Pop Art!

When mom told me she was considering some pop art for her little girls room, I set off to figure out how to make it happen. Seriously, how fun is this?

Now I'm going to do the same for Emily's room, I LOVE IT!

The many faces of Macie Paige

I wonder what it is about chunky, roly poly babies that makes my brain get a little fuzzy and my mouth start to salivate a little.  Is there some physiological reason embedded in the female brain that causes this to happen? I once got so frustrated that my 3 girls were fighting over anything that was pink, that I googled "little girls" and "color pink" to find out WHY they were so enamored with this particular shade. Turns out there are a myriad of theories about why little girls and women gravitate towards pink. Many of the theories centered around women being gatherers in ancient times and pink being a sign of ripe fruit. Anyhoo- I'm wondering if there are similar theories about fat chunky babies and why they cause women to get all mushy inside and say things like "I just want to eat her!" They are absolutely delicious!

Although I love these pictures that were taken at my Jude's 2nd bday party, they just don't do the rolls justice. Good thing we have another shoot scheduled for July. I can't wait to get my camera on the pure chunkiness of Macie. I've told Mom she needs to put Macie on a diet of vanilla shakes and chicken wings until the shoot to ensure the same level of roundness.

I do love how storyboards like the one above display. Sometimes pictures are more effective when displayed in groups. This one is a 20x10 and captures the many expressions of this little sweetie. 

A Lesson in Cropping

One of the common subjects I have a difficult time articulating to my clients is how cropping affects their pictures. It is much easier to illustrate with a few pictures. The majority of pictures I will give clients in their online gallery are displayed in a 2:3 (vertical) or 3:2 (horizontal) ratio. Occasionally a picture will just lend itself to a different shape, so I crop it in a square picture (for example). So, assuming the picture I have shown you in your online gallery is in this 2:3 ratio (which 99% of them will be), you need to keep this in mind when ordering. If you like the picture EXACTLY as it is and want zero cropping to occur, you will want to order a size that is in that 2:3 ratio. Such as 6x9, 8x12, 12x18 etc.

See picture of my Kaylee below.  It does not have a lot of negative space at the top and bottom, meaning the top of her head is pretty close to the top of the picture, and there is not much of the tree stump she is sitting on taking up space at the bottom of the picture.  It would look good in any of these sizes (4x6, 6x9, 8x12 etc.) and the exact proportions of the picture would remain intact.

Now, let's examine how the picture will look if cropped into another common size, 5x7 (picture above left). It still looks OK, but I much prefer the 2:3 ratio, as it leaves a little more negative space at the top and bottom. If you wanted this picture to display on a table and wanted something close to a 5x7, the 6x9 would probably be a better option.

Now if the picture is cropped into another common size, 8x10 (picture on top right), it just doesn't work. Part of her head is cut off as well as her hands and the tree stump she is sitting on.  You lose the impression of where she is sitting, and I don't know about you, but I like the tree stump she is sitting on, I think it adds a lot to the picture. A much better option would be 8x12.

(However, sometimes artistic cropping is desirable and all rules are thrown out the window. But not in this picture.)

Which brings us to another quandry.

Where in the heck do you find 8x12 or 6x9 frames or mats?  Do you have to then pay extra for custom framing? NO! In the Houston area, one of my favorite frame stores is Aaron Brothers. They carry all the funky sizes in a lot of different colors and styles. There are also a myriad of online retailers (like this one here ) that sell frames in "off" sizes.  Of course, you could always buy the print on canvas, which comes ready to hang and won't need to be framed.

Stay tuned for more display tips!