Boudoir Appointments

I have been busy working on a couple of Boudoir Sessions this month! Valentine's Day is just around the corner.... and, as you can probably imagine, the little black books that are included with the session make amazing gifts for husbands, fiances, boyfriends/significant others.


If you would like to book a Boudoir session but are a little anxious, relax! I am a female photographer with a female assistant. (all girls!) I coach you through posing, help with styling selections (what to wear and how to style hair/Make up), retouch the images to give you that perfect finished look.... oh, and I keep it CLASSY + PRIVATE. Images from these sessions are great gifts for: Birthday, Anniversary, and just because....

Ms. "H and Mrs. "S," I am working on the beautiful images from your January sessions right now. They will be ready for viewing next week. Two wonderful ladies- and two terrific session results! So excited for them to see!!!

February is just around the corner! I will be working with 4- 5 different students on Image Retouching Lessons --which is so much fun. For those of you who do not know, I also have an education and arts background.... so, I have a teaching certificate and love to work with students. I will try to post completed lesson work here on my blog at least once or twice. If anyone is interested in more lesson info, please visit my Main Site.

And... yes, it is winter, but YES I will still be shooting outdoors. I have 2 new model shoots lined up and a Valentine's Day wedding. Also, I am meeting with a future bride next weekend and taking some sweet sibling portraits indoors, too! Stay tuned for fun upcoming updates!

Winter Fun with the "K" Family ( Northville, MI, Family Portrait Photographer)

Winter: a freezing, snowy, relatively dark season lasting for what seems like eternity here in SE Michigan. Late January (after the holiday hype has fizzled down) and pretty much all of February (with the exception of Valentine's Day) can be brutal. Folks begin growing tired of shoveling driveways, warming up cars, dressing in multiple layers of clothing and watching out for icy pathways as they walk from place to place.

But... with the right attitude, this time of year can actually be a time for wonderful memories to be made. ENJOY the snowy season- just embrace it. :) Take in the beautiful sights of the snow with your family. Capture it in photographs. Yes, I know it is cold out there, but the pictures will be treasures- and the kids will LOVE every minute of it. Sound like a good idea to you? Book an appointment and let me do the work. You will adore the results.

The "K" Family definitely has the right attitude. This river was still flowing at parts but you can see the snowy background.


3 year old, Ellie, was super excited to get her hands on the snow! Isn't she a doll???

This area of the river was frozen over ..... Pure beauty.

Aren't they a cute family? Warmly dressed, great attitudes and good looking, too! Some people just make my job easy.

Absolutely full of energy and sweetness, this child is....I hope to work with her again one day.

This family loves to have a great time with one another. They actually PLAYED in the snow and I grabbed some candid captures of them. Fun, fun, FUN.

Thanks for meeting up with me on a chilly but amazing winter day, family "K". It was wonderful to meet and work with you. Nicole, you did a great job dressing and your little model. Jim, good call on the rocky river location! And, Sarah, thanks for sending them my way. Be sure to keep in touch- loved working with your family!!!

***Note: Winter photo shoots only take about 30 - 40 minutes. I do have some spots open if anyone out there would like to schedule one. Send me a note at jenlynnalder@aol.com or on Facebook. They are great for families, couples, models and kids!

Grand Prize Winner (Detroit, MI Model Photographer)

Yesterday evening I received the following email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1/19/2010 Photographer Jennifer L. Alder of Northville, MI, has won Grand Prize for December in the prestigious photography contest sponsored by Betterphoto.com, the site's founder, Jim Miotke, announced Tuesday.

More than 17,200 entries were submitted to the online photography contest, which attracted contestants from around the world and featured 10 separate categories.

Alder's stunning image, "Set in Stone", garnered top honors after being submitted in the Digital Darkroom category. All of the winning images can be viewed at BetterPhoto.com's contest page

The contest is conducted each month. Categories include Nature and Landscapes, Animals, People, Elements of Design, Digital Darkroom, Travel and Place, Flowers, Details and Macro, Catch All and Monthly Theme. Judging is performed by a panel of professional photographers.

Model: Joan Brooks

What a huge surprise and honor! I learn and am inspired by much of the talent and photographers that are active at Betterphoto.com. Joan, the model pictured above, is really fabulous to work with. She is a model from Ohio who drove up to collaborate with me in late October.

Another of the images from our time together won first place (Photo of the Month) in the Black & White category at Digital Image Cafe last month as well.

Photoshop Fun: Colour and Texture (Detroit, MI Photo Editing Lessons, Online)

January has actually been a pretty busy month for me! Whenever I get overloaded I take time out for some post processing fun. I want to keep the "art" alive in my work. So, the past couple of nights I went back and revisited some images from older sessions that I had not edited before. My intent was to slap some texture and unique colour toning on them and transform them into works of art.

