If you have visited our photography studio in Seattle or talked to me about my photography you know that I get really excited about printing my photographs.  I know that sounds a little strange for a photographer to say and it’s not like I don’t like taking photographs - far from it. But its the process of creating the final photograph that allows me to add an extra level of creativity that I just love. A long time ago I was trained in the fine art of printing and ever since then I’ve really gotten into it: its this training and passion that I have for it that allows us to create beautiful pieces of art for the homes of our clients. 

Last weekend we had the pleasure of welcoming back Allison and Tim who came into the studio to review the proofs from the completely creative shoot we did with Evie a few weeks ago.  In addition to the fun cake shots we got some completely wonderful photographs of her and Mum and I was excited that they selected a number of prints for their home.  This shot below was one of my favorites as well, it has the lovely Evie sat, surrounded by her mum in an almost protective manor.  She has a completely adorable expression on her face and I think that Nicole describes it best when she says that she was looking so angelic at this moment in time. 

The other photographs that they purchased are going to be printed on canvas stock and are in color, but this one they wanted printed on more traditional photo stock in black and white.  This morning I have been working on this, experimenting with a number of different toning options to see what I like.  Here are four different proofs’s for you to see the subtleties of the prints.

Maybe I’m bias - OK, I know that I am, but I so love this shot.  It really captures her in a moment, it has mum in it but in a very creative way and it really looks like a special piece of art!  OK, time for lunch now! 

Thanks  

My gosh, isn’t this photograph of a newborn baby boy so adorable!  These were taken in his new home a few weeks after his arrival as part of our newborn photography package. I just love the handmade sign above his bed that his Mum made him while he was growing inside her.   

Just lovely!

I’ve always felt that being asked to photograph someone is an honor and something I take great pride in.  Being asked and trusted to photograph a newborn baby is especially special and something that makes me feel privileged to do no matter how often I’m asked.  So when I was asked to photograph a newborn baby of a special friend I felt especially lucky. 

I’ve known Brooke for years, probably close to a decade, way before she moved to Seattle from California.  Her friendship has always meant so much to me and it’s been especially good to watch her meet the love of her life, Andrew - a fellow Brit I might add so at least we talk the same language! 

Less than two weeks ago they gave birth to a beautiful newborn baby girl called Shelby May. Lucky me got to hang out with Shelby when she was just a week old and that has to be one of the best ways to spend a Sunday morning.  She was a complete babe, never cried for the two hours that we spent working with her, never complained about the outfit changes and all she asked for was a little food halfway through.  I know Brooke really wanted to see some of the proofs so here’s a quick photo-show preview of a few of them for Mum before they come into our photography studio here in Seattle to see the rest of them. 

Just click on the thumbnail above to start the photo-show. 

Over the last few months as we have spent more and more time working with clients that are either expecting or have newborn babies we have spent a lot of time listening to them on what they want from us as a Seattle based photography studio. 

As a result of that we have just re-launched our newborn and maternity photography sessions.  These packages are designed to capture those watershed moments from the very first days of your babies life all the way up to 18 months when they aren’t a baby anymore but a toddler. Each package includes a photography session and then we have bundled one or more of our beautiful wall art frames;  either classic museum quality frames or our beautiful canvas wraps - all framed here in the studio. 

One of the main changes we have made is to provide more flexibility and choice in the frames because we know clients all have different tastes and styles.  Before I felt we were just too rigid in what frames were available in each package. We now also offer a home based newborn session in addition to our regular studio ones.  We know that getting out of the house in those first few weeks is tough so doing them at your home might make better sense assuming you have the room for us to setup lighting etc.  We will also arrange a complimentary consultation before your first session to allow us to get to know you and where we can discuss creative ideas. 

If you are expecting or have already had a baby and you might be interested in leaning more about these special photography sessions please check out our newborn area on our web site, here.  

We hope to hear from you soon.  Cheers, Phil

Newborn Photography | The Fine Art Photography Studio Seattle | Presented by Phil Holden

A couple of weeks ago we had the pleasure of working with Evie for the first time.  She dragged along Mum & Dad as she insisted she wanted some fresh photographs of her on that important milestone - her first birthday!  A completely adorable young lady who was fun or energy and life, we all had a blast.

Towards the end of her session we brought out her special surprise - a birthday cake. Mum stripped her down and we sat her next to the cake and we waited to see what would happen.  Initially she wasn’t too sure what it was but that didn’t last long as she started to taste the yummy cake.  As you can imagine instinct kicked in and what only was a tasty treat also became a great game.

I’m excited to get Mum back into the studio to review all of the proofs, until then Mum here’s a little preview. 

Hope Starts With Me!

Recently we had the complete pleasure of meeting and working with Andy who came into our photography studio here in Seattle to have her photograph made.  She is an amazing lady that has been fighting cancer this year yet has remained strong, energetic and positive throughout the experience.  Her girlfriend came up with the other to have to celebrate the experience and you can see some of the initial proofs here. 

