A Droplet of Water

One of the fun things about fog is how water collects on everything.  Including your camera so don't forget to take a soft cloth with you to dry it off...  Here are some more photos from last Thursday's foggy day shoot.

Easter Photo Specials!

Call me by 11 Feb 2012 to schedule your 

Easter Portrait Session

and receive one of the following specials:

Your session fee as a credit toward a print or CD* package

or

One free sheet with your session fee**

But wait, there's more...

All session fees are only 

$45 for Easter photos!

Call 404.583.0659 now to reserve your session.

* Did you have a look at the CD pricing on our website? (click HERE)  Maybe you're wondering about the double credit... Yes!  You read it correctly: $45 off the CD (Easter special) plus $45 toward prints and/or merchandise (CD package deal).

** A sheet is defined as follows: (1) 8x10, or (2) 5x7, or (2) 4x6, or (4) wallet.  Additional prints may be purchased as a package or 'a-la-carte'.

Setting the Mood

Fog creates a lovely mood in photos, with nature cloaking herself in a soft, almost shadowless light.  Scenes disappear into the mist and bold lines are muted, giving an air of mystery.

Now, I don't much like dreary days (Rotorua, New Zealand and Portland, Oregon are places to visit, not live, in my book...) but give me a foggy day?  I'm out there with a camera.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  Make sure you take a soft, lintless cloth with you to dry off the camera and lens completely.

Straight from the Horse's Mouth

My wish for a foggy day was finally granted yesterday and there was no holding me back.  I met up with a couple of friendly chappies who were curious about everything me, especially the camera I kept sticking in their faces.  They tag-teamed me; taking turns with one posing while the other sniffed my hair and bumped my shoulder.  Attention hogs, both of them!

I held the camera up for this guy to inspect and after blowing through his nostrils at it a couple of times, he decided it might be tasty and quickly lipped it.  Let's hear it for lens hoods - not only do they prevent unwanted sun flare on your photo, but they also protect your lens from horse slobber.

The Vintage Look

I was going through photos from our Thanksgiving trip out west and found some that were just begging to be touched with a vintage brush.  These first two were taken in a small town in New Mexico.

 

After spending time with family in New Mexico, we headed to Colorado for Thanksgiving.  Along the way we spotted some pronghorn antelope just off the road and we came to a sudden halt so I could take some photos.  Combine a photographer with an expat Kiwi and you can pretty much guarantee I'm going to stop to photograph animals, especially those I've never seen.  My big regret was not being able to get the buffalo we drove past on the way home.  Roadworks made it impossible to stop...  But hey - I've seen a real live buffalo!

I had to overexpose this slightly to make sure the antelope weren't silhouetted against the harsh middle-of-the-day light (click HERE for my post on the best time of day to take photos).

This one was just too funny to pass up.

And here we are, back to the vintage look.  This is from one of my favourite shoots - a senior from last year.  I didn't publish it at the time because I couldn't find the right look to convey the sense of whimsy I felt when taking the photo.  I love how their feet are in step - forgive the horrible pun...

SKP PhotoTips - Tracking Your Progress

The more you get out there and shoot, the better your photos will be, right?  Practice makes perfect...  But have you ever looked at a photo you took and wondered what magic you performed to produce something that fantastic?  There's a lot to remember when you're starting out and it'll be a while before selecting the best settings to achieve the affect you want becomes second nature.

In the meantime, what can you do to help your progress?  You can look at your photos and see how your photography is maturing over time, but even that's of no use if you don't understand what you're doing to produce better results.

One way to keep track of the technical side of your work is to use a checklist.  There are plenty of sites on the internet that can give you ideas for what to record.  I liked the look of this one (HERE) and adapted it to my needs.  The preparation for every photo shoot I do includes completing one of these before I head out the door, whether it's for a client or my own personal work.

Some of the basic information you'll want to note includes:

• Camera Mode: are you shooting in Auto, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual?
• What lens did you use?
• ISO setting
• Aperture (f-Stop)
• Shutter speed
• Focus: auto or manual?
• Light source: e.g. natural or studio?
• White balance
• Did you use a tripod?

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of what you might want to record.  Think about what you want to improve on and include it.  Also, add a section for notes and results - give yourself a grade on how the shoot went.  How could you have done better?  What pleased you about the shoot? The main thing is to experiment and learn what works for you.

Photo Shoot - Cumming GA Family Photographer

Here's a fun family of four who contacted us for a portrait session a few weeks before Christmas.  We posed them outside as the sun was going down, then moved inside with our portable studio setup for photos in a Christmas setting.  Their little doggie joined in and posed perfectly for some of the shots - quite the ham!