This is why we shoot RAW... always.

Some photographers shoot RAW. Some shoot JPG. Some hop back and forth depending on the day/job/requirements.

If this is gibberish to you, I'm going to show you the difference right now. But first, let me explain the situation. 

My husband and I were on a remote hiking trail in Hawaii. 4,000+ miles by plane, an hour of driving, and then 6 hours of strenuous backpacking to get to this spot. The trail was narrow, muddy and shaded by trees. At the head of the valley was the Hanakoa Falls that I had been dreaming about for days... weeks maybe. It was my goal to swim at that waterfall, come hell or high water.

We made it there, and into the icy water I went. My husband was on shore to take the photo, but as he grabbed the camera it started to rain, which quickly turned into a downpour. He pressed the shutter without a chance to glance at the settings, which I had set before the clouds came over us. The resulting image on the left is what we got... and as you see, it is incredibly underexposed.

We scrambled to get the camera and our towels under cover, but the rain didn't pass. It continued on for the rest of the night. 

This moment -- me swimming at the base of a 440 foot waterfall... by myself... in the rain... 4,000+ miles from home-- almost didn't turn out. This is one of the only photos we have from what is honestly the highlight of the entire trip!  A once-in-a-lifetime kind of moment, if you will.

But when I got home, I used Lightroom plus that RAW file, and was able to bump it up 3.15 stops to get the image on the right. 

Swimming in Hanakoa Falls

This right here is why I will always shoot RAW. Because there are moments too important to lose to a bad camera setting, and this memory is priceless.

If this image had been shot JPG, it would have been basically useless and ruined. 

In our line of work, we find ourselves quite often capturing once-in-a-lifetime-moments. So rest assured, we will protect your memories.

Cheers,
Lori

2016 With Lucas P

Looking back on the year in pictures, I am again reminded of how fortunate I am as a mother and a wife. I took 1500 fewer personal photos in 2016, but I can still see how much my baby has changed. His chubby round baby face has thinned out, and he's become a imaginative, active little boy.

Our family life now has a third voice. It's sometimes a much louder, dictator style voice and sometimes a sweet, lovable two year old voice. He's gone from a baby to a toddler with his own likes, dislikes and opinions.

We explored nature, playgrounds, animals, sports, trucks, farms, zoos, and riding bikes this year. Watching him with the rest of the family has been nothing short of amazing. Holidays like Easter, Halloween and Christmas were all newish to him, but met with enthusiasm and learning.

Where he once didn't care about his clothes, he now has his own ideas. Star Wars socks MUST be on his feet at all times, but only the Stormtrooper socks.  Darth Vader are only acceptable if the Stormtroopers are dirty.

Thomas the Train is his newest "favorite thing ever" and also the first toy he's ever had that never leaves his hands. When he goes to bed, we read his Super Hero rules, so that we always remember to "Be Extraordinary."

These are just some of the things I want to remember forever about 2016. But without the pictures - will I?

I didn't photograph every moment; some were better spent being in them. Some I wish I had captured, but am glad I was more of a part of them than last year.

With the exception of the occasional toddler tantrum, all of the moments were loved - whether photographed or not.

Here's to new adventures with #LucasP and more love in 2017.

~ Erin

Family and Christmas: Rochester NY Photographers

For a million reasons (and I won't go into them all), I'm ready to say goodbye to 2016. One in particular is that over the past month I'm pretty sure we've had a grand total of three cold/virus free days among us. Every time I think we're out of the woods, a fresh new daycare germ finds its grubby way into our house.

Recently in fact, we had family come into town and stay with us. And while it was great to have them here, I'm guessing they didn't count on taking care of our son while both my husband and I were in bed with yet another stomach bug.

But then, isn't that what family is for? They could have left, gotten a hotel room and let us fend off this one ourselves. But they stuck it out, and not only took care of Lucas when we couldn't, but then cleaned and disinfected the whole house in an effort to avoid catching it themselves.

They were only here for three days. They deserved better than what we gave them. And I hope they know how very grateful we are. For their compassion, for their support, for all of it.

So what does this have to do with Christmas? Everything.

No amount of gifts under the tree could ever replace the amazing family members and friends we're lucky enough to call our own. They are the people who support our dreams, lift us up and then occasionally catch us when we fall.

Christmastime is about being together with these people, as best we can, wherever we can.

