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.
So, you’re planning your wedding. There’s so much to think about and do… so much to plan and consider. So many people to involve, inform and induct into your wedding world. Fun, huh? 🙂
Over the years, I have worked with some amazing vendors, from bands and DJs to caterers, venues, florists, and napkin makers. I’ve seen the worst of DJs who would rather hear their own voice than play the music you hired them for. Caterers that forget basics, like silver ware. Venues that get the date wrong. Florists that deliver the flowers with the wrong selections in them. I won’t even go into what the napkin maker did (you really don’t want to know).
One thing that seems to be a recurring theme throughout the wedding vendor industry, at least one that appeals so greatly to my sense of "what a great vendor" is the element of customer service. I have long been the ultimate proponent of throwing anyone out of a service organization that delivered poor customer service. The client is your lifeline. Without it, there is no business. But some go above and beyond.
I recall a caterer who had prepared two dishes incorrectly and that were not ordered by the bride’s family. Ordinarily, they might have accepted the meal "as is" and taken a discount later, but they couldn’t accept the meal because it would have triggered an allergy in about 30% of her family members, including the groom. Shellfish allergies seem to run in the family. Instead of throwing up their hands and saying "there’s nothing we can do," the owner called two of his own family members. About ten minutes later, some more appetizers were delivered (people were hungry!). Thirty minutes after that, six big trays of a new dish was delivered, enough to feed twice the people there. Now, that’s customer service.
Everyone makes mistakes. There’s just no exception to that. The ability to recover from those mistakes and give you a good attitude at the same time is the measure of good customer service.
I personally take pride in the level of customer service provided here. I have never argued with a client. If they are upset about something, I listen to their entire situation before responding. And in almost every case, we have worked out a reasonable solution for everyone. Of course, with only one situation every year or so, you’d think we’re out of practice. 🙂
The important part for you brides to be is to remember that a) we’re human, and we will make mistakes, b) if you give us the opportunity to fix a problem, it will probably be taken care of quickly, and c) only the best of professionals will always provide great client service.
Good luck with that wedding planning. 😉
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.
But verify!
I recently spent some time with a woman who has photographed weddings in the past. She recounted a story where she was shooting a wedding, with her daughter. She was using her favorite camera to shoot during the ceremony, mostly overall proceedings, while her daughter photographed wide shots.
She went on to explain that during the ceremony, she changed a setting on the camera, unintentionally, and the images began to show up on her rear monitor as very overexposed. For the next several minutes, she tried a variety of things to overcome the problem and get back to shooting the ceremony. This included changing camera settings, using a different lens, and more.
After she was done recalling this worst day of her wedding career, I asked "why didn’t you just grab your backup camera?" Her response was "my daughter had it."
I was somewhat shocked. Not from the standpoint that her daughter had a camera, but that her daughter had the ONLY OTHER CAMERA, and that the primary photographer had no backup. Please understand I’m not picking on her, because for all intents and purposes everyone has to start somewhere. But this woman is a professional photographer, and accepts money for her work. To be this unprepared means that the level of professionalism suffers considerably.
Well… it comes down to this…
After 25 years as a wedding professional, it has become a personal mission to make sure I am always prepared at a wedding. This means having backup equipment with me wherever I am at the wedding. During the ceremony, at least one backup camera is nearby or around my neck or shoulder. That’s important to me in case something goes wrong with my main camera. I also carry spare batteries, cards and lenses. And I won’t waste any time trying to figure out what went wrong with the camera in my hand… I’ll immediately switch to the other camera. It’s THAT important not to miss anything.
After all, it only happens once.
Ask your photographer if they have backup equipment. In fact, ask them if they have backup everything. They may think you’re just checking off a block, but reinforce to them that your wedding images are very important to you and that you only want to make sure that there’s little chance anything will happen to your photos. It’s important.
Trust your photographer… but verify that they are ready for a camera failure. It WILL happen to at least one of you.
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.
This workshop is available to all levels, as much of what will be covered can be a refresher for professionals who haven’t done studio work in awhile.
The Lighting Essentials Workshop home page has most of the information, but since I got a call today about it, I also wanted to add that we are going to cover on-location action lighting (such as for basketball). The objective is to cover as much information, demonstration and situational lighting as possible on the first day. On the second day we’ll begin practical, hands-on of many of the different kinds of lights and individual requirements.
If you want to bring your own lights, please feel free. But it’s best to tag them so that they don’t get picked up by someone who has a similar bag. Also, you MUST bring your own camera, lenses, batteries and cards. You can also bring a laptop and your favorite processing workflow software if you like.
Refreshments are provided, and our facility is a working studio, not a hotel ballroom or warehouse. Our class sizes are strictly limited to 10-15 students so that we can give you individual attention as needed.
A discount is available if you register before 1/31/2010, and additional participants from the same studio can register at an additional discount.
See you there!
This morning, after Diana and I went ice-skating in the car coming down River Road, we met a client at the studio to review her pictures.
I’ve worked with this client before. She’s very pleasant, and brought her daughter along to help select photos from a family session we did just before Christmas (literally, like two days before Christmas). When she got there, and hopped out of the truck (which I could have used earlier in the day when I was nearly spinning on the ice that had not been treated going down a 20 degree incline – Thanks Jefferson County!), she was smiling.
We quickly brushed off the steps of the massive one inch of accumulated snow (and for this they delayed schools two whole hours), and opened up the studio. This is where I just love the programmable thermostats we have, because the heat cuts on just enough before we get in to make sure it’s at the perfect temp when we arrive. So we go from 19 degrees outside to a comfy 70 degrees inside. She was happy about that, even commenting that it was ‘nice and warm’ inside.
They made themselves comfortable in our spacious reception area/waiting room while Diana and I busied ourselves getting things ready to go for the day. Once I was ready, I showed them into the projection room and we went through their photos. Everything went fine.
And then she, the client, says “can you fix my chin?” as she gets up to point out an area that is a little brighter on her chin than the rest of her face. I said ‘of course,’ as I marked it down on her order. She smiled again… now exclaiming “you’ve just made my day.”
It’s easy to make people happy… just give them what they want. Well, most of the time anyway. 🙂