Graham is getting BIG

Are you ready to see some adorable images?  Are you sure?  This may be more cuteness than you can handle....

I loved this shoot so much!  He was not interested in smiling much, but his serious face is so sweet it was not a problem at all.  Look at those beautiful eyes and lashes.  I don't know how his Mommy and Daddy could ever say "No" to that face.

When I got to their house they were all ready for me.  By the time I was done I could see he was getting tired, but he did not complain at all!  8 months old and no whining even though he was so tired.  That is so nice.  His dog, Abby, was not interested in getting photos done, but she was a good sport about it.  I think she liked me....or maybe it was the treats.

It is still too cold to play outside for long.

I love his lashes

His Grandpa made this toy box for him!

This is the serious face I got most of the time I was there.....so cute!

Sweet Baby "R" is 10 Days Old

I love sweet squishy brand new babies!  I was so excited to do this session it was unbelievable.  She is such a lucky baby to have this wonderful loving family and 3 big sisters who you can tell already love her more than anything.

Every time I get to photograph a newborn I try to come over when they are usually sleepy.  I have never ever had a baby sleep for very long and this little cutie was no exception.  I tell myself that they are too excited that I am there and don't want to miss it.  That sounds good to me.  She was very tired and that gave me opportunities for some super cute yawning photos.  Eventually she did fall asleep as you can see.

This was the first new baby that I have photographed that did not go to the bathroom on me though, so I am thankful for that.  I don't mind really when that happens, it just is not the most fun part of the session.  It is hard to beat snuggling a sweet squishy newborn.

I wanted to do something with this gorgeous piano, but ran out of time.

This quilt was her mommy's.

Her grandma made this quilt.

Valentine Bookmarks

What fun we had with this year's Valentine photos!  At first my oldest, Avery, was not at all interested in doing picture valentines.  I was of course disappointed, but was all set to buy him the valentines from the store.   Then next day after school I was talking to my daughter about how she was going to get to paint for her photos and my oldest says, "Can we do pictures of me blowing a bubble?"  Apparently he has gotten really good at blowing bubbles with his gum lately and is excited about it.  Of course I used the opportunity to talk him into doing picture valentines.  YES!  Check out that bubble!  He really has gotten good at blowing bubbles.

 

 My daughter, Natalie, is almost always a good sport when I want to take some photos.  And when there is paint involved she really gets excited!  She had on some cute jeans so I told her to go get her red shirt on.  She came out of the dressing room wearing this frilly dress.  Okay.....that works too.  She is such a girly girl.  I have a major in Art, so I have palettes, brushes and paints on hand.

My littlest guy, Cameron, is a different challenge all together.  Sometimes he wants nothing to do with the camera.  I still take photos of him because he is cute even when he is crying., but I don't want to make valentines out of those, so his photos were a little bit less planned than the other kids'.  I had him all dressed in a plaid shirt and work boots and he did not want pictures that day.  The next day though he was being all silly and happy wearing the cute little tool-belt so that is when we did his Valentine photos.

 

 Next was coming up with the cheesy sayings.  I had trouble coming up with sayings I thought were cheesy enough.  Thankfully I have great family and friends to help me with that.  Then I put 2 bookmarks side by side in PhotoShop and being always thrifty I sent them to the lab to be printed on a 4"x6".  When the package arrived I just had to cut them in half to have 2"x6" bookmarks.  That size is just right.

I took the kids to the store to pick out ribbon for the bookmarks.  Each of them got to pick out a spool.  Avery's favorite color is green, Natalie chose pink, and Cameron chose brown (with a little help).  I think the part they liked best was choosing the beads to put on the ribbons.  In this photo my husband is helping Cameron by holding the ribbon while he puts the beads on..

Then they each wrote their names on the Valentines and taped candy to them.  I think one of the reasons Avery didn't want to do photo Valentines was because he thought he wouldn't be able to give candy with them.  He was very happy to see that he gets to give candy to his friends at school.

