Perry Family in Centennial Olympic Park!

On the first day of the year with perfect weather, Keri and I decided to have a picnic prior to the Perry photo shoot at Piedmont Park.  I figured she and I could get there and just hang out for a bit basking the warm pre-spring sunlight.  We had a great relaxing time... then Molly called and informed me that she had chosen Centennial Park for the shoot, not Piedmont.  Entirely my fault, because I realized she did tell me correctly.  It's just when she was talking about the playground and great skyline views, I envisioned the same thing... at a different spot.  Oops! But the weather was amazing, so we had plenty of time to get all of these fun shots in.  By far my favs were at the fountain below. 

The Sullivan Family

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of taking pictures of Amanda and Brad Sullivan's family.  Well, I guess when you get married and have a kid, your parents and sister turn into "extended family?"  Funny how that works.  These photos were taken on a Sunday afternoon at their home in Brookhaven.  Elana is Amanda's 19 month old daughter.  She was quite the funny photo subject in that whenever she was having her picture taken she would squirm and fidget and walk away.  Apparently however, I wasn't the problem because she'd immediately walk up to me and smile.  No idea why she only did that when out of the frame, but it was the case.  Nora, Amanda's neice (9 month old), really had no idea what was going on, but she was a happy baby that enjoyed the taste of leaves in the front yard (see second to last photo).  Fiber is good for digestion, I guess?

And I just had to put this one in the mix...

Holiday and Greeting Cards

Just a fun little reminder that when you have a portrait session with Alex the Photo Guy, you get a nifty online gallery of your photos to share with family and friends.  Along with that gallery you get access to all kinds of exciting gifts, prints, canvas prints, and cards.  The cards are super easy to make online with hundreds of customizable templates.  Here are a few from recent portrait sessions. 

Click on the cards for a larger view.

Happy Holidays from Alex the Photo Guy!

Braxton Romeyn | atlanta portrait photographer

A few days before Thanksgiving this year I had the pleasure of photographing baby Braxton.  He was born last month to a couple of good friends from my day job.   This shoot was a lot of fun, but also helped me remember the top two rules of easy baby photography:

#1:  Make sure the baby is asleep. #2:  Babies hate being nekkid. 

I really think the saying should be changed to "let sleeping babies lie."  Sleeping babies are just as cute as awake babies, but don't fuss or cry.  As far as rule #2 goes, I think it's pretty easy to understand.  If you were nekkid and had someone taking pictures, I'm sure you'd cry too.  If you must have nekkid baby photos, save them for the end of the shoot so the babies can get at least some time to be happy and comfy.

The fall leaves outside were an awesome spot for a backdrop (though they sometimes made the photo look like "hey, someone left a baby over there in those leaves!").   Believe it or not, daddy claims he raked the entire yard last weekend and filled 15 yard bags.  I guess it's the price you pay for nice foliage.

See rule #2 above.

And the unintentional last photo that ended up being mommy's favorite.

New Alex The Photo Guy site is LIVE!

I've owned the domain since college.  Three years ago I re-upped it's registration and I contracted my good friend Greg Vilines at Webnormous to begin work on the site.   Then a combination of producing an album, playing in a band, get married, and having his house burn down slowed Greg's progress on the site a bit.  A combination of helping with the album, buying a house, running a photo business, general laziness, and getting engaged slowed me down too.  I know my excuses aren't as valid as a house fire, but regardless of the timing, it is finally LIVE! Greg built the whole thing from scratch and he did a damn good job on it.  I know I was a difficult client at times but in the end we got it all worked out.  There will be a few tweaks made in the coming months, but since it's 99% done, we figured why not launch it?  This will be a soft opening for my six blog readers and facebook friends until I get it 100% finished.

Keep in mind the new site isn't going to be a replacement for the blog- just think of it as a "best of Alex the Photo Guy."  I'll still keep you up to date with my crazy photo antics here on the blog, so don't stop reading!

Let me know what you think!  Many thanks again to Greg who did all the hard work.  All I did was take a few photos.  If you need a website, let me know and I'll get you in contact with Webnormous.

The McCombe Family | Atlanta Portrait Photographer

Lauren and I have known each other since 6th grade orchestra class.   I was always second chair to her, though I never minded.  I just loved hearing her play... plus it took all the pressure off of me to lead the basses.  :)  I always knew her as Lauren Cauthorn and I actually had to check facebook before writing this post to find out her married name.   Granted she has been married to a charming British bloke man for a few years now, I just don't pay attention to silly details like "names." This set of photos, much like the Giles family post earlier took place at Thrasher Park.  I knew it would be a good spot for them because Cameron loves trains and they run past the park about every 30 minutes.

The Giles Family | Atlanta Portrait Photographer

I can say the Giles family is one of my favorite repeat customers thus far.  Granted, most of my shoots are weddings and it would be terrible to say I have favorite repeat customers there... though I really toyed with the idea of a company motto that read, "If you aren't happy with your photos, you're next wedding is free!"  Most people probably wouldn't get the humor as a lot can be lost in translation on the interwebs. These photos were taken at Thrasher Park in downtown Norcross.  It was a great spot... actually a little too great as the place was PACKED with familes and kids running around everywhere.  In fact, I think there were 3 other professional photographers there doing the same thing I was. 

And finally, the "why is this guy following me around???" look.