In Des Moines, we  were blessed with clear skies and beautiful weather to see the partial eclipse during sunset. The Des Moines Astronomical Society had planned an event to view the partial eclipse from the same spot I was planning on being – the Iowa State Capital grounds – how fortunate!

Children playing on "Shattering Silence", silhouetted by the setting, partially eclipsed sun.

The right equipment

The camera you use isn’t the most important thing about photographing an eclipse, but it is a good start. Because you don’t want to look into the sun with your naked eyes, and definitely not with a zoom lens, it is important to have a camera with a “live” viewfinder (like most point-and-shoot digital cameras). I tried to keep the camera positioned so that it blocked the sun and I was in the shadow.

A decent zoom lens is nice to have – the more you can zoom, the bigger the sun will be in the picture. If you are going to be zooming or taking multiple exposures, I recommend using a tripod. This also makes it easy to just sit back and watch the eclipse through the live view.

The Right Location

Location is obviously very important. If you have the opportunity, plan ahead and visit your location at least a day before and see where the sun will be location during the eclipse. Look for anything that will be in the way and also look for foreground elements that can add interest to your photograph.

In this case, I created my “safe” photos from an open spot. Due to the crowds, I set up early to make sure I had a clear view of the eclipse. My original vision was to have the Des Moines skyline in the same photo as the eclipse. That was easier said than done. “Plan B” was to try to get something around “Shattering Silence”, the sculpture overlooking the skyline from the Iowa Judicial Building. As you can see, I didn’t get just the sculpture in the photograph, but I am happy with how the kids playing adds life to this otherwise inanimate scene.

Plan on Sharing

While setting up the camera and waiting for the eclipse to happen, I had quite a few people come and check out what I was getting (including a Des Moines Register reporter who mentioned me in the article he was writing). I happily showed them the back of the camera which, as I have been told, looked better than viewing through the nearby telescope!

Play Around!

The eclipse lasted approximately an hour – plenty of time for some experimenting. Try different exposures and angles. You never know which will be your favorite in the end.

1. Looking to get your Christmas cards all taken care of (get them done early this year!)
2. Tired of getting Dad a boring tie and need some personal gifts for Father’s Day or other holidays.
3. Trying custom, on-location photography for the first time.

Mini Sessions are first-come, first-serve.  Please select your desired time below and email us if you’d like to book it.  We will send you a contract within 24 hours and take a $50 deposit to hold your spot.  100% of this non-refundable deposit will be donated to Africa Inland Mission to help our friends Corey and Tiffany Carey raise the money they need to become full-time missionaries in Kenya. Please scroll down for frequently asked questions about mini sessions.

Session Slots with Kevin and Kindra Barber  (Owners/Lead Photographers)

Sat. June 26th

View Barber Photography’s 2012 Father’s Day Mini-Sessions in a larger map

Jester Park for up to 5 People taken by a pond and wooded area Please note, it takes at least 5 – 10 minutes to drive from the park entrance to the shelter. Please plan accordingly!

• 10:30-11:30 AM
• 12-1 PM
• 1-2 PM
• 2-3 PM
• 3-4 PM
• 4-5 PM
• 5:30-6:30 PM

2012 Father Day Mini Session Packages Please let us know the package you like to book.

Mini Collection 1 – The Card Collection – $250

• 30 Min. Private Photography Session
• 15-25 Pre-touched Images to Choose from from your session
• 50-5×7 2 Sided Press Printed Cards
• 50-Linen Envelopes
• 2-5x7s
• Fan us on Facebook and any photos you order will be posted on Facebook

Mini Collection 2 – The Print Collection – $250

• 30 Min. Private Photography Session for up to 5 people
• 15-25 Edited Images to Choose From
• 1-Ready to Frame 8×10 and 3-Ready to Frame 5x7s
• Fan us on Facebook and any photos you order will be posted on Facebook

Mini Collection 3 – The Wall Portrait Collection – $300

• 30 Min. Private Photography Session
• 15-25 Edited Images to Choose From
• 11×14 Standout Mount Wall Portrait
• Fan us on Facebook and any photos you order will be posted on Facebook

FAQ About Mini Sessions

What is a Mini Session?
A mini session is a shortened version of our regular portrait photography session, without all the bells and whistles. It is great for smaller families or “just the kids”.  It is ideal for families who simply want some updated family photos for their holiday cards, Facebook, or frames.  It is not ideal for those seeking lots of great candids or a wide range of background looks.  With mini session, there simply is not enough time to capture a great deal of emotional images inside of 30 minutes.  You really need our full, on-location session for that.  Mini-sessions move quickly so it is imperative you are a few min. early (5-10 min.) so that you and your family are ready to go.

The location for our Father's Day Mini-Sessions will be here at Jester Park's #5 Shelter

Do I get to choose my location for our mini-session?
All mini-sessions take place at Jester Park at Shelter #5. We carefully chose this location because of the variety in settings and flexibility of the location. There are also rest rooms near the shelter.

