Kari Merkel Photography

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 1: Self-portrait

2011-12-02T06:01:00.001-08:00

Let Them Be Little: i heart faces

2011-10-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh...solids...such a mess, but man she loves to eat and thinks she's able to feed herself. And even though I'm such a stickler for cleanliness, they're only little once and there's no way to feed a baby and keep them clean, so I figure let them have at it.

Head over to i heart faces to check out other Littles.

Beautiful Baby: Northern Virginia Infant Photographer

2011-10-14T06:50:00.001-07:00

I love her. That's all.

i heart faces: People's Choice

2011-09-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

Summing up the summer in a single picture was kinda easy for me. Our summer was all about learning to share and love. Well, really, the love part came so naturally, but the sharing, not so much. Baby steps.

Big sister knows just what to say to make that smile come out. Head over to iheartfaces.com to check out more submissions!

i heart faces: White

2011-08-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

This week's theme is WHITE and I immediately thought to share this. I mean, if this doesn't scream pure joy, I don't know what does. Bubble baths are her favorite.

Head over to i heart faces to check out more entries.

The Fur Baby: i heart faces

2011-08-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's Pet Week at i heart faces! I've been a pretty terrible mama and haven't taken many pictures of our cat since Stasa came along and now with 2 terrors in the house - fuggedaboutit. Anyway, here's one of my favorites of our fur baby.

Head over to i heart faces to check out more furry (and not so furry) friends!

i heart faces: Beautiful Eyes

2011-08-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite shots of Stasa. And I loooooooved the room we were shooting in - so much beautiful natural light. ::sigh:: New construction is the best. I mean, look at the reflection in her eyes. Love.

Head over to i heart faces to see more gorgeous eyes.

i heart faces: Friendship

2011-08-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

It took awhile for A to warm up to my crazy kid, but once she did, they were totally adorable (read: trouble) together.

Head over to iheartfaces to check out more friendly photos!

i heart faces: A Touch of Whimsy

2011-06-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist using this shot I captured this weekend.

Head over to iheartfaces.com for more whimsical photos.

i heart faces: Fix-It Friday

2011-06-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Original:

My edit:

What do you think? Hop over to iheartfaces.com to see more Fix-It Friday edits.

Best Face Photo: iheartfaces Photo Challenge

2011-05-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist using this photo for this week's challenge. Lexi's so expressive and was giving me the stink eye during an impromptu photo shoot.

Go to iheartfaces.com to check out more fun faces!

She's one!: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2011-05-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

What a cutie pie this little girl was and man, she was a trickster. She would crawl off, smiling the whole time, but the minute we put her in front of the camera, BAM pout city. But after an outfit change, she was all grins and giggles.

Look at these blue blue eyes!

Soft + Sweet: Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

2011-05-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

This week's theme at i heart faces is Soft and Sweet. How could I not submit this picture of my new cutie pie?

Head over to i heart faces to see more!

New baby

2011-04-20T07:16:00.001-07:00

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Photographer

2011-02-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge is Red and I ended up picking an oldie of my own chubby monster.

Head over to iheartfaces to check out more amazing photographs!

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2011-01-19T06:38:00.001-08:00

Holiday Cards

2010-12-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays: Northern Virginia Infant Photographer

2010-12-15T09:30:00.001-08:00

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Photographer

2010-12-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

This week's contest is Self Portrait - something I don't do very often since I'm usually focusing on shooting others. Here's one of my favorites I've taken of myself.

Visit iheartfaces.com to check out more self portraits.

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-11-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Beauty: Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

2010-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

This little girl was a DREAM to photograph - she fell into a deep slumber after being topped off with a bit of milk and snuggled right into the wraps. She just exudes peacefulness.

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-10-06T10:48:00.001-07:00

Fall's just around the corner...

2010-09-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Glowing Mama: Northern Virginia Maternity Photographer

2010-09-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

This beautiful mama was so ready to meet her little man...and he came just a few short weeks after our session.

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-07-15T05:02:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous Girl: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

She just gets cuter every day. I love her.

