We're moving!

Thats right, we're packin' up our things, redecorating and remodeling, and we're moving!

BMP Photography now has a blogsite! The website and blog have merged into this fantastic one-stop shop for all things related to BMP Photography and I sincerely hope you'll come for a visit!

Just head over to http://bmpphotography.com and check it out! Please don't forget to resubscribe over there for updates on a new feed!

I really appreciate it!

I will be leaving this site up for a little while, but eventually this blog will be deleted!

I Heart Faces - "Pets"

Its "Pets" week at I heart faces! Its time to show off our pets and I'm glad to join in. If you want to share a picture of one of your pets go to I heart faces and link up, too!





This is my boxer, Brady. He turned three this month and he is just as much as pup as ever. He's great with my son, playful with our cats, and a big cuddlebug when he wants to be. He loves to play outside, chase laser lights around the house, and try again and again to catch his own tail. He's taught my son Collin how to drink water from the hose, and really, really appreciates a good bone.

Before And After Blog Hop - On the water.

Another Thursday and that means its time for some before and after blog hoppin'. If you have a picture you've edited and you're proud about it post 'em and link up over at Pixel Perfect. Monica hosts the "Before and After Blog Hop" every Thursday where you can show off your work and check out plenty of other examples of editing.

This weeks picture comes from a bunch I took last weekend while we were out walking at the beach. It was very hot and hazy but a great time. This first picture is good, but you can pretty much see the haze. The second is much, much better.

SOOC:

After:

I took this picture with my Canon 450D (Rebel XSi) and edited it in PSE7.

Before And After Blog Hop

Its Thursday and that means its time for some before and after fun. If you have a picture you've edited and you're proud about it post 'em and link up over at Pixel Perfect. Monica hosts the "Before and After Blog Hop" every Thursday where you can show off your work and check out plenty of other examples of editing.

This week I am showing off my beautiful six month old niece. I had the opportunity to take some pictures of her last week and love how they came out after some post-processing.

SOOC (except I added the watermark):

After:

I took this picture with my Canon 450 (Rebel XSi) and edited it in PSE7.

The "D" Family

I met the "D" family at a nearby location to take some outdoor family photos and can tell you that from the moment I stepped out of the car I knew we were going to have a great morning. The family of three were all extremely friendly, kind, and happy. Here is a sneak peek:

I Heart Faces - "All About Babies"

This weeks theme at i heart faces is "All About Babies." I love this theme and cannot wait to check out all the other entries! If you want to participate you just need to go to i heart faces and read the directions on linking up your own picture.

Before and After Blog Hop

Every Thursday Monica, from Pixel Perfect, hosts the before and after blog hop, where we get to show off our editing skills by posting a picture SOOC and post-processing. If you'd like to join in visit Pixel Perfect to link up!





SOOC:

Edited:

I took this photo with my Canon XSi (450D) and edited in PSE7.

A little validation goes a long way.

I am new at this whole photography thing. Actually, I should clarify. I have been taking pictures for a long time. I am new at taking others' pictures and doing the whole business thing. I am still a work in progress, still carving my path, still figuring out if this is truly meant to be.

Ask my family and friends and they'll tell you that I don't have much confidence in myself right now. I think it is just a defense mechanism, so I won't be disappointed if someone isn't happy with my work. The truth is, though, that I am not half bad, and I know that.

Yesterday, through email, I got the most amazing message. It really made me feel great and feel like I certainly can do this. I photographed a small wedding a few weeks ago and it was the bride emailing me about her pictures. And she was insanely happy, and said that I managed to bring her to tears. Tears of joy. And that she will gladly recommend me to anyone.

This one email did so much for me. It made me feel so great. I am excited to continue on this journey and have a renewed sense of confidence about it all. That little bit of validation held so much power.

Thank you, M.W.!

I heart Faces - "Play"

This week at iheartfaces the challenge theme is Play. I have a ton of photos of Collin playing but it was hard to choose. I finally came upon the one I knew I had to use. This is a few months old, but it is one of my favorite photos of him. He's playing in a firetruck, put the hat on himself, and just looks incredibly adorable, if I do say so myself.

Visit iheartfaces to link up your own picture that represents "play" or just to check out some amazing photography!

