Favorite Date Ideas? - Please share yours and WIN!

Ice Skating
Find an outdoor skating rink and rent some skates. Bundle up and grab a thermos of hot cocoa, some mugs and a camera to document your winter wonderland memories.

Stargazing
Find a tranquil outdoor setting and bring an air mattress, hammock or some reclining chairs. For an unforgettable time, mark your calendar for the next big meteor shower and get ready to make some wishes! Bring a nice bottle of wine and ask 20 questions while you gaze. Make your own constellation.

Take a ski day
Hit the slopes with your love, and be sure to spend some time by a nice roaring fire at the end of the day. Make s’mores and then hit the hot tub together.

Scavenger Hunt
Whether it’s throughout your house or throughout the whole city, make a scavenger hunt for your love and help them follow the clues to a picnic or dinner at a nice restaurant.

Row, Row, Row your Boat
Rent a row boat and take a few leisurely spins around a lake. Timeless romance. Sigh…

Go to a Game
Get tickets to a home game and tailgate together. Wear team jerseys and be super fans together.

Get Fresh
Go to an orchard or berry farm and pick some fresh fruit to enjoy. Find a nice spot to plant a tree together. Go back and carve your names in it on an anniversary or special occasion down the road.

Be Adventurous
Go bungee jumping, skydiving, rock climbing, anything out of your comfort zone. You’ll get a great adrenaline rush and wonderful memories with your loved one.

Dance the Night Away
Take a dance class and then go to a nice dinner afterwards.

Volunteer Together
Find a common interest and donate some time together. Visit a nursing home for a monthly bingo night, help out at a food bank, visit children in the hospital or clean up a trail or park.

Hope this list helps your imagination run wild. I'd love to hear YOUR other ideas for simple or extravagant dates.  Please comment on the blog or on my Facebook post and then get out there and spend some quality time with the one you love!  My FAVORITE date idea that you post will receive a gift from me.  :-)

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep

I have known about NILMDTS (www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org) since 2006 when I went to my first seminar with photographer and co-founder Sandy Puc.  I have heard her speak about it many times and each time have been moved to tears.  Again this weekend, I watched a webinar where it was presented and again was deeply moved by the stories that the parents told.  This organization needs financial support and additional photographers to provide this important service.  A quote shared by Sandy yesterday "You cannot change what is happening, but you can change the way someone heals."  Here are a few quotes from their website to explain a little more about who they are:

"The Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation is there for parents and families to help aid them in their Healing, bring Hope to their future, and Honor to their child.  It is through Remembrance that a family can truly begin to heal."

"Mission Statement: To introduce remembrance photography to parents suffering the loss of a baby with the free gift of professional portraiture.  We believe these images serve as an important step in the family's healing process by honoring their child's legacy."

More than anything, I am incredibly grateful for the children that I have been blessed with.  Hug your kids today.  Here's one of my favorites of my son Austin (who is now almost 3). 

My sweet girl

My little girl just made my day.  I'm dealing with back pain today and when she came in to my office and saw that, she offered to go heat up my hot pad and bring it to me so I wouldn't have to go do it myself.  Seriously just make me want to kiss her her sweet face.  :-)

What is ISO?

The ISO in your camera determines the camera's sensors sensitivity to light.  This means that you will determine how much light you have to work with in a situation and adjust your camera's ISO to work in that scenario.  The best way to remember how to choose your ISO is "The brighter the light, the smaller the number."  Or, more simply "Brighter equals smaller."  So, if you're outside on a bright sunny day, you might choose ISO 100.  But, if you're in a shady area under trees or if it's starting to get dark, you might choose ISO 400 or even higher to compensate. Here are a few examples:

 In this example, we were in the middle of a large open area with sun almost directly overhead.  ISO 100 is a good choice in this situation.

In this example, we were under some large dense trees.  ISO 400 is a good choice in this situation.  I also like to use a large reflector to add some natural light to fill the shadows on their faces.

Was this post helpful to you?  I would love to hear your comments!  :-)

Fashion...hmmm

Today, I have a simple goal.  My goal is to keep my almost 3 yr old in the same outfit that I dressed him in this morning.  HIS goal is to keep changing his mind about what constitutes a "cool" outfit.  lol  So far, I am in the lead.  We'll see.  It just cracks me up that he has such an opinion about it!

Taking care of your skin

As a photographer, I see a lot of faces REALLY close on my computer screen.  LOL  :-)  It's my job to make you look better than your best, but you make my job easier by taking care of  your skin.  With that in mind, here is a skin care tip for you: 

Drinking lots of water and eating food rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, such as salmon, will help keep your skin hydrated and supple.  

If you have any more questions about photography and/or skin care, please feel free to send me an email to lori@alleywayphotography.com.

Cortney - Senior 2012

Here are a few of my favorites from Cortney's recent senior portrait session.  The rain we've been having lately took a break to give us a nice afternoon for a walk in the park.  What do you think?  Cortney was really fun to work with and (as you can see) was a wonderful model as well!  Her mom Diana was a great help with Chloe (a very sweet pup) and as an additional assistant.  And, of course, my friend and fellow photog Jen was along to help as well. Fun day!  Remember, if you refer a friend who books a session, YOU receive a FREE 8x10 at your next session!