How do you recharge?

Hi Everybody!

I'm about to fly out to Kansas City to photograph a truly special wedding tomorrow...and as I look at my desk and see the lists of things I wanted to get done before I left (which didn't!), I am centering myself instead of wasting too much energy judging my performance in the office this week! I had over one thousand pictures to cull from the Miss Pierce County Pageant on March 6th, in addition to regular office tasks and shoots!

I learned from my business coach, Karen Buckley, about how different people recharge, and it's been really helpful and I thought I'd share that nugget with you all. The basic idea is that some people recharge by being alone, going away, in the quiet and silence of themselves. Other people recharge by going "out", gathering around people, around bustling activity and getting pumped up by the collective energy surrounding them.

Well pretty much instantly, I could make a list of my friends and family and who recharges how. For me, it's a no brainer. I LOVE being alone "lost in her own thoughts" like the Pemco Insurance commercials say on the radio up here about the "bookstore waif"' you'll find so easily here in the Pacific Northwest. Though with a full-time business and full-time family, I'm not waifing around the bookstore a lot...I have realized HOW critical it really is for us to keep an eye on your energy level and mood, and recognize when a little recharge is necessary.

So I'm truly looking forward to the time in the airport and the time in the air today...ipod, pen and a pad and I'm one happy recharging camper.

Portraits For Haiti

Hi Everybody! I don’t know one person who hasn’t been deeply touched and devastated in their own way due to the mind blowing earthquake that took place in Haiti just weeks ago. The footage of the mass destruction and the loss of lives is enough to keep me awake at night. The horror to have your husband/wife or worse yet, child missing or found dead, just turns my stomach. My heart goes to everyone involved but especially the children. Perhaps it’s because I myself am a mom, but I just can’t get the images of the injured and children out of my head. Already there were so many children who were deemed orphans before the quake hit but now the number of parent-less children is overwhelming.

I have spent the last 3 months writing snail mail letters to deployed soldiers, via the remarkable group Soldiers Angels.
It has been incredibly grounding for me and hopefully grounding for our deployed men and women. I haven't talked about it before now...I was doing it for me but I see how by spreading the word, you might think about writing to a soldier, too.

Well, the ravishing and talented Jenna Karowski of JFK Weddings asked if I would be willing to donate a day or portrait shooting to help the children of Haiti. My answer? Totally.

Myself along with some of my lovely photographer friends are coming together to put on a special portrait event to help raise money for the devastation in Haiti caused by the recent earthquake.
We are all giving our time and talents to do portrait sessions all day on Sunday February 21st, for donations. ALL proceeds will go directly to the cause.
If you have been thinking about getting professional pictures (your kiddo’s, family, senior, pictures with your sweetheart or anything else) done or if you haven’t had a chance to donate yet, this event is for you. We will be making 30 minute appointments for all day Sunday February 21st, 2010.
If you are interested in securing your portrait session please email me directly at PortraitsForHaiti@jfkstudios.com and I will promptly email you back with more information and get you scheduled. Appointments are being taken on a first come first serve basis and spots will fill up quickly, so email today!
Thank you to Jenna Karowski, Jessica Hanaumi, Emma Smith, Shannon Hodson & Amanda Mays for volunteering your time and talents to help make a difference!!

What I've Been Up To

Hi Everybody!

This time of year has always been a wonderful time of creative mixup mashup inside my head, and right now is no exception. Below are a few examples of what I've been up too while I'm not blogging...I'm off to Texas on Wednesday to shoot my cousin's wedding so today's blog is short.

I'm really into this quote from "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron...


"Being creative is different than living a creative life."


I am SO into living a creative life, but too much I think we get the two confused. Having to "be" creative is a sort of a judgment call, it brings pressure to mind because "being" creative to me is seen as something you either have or you don't. Obviously that's ridiculous because we are all creative by nature...creativity has a depth and a breadth that is far more than drawing or painting or singing or any of the traditional aspects I think of....to me, it's a relief to remember I can choose to live a creative life...that's a verb. I can DO that.

I got on the drums the other night with my ipod on. Sure there were other things to do. But I wanted to follow along and let Dave Grohl give me a private lesson...after about 45 minutes I needed a hearty drink of water! Later that night when we had a jam session, everybody agreed I rocked exceptionally hard...Brent laughs at what 45 minutes of practice does for me...and what's weird is that the feeling lasts...the feeling of honoring yourself, letting it all out, and having others recognize it is just extra confirmation, but it does feel good.

