Photography by Tonya Cozart

The Medlin Family

2009-11-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

Featured Session

2009-11-09T12:08:00.000-08:00

Since I can share the videos online again, I may start featuring sessions this way. I will play around with it and see how it goes over and how I like it, but for now, I will use the videos :) If you are on facebook, I will also share and tag there (hint to join and friend me!)

For this week, a sweet baby girl! I am a few days behind in my workflow, so mom and dad are very anxious to see. What a precious angel she was in the studio, and I hear great things about her all around! Thanks so much for bringing her in, I really enjoyed all of you!

Miss Dawson's slide show :)

2009-11-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

Featured Session

2009-11-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

ok, back in action this week. I am sooo busy, the blog and facebook take a back seat when I am trying to stay caught up. I have several sessions I want to feature, so it's all good! I take a break in December if the mommies and babies allow, so the way it is looking, I will have sessions to feature even when I am not working, so that will be cool! Some of what I have done recently is really worthy of being featured, I am quite proud, if I do say so myself.
This week, Miss Grace turned one and came in for her smash cake session. I don't have to tell you how fun these are! I never get tired of seeing these little ones dive into their cakes, and I have yet to see a baby have the same reaction twice!
While Grace was here, she was a bit cranky, and we were trying to sneak some family shots in as well, so when she was taking a break and walking around, I got a few of mom and dad! I love them, they are such a beautiful couple (and family)

Go check out facebook mom - I will be taggin ya in a few minutes!

I saw God today.

2009-10-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I just want to do a quick blog about how thankful I am that we have a God that loves us.

Without great details, I have been prayed for today, and it feels good.It also sent me to some time with God I have been needing to spend as well, and with a grateful heart.
So I just wanted to share that I am thankful for
*my Heavenly Father, who loves me in spite of myself.
*having loved ones in my life who listen to God
*having loved ones in my life who pray for me
*seeing in action God taking something that Satan meant for harm, and God using it for His good
*the peace to know that He is watching over us, even if we feel alone
*the gift He gives us in surrounding His children with Love, through our friends, family, and even the occasional stranger.

In all things, big and small - God is good.We are blessed.

2009 Christmas Cards

2009-10-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

I finally have the 2009 template collection ready for this year's christmas cards. There are two ways to order cards, one is to order a custom created card just for you from a session this year or one that is coming up. Pricing for those can be sent to you if requested, or you can view it in the price guide, or at your selection and design session. The template collection is designed for fast and easy pricing. You may choose one of four designs. For this price, you are restricted to these four, the only changes that can be made are if the colors clash with your portrait, they will be changed to match, and the words will of course reflect your family :) Also, with this option, other people may be sending out a card like yours.
With the custom option, you get a one-of-a-kind design, that no one else will have anything similar to. This costs a bit more, because it takes more work for me, but it is my most popular option.
Also, don't forget to take a look at the paper options available on the custom greetings.
The holidays are upon us, contact me if you want to send out greetings this year. I will be taking orders thru Thanksgiving. Sessions in December may order a card if done so early in the first week.

Please let me know if you want or need me to send more information. I am happy to do so!

Featuring online slideshows again!

2009-10-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to report that I will be featuring online slide shows again! I did this when I first started out, and it was wildly popular, but the program I use for it and the introduction of windows vista did not mesh well together, and it became nearly impossible to do. I have found a new company, and I am very happy to be able to put the slide shows back online! Now you can view them in the privacy of your own home, share with family and friends, and you can all laugh and cry together as you watch them. I am even going to have options where you can post them on facebook and load them on your iphone!

Today I will be putting up the first two!
so stay tuned....

Featured Session

2009-10-19T19:47:00.000-07:00

This weeks featured session is me proudly showing off one of my favorite families to photograph. This is their third year with me, I LOVE when clients come back year after year. They are a great group of kids, and mom and dad even joined in this time!

We had lots of fun out in dad's sunflower field, and can't you tell? Wow the images are so great! I am so proud of them. It was an overcast cool day, and I really wanted some sun to backlight those flowers, but you have to work with what you get, and I am not dissapointed.

These kids are another great example of the relationship you build when they are regular clients. Each year, the kids are more relaxed in front of the camera, and it shows. We interact better, they know what to expect from me, and I with them, it is a great way to play...and the results are the proof of that!

