That’s ALL I’ve done today. Literally. From the moment I left the house today at 8:30am for the first senior session of the day until I got home about 90 minutes ago from the last senior session of the day…I’ve had a camera in my hand. And I’m TIRED. But, it’s all good. It’s been a wonderful day from start to finish. In between sessions today I had a few hours of down time and my hubby and I thought it would be fun to go exploring for some new locations…one of my *favorite* things to do. ) He knows the way to my heart! So…I threw some snazzy duds on my three year old model and we jetted out for a bit. Gooood stuff we found….I’m telling ya…gooood stuff. Here is one of my favorite of all favorites. As soon as I got home tonight I processed this…and I’ve already ordered a big old canvas to go above the computer/phone desk. I adore unusual shots…and I was practically jumping out the window of my suburban when we found this phone…in the middle of…literally…nowhere. I’m a happy girl tonight. )

There’ll be more to come from my little scouting trip in the days ahead…and several sneak peeks on their way…this has been a busy week for sessions. I was also going to put the announcement for the workshop up on the blog tonight, but in order to be fair to those who have received the pre-registration email I’m going to wait until tomorrow since there is a fun little drawing for those who pre-register by 11:59pm tonight.

And…that’s all for tonight. I think I’m actually going to head to bed soon…I’m super wiped out…and there’s some sort of football game tomorrow. ;o) GO CARDINALS!!!!

 

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Is it still Friday?!?!? Good grief! This whole week I’ve been running about 6 hours behind. So…I’m hoping to wrap this post up before Midnight and call it a day!

Today’s Photog Friday question is from April G. in Scottsdale and she asks:

“Hi Sandi! I have a Photog Friday question for you. I have noticed that when you show backlit images there is still so much clarity in your subject. I always seem to get haze when I try to backlight a subject. I’ve also noticed that you don’t blow highlights in the hair and face, yet I always seem to have really blown highlights. What settings do you use for backlighting? Thanks!”

Well…the answer to that is…it depends. ) As always in the wonderful world of photography, there is no set answer…everything depends on your lighting, your subject’s relationship to the lighting, and the look you are trying to achieve. Sometimes…you might actually want haze! Hey – haze happens. Sorry…I couldn’t resist. But…I know what you mean.

Most of the time haze can be avoided by simply moving your camera angle slightly. Haze is caused by intense light hitting the front element of the lens causing lens refraction and soft images with little definition. It’s a bummer…really. I’ve taken many would-be fabulous shots that were blown by haze. Using a lens hood can really help with this…and if you don’t shoot with a hood I recommend it for several reasons. One…it does reduce haze and flare, two…it adds a layer of protection to your lens when you are shooting and setting your camera down on the ground (which I do frequently)…and three…it helps protect your lens from little fingers. I can’t tell you how many little fingers have poked at my lenses. It might have something to do with me convincing little chubbers that Elmo might live in there. But, regardless…a lens hood is a good idea, especially if you are shooting with a zoom lens…which is more susceptible to haze and flare when shooting into the light.

When I shoot a subject with backlighting I typically meter for their skin…and then increase my shutter speed just a bit off of that reading. That generally gives me a little darker image that I would normally like to see SOOC, but it usually insures that I have not got overblown hair highlights. I don’t like to see completely blown hair…it’s a pet peeve of mine…and I really don’t like blown facial features. However…sometimes it darn near unavoidable if you are shooting without a reflector in natural light and you are too far from your subject to use fill flash unless you want a subject that is way too dark. In that case…get the shot anyway.

When I am looking for backlight to work with I try find light that is soft…not harsh…and fairly filtered. A softer, filtered light source will give you more color to work with surrounding your subject. I prefer the light at sundown for backlit images. When the light is nearing the horizon…there is a really golden quality to the light that just makes for beautiful hair highlights…and it’s also easier to find light that’s filtered at that time of day because it’s at the perfect level to filter through trees.

Here are three of my favorite backlit images that I’ve taken this year (the last one is a bit more sidelit than backlit). Hope that helps! Hey – grab your cameras tomorrow at sundown and see what ya can get! Have fun!

