Related to an earlier article I wrote about a WordPress theme subscription/membership site, I found more information that might be useful for you budding WordPress administators.

I saw a plugin developer that seemed to have a ton of good plugins: WPMU.  But it used the same type of subscription scheme as Elegant Themes.  So I was hesitant. After seeing perhaps the 3rd plugin I wanted from them, I was considering pushing the button, until I read this: https://www.seochemist.com/SEO/wpmu-dev-scam/

What this article describes is exactly the type of bait and switch thing I’ve come to expect of any subscription based wordpress theme or plugin company.  The whole concept of having something that you bought, but the support is sold separately is ridiculous.  It is for that reason T-mobile is getting nailed by certain states for false advertising, saying that they don’t have contracts, yet it is a defacto contract if you have to pay a cancellation fee if you don’t buy the phone outright.  No different than having a contract.

So to sell a plugin or theme, as if  any wordpress item  could ever exist without constant support and updates, is disingenuous. The prevalence of hacker attacks and the fluid nature of progress in WordPress means that things will need to be updated often.  So one month of plugin support from WPMU is sort of a joke.  Just something else to consider for those newbies who might be tempted, without the benefit of experience.

And upon a second search for reviews on WPMU, I found this as well: https://www.kidnapcustomers.com/how-to-make-a-website/wordpress/wpmu-dev-review/

My approach to maternity photos really depends on what the client wants.  There are so many different type of maternity photos: mother-only portraits, family portraits, belly shot closeups, glamorous flowing maternity, semi-nude maternity.  This particular mom, Kim, is a sweet and super practical type.  She’s smart and no nonsense and wanted to document her pregnancy with her second son.  We got big brother and dad in for some shots too.  The Glendale park that we went to had closed off a portion that we’d originally planned to use, but the whole park is fairly cute.

Here are some outtakes of Baby A’s first birthday shoot. The final selections can be seen here,

but I love seeing the more casual shots that, although they wouldn’t end up on someone’s wall, would certainly be included in scrapbooks and photo albums. Often, it is these casual shots that fill in more of the details of the real story behind who a child was at that age. And kids want to know, “what did I like do when I was little? What was I like? Was I curious, shy, happy, friendly?” My boys aren’t that old yet, but they still love to see themselves in the past, although their past is maybe only a year or two ago! So it’s a great idea to get as many shots as possible to thoroughly document your child’s journey. They’ll enjoy it as much as you do, if not more.

How old am I?  I can’t remember for sure if this costume is Captain America of the Avengers or if there’s some other superhero I’m mixing him with.  Now that my kids are old enough to correct me on it, I’d better get them straight.

I met Little Logan this day, his mom having found me on Craigslist in the photographer section.  He’s a beautiful, beautiful boy with an interesting heritage and a super-willing spirit.

He wasn’t so sure about it at first:

But warmed up quickly.  He’s gorgeous.  His best shots are in my portfolio section, but here are some extra outtakes that I liked as well.

“Get it in camera!” That’s the mantra of any experienced photographer.  You can fix it later in Photoshop, usually, but it takes so much more time than just getting it right the first time.  However, with the unpredictable, moving creatures known as toddlers, sometimes you get what you get. So I don’t let a great capture go to waste just because one detail wasn’t right.

I thought you might find this interesting:

1. Cute pic, even with the somber face, but there is a driveway in the background.
2. Some cloned in grass at the top
3. More cloned in grass
4. Edges around the hat
5. Left side of hat is unnaturally shaven
6. Finito!

To see more of her finished shots, click HERE.

Finished product:

I’ve photographed Sarah and her family several times, as a 1-child family, to maternity to actual childbirth photos – a first!  That was stunning – totally rocked my world to see a little soul entering this world, especially after having been through it myself recently enough to get it.  Here’s their family with their newest addition, Baby C.  She’s  been out of the womb awhile now and is at that plump, smiley baby phase. This is such a real, down to earth family, so it’s easy to capture their spirit on film.

Look at that gorgeous shock of glossy black hair! She was born with a head full of hair, much like her older sister. She was two weeks old, but she was totally and completely awake the whole photo shoot, aware of everything going on. Her mom is a dentist an her dad a doctor, so her “baby intelligence” (LOL) isn’t a big surprise.

Update: I’ve seen her now as a year old, and she’s super gorgeous, and the hair was a true indicator of what to come. Both of the little princesses have beautiful, flowing black hair just like their mom.