And then a split second later, she reminds me of why I love the toddler years so much.

Mr. Two: Maryland Toddler Photographer

2010-06-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

Marino is quite possibly the cutest and somewhat bossiest toddler I've met. But he bosses you around in a way that makes you smile. : ) And how could you not? Look at this adorableness.

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Pet Photographer

2010-06-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's Pet Week at iheartfaces and I knew exactly which picture to choose. Playrooms aren't just for kids anymore!

Head over to iheartfaces to check out more furry faces!

Engaged!: Northern Virginia Engagement Photographer

2010-06-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

Such a sweet couple! They've known each other since high school, which makes their story even sweeter...

Sugar and Spice: Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

2010-06-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

Remember this cutie? I recently had the pleasure of meeting her new little sister, Abigail, and she was the sweetest little baby I've seen in awhile.

Mine on Monday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-06-01T07:50:00.001-07:00

I figured this was appropriate, given the weather lately.

Fix-It Friday: i heart faces

2010-05-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

My internet was being a pill on Friday, so I missed my chance to post my Fix-It Friday edits on time. I still wanted to share them with you though since I did put some time into the edits and had a bit of fun with the picture.

Here's the original image.

And now my (many) edits:
Edit 1:

My basic steps:
-increased the exposure and added a Curves layer to brighten the overall image
-ran CoffeeShop's Baby PowderRoom action and removed the red spots on this cheeks and softened his skin
-slightly sharpened and dodged his eyes on a very low opacity to add light
-warmed up the whole image a bit

All of the following edits were completed after my basic steps:
Edit 2, color + black+white:

Edit 3:

Edit 4:

Edit 5:

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-05-11T05:39:00.001-07:00

We're Celebrating Mom at iheartfaces this week. And how appropriate, given Mother's Day was this past weekend. My aunt once told me that a mother's love is special because she's the one that loved you first.

I love this picture of Julia and Caroline - you can definitely feel the love they have for each other.

Head over to iheartfaces to check out other tributes to mothers.

Sweet Kallie: Northern Virginia Infant Photographer

2010-05-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

Remember this maternity session? Well, her baby girl is here and is so precious and snuggly. Kallie was great and a pleasure to shoot. Here are some of my favorites of this cutie.

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-04-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

Smile! This birthday girl couldn't resist a big grin!

Head over to iheartfaces to check out more beautiful smiles!

Fix-It Friday: i heart faces

2010-04-23T05:55:00.000-07:00

It's Fix-It Friday over at i heart faces!

Here's the original:

And I did a couple of edits for fun.
Edit #1:

Editing steps:
-Cropped in tighter to fill the frame
-Cloned and healed the snowflakes out of her face and jacket

-Softened her skin

-Dodged and sharpened her eyes at a very low opacity

-Warmed the whole photo a bit

-Boosted the color with PW's Boost action

Edit #2:

Editing Steps:

-Cropped in tighter to fill the frame with her face

-Cloned and healed the snowflakes on her face

-Dodged and sharpened her eyes on a very low opacity

-Warmed the photo a bit

-Applied PW's Seventies action on low opacity for all layers

-Boosted the colors using PW's Boost action on low opacity

Head over to iheartfaces to check out more fun edits!

1 Year Old: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-04-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of capturing Cole's 1 year portraits this month. He is beyond adorable with his soulful blue eyes and cute smile.

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-04-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Black and White Spring: Washington DC Family Photographer

2010-04-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

I met up with the B family for a shoot by the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. L is a super cutie and I can't wait for her 1 year photo shoot!

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-04-19T05:56:00.000-07:00

It's Collage Week at iheartfaces! Here's a birthday collage from a recent photo shoot.

Head over to iheartfaces to check out more fun collages!

Mine on Monday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-04-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

Our first PIGTAILS! No, I couldn't resist.

Fix-It Friday: i heart faces

2010-03-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's Fix-It Friday over at i heart faces!

Here's the original image:

Here's my first edit, and the one that's most true to my style.

I bumped up the exposure, healed some marks on her face, adjusted the white balance and brightened and sharpened her eyes.