As a believer in giving back to the community Andy is about to start a walk with American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event.  To read more about Andy and her team please visit her page and while you are there maybe donate as well for this very worthy cause.  Good luck Andy and Team!

It’s been a little busy recently.  I’ve been catching up on a bunch of print and framing orders these last few days and I fell in love with this little guy’s photograph and thought I would post it quickly.  Such a happy man it makes me smile!

OK, I’ll get back to work now!

I’m still working through reviewing a number of recent photography sessions and catching up.  These three adorable folks came into the studio the week before last, with Steve’s parents that were also visiting.  You might recognize Jenny and Noah from another recent session that took place last month.  This time Dad Steve was able to get some time away and join them all.   

There were a lot of photographs from the most recent session that I think they are going to like.  Here’s three of my favorites of this young family that I toned with a traditional Sepia look. 

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Andy for the first time and working with her when she came into our photography studio here in Seattle.  She has recently been through an ordeal that most people would fear and dread, yet has remained incredibly positive throughout even when things were very tough going.  Her long time friend Cheri had suggested that Andy have some professional photographs taken of her to commemorate her winning battle with cancer and they both came in for a really fun photography session with us. 

In advance of her coming back into the studio to look at all her proofs I thought I would post a few previews for her and Cheri to see you.  I feel so lucky that I get to spend time with people like Andy who’s determination and strength shine through and reflects a true celebration of life.  To me this is a good reminder that everyone needs to get professional photographs taken every few years to capture ones’s life in all its forms and memorize that particular stage.  

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing Eli’s and George’s wedding at the Pravda Studio’s on Capital Hill in Seattle. With it’s open windows and the bright sunlight streaming through it made quite the backdrop to the service. Depending on your angle at times the photographs were framed with this brilliant bright halo that completely backlit the subjects making for some exquisite shots. Yesterday I had the help of David Streams my good friend and fellow photographer, plus Miss Nicole who was assisting with lighting and such.  Both made the day a whole lot easier - thankyou!

For the friends and family that know Eli and George well it’s probably not a surprise for them at how wonderful the day’s events were.  It was a day filled with humor, laughter, compassion, love and many tears. At times I’m not sure if there was a dry eye in house, even the catering staff were in tears. For myself who only recently gotten to know them as a couple I felt privileged and honored to be part of their very special day - thankyou!!     

They leave soon for a trip to Africa and I wanted to post a few previews before they jet off. Have an amazing trip Eli & George and see you when you return as we have lots more photographs for you to see.  

A few week’s ago we got the chance to work with Lexi’s on some high school senior photographs.  She recently graduated and is preparing for college in California which starts later this summer.  The session started out in our photography studio here in Seattle with make-up and a quick review of outfits and then we went out into the city to capture her outside.  I’m just finishing reviewing the first selection of photographs and thought I would post some preview here.  She was a dream to work with, lots of energy, relaxed and very willing to work on some creative shots with us.

If you want to see more photographs of Lexi I put together this quick slide show which contains some short video footage of the session with her getting made up, our session in Seattle along with lots more photographs.  It’s set to music so if you are in the office maybe mute or lower the volume! 

Click on the thumbnail image below to see video.

I’ve just got done with finishing a bunch of photographs for a coffee table book that I’m creating for some new clients.  They came into our photography studio here in Seattle recently during one of our photography promotions.   These were a few of my favorites of Dad and Son from the book that I liked a lot and thought I would post this morning.

It feels like only yesterday when little Noah last came into our photography studio in Seattle and it was so much fun hanging out with him and his lovely Mum Jenny this week.  The last time we saw him was back in May and the little guy is already 4 months old now and growing quickly - he’s such a happy baby boy and so alive with energy.  Jenny is an avid photographer herself and has been taking lots of photo’s of Noah and his Dad, but friends and family are complaining that there aren’t enough photographs of her so I thought I would post a few quick previews of her and Noah this morning before starting my day.   

Happy weekend everyone!

I finally got around to creating a new page on the ever so popular Facebook site for our photography studio here in Seattle.  We have been experimenting with Facebook advertising for a while now with some interesting results. 

If you use Facebook go ahead and add yourself as a fan for our new page.  I’m going to start to rollout some promotions and other news and events via this new page.  Click on the ‘Find us on Facebook’ graphic below to check out our new page.  

Last week we had the pleasure of having a very cool high school senior, Lexi in the studio for some graduation photographs.  She, like many graduated earlier this summer and is hanging out in Seattle before heading out to college in California.  We used our photography studio here in Seattle as our base for outfit changes but all of the photographs were taken outside in and around the city. 

We also got to work with another talented artist, Christine Cherbonnier an excellent makeup artist.  I should be able to post some previews of the fun session with Lexi later this week, but in the meantime some candid outtakes as Christine did her thing.