Couldn't resist posting this shot from this evening while we were awaiting ghouls and goblins!
Happy Halloween...again!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween...Again!
Couldn't resist posting this shot from this evening while we were awaiting ghouls and goblins!
Happy Halloween...again!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Family :: Gamble Family
I had a great time today with this fun family! If you follow this blog, you may recognize them from another session they had earlier this year. You can find it by clicking here. In particular, you may recognize the absolutely adorable, melt your heart, cutie patootie, Liam. It was a little colder than we would have liked but overall it was a fun shoot. Here are some of my favourites...
Bucket of shame!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Fall Family Fun (Airdrie)
It was a very busy weekend for me for photography. Like my other two sessions this weekend, I was really looking forward to this session. I drove out to Airdrie to meet with Andrea & Colin and their kidlets for some fun fall family photos. These are just a few of the many photos I took that very sunny afternoon...
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Ryan's 2nd Birthday
I've had the pleasure of photographing baby Ryan for over a year and each time I see him I am in awe of how much he's grown and how adorable he really is. You can see his first session with the Wishing Star Gallery by clicking here and his most recent session in June by clicking here. When I went over to his house this weekend for his 2nd Birthday photo session I was once again surprised by how much he's grown. Here are some of my favourites from his Mickey Mouse Birthday Party....
Introducing himself to Mickey Mouse.
We also did some Halloween themed photos. As you can see, Ryan is going to be a police officer. He's such a cutie!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Baby :: Ellie
This weekend I hopped in my little red truck and drove out to Cochrane, AB. I'm a little embaressed to admit that even though it's not even an hour away from Calgary I had never actually been there. My purpose for the adventure was to photograph this darling little cowgirl! Here's a few of my favourites...
Friday, October 14, 2011
Photoshop :: Spot removal
I make it no secret that I'm an amateur photographer. I've been taking photos "professionally" for over a year, but I still count myself as an amateur because I am always learning about new photography aspects and techniques. (There's a bit of a paradox in my way of thinking because I also believe that no one is a master of photography. Photography, like any art form, continually changes and evolves, so by that extension of thinking - Photographers are always learning. But I'll save that rant for another time.)
As some of you know, I finally got myself Adobe Photoshop. Up until this point I have used various programs and the "get in right in the viewfinder, not on the screen" mentality. Well, do I ever wish I had invested in photoshop earlier!!
My photo editing skills and techniques have jumped in leaps and bounds in the last month. I try to keep my edits simple thought, so I'm not sure that you might notice without seeing a straight up comparison.
So, while editing photos from a shoot from September I came up with the idea for a little blog post about the subject. The photos below are exactly the same except for one aspect. During the shoot the vehicle on which my subject was sitting was very hot to the point it was painful for her rear end. So she sat down on a cloth she happened to have in the SUV at the time.
Well, in the bright light of the sun I didn't notice how visible the cloth was. (A bad move on my part, but I'll admit, I felt a little rushed because we had asked a couple to move their car out of the way while we snapped off these photos.)
Now before I got photoshop and went to class, I would have had 2 options. Leave the cloth as is or use a brush tool on the cloth while hoping and praying that it the brush colour matched the various colours on the SUV, including the shine. It would have been an agonizing minimum of 45 minutes on each photo.
But now, in under 20 minutes I have a much more presentable photo.
As some of you know, I finally got myself Adobe Photoshop. Up until this point I have used various programs and the "get in right in the viewfinder, not on the screen" mentality. Well, do I ever wish I had invested in photoshop earlier!!
My photo editing skills and techniques have jumped in leaps and bounds in the last month. I try to keep my edits simple thought, so I'm not sure that you might notice without seeing a straight up comparison.
So, while editing photos from a shoot from September I came up with the idea for a little blog post about the subject. The photos below are exactly the same except for one aspect. During the shoot the vehicle on which my subject was sitting was very hot to the point it was painful for her rear end. So she sat down on a cloth she happened to have in the SUV at the time.
Well, in the bright light of the sun I didn't notice how visible the cloth was. (A bad move on my part, but I'll admit, I felt a little rushed because we had asked a couple to move their car out of the way while we snapped off these photos.)
Now before I got photoshop and went to class, I would have had 2 options. Leave the cloth as is or use a brush tool on the cloth while hoping and praying that it the brush colour matched the various colours on the SUV, including the shine. It would have been an agonizing minimum of 45 minutes on each photo.
But now, in under 20 minutes I have a much more presentable photo.
So the photo enthusiasts (or photonerds as we call ourselves) are probably wondering what tools I ended up using to edit the cloth out. I used the lasso, brush, burn, feather, patch and clone tools in order to hide that sucker.
Now I'm no photoshop wizard, that's for sure. After all, if I was you can bet I would look 20 lbs slimmer in my facebook profile photo! But photos are definitely getting a lot more TLC here at the WSG nowadays.
Until later! Thanks & Shutter Clicks!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Newborn Models Needed
Two heads are better than one! Time for a colab project!
I'm over the moon (get it? Moon=stars=Wishing Stars! Hehehe!) excited to tell you about my collaboration project with my friend, Amy of Tickled Pink Photography.
We are hoping to try some new poses and props, so we are putting out a casting call for newborns! If you or someone you know just had a little one or is due in the next few weeks and would be interested in a free mini session, please send me an email at thewishingstargallery@gmail.com
Technical Mumbojumbo
Your baby must be 10 days or younger at the time of the session and you must be willing to travel to us in the South East quadrant of Calgary. As a thank you for lending us your little addition to your family, you will receive two discs, one from each photographer. They will contain 10-15 photos on each and they will include printing rights to the photos. This disc will be sent to you within 4-6 weeks of the session.
