This week we're chatting with the husband and wife team of Little Hands Photography! We love their candid style and use of natural light! Q) How did you come up with the name for your business? A) Our last name is Mannino which means "Little Hands" in Italian. :) Q) What 3 things inspire you most? A) We LOVE to be inspired! 1. Unique texture- either in the clothes that our clients wear or the location they choose...we love it when things are different and rich. 2. Vibrant color-this can also be something as simple as the clothes that were chosen for the shoot or just the evening light...color makes us giddy! 3. Our most favorite thing that inspires us is when our clients are able to simply forget that we are there. We get the most amazing images (especially when we shoot a family) when people are able to let us be a fly on the wall and capture their family...the good, the bad and the ugly! Q) What's the toughest thing about being a photographer and what is the most rewarding thing? A) The toughest thing would be dealing with the crazy weather of the Midwest. Because we shoot primarily outdoors we have to rearrange things a lot when the weather gets hairy. The most rewarding thing is seeing the results after we feel that we have really captured the essence of who they are-either in their reaction when they see the photographs the first time or seeing them proudly displayed on the walls of their home.
How sweet are these photos? We are loving the silhouettes on the beach, as well as the great shots of a family bringing their adopted baby home from Haiti for the first time!
Christopher & Sara Mannino are professional photographers specializing in candid natural-light family portraiture and are the owners of Little Hands Photography. They currently reside in Northwest Indiana with their two favorite photo subjects...Ben and Haley!
Sometimes we need a little change! Taking an old tray you may already have and spray painting it a bold color is just the "sprucing up" that a room could use! Don't you think the yellow tray in room number two looks so fresh with all the other little pops of color?!
In the room pictured in photos one and four, there are two amazing ideas for two different styled trays. The first use is the perfect shiny platform for a grouping of beautiful vases; they used vintage silver trays here for an eclectic look but if you are going for a more modern look then beveled mirrored trays would also work well. The second idea in this room is displaying the trays on the wall as a collection; this looks so great-the floral prints on these trays are so whimsical and vintage - I love that! Attaching trays to the wall is as simple as picking up an inexpensive set of plate hangers. And the best part is, you can change out the collection to keep the room looking fresh!
The room pictured in the third photo is my favorite use of an old tray. I love all the elements in this room-from the silky yellow curtains to the sisal rug and I think the coffee table created from an oversized worn in tray really completes and pulls together this elegant room. It's not hard to accomplish either; just find a sturdy base (possibly an ottoman you already own) and go thrifting for a cool tray to top it off.
So find a new use for your tray(s) and enjoy your decor reward:)
This week our featured photographer is Brittney Kluse of Brittney Kluse Photography! Brittney is a professional photographer specializing in lifestyle portraiture. She currently resides in Kennewick, WA with her husband of two years, Blake, and their four-month old son, Braxton. We love Brittney's style and caught up with her for a little Q&A.
Q) What type of camera do you use? A) I shoot with a Nikon D700 and it's my "other" baby :). I just upgraded to this body in October of last year and now that I have it, I wish I would have done it sooner! I love my prime lenses, and my 85mm is my favorite by far!
Q) What inspires you the most? 1) My son. He is my new favorite subject to shoot and every day I look at him I love him more and more. He fulfilled a part of my life I didn't even know I was missing and now I can't picture a day without him. I am so happy we will have nearly every day of his life documented in pictures for him to look back upon one day.
2) My husband. My husband has given me so much support over the past three years to peruse my love of and passion for photography. He helps me find new and unique shoot locations, acts as my model even to test lighting, listens to me go on and an on about everything new I'm learning in the art, and most of all he's my biggest fan. He is so proud of the work I'm doing and is the first to tell me how far I've come! He's my best friend, my partner, and my everything!
3) A mother's face. Children are probably my most favorite subject to shoot. Something about their free, uninhibited innocence is amazing to capture. Seeing the look on a Mother's face when she looks at a picture of her child or children that has been captured at a special point and time in life ... it's indescribable how it feels to give that gift to someone!
Q) What are the toughest/most rewarding things about being a photographer. A) For me, these two go hand-in-hand. I think the toughest thing about being a natural light photographer like myself is working with a variety of elements out of your control. For example, will the kids you're about to photograph be in good moods? Will those clouds moving in give me the perfect amount of light peeking through or am I going to see rain? Are the people you're about to photograph act natural in front of the camera or will it take awhile into the shoot for them to warm up? The most rewarding thing is bringing together all of the variables -- some within my control, some out of it -- to capture that perfect picture and moment in time. It's the second you look through the lens and everything -- the light, the people, even me! -- are in perfect unison. And then after that one click of my finger, a little voice inside says, "I got the shot..."
This week we're chatting with the husband and wife 
Sometimes we need a little change! Taking an old tray you may already have and spray painting it a bold color is just the "sprucing up" that a room could use! Don't you think the yellow tray in room number two looks so fresh with all the other little pops of color?! 
This week our featured photographer is 
