Twig and Turtle Photography

Hello, again.

2012-02-29T07:58:00.000-08:00

Ok. I admit it. I've been slacking on the Tuesday updates, but I have been a very busy bee. So instead of a Things We Love post today, I want to show you one of the things I've been up to. Meet Pedro and Heidi. They got engaged on New Years Eve and I finally made it down to San Francisco last weekend to take their engagement photos. We visited City Hall and Golden Gate Park as well as some streets and a fountain. They were great and it was a lot of fun. The one almost hitch in the day was when the parking attendant asked us to leave our keys. I was wondering if we would have a Ferris Buller moment but I got my car back safe and sound and the odometer was where it should be.

This photo is in Golden Gate Park. The magnolia trees were blooming and were juxtaposed by the modern industrial look of the de Young Museum. The building adds so much texture and color than just a blank sky could have. It also really makes the magnolia blooms pop. I think this one may be my favorite.

This one was taken out side City Hall. There were tons of people lined up to audition for America's Got Talent, but you can't see them in the photos. (That was on purpose.) We also used a little heart as a prop. Props can be great fun and can add a little extra to a photo. I was so hoping for fog, but as luck would have it, when you want fog in San Fransisco you don't get it. So because the sun was in the worst possible spot for the shoot I warmed the photo up in Photoshop and I think the color cast on the photo makes it look more like an old time postcard (and by old time I mean 50s-70s) or very stylized magazine shoot. This look isn't for everybody.

Here we are back at Golden Gate Park. The sun coming through the trees was lighting every fern frond and the texture and color was amazing. Pedro was such a good sport by squatting in a very wet place and letting Heidi sit on him. His legs were burning at the end, but you would never know it by the look on his face.

This last photo was on some random street in San Fransisco. I saw the lighting and the doorway and thought, "Yep, we have to stop!" It's the little details that will make your engagement or wedding photos extraordinary. Little pools of lighting, that fleeting look, catching the wind in her hair at the exact right moment. Pedro said he didn't even look twice at that doorway. That's why it is so important to hire a professional. Anyone can snap a photo, but the pros see light, texture and those little moments that others will miss. So if you want your photos to be extraordinary, you know what to do. (Call me, that's what you do!)

Things We Love

2012-02-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

Today is special, because it is Valentines Day. According to Wikipedia it began as a holiday to honor early Christian martyrs but became associated with romantic love because of Geoffrey Chaucer, the English poet, in the Middle Ages. When I think of Geoffrey Chaucer I think of actor Paul Bettany who played a nowhere-near-based-on-reality Chaucer in A Knights Tale.

While I can't offer up Bettany I can offer this up as our Thing We Love item of the week: Flowers.

Close your eyes, and do not peek, And I'll rub spring across your cheek,
Soft as velvet, smooth and sleek, Close your eyes, and do not peek.

Happy Valentines Day from Twig & Turtle. I hope it is filled full of warmth and love, and flowers if unless you are allergic to them (like my mom is.) Then I hope it is full of flowers that don't make you sneeze.

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

One pig hat, three paper hearts, a fuzzy red blanket and three kids on the day before
Valentines Day. What could be more fun?

Things We love

2012-02-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Well this Tuesday's Things We Love is all about The Graphics Fairy and the story of how I found her. **Cue the dream music**

A couple of days ago I was in need of a bird drawing that I could print out and color. I love the Victorian style drawings. So I was searching the web for images when I came across The Graphics Fairy. She is amazing! Not only does she offer up high quality, high res vintage images and clip art for free, but she also shows you crafty things you can do with them.

I created this wedding invitation with one simple graphic from her site and some lovely fonts you can find for free on Dafont. The good thing about making your own is you get exactly what you want (that no one else has) and for cheaper than having someone else do it. Also it is fun people!

Here is another example of images from The Graphics Fairy. Imagine these prints (there is a third zebra not shown here) as a series of framed pictures in a child's room.

