers are printed directly onto the blocks…they aren’t stickers, so that means no peeling! The use of UV stable ink means these blocks will last a lifetime.

These blocks come in a variety of color options.

We chose blocks in Primary Colors, but because of their special printing process, the blocks can be customizable to match décor, favorite colors, etc.

The blocks are made from solid “poplar” hardwood with permanent UV Printed letters and numbers. The two smaller number blocks are 2.5 inch cubes. The larger word block features the words: weeks, months, years, and grade. It is 2.5in x 2.5in x 5in.

What you get on the blocks:

• Word Block: weeks, months, years, grade
• Number Block 1: 0,1,2,3,4,5
• Number Block 2: 0,1,2,6,7,8
• Expansion Block: 3,4,5,6,7,8 (optional)

NOTE: The number 6 is also number 9 when turned over

With the expansion block, your options are endless! It allows for extended number combinations with the Baby Age Blocks from 0-99. The typical Baby Age Block set without the expansion blocks can only go from 0-32 before begging to skip number combinations such as 33, 34, 43, 44 and so on.

Pretty in Polka Dots sends these Baby Age Blocks in the cutest wrapping, making them ready to given as a gift – perfect as a baby shower gift, for a photographer or for parents, to name a few. Shipping was incredibly fast, too!

Pretty in Polka Dots also offers some other unique items:

Personalized Name Blocks

Baby Announcement Blocks

Wood Plank Picture Frames

 

To learn more about Pretty in Polka Dots and to Buy, visit their website here.

Get social:

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Giveaway!

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Lucky you! Korie, the owner of Pretty in Polka Dots, has kindly offered for one lucky reader to win a set of Baby Age Blocks in the color of your choice!

Prize: 1 set of Baby Age Blocks in your choice of color

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I received this product in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own and honest. Thanks for reading!

 

I’ve been waiting to finish a craft for the nursery in order to make our little girl’s name announcement. Our nursery is finished for the most part, but we are waiting for the baby shower for the last few things to put in there and then we will share some photos, of course! But, I did finish her name over the crib, and since I’m about 36 weeks along, it’s about time I share her name with you…

And along with that fun announcement, I also want to share our maternity photos we took while in Disney in May (Trip report will be starting next week!!). We kind of almost forgot about doing them, but were lucky enough to snag an early reservation at Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom in order for us to enter the park early and get some empty park photos in front of the castle.

This session was much different than the ones we took when I was pregnant with Trent. This time, we had a crazy toddler running around and it was super humid already….at 8am!! We quickly took what we could and then ran for the wonderful air-conditioning in the Crystal Palace. I am glad we got some photos, since I’ve been really bad about taking progress photos this time around!

Brett wasn’t really expecting to get into any of the photos, but a security guard cast member kept insisting she take a photo of all of us. At first, we thought she was just being nice like most cast members, but then we had wondered if she was trying to determine whether Brett was actually part of the family, or if I was paying him to take my professional photos…which isn’t technically allowed. So…here is our one family maternity photo with a bunch of people in the background and Brett wearing a backwards baseball hat. Oh, and Trent looking the other way. I guess I’ll take what I can get.

This next photo wasn’t meant to be artistic or anything, we just said to hell with it and let Trent run while we took some more photos. Notice that he’s looking at us…he wants us to chase him. I think it captures the moment perfectly, crazy toddler running around and mommy ignoring him because she’s tired of running after him.

You can see our last set of Disney maternity photos (and others) in this post, and the trip report from that trip in this post.

You might also like: Tips for Going to Disney World While Pregnant

Just 4 weeks left!

 

Brett and I have been going to Walt Disney World Together for over 10 years. In that time, his camera bag and its contents have changed numerous times. New cameras, new lenses, replacing outdated items with new ones, different bags…it really is just a constantly evolving art.

Even in a single day the contents will change, as certain things are used during the day, some only at night, some only for fireworks, etc.

Brett gets lots of questions on his camera equipment, both online and in person. I thought I’d share a post about what is inside his Disney World Camera Bag. Brett included descriptions of each item and additional info in the photos themselves, but after the photos you’ll also find the items listed with links to where you can find them to purchase for yourself.

Canon 5d Mark III

This is my main camera and I absolutely love it!

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

A top quality zoom lens, fantastic for portraits and used heavily in Animal Kingdom for animal pictures. Great for action shots. It’s heavy, so I may swap it out for something else depending on what park I’m headed to.

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L

My workhorse lense…I use this lens for 70% of my work. It’s a great quality lens, is good with fairly low light, and has a decent zoom range.

Sigma 15mm 2.8 Fisheye

Super fun lens to use, very wide 180 degree field of view. Great for unique shots in close quarters. Excellent in low light. Very sharp, too light not to bring everywhere! (Note from Lynn: This is also great for capturing selfies and is sometimes the only way we can get photos of our family without handing the camera to someone else!) *Designed for full frame cameras only. Sigma has a 10mm twin of this lens for crop sensor cameras.

Canon 50mm f/1.4

Fantastic in low light, used on dark rides constantly, great for portraits. Super lightweight, always carried! *If using a crop sensor camera, you may want to shop for the 35mm version of this lens.

Canon 580ex II

Only used when doing portrait work around the park as a fill flash for shadows. When not carried, this slot holds the GoPro.

Neewer Shutter Release

Remote shutter release/timer is a must have for fireworks! Also good for bracketed shots so you don’t shake the camera.

B+W Filters (be sure to get the correct size for your lens)

-3 Stop Neutral Density: Darkens the lens to allow for longer shutter durations. A favorite for fireworks.

-10 Stop Neutral Density: Extremely dark filter for long exposures in broad daylight or VERY long firework exposures.

-Circular Polarizer: Directs the sun’s rays properly into the lens for those beautiful blue skies.

Plenty of Memory!

Lowepro Pro Runner 200 AW DSLR Backpack

Fantastic bag! Has lumbar support, built-in rain cover (a must have for Florida!) and holds a ton! Has built-in tripod straps. Fits on every ride in one way or another.

Benro Travel Angel Carbon Fiber Tripod

Great sturdy tripod that I carry at night for long exposures and fireworks. A tripod is a MUST for photographing the parks at night!

Joby DSLR Gorillapod with Ball Head

A great alternative to a large tripod when you just need something for family pictures or the occasional night shot. The legs will wrap around anything…railings, light poles, etc. I have even used it wrapped around the large tripod to mount the camcorder or GoPro on to record the fireworks at the same time I am taking pictures!

Not pictured:

GoPro Hero 3+

We use the GoPro Hero 3+ for video recording, unique-angle photos, and anything near water. The quality is amazing and there’s so many fun uses for it.

Camera Extender

We put the GoPro on this extender pole and we can get video/photo from high up, walking level, places a normal camera won’t reach, etc.

To see some of Brett’s amazing Disney photos that he took with this equipment, go visit and like his Disney Photography Facebook Page: Disney Photo Snapper

To read our past trip reports and see many Disney photos too, chef out our Disney Trip report page: Disney World Trip Reports