ShutterBugs Photography | Blog

Merry Christmas {Northern Michigan Chidren's Photographer}

2011-12-23T22:53:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

This has got to be one of my most favorite photo shoots to date! When I saw that Miss Jenn was looking for someone to photograph not only her family (that post will be coming soon), but also her day care kids, I jumped at the chance!

You see, in my former life I was Miss Jenn's assistant in the baby room at a local day care center. And many of the kids that she now has as preschoolers in her home day care were in our room as babies. So not only did I get to photograph a great former co-worker and friend, but I also got to spend the afternoon with kids that I have watched grow from teeny tiny babies into amazing kids! I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

I was going to post the pretty, everyone-looking-at-the-camera group shot, but this photo makes me smile every time I look a it. It captures the true personality of each and every one of the kids, and reminds me why I LOVE my job!!

Thank you, Miss Jenn for having me in your home to photograph your kids. And thank you to the parents for having your kids looking so darn cute!!

Nicole {Mackinac Island & Northern MI Senior Portrait Photography}

2011-09-05T23:12:00.006-04:00

I've known Nicole since she was 6 years old, so it was a ton of fun to be doing her Senior Portraits. Nicole has been a Girl Scout since elementary school, and has been a part of the Governor's Honor Guard - which gives her the opportunity to spend a week on Mackinac Island - since the summer before her 8th Grade year of School, so it was no surprise that she wanted her Senior Portraits taken on the island.

We started out staying close to the Barracks where the girls stay, and then ventured out to explore some of the hidden gems, and eventually to some of the more popular places on the island. I told her that the next time I have a portrait shoot on the island, that she was going to have to come with me as my guide, because she had found some pretty awesome spots!

After we all got off the island, we spent the rest of the weekend shooting around here. At one point we were shooting near an old building right along the street, and everyone who passed by waved or said hi to us. Nicole is from a medium sized town near a larger city in Mid Michigan, so this wasn't something she was accustomed to. I told her it was because she looked so awesome in her prom dress!

When we finished with photos in her prom dress, I rewarded Nicole with a Slurpee... although she didn't particularly care for the idea of going into 7-11 in her prom dress!

Thanks Nicole for putting up with all of my posing, playing and embarrassing you. I hope you'll agree that it was all worth it!

Princess S {Mt. Morris, MI Newborn Photographer}

2011-09-01T23:09:00.006-04:00

It has been a super busy summer in a non-photography way around here, so the blog has taken a bit of a back seat. I do have a few shoots to show you all, and I promise I will get to them soon... including a super-great senior session! But for now I want to introduce you to little miss S.

I met baby S's family when I was a freshman in college. From then on, they were like my second family. On weekends, when I didn't make the 4 hour trip home, I stayed with them, and I consider S's mom another little sister. So needless to say, I was super excited to learn that she was going to be a mommy.

S was due early this month, but she was a good girl and came just in time for me to photograph her while I was visiting last weekend. At just 7 days new and 6 1/2 lbs, her daddy and grandma were a little nervous about her being photographed, so her mommy and I waited until they went to work and to run errands before we started our shoot Sunday afternoon, and it turns out we picked the perfect time. After she got a nice full belly, she slept like an angel and let us do whatever we wanted. Such a good little girl already. I don't think I really heard her wail all weekend!

Thanks Cory & Tiff for letting me photograph your beautiful baby girl... Tiffany actually told me that as long as she was sleeping she could play all day with posing and dressing up her head with the awesome headbands that Cory's cousin made. Check out her Facebook page here: Mia Loren Boutique. And thanks Mom & Dad C for letting me turn your kitchen into a photo studio.. It had great light!!

And because I'm sure you're tired of my babbling, here's Miss S:

K Family {Northern Michigan Family Portrait Photographers}

2011-06-22T14:17:00.002-04:00

Mrs. K called us for family portraits when she knew all of her kids were going to be in town. 18 people. 10 kids. 7 under the age of 4. We definitely had our work cut out for us, but it was a ton of fun. The K's have a beautiful piece of property, and it was a perfect day for portraits. Enjoy this sneak peek!

Up North Bride {Northern Michigan Wedding Photographers}

2011-03-25T00:59:00.002-04:00

Have you seen the Spring/Summer issue of Up North Bride yet? We're excited because a few of our photos have been featured throughout the Bridal Guide (see "Perfect Pairings" and "His & Hers"). And even more exciting, one of our photos will be featured on the cover for the Fall issue! If you haven't seen the guide yet, flip through it below. It should be available in print form on the 28th of March, so check it out!

