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

Fairport Family Pictures with 6 month olds

This little girl is such a light. She's got two parents, two dogs and a cat that love her (not to mention everyone she meets!).

We've had the pleasure of knowing her family for a few years now, and we get to see her pretty regularly with the membership program. This visit was special, as it marked her 1/2 way point to a year old. I absolutely loved how she was blowing bubbles by the end of her session!

When her hands aren't in her mouth, they are folded in her lap like a little lady. Or up dad's nose... that's fun too! (See the blooper at the bottom!)

We just love watching you grow Chloe, see you soon!
Lori

Toni and Ken: Portraits of Grandparents

Toni and Ken are a lovely couple living in Victor. They enjoy spending time with their seven grand children, traveling and personalizing their beautiful home.

Ken has done much of the work himself, including designing a custom bookshelf (which cleverly hides the TV), and adding the deck with gazebo all by himself. Toni enjoys arranging and decorating the home, and I have to say, she has an amazing eye for it!

I think that I could have spent all afternoon swapping travel stories with these lovely folks! If you meet them, give them a friendly hello for me.

Here's a sneak peek of a few favorites!
-Lori

Hamburg Family: Victor NY Family Portraits

This little family is so cute. They're the next family in the Cobblestone Living series. It made so me happy to capture their portraits, even if their littlest, Alex was a little tired as we did.

One of my favorite moments was when we captured big sister, Audrey, reading prayers to her little brother on her bed. Little siblings together are so sweet and adorable.

Here's a few portraits from our session together - just look at these cuties and their parents too!

Three Generations Family Pictures: Victor Portrait Sessions

These four! From the second I walked in the door, I felt welcomed. Which is impressive, considering we hadn't yet spoken in person - only through emails and text messages.

Kaya and Kiko were more than happy to show off their toy room and reading skills... even their gymnastics skills were on display! But most of all, these girls like to have fun and laugh. That is my perfect kind of family portrait session!

Beautiful and kind and all around wonderful people. Meet Sayuko of Premium Mortgage/Cobblestone Living and her family.
-Lori

Snow Day at White Brook Nature Park: Portrait Membership Events

I'm not a huge fan of winter. If you know us at all, you know we prefer flip flops to snow boots. But we know that not everyone is like us and that living here in Upstate New York, occasionally attempting to have some fun in the snow is a requirement.

Thankfully, the kids in our portrait membership program do enjoy sledding and snow. Inside donuts, hot chocolate, crafting and playing warmed everyone back up.

I know we won't be sad to see the snow start to melt away in the coming months. In the meantime, we enjoyed the chance to photograph our families as they experienced this time in the snow together.

We hope to see you at the next event - Swimming at the Perinton Rec Center on March 25th! Put it on your calendars and join us!

~ Erin

Webster NY Portrait Sessions at Home

One of the perks of this job is getting to meet such a wide variety of people. It's always a joy to venture to a new neighborhood, meet a nice family I would otherwise never know. And then get to create something unique and personal for them.

This family is celebrating their new home in Webster as well as Jena, their daughter getting another year older. Jena loves their two bunnies and riding horses. My favorite part was just watching Jena's eyes light up when she got to hold the bunnies. They were most authentic smiles out of this girl!

We love working with you to tell your story, in your own home. Give us a call or tag someone that you think would enjoy our work, won't you pretty please? 

Have a great day,
Lori

6 Month Session at Home: Family Pictures in Webster

Little Alaina is just full of smiles! It was such a pleasure to spend some time with her in front of the Christmas tree for her first Christmas and also, her six month photo session.

She may be young, but she was definitely ready to rip open some gifts! She also loved when her momma read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Alaina is a lucky girl with two awesome parents and a wonderful nana to spoil her. And oh my cuteness, she's definitely got her momma's hair, look at that!

I look forward to watching her growth continue! Until next time,
Lori

Family Portraits in January: Rochester NY Photographers

Have I mentioned how much we LOVE seeing our wedding couples with their families? I mean seriously, so. much. fun.

I can't get over how much bigger these kids are from a year ago. They've grown into non-stop full on toddlers, and they made sure to let us know it at their session.

We followed them around letting them be themselves, occasionally trying to capture them as one big family. Slowing the kids down didn't appear to be an option, so we made some cute portraits for their New Years cards while they played.

Can't wait to see how cute they get as the next year goes by!
~ Erin

A Winter Family Session at the Holidays

What a joy it is to spend the holidays with your family. When you've got folks living in three different states, together in the same room, it's really something special. And it was my pleasure to document the gathering of this really fun family.

There wasn't a dull moment as they packed in the memory making. After making a few portraits, things turned to a more documentary style of photography as Lily wrapped presents with grandma, and read books with her grandpa and uncle. We even got outside with the snowmen and left some treats out for the local deer. 

It felt like I had known everyone for years. What was captured in less than two hours, will now be tangible memories to take back to their homes, hundreds of miles apart.

To Kirsten and the whole gang, thank you for choosing me to capture this moment in your family's lives. Enjoy the photos, and I look forward to seeing you again next year!

Cheers,
Lori

Cobblestone Portraits: Victor NY Family Session

This beautiful Cobblestone neighborhood family is fun, smart and very active! The kids (though they're more like adults) are crazy athletic. They are in everything from baseball to basketball to gymnastics.

Mom's idea of a perfect Saturday is one where they don't have the chaos of activity, and they can spend rare time together at home. So at their home, we recently made a few portraits of the family for the Cobblestone magazine - where they all actually had the chance to be home at the same time!

Besides that, anytime we get to meet and include the family pup as well is a good time for us.

If you see them in the neighborhood, say hi! 

~ Lori