We are hoping to try some new poses and props, so we are putting out a casting call for newborns! If you or someone you know just had a little one or is due in the next few weeks and would be interested in a free mini session, please send me an email at thewishingstargallery@gmail.com
Technical Mumbojumbo
Your baby must be 10 days or younger at the time of the session and you must be willing to travel to us in the South East quadrant of Calgary. As a thank you for lending us your little addition to your family, you will receive two discs, one from each photographer. They will contain 10-15 photos on each and they will include printing rights to the photos. This disc will be sent to you within 4-6 weeks of the session.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Rates Increasing in January
I wanted to give everyone a headsup that session fees will be increasing as of December 31st, 2011.
Now normally I don't compare myself to others. I've never liked doing that. But, as my 2nd year milestone in professional photography is coming up, I am faced with a year end evaluation.
Most photographers in my line charge well over $100 for a 45 minute session, where you only get 10-15 photos on your disc. And then prints cost more. Or they have sitting fees. I don't believe in making photography expensive but I don't believe in undervalueing it either.
But why is the rate increasing?
A 1 hour photo session can take up to 1 hour of prep time, 2 hours of driving, gas, mileage, parking within the city limits. It wields anywhere from 1.5-4 hours of photo editing, administrative duties and then there's the cost of supplies. So sometimes when you break it down, I don't even earn $10 an hour. The increase is to cover these costs, as well as to place a fair value on the skills and techniques I have been learning as well as equipment I have been accumulating.
So how will this effect my session?
All sessions booked, with signed photo agreements, before December 31st will be charged as per the $60 rate.
If you want to buy a session for someone else and get the $60 rate, it must be purchased before December 31st and the session must be booked and held before March 31st. After that point they will be charged any additional charges as dictated by the 2012 pricing.
All sessions booked after December 31st will be subject to the new pricing, which works as follows...
Informal/Candid Session $80
These sessions are have a fun photojournalistic feel to them. They are usually at an outside location or in clients' home.
Home Studio Session $80
I'm happy to be able to offer this option now. I'm currently developing a home studio at my home in the South East of Calgary. Here I can guarantee a wide variety of props and backgrounds, as well as the convienance of clients not having to feel like I'm invading their home.
Mock Studio $100
Want a portrait session but don't want to have to leave your home? I will gladly come to you! I'll set up a mock studio with paper backgrounds and props and come to your home. These are great for milestone sessions (like birthdays or cake smashes.)
What does the deal include?
Everything else still stays the same! You'll still get your sneak peak with 72 hours and your disc within 5 weeks. A 1 hr. photo session anywhere within city limits for a maximum of 4 people/subjects. All costs will still include your disc and there is no limit to the number of edited photos on your disc. You will still own the rights to your photos.
Now normally I don't compare myself to others. I've never liked doing that. But, as my 2nd year milestone in professional photography is coming up, I am faced with a year end evaluation.
Most photographers in my line charge well over $100 for a 45 minute session, where you only get 10-15 photos on your disc. And then prints cost more. Or they have sitting fees. I don't believe in making photography expensive but I don't believe in undervalueing it either.
But why is the rate increasing?
A 1 hour photo session can take up to 1 hour of prep time, 2 hours of driving, gas, mileage, parking within the city limits. It wields anywhere from 1.5-4 hours of photo editing, administrative duties and then there's the cost of supplies. So sometimes when you break it down, I don't even earn $10 an hour. The increase is to cover these costs, as well as to place a fair value on the skills and techniques I have been learning as well as equipment I have been accumulating.
So how will this effect my session?
All sessions booked, with signed photo agreements, before December 31st will be charged as per the $60 rate.
If you want to buy a session for someone else and get the $60 rate, it must be purchased before December 31st and the session must be booked and held before March 31st. After that point they will be charged any additional charges as dictated by the 2012 pricing.
All sessions booked after December 31st will be subject to the new pricing, which works as follows...
Informal/Candid Session $80
These sessions are have a fun photojournalistic feel to them. They are usually at an outside location or in clients' home.
Home Studio Session $80
I'm happy to be able to offer this option now. I'm currently developing a home studio at my home in the South East of Calgary. Here I can guarantee a wide variety of props and backgrounds, as well as the convienance of clients not having to feel like I'm invading their home.
Mock Studio $100
Want a portrait session but don't want to have to leave your home? I will gladly come to you! I'll set up a mock studio with paper backgrounds and props and come to your home. These are great for milestone sessions (like birthdays or cake smashes.)
What does the deal include?
Everything else still stays the same! You'll still get your sneak peak with 72 hours and your disc within 5 weeks. A 1 hr. photo session anywhere within city limits for a maximum of 4 people/subjects. All costs will still include your disc and there is no limit to the number of edited photos on your disc. You will still own the rights to your photos.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Happy Turkey Day!
Happy Turkey Day everyone! Since everyone celebrated this fun family festivity at different times during the weekend I figured I would post this now. Hope you all have a great time with your families and that you take time to think about what you are greatful for....and to eat lots of turkey.
I will be spending this weekend with my Mom, husband and Thing 1 & Thing 2 (also known as our dogs, Hartigan & Frodo) and enjoying every minute of it. I will do my best to respond to any emails over the holiday but there may be a bit of a delay.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Family :: Erica, Shawn & Hudson
These are just a few of my favourites from Erica, Shawn & baby Hudson's session this afternoon! They had a 2 hour session so there was lots (and I do mean lots) of photos. The first hour was at a nearby park and then the second was at my home studio. So here's some of the studio ones.
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