Is there something you've forgotten to do in a while? Is there a burning desire you're ignoring, living with a little tiny itch of dissatisfaction that you can't place? Be open to letting it creep it's way out from where it's hiding inside of you...even if your Inner Critic is telling you why you shouldn't. If it's too much, at least listen what your Inner Critic has to say...cause the truth is you have a right to living a creative life as much as any other beating heart that's ever beated.

What's Happening December 4th and 5th????

Hi Everybody!! Whether you're a photographer or a client, I'd love to see you and hang out at one of my TWO events coming up VERY SOON!!

On Friday, December 4th at Julie Watts Photo Studios, portrait photographers are invited to a very special, "Photographer's Preview" on Saturday, December 5th.

I hope to see you there, photog friends, and please, bring a friend! It will be a FUN NIGHT for sure!!

Clients!! I am so excited for you to come check out my newly updated Studio space! If I've never photographed you in my studio, come see what it's all about!

Saturday I'm raffling off a GALLERY WRAP CANVAS WALL PRINT and some lucky client who comes is gonna win it!! Come say hello and see if one of YOUR pictures is on display! You'll recieve a crazy 50% off regular print prices JUST in time to send to Grandma Hildegard in Toledo for the holidays! Knock out half of your Christmas list in one stop...beautiful portraits never go out of style and are always appreciated for years to come...in fact beautiful portraits are the one affordable gift you can give that becomes more valuable over time to those that love you the most.

Stay tuned!! I've been setting up the new studio with brick red paint, tile & wood flooring, and MORE!! Mark your calendars and come out and say hello December 4th or 5th!

BABIES!!!

Hi Everybody!

Okay so there is quite the baby boom occurring here at Julie Watts Photo! No, not me, silly, it's you, my clients (though I introduce my new niece at the end of this post)!!

Through weddings and seniors I meet most of you, and from those photographic roots, you ask me to photograph your bellies, your babies. And I get so excited for your pregnancies...I didn't know I'd actually get to photograph my clients create families for themselves, year after year. It's a very dynamic part of photography...the ever-growing body of my work that is not just one chapter of my client's life, it's chapter after chapter...each one as fun as the next because I get to KNOW you all so well...and it's not just "any" photographer coming over to photograph your newborn, it's YOUR photographer, Julie Watts.

So in celebration of all of the buns in the oven I'll be photographing over the coming months, here are a few memorable images I've created for you in the past!

This little darling totally knocked us out with this wildly classical looking pose and expression!

The soft...slow...snuggly...this is the life of a Newborn...(above)

Tasty toes and scrumptious baby chub

Overflowing with personality

Anticipation...your a big FOUR year old now...

Portrait of a Snowbaby

Lilly's Curiosity

Emily in a Dress, all Grown Up (above)

Just Plan Mischevious and Adorable!!

Addison...too busy Dreaming to be mischevious....yet! Adorable since the beginning...

And introducing Nuala...a new friend of the Julie Watts Photo! She's a bright little thing and appears to have couch lounging DOWN at only three weeks. What an absolute DOLL, don'tcha think?!

What a peaceful, beautiful way to remember childhood...outside with your mom and dad and nothing else...for most people, pictures are a major part of remembering your childhood...and these experiences are authentic moments that are sparked into existence because of a need for current family pictures...so the experience turns out to be just as much as memorable as the images themselves...which leads me to give you a little insider info about a special promotion I am lining up. In coordination with celebrating my NEW, STYLISH website being launched, I'll be offering a LIMITED number of past clients a family portrait session September through November, in plenty of time for the holidays...

And above are my own little darlings...and there's ONE more addition...our family welcomed a new NEICE on July 21...baby Alaina Marie!

Aunt Julie Rocks!!! lol

Sweet Pleasures, Mother & Daughter

Hi Everybody! Hey guess what? I'm almost all the way caught up on blogging...I've got some '09 seniors to show you, two more weddings from the past TWO WEEKS I'm finishing up, but for now, I'd love to show you the lovely, the talented, mother and daughter duo, Shannon & Taylee.


Taylee struck me with her poise. I love her soft smile in this one...

