The Siefert Family

Well, I’m fiiiinally recovering from this awful stomach bug I got yesterday…. ugh, it was TERRIBLE. I think I got it at Mike and Sam’s on Thanksgiving, and I’ve gotta say, Sam, I don’t know HOW you managed to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner while feeling this way! You are superwoman! (p.s. The leftover turkey was even better on Friday. :) )

So with all the craziness of Thanksgiving and working at Starbucks all Black Weekend (don’t get me started on that) and being sick, I’ve gotten a bit behind on my blogging. And what better way to catch up than with a post of this adorable family, the Sieferts. This was another shoot Mike invited me to help with, and I was so glad I happened to be off that Sunday at the last minute so I could come along. The weather outside was a bit dreary, so we actually just used the K2 church building for most of the shots. Mike set up a mini-studio inside for some traditional family poses, and wanted me to be there for some more candid shots. I like to call these moments the “in-betweenies.” Mike and I work well together because we tend to shoot at different ends of the spectrum- he, with his formal portrait studio training, knows all the right poses and how to direct people really well, while I, with my complete lack of any formal training, have made up my own nontraditional methods. Because of that, we help each other break out of our boxes, which is awesome. I think the lesson learned here, and the lesson I’m finding myself learning more and more with every shoot, is that it doesn’t matter where or what you’re shooting… as long as you find the light, you can make it work anywhere. After the formal stuff was done, I suggested we head upstairs to “the glass cage of emotion,” a big classroom with tons of natural window light. Was there a single nice background to be found? Nope. All we had to work with were some folding chairs and a big plastic table. But with all the gorgeous light flooding in from the windows, and by using a 50mm to bring it in TIGHT, it didn’t matter one bit. Also, it doesn’t hurt when you have two of the cutest little girls to photograph. :)

That said, here’s Abby, the youngest of the girls. Precious!

And here’s her big sister, Elizabeth. Everyone in this family has the most beautiful green eyes. Love it.

And here’s Dad and Mom, Mike and Amie Siefert. Mike is the technical director at K2. It’s been so fun to meet so many people in this church and to photograph them. I can’t say enough how amazing it is to be part of such a great church community. Because of them, Jamie and I didn’t have to spend Thanksgiving alone. We now have a family away from family and a home away from home.

The girls’ reward for being good during pictures was COOKIES! I had to laugh when Amie told me they don’t normally use bribery, but in this case… exceptions could be made. :) I told her not to feel guilty one bit. Sometimes, you just have to give a kid a cookie if you want to get something done!

The girls of the family. Love this one.

I think some people are perplexed when I don’t freak out if everyone isn’t looking right at the camera the whole time. Truthfully, I think a couple of “everyone looking at the camera” shots are great to have, but again, it’s those in-betweenies that really get me the most. In this one, both the girls are looking off out the window, but I think it’s just stunning. I don’t know why. I just do.

And this shot of Amie is one of my absolute faves! I really am becoming obsessed with playing with light and shadow and reflection. Amie, you look beautiful!

And finally, an action shot, of course! I love this one that Jamie grabbed of me and Abby. Here, I’m showing her the pictures I just took of her on the back of the camera. Amie asked me at the beginning of the session if we had any kids of our own, and when I told her no, she seemed surprised, and said, “Wow…. but you’re really good with kids!” I told her that 6 years of babysitting will do that for you. :) However, I’m also a firm believer in becoming a child’s friend before photographing him or her. If I want natural expressions and big smiles, I realize that I first and foremost must EARN kids’ trust and respect. Usually I do this just by getting on their level and speaking their language. Show them the pictures on the back of the camera so they understand exactly what you’re doing. Ask for their help in pressing the shutter button or directing their siblings in how to pose. Have a few foolproof topics of conversation tucked away in the back of your mind in order to be able to talk to them about things they know and love (for example, for girls this age, you just can’t go wrong with Disney princesses). Give them hugs. Tell them what an awesome job they’re doing. It’s definitely not rocket science, but for people who have a little more trouble with connecting with little ones, this handful of tips has gotten more than a few beautiful images for me. And heck, it just warms my heart, too! At one point Elizabeth said, “We REALLY like you!” and I just about got teary-eyed. But then, I’m a sucker for cute kids.