meghan orud photography & design » Babies

What inspires me

admin — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:15:21 +0000

I am often asked about what inspires my photography and how I would describe my photography. I have decided that I can sum it up in two words …Vintage Inspired. I love classic baby and toddler photos. To create something Vintage Inspired, from the perfect background to the perfect outfit – even going as far as the perfect toys as ‘props’- tickles me pink with the perfect outcome.

Where do I get my inspiration? Everywhere from old books, photos, and movies, to pieces that I find in antique stores. I also have a father that loves to browse estate sales. He has found so many wonderful things over the years that I have been able to use, and if I am looking for something he is the first one I call.

I have also found many wonderful options for the perfect outfits. Some of these sites have antique clothing, but most have vintage inspired options:

Grammies Attic                     http://www.grammies-attic.com
The Baby Gardner                http://www.babygardner.com
Little English Clothing          http://www.littleenglish.com
Smock It To Me                    http://www.smockittomeonline.com
Rags Land                            http://ragsland.com
Jolly Rompers                       http://www.jollyrompers.com
Blu Pony Vintage                  http://www.bluponyvintage.com

If you shop the Clearance or Sale items you can find some great deals! I keep tabs on all of my favorite shops that have a Facebook page. If you ‘Like’ my page you will get updates from me with great options for sale items as they are posted.

Here are a few of my favorite vintage inspired photos over the past year:

A break from the heat… but rain?

admin — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 23:23:36 +0000

This past Saturday I had a photo shoot scheduled at 10 a.m. and I woke-up to it storming. My first thought was, ‘I just can’t get a break with the weather.’ I am glad I held out calling to cancel because it stopped raining around 9:30 and the sun actually came out at 10 a.m.! These
photos were for Baby R’s 1st birthday. He is just a little peanut, but very mobile. He showed me that he could crawl anywhere, and fast! The ground was very wet, but we let him go anyway. Check out this little red heads adventures thru the park!

Classic little boy in every way

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 01:34:44 +0000

Admittedly I have been trying to get a cover shot of a baby with my logo for a couple of months now, but my personal model was a little too fast and opinionated! (I have recommendations for milestone shots for a reason!) This little guy was happy to oblige. He turns one tomorrow and is the perfect age for some standing shots… while he still can’t go anywhere! Of course we took more photos than just the one’s I wanted. He came with an adorable little classic outfit and train so we had to fit them in to the photos!

Once and a while I do an antique photo finish for cards. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show my blog readers what this finish looks like. Isn’t he cute!!!

Back to a normal color photo…

Digital vs. Film

admin — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 00:54:08 +0000

The question most asked of me is; ‘Why do you still shoot film?’ I’ll try to answer the question with a few visual examples. To be honest with you I have both digital and film cameras. They both have their purpose, but I use film when photographing clients as well as my own children.

The first reason I give people for shooting film is because I like the color and contrast it produces. The second reason is the archival quality. I am going to address the color issue here and will save the archival conversation for a later post.

When I did a recent photo shoot of my children I decided to take both film and digital photos. The cameras I have deal with light a little differently so I adjusted for it and shot with both to be able to do this comparison.

Now, you can adjust for what color you want by choosing different film. For example the film I use for portraits is a natural color film. The reason I choose this is because I believe the skin tone of a person comes out so natural and oftentimes more flawless than it looks in ‘real life’. I have also noticed that the digital camera can make a person’s face look a bit washed out compared to the film, as in the examples below (all photos shown have not been modified):

I want to talk a little about the different film options. The first decision to make is color and black & white. Once you have chosen one over the other, you still have options to choose between. I’ll start with color because that is what I have samples of here.

When choosing color film you have a ton of options and it really depends on what you are shooting. There are natural color films that make a person’s skin tone look most natural. You can choose a vivid color film if you are shooting a landscape where you really want the green grass to pop out. Different manufacturers give you different color. One example of this is Fuji; using this film will really make the sky blue and the grass green.

Now, on to black & white film. Just as with color, you have many options. You can play with contrast, choose a grainy film to make it look really old-school, or choose an even-gray tone that will give you great detail. So many options to play with!

I love to take a ‘classic’ photo. Many of my children’s photos have them dressed in classic clothing. When you lose the rich texture of the clothing in a photo they can look cut-rate. This is yet another reason to use film to gain a look of rich texture. Yes, I could take your photos digitally and Photoshop them to get close to the color and texture you desire, but you are hiring me because I have the training and experience to capture beautiful film photographs the very first time. Sometimes the differences are subtle, but to my eye the quality difference lies in the use of film for long-term satisfaction.

In closing, I believe that the artistry in taking photos is just that, taking the photo. I love shooting a roll of film, turning it in to the lab, and getting it back to see how each shot turned out. I hope that you have the same satisfaction when I hand over the finished product!

It’s spring!

admin — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 01:58:39 +0000

Even though the weather doesn’t reflect it we are officially in spring. Easter will be here before you know it! It is time to get photos done in your child’s Sunday best. I love the look and feel of a classic photo and nothing finishes the photo better than a classic outfit. Here are some baby and toddler outfits I have collected over the years to use for photo shoots for those clients that want a classic style.

Sisters…

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:23:21 +0000

Mom wanted photos of these two adorable girls together… just on time for Christmas. I love to see a little girl so proud to be a big sister. And the pouty lips on this baby are to die for! I can’t wait for this weekend; if it snows we are going to go take photos of them with Santa!

Color vs. B&W

admin — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:14:47 +0000

Trying to decide between Color and Black and White? Both have a lot to offer. I split this photo shoot between one roll of color and one of b&w. This teething beauty was trying to chew on everything. Despite this I was able to get a few shots of his beautiful face. His proud big brother got in some shots too!

~ These classic outfits are available for your photo shoot. ~

Photo shoot ideas

admin — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:56:36 +0000

The most frequently asked questions that I get from clients are what do you suggest we do for our photos shoot, and what should we wear? Since I can not tell you what to wear without knowing what you have in your closet… J I can post ideas for different types of photo shoots. This example shows that you can have a very different outcome based on location. The most location/clothing changes that we can get out of a roll is three, I was able to capture these photos with one roll. Enjoy!

The lamb skin and bassinet are available for your photo shoot.