Sweet Maggie

Sweet Maggie came for a portrait session this week. I've been wanting to photograph a white dog or cat on a highkey background for a long time. But my favorite one of Maggie is the one on the mottled background with her comfy brown pillow. She is just a little doll!

Photos of Photogs

Recently, I blogged about several photographers getting together to take portraits of each other. We all needed portraits for our websites and blogs, but we are always on the other end of the camera. These are my edited favorites of three beautiful ladies, whom I'm honored to call friends and colleagues. They were not only fun to photograph, but I learned so much from working with them that day. I don't know why they let me hang around with them... but I'm certainly glad they do.

Top Row: Anna Bishop blog
Middle Row: Suzanne Williams blog and website
Bottom Row: Lori Mercer blog and website



Many of you will recognize Lori as my favorite second-shooter at weddings!

And here are a few they took of me:



I'm soooo jealous of Suzanne's logo!!!

They all said I had to write a book because this was my "author's photo."

Baby Blues - POtD

One of Elijah's 9-month portrait pictures featured today as the Photo of the Day in the People Category at Digital Image Cafe. Be honest, now ... who could resist those baby blues?!? Maybe Dad won't be so offended by the cute little cap now :D

100% Brilliant

To end a perfectly wonderful day, Elijah came over for his 9-month portraits yesterday:



Elijah's dad declared that I was close to pushing it too far when I brought out this cute little hat. I knew it would be perfect for his beautiful blue eyes.





Elijah is mobile now and it's hard to keep him in the perfect spot on the backdrop.

Valentine's Party

Wow, did I have a blast at my granddaughter's Valentine's Party today!! Such a cute classroom and enthusiastic teacher! There were so many cute things around I had to take a few detail shots (so used to doing this at weddings, I guess!)



I loved the look on her face when she saw me standing in the classroom ... well, I think she recognized the camera first!



Yummy treats with all that red food coloring! Yeah!



And checking out early!



We had a little more fun after we got home. One of my sweet friends left this for Hannah when she came by yesterday... and Hannah thought it was GREAT!



It was a great day filled with so many sweet memories. And it wasn't over yet. I'll post more tomorrow.

Pet Portraits, cont.

This precious little miniature pinscher's name is Pansy, so I just had to take her out among the pansies that are blooming beautifully now. She was a challenging, but beautiful little model.



However, my favorite of the day was one of Pansy with her beautiful owner taken indoors:

Natural Light

February is Natural Light Portrait Month for Photography by DiAnna Paulk. I'm taking a Natural Light Portrait Course and I need volunteers to help me complete my course assignments. My instructor insists that we use people we've never photographed before. So, please feel free to tell friends and family if you're a current client.

Unlike previous free offers, this is not on a first-come-first-served basis. I will review information from anyone who is interested in the sessions and choose the one I feel will enable me to best meet the course assignment.

- Sitting fee waived. You pay only for prints. No obligation to purchase.
- Two-for-one prints for 30 days in a password-protected online gallery.
- All participants must sign model releases.
- Participants may not have been photographed by DiAnna Paulk previously.
- Please note additional requirements on session details.
- Sessions will last approximately 30 minutes.


Looking for the Light

A portrait session in your home. The session must be scheduled for February 14th ,16th or the afternoon of the 21st. Your home must have at least one large window with lots of sunlight coming through and a yard providing places to photograph in open shade and direct sunlight. Please include the location and snapshots of your home and yard, if available. Participant will be chosen on Wednesday, February 11.

Environmental Portraits

This on-location shoot is reserved for someone with an interesting hobby or job. I will need to use an object from your activity as a key element in the portrait. This session must be scheduled for Saturday, March 7 or the morning of Monday, March 9. I'm looking for welders, carpenters, firemen, artists, etc. Please include a description of your hobby or job and the location. The participant for this session will be chosen on Thursday, February 26th.

Anyone who applies for one of these sessions but is not chosen will receive an offer for a greatly reduced mini-session in March.




To apply for a session, contact DiAnna Paulk by email (info@diannapaulk.com) or phone (334.324.9533).

Heads Up

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted some family snaps! EJ is about 6 weeks old now. He's holding up his head and has found his fingers. He's quite the big boy at 14 lbs!

Fun Day

I've been wanting to photograph these three beautiful sisters since I became interested in portrait photography. When the oldest of the three needed engagement portraits, I saw my chance! I told her she had to come when her sisters would come with her. We started indoors under studio lighting, then moved outside in the beautiful weather we're (finally) enjoying today. I couldn't have asked for better models. I'm proud to call them cousins, too. Here are a few I grabbed from both locations as a sneak peek.













My husband was an excellent assistant today! He held up old doors and a 4x6 collapsible backdrop I used as a large reflector. Thanks, hon!

Pet Portraits

Yes, January was scheduled to be Pet Portrait month ... and yes, a newsletter with all the details was scheduled to go out early in the month ... but life takes us in other directions sometimes. It reminds me that the Bible says we should never state our plans like we have control of them, but all of our plans should be qualified with "if the Lord wills." (James 4:15) Between upper respiratory infections and family needs the pet portrait month has come and gone without pet portraits. I will try again later this year ... if the Lord wills.

This is my 13-year old cat ... probably closer to 14 by now. He was a stray so I can't be certain. He wandered into our backyard when he was a small kitten. He was covered in blisters, dehydrated and hungry. He was terrified of humans, but loved other cats so he followed one of my daughter's cats into the house before he realized what he was doing. He was the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." After I rescued him my otherwise very sweet husband told me if I took in another stray animal he was leaving me! So, this black-and-white cat is the only one I have left. The others have died. But I still have my hubby :)



This is my neighbor's cat who likes to visit occasionally.

A Few of My Favorite Things

I got together Saturday morning with some people who have become very special to me. I met them through my photography. They are all excellent photographers and I will post links to their blogs and websites in a future post. We each needed portraits of ourselves for our websites, but we're always on the other end of the lens! I confess, these are my favorites of me! LOL! They do illustrate some of my favorite things:

My Canon 5D and the 70-200mm f/2.8 IS USM lens:



old jeans, pedicures and crocks -- especially the flip-flop crocks:



We swapped cameras and lenses so much I'm not sure to whom the credit belongs for these fun shots!