I just love working with Tracy, she is always after something original and that is how I roll too! My goal is to create something for each client that is different and uniquely you. Sometimes it is a slight difference, other times it really shows, but the word "custom" is used a lot in my work. Tracy and I fit just right in this arena. She has great ideas and will go the extra mile to "get the shot"!

Thanks Tracy, for being such a great and loyal client!
(go check out facebook too, got D tagged and there is a surprise there I am not sure you know about!)

Featured Session

2009-10-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Better late than never...
Here is this week's featured session, and what a little sweetheart!
Mommy saw my canvas baby bits display at McCalls, and called to bring her baby girl in so she could get one!

I love the way that babies curl up. This little pose is why it is so important to get those babies in early, early. The first two weeks work so much better, but they will curl up with a little assistance up to a month, and sometimes even 6 weeks, but if you get them here early, in those first few precious weeks, they are still "womby", and like that feeling of being swaddled and cuddled up tight. Once they get used to being stretched out and making use of all the room they have, curling them up for these precious poses gets more difficult.

This little sweetie was between 3-4 weeks, and still did well curling up, but we had a limit, and when she hit it, it was time to stretch!
She was such a little doll, the newest member to my baby plan, so watch for her again in 5 months.

Trying to get this weeks Featured Session posted...

2009-10-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

fighting the flu or something, working on it...

Featured Session

2009-10-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

I have a great maternity to share. This is another collaboration with my friend/colleague Cyndi duPont at her studio in Lubbock. Isn't it a great place? I love this image, because it shows such beauty in a maternity pose, but modest and elegant. Most people think of maternity images and immediatly think there has to be nudity, but that is not the case, there is so much we can do with your beautiful belly, you just have to trust in the artistry of the photographer. Your input is completely necessary of course, your comfort level is the main priority. Your pregnancy is to be celebrated for it's beauty, it is my goal to bring that beauty out.

Featured Session

2009-09-29T11:46:00.000-07:00

This image is from a session I did last week with my friend and colleague Cyndi duPont. She and I are partnering up for a new addition to each of our businesses, and this is the first of our shared portfolio. I will be giving more details later on what we will be doing together, but I just had to share this image. I am in love with it. This is a mom and her new baby, and just shows such beauty in that relationship.

My new Fan Page on Facebook

2009-09-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

My fan page on Facebook launched today. I wanted to invite you all to join :) there is a clickable link at the end of the post, it will take you to the site where you can become a fan of Tonya Cozart Photography. Isn't that cool?
Of course, you need a facebook profile, because it is a facebook thing, but if you are on FB, get on over and join. I will be posting there, tagging clients (which means if you are a fan, you will be able to use your images that I post on your own profile! yeah!)
Other things will happen there from time to time, but as I gain fans, I will be giving away "door prizes" so to speak. I will be picking random numbers in each set of 100's that join. The more that join, the more prizes!

Click below...go ahead and join facebook if you need to, it's lots of fun!

MY FAN SITE ON FACEBOOK

Featured Session

2009-09-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

This week I am featuring an image from one of my first maternity sessions from my collaboration with McCalls. What a sweet little mommy this girl is! I really enjoyed working with her.

For those that may not know, McCalls in Lamesa and I are partnering up. They have given me some great space in their store, in the baby section of course, to display some of my images. They are also providing a special gift to my studio if you register your baby shower with them.

I am still working on these images, I may have to share more later, but this is what I have so far. I really like it allot. This is done in my studio with natural light.

Mom is due any day now, if she has not had her precious one already, so hopefully we will get to see some newborn images soon!

Twilight Fans...a great sneak peek!

2009-09-14T09:54:00.001-07:00

Me and my teenager are so excited for the NEW MOON release in November! She is on top of all the latest news and sent me a new clip this morning, thought I would share it with you.
Click below...

Official New Moon Extended Trailer

Shared via AddThis

backseat blogging...???

2009-09-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

well, not so much like a backseat driver, but my blog has taken a backseat to other things in my life, particularly since school started. Anyone who blogs knows that while it is a relatively simple idea, it is much more time consuming than you realize. It is also quite allot of pressure to know you have people, readers, waiting on you to blog...

I have started a new routine this fall, going to the gym. While my plan is to take the kids to school and hit the gym for an hour m-f, and I am being dedicated, so far I have not made it for the complete week, though I am hitting 3-4 days with perseverance and dedication, and sadness and upset for the days I miss. So all in all, doing very well with the new life change.
What this means for my blog is, my workout time has replaced my blog time.So even the few posts I was getting in have dwindled. I may have to re-think the blog...maybe move it on over to facebook...cause now I am doing that too.
You have to figure out what works best. The fall is always the time I reflect on the year and start making changes for the up and coming year...so we will see how it goes
I am open to any and all suggestions and opinions about the blog, let me know what you think. Shoot me an email, leave a comment, whatever.

For now, this is all I have this week. I have had a bout with the tummy bug and I am home today taking care of a sick boy..

over and out :)

Friday Photo Tip

2009-09-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Another question I get often from my clients and people in general is " I have a really good (read expensive) camera, and still get bad pictures most of the time, why?"

First of all, buying an expensive camera, a pro camera, or an slr camera has about the same chance of making you a photographer as buying a piano has of making you a pianist. Even buying the latest Casio keyboard with built in bells and whistles (literally) won't help if you don't know the fundamentals and don't take the time to practice, practice, practice. Spending money on nice equipment will not automatically make your pictures better, in fact if you don't take the time to learn your camera, what it can do, and how to get off of "auto" mode, then you pictures could get worse. Point and shoot cameras are designed to do the thinking for you. When you upgrade to a pro level camera, or even a high end consumer camera, you have changed the ball game and need to learn the new rules.
Just like when you were back in school, the fundamentals are the key.

We all want our memories of our family and special times to be good photos. We want them to be the best they can be. It really is less about equipment and more about what you can do with that equipment. Invest time before money, invest money after you have learned how a camera works. You may find if you follow this order, you may not even want(or need) a big expensive camera. I only use mine for work. When I am out with my family, on vacation, and just around the house, I want the smallest, lightest, easiest camera I can grab. I want it to do most of the thinking for me, so I can enjoy the moment while I am photographing it.

Featured Session

2009-09-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

What a little cherub! This is all I think of everytime I see these images. This little guy is just the cutest! He was in for a one year session, and we had a great time. He is so photogenic and was just a ball of laughs. I LOVE his images, that curly hair and big cheeks, makes him look just like a doll you see in a magazine.
I can't wait for mom to see them all!

Friday Photo Tip

2009-08-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

OOPS!
I totally forgot to post yesterday, I left the house at 8 to take the kids to school and did not get back until nearly 5 and then left again for the ball game not long after that! So sorry!
Here is a little tip for this week....

Use your ISO setting to help with your pictures.

Not all locations are ideal for taking pictures, especially with point and shoot cameras. Sometimes you just don't have enough light or your subject is moving too fast to get a good shot. When this is the case, you can change your iso to a higher number to help you out. Most cameras are set standard on 200, and generally go to 800 or sometimes more. When you bump to a higher number, it makes the sensor in your camera more sensitive to light, which in turn helps to brighten the shot. And with High ISO, you'll also get faster shutter speeds. A fast shutter helps prevent blurred images due to camera shake.

However, the down side to this is that you will lose some image quality, you will get noise and grain the higher you go. Now this can be fun sometimes, and add a little artsy quality to your photos, but just be prepared that the higher you go, the more grain you may have.
But if it is between grain and losing the shot, take the grain!

So if you are having trouble with your pictures being dark, try playing with the iso setting, see what results you get there. Every camera's sensitivity to this is different, so see how yours reacts and then you will know in the future what to do in a situation where you need more light or a faster shutter.

Featured Session

2009-08-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

A recent graduate from the baby plan, I am so sad to see this little princess go! I have enjoyed this little girl from her very first session with me. She has been such a joy and so perfect in the studio.
She had the most adorable sundress for her big "one year" session, then when we brought the cake out, she was pretty excited as you can see.
Her and mom both are just the sweetest, and I hope they come and see me for birthday's to come!

Friday Photo Tip

2009-08-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

Today I will give you a highly coveted tip...about printing!

Allot of the questions I get these days have to do with printing. People don't really like the quality they get from printing at home, and results from printing at kiosks from walmart, walgreens, cvs, etc, can be inconsistent and disappointing as well.

