Kailani Newborn Shoot - 10 days old

Kailani was super mellow and had such beautiful eyes. What a cutie pie. Here's some of my favorites...

20% Off Gallery Wraps Until March 3, 2011

Gallery Wraps are a great way to display your beautiful photos and we're running a sale on all standard size Gallery Wraps from now until March 3rd on all Gallery Wraps. Sizes range from 8x10 to 35x54. Get one, or get a set to create a collection. If we've taken your photos before, we've got them on file. Or if you've got your own photo and want to put it on beautiful canvas, you can send it to us.

Orders must be received and paid for by March 3rd in order to be eligible for the sale.

Contact us with questions at trish@trishbarkerphotography.com.

And check out our gallery wrap collection ideas by clicking here.

Alyssa Newborn Shoot - 8 days old

I had the absolute pleasure of photographing baby Alyssa at 8 days old yesterday. We were both newbies in a way... she's brand new to the world, and I'm brand new to posing newborns.

Her parents are super interesting people (they got married, underwater, at Molokini) and they raise money for orphans in Russia through their organization www.Iorphan.org.

They were really patient with the process and baby Alyssa was so tolerant of my learning curve. Here's a few of my favorites from that session.

I love my Kelly Moore Bag

Want to know who makes the sexiest camera bags out there?

Then go here www.kellymoorebag.com

Not only is Kelly Moore an amazing photographer, but she's created a line of super stylish AND incredibly functional camera bags that don't even look like camera bags.

I've got the Juju bag (the mother of all camera bags) in muted teal and I seriously LOVE this bag. It can hold literally everything that I need for my shoots, plus my phone, keys, cards, etc. and it doesn't look like a camera bag at all. It's got plenty of easily accessible pockets on the outside, a completely configurable inside, a comfortable shoulder strap and it sits up on it's own(which is huge for me).

She's got several different styles to choose from. Up next for me, a matching muted teal b-hobo bag. Can't wait...

Photography 101 - How to get great Christmas Tree photos

Ahhh... tis the season to get run over in the Costco parking lot. Be careful out there. Everyone is NUTS.

But it's also the season of giving and of taking sweet photos of the kids decorating the tree and opening gifts. So I thought I'd give some pointers on how to get great tree decorating photos.




Rule #1 - turn OFF the flash. Flash will interfere with the awesome lighting that comes naturally with christmas lights (so be sure you put your little twinkly lights on the tree first).

Rule #2 - crank up the ISO. Without flash and working in low light, you'll need to set your camera on a high ISO setting. The ISO is basically the sensitivity of your camera to light. The higher the ISO, the higher it's sensitivity to light. This is necessary in low light situations, so that you can still have a relatively fast shutter speed so you don't get major blur in your photos.

Rule #3 - Get IN the tree. We've all got tons of photos of the backs of our kids decorating the tree. But what we're missing is that intense expression on their face while choosing just the right spot for that ornament they made and are so proud of. And we're missing those adorable little hands attempting to hang the heaviest of our ornaments on the thinnest and weakest tree branches. So I tend to position myself, in the tree, just opposite of where my kids are, shooting through the tree branches. This way, we also get the benefit of using the tree lights which cast a really unique and special light on those adorable little faces.





Happy Holidays to everyone. And if you're looking for unique photo gifts, check out www.TrishBarkerPhotography.com and click on our Products link. If we've taken your photo during 2010, then we've got your photos on file. OR, we can use your photos as well. We offer Christmas Cards, Photo Books and Albums, Jigsaw Puzzles, Dry Erase Boards and other unique, high quality photo gifts. And we offer flat rate $7 overnight shipping until December 22nd!

It's All Good

So, this is one of my favorite pictures ever. One, because it features one of my most favorite people ever, but also because I just love the photo. But I didn't love it when I took it.

I realized about 20 snaps in, that I was shooting on the beach in the bright sun, and had never changed my ISO setting on my camera from the super high ISO I'd set to capture images from the previous evening's lantern walk at sunset.

The result was this:



Less than a good photo. Totally overexposed and grainy. I was so bummed, but I resisted that urge to delete them all because I've learned that sometimes life's mistakes end up yielding great results.

I'm glad I resisted. I just played around with the exposure and contrast and ended up with a picture that I love. So much so that I'm putting in on canvas.

So, the moral of this story, is if you're over-tired and overwhelmed with 3 kids off from school and you find that you're being more of an idiot than usual... don't hit delete. Everything happens for a reason...

Trish Barker Photography Cutest Kid Contest Begins Today!

The Trish Barker Photography Cutest Kid Contest starts today. Enter your cute kid by posting a photo to our Facebook wall and the photo with the most "likes" as of 12:00am, November 15, 2010 wins a free professional photoshoot by Trish Barker Photography (a $300 value) just in time for holiday cards and gifts!



Post your cutest kid photo to our wall and then make sure all of your friends cast their vote for your cute kid by "liking" your photo. To share your photo, click "share" underneath your photo post and send a message to your friends telling them to like your photo before 12:00am November 15th, 2010.



Winner will be announced on the Trish Barker Photography Facebook wall November 16, 2010 at 10:00am HST. Open to Maui residents only. For your cute kids safety, we suggest you only post their first name or initials. We also suggest you do not tag children with full names in your photo.



Free Photoshoot Includes:

~ One hour of shooting time at your location of choice with up to 4 people.

~ Image perfection and post production work

~ Between 30-50 images to choose from in an online gallery

~ Free 8x10 photo of your choosing



(additional prints/files can be purchased a la carte)