Aubrey Dettmer of Applewood Photography is the Share Six guest feature for the month of May. Our theme was green and Aubrey submitted a beautiful image of a small child in the lush sea of green. I connected with Aubrey to learn a little bit more about her. You will find Aubrey’s image on the Share Six Facebook page and here on our webpage.
Tell us a bit about yourself? and Are you a hobbyist or a pro?
I am a 33 year old wife of 10 years to an amazing & very patient man, and mother to two beautiful daughters. Born and raised in small town Indiana, we live on 5 acres in the house my husband grew up in, surrounded by corn and soybean fields. We have 2 barn cats, a small fluffy white dog named Mademoiselle Foo Foo and 3 pet goats. I bought my first DSLR over 5 years ago in the hopes of using it when we had children, which is my favorite way to use it. I work part time for a local credit union and take on 2 photo sessions a month through my business Applewood Photography (named after our farm), generally family or children sessions. I love coffee, the German language, anything Irish, reading, drawing, piano and I am a huge monster without LOTS of sleep. I love using my camera most as a hobbyist, but I consider myself a professional as I run my own business too.
Our oldest refused to nap, and I was at my whit’s end. But I finally broke down and decided to just play with her instead of being upset. We played tea, and she thought it was hilarious to pour water into the tea cups. She would drink her “tea” and then grab my cup and drink mine too. Again….window light. But I love that you can see her beautiful curls, courtesy of Daddy’s genes
What will we find in your camera bag?
I rarely even use a camera bag unless I have a session. What I use daily is my Canon 6D and Sigma 35mm, which sit on top of the piano for easy access. I rarely use anything else, but once in a while I’ll use my nifty fifty, and I never or almost never use my 70-300 f/4-5.6. I would loooove to get an 85mm or 135mm…but money.
When I do have a session, I use my 6D and 50mm, and carry with me an extra camera body, my 35mm and 2 flashes (which I also rarely use now).
We were watching “Minions” as a family, when Baby Girl looked over at me while Daddy cuddled her. That stare just fills my heart.
Who inspires you?
There are so many out there, and they are all so incredibly supportive! Meg Loeks is by far my most influential and favorite photographer. Her style is soft yet moody. It has this coziness to it, and I’ve told her before that I’m totally jealous of the beautiful area around her house…it’s my dream property!
There are so many others, and I know I can’t even begin to name them all. Karen Osdiek, Holli Stokes, Kristina Dominianni, Becky Auerbach, Clare Barker Wells and her pal Charlotte Green, Erin Hensley…too many to count!
Our baby is such a happy little girl, and her wide, gummy smile just makes me laugh because she’s so animated and her nose crinkles up. I wanted to capture her playing with her toys because she had just started grasping them. Of course, I set her in window light again. And one more thing…Go Cubs Go!
What inspired you to pick up your camera initially.
Initially, we purchased a camera long before we ever had kids in the hopes that we could use it when we did have children. It just took longer than we expected, so I started up my business instead. But my daughters are my muses and my favorite reason to pick up my camera.
I’ve been going to our local zoo since I was a little girl and have never seen the tigers up close. Tigers are my oldest daughter’s favorite animal, so when the tigers came up close to the window, it was the coolest thing ever….even if it did make me a little squeamish to be that close to them!
Photoshop or Lightroom? and why that choice?
Lightroom…only because I can’t afford Photoshop right now. I didn’t even get Lightroom until last year; before that, I was solely using Photoshop Elements, which I still use. So I use Lightroom for basic edits and organizing, and PSE for the remainder of the editing process.
This type of moody window light is one of my favorite types of light, but what gets me is that this is one of the first times my daughters really interacted and I saw that sweet baby smiling at her big sister. It really tugs at my heart every time I see it.
If you had to choose one area of specialization, what would it be?
I would love to be a documentary photographer, but I just don’t have the time right now. I am obsessed with the images I capture of my little ones discovering and playing, and I think every parent should be able to have those photos of their family just being them. But I do love my current specialty, which is children and family portraits. I’ve never really defined a specialty for myself, but children and family portraits just kind of found me. It’s what I get the most requests for, and I enjoy meeting so many families and seeing how different they all are.
I love this image because it is an example of the way my husband is always teaching our little ones how to do things, such as peel a potato. I’m a sucker for rich tones and pockets of window light, so I knew it was going to be a keeper…plus, that little hand on his strong arm just slays me.
You can follow Applewood Photography at the links below:
Website & Blog Facebook Instagram
Share Six has the theme Earth for the month of June. Head on over to our Facebook page or our Instagram page and share your images for the theme earth.
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