Matt + Casey {Engaged}

I had the pleasure of meeting Casey after she happened to see a session I did for two cutie pies she used to nanny for. (these two adorable kiddos!) 

She decided to plan very far ahead for her March wedding of next year. (I cannot stress how much I love an organized bride!) 

When I met Casey and Matt, it was in their cute little apartment with their sweet, hyper dog who I insisted they must bring with them to take pictures. (She tried to jump in my car and come home with me... and I just might have let her) 

We met up at Hermann Park in Houston on a particularly crowded day. (It turns out a Japan festival was going on!) Hottest day of the year, by far. They might have hated me a little for the giant trek we made in the heat... until NOW! 

Totally worth the walk, right guys?! 

I can't wait to watch you guys get married! 

The ongoing messiness of a toddler

Lately, the rain has really been a buzzkill. 

I finally did get to shoot an engagement last weekend and the blog for that is coming soon! 

In the meantime, I thought I'd show everyone a little bit more of what life with a messy toddler is like. Plus, my kid is CUTE. 

Don't judge my house until you live with a toddler. They're tornados of destruction! 

Mastin Labs

I haven't blogged since March 27th!? How did this happen?! 
I'm sure so many people are desperately missing my enormous internet presence...haha.

I'd like to take a minute to talk about Lightroom Presets. Specifically, Mastin Labs.

Kirk Mastin is basically a genius. He's developed several sets of presets that emulate film better than any I've ever come across. The colors alone make these packs immensely helpful in my own personal workflow.

Mastin Labs was developed initially for hybrid shooters. ("What is a hybrid shooter?") Basically, it's someone who uses a film camera and a DSLR interchangeably in their sessions or at a wedding. The goal is to put film scans side by side with a digital image and have them be identical. Kirk has made this dream a reality for MANY MANY photographers. (Seriously, this guy has a LOT of fans!)

I personally purchased the Mastin Fuji pack (here) because I loved the colors. (I cannot say enough about these COLORS!) 

However, seeing the work shared by other hybrid shooters has inspired me to take on film as a way of honing my craft and challenging myself. I recently purchased my first film camera! 

I decided today that I would go back to some older sessions (cringe!) and reedit them using Mastin Labs for your viewing pleasure :) Make sure to pay particular attention to the greens in each image! 

Film images are also cropped differently! Thus the difference in height of the image. 

This one is just for fun! Their dog (Obi Wan) is too too cute! 

For me, Mastin Labs edits (right image) always win. The color is richer, the hues are perfect and the contrast is so lovely. 

Look at those skin tones! The greens in the grass. Sigh...

This is just ONE PACK, y'all! Kirk also offers a Portra pack for super warm skin tone lovers, and an Illford pack that produces the most dramatically beautiful black and whites. (I will be purchasing both ASAP)

Photographers: be sure to check them out! https://mastinlabs.com