Erin Alaine » portraits

Brycie’s Maternity Shoot

erinalaine — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:31:11 +0000

Things have been a little stressful around here lately. I needed a little fun. All work and no play makes Erin a dull girl. So yesterday, my friend Brycie and I went around town and took some pictures of her cute little pregnant belly. Here are a few images.

Brycie’s Maternity Sneak Peak

erinalaine — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 02:09:49 +0000

Shannon Kennedy Sneak Peak {and For Photographers!! – Batch Processing and Workflow}

erinalaine — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:57:52 +0000

As someone who spends most of her day in front of a computer screen, I’m constantly looking for ways to streamline my workflow and be more efficient. Enter – batch processing. Batch processing allows you to take one (or a whole combination of) image adjustments – whether it be white balance adjustments, exposure compensation, general color shifts, whatever- and apply it to a whole series of similar photos in mere seconds. It’s soooo freeing to be able to process a whole bunch of images at once and not have to open. up. each. one. in. Photoshop. It’s especially handy when you are working with a lot of images (like from a wedding!). There are a number of software programs that are great for batch processing, such as Adobe Lightroom, Aperture, and Bridge (just to name a few). Knowing that you’re not always relying on “fixing it in Photoshop” also forces you to look for better light, better surroundings, and create a better image within the camera. Here are a few shots from a recent Artist/Lifestyle shoot I did for Orange County based singer/songwriter/saxophonist Shannon Kennedy. Every one of these images was batch processed in Adobe Lightroom. Not a single one was opened up in Photoshop.

As you can see, the bulk of the work is already done! Now all I have to do in Photoshop is select the ones I want to edit a little further (ie. perhaps whiten teeth/eyes, add a texture, or do some really INTENSE editing). But for the most part, that’s a wrap!! Easy peasy lemon cheesy.

An all day smooch fest

erinalaine — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:50:49 +0000

Last week, I had the privilege of shooting my very dear friends, Alan and Brycie. My husband and I have known this sweet couple since our college days and feel incredibly blessed to call them friends. They’re beautiful people inside and out and we are thrilled that they finally moved to Nashville. {to be closer to us, of course.} They are expecting their first baby in the fall and it was so great to give them some pictures of the two of them before the baby arrives. We had fun romping around downtown Franklin, drinking coffee, window shopping, and dancing in the middle of the street. And – based on how many times I asked them to kiss – it was basically an all day smooch fest. Hehe.

I am so excited to share these photos with you all! So, without further ado, I give you Alan and Brycie’s photo shoot. Enjoy!

Alan and Brycie {Outtake}

erinalaine — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:51:14 +0000

Here’s an outtake/sneak peak from my shoot on Saturday with Alan and Brycie. A full post will soon follow. I’m husband-less and dog-less for the next two days, so I’m using this time to catch up on some much needed cleaning. Have a great week!!

Jeremy Cowart Workshop {part deux}

erinalaine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:01:26 +0000

A number of weeks ago, I participated in my very first photography workshop. Me and about 15+ amazing photographers spent a day and a half gleaning all we could from the, yes, THE Jeremy Cowart. I believe I speak for most of my fellow workshop attendees when I say “inspiring” was the theme of the weekend. Whether Jeremy meant it to be that way or not, a number of us left that January workshop inspired to leave pieces of who we are in every photo we take. It’s taken me this long to actually write a post because I’ve been digesting the weekend and what it means for me. I’ve been trying to figure out how to take that “camp high” and translate it into my every day life. First, I’ll give you a few snippets from the weekend, then I’ll attempt to unpack my thoughts… at least as they are at this point.

Jeremy spent a good deal of time going through his collection of images and giving us the stories behind them. Having previously seen a lot of his work, it was cool to hear a 'behind the scenes' of some of the photos I'd admired from afar.

We followed Jeremy around while he did a mock bank shoot with some models. He went through his thought process as he positioned each model.

We also watched him do some studio stuff.

We broke up into groups of 4-5. Each group had a model and off we went.

{View more of the images from this shoot here.}

After I returned home from the weekend, my head was spinning.

Who am I?

I don’t know.

I guess I have a lot of things to ponder.

Ok, ok. Enough with the Zoolander references. In all seriousness though, I ~~did~~ do kind of feel like that. Weeks later, I’m still working it all out. But I know that it’s time to put on my big girl panties and stop making excuses for myself (ie. I’m self taught, I’m not really that creative, I don’t have all my ducks in a row, etc ).

My time at the workshop inspired me to make my own path, not just try to copy the paths of others – because I’m not like any of the others. My path shouldn’t be either. And that’s ok. Because if two of us are identical, then one of us is irrelevant.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Some images from the Jeremy Cowart workshop

erinalaine — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 06:59:36 +0000

A few black and whites. More to come soon…

Key Biscayne Wedding

erinalaine — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:05:49 +0000

Last month, I had the opportunity to second shoot a wedding with my friend and amazing Memphis photographer, Ashleigh Peak. The wedding was held just outside of Miami in beautiful Key Biscayne, Florida. Everything from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony to the reception was held at the ultra snazzy Ritz Carlton, where the wedding party and guests where staying. Ashleigh and I were able to stay for the weekend as well and had the chance to dine and hang out with the wedding party for a few days.

Everyone involved was incredibly chill and laid back – a photographer’s dream! I can honestly say that this is the first wedding I’ve been a part of where I actually felt more relaxed and refreshed afterwards than I did before.

Thank you Paul and Kelley for allowing me to be a part of your special day. And mucho thanks to Ashleigh for letting me tag along and take pics {and for letting me eat all the chocolate off of the hotel room pillows.} =)

{Seniors} Kelsey

erinalaine — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:35:40 +0000

Here are some images from one my most exciting shoots this year! While shooting on the rocks, the ocean tried to claim one of my flip flops. Took it right off my foot. So naturally I ran around like a mad man trying to get it back. Seriously, I ran into the ocean after my shoe. With pounds and pounds of camera gear on my back. I thought “If it comes down to choosing between the shoe and my camera, the camera definitely wins… but I want my shoe!!” In the end, they both won. I got my shoe back, and my camera remained safe and dry. I wish I could have said the same for my pants though.

This is Kelsey’s senior portrait shoot. It was at 11 am on the beach so the highlights are a little blown, but I kinda like it.

What do you guys think?

At the end, a group of guys asked Kelsey if they could take their picture with her because she “looked like a real California girl.” I thought it was because they thought she was Taylor Swift. Haha.

The Prater Family

erinalaine — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:05:47 +0000

The Prater family took part in my SoCal holiday mini sessions this year. I had so much fun tromping around South Laguna with them. Check out how adorable their three girls are. They’re gonna be heartbreakers for sure.