So with a little imagination, maybe some scissors and glue the ideas and possibilities are endless and **free!** Well, I guess you have to buy the supplies. So get crafty and have fun.

Things We Love

2012-01-31T11:31:00.000-08:00

Today we are talking about creating a theme for your wedding. Every bride wants her wedding to be special and memorable. And if money is no limit, it is easy to achieve. However most brides do have budgets and figuring out where to spend the money can be daunting. Coming up with a theme is one way to personalize your wedding and it helps you to direct the decorations so there is a cohesive plan.

Weddings can be as expensive or as modest as you like, but with a little imagination and some crafts you can turn any wedding into an individualized affair for not too much money. Remember, if you make it yourself you create the unequaled wedding that no one else can duplicate.

One example is this vintage travel theme from Hostess Blog.

This photo from Hostess Blog shows how one couple used paper in their theme.

Paper is one of the most mailable and cost-effective ways to dress up an area. By using simple sheets of paper you can create a visually stunning backdrop for photos, or to hide an ugly view. Here they used three tones to keep the color scheme simple and solid.

The best thing about weddings today is that you can really let your own personalities come through while still embracing a few older traditions and you don't have to break the bank. Just remember a theme should drive your wedding, but too much of a theme can make it seem a bit like Disneyland on crack. Editing is a great tool. With a little research and imagination your wedding will be completely unique. But don't take my word for it.

Paper and magnets were glued to the back side of marbles for quick and easy wedding favors.

What simple and cost-effective tricks for weddings or parties have you seen? What made them so special and memorable? Read more about this vintage travel wedding at Hostess Blog.

What do you think?

2012-01-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Advertising is hard and expensive. The best way for people to find out about your business is through word of mouth. Well that's what friends/super happy clients are for but the blog is one more tool. So here for your viewing enjoyment are two new photo promo's that I'm going to start using online and possibly for mailers. Also it's a good reminder of what we do here, namely take great photos. What do you think?

Things We Love

2012-01-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

Will Johnson is one proud father. One look at him with little baby Bodie will tell you that. He knows how to wrap the baby in the blanket, snug as a bug. He knows how to heat the formula to the right temperature. He knows how to change diapers. Will already is a pro at the baby thing.

I met Will last week on assignment for the Reno Gazette-Journal. It was a big day. It was the day baby Bodie came home for the first time.

Shiobahn McAndrew was the reporter for the story, and she says it best. You can read her story here. Or her Sunday column (which got me a little misty-eyed) here. And if you want to see all the photos I shot for the story you can click here for the gallery.

Things We Love

2012-01-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

Well it's Tuesday again and time for another Things We Love. This week as promised it is all about stenciled drapes. One of the best ways to dress up a room is to add drapes. Drapes, however, can be very expensive and cheap ones can look, well cheap and dull. Here is a solution that is both cheap, and I think very cute. In fact you can make them as cute as you like, and color coordinate with paint or whatever you already have in the room!

First you can go to a certain box store and find painters cloths for $10 a pop. The 6x9 will do floor to ceiling, no problem (although you will have to hem them) These drapes can be bleached or left in the natural beige they come in. I find that bleaching lightens them quite nicely without turning them completely white. They also have texture built in. Now for the fun part.

You can customize by adding stencils. Most people know how to stencil, it is simple. Find a stencil you like and pick the color you want for paint and with a brush simply dab the paint on over the stencil. Go light on the paint or else your drapes will be stiff and dark where the paint dries. Light coats are better.

For these drapes I had a Pottery Barn duvet for the bed, and simply picked a color took it to the paint store and had them mix me up a sample. Samples come in sizes perfect for crafts, and some come with their own paint brushes. Most samples cost between $1-3.

For the stencil I found a book online called Lotta Jansdotter Stencils. Lotta is from Sweden and I love her style. Her stencils don't have grapes and vines, but are clean and modern.

Remember sometimes less is more with stenciling, and if you put too many on the drape, you can loose the impact. So happy stenciling, and happy saving money but ending up with great curtains!