"C" and Family

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to meet with "C" and her family, who is going to be growing any time now. They are expecting a little boy! I had the privilege of photographing the family of three and really had a great time doing it. Here is a sneak peek.

Before and After Blog Hop

Every Thursday Monica, from Pixel Perfect, hosts the before and after blog hop, where we get to show off our editing skills by posting a picture SOOC and post-processing. If you'd like to join in visit Pixel Perfect to link up!





SOOC:

Edited:

I took this photo with my Canon XSi (450D) and edited in PSE7.

The "M" Family

Jessica, a military wife and knit-hat maker extraordinaire, contacted me to get some photos of her girls and their family. They are local to me now, but will soon be relocating and traveling across the country. I fell in love with these girls instantly, as the middle daughter, J, started striking a pose before I had even introduced myself to her. Such a beautiful family, I was honored to have the opportunity to work with them. Here is a sneak peek:

Thank you, M family, and best wishes to you!

Before and After - A new subject

Time to join in for the Before and After blog hop with Monica over at Pixel Perfect! Usually my subject is my son, or something or someone I see or do with my son. This week, though, I have more stuff to work with. Last weekend I had a whole slew of photo sessions, so I am very excited to share.






This is "R." What a fun girl! R's mom contacted me about doing some maternity photos (R is going to have a little brother any day now!) as well as some family photos, so we did some last week and I am loving them.We had a great session, and this is just a little peek at one of the photos:

SOOC:

Edited:

This picture was taken with a Canon Rebel 450D and edited in PSE3.

{Marissa}

I finally have some pictures to share from one of the photo shoots I've done recently. I've had a wide range of subjects to photograph, which is fantastic, and I am so excited to post a few from each session for you to see.

This is Marissa. She contacted me about taking some photographs for her to have in addition to the professional head shots she got done for a pageant she is in! She was fun to work with and I am very happy with the results. Our shoot started off a little rocky due to some major road paving, but it ended up being a great morning. We did some walking around and found some great open shade to use.

Before and After Blog Hop

Thursday, Thursday. Here we are again. Monica at Pixel Perfect is hosting the Before and After Blog Hop today. To join in, post a SOOC picture, edit it, and post your edit, then head over to Pixel Perfect to link up.





SOOC (runny nose and all....ewwww):

 
Edited:

This picture was taken with a  Canon 450D and edited in PSE7.

Fix-It Friday

Happy Friday!  If you are interested in joining in for this weeks Fix-It Friday, visit i heart faces and grab the photo, edit on your own, and link it up!

Here's the photo we got a chance to fix up this week:

I have three edits this week:

1. Added some sun flare, warmed it

2. Added some sepia and texture to warm it up

3. Converted to B&W

Before And After Blog Hop

Its that time again! Monica at Pixel Perfect is hosting the Before and After Blog Hop again on this lovely Thursday. To join in, post a SOOC picture, edit it, and post your edit, then head over to link up.





SOOC(and to give credit where credit is due... my husband actually took this photo)...

Edited(but I did the editing):

The picture was taken with a Canon 450D and was edited in PSE7.

Renewal, rejuvination, reinvention.

Two weekends ago I had my first "gig" as a hired photographer and the experience solidified my satisfaction with this photography business. I haven't felt this good or this passionate about something in a long time. I really want to be successful and continue making people happy with my product. I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, and a lot of experience and growth to accomplish, but I will get there, I am sure of it.

I believe in order to do that, especially as someone working for themselves, it is imperative to hold myself accountable for learning and staying up-to-date. One step to this, for me, is reading. I've spent lots of time reading, which I love to do, and believe this is one way for me to continue to grow. Even better, I've found some resources that I have found helpful that include many visuals, which obviously is imperative to a photographer.

In one of the books I read this:

Being a photographer means reinventing yourself every day.

How true! This one sentence made me so happy. I think this may just be one of my favorite reasons for becoming a photographer! No two photo shoots or events or families are alike. How amazing! Every single day is a new experience and I absolutely love that.

Fix-It Friday

Happy Friday! Its Fix-It Friday here and I am excited to share my edits this week! If you are interested in joining in, visit i heart faces and grab the photo, edit on your own, and link it up!

 Here is the original we were given this week:

Edit 1:

Edit 2: