We began in Columbus' Short North area.
You know, weather in Ohio is very unpredictable! One day it's 65 degrees and two days later, we have four inches of snow on the ground. Again. But, we got lucky this past weekend when it was time to shoot Jaclyn and Chris' engagement photos! We didn't have clear, beautiful, blue skies but the temperatures were tolerable and it wasn't too windy! This time of year I'll take that!
We began in Columbus' Short North area.
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It's quite a controversial topic among photographers: to offer digital images (disk or USB drive) or not to offer digital images. I understand both arguments for why you should and why you shouldn't. The "why you should" argument is this: the photographer makes lots more profit from a disk. Why? Because the only thing you have invested in the session is time and a disk or USB drive. Even if you provide a fancy disk sleeve or USB box, you still don't have as much cost in the session if you would if the client ordered a large gallery wrap, some enlargement prints and some gift prints. Prints can be expensive. And clients can print what they want, when the want and very inexpensively. The "why you shouldn't" argument is this: if a client makes the investment of time and money to have a professional photo session, shouldn't the client receive the absolute best quality images in prints as they possibly can? And the answer is, of course! I do offer clients digital files but I would much rather have more cost in a session by providing professional print lab quality images to them. After all, these photos will most likely be on display in the clients home and/or office for people to see, often for a long time. I want my clients to show off my best work in the best way possible. A website called Improve Photography recently conducted a test of online printing labs where photographers can choose to have their work printed. Here is a photo comparison they provided of a professional photography lab print versus a print from Snapfish. Shocking, huh? My lab is among this list of labs that were tested. And while I don't want to disclose which lab I use, I will say they scored VERY WELL and I'm proud to be a client of theirs! For me they provide: -Print quality, which provides MY clients with the best products! -Pricing, which allows me to provide reasonable pricing for MY clients. -Shipping, super fast shipping lets me get my clients' products to them quickly! -Customer service, the service I get from my lab allows me to provide MY clients with the best service I can give! It's a win-win! Here is another image that often floats around the internet showing the difference between professional labs and retail labs. The difference is incredible. This image is from Photography by Carlise. So, please, the next time you choose to invest your precious time and hard earned money on a professional photo session with me, please consider also investing in the high quality prints and products that I can offer you from a professional printing lab, like the one I use for everything I have printed!
I offer prints, canvas gallery wraps, books, invitations, "save-the-date" cards, magnets, bookmarks, mini accordion books and LOTS MORE!! I have hundreds of styles and designs to choose from for everything you can imagine! You had a fabulous session. It was even more than you expected. You know I took at least a hundred photos during your two hour session but that was where you lost count...It was way more than that. Yet, when you open your online password protected gallery for the first time there are only 40 images there for you to see. What?! Where are the rest of our pictures?
I'm lucky. I have a photographer and a great camera on hand all the time! I can take scrapbook worthy pictures of my kids anytime I want. Well, when they'll cooperate anyway. But people say to me "I wish I could take pictures of my kids like you do" all the time. You CAN by simply changing a few things about the way you're taking the pictures! It doesn't matter if you're using a phone, a point and shoot or a fancy, schmancy camera like mine.
You did it! Finally! After 10 years, you finally scheduled family portraits, despite not having lost that twenty pounds you've been waiting to lose before you could even bear the thought of having photos taken. Your session was beyond what you expected. The weather was gorgeous. A perfect 70 degrees, mostly cloudy with the warm sun peeking through occasionally, blessing us with a beautiful, warm glow. Your kids were happy and cooperative, smiling, giggling, hugging bundles of joy and we got way more shots than you had ever imagined we would get. Especially when you said to me "I just need one good picture and I'll be happy!" (you would be amazed how often I hear that!) Yet, when it comes time to order your images you decide on a few 8x10's, a couple of 5x7's of the kids to give to Grandma and Aunt Marsha and some wallets for your desk at work. I've come to realize that people are afraid to buy anything bigger than an 8x10 because it's not comfortable. 8x10 seems to be a standard; the "big" picture in your child's school portrait package, sports photos, etc. But, oh, if you only knew what options were available to you for displaying your art! Portraits are art! Think about how much goes into having portraits taken. First, you have to find a date and time that both you and the photographer are available, with the added challenge of your kids' work/school/extracurricular activities schedules if you have older kids. Then, you have the task of coordinating everyone's clothing to look cohesive but not too matchy. That can take hours, especially if you have to shop for something! (For help with this task, click below to check out my Pinterest Board on What To Wear!) Last, you have to navigate your entire day around your session time, strategically timing meals, snacks and naps to make for the happiest of children come photo time. And believe me, I know how this entire process feels. I have four kids ages 10-10months. Yes... I know! So, if you're willing to jump through all the hoops to get these perfect pieces of your family art and you're paying someone to take art quality images of your family, why wouldn't you display them just as you would cherished pieces of art? Let me share with you some of the products that I offer my clients and to see some of the amazing things that I can do with your images click here: Do you see just how small an 8x10 photo really is? See it? Down there... on the table! Now, imagine your favorite portrait of your family as a big, bold eye-catching gallery wrap as the main focal point of your family room! This graphic gives you a great idea of the different sizes available to you in relation to the size of a standard sofa. Yes, I can give you any of the sizes you see here! The photo below helps you see what the larger sizes would look like ascending your staircase, another popular display place for family photos. When I take photos for someone a popular question that is asked is, "How long will it be before I get to see the pictures?" And the answer is rarely less than a week. Why? Well, there is much more to a beautiful portrait than snapping a photo. Sometimes it's that simple but most of the time not!