Want to learn how to do this? Sign up for a quick & easy email lesson. See my Main Site for more details. Oh, and while you are there go ahead and check out the mini-workshop I am having at the end of April, too. Limited spots are available. :)

And a few non-portrait images as well:

This is easier to do than it looks! Seriously. You CAN do it as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed the show. :)

High School Friendships (Northville, MI Senior Portrait Photographer)

I just wanted to share a handful of quick shots that I took of these wonderful young adults last weekend. You will recognize one of them as my volunteer model in the post below (for the non-profit organization in Oregon that I am working on). The young lady is my girlfriend's daughter, and these are her friends. I could not resist grabbing some shots of them all. ;)

Thanks for stopping by and helping a great organization, you guys! It was great to hanging with you! :)

A New Project

What sort of projects does she do, you may wonder? Well, to tell you the truth, I am pretty much drawn to causes that help kids (especially) and members of society in desperate situations. That is the cause I am writing about in today's blog post, one that helps kids.

I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by a non-profit organization in the Portland, Oregon area to provide images for a group that helped youth so it was really a "no-brainer " for me to take part in assisting the cause. The organization helps kids and teens who are struggling (sibling gang members, parents in jail, drug problems, etc...) get into positive programs and around people who CARE. It also has a sister program that helps another area of society, which I will address next week.

This program was in need of new promotional images to use on their website, newsletters, posters, etc.... and, well, I was more than happy to help out. They wanted an image of a male and female that were compelling. Melanie was my child female model because the director liked her look ;) The teen male subject, Kyle, was suggested by a friend of mine. I went ahead and edited the images to be a bit moody. And, I should add that my main intent was to make them sort of "compelling"....

I am showing them in black and white treatment but will also be presenting them in color. When the organization publishes them, I will be sure to provide a link so you all can view it. Also, stay tuned ... I am shooting one more model, (an adult male) for the sister organization next week and will be sharing it here on my blog as well.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Student Work on Display

Good evening everyone! It has been longer than usual since I have updated my Blog. Despite the cold weather, my schedule is actually slammed! I am currently working on 2 projects: The first is an artistic fashion collaboration between myself, a local make-up artist and 2 models. The 2nd is creating images of 3 different subjects for a non-profit organization based in Oregon. Stay tuned for more details. (hint: One of the subjects will be my niece, Melanie)

I also have upcoming Boudoir Session work that I will be doing (but not sharing on my Blog) for privacy reasons. The past two weeks I have met up with several brides -to-be and talked amazing wedding details!!! And, I have that winter give-a-way session to take care of in a week or two. Oh, and last but not least.... I have been working on lessons with 2 fabulous students.

The first wonderful lady I am working with is Aimee Eisaman, from PA, who runs Digital Darkroom Photography. Her web site is newly launched- check it out. She also is active on Digital Image Cafe, Betterphoto, and runs the Phello Photographers Club over at BP,too! The two of us are currently in the process of completing a 9 session online lesson package. Most recently she just finished a portfolio review and was introduced to a Senior Portrait/Modeling Lesson. Have a look at just one of her earlier assignment images below. The focus of this particular lesson was off center composition.

Image copyright: Aimee Eisaman DO NOT COPY

Another one of my current students, Lynne Fried, is just starting out her 3-lesson package. She is a really sweet person and does lovely work with her camera. She is a California resident, member of Betterphoto and also has her own photography business. Check her out at: capturetoday.net We spent some time on portrait retouching using specific tools and PS Layers in our first lesson. Below is an example of what we have been up to:

This is her "BEFORE" shot:
This is the "AFTER" Version of the same image using only select PS Tools + Layer blending, based on her personal preferences:

Image copyright Lynne Fried, DO NOT COPY

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Hope you are all having a GREAT New Year and staying warm while you are at it. Stay tuned for more updates here on my Blog. I have lots of fun projects coming up and you won't want to miss the details. :)

**Note: If you would like to sign up for an online lesson package with me, please send a note to: jenlynnalder@aol.com

See my Main Website for lesson and workshop information. Thanks! :)

Lessons and Workshop Area on my Web Site (Detroit, Michigan, Photography Lessons)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2010 will be an amazing year for all of us. :)

I just wanted to take a few moments to let you know that I have officially added a new little spot on my web site. This area houses information about Lessons and Workshops. As some of you know, I do have a background in Arts and Education from U of M, with a secondary teaching certificate... and I LOVE to teach photography or photography tricks in PS to those wanting to learn. And, now it is official. Visit my Main Site today to check out the new info.

The lessons are one-on-one, done via email and skill levels cater to beginners through business owners. Lesson topics include Photoshop technique, creative vision, in the field exercises, portfolio reviews, and so on.

Visit my Main Site and then simply click on Lessons& Workshops at the bottom menu for additional information. Lessons are affordable and fun. Space is limited. I will be starting new work with 2 or 3 students this week but still am currently accepting a few more. During the winter, I prefer more indoor work... and so the amount of students I take on is greater. :)

If you would like to sign up, send me a note on Facebook or at jenlynnalder@aol.com


By request, I am also offering a workshop on April 30-May 1st here in SE Michigan. The enrollment is VERY limited (like 3-4 participants) so if you want in on it send me a message: jenlynnalder@aol.com This workshop will be small, personable, fun and have LOADS of talent. I have already lined up wonderful models and artists for a collaboration and cannot wait to get started. Once again, you can view more info on the new area of my Main Site.


If you would like to set up a workshop on a date other than April 30-May 1st, I am accepting topic and time suggestions now. I will most likely put another one together very soon. Perhaps a Trash the Dress or even an Urban Kiddie shot... stay tuned.

Thanks to Elise C. and Joan B. for being the lovely models in the artwork posted here today. :)