Workshop Announcements will be made tomorrow!!! The pre-registration email has already gone out to those who were signed up for the waiting list. I’m sooo excited about the photographer’s workshop! Sooooo excited! 

And…look at the time! This girl BARELY made it, but it’s STILL Friday!

‘Til Next Time!
S

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It was a little windy last Saturday morning…so I wasn’t sure what the afternoon would bring…but as I drove to this session the sun was bursting through the clouds and I knew…just KNEW…that God was being kind to me! This has been a session that I have looked forward to for several weeks. This is such a special family…they adore their kiddos…and mom “D” and dad are just genuinely sweet people. I got to meet with D a couple of weeks before the session to chat with her at my favorite, favorite, favorite place…Starbucks…so we could meet each other and talk about what kind of images she was dreaming of. The images she wanted most were ones that simply showed her children showing affection for each other. *sigh* My favorite kind. )

^^^ Love the look on Miss A’s face here!

And…here are a few more that I just absolutely *loved*. )

OKAY…and this next one…HOW. HILARIOUS. IS. THIS?!?!? It’s not everyday that you get to hang out with a goat at a photo session! He was such a good model too…I’m telling you, he was posing for me!

 

Yay! Tomorrow is Thursday! My fourth favorite day of the week!!!

Chat at you soon!
S 

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Hi All! I know I’ve been a little MIA over the past couple of days…but, it is ONLY because I have been a busy little bee putting the final details together for the Photography Workshops to be held in March and April. The finishing touches are all coming together…and I am soooo super excited to give you all the juicy details…SOON! The beginner workshop will be held in March…and will be focusing on the basics of using a DSLR camera. It’ll be THE. PERFECT. BEGINNER. WORKSHOP…for Moms, Students, and Friends who just want to learn how to use those complicated little toys to take better pictures of their families and to learn how to really work their cameras.

 

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Hi Photog Friends! It’s a little late in the day for my post…but today…it couldn’t be helped. I had an incredibly busy morning today…it seems that several people had the same idea this morning and called to book sessions, so I was on the phone quite a bit. Then…the adventure began. I took my kids to the library…what I thought was going to be an hour long jaunt to the library turned into a 4 hour excursion going here there and everywhere…and then back to the library because my oldest forgot his diabetes kit at the library. (Couldn’t be too hard on him though…he’s only forgotten it 3 times in three and a half years…not a bad track record at all.) However…his kit also contained his iPod, his cell phone, AND his wallet. Ugh! So…our afternoon was waaay more eventful than it should have been…and once I got home I had to get our Friday night Dinner & a Movie tradition underway. So…here I am…sitting at my computer for the first time since around noon.

Soooooo….today’s question comes from ‘Alayna’ in Texas.

“I am just starting out portfolio building and I was forwarded your website by a friend in AZ. You do beautiful work!!! I hope you don’t mind me asking a couple of questions. I was wondering if you could share some of the things you did, steps you took, in the beginning of your business that have helped you become successful. And, also if you could share some of the things, if anything, that you wish you had done differently.”

ABSOLUTELY! ) So…I’ve decided to answer with a Top Ten list of advice for people just starting out…

Here we go…

10 – Learn to shoot in Manual Mode. There are a lot of photographers who shoot in Av Mode…and very successfully. But, learning to shoot first in Manual Mode will help you to understand every other mode of your camera and how it functions. In Manual Mode…you control your camera and everything about the outcome of an image is totally YOUR decision. It’s a beautiful thing!

9 – Master your camera…practice, practice, and practice some more…until your camera is like an extension of your hands…and your eyes…and your heart. Make yourself so familiar with the functions of your camera…and how to change your ISO setting, your Aperture, and your Shutter speed without looking at the camera…without having to think about it. It may seem difficult at first, but with practice, you will get to the point where your hands will just have total control over the functions of your camera.

8 – Practice shooting wide open. It’s not the best choice for every situation, not by a long shot…BUT, learning to nail your focus when you are shooting wide open will help you to grow creatively as well as technically and it will help you in mastering every other aperture setting as well.