What is the maximum number of people we can have for a Mini-Session?
You have up to 5 People max (Sorry, no pets during mini sessions but your furry family members are more than welcome for our regular sessions).  If you have 6 or more people in your family, we suggest booking our regular 2 hour photography session so we can accomplish all the different photos typically needed for larger families.

I have a newborn – can they be in the mini-session?
We would love to photograph your baby for a mini-session.  However newborns and babies under 4 months of age are time-intensive to photograph (feedings, diaper changes, etc.).  Because of the speedy nature of mini-session, we will only be able to create group portraits with your baby (family photos or mom with baby and dad with baby).  If you are looking for individual portraits to be taken of your baby, we suggest you contact us about newborn/baby sessions which have their own prices.

How much is a mini-session?
We have THREE options for mini session collections that are all $250 or $300.  Please choose from one of the collections above.  $50 non-refundable deposit will be taken to hold your spot.  You may pay via check or credit card.

How do I book our spot?
All time slots for sessions are first come, first serve.  Please select your time and email us that you would like to book it.  We will send you a contract within 24 hours and take a $50 deposit to hold your spot.  Deposits are non-refundable.

What if it’s bad weather the day of the mini-sessions?
If it’s an overcast day, that’s perfect weather for photos.  No squinty eyes! If it rains, we will still be having the mini-sessions.  We have rented a shelter so there are still lots of possibilities to get some nice photos of your family in not-so-nice weather.  Just go with it! Bring some cute umbrellas and rain boots and we’ll have a fun time with the rain!  If you are unable to come the day of your session, your deposit will not be refunded.

How do I order my photos?
Every family has an hour time slot (half hour for photography and half hour for ordering) and all ordering will be done at the time of the session.  If you ‘like’ us on Facebook, any photos you order will be posted so your online friends can see your photos also.

Do we get any images on a cd?
We do not have cds available for portrait clients but any photos you order from your session will be posted to Facebook so your online friends can still see some of your photos from your session.

What do you mean when you say “edited images from your session”?
That means we narrow down your photos to the best of the best, then we color correct them, punch and pop them, and crop if need be and prepare them for your presentation.  It does not mean we do tummy tucks, chin reductions, arm slandering, wrinkle removing or other major edits.  If you like, we are happy to do this type of editing for you for an additional $35.

Will you provide props for your session or can we bring them?
For mini sessions, we won’t be providing any props however you may bring any items (chairs, tutus, ect.) you may want incorporated in your session.

I have more questions.  How do I reach you?
Just e-mail us here and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have as quickly as possible.

A few weeks ago, we got to meet cute little Cypress.  He had adorable big eyes and is a little sweetie.  He is a very fashionable little guy and his mom, Nicole, had a ton of cloth diaper covers for us to choose from for the session.  Thanks Nicole for allowing us to photograph Cypress.  It was such a joy for us to meet him!  It is such a privilege for us to be asked to photograph most baby’s first photography session and feel so honored to be a part of this special stage.

Look at these cute little toes! We loved this owl cloth diaper cover. Very stylish.

Isn’t he so precious when he sleeps? We will be posting the slideshow from Cypress’ newborn session within the next couple of days.

Sarah had gotten Charlotte and Gemma these cute birthday hats off of Etsy. What a fun new tradition for the girls’ birthdays!

What a sweet moment between Gemma and her great grandma!

“You want some of my cake, mom?”.

Loved this sweet moment of Anna holding Stephanie’s hand.

I will be posting the slideshow from this birthday party within the next couple of days so keep checking back! I had a hard time narrowing down the images to put in these posts so you definitely won’t want to miss the rest of the photos.

Over the weekend, we photographed Gemma’s first birthday party.  We were thrilled when Sarah and Andy asked us to be a part of Gemma’s special day.  First birthday parties have so many cute moments: eating cake for the first time, opening gifts, playing with friends which make them one of our favorite things to photograph.

What was fun about the day was 3 years ago, we had photographed Charlotte, Gemma’s older sister’s first birthday and all the same kids (and a few more) were at this party also. It was fun for Kevin and I see these kids several years later and just a little older.

This is Vivi, our friends’ Joel and Stephanie’s daughter. Isn’t she adorable?

Doesn’t this little boy have the cutest blue eyes? He’s going to be a big heart throb when he grows up.

Big sis, Charlotte, and cousin Genevieve helped Gemma blow out her candle.

Gemma didn’t eat a whole lot of her cake but she sure liked playing in it!

Gemma excitedly opens some of her gifts. Keep checking back this week from more of Gemma’s birthday party!

This is the first of several Fine Art Friday posts from the Los Angeles area. I have several more fine art photos ready to go and I will be traveling there a few more times this year.