So, quite a bit of snow out there. Too much for many people… just right for penguins and polar bears. And more on the way. Yeah… I know.
But let’s try to make the best of the situation and have some fun with pictures. We’re hosting a Snow Photo Contest. Here’s how it works:
– There are two categories: Funniest Snow Photo and Most Artistic Snow Photo.
– You can only enter one photo per category.
– The contest is open to our Facebook fans, clients, and their friends and family who live in the snowy northeast. To make the contest fair, and with no slight to my photographer friends, this contest has to be limited to non-professionals.
– The winners (Diana and I are the judges) will receive a free T-shirt with your picture on it, customized with any text you’d like (like a caption or logo). Our decisions are final (as always 🙂 ).
– The contest entries must be received no later than Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00pm. Any received after that will not be considered.
To submit your photo, email your photo to photos@tlcphotography.com. We will acknowledge your entry and email everyone with the winning entries as well as posting it here on the blog.
Please email us if you have any questions.
Ready?
Set.
Go…!
Because of a change in work schedules, one of our Valentine’s portrait sessions cannot make it on Saturday. So, we have an opening! It’s a great opportunity to give your special someone a unique gift.
The $99 session fee includes a complete makeup session from our makeup artist, and a hair styling by our hair professional. After that, pictures! We’ll match your outfit(s) and mood with the lighting, background and props to create a unique look just for you.
Please call now to reserve. This spot is going to go fast!
304-263-3100
During the summer months when we are doing 10-15 seniors a week, we hold senior consultations. This gives people a chance to get to know me, and me them. During the late fall and winter, we don’t do them because we are only doing 2-3 a week at this point and people are too busy anyway. So when a senior comes in this time of year, we get to unveil our personalities in a shorter time span and try to work through the uncomfortable moments of them thinking "does this guy think he’s funny," and me with "what is up with that hair???"
But Jessie and I seemed to click right away. There are a lot more images I’ll post later, but here’s a couple we did from today’s session.
Funny thing… well, depends upon your perspective I suppose. Larry’s father is also Larry. So Larry (the son) is a junior. But Larry (the son) is also a senior… in high school. I knew you wouldn’t understand. Here’s Larry.
The first baby of the contest always gets me in the baby mood… no, not the kind where I want to HAVE a baby, but where I want to photograph more of them. She was so much fun… her name is Noellia, and she would laugh at just about anything… 7 months old.
There will be a LOT more baby pictures to come.
After the private boudoir party we held last weekend, and it’s ensuing success with all the participants, and of course the post Details, where we outlined some of what happens at these things, we got more inquiries about doing "just one more" before Valentine’s Day.
So we are.
January 30 is the date. Here’s how it works:
1. Call our studio (304-263-3100) and ask for the Valentine’s Day of Beauty session. The cost is $99 per person, or $75 per person if you bring a friend. The session must be prepaid. There are no refunds on the sessions, since we also limit how many we can take (a day is only so long, ya know!)
2. Get together the outfits you want to use during your session. These sessions range in scope from fully dressed to almost completely nude, so bring whatever you like. Most people bring 2-3 outfits, and we can also suggest a few props and ideas in case you don’t have anything you really want to use.
3. Show up on January 30. We usually set a time frame to work within, but most people arrive between 10-11am.
4. Our make-up artist will take care of your face, eyes, and lips. She knows your look, discusses what "look" you want, and works with your natural coloring to bring out the best in your appearance.
5. You’ll also visit with our hair stylist, who will style your hair just for your special look. Please note, that wash and cut is not done, and we suggest that you come ready for a styling.
6. On to the pictures. We have a number of sets, backgrounds, props and more to give you a unique experience and one-of-a-kind images that are suited to your particular tastes and needs. Tony’s masterful lighting skills and persuasive posing techniques will make sure your best gets captured on camera.
7. Finally, Diana takes charge with her special brand of "Boudoir Art". Finishing the images (along with leaving a few "as is" so you can have a choice) is part of the final product.
So… You need to call. We’ll take it from there. We have plenty of satisfied clients, and look forward to including you among them.
Our studio was turned into a boudoir party for a considerable part of Saturday. I told the ladies in attendance that I would post their photos by Monday, in a private gallery of course. Since they all mostly knew each other, it meant that they were very encouraging in such a way as to not only be supportive, but also to dare each other into doing more than they originally thought. These are NOT your typical boudoir images. They reflect each lady’s personal wish for the Valentine’s Day gift they are intended.
The good thing about doing this with friends is that there’s very little they need to hold back. And it shows in the images.
Which I’m not going to show you here.
But what I CAN show you is a peek at some details. Each of the eight images posted here is a very tiny piece of the entire image. Let your mind wander.
A few posts back when I was talking about Sara B, there were some images in there that we did, both in the studio and outdoor in 20 degree weather. She was quite a trooper, braving cold AND wind to get these photos done.
Today, Sara and her mom Lisa were in the studio to review images and pick their faves. After about an hour, they had narrowed the selections down to 12 images. The objective, apparently, is to create a portfolio for Sara’s upcoming auditions.
