Friday, April 5, 2013

Lifestyle class share!

Well, I made a post a little over a month ago about lifestyle photography. Seriously, is there a delete button for that?! *sigh*

I took a class on lifestyle photography. So. glad. I did!!!! I still feel like I have so much to learn (and I have more classes coming up...yay!) but I feel like I have learned so much! Without further adieu  here are some of my shooting assignments! :)














The last one is my favorite. I can't believe I was actually IN a photo! The assignment was to take a photo with one of your kids. I ended up capturing a moment where my daughter was looking into my eyes. I feel like I could just see her love for me. It makes my heart smile.

Thanks for looking!! :)

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Lifestyle Photography: Simple activities :)

Hello everyone! I just wanted to show you all how many images you can take from the same activity! I've been trying to find ways to get my babies more involved in my day to day routine so I can bond with them and so they can be less bored. So today they helped me do dishes! Of course I HAD to photograph some of it because how cute are they?! So I did a mini lifestyle session just observing what they were doing....no interference. The results? My 2 dirty pots did get clean...and my floor got flooded but its all good! 
















Book your lifestyle session today! You won't regret it!

sashagrigsby@gmail.com

Also, feel free to visit my Facebook!

Hope you enjoyed!
Sasha Grigsby
Momtography: Photos by Sasha

Monday, February 11, 2013

Lifestyle photography-My passion!

 I was really surprised at what some people considered lifestyle photography. I typed it into pintrest...the place I go when I want to learn more about anything....and I saw a lot of posed images labeled lifestyle photography. One of them was a photo of a nakie newborn in a birds nest with a flokati rug in it in the middle of a kitchen table. Don't get me wrong. It was a beautiful image. The lighting was spot on. The edit was breathtaking. But calling it lifestyle photography? How many times did you put your newborn on the kitchen table to sleep...naked...in a birds nest...in a bonnet?

So what is lifestyle photography? I think we have established it means different things to different people, but to me its pure. Its raw. Its real life. It is unposed. Sometimes it is unknown to the subject you are even taking their photo. There is no set up. No studio lighting. No backdrop. No special photo outfits. No preparation at all.


(I am trying to potty train my daughter. Perfect time for a lifestyle shot. She is watching video's on my laptop about potty training and she is cuddling her favorite doll. While potty training, her chosen outfits are leg warmers, a sweater, and socks. So many memories in just one shot!)

Lifestyle photography is photos of life. When you look back at the photo albums from when you were little, which photos do you study the most? The photos your mom had done at Sears or the memories? When I look at the photo albums, I study all the photos of Christmas morning. The photos of the Easter egg hunts my mom hosted every year. I have photos from when I was sick. Photos from potty training (we won't be sharing those ;) ). Photos that bring back memories. I study things in the background and bring back memories of my childhood home.

                             

(This is a photo of my babies laying on my bed watching TV on daddy's cell phone. Mickey Mouse clubhouse is always better on youtube! I will always remember how much they both love watching TV on our phones and my laptop as opposed to the actual big screen!)



There is something so special and authentic about the raw, emotional, real life. A lot of people hesitate to take or have these types of photos taken. They feel as if their house is too messy. They think that the lighting isn't good. They are afraid of criticism. What others will think of them.

(Here is another one of my daughter's potty training style! And of course her baby is still helping her through all the good times! She is totally zoned out to the TV and just finished drinking from her cup. We had the potty in the living room and I love that it is in the background. Just another reminder of what we were doing at the time!)

That is not what it is about! I think we all owe it to ourselves, to our families, and to our kids to document these glorious times even if our house IS messy. Even if we didn't lose that last 10 lbs. Even if our hair is ratty, we aren't wearing make-up, and our clothes don't match! That is life! Beautiful life!


                                                 
(This is from the night that I went in my son's room after bedtime and he was still awake...so I stole him away to play 2 rounds of Candy Land late at night. Just the two of us. He won both rounds! So much fun!)


I can't wait to put together a memory book for my family to remember all the fun times we have! I love documenting everything. All the good times. We have a lot of good times!

(I was cleaning her room. I walked out for a few minutes and when I went to come back in she was having a huge adventure. The little people Princesses were telling each other "hi", to go get some "eat eats" and to "go to bed!" )

When shooting lifestyle photography....shoot everything! The things that may seem like they don't mean much at the time end up being your favorite times! Focus on the details and also take wider angle shots that capture the whole picture and the surroundings.


                           

It doesn't always have to have a face or the "perfect" composition. Its all about the memories. Life is so short. The memories are easily forgotten. Don't forget any of it! Keep those memories sacred! Pass them down to your kids when they are grown up. They will SO appreciate you for it!


Low light? High ISO? Go black and white! Not only does it compensate for noise, it can add emotion to a photo and help focus on the subject and not the distractions in the background. 


Don't chimp! Don't look at every photo right after you take it. You might miss shots. Just shoot. Its better to overshoot than to miss shots because you were looking at the images on the back of the screen.