7 – Take the time to find your style. We all have one. As photographers starting out it is so tempting to want to emulate another photographers style that you admire…and there is certainly nothing wrong with that…it’s simply the way it is. However…trying to be a clone of another photographer is never a good thing because you won’t grow that way. Learn to shoot what’s in YOUR heart and be purposeful in defining what types of images you want to represent YOU. That’s not to say that you can’t have several different processing styles, or even shooting styles, but every image you take should be a representation of YOUR art and YOUR vision. YOU are the artist, afterall.

6 – Don’t accept jobs that aren’t “you”. This is SOOOO important! Especially in the beginning…it’s so hard not to do that. You are growing your business, any paying jobs at that point are exciting…but, PLEASE…I beg you…don’t compromise on that! If it’s not something that you do, and not something you are comfortable with, and not something you want to shoot…then just don’t do it. Leave it to someone who does specialize in that area…and leave room in your schedule for those who want to book you for what you DO specialize in. I learned this the HARD way…and it wasn’t fun…and honestly, the depression from a session gone bad when I was just starting out VERY nearly resulted in me quitting 2 months into my business. 

5 – Keep up with your laundry and cooking. I’m just sayin’!

4 – Read. Read. Read. Read. – Everything related to photography that you can. Join online forums AND be active in them and you will grow faster than you can imagine. I highly recommend ILP as a good place to get your basic questions answered to start. There is a wealth of knowledge out there…but, you must invest the time it takes to learn all the ins and outs. I also HIGHLY recommend a book called Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It’s only $17 at Amazon…and it is WELL worth taking the time to absorb every page. 

3 – Invest in a good workshop. There are many good options for workshops depending on what you are looking to learn…and while there is certainly much to be gained by the workshops offered by pros with celebrity status…you don’t have to pay $1000 for a workshop in order for it to greatly benefit you. In fact sometimes just seeing how someone else shoots, what they look for when shooting, how they connect with their subjects, and how they process their images is all you need in order to get your own creativity flowing.

And…since it’s been asked several times in the past couple of weeks…YES…I am STILL working on my workshop schedule for the Spring. I am planning two workshops…one for total beginners who need to learn the basics of their cameras…and then a 2nd one for photographers who would like to learn all of the above and then some. The Photographer Workshop is being planned for the beginning of April, but the date is still being finalized…and the beginner workshop for sometime in late March. I am hoping to announce the details in a couple of days…and in the meantime if you’d like to be put on the list to be among the first to know the details for the photographer workshop…please email me. There will be limited seating at the Photographer Workshop…so it will be first come first served.

2 – Buy the best camera and lenses that you can afford…without going into debt. ) I know that’s not always feasible, but if at all possible don’t purchase your equipment with credit. The best equipment you can afford will help you to maximize your potential as a photographer.

AND…THE NUMBER ONE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR THOSE JUST STARTING OUT…

1 – Don’t neglect your family. This business is a lot of work. When I was starting out…I admit that I thought it would be a fun and relatively easy way to earn money to help support my family. I was wrong about the easy part. This business involves far more work than I ever imagined. You would be very wise to find a balance early on. Last year I worked 50-60 hours almost every week…which is why I have made changes to my schedule that were absolutely necessary for the sanity of my family. I am now working 35-40 hours every week. This is a consuming business…both creatively and emotionally. As photographers, we love what we do…but, it can easily take over if we don’t set boundaries and stick to them. My biggest regret of my first 6 months in business was how neglected my family became because I was underpriced and over worked. It took a tremendous toll on my family…and I didn’t see it coming. Once you’re in the cycle it’s very hard to pull back…so do try hard to establish those boundaries early on…your family will be healthier and far more blessed because of it.

AND…since this has surely become THE. LONGEST. POST. IN. ALL. OF. BLOGDOM…I will bring this to a close…with a couple of fun shots from a little park session the other day. This is my best friend’s littlest two girls…and the little one is 6 months old and we needed to do her 6 month pictures…so we took advantage of a beautiful play date at the park the other day and grabbed some fun shots of her in all of her gorgeous 6 month glory.

Be sure to email your questions to me for upcoming Photog Fridays! Be sure to put Photog Friday in the subject line. )

‘Til Next Time!
S

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