DGN Photography in Columbus, Ohio – newborn, maternity, baby, child, family, wedding photographer, senior pictures

It’s gorgeous outside, today.  Sure beats all that rain we’ve been having.  If you’re not outside, you should be!

Greg is telling Vivi, “Bivvy… don’t eat da gass!!”

This has been 3 months of planning and preparation, but it’s finally done!  I have a photography display now, at Ultrasona of Columbus.  It’s been really great working with them to make it a reality.  They’ve been so nice and accommodating (with 2 or 3 of my kids tagging along while I measure walls, etc).  If you ever need a 3d or 4d ultrasound, Ultrasona is the place to go; everyone I know that’s gone there has been really happy with the experience.  I had a 3d ultrasound done there when I was pregnant with Vivi, and it was fantastic.  Cushy couch for the family to sit on, big screen tv to see the baby on, and Kelly worked to get the nice facial view in 3d and find those baby (girly) bits.

Oh and you get to browse my stuff on the walls as a bonus.

The two images up over the ultrasound machine and bed are about 20″x25-26″.  They have 13 foot ceilings I think.

There’s one side of the waiting room.  The little model working the kitchen would be mine.  The one over the couch is 32″x40″.  It doesn’t look nearly so big now that it’s on the wall, but believe me, it feels really big when it’s not!  The other one is 16″x20″.

There’s the display over the loveseat.  The middle one is 20×24, and the 2 on the sides are 11×14’s.  The kids love the toys in the corners of the waiting room (that’s Greg, there).

Then on the other wall of the waiting room, there’s 2 16×20’s over the row of chairs.

The goal obviously is for the pregnant people going there for their ultrasounds to see the work up on the walls and go “wow, I need some maternity/newborn portraits” and give me a call.  (And for them, they get some beautiful artwork for their walls; it’s win-win!)  But I have to say, it feels really cool to stand there and see my images, really big, up on the walls.

I thought I’d share a photography tip.  3 words: big picture window.  Especially if there is indirect light coming through the window.  If you can pose your subject somewhere next to the window, you can get some really nice catchlights in their eyes, and here in this photo, you see her skin is kind of glowy.  In the synagogue at the bat mitzvah photo shoot, there was a really nice picture window, and right next to it was a really great spot for portraits.  So we shot a few right there, and this photo was one I particularly liked:

Today I put up all but one of my big photos on the walls at Ultrasona.  Tomorrow morning I’m going over there to put up the last one and take some pictures.  They look great! I’m so excited.

I had the opportunity this evening to meet and photograph this amazing family.  It was kind of a last minute thing (I was called this afternoon); they wanted pictures of their little baby Makaylynn before she undergoes surgery, and the only time to do it before she’s in the hospital was tonight.  So keep little Makaylynn in your thoughts and prayers that everything will go well.

They are such a beautiful family, and it was a pleasure to photograph them.  Here is a sneak peek:

When I saw this, I laughed and laughed … and had to take a picture.  And then told Greg to pick it all up and fold the washcloths.  We  have a big stash of washcloths in the kitchen because with 3 kids ages 5 and under, we always have a lot of faces and hands to wipe down.  And we keep them within kids’ reach, because the spot is better utilized by them than by the knives.  The potholders  go right next to the washcloths.

And so today, covering the entire downstairs, was the pathway of washcloths and potholders. (You can tell that I have 3 kids; Maylie puts on her own socks and usually puts them on upside down, with the writing on the top.  And I let her go to school like that.)

I was reminded of the Moeraki boulders this past weekend when I showed our photobook from our 2006 New Zealand trip to a native New Zealander.  These boulders were pretty amazing, almost like they are something from another planet.  Perfectly round (and BIG), and the ones broken open have very interesting interiors.  I think you’ll be in awe too when you see these pictures. (New Zealand is a photographer’s paradise if you haven’t figured it out already!)

The title just sort of came to me to go with the picture for today.  Today we had a dual birthday party for my sister and I… she’s turning 23 and me 32 (what a fun play with numbers).  My birthday was May 2, and her birthday is May 7, so pretty much since she was born we’ve had a dual birthday party.

Maylie was so excited to give me her birthday present, and it was wrapped very carefully in Kleenex and tape, and decorated with marker.  Inside were two home-made paper dolls, that she drew and cut out, with some clothing that she also drew and cut out (which actually does fit the doll).  One was a princess and the other was a girl.  The girl had a crown and a dress to put on.  It was very clever and cute, but Maylie liked the gift and took it to play with herself.  I must take a picture of it for posterity if we can find it again.

My mom made a cake for me and a cake for my sister.  I’m not sure how they came up with 6 candles, but here was my cake:

I had my first bat mitzvah photography session on Friday, at the Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus, Ohio, and it was lots of fun.  Put a 13 year old girl in front of a photographer, and you have a girl who is having the time of her life being the center of attention and striking poses.  The synagogue had some really gorgeous stained glass windows, and the lighting in the sanctuary wasn’t too bad once they turned all the lights on.  We took pictures for about the full 2 hours, and I’ve got lots of good ones to go through.  Here is a sneak peek of a couple that caught my eye:

My daughter’s been  very excited about my birthday for the past 2 weeks, and drew this birthday picture for me.  It’s me, sitting behind a table, with a birthday cake covered in candles. (I think the perspective on it is very interesting, coming from a 5 year old)

Anyway, today was the big day. (I have to say, it was more exciting for the kids than it was for me).  I had photoshoots in the morning and afternoon, but then we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner.  Their flavored lemonades are yummy!   Sunday, we’re having a dual birthday party for my sister and I (her birthday is May 7), which should be fun.  My brother’s coming down from Cleveland, and my mom is making a cake.

One of my recent clients, Lori, sent me a couple photos of her new photo bag.  I had it drop-shipped to her house, so I didn’t get to see it before now.  It’s a bucket-style handbag, with leather trim, and pink liner (although you can’t see the liner).  On the front and back sides are photos of her daughter from her birthday session that we had the beginning of April.  Doesn’t it look great?  She says she really enjoys showing it off, and she gets loads of comments about how cute it is.