When we were reviewing the images, I realized that I neglected to show one off that we all just raved over. The reasons why they like it are pretty apparent. But the reason why I like it is a little different.
First, all of the images we shot outdoor were shot with indirect on-camera flash. My assistant for the day, Kaila, was holding a 2×3′ bounce reflector about four feet away on camera right. I had the flash pointed toward the reflector, and Kaila "aimed" the reflector toward Sara. She managed to do this very effectively for most of our outdoor shots.
This technique, and many more, will be taught in my upcoming Lighting & Lightroom Essentials Workshop. Sign up before January 31 and you can get $100 off the workshop price.
A client scheduled an appointment a couple of weeks ago for a family session. They were primarily interested in getting photos of the families with the paternal grandfather, as he was quite ill and his prognosis not good.
We set up a sitting for them, and were anxious to work with this large family supporting their grandpa. I always enjoy family sessions, because the interaction reminds me of my own family gatherings where everyone is teasing, playing and having a good time.
Two days prior to the session, a family member contacted us to let us know that they would not be at the sitting, and that the family patriarch had taken a turn for the worse, and could not travel. We understood completely, of course.
This leads me back to remembering that our elderly loved ones will leave lasting memories in our hearts. But to best preserve those memories, photos are one of the most inspiring way to not only remember your loved ones, but to pass those memories along to generations that follow. It may seem a minor point when everyone is happy and healthy, but it becomes so much more important when people become sick and can no longer function without assistance.
The point here is to get your family photos done now. Don’t wait! And by doing them now, down the line when times are tough and relatives pass on, you’ll have that peace of mind, knowing you have some wonderful portraits of them.
My own father passed away in May of 2008. I miss him every day, and have a portrait up of him in our studio as my inspiration. I have a photo of he and my mother on my desk at the studio, as well. These will always be cherished memories of a man that meant so much to my life.
I welcome you to share your story of loved ones and family members, and your memories of their inspiration to you.
A week or so ago, a friend of Diana’s and mine contacted me about teaching a workshop while on an exotic excursion in and around a town in the Italian Alps. I will admit to being hesitant at first. I have almost forever been the "home is where I’m safe" guy. That means my day starts at home, I go to my studio, I get done, and go home. I love being home. And the thought of venturing out, not just beyond my home, but outside my country and into a very small area in a country I’ve never visited was, well… daunting.
So Daniela (the friend/vacation arranger person) asks me to give it some thought and let her know what I could come up with as far as an educational workshop that would fit with an existing program which includes tours of some of the area’s most incredible scenery, food, wine and entertainment.
After a few days, I had some ideas in mind, but I wasn’t really sure how they would play out within the existing scheme of the vacation agenda. So, Daniela visited the studio on Wednesday to give us an idea of not only what to expect, but more about the gist of the adventure. And after the first hour, I was going into a daze. Diana soon recognized this and quickly rushed me a large mug of hot coffee.
By the time we were done talking, I realized that the location (San Martino di Castrozza in the foothills of the Italian Alps) was quite nearly The Perfect Place for a sweeping approach to a lot of different photographic possibilities. But I had to rein myself in a bit, because a) everything I’d want to cover could last for months, b) there’s so much more to see and do that there’s no way I could keep your attention for more than a few hours at a time, and c) *I* want to see more of the sites.
So, after all that, what are we looking at? This is more or less preliminary, but the general concept is the same:
1) The trip is from August 29-September 7. The time we spend in San Martino di Castrozza would be the majority of the time there, but each day we would venture out to surrounding areas.
2) Each day of the trip, something new is going on. A photographer who lives there is something of a nature/landscape expert in the area, and conveniently quite an amazing photographer. Alessandro Simon is a full-time photography instructor for The Alpine Adventure Agency, which is owned by Daniela and her husband, Ken. Alessandro would be showing you the best places and settings for your equipment to get great images of the scenery around you (and above you, and below you, etc.)
3) In the afternoon for six of the days of the trip, I will have an opportunity to work with you to find the best places and angles to take advantage of the sweeping and intimate imagery available for portraiture and wedding photography. The town itself has so many wonderful places, that it will be hard to contain yourself. We have already lined up a beautiful model (a local) who is happy to pose for us during these portions of our workshop.
4) In addition to the photo workshop and opportunities, you will also have the opportunity to hike, take an amazing cable car ride, dine in some of the most incredible restaurants, learn from expert chefs in a cooking demonstration, visit a glacier lake, a fabric maker, an amazing wood sculptor, enjoy local entertainment, and so much more than I can possibly explain here.
Things are still unfolding, but my plan is to create a workshop that will truly prepare you for the adventures in photography, both at home and in exotic locations. Optional evening sessions will be available (and we’re still working out the details on that) to explore new horizons in lighting, composition and posing your subjects.
Please contact the folks at Alpine Adventure Agency to get started. Information on pricing, availability and the agenda will be available soon.
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