Don't be afraid to hire a photographer! A lot of photographers do lifestyle photography. Myself included. The photographer will come into your home for a period of time. Either a day or a few hours and shoot while you do your day to day routine. This is the BEST kind of shoot you can do!


People, kids and adults, feel more relaxed in their home. When you are taking photos in a natural setting just doing the day to day routine, everyone will feel relaxed and hopefully forget the camera is even there in the first place! The end result will be pure, raw and natural. 


(this was taken in my bathroom with no windows. I used a high ISO of 650 to compensate for the one incandescent light bulb in my bathroom. She needed something to do while she tried to potty, so she brushed my hair! What an awesome memory!)

Every home (unless there are no windows) have pockets of natural light. It may not flood every room in every corner, but its there. Find it. Use it.


                            

Backlighting creates for an interesting effect when shooting. Shoot from all angles. After you get the regular shots everyone would normally take, shake it up. Shoot different angles. Play with the available light. You can get some really interesting shots that way!

(You can see her fingers on his shirt where she has her arm around him. Also, I can see that they have the exact same hair color. They love to cuddle and watch TV together. Its so special to see that!)


Don't forget the details! Always shoot the details! 

(Sitting on the potty, playing leap pad. She sure does love her leap pad!)


If you are interested in booking a lifestyle session you can email me at sashagrigsby@gmail.com. If not, I hope this has inspired you to shoot some of your own lifestyle photos! Honestly, you can't go wrong! 

Thanks for reading!

Sasha Grigsby
Owner of Momtography: Photos by Sasha


Sunday, February 3, 2013

How we got into Modeling and why we love it!

For those of you who don't know, my daughter is listed with Little Diamond Models. We have been doing this since she was around 6 months old (she will be 2 in April) and we LOVE it! It is our time to spend together and bond. All of the adorable modeling packages that we have received to our door is a huge bonus too!! We have received hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise at our door to model and we have made some pretty awesome friends! 

Why Little Diamond Models? Because LDM rocks! Last week they had a booking party. A booking party is held for a week for participating models and boutiques. The cost was $5 to enter (per model) and the money was split as a prize for the two top boutiques. The top booking boutique booked 111 models and the boutique with the highest booking amount booked $4,931 worth of merchandise! There were a total of 2,644 bookings that week! Isn't that amazing?! Everyone got bookings who entered! 

So why am I telling you all this? Aside from pimping out LDM, I do offer special discounts for models listed with LDM! I realize that not everyone has the ability to do their own photos and that can really hold you back if you are thinking of letting your kids model or even modeling yourself! Therefore, I offer HUGE discounts for bookings booked through LDM! I can do one time shoots for up to 5 items (where we photograph them all in one day) or I also offer a package where you can get unlimited modeling shoots for a period of time. If you are interested, email me at sashagrigsby@gmail.com for all your info. If you sign up, I will also do a discounted portfolio and comp card shoot with a variation in photos for both your comp card and your LDM booking page on the website.

Also be sure to check them out on Facebook! There is also a group you can join after you are a registered model to be able to connect with the other model mom's and the boutiques. Love all those ladies! And I extra love LDM!!!











Monday, December 17, 2012

My Any drop studio special!!

For a limited time, I will be hosting an any drop studio special! Here is how it works :)

First you go to Lemon drop and pick out the backdrop you would LOVE for your shoot! Click here to see all drops

Next, drop me an email at sashagrigsby@gmail.com letting me know you want to schedule a shoot, or send me a message on Facebook!

For a 1 hour studio session, the charge would be $70 which will include up to 8 people. If you want a second drop, it will be $55 for each additional. You can pick absolutely ANY polypaper drop off the website! I am open to something super creative. Need inspired? Just ask me, or visit Pintrest.
(shipping on the drops is over $25. I am not going to profit on buying these drops at all, but I will be able to stock my studio, and you will get some awesome photos!)

I will send you 20+ edited images via dropbox. I started using dropbox instead of burning CD's because its quicker, easier, more convenient, and its green!

Sessions must be booked a few weeks in advance so the drops have time to arrive to me. Due to the out of pocket cost for me, I cannot use these sessions on freebies you won from my page. Sorry!

If you are feeling super awesome, share this with all your friends and show me some love! :)

Friday, August 24, 2012

Cute kid contest!

Prizes: 4 people (thats right4!!) will win a mini session and a CD of the images from the mini session. Also, 1 grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to use or give as a gift!

Who: Anyone who wants to enter who is local to the Lagrange, Kendallville, Fort Wayne, Sturgis, etc areas!

What: This is a cute kid contest. You will submit a photo of your cute kid (or kids...1 photo per family so all your votes will be in 1 spot) and the 5! photos with the most votes will win!

When: Voting will last until September 15.

Where: My Facebook page.

How: Send your photo to sashagrigsby@gmail.com and I will upload it onto my page. Send your friends over to "like" your photo and to "like" my page. Both the page AND the photo need to be "liked" in order for the vote to count! Voting will end September 15 and by the 16th winners will be announced.

Good luck!!