Ohhh...the stuff of life. We've brushed hair/been brushed a thousand times as girls and women...we've said "Ouch!" and we've said "Sorry, I'll try to be gentle but you've got a knot." We've whined hoping it'd get over with, and we've left the braid not QUITE even 'cause we know we've got to pick our battles...okay so maybe when I say "we" I really mean "me", but chances are 50% percent of the population has been on one end or another of this process. That's why it's so fun to get shots of these "ordinary" moments...because so many memories are brought back when you see them...because you've never really seen yourselves from this perspective...kudos to all you mom's out there! You too, Shannon. You are one heck of a mom.

So, after I grabbed that, I looked down. It was just too perfect:

Here's some more favorites:

Next, we ran over to my studio in Edgewood to get a few more formal, black on black portraits...

I just love how their mother-daughter bond shows through...

I always have a great time on my shoots, but mother/daughter shoots are close to my heart!! My daughter is 6...about time for ME to get a shoot done like this with MY daughter, don't you think?

Baby Olivia & The Essence of Squish

Olivia. What a cutie! I grabbed this in between shots. . .I love the documentary feel of it.




And Angela's mom had this AWESOME old freaky chair in the middle of her very contemporary and normal colored home. We balanced Olivia with mom sitting on the floor behind the chair (you can see her arm).

A lot of parents think their babies aren't acting "normal" when being photographed. It usually just takes them some time to warm up. Photographers and their cameras are VERY interesting to small children occasionally and they are just too curious to smile in the beginning. . . .

I've never so well captured the essence of "squish" that make babies so irresistable...

Jeez, did I say something wrong Olivia?! lol

Lil baby buns. . . .

Olivia those BLUE EYES! My Goodness! On her head, if you are wondering, are Olivia's superficial hematomas. They are just on the surface, don't hurt or do anything, and will go away eventually....

Can't wait to get to watch you grow up Olivia!

Olivia is the darling offspring of one of my BBB, (brides before I started blogging), Angela and her husband Josh. Let's revisit their April '07 wedding a moment. . . .

Aw yes. Angela's so vintage-y I loved this one in particular.

This dress was handmade by Angela's mother...GOR-Geous....

Vienna 5 and 6 months!! Studio Vs. Location

This is a good opportunity to compare studio versus outdoor (or "location") shooting. Here we have Vienna's 5 month images from the studio!

The Watermelon Pucker...

When you can't beat 'em, Dad joins 'em!!!

Whoa Mom, what is THAT?!

High Key studio portraiture, basically, is shooting white on white, or at the very least it's lightly toned. This would be an example of a high key shot.

With studio portraiture, everything in the shoot needs to be preplanned. The lighting, backdrops, props, etc. The sky is the limit in terms of what your possibilities are, but it takes much more space for shooting, but more for storage of studio stuff. Also, studio shooting gives you ultimate control. By nature I'm not very high-maintenance, and my studio shooting reflects that. I keep it Simple. . .even if it's like this shot below, it's simple. This only took one light and one backdrop...

I have realized over the last few years that I am the type of person that functions really well in uncertain or uncontrolled conditions. I love the variety and uniqueness of shooting on location. I love the unpredictability of a wedding day. The whole world can be your studio, if you are willing to give up some control and think on your feet. It just depends on what you want the outcome to be.

I think like most photographers, I started shooting outdoors, around the house, etc. I can imagine that when a photographer eventually tries the studio, there are some of us who hear angels sing and realize that they truly love aspects of studio shooting. For me however, I just have to laugh at how truly shocked I felt the first time I stood in front of a white backdrop. It was just..so....white. And foreign. There weren't the usual conditions I was so comfortable working with. After the shock wore off, it turned into amusement. It was like discovering photography again for the first time, and it was an opportunity to play and make mistakes and search for answers. I will never be done learning about studio shooting...which means I'll never get bored!

Ahhh, but on location, that's where I feel the most at home. Speaking of home, I love it when clients take a chance and let me shoot at their home even though "There aren't any good spots here." There's ALWAYS good spots, and I think it's especially helpful to have a professional photographer show you where they are so that you can appreciate aspects of your home in a whole new way!

Okay so last week, we took advantage of the backyard maples at our place!!

It's hard to believe you are already six months, Vienna! See you next month!