Here's the black and white version of that edit:

And then a fun vintagey edit of the same first edit:

Head over to i heart faces to check out other cool edits.

Before + After: Northern Virginia Photo Editor

2010-03-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: These are not my original shots.

A few fellow photographers submitted their pictures for editing practice. Here are the before + afters, plus the steps I took for each.

Bumpie, janineb's photo
Check out her photo blog, A Pile of Pics.

Color Pop:
cropped + cloned + healed background
curves layer to brighten just a smidge
Pioneer Woman's Boost
warming layer on 75% opacity

Fade:
all steps above + Pioneer Woman's Seventies action on low opacities on all layers + overall action

Bumpie, pincushion's photo
Check out her Etsy site, Sweet Birdie.

Color Pop:
cropped
masked the crocheted flowers
curves to brighten
dodged the eyes on very low opacity
Pioneer Woman's Boost
warming layer on 50% opacity

B&W:
all steps above + gradient map to convert to B&W (and moved warming layer over the B&W and increased opacity to 75%)

Bumpie, Emmsquared's photo
Check out her 365 photo blog project, Project 365.

Here are my basic steps:
cropped in tighter
cloned + healed out the tree
curves layer to brighten
Pioneer Woman's Boost on about 75% opacity

Fade 1:
Basic steps + Pioneer Woman's Heartland on very low opacity (all layers)

Fade 2:
Basic steps + Pioneer Woman's Seventies on very low opacity (all layers)

Color Pop:
Basic steps + warmed a bit

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-03-17T05:48:00.001-07:00

Queen A: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-03-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

A and her mama flew in from Chicago for a visit and a fun photo shoot. Check out her cute pout.

And we even squeezed in a cake smash.

Little Miss C: Northern VIrginia Toddler Photographer

2010-03-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting 2 of my friends babies, er, toddlers. Here's Miss C and her mama.

She really didn't want to give up her lovey or binkie.

But then she warmed up and gave some smiles.

Check out those eyelashes!

Check out C's mama's blog, Unexpectedly Expecting.

Mine on Tuesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-03-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

I am in LOVE with the GAP Kids Porcelain line of clothing and just had to get this top for my "baby".

Fix-It Friday: i heart faces

2010-03-05T05:57:00.000-08:00

Here's the original shot:

And my edit:

I healed the spots on his face, softened his skin a bit and brightened his eyes. Then I added a warming filter, bumped up the contrast and added a slight haze and lens flare.

Go to i heart faces to check out more edits!

i heart faces: Maryland Baby Photographer

2010-03-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

I had this vision of babies in tutus with the lone boy in his little bow tie, all sitting nicely so I could snap a photo to remember how adorable these babies are. Obviously these babies had quite a different idea of how this photo shoot was going to go. They were NOT having it. At all.

Sigh.

Go to iheartfaces to check out more hilarious outtakes!

Anxiously Awaiting: Northern Virginia Maternity Photographer

2010-03-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Little Lu: Maryland Toddler Photographer

2010-03-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Look who's ONE!

Mine on Monday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-03-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

It's becoming increasingly more difficult to get a good shot of my own daughter. She's learning to evade the camera quite well. You can imagine my joy when I managed to snap her with this sweet face.

But don't let those angel eyes fool you, she's usually up to no good.

Fix-It Friday: i heart faces

2010-02-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

Here's the original shot:

And my edits:

And here are my abbreviated editing steps:

-cropped + cloned the background

-healed marks on elbows

-added soft light

-added a warming filter

-added cyan to the sky

-added a slight lens flare

-increased the blacks

Head over to iheartfaces to see more edits!

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Pet Photographer

2010-02-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

i heart faces: Fix-It Friday

2010-02-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

Here's the original shot: it was underexposed and very cool.

And here are my edits:

I worked on fixing the exposure, warmed it up and cropped it a little.

I cropped this one a bit tighter and didn't warm it as much.

And I switched it up and did a black and white conversion. Unfortunately there are quite a few "hot spots" in this one.

Head over to i heart faces to see more!