Gorgeous Moma | Maternity Portraits

What fun this beautiful mama was to photograph!  I brought backdrops and lighting expecting to be shooting inside.  It was such a mild day for January in Michigan.  We have had very little snow so far.  This winter has been strange....We have been having 50° one day and 0° just 2 days later.  Then we get the snow and slushy roads and it is all melted away the next day.  For this shoot I was a little bit hoping for snow, but the warm colors of the grasses look so beautiful.  I am sure in the next few months there will be plenty of opportunities for me to go out in the cold snow and take photos.  

I was also expecting to have her 3 beautiful daughters in some of the photos.  Unfortunately due to conflicting schedules we had to do the session during school hours.  With only 3 weeks until her expected delivery date I am glad we didn't wait any longer.  I must say that I feel honored that this busy working mom wanted to spend her alone time with me. 

We didn't do any photos inside, but Oh how excited I am for newborn portraits.  We went inside after the session for just a bit and OH the POSSIBILITIES!  My head was instantly overflowing with creativeness.  I can't wait!

I love.love.love her lashes

I love quilts.  I would incorporate them into every session if I could.

The barn and silo in the background here have been in the family for generations. 

2011 Couples

All About Me

My name is Samantha Dickerson. I am a photographer out of Lenawee County in southeast Michigan with over 10 years of photography experience. You can contact me at skdickerson1@gmail.com or 517-262-7409.  My main focus is photo-journalistic, natural light photography.  Of course I will use artificial light and light manipulators instead of or to compliment any available natural light.  All sessions are on location.  I have been interested in photography since before I can remember.  One of the first "major" purchases when I got my first job was a nice camera.  I have always been very artistic.  I got my first SLR camera(Canon Rebel G) for a photography class in 1999.  Ever since I have not been without an SLR or DSLR.  I went to college for Art education my major media being photography.  I now have a bachelors degree.  I am so lucky to have my 3 beautiful children.  They get so tired of my always wanting to photograph them.  I can't help myself.  They are so adorable it is very inspiring.  I know I have a lot to learn about photography, but i also have a lot to offer.  That is one of the many things I love about photography.  There is always something to learn because  1) there is so very much to know and 2) the technology is ever changing.  I love learning new things.  I am an artist.  I enjoy painting (some of my backdrops are hand painted), drawing (with charcoal, graphite, pastels, pretty much anything that marks), sculpting with clay (Sculpy and air dry clay are very fun to for kids) and sculpting with found objects.

    

This is how I normally look.

What's in my bag?

Camera Body:
       Canon 5D Mark III

       Canon 7D

       Canon G12 

Lenses:

       50mm f1.4

       70-200mm f2.8L

       50mm f2.5 macro

       28-135mm f3.5-5.6

Speed lights:

       Canon 580ex

       Canon 540ez

One day he will be so mad I took this photo,

I LOVE to bake!  Especially in the cold months.  Maybe because it is art you can eat.  These pig cakepops were a big hit in my house.  1 cake makes about 60 cakepops.  I only usually make half at a time, but we still end up giving them to people because their are so many.  No-one complains about that.

My baby guy resting with me.

 

Sewing is another things I enjoy.  It is like Art you can wear!  Every year I put a photo of the kids in our Christmas cards.  Christmas 2011 I wanted to do a Christmas cookies photo.  The aprons the kids already had were patterned and just too busy to have all of them together for a photo.  I made these white aprons and hats to match.  The kids were actually excited to do these photos because 1) they got to wear new hats and aprons and 2) they got to eat cookies!

She likes to be like Mommy.

The kids are always finding friends to bring home.

My oldest loves to read.

Kids without pants is normal at my house

Recommendations:

"I have had Samantha do my photography sessions on several occasions including my wedding pictures and have been happy with all of the shots. She has been very professional and friendly. I would choose her for future sessions with the confidence to know that I will be happy with the results."

Jessica Cheadle – July 6, 2011

"Sam has phenomenal ability to photograph children. Her ideas are never ending. I thoroughly enjoy having her take photos of my kids and family. There are always so many great shots-it is hard for me to choose"

Allison Ott – July 5, 2011

 

"Samantha took pictures of my family last summer. She was punctual, well organized, and friendly. My son was 15 months old at the time and she was amazing with him; patient and able to get many smiles. The pictures were beautiful and delivered in a timely manner. She was able to capture who we are; not just your standard poses. I can't wait to have her photograph us again." 

Sarah Publiski – July 5, 2011