Bridal season is coming-- are you ready?

2012-01-16T19:59:00.000-08:00

Brides, summer and wedding season is just around the corner. If you haven't booked a location for you wedding and reception you will probably be doing that soon. Here are some tips to keep in the back of your mind when you are out scouting locations. If you follow them they will help you get the best looking photos on your special day.

Natural light—the more the better! The more natural light in room you choose to get ready in will give you better more natural and softer photos. Your skin, dress and mother will all look better if you have big windows with light shining in. If you book a place that doesn’t have natural lighting and the photographer has to deal with fluorescent or other incandescent lighting, your photos won’t have the same impact. So if you book a hotel room, tell them you want a south facing room for the light. A northern room or a room that faces another building won’t give you drama.

Same goes for the ceremony location and the reception location. Natural light is your friend. Fluorescent light is the friend you pretend to like, but really can’t stand.

Props. Some of the most fun shots from weddings have come because someone had the foresight to bring props. This could be anything from an antique suitcase to rest the brides shoes on, or a bicycle decorated with a “Just Married” sign on the back. These props might seem superfluous but what a great shot it would be to have bride and groom on a bike riding down a path.

Other good props could be menus for the guests, name cards, or even a chalkboard with the bride and groom’s name on it. When you are researching the style of your wedding don’t overlook the little things that will distinguish you from all the other weddings your guests have attended. They needn’t be expensive. Just ask WWMD? (What would Martha Do?)

Last on the list but no less important are bubbles or sparklers for the new couple’s exit (or entrance.) Bubbles and sparklers make amazing and really fun photos.

At the end of the day the cake is gone, and the food has been eaten, the dress will never be worn again, but you will always have your wedding photos to look at and cherish. Talk to your photographer for ideas to make them the most amazing photos you can on your special day.

Things We Love

2012-01-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday again and we are posting another Things We Love. Last Tuesday I said it would be stenciled curtains, but you know how when life gets in the way, somethings get pushed back. So next week will be curtains, and this week you will have to settle for globes.

What a great idea for children's rooms! Globes are fun to look at, and also provide a great hit of color. They come in many different sizes and some even glow. They are good for both girls and boys, I remember fondly looking at the map my dad hung in my room. (I also remember staring at the map next to my desk in grade school. I would study that instead of doing my math work.) But I digress.

You can find old globes at antique stores for not too much money. This one I picked up for about $25. Even though I can't find a written date on it there, is one way to date globes. You can tell the age range of a globe by looking at different countries. Some countries were renamed after events in history. And if you know the dates of those events you can compare to see the approximate age of the globe. For instance current day Sri Lanka used to be called Ceylon, but was renamed on on May 22, 1972. So I know this globe is older than 1972. Maybe not worth much, other than a history lesson and a nice object for a shelf.

2012-01-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

A curious thing happened while I was reading one of my favorite blogs called The Lettered Cottage. They had a post about a Word of the Year. Layla, the author of the blog says it is a New Years resolution and that you should choose one word that, “has the potential to inspire you and create intention in your life, all year long. “ You can read her blog post here.

That got me thinking, if I had a word, what would it be? I left that thought rattling around in my brain for a few days. When another friend of mine posted on her Facebook page that it is the year of the Dragon. I thought, “I’m a dragon, that must be a good sign.”

So keeping in mind those two things, I have chosen my Word of the Year. It is “growth.”

There are so many things I want to accomplish this year. Both in my business and private life, I want to move forward, and accomplish new levels of success. I want to take a look at myself and ask what I can do better. It can be hard to sit down and really think truthfully about yourself. What are my strengths? What are my weaknesses? What don’t I want to admit to myself? Sitting down and pondering these is a good first step down the road to growth. Owning those weakenesses is not only harder but it is the step needed to change, to grow. If you don’t, you become stuck, like air inside a house that hasn’t seen fresh air in months. Stuck is not what I want to be. Not in life, not in my photography.

growth to me means changing the little things about yourself that bother you.

