I decided to take some of Rob & Sharon’s recent maternity photos and create a mini 5×5 album design.  Hopefully I’ll have something concrete to show you sometime today.  In the meantime, here is their album, set to the lovely music of “Beautiful Day” on the ablum Rockabye Baby!  Lullaby Renditions of U2.

Maternity Album from joshsroka on Vimeo.

I shot this one photo of Sam during her maternity session last weekend and really, really liked it!  I mean the lighting was off, the angle is waaaay past 11 & 1 (I’ll explain that later, if you like), and the cropping could be better.  But I just loved her expression.  So I decided to see what I could do to it in Photoshop CS3 & Lightroom 2.  Here are some of the results.  Let me know which one is your favorite!

The above photo is done in Photoshop with The Pioneer Woman’s “Seventies” action.

This photo was also done in Photoshop with The Pioneer Woman’s “Dim the Lights” and “Boutwell’s Magic Glasses” from the Totally Rad Actions group.

This is a Lightroom 2 creation called “Aged Photo.”

This is “Antique Grayscale” from Lightroom 2.

Here we have “Black & White Low Contrast” from Lightroom 2.

This one’s different for me.  It’s called “Cold Tone” from LR2.

And lastly from Lightroom 2 is “Sepia.”

So, take a look, think hard, and go with your gut.  Which is your favorite?

WHEW!  This weekend has been a whirlwind!  I now understand the expression, “When it rains, it pours!”  I had been kinda down in the dumps about not having many photo sessions for this winter season and had resigned myself to organizing/cleaning my house & just playing with my girls.  And so it went for a few weeks, and now all of the sudden, I have a total of 5 clients in 3 days!  Well, three of them were on the same day for my first ever photo party that I dubbed the Bare Bellies Party.  In restrospect I should have added a tag line that bare bellies were optional.

After much anticipation, and multiple applications of deoderant, I took my nervous self to Baltimore to photograph some glowing, gorgeous moms-to-be!  Laura (my sis-in-law) & her friends Sharon & Samantha invited me into their homes to witness their growing families, their little cuter-than-cute nurseries, and their collection of sonograms & baby paraphanelia for their children.

Now I know, from experience, the love you have for a child is immense.  You never think you can have enough love for your husband, but then add a baby to that, and wow…how are you gonna do it?  But these ladies are all very much in love with their husbands and at the same time so much in love with the little lives that are growing inside of them.  I hope you can sense, as I did, their excitement, anticipation, and pure joy!

Welcome to your debut baby Delaney, baby Jackson, and baby “Roblet!”

Proud Papa!

Today I photographed a session that totally stretched my comfort levels.  For those of you who know me, fashion is not my greatest skill.  In fact, I’m hoping someone will nominate me for What Not To Wear so Stacy & Clinton can give me some serious help!

Anyway….I was contact through Facebook by Jack Carter of Bamboo Style Shop to help him get his online clothing store set to launch with some pictures of his great clothes.  I totally said yes, because I’ll pretty much photograph anything!  I had such a great time!  He had me come to his friend’s house in Baltimore and then proceeded to show me a detailed, very organized, list of all the outfits and shots he wanted.  How cool is that?  I was impressed.  Jack had two friends as his female models and another as his male model (who, by the way, I don’t think was told he was going to model until it was his turn!) and they all did a phenomenal job!  The coolest thing beside the photos, was learning that all his clothes are made in some part from bamboo!  I had never heard of that, but Jack proceeded to give me his bamboo speech about how it’s great in clothes and a totally sustainable resource.  (Thanks, Heather, for keeping me up on the “green” lingo)  These photos are for the adult line of clothes, so be sure to come back soon to see the kids clothes too!  Without further ado, I present…..(drum roll) The Bamboo Style Shop!

Who doesn’t like a party?  I’m really excited to have my first ever “Bare Bellies Party” this Sunday with my sis-in-law Laura and her good friend Sharon.  They are both currently growing precious little children in their bellies, so I talked them into letting me give them a little photo party to remember this special time.  We’ll start at Sharon’s house, then move to Laura’s (so we can capture both of their nurseries), and hopefully pop in some husband’s and siblings too!  I’ll let you know how it goes after Sunday.  And, if you are expecting a little bun, and want to have a party too, let me know!  I can give you your own session, or make it a fun girls thing with your other prego friends!

Oh, and by the way, that gal in the photo up top is my little sis, Maggie.  She has since given birth, but doesn’t her perfect, non-stretched-marked belly make you a little….sick???  It does to me!  She had such a beautiful pregnant belly, and I am just plain jealous!  Consequently, her little one is pretty darn cute too!