What to expect at a photo session with me.

(or why I'm not charging $50 a session).

The chatter among photographers often turns to conversations on how to know what to charge for our work. The photography market is very competitive, but I choose not to compete with other photographers based on price. I believe that my pricing reflects the value of working with me.

I first "hung my shingle out" aka entered the world of paid photography about 8 years ago, specializing in youth athletics. My heart is still with sport photography but I also offer (and love doing) family portraiture. I have a full time job that I love as well, so I'm not relying on photography to feed my family and pay all of my bills. BUT I know that others do, and I know the costs associated with running a small business, and I know the value of my time. And that's why I'm not charging $50 a session.

I came across an advert for a local (my neighborhood) photographer that is charging $50 a session. Your $50 will get you a half hour of her time to shoot, and all of the edited images. In my world that half hour translates into a minimum of 3 hours of my time

Your family portrait session will include:

• communicating with you before the shoot so I know what you want, and can help you know what to expect; 
• travel to the location (if you don't come to my garden studio), 
• post processing the images because that is a critical part of what I offer, 
• creating an on line gallery for you to proof the images, 
• reviewing the images with you to agree on final picks and making sure everything is print ready and to your satisfaction. 
• creating and delivering any specialty products that you choose.

Before the shoot I'll scout the right location to make sure it will be suitable for our needs. Just last week I found that the fall colors at one park weren't really started and there was a lot of snow fencing around washed out areas of the creek. Because I checked before hand I was able to contact my client and suggest an alternate location, and we got the photos we intended to get.

During the shoot, 

• I'll work at getting the posing right, including figuring out what to do with your hands and feet, what angles to use, and how to arrange your family so that you will end up with a photo you want to print and hang on your wall. I'm not just going to plunk you all in front of a pretty bunch of colorful fall leaves, and fill the frame with people. 

• I'll interact with you and your family in a fun and friendly way so we get the best expressions we can. I'll take responsibility for getting the kids to smile and sit pretty, so that hopefully you can relax and look your best.

• I'll compose the shot to include background elements, but use an aperture that ensures a separation between you (the subject) and the background.
•  I'll watch for spontaneous, candid moments and try to capture those as well. If your willing to play in a pile of leaves or climb a tree, I'll be ready to take those images too.

After we've taken the photos, I'll spend a good deal of time on the images, starting with eliminating any that are technically flawed or unflattering, comparing similar images side by side to pick the best of the best, editing those that I will show you as proofs for:

• skin color, 
• contrast (I prefer contrasty images), 
• spot removal, 
• cropping to show you options (square vs. 4x6 vs 8x10 vs 16x9). 

These go into a proofing gallery for you to review in the convenience of your home. I'm available to consult with you on final choices and final editing. Did you want a series in black and white? I can do that.

I also create custom built posters, story boards, books and holiday cards for my clients at their request, for an additional fee to the session.

Your session fee with me starts at $300 and includes $75 credit to spend on products of your choosing from your on line gallery. Those products include regular and mounted prints products, canvas, thin wrap and aluminum ready to hang prints, and digital files. I will sell you "all of the edited images" from your shoot but my goal is to create a portrait of you and your family that you want to print big and hang on your wall. To do that requires more than a half hour of my time. I really hope that you can see the value that my experience and expertise will bring to creating beautiful family keepsakes for you. 

Bird Photos: One of my favorite things

I received a really nice email yesterday, from BirdNote, asking permission for further use of a photo that I had given them a long, long time ago. A photo that I'd almost forgotten I'd taken and sadly I believe I've lost somewhere along the way. [Actually, this is a great opportunity to speak out against relying on hard drives or CDs to keep your images safe. They fail. Use cloud based storage and professionally printed archival prints to keep your images safe]




The story behind the photo is that robins had nested in our front yard, and we had a fairly good view of the nest from our porch. But to get this particular image required me standing on a ladder, close enough to the tree to see into the nest but not so close as to annoy the parents. Isn't it adorable!

As well, Birdnote asked if I could provide them with a profile, to add to their list of contributors. That gave me the push I needed to create a collection of my favorite Alberta bird photos to date. The birds, bugs and animal visitors to our yard are my favorite (and constant) photo subjects but my organization of those photos is lacking. I've now got a gallery for favorite bird photos. I hope you enjoy them!


     

London by night

without a tripod!

Part 2 of my all too brief adventure in London, England with the fabulous Ana Pogacar.

Arriving in London Wednesday evening, after four days of a busy tradeshow, we really didn't have much of an itinerary planned. We made a feeble attempt to look through guide books Wednesday night, but ended up winging it Thursday anyway. And it turned out wonderfully.

We left our hotel without tripods on Thursday. The decision was not to carry the extra weight since the weather forecast was for rain, feeling we could always return for them if need be. We scouted our evening shoot location before noon, and found there was a nice almost flat perimeter wall that we could set cameras on so the decision to go tripodless stood. The rain let up in the afternoon so the fight against raindrops on lenses ended.

We arrived back on the south side of the Thames near the London Eye around 5 p.m., and a thick fog was rolling in.

The streets were busy with tourists, buskers and business people alike.