According to the Chinese Zodiac “Dragons prefer to live by their own rules and if left on their own, are usually successful. They’re driven, unafraid of challenges, and willing to take risks. They’re passionate in all they do and they do things in grand fashion. Unfortunately, this passion and enthusiasm can leave Dragons feeling exhausted and interestingly, unfulfilled.”

Don’t know about you other Dragons out there, but it is true for me. I’ll hit something hard and be passionate about it for a while, then burn out and loose interest. So I want to grow into a more organized, more proactive and more productive and less of the soaring and crashing.

This year will be hard and challenging, but I if I work hard enough and push myself, I will grow.

Things We Love

2012-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday again and time for another Things We Love. Call me crazy but I just love this beanbag chair from Pottery Barn. Yes it might look like a Great Pyrenees and you might just have to name it. But what kid (or adult) wouldn't love snuggling up in the fur playing with dolls or reading a book. And I guess if you were bored you could always style its hair!

Next week we will love and show you how to make stenciled curtains.

Things We Love

2011-12-27T13:50:00.001-08:00

So we are starting a new string here on the Twig & Turtle blog called "Things We Love." Every week we will try and introduce you to something new that, like the title says, we love. This could be a toy or a dress or decorations for a room. Really anything. If you have suggestions, please send them to us!

When decorating a nursery or child's room there are so many options many that cost a lot of money. However if you hit up the antique and junk stores, raid Grandma's house, or search those garage sales you can find little treasures that are completely unique and will give your child's room character and personality with out having to spend a lot of money. You can also shop your own house and see what items relate though color, theme and style and you pull your collection from there.

This a collection of dog items, book ends, a pillow and little picture. They are masculine and would look very sweet in a little boy's room. But look closer. The red from the books ties in with the red in the pillow and the red in the dogs collar. Also the background colors in the pillow matches the background of the framed dogs picture. Even the patina of the book ends matches the pillow and framed picture. These are items I have in my own home, and I got them years apart. My friend gave me the bookends right after we got out of college. The pillow she gave me from her mothers house eight years later and the framed art I found at an antique show for $5. They all used to live in different rooms but together they make a great unified collection. And I didn't spend a lot of money.

Christmas Eve Photo Shoot in South Lake Tahoe

2011-12-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

This is a photo shoot from Christmas Eve. The family rented a house in South Lake Tahoe and we started the day out with a grumpy two-year-old. But with some M&M bribes we got over the grumpy and had lots of fun saying "Cheese!" and making funny noises with our mouths. I can't believe there is no snow at the lake. Ok, if you look close you can see one teeny-weeny patch. This shoot would have looked very different with lots of snow! Instead everyone stayed warm and dry. Not a bad way to spend the day before Christmas.

All photographers are not created equal

2011-12-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

Truth be told I can be a bit snobby as far as photography goes. The truth about most things in life is you get what you pay for. Liz here Twig & Turtle has been a professional photographer for over 10 years, winning many awards and being published in Time, The New York Times, Washington Post, Women's World and other national publications. I did not simply just pick up a camera; I have a pedigree. When you pay for photos of your wedding or of your precious children you pay for the artistic eye and vision as well as the technical skill to get the job done. At Twig & Turtle I believe that all little ones are special; this is not a conveyor belt of photos-- the same background, the same props. I come you so each shoot is just as unique as you are. Remember those little ones are only little once. You never get a re-do. I take this to heart and work hard to capture your little one’s attitude. Let’s just see Aunt Martha do that!

Merry Christmas from Twig & Turtle!

2011-12-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

This is Gus. He loves eating and visiting with people, going for car rides and playing with squeaky toys. That just about sums up Christmastime at our house. He is less than happy about being forced to dress up and look cute for photos. I could say I know some people that are the same way. But with a little love and some bribes we have a fine Christmas card, and a happy pug. So from Twig & Turtle, and from Gus we wish you Merry Christmas!