I love natural light photography. That means I love being outside using the beautiful, natural sun light as my main light source. And as steady as the sunlight may be, the conditions change as you move around, change angles, move from being in direct sunlight to being in shade, etc. And with every move like this, there are adjustments to be made in the camera itself. To be honest, sometimes I nail that change and sometimes, well... not so much. Although, I try my very best every time! (I'd love to meet the photographer who nails every image, in camera, every shot! :) When I get home from a shoot, the very first thing I do is upload the images to my computer. This process alone takes 15-20 minutes, depending on the number of shots I took at the session. Then, I pull the images one by one into Photoshop to edit them. I make sure the lighting is right, I check skin tone and I make sure the colors in the photo are the best they can possibly be. Sometimes that's all a photo needs and sometimes it needs much more. I want everything to be perfect for you. I spend anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes per image. This entire process tends to put me at about 24 hours of time per session! Plus the time it takes to travel to and from a session, upload and download time and ordering time. I love what I do. But so much more goes on behind the scenes than what clients see. See... beautiful images take time. Lots of time! Here is a before and after sample of an image from Bryan and Mariah's recent engagement session. Quite a difference, huh? But the end result is gorgeous! "When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." ~author unknown Beautiful portraits tell your story. They freeze time and become your history. This is just the beginning for Bryan and Mariah. They're starting their life journey together very soon and I was so blessed to be able to spend a beautiful evening with them to capture the love they have for each other. Congratulations on your engagement! <3 You might be asking yourself "what is a 365 project?" So, let me tell you! It is a project for someone who either wants to improve their skills or document their every day by taking a photo every day. Sometimes people use a theme for their 365 or have a schedule, so to speak, of what their photo is to be every day. I'm not using any kind of list of daily "assignments", nor do my photos have a theme. I just want to challenge myself to pick my camera up every day and learn something every day that will make me a better photographer. I began my 365 on January 1st and it is my goal to not only take the pictures, but to post them here weekly. So here is a little slideshow featuring the images from the first week of my 365 project! Enjoy! Oh, and why not start your own 365 project?! It's not too late! I love to have fun. I mean, who doesn't love to have fun? So I try to make sure all my sessions are just that! Here are 4 tips for what to expect if you hire me to be your photographer!
1. You need to have a need for a photographer. (duh :) I take photographs of lots of things. But I most love family and children's photography. Family is the most important thing in the world to me. And photographs preserve that family bond like nothing else can. They represent your legacy and they leave the world with a piece of you when you're gone. Think about how you cherish that photo of your grandmother or the tears that well up when you see that one photo of your husband with your first son when he was just born. I capture those moments in time for you to hold on to and look back on. And I'll take this time to address the most common thing I hear from women: "I'll get back to you over the summer after I go on a diet. I can't have pictures taken of me looking like this!" Here's what I say to that: your family knows you and they love you just as you are, especially your children. They know you no differently, regardless of what you looked like in high school or even just before you got pregnant with them. They love you now. And when I'm gone and my children look back I would rather they have photos of me "looking like this" than not have anything to look back on at all. Wow, that got kinda serious for a second, didn't it? :) *exhale* 2. On a much lighter note, it is highly recommended that you like to have fun. I love to have fun. I love to talk. I love to laugh and make people laugh. A genuine smile really comes through in photographs so I do whatever is necessary to get real smiles! One of my most fun shoots ever was a boudoir shoot where we somehow got on the subject of pirates and we finished every sentence with "arrrrrgh" or "me hearty". I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time and she had the most beautiful, natural smile in her photos. You would think those shoots would be awkward but they are some of the most fun times I've had in my business! 3. If you're looking for a children's photographer or if you need family photos are you have small children, you should come relaxed. Strangers are intimidating and strangers who want to invade our space with a big, scary looking camera are even more intimidating. They may want nothing to do with me at first and that's okay! I try to start a conversation with them, if they're old enough, and at least try get them to warm up to me before we even try to take a picture. But we almost always end up friends by the time our session is over and I've held many hands on the way back to the car from a session! Before your session I always send out a client questionnaire to find out what kinds of things the kids love (shows, characters, etc) and I might even bring a favorite treat (read as bribe :) for them. Please don't get upset if they won't cooperate. I have four kids and I totally get it. They'll do it on their time when they're good and ready. And I'll take photos of them just being themselves while we're waiting. And you know what? Most of the time those are the best photos of them because they're just being kids. 4. Sometimes the hardest part of getting ready for a photo shoot is deciding what to wear! I'm here to help you with that too! I have boards on Pinterest that can give you lots of ideas. But let me give you the easiest piece of advice right here. Mom, pick your outfit first. Make it something that makes you feel good. If you're comfortable, it will show in your photos! Solid colors and small prints typically photograph the best and don't be afraid of color! If you're a fan of black (because we all know it's supposed to be slimming, right?) add a pop of color with jewelry, a scarf or a hair accessory! Then pick everyone else's outfit and make them complimentary to yours. Pull colors from your accessories for everyone's clothes. Or choose a color palate and include those colors in each person's outfit. Try to avoid being too matchy though! If you want to see more ideas, click here to connect to my Pinterest boards! I guess posting my first blog wasn't too difficult. (I'm not counting the seven, yes seven, times I started writing and deleted what I had written!) I feel like I need to share a photograph with you though... afterall, it IS a photography blog. So, I will share the collage I put together for the end of the year featuring a shot from every session I did in 2013! Happy New Year! Here's to new beginnings and new clients! |
AuthorStephanie West is owner/photographer at Expressive Photography. She is a stay-at-home mom of 4 and is so happy to have finally found HER passion in photography. And she is ecstatic to be able to share it with others! Categories
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