Baby Micaiah - Sneak Peak

 Here are some sneak peak pictures of my first newborn session.  It was a 4 hour ordeal but we got some nice shots which definitely made it worth it.  Somehow it seems like babies know from a very early age how to do the opposite of what you want them to do! =) 

Micaiah is a very sweet & beautiful baby and I know his parents & grandparents are very proud of him already.  Thank you again Jon & Deb for letting me take pictures of your special little boy.  It was a pleasure to capture some of his first moments in life.

Deb's Maternity Pics

 

It's great having friends when you want to start a new adventure that is going to require a lot of "practice".  Deb has been a real great sport in letting me use her for a maternity model.  I think she made a lovely subject.  =)  I did make a few "oops's" on this project and learned a few things.  This photography stuff takes some practice, technical knowledge on how to use your camera & understanding light, and then some artistic ability to know what to capture.  Oh, and it also helps if you're good at making people feel comfortable in front of the camera.  Wow! My head is hurting.  I am a long ways from where I need to be to consider myself a bona fide "photographer" but I figure every photographer out there started from the bottom of the totem pole.  So here I am... at the bottom, climbing my way up.  Very slowly....... Maybe one day I'll come close to some of my heroes (like Sarah Neal - I love her pictures!)  Anyway, hope you enjoy this meager start to a photographer's career, one who doesn't make very much money. At least not yet.   =)

**Sorry Deb, I had to include this one because I think your little smile/smurk is adorable.  Just trust me...

Youth Banquet - Fall 2010

I would like to share some highlights (a few pictures from the 1000 pictures I took) at my first event.  It was a big job for a beginner, and I had to work in very low light.  I pretty much had to use my bounce flash for most pictures.  There were some opportunities to use natural light, but very few.  It was a blast taking pictures for this event.

                       Sincerely,

                       Amber Olson

Some collages that feature the decorations and food tables...

                      The ladies behind this banquet did an AWESOME job! Everything was amazing! 

Guests Arriving:

                       

Our Guest of Honor & Speaker - Brother Gordon from Zimbabwe

                              Heather sort of figured Chris needed an escort..... =)

Only Jim & Dave (picture below) will know what was so funny but I was glad I caught it on camera anyway.

    All the people that laboured to make such a wonderful banquet happen.  I made this collage simply to have a place where I could give them honours (with a quick view of who they were).

   Group Shots:   This was definitely the most people I've tried to get into one picture.  It was a learning experience and I don't think they turned out too bad.

The Salad Bar & Other Miscellaneous

The main course was served

Brother Gordon teaching an African song with actions...

       Brother Dave may have been one step behind, but he was sure giving it his all! =)

The room was completely dark (aside from the tea lights) when I took this picture (below).  The only thing lighting the room was the light coming from the candles.

                                       The young people were singing "This Little Light of Mine".

Candid Moments:

Portrait Highlights

This wasn't a portrait shot, but I had to capture what was going on behind the scenes while I was trying to get this group shot of the young girls.  Gregory definitely keeps everyone laughing! =)

I couldn't fit everyone into the set properly but this is what I got.  These are some of the Cook cousins.

This is what I got when I asked for a goofy pose.  =)  They're so cute....

Chris (the guy on the top left in the picture below) was saying something sarcastic I'm sure.  For some reason, me & him like to go back & forth with one another.  But we do really appreciate each other as brother & sister.  =)

Another goofy pose.  I'm liking what you get out of people when you ask for that.... =)



The theme of the banquet was "Let Your Light Shine", so after the inside events were completed everyone went outside to light their Chinese Lanterns and let them go out into the darkness.

The End