I recommend using mpix.com. They are a consumer lab, and rank somewhere in between the types of printing mentioned above, and a pro lab. You will get a better quality print, they can color correct, and fix mistakes, they have software online to help you with cropping, and even retouching I think.
They also offer framing, mounting and a variety of other services, along with some fun stuff for gifts.

You will be far more pleased with your pictures if you get good prints.

And yes, you need to PRINT your photos...maybe not all of them, but even in this digital age, you need prints. Technology changes sooo fast, even with good backup methods and practices (which most of you don't do), the disk you save your images on today may not be what you can open in the years down the line, but you can always pull out an album, a box, or whatever it is that you use to store your prints in.

Happy Friday!

Friday photo tip

2009-08-21T15:05:00.001-07:00

Today we will talk a little about photo editing software. For the average person, there is no need to invest a lot of money into software, most computers come with some kind of software, as do most cameras, because you kind of need it :)

However, the average person does not need photoshop cs4 on their computer. You just need something to help you with your digital images.

I recommend photoshop elements. It is a very light version of photoshop, it has GREAT tutorials, and it is user friendly.

Plus, as you learn, if you want to upgrade to the full version of photoshop, then you will already know the basics of the program. Don't spend allot (or any) money until you know what you want and least a little bit about how you plan on using it.

No matter what software you have, or choose, you can utilize some basic features to help you out.

Use the software to import, open, view, crop and correct minor mistakes, and have a little fun.

Prepare your images for print - crop them more if you need to, or even into the ratio that you would like to print. When you send your image to print and don't crop it to the size you are ordering, you are going to lose some of your image. If you prepare your files for that first, you won't be disappointed in the result.

Be consistent. Using the same software time and time again will allow you to learn better and quicker. It will also allow you to view your photos consistently. Different software often applies different settings, and if you are going back and forth between several, you are not going to understand what is going on with the discrepancies in your photos.

Get into the software and play. This is the best way to learn. Just read some help files, use the tutorials and get into it.

If you need more help than that, you can search the net, just google "photoshop tutorials" and you will get more hits than you can look through.

The most important thing to know is: Photoshop is a TOOL, it should only help you, not do the job. Skills in photoshop can take a bad bad photograph and make it into something special, but it takes hours and hours of learning and working, and why would you want to do that? Improve your photography skills, select and use your tools wisely. Photoshop is fun, but it is not where you want to spend all of your time. Looking through the lens, capturing those moments - that is the best part!

My Twilight girl

2009-08-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

My girl is a HUGE Twilight fan, she was reading these books long before the rage swept us all away. She has read them more than once and while she loves the movie (and is looking forward to "New Moon" in November!!), she always reverts to her books. I became hooked after watching the movie, borrowed her books and promptly read all of them in less than a month. The benefit to that is I did not have to wait for the next one to come out, I don't know how she did that!

Anyway, she is such a fan, and loved Alice's hair in the movie, so she got her hair cut like that. Since she did that, I thought I would photograph her like Alice. I think it turned out quite nice...

Featured Session

2009-08-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind featuring sessions due to all the vacationing, but I have some favorites I just have to share, even though mom and dad have already seen them all! This little guy is my nephew, he was in for his one year and had a large time! He really likes cake, sounds like a sugar junkie in the works, just like my boy! We just have to remember, all things in moderation! He is such a doll, and into EVERYTHING right now. His mommy was not prepared to get covered in cake chasing him around...haha..

Friday Photo Tips

2009-08-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

Today's tips continue on from a few weeks back, when I was giving pointers on how to take better pictures at home of your children. We spoke of lighting, composition, focus, and interaction vs saying cheese.
The following tips follow along with how to interact better with your child with a camera, so that you will be much happier when you look at your pictures, and your child will be much happier when you get the camera out!

* Be a silent observer, Rather than instructing, positioning, and asking your child to smile - take a step back and enjoy the subtleties of your children. You will see, appreciate and capture the natural moments in your child’s life, rather than taking another staged “smile” picture.

* Activities are important, Keep your child occupied and happy by giving them an activity or toy that they love. If your children are happy and active, great photos are sure to follow.

* Ask them to do simple tasks, For example, ask your child to look out the window- you’ll have beautiful window light on their face, while capturing their sense of curiosity at the world.