Bello Lume Photography Blog

Charlie | Phoenix Newborn Photographer

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:47:17 +0000

Charlie’s session was so much fun! He may have been a little gassy at the beginning…but that just meant we got a LOT of smiles. Yay!! More than anything though, I was totally enamored with his hair. It was completely unruly – in a totally hip way! A few times I tried to finger-comb it into a style, but it just stayed crazy anyway. It was so adorable that I just hated to cover it up with hats. I still snuck in a few, but really when you have hair like that you have to show it off!

Check this little guy out…

Wine Weekend in Paso Robles

admin — Sun, 13 May 2012 20:01:17 +0000

Still playing catch-up … last summer we did our annual wine weekend with my hubby’s family in Paso Robles. I’m just amazed every.single.time. by the beauty there. Maybe it’s because we live in Arizona, and going from Arizona to wine country there is such a stark change from brown everywhere to green everywhere!! I intentionally photographed a number of landscapes this time, and one of my goals was to get images to put on canvas for our kitchen. On my list of things to do is ordering said canvases…. But it’s so hard to narrow them down! I think my top pick is this first image. Decisions, decisions…

My adventurous nephew, Max… Bird baths are totally for 4-wheeling with matchbox cars, right !?!?!

My cutie pie niece, Alexa…

Ethan is 4!! | Phoenix Child Photographer

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:00:24 +0000

Ethan just celebrated his 4th birthday! I love this little guy!!

He has the best laugh, and is one of the most well-behaved kiddos. He was a fantastic listener, which made for awesome photographs!!

The last one might be my absolute favorite, mostly for what it represents to me … They are only little for such a short time.

A Guaranty From Me!

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:59:23 +0000

I vebally tell my clients this so I’m not sure why I haven’t mentioned this, but I think it’s important for those who might not have actually worked with me to know that I stand behind what I do 100%. I am honored when I’m selected to photograph you, your newborn, your kiddos, your family! And I take that very seriously.

I guarantee that you will love your images! Absolutely L.O.V.E. them!!! If you don’t love the images from your session, I will either do what it takes to make sure that you love them (i.e. reshoot the session and try to fix whatever wasn’t perfect) or refund your money. Now to be honest, I’ve never actually had a client take me up on either of these options, but the offer always stands. No hassles. No hard feelings.

It’s just a simple promise to each of the clients who trust me with so much when they invite me to share in and capture some of life’s most precious moments!

Maddie is One! | Phoenix Child Photographer

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 23:13:39 +0000

Maddie recently turned 1. I have had the opportunity to capture her first year, so you might recognize her. She loved my leather chair! She sat like a perfect little angel, clapped, chatted and had a great old time.

When it came time for the cake smash, Maddie couldn’t wait to dig in! I love these sessions!!

And signs that the cake smash is coming to an end …

Be Yourself ~ Workshop With Shannon Sewell

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:58:33 +0000

“Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” -Oscar Wilde

I love attending workshops from photographers that I admire, and to learn from those that I would consider the best of the industry in an intimate setting. The lovely and talented Shannon Sewell is definitely one of those photographers. I had the opportunity to attend her workshop in Phoenix in November.

The workshop was awesome, and she gave us a ton of time to chat, absorb advice, and ask any questions. My number one take away from this workshop related more to being a photographer than to photography…BE YOU! And so for anyone who has chosen me or is even considering me in the future, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I can guarantee you that your session is 100% me and the “beautiful light” in which I personally see you, your baby, your child, your family.

Towards the end of the day, we did have time to play around with two lovely models, Alissa and Brenna. Here’s a few of my favorites taken around The Clarendon in downtown Phoenix …

Christmas came early! Canon 5D Mark III

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:57:56 +0000

I’ve been waiting for this day for seemingly FOREVER – I finally just received a new camera body in the mail, and I couldn’t be more excited!!! This newly released camera – the Canon 5D Mark III – has been rumored for a long time and is truly state of the art. I’ll spare you all of the tech-speak about the various advantages over the other camera bodies out there, but I’m totally excited to use it to give my clients the best images possible (like me, a number of you like the really large prints, and that’s where the benefits really become clear)! I’m also particularly excited about the amazing low-light performance offered by this camera – is anyone else as excited for my next railroad park shoot as I am?!

