Dec 03
Tender Moments
The instant a father sees his daughter for the last time before she walks down the aisle, captured in time forever. It’s a tender, bittersweet moment for them both. She’s so beautiful, she’s going into life with a new man, and he’s proud of her. A moment like this brings tears to my eye- thank goodness I had the camera to hide behind! As a photographer, it’s like your outside the bubble, looking in. Its times like these that I appreciate the real reason that I’m a wedding photographer.
-Lauren-
YSA
action used: Silver Sea B&W from the Photoshop CS3-CS5 Set
When you take a photo, your camera shutter opens and closes to let light reach the sensor, creating your image. Shutter speed is how quickly or slowly the shutter opens and closes again. Fast shutter speed is when the shutter is only open for a short period of time; slow shutter speed is when the shutter is open for a longer period of time. Most cameras offer a wide range of shutter speeds, starting at just a few thousandths of a second and going up to several seconds. To get control of shutter speed yourself, switch to manual “M” mode on your camera. Here’s an example of using a slow shutter speed, which creates a cool motion blur effect. For the image below the shutter speed was set at 1/6 sec, while the aperture was set at f/6.3. The action used on this image was Oh So Light And Vibrant at 50% from The Big Bundle Set. Enjoy!
Woohoo! You’ve created a gorgeous new website and blog, shined up your camera and put together a pretty package list. Sounds like you’re just about ready to launch your photography business. Of course you’re expecting to turn a profit, right? But before you start letting the eager clients in the door, make sure you have your pricing all figured out! Here are a few general considerations when setting pricing for your new business.
*Your Skills- Are you new in the photography game or do you have some experience under your camera strap? Your skill level (newbie, semi-experienced, professional) should match up with your pricing. One who has photographed numerous weddings as lead camera (even if you did it free for friends) will be able to charge more than someone who has only assisted as second camera a couple of times.
*Average Business Costs- How much does it cost to run your business? Most photographers pay for studio rent, bridal expos, equipment purchases/repairs, accounting/legal fees, insurance, software, etc. You’ve created a list of the services/products you’re going to provide. How much will they cost YOU? How much profit do you want to make on top of that?
*Your Ideal Clients- Do you want to target young and trendy brides or old money, traditional brides? Determine what type of client you enjoy working with most. How do I reach these brides? What do they value most in their experience with a photographer? If you price yourself properly, you’ll appeal to the same clientele each and every time.
Your photography is art, so get your pricing all figured out so your business can thrive for years to come!
-Lauren-
YSA
Nov 29
Maternity Session Ideas
I love shooting maternity sessions. Women are extra beautiful and glowing with life when they’re pregnant. Here are a few tips for shooting these kinds of sessions:
Timing- Schedule the maternity shoot when the mom-to-be is ~8 months pregnant- at that point she’s obviously pregnant and really glowing!
Location- I’m a big fan of natural light, so all of my sessions take place outdoors. Scout out parks or nature reserves in your area where you’ll get good lighting.
Simplify- Pregnancy doesn’t require anything else to be present in a photograph to help tell it’s story, the background should be simple. I recommend that my clients choose simple clothing to wear for the session (in lieu of distracting patterns).
Emphasize the Relationship- Bringing a child into this world is love in its purest form. It’s sweet to highlight the relationship between the mom and dad-to-be before two becomes three! If the couple already has children, be sure to include them in some of the pictures.
Tell her she’s beautiful- Like I said, women are beautiful when they’re pregnant, but they may not always feel that way! She may need some encouragement from you along the way- give her genuine compliments like “You look fabulous!” or “Love that smile!”. If she feels pretty, then it will come across in the pictures you take!
Happy Shooting! : )
Is your work “branded”? When I started shooting weddings a few years ago, I was often disappointed in my work because I felt it wasn’t consistent. My composition wasn’t perfect, my exposure wasn’t right on and my editing style varied from picture to picture. I find that using actions has really helped me brand my work. Each action is simple to use and consistent every time! Experiment with different actions and find the right formula for you to brand your work.