Mine on Thursday: Northern Virginia Portrait Photographer

2010-02-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

An attempt at a self-portrait.

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Infant Photographer

2010-02-17T10:25:00.001-08:00

i heart faces: Maryland Toddler Photographer

2010-02-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

This week's i heart faces theme is "I Wanna Dance!" and I captured the perfect shot this weekend at L's first birthday party. She was so lost in the moment, excited that her friends were there to celebrate with her.

Head over to i heart faces to see more dancing shots.

Killer Queen: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-02-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

She's got the rock-n-roll pout down, now she just needs to work on the moves.

i heart faces: Fix-It Friday

2010-02-12T06:57:00.001-08:00

Here's my first Fix-It Friday entry for i heart faces. I used Photoshop CS4 to create the final edit.

Here's the original photo:

And my edit:

I cropped the photo to fill the frame, lightened the right side of her face, popped the color and clarity of the eyes and then warmed the whole photo a tad. I also cleaned up the bags/wrinkles under her eyes. I hope you enjoy it! Check out other contributions at i heart faces.

And here's another edit, just for fun.

Wordless Wednesday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-02-10T06:33:00.000-08:00

i heart faces: Northern Virginia Maternity Photographer

2010-02-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

Here's my very first i heart faces entry. This week's theme is "We ♥ Kisses" and I thought this photo was appropriate; it's from a maternity shoot with my friends, R & K. They were so ready for their little girl to arrive.

Bear Butts: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-02-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

And one non-butt shot. She was thinking hard about her next move.

Mine on Monday: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-02-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

Brand New: Northern Virginia Newborn Photographer

2010-02-01T06:45:00.000-08:00

Oh So Cute: Northern Virginia Toddler Photographer

2010-01-15T10:29:00.001-08:00

Cake Smash: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2010-01-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

In preparation for her 1 year birthday, here are S's cake smash pictures.

J + J Engaged: Washington, D.C. Engagement Photographer

2009-12-30T19:30:00.001-08:00

We had a lot of fun wandering around the U.S. Botanic Gardens in D.C. and were surprised by the number of people there just for the plants! Here are a few of my favorite shots from the day.

Happily Expecting: Northern Virginia Maternity Photography

2009-12-18T07:59:00.001-08:00

Holiday Mini Sessions: Maryland Baby Photographer

2009-12-11T11:32:00.000-08:00

The J Family: Northern Virginia Family Photographer

2009-12-04T07:58:00.000-08:00

Algonkian Regional Park: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-12-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

Playing at the Park: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-11-20T18:42:00.000-08:00

Audrey, 1 Year Portraits: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-11-18T09:24:00.000-08:00

Audrey's almost ONE! You just might die from cuteness overload. You have been warned.

A Morning Walk: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-11-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

Julia and Caroline: Northern Virginia Family Photographer

2009-11-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Pumpkins: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-10-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Henry N., 9 months old: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-10-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Music: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-09-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

The Christening Gown: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-09-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

The Prettiest Girl: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-09-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Garrett 1 Year Old: Northern Virginia Event Photographer

2009-09-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

A Sunny Day: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-09-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

Baptism Essentials: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-08-28T16:42:00.000-07:00

Under the Pear Tree: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-08-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Pensive: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Weigh In: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-07-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Dress Up: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-07-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

At the Park: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

Henry N., 6 months old: Nothern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

I had such a blast with Henry and his mom on Saturday! Henry was so well behaved and gave the best smiles and lots of giggles.

Snapshots: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Overalls: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dressed to the Nines: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hanging Around: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Mirror, Mirror: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

The Chewy Monster: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-06-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Madeline L: Northern Virginia Child Photographer

2009-05-31T19:21:00.000-07:00

What a cutie pie! Shooting her was a much different experience than shooting my daughter. I had suggested to Laura that she get a lollipop or flower for M to play with - I thought it would look cute in the pics, but it also served as a distraction. Here are some of my favorites.

Little Miss Blue Eyes: Northern Virginia Baby Photographer

2009-05-27T19:05:00.000-07:00