Saturday, April 18, 2009

On the move!

I had the pleasure of photographing this smiley girl when she was just barely able to sit up. Now we could hardly keep her in one place. With no fear she explored a sunny field, tasting flowers and picking berries.











Congratulations!

My youngest sister is graduating from high school this summer. She's one of my best friends and I'm always so proud of her. Since this will be my last visit with her before graduation, we took some time to have a mini photo session for senior portraits. I love you, Jeanie.



Sunday, March 22, 2009

Giggles and Springtime

It's been creeping into the 70's here in Provo, UT. The trees are covered in buds. It's been so sunny and nice. Perfect time for a Spring photo session, and I got to photograph the Gerber Baby!!! lol....seriously, this little man is all smiles and determined to figure this crawling thing out. His mom and I had a ton of fun playing and taking pictures. My little boy got a taste of what it will be like in a few months. He kept trying to mimick everything the other baby was doing. Too cute. I'll be photographing the whole family in a couple weeks once all those buds on the trees blossom.




And Then There Were Four....

Since I'm about to have my second, I especially enjoyed seeing this lovely family welcome their second. Their first child is a little girl about the age my son will be when we welcome his sister or brother! In normal toddler fashion she was an adorable combination of shy, curious, and loving. Their new baby boy was cuddly, sleepy, and perfectly healthy. It was so much fun to capture part of their first days with the new addition.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Easter Mini Sessions!

These sessions will be scheduled between the dates of March 13 and March 18 when it will be warmer and sunny again ;) !!!

Dress up in your Sunday best and bring the bunny ears and Easter baskets for a photo session in a beautiful, natural setting. These sessions are tons of fun and a wonderful opportunity to get some stunning family portraits for a much smaller investment. All the families who come out and do an Easter Mini Session with me will receive coupons to use on future sessions! Contact me right away if you are interested, please, because the spaces for these sessions fill up quickly. :)


Some sample custom Easter Greeting cards....













Thursday, February 26, 2009

Session Slideshow

Check out this video to catch a glimpse of an entire session set to music!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Brand New Baby Girl!

So today I got to photograph a four-day-old baby! I love getting to see babies that young. They are so precious and it's just impossible to remember how tiny newborns are. This baby girl was a wonderful little model and after a little coaxing she snuggled up and let me take a bazillion pictures of her. Congratulations to her excited new family!




Sunday, February 8, 2009

A Blustery Day...

I wasn't sure the weather would hold up for this shoot, but it turns out to be a good thing I'm a photographer and not a meteorologist! The day at the beach was gorgeous and very windy :). These kids were so sweet and well-behaved. The little girl was very concerned about the water, but her love of animals coaxed her into getting her toes wet when I told her she might find fishies in the ocean. Her brother was the opposite, getting soaked "by accident" almost immediately...lol. We had a blast.











Newborns

Newborns are perhaps my favorite subjects to capture. The essence of a newborn - fragility, dependency, innocence - is best captured within the first ten days of his/her life. After this time, they are not as sleepy or easy to "pose." Baby acne, if it's going to pop up, typically does so shortly after this time. Because we have such a small window of time, it's important to work together to take full advantage of our session together. Here are some tips for preparing for our newborn session:

1. We will need your newborn to be very sleepy to get the best shots. There are two things you can do to help with this. Most of the photos will be taken with your newborn completely bare so it's a good idea to bump your thermostat up about five degrees to keep them warm enough to sleep. Please, also try to feed your infant right before our session.

2. Be prepared for our session to last around three hours. It's important that we take our time and as many feeding breaks as necessary to get your new baby sleeping soundly for the photo session.

3. Have your baby undressed, loosely diapered, and wrapped in a blanket so that we can easily remove the blanket and diaper without disturbing the baby's sleep too much.

4. I will bring props - many wraps, hats, etc. - but if you have anything specific you would like the baby photographed in, have that item out and available for the session.

5. Newborn sessions are typically done in your home where you and your baby are most comfortable in these first few days. Lighting is perhaps the most crucial element to a good portrait. Therefore, I will need to use whatever space in your home has the best light. Please do not feel the need to burden yourself with extra cleaning or worry about me entering a certain room. The background of your home will not appear in the photographs (unless we are capturing it specifically ie. the nursery) I just need the best light!!

6. You will need a long-sleeved black shirt. Nothing fancy. You will wear this shirt as the "backdrop" for some photographs in which I want nothing but your baby and your hands to appear.

7. Our photo session should be fun as we capture the first precious days of your newborn's life. One amazing characteristic of newborns is their automatic connection to their parents right from the start. It's important that you not worry about our session being successful. I'll make sure of that. Just relax, and let me do the work. This will help your newborn remain at ease.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Photo Session Agreement

Below you will find a link to the pdf document containg the Photo Session Agreement. Please read the agreement and feel to contact me regarding any questions.



Photo Session Agreement





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Coffee Table Books, Canvas and more...

Tamara Sams Photography Price List: (2.8.09)

Prints:

Print Credit Prices:


8x10...........$50

11x14........ $75

16x20.........$100

24x36.........$200


After print credit has been spent, additional prints may be ordered at the above prices less a 10% discount.


Coffee Table Books:


8 1/2 x 11 - Containing every image (in either color OR black and white if both options are made available) from the Image Gallery on archival
paper.

Linen or paper hardback: $250

Custom image cover: $260

Leather: $270

Add dust jacket: $10


Inquire about additional sizes or more custom options.



Gallery Wrapped Canvas:

8x10...........$105

11x14........ $140

16x20.........$195

24x36.........$370



Greeting Cards:
$50 per 25 cards


What to Wear...

I am usually asked for ideas regarding what to wear for a photo session. There's no need to run out and buy new outfits for everyone, but a little thought can be fun and make a difference in your portraits. So, here's a list of tips to keep in mind when you are choosing clothing.

1.) Add texture. By this I mean layers (a sweater over a button down shirt, jackets, layered tees), denim, knitted scarves and hats, tutus, corduroy. Texture adds an element of interest to a photograph.

2.) Keep it simple. Solid colors or simple patterns. Bold patterns distract from what's really important...your family.

3.) Avoid solid white or black clothing. Tricky to photograph, not very interesting.

4.) Avoid logos and anything else that might be distracting and date a photograph. A little trendy is ok...just don't over-do it. Remember those photos of us from back in the 80's...yeah.

5.) If I'm taking photos of your whole family, you don't have to match exactly, but similar clothing is great. One element that ties everyone together works. For example, everyone can wear jeans and a T-shirt of a different color.

6.) If I'm just photographing your children, it's not important for them to match. It's great to let their unique personalities come through.

If you aren't sure, feel free to bring a few things and we can decide together. One change of clothes during the session is fine. More than that and kids tend to get impatient. Extra clothing is always a good idea with children in case something gets messed up ;).