So in short, whether you're having a banner year or ready to kick it to the curb - be grateful for the gift of family who love you, in good times and bad.

Because they're truly the best gifts we could ever have. Merry Christmas to you and your families - may it be healthy, fun and full of love.

~ Erin

Molley and Mouse's Maine Adventure!

Hi all, Lori here! 
If you know me at all, you know I love to travel basically any chance I get! I am always in search of pretty things. For me that usually means nature and water. My husband loves to climb things, so he prefers mountains. Well, this trip to Maine was a win for both of us!

And it was a unique one, as we brought the dogs. It was our first time leaving the state with them, and I have to say – they did amazing. I can see it happening again. Also, Maine is an incredibly dog friendly state, Acadia National Park in particular.

I won't bore you with the details, I know you are just here to see pretty pictures! But here are the highlights of the trip:

-Climbing some rocky trails in Acadia National Park
-Enjoying the amazing views from said trails
-Eating popovers, fresh seafood, and drinking local beers
-Foggy boat ride out of Bar Harbor
-Seeing friends in both MA and ME
-All of the friendly people we met on the trails!
-Having the dogs with us and experiencing all the love they got from basically everyone we saw
-Allagash Brewery Tour in Portland

This trip crossed off state #32 for me, and brought Molley and Mouse up to 4! Well, Mouse is from Georgia, so I guess she technically has more, but they weren't with us... so I'm not counting them. :)

Puppies first summit!

See the mountains behind us in the image on the left? Thats us at the top on the right!

It was a little windy at the top, looked like Molley was going to take off and fly

South Bubble

View from South Bubble Mountain

Foggy Bar Harbor

Cadillac Mountain

View from Cadillac Mountain

Pretty things

taking a break

I highly recommend Acadia and would definitely go back! Hope you enjoy a few views from our travels!

-Lori

A Hero To Look Up To: Father's Day 2016

It's Father's Day - time for some golf and barbecues. Or for hikes and picnics. Or for Marvel Movies and popcorn. Your description might be different - but the sentiment is the same.

Today's the day, I pretend I'm going to cook for my husband (instead of our usual vice versa) - when really, I might buy the ingredients but I won't touch the grill. And we'll spend time with our own Father's, who we're so blessed to have in our lives.

And whether I cook or not, I hope my husband knows how grateful I am for him. For so many reasons, but least of all because he gives my son someone to look up to.

In between tickles and "airplane" rides, I see how he watches Daddy - wide eyed, wanting already to be big like him. I watch as he and Daddy bond over Star Wars books and Super Heroes. Even though he still looks nothing like Daddy, I know they're a perfect fit.

My son clearly doesn't live in a perfect world - this is obvious. So I'm grateful for his Daddy, who gives him a super hero to look up to, and who says "I love you" on a regular basis. Because that's the man I want my son to be in this world...just like his Daddy.

Happy Father's Day!

~ Erin

This beautiful image is courtesy of Sue Egan Photography (www.seganphoto.com). I love it so much!

Three Generations Portrait Session: Lori's family

We used to have a tradition in our family called the Mother's Day wine tour. It is exactly what it sounds like. Both my and my husband's families would come together to tour and sample in the Finger Lakes. I think we were on about 6 years straight maybe?  Well this year both our mom's were traveling on Mother's Day, so that didn't work out. Instead, I came up with two different photo gifts for each of them.

For my mom and grandma, I planned a girls only photo session. We all had significant birthdays this year, and it was something I had been thinking about for a while. I wanted to celebrate the women in my life with a special portrait, and hired my good friend Linda of Hayes Photography to help. She created a variety of images of us in a short period of time. They have that homey feeling and love... What more could you ask for?

For my mother-in-law, I created an interactive book with photos of all her grandchildren. I then sent it to the 3 siblings with kids and they each answered questions about grandma. What is grandma's favorite thing to do? Make dinner, according to two year old Dempsey. 7 year old Audrey would buy her a plane as a gift, and Elise would give a globe. The final product is the perfect blend of adorable and personal.

Coming up with unique gifts can be tricky, but I'm really proud of these ones and know they will both be treasures.  

To my family reading this, I love you! 

To Linda, thank you for making the drive and making the session special! 

To everyone else, I hope I have given you some ideas to use in the future. Just let me know if I can help. 

Cheers! -Lori

Interactive book example with my nieces and nephews writing in for grandma.