Open publication - Free publishing - More bride

AJ {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2011-03-04T20:21:00.005-05:00

AJ told us this summer that he wanted some of his senior photos taken with his snowmobile. So a couple weeks ago, we headed out to do them before all of our snow was gone... which almost happened! A week before his shoot, we got a few days of warm weather, which took our snow down to almost nothing!

But AJ, being the resourceful one that he is, found a great patch of snow out behind his brother's house. It was perfect. Just enough snow to make the photos turn out well, but not so much that we were wading in it!

So after shooting him in the studio, we headed outdoors, trekking across literally a field of ice in 10 degree weather (where did that warm weather go?). We set up and shot away, and the results were totally worth it! Thanks, AJ for putting up with us girls (and walking all the way back to the house to get your sunglasses for us!) We had a blast!

Fix-It Friday #89 {Norther Michigan Portrait Photographers}

2011-03-03T22:38:00.006-05:00

I have a whole backlog of Fix's to post sitting on my computer, along with an awesome senior session we did a couple weeks ago. I promise I'll get them all up soon, but I just had to sneak this weeks Fix in. I loved working with this photo. I love shooting senior guys and playing with different editing techniques. This week, I kept it simple, though.

After I cropped out the garage door (because, ya know it was a bit distracting!) I duplicated the layer, set it to soft light at 100% and ran Coffee Shop's Baby powder room. I love what the skin lighten and skin glow layers do, so I run them on 99% of all my portraits!

After that I burned around the edges and across the brick at a low opacity to bring it out a little more.. I LOVE the texture of brick! Then I flattened and saved the image, I ran it through portrait professional to brighten and sharpen his eyes. I brought it back into photoshop and duplicated the layer again, set it to soft light, this time at right around 60%. And that's it! I was done.

The first image is the original, the second is my fix. To see more great fixes, click the button below.

Josh {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographer}

2011-01-16T20:33:00.005-05:00

Our last shoot of the season was a special one. Josh is my nephew and I couldn't be more proud of him. He was born blind, but has never once let that stop him. He has done well in school, knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go after it. We had a great time both in the studio and walking around town, teasing each other about ladders (I literally had to stand on a ladder to take his photos... he's so tall!!), backdrop colors (yes I DID tell him I was shooting him on a pink polka dotted background hehe) and stepping out in front of cars (yeah, that would be me that did that!).

Thanks Josh for coming up to spend the afternoon in front of my camera. I had a ton of fun and hope you did too!

H Kids {Northern Michigan Child & Newborn Portrait Photographers}

2011-01-08T20:40:00.004-05:00

Sweet baby A's big brother and sister joined us for the first part of the session, and then it was all about her. What a fun bunch of kids. *A* didn't want to sleep a whole lot for us, but she was the most laid back baby we've every had in the studio. She was a champ on the bean bag, staying wherever we put her and not making a sound. She LOVED staring at our ceiling and at the light coming through the windows, which was just fine with us, because it made her eyes sparkle and shine! We were finally able to get her to sleep some for us, and she was just adorable then as she was awake. Thank you H Family for visiting the studio and letting us get our kid fix!

Travis & Trenton {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-12-22T19:46:00.005-05:00

Having their senior portraits taken was the LAST thing these brothers wanted to be doing on a Saturday afternoon, so we kept it short and sweet! But for as little as they were into having their photos taken, they sure made great subjects! Trying to get Travis (on the left) to relax and smile was a riot! Thanks guys for putting up with all us girls. You did great!

Fix-It Friday... A Few Days Late

2010-12-07T20:06:00.004-05:00

So, yeah, these photos have been sitting on my computer for a few days, ready to blog, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I loved working with this photo. There were so many fun things to do with it, I could have worked with it a lot longer, but I had to cut myself off to get back to "real" work. I hope you enjoy.

I used Paint The Moon's Bliss Action on all of these in some way. For the first ones, I just cropped in a bit. For the other two I got a little more creative with the cropping.

To view more fixes, or to participate, click the button below.

Kalli {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-11-29T21:43:00.003-05:00

It is no secret. I love photographing seniors! They are young and full of life, and it always shows. Kallie was no different. I had a blast photographing her, she and her mom kept me laughing all day! Enjoy ladies, I can't wait to see what you choose for your prints!

C Family {Northern Michigan Family Portrait Photographers}

2010-11-29T21:17:00.004-