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Melissa Donner Photography

Call/Text: 870-897-5163

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Your Answer Is:

8 years!!! :D

Parker Homestead

Those of you from Northeast Arkansas will be familiar with Parker Homestead. For those of you not familiar, let me tell you a little about it! It's a piece of property (HUGE property) that's owned by  family that's turned it into a world well before our current time period. It's a homestead where you can see sorgum being made, corn meal being made, butter churned, sweeping brooms made from scratch, blacksmiths making art from metal, canons being fired, horse drawn carriages, and much much more! My family has gone together now 2 years in a row. We went today...here are some shots I managed to capture during our time on the Homestead! Enjoy! :D

Family on the Farm

Boy! We had a great time this day!! Met the family at their home and off we went! The kids were all smiles and excited to get their shoot on! :D Check out some of the great shots we managed this day!

Little Man Peyton!

I can't believe how much this little guy has grown since his 1 year old shoot last year! Peyton's shoot was the weekend of his 2nd birthday! So we made our way back out to the Courtyard and found some pretty great shots! Happy Birthday little man!! :D

Little Man, Kasey!

This little guy was full of energy, life, and spunk!! What a fantastic shoot! He definitely made it fun for me! I enjoy shoots like this! Laid back, plenty of laughter, and excellent moments!

She said 'YES'!!

What a wonderful opportunity...to capture the moment this young man proposed to his lady. And, she said "YES"!!! Congrats James and Mary Jane!! 

THIS!

This is EXACTLY the kind of thing I want to do with my photography...ALL the time!! Stuff like this!

http://www.erikclausen.com/blog/2010/04/4193/

What Should I Wear for My Photo Shoot?

       

          The clothing you choose for your shoot can make the shoot extra fantastic, or be a terrible distraction. This is the part of the shoot that you have total control over. Do everything you can to make good decisions on wardrobe so you'll be happy with the resulting photos! Photoshop does a lot, but unless you want to pay out the wahzoo for a photographer to digitally change your clothing choices in post, it's smarter to just make good choices to begin with!

          First, wear something that makes you feel good! When you put the outfit on and look in the mirror if it makes you go "Man, look at that hottie" (or something similar) then that's probably the outfit for you! If you feel good wearing it, your confidence about how you look will come through in your photos! If you wear something uncomfortable, or something you're always pulling at the readjust that uncomfortableness will undoubtedly come through in your photo!

          As a general rule it's best to stick with solid colors. Any colors really. But think about the time of year your photos are being taken. If it's fall and the leaves are all kinds of Autumn colors, the better choice in clothing color might be more Autumn-like colors as well...oranges, reds, yellows...you see? If there are multiple people in your shoot and you're needing to coordinate outfits think beyond just matching shirts and pants. That looks good in photos, don't get me wrong, but think about using the color to accent your wardrobe. I photographed a family once that included 3 generations of women who all wore mostly black and gray but accented with bright pink. One had pink earrings and necklace, one had a pink scarf, another had pink shoes. It looked so great in their shoot!

          So let's talk about what you shouldn't wear! This isn't a comprehensive list, but you'll get the point! Stay away from things that are way too loose, or way too tight! Unless you're a child, sleeveless tops aren't ever very flattering in photos...mostly. It's also best to stay away from clothing that is too busy...no florals or animal prints or crazy patterns. You want people to be drawn to you in your photos, not your clothes! You can come with wrinkly skin but please don't come with wrinkly clothes! It just looks bad! The wrinkles actually cause small shadows on the clothing that are near impossible to 'fix' as I edit in post. Photos sort of immortalize a moment in time...don't let your moment be wrinkly! Some people like to buy a brand new outfit for their shoot. You can if you'd like, although there's probably something you already own and feel good in that will work just fine. If you choose to wear something you already own, be sure it isn't faded, stained, or look over-washed. The less your photographer has to fix in post editing the faster you'll get your finished photos and the happier you'll be with the overall look of them. Lastly, it's 2012 people....the 80's fashion is OUT! :D

          Hope this post has helped answer a few questions about wardrobe for your upcoming shoot! If you have other questions you'd like me to answer please submit as a comment or to my email at melissadonnerphotography@live.com and I'll answer it in another blog post soon!

Till next time...
-MDP-

You Have Photos,...Now What?

So, you have wonderful new portraits. They are printed and framed...now what? Ever have trouble deciding how to hang your photos? Here's a great image depicting several really great ways to display your prized photos! Enjoy!

The Adams Family!

Introducing The Adams Family! Not only were we shooting in one of my most favorite location finds EVER, but I was getting to shoot a fantastic family!! (As a photographer it never gets old getting to say I 'shoot people!' LOL!) We had a great time, played a game, tripped on some vines, but came out with everyone in tact and some excellent photos!

Jaxon is 3 Months!

Can you believe it?! It's already time for little Jaxon's 3 month photo shoot!!! Seems like yesterday we were shooting pregnancy photos! 

What a handsome little fellow he is, right?! So sweet! He was a great little subject this day! We even managed a few really sweet smiles from him! Ladies, watch out! He's sure to steal hearts! :D

Tattoos and Ivy

Check out my friend Eli! This guy is non-stop cool!! We had a great set out in an abandoned building this week! The ivy was beautiful and had literally taken over the floors and walls since the last time I'd shot in this space! I love how nature is reclaiming the spot!
Eli was a fantastic subject! Check out some of the highlights from our shoot!!