Let your heart be light

Melissa — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 19:31:14 +0000

It was 3am this morning as I stumbled down the hall to find my daughter sobbing from sore toes. Growing pains. I tucked her in, sat by her side, and rubbed each individual piggy toe until she went back to sleep. In the quiet hours of the morning, my mind wandered as I peered out the foggy window. I wasn’t thinking of the lack of Christmas cards I failed to create. I had no thoughts of gift shopping, or what presents I have to wrap. All I could hear in our small, comfortable, warm home, was my daughter’s sniffles, my baby’s sweet little breaths and my husbands faint movement in the bedroom next to me. It was at that moment that I realized how blessed I truly am. I heard music, and my heart was singing a Christmas song. Quiet, melodic beats of happiness.

My Christmas wish for you, my friends, is to allow your heart to be light. View the world through a slower, lighter rhythm and you’ll realize that all we need is just an arm’s reach and a prayer away. Have yourself a Merry little Christmas and consider this post a hug from the Niu home to yours.

Newborn Photographers…I admire you.

Melissa — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:44:06 +0000

The last couple weeks, I have had my head in a notebook and hands gripped and glued to a pen. My camera has been ignored and its feelings are hurt. I’ve been exhilarated as I’ve scribbled notes while planning for things that are going to rock my socks off. Seriously, I feel like I’m gearing up for a big game. Long meetings and brainstorming with some of my favorite people in the world. It’s exciting and frantically hair-rising at the same time. Kind of like the feeling I used to get when I was all geared up, waiting in the locker room to run onto the court for a live broadcasted game against Stanford. In fact, I find myself singing at the top of my lungs on a more frequent basis. Songs like “Shot through the Heart” by Bon Jovi, or even some old school Al Green.

Needless to say, my finger got click happy, and it needed one of the cutest subjects to click upon. So yesterday, I told my sister-in-law to bring over little Nora. Fresh, fragile, and only two weeks old and counting. But here’s what I realized and was so quickly reminded.

Newborn…sessions…are…hard.

They spit up, they cry, they wiggle and they fuss. You turn up the heat, place them in a squishy, oh-so-perfect-position and you find yourself sweating, hoping they stay like a stone statue. Well, 9 times out of 10, they don’t. But when they do, it’s a victory. At least for me.

The set up was simple. I found a good-lit window, a moldable pillow or even a bean bag and placed a couple different knits on top. The rest? Pshhhhh….luck I tell you. Good thing she’s perfectly perfect because by the end you would’ve thought this pregnant girl (me) ran a marathon.

So why do I tell you this? To give a big, fat, hug and tribute to all of the professional newborn photographers out there. You are patient, gentle, and oh-so talented. In the meantime my friendly readers, let me help you out if at all possible. Just a few pointers of light and camera settings and such, just to save you some sweating.

Hello sweet baby girl.

Window directly behind me. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 2.0, 1/800, ISO 250

Window source left. 50mm 1.4 lens, f2.0, 1/640, ISO 250

Window source directly behind me. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 1.4, 1/800, ISO 250. Focal point on left eye, camera extremely close to babe to create good depth of field.

Window right. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 2.0, 1/800, ISO 250

Window right, 50 mm lens 1.4, f 1.6, 1/1000, ISO 250. Focal point on little ear.

Window directly behind me. 50 mm 1.4 lens, f1.4, 1/800, ISO 250

Window right. 50mm 1.4 lens, f 2.0, 1/800, ISO 250

Window directly behind me. 50mm 1.4 lens, f2.0, 1/500, ISO 250

Sweet dreams little babe.

melissaniu.com » Boise Portrait Photographer

Let your heart be light

Newborn Photographers…I admire you.