I do get a lot of questions about equipment, so you may also wonder, what else do I often bring along in my camera bag?

There are two major equipment debates among professional photographers … software (Mac v. PC) and camera/lens equipment (Nikon v. Canon). As far as camera equipment goes, Nikon also makes fine camera bodies and lenses, but I personally am a Canon girl. I only shoot with Canon equipment. When I was in high school my parents gave me a Canon SLR for Christmas (film – high school was a long time ago for me!). I loved it!! I shot so many rolls of film through that thing – oh the money that I invested in film and film processing – it makes me very grateful for digital technology!! When I started using more advanced equipment and became a professional photographer, I decided to stay with Canon because in particular it’s high-end lenses have unrivaled performance in my opinion.

In addition to the Canon 5D Mark III I just received, I also have a Canon 5D Mark I (I decided to forgo the Mark II due to some technical issues reported by others), and also the Canon 7D and Canon 50D, which both have “cropped sensors” (i.e. In cases where the extra 1.4x zoom will be helpful).

As a general matter, I recommend upgrading lenses before upgrading the camera body. The glass itself is what pulls in the light that makes up your images. Here are some of my favorite lenses to work with…
50 mm 1.2 (this lens is my baby!!)
70-200 mm 2.8
24-70 mm 2.8
24 mm 1.2
Fisheye

Of course, the best equipment in the world isn’t worth much if you don’t know how to effectively utilize it, so the single best thing you can do to improve your images (whether you have a “point and shoot” or the latest SLR) is to learn more about using your existing camera and the proper techniques to capture the best images possible!

Okay, enough preaching Renee!!! As you can probably tell, I could talk about all this for a LONG time – but that’s probably more than enough for now…

Taylor | Phoenix Baby Photographer

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:05:53 +0000

I love seeing babies grow up! It feels like I was just doing Taylor’s newborn session, and he is already 4 months old. He was super happy and smiley and seemed to love all my crazy noises. These are just a few favorites of this little guy ….

Lacey | Phoenix Newborn Photographer

admin — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:09:27 +0000

Lacey was a sweet little peanut at just over 2 weeks old. She gave me a few little half smiles, which are always so exciting to capture. She really was a sweetheart to work with, and let me roll through many different setups before she finally declared herself “all done.” Take look at some of my favs of this little angel!

Expecting Twins! | Chandler Maternity Photographer

admin — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:37:41 +0000

This session means as much to me as any other session I have photographed. I had the wonderful privilege of photographing my best friend’s belly session. Stacy is pregnant with twins – a boy and a girl, and isn’t she absolutely stunning?? I had tears in my eyes a couple of times during the session, I am just so thankful that God chose them to be parents to these two precious babies.

I can’t wait to shoot those twin babies soon!!! Stay tuned…twin shoots are so much fun and the pics will just be adorable!

Jillian | Chandler Newborn Photographer

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:46:25 +0000

Sweet baby Jillian was just over two weeks old for her newborn session. She is a beautiful little girl, and despite having a little bit of tummy troubles she was a perfect little model once she relaxed for a little nap!!

Taylor | Scottsdale Newborn Photographer

admin — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:36:30 +0000

This beautiful little princess was 7 days new for her session. She was absolutely precious!! Daddy was a little overwhelmed with all the pinks and purples … but he better get ready because I’m thinking this little angel is going to be all about the girly glam!!

Cole | Phoenix Baby Photographer

admin — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:40:05 +0000

Cole is a growing boy! It’s hard for me to believe that he was just a 6 pound baby for his newborn session. Now look at him! Complete with those adorable pre-crawler rolls!! He’s also a total flirt, so we had a ton of fun at his session! Check out his big smiles!!

Sienna is 9 months! | Chandler Baby Photographer

admin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:59:46 +0000

Sienna is such a beautiful little girl! I cannot believe she’s already 9 months old. I learned very quickly that Sienna wanted to be on the move. Preferably walking, with a little assistance from mom and dad, of course, but the more and faster that she was moving the happier she was!!

Aberella | Phoenix Newborn Photographer

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:58:57 +0000

At 14 days new Aberella was a joy to photograph. Aberella means beautiful butterfly. And she truly is a beautiful little girl, but I have to admit that she really did not like my hair pretties. Each time I placed one on her little head she made little squeaks at me. It was so cute!