As the skies darkened we took up our positions along the wall, and got our shots of Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and the Parliament buildings.

And then we tried a new sport - long exposures (hand held, remember) including moving objects.

Ana at work (that's her on the right hand edge):

We spent quite a lot of time trying for the perfect panning shot, all the while being repeatedly approached by the creepiest panhandlers ever!

And once we were each satisfied with our result, we moved on, walking back toward Trafalgar Square in search of our evening meal, which was derailed by a spontaneous decision to take in a play! A late, very (very) good meal at Cafe Fiori, and one last stop for shots at the National Gallery.

I am pleasantly surprised by how many 'good' shots I got, in such a short time and in such poor shooting conditions. It really is amazing how much better photography is with another photographer, and I can't wait for another opportunity to do this kind of thing! Day 2 and 3 yet to come!

Happy Easter!

Umbrellas Everywhere. Thursday Morning London Town

I've had an adventure. A short, sweet, soggy adventure. I cannot wait for another opportunity like this.

I travelled to the UK for the tradeshow Focus on Imaging, the largest UK photography tradeshow of the year. Tradeshows sound exciting, but the reality is that you work hard and don't really get to see the sights. How could I go all that way and not explore? So, I asked a colleague if she'd consider spending a couple days in London with me and (yay!) she agreed.

The very talented travel and landscape photographer, Ana Pogacar, and I spent less than 72 hours in London and were able to cover an amazing amount of the sites, sounds and smells of the city; walking, talking, eating and shooting. Here's a small look at our first morning.

It rained softly all morning. Not enough to soak through our clothes (we saved that experience for day 2) but enough to cause havoc from rain drops on our lenses, and awkward stances trying to balance camera and umbrella.

Grey skies and rain certainly take care of the problem of harsh daylight and provide washed out skies and soft, dreary colors. Umbrellas were one of the few things adding a pop of color to the scenery.

Hyde Park:

Pink and Purple:

Saint James Park Lake:

Westminster Bridge:

Busy People Everywhere:

The River Thames:

And my fantastic travel companion, Ana:

Look at all these cute faces! Modern Mama 2013 Face of the Year Contestants

The Modern Mama (St. Albert) Face of the Year shin dig took place February 27, 2013 at Ron Hodgson Chev Buick GMC.   The event sold out, and 60 precious little faces smiled, slept, blew bubbles, and goofed off for me, Raj from Patient Man Productions and Larissa from LMack Photography Studio. Beautiful little girls with pig tails and bows in their hair, mischievous busy boys, some deadpan serious babies, some real ham toddlers, made for a really fun night of photography! There were displays by local family friendly businesses and sponsors, a beautiful cake and bright shiny cars to use for backdrops.

I've uploaded many selections for each of the little people that I photographed. I'm a sucker for little ones, and must admit that I was not 'brutal' in culling my shots! I find delight in the whole spectrum of facial expressions little people make and I hope you will too. I did force myself to pick one image each to share here:

I'm offering 10% off  prints and digital files until April 30, 2013. The discount code to use to redeem the 10% discount is entered during the check out process, on the payment details page. It is ModernMaMa10, and it is case sensitive.

I offer some really beautiful ready to hang products, metal (aluminum) prints, thin wraps with a satin finish, as well as metallic print paper. These are products not readily available here in Edmonton. My print lab is Bay Photo in California, and there are shipping charges on prints ordered from my site. Bay Photo is a very high quality professional print lab, and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all print products ordered through my site.

I also offer digital files in three sizes: a web sized version for $2, perfect for sharing on social media or your family blog, a 1MP size that will print very well up to 5x7 inches (possibly larger) for $10 and a 4MP size that can print big, for $50. There are no limitations to the number of copies that you can make with your personal use license for these photos. Digital files provide you with great flexibility in terms of the way you make use of them, and there is no shipping cost or wait time for digital file purchases!

The photos from this event are ready for you. I do hope that you enjoy them. I offer family photo sessions at a setting of your choosing, in my garden or in your home (I have portable studio lighting), starting at $300 with a $75 credit toward prints or downloads. For more information, please contact me! You can always leave me comments here too.

Bees, bugs and bokeh

Always check your cards!!! These images are from two summers ago, but I only recently found them on a CF card. Hadn't even copied these to my hard drive. Could have quite easily reformatted the card and lost them all. And that would have made me sad, because they are perhaps the best bee photos that I've ever taken. So as we wait patiently for spring to arrive here in the land of permafrost, let these images remind you of glorious summer days.

Stick 'em up, partner:

Going our separate ways:

The requisite Bee Butt:

Adios!

Equipment: Canon 7D, 300mmf4 lens at 5.6 1/500 or 6.3 1/320. Handheld in really great light, significantly cropped for composition and very minor Lightroom adjustments. My next, next lens will be a macro!!! You can be sure I'll be planting more orange and gold echinichea as well.

Gallery

Favorites: Summer Scenes 2012

From the garden here at Windermere Studios, to abandoned mines in Utah, and back, my favorites from June, July and August.

Flowers, at least those that I grow myself, are regular subjects. Always striving for just the right light, angle, background bokeh. This is pretty close.

I'm a bit troubled by the shallow dof on this, but wasn't able to get perfect dof and the bee in the right location.

Ruins in the afternoon:

Ranchland Sunset:

Harvest Sunset:

Tickle the sky:

Check the whole collection of 'favorites'. I am definitely interested to hear feedback, critique and even criticism. Leave comments. Share with friends. 

Favorites: May 2012

My favorite photo selection from May is from a visit to the Bay area, and a short road trip incorporating photography on the way to dinner one evening. I honestly don't know where we were! But, it was very pretty.

We stopped at a small park with some old buildings and I played around with detail and depth of field.

We stopped for a gorgeous view of the Bay, from the top of a ridge (possibly Honeymoon Bay) through some very interesting rolling hills and mist.

Love when I can work a bit of photography into business travel. Is one of these a contender for WS top photo 2012?

Favorites: February 2012. Snowy Owl!

Last winter was a bumper year for Snowy Owls. They are regular overwinterers here, but you do have to expend a bit of effort to find them. Last winter, you could find snowy owls in abundance here and much farther south as well.

I have a bit of a bucket list for animals that I would like to get worthwhile photos of, and I am happy to say that snowy owls are now off that list. We found this really cooperative model along the west side of Beaverhill Lake last February.

He would sit and pose, and then fly a few hundred feet away and pose again.

I've thrown a nice winter sunset from Elk Island Park into my favorites gallery too.

Tell me what you think! 

Countdown to 2013 - Favorite Photos of 2012

I'm jumping the gun here! Getting my list of favorites started before the end of the year. I organize my Lightroom catalogue by date, putting everything from each month into one bucket with the exception of particular sport or event work, which might just warrant it's own bucket (e.g. Rugby 2012). This makes it "easy" to look back through month by month. I also tend to put the images I process up onto my website month by month. Running with that as the starting point, I'm going to try to choose my favorites - one month at a time, over the 12 days leading up to New Years.

January 2012, a trip to New Orleans for Imaging USA and a photo walk around Bourbon Street one night.

Red Bubbles:

Cathedral:

From Windermere Studios Garden:

Woody Woodpecker:

And possibly my favorite of the month, Great Horned Owls Mating:

Now, I know that I could be picking favorites due to the memory associated with them - after all, a primary purpose for photographs (for me at least) is to invoke memory. That may not make them my best. So I invite comments on these - tell me what you think, and why. 

Johnston Canyon, Alberta

After a pleasant lunch at Chateau Lake Louise, we accepted the invitation to join some others at Johnston Canyon. I'd been to Johnston Canyon at least once before, but only in summer with the hoards of tourists. I remembered it as a narrow, deep tree lined canyon and was pretty worried about having any light at all. But we had tripods, and no other place in mind, so onward we did go. Boy am I glad we did. I must say that it is at least as pretty in winter, and no where near as crowded! I was surprised by the fact that the water was still not completely frozen over,

and mesmerized by the lovely glacial colors of the icicles on the canyon walls.

There were interesting detail shots to be had as well. I spotted the repeating shapes of the snow, ice and rocks in the open water.

The color of water contrasted beautifully against the canyon at the Lower Falls.

There is a small tunnel through the rock that takes you close up to the Lower Falls, and it is very much worth crouching through. This is a 2 shot hand held vertical pano, made after blending 3 exposures for each of the two shots.

(One of the guys with us took a shot from pretty much the same place, with his Android. It made me wonder why I'd carried my backpack and gear!)

The detail of the ice  and water running under it was really lovely.

We were running out of what little daylight there was, and so didn't explore the upper falls this trip. Next time! This is a definite must do (and easy to do) hike during the winter, should you find yourself in Banff National Park some day.

We ended our day with some warm refreshments at the Banff Springs. Beautiful setting, all gussied up for Christmas. Sadly, no photos as I left the camera in the car!

Welcome December: Winter Photography

The winter season can start long before the winter solstice in Edmonton. This year, for example, we've had snow on the ground since early October. I fight with winter every year. It is too long, too dark, too cold for my liking, and those that know me can attest that my grumblings start with the first brisk breeze and last as long as old man winter's icy grip.

I must admit that winter can provide some breathtaking photographic opportunities. And not all of  them require dressing up like the Michelin man. I do my best to embrace winter (really, the constant whinging is my best!), and to go forth and make great images as often as I can. To kick December off I've pulled a collection of some of my favorite December photo subjects: winter landscapes and frosty leaves, pretty birds, holiday festivities and family get togethers, and even tropical vacation memories.

Our garden and neighborhood are frequent subjects of mine, especially in the winter, since I tend to be a home body this time of year.

Mountain Ash Berries kissed with frost:

The path less traveled:

Red Poll atop the feeder:

Winter visits to family in the Okanagan also provide beautiful photo ops:

and the chance to gift a special memory:

Birthday celebrations and the Holiday Decorations make for great photos:

Not to mention spending New Years far, far away from the snow and cold!

If you've enjoyed this sample, and think you might like to hang a beautiful print in your home, or use one of these files as a screen saver or for your Holiday Cards this year, I've got a great discount so that you can do so!

Happy December! Enjoy Winter Photography!