This weeks theme for the I Heart Faces photo challenge was “Soft and Sweet”. This beautiful little lady looked just lovely in pink and was one of the more difficult newborns to capture because she was awake for most of the session…BUT what I did manage to get while she snoozed was this image which is one of my all time favorite newborn captures! It was definitely worth the wait!
Beautiful Bella!
Senior Rep Program Soon to Launch!
Hey teens! Here are some suggestions for you on what to wear for your senior portrait sessions! I am gearing up to launch my new Senior Rep Program so stay tuned for details on how you can earn some cash, just by referring your friends to me for their senior portrait session! Until I officially launch my program you can get more details and request an application by emailing me from my contact page.
Custom Portrait Photographer
This weeks theme for the I Heart Faces photo challenge was “Pets”. This is my dad and step mom’s Irish Wolfhound named Gracie. You would not know it from this image but when standing on all fours, she is eye to eye with my 8 year old son. The Wolfhound breed is the tallest of all dog breeds and can run like the wind but mostly they prefer to relax, watch the kids play and daze off into the sunset like I captured Gracie doing in this image.
Chillaxin'
I love technology so I am always searching for new products that I can offer my clients that make their custom photography experience everything they could dream of. That is why I am so ecstatic to now offer fun and fabulous high resolution video slideshows! There are so many creative things I can do with this combining photos, video clips, text and music! Here is an example of a recent photo session gallery put to the favorite song of this handsome young model.
High Definition videos on DVD are now being offered at an introductory rate of $100. This special will run through May 30th, 2011 so ask me about how to reserve your HD Video DVD today!
{Prices will go up to $175 as of June 1st, 2011.}
This weeks theme for the I Heart Faces photo challenge was “Sun Flare”. This is one of my all time favorite techniques for bringing a bit of drama to an image so I was extremely excited to pick an entry! Although I had a few favorites, this was my top pick. I love the color in the flare and the look in her eyes.
What does she see through that viewfinder?
I know we are all longing for spring to arrive! Living in Florida, we have not had it too bad compared to our friends up north. A few days where the temperature dipped below freezing and we had to cover our plants, but nothing compared to all the terrible snow storms and Nor’easters that tore through the Midwest and northern states!
Here are some fun clothing ideas for portraits on those days that are starting to get a bit warmer. With pinks and browns and patterns that will brighten up these late winter days, these fashions will help your family coordinate a fantastic session!
Don’t you just LOVE the ladies shoe recommendation? Yummy!
PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO FRIENDS WHO MIGHT NEED SOME INSPIRATION AS WELL! THANKS!!!
Photography is more than just pointing and shooting!
Today I wanted to share with you what it means to hire a custom photographer. Let’s look at what custom photography actually is. Custom means “Made or done to order for a particular customer”. That is exactly what you should be getting when you hire your photographer. You are making a fairly large investment in your photography and you should be getting the service that is equated with a luxury purchase from start to finish. Let’s face it, the prospect of having your photograph taken can sometimes be stressful for people. You should be able to sit back, relax and know that your photographer can and will be able to handle any situation with ease and grace.
Your photographer should spend some time finding out who your family is and exactly the type of images you would like. This is generally done by spending some time in a consultation or by questionnaire. I like to capture you being yourself and your family’s interaction and relationships to one another. My goal is to preserve the memories of who you are at that particular moment. A good custom photographer will have that ability.
Location is very important in your custom photography experience, Working primarily with natural light, it is crucial for me to scout locations and time of day that the light and location will best suit the individual client. From your home, a park or even downtown, the place you select can change the feel of the session dramatically.
A typical photo session takes me about +2 hours (give or take) depending on the subject/s. I always leave plenty of time for any situation that may arise during our time together. If extra time is needed to capture a fussy baby or a tired toddler, I’m there until we are all fully satisfied!
The real bulk of time put into taking your photograph from “Oh that is a nice picture” to “WOW, OMG I love your work!” is done in the post processing and editing of your session. After the initial selection process of picking out the best 30 or so images from your session, I spend significant time on each and every photograph color correcting for skin tones, retouching, enhancing and giving the images that certain look that is only achieved through an extensive knowledge and skill with image editing software like Photoshop. I am in front of my computer for hours at a time working in Photoshop to make the images pop, sing and dance off the page and give you images that will represent that moment in time for your family for years to come.
Here you can see, just how important the editing and post processing is to the look of the final images you are presented with by your custom photographer.
I hear of photographers who will charge a minimal fee for a session and include all the images from your session on disk for you to do as you like with the images. Be VERY LEERY and remember that you get what you pay for in situations like this. It is easy to snap a few shots, sharpen images with a program that came with your camera and slap the images onto a disk for you to take to a consumer lab like Walmart to run through a machine to produce your prints. Again, you get what you pay for (and sometimes overpay for) so do your research on who you are hiring!
A custom photographer will have a wide variety of fine products to offer their clients. Besides professional heirloom quality prints, a few of the more popular items I sell are large canvases, custom designed albums and books as well as fun pocket sized accordian “show and tell” mini albums. After you select the images you like, a custom photographer will meet with you to help guide you in the ordering process and to help figure out exactly what you might need for your home and for family members. The order process can be difficult to narrow down but with your photographer to advise you, you will end up with just what you wanted!
To finish the process, your custom photographer needs to prepare the files for print. This entails resizing and sharpening (for EACH size selected to ensure a quality print), then uploading the files to send to a professional lab where your prints will come back looking perfect. And for the finishing touch, no project would be complete without the specialized packaging that your images will be delivered to you in.
From start to finish the custom photography experience should be equal in happiness to the memories captured during your session that will last for generations to come.
This weeks theme for the I Heart Faces Challenge is “Innocent Wonder.” When I read the theme for the week, I knew exactly which photo I HAD to use. A few weeks ago we went to a carnival by our house called Funspot. They have rides, go-carts and of course lots of junk food! I remember going to carnivals as a child and the one thing that I always looked forward to and wanted more than anything was the delicious melt in your mouth sticky gooey fluffiness of the one and only cotton candy! The same rings true of my kids at the carnival 30 something years later. What is it about being a kid and that sugary delight that has us so enthralled? Maybe it is the fact that as a child you aren’t concerned about the calories, or the mess you are making of your face, hands and clothes or the pure sugar that you are putting on your teeth. What ever it is, you can see the delight in Cody’s face as he munches on the neon blue treat in this weeks entry.
Please pass this along to friends who might need some inspiration as well! THANKS!!!
The theme this week for the I Heart Faces weekly photo challenge is Winter Wonderland. Living in Florida, we don’t get the seasonal joy of experiencing snow and the glory of the white blanket that so delicately covers the earth and everything on it. This year we decided to take the kids snowboarding for Christmas in the mountains of North Carolina and we had a blast!! Of course the big joke of the week was “Look at Mom! She is going down the mountain BACKWARDS!” Hey, at least I was snowboarding upright and getting down the mountain, right? Anyway, we had an amazing time and I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to capture my guys enjoying the winter wonderland! This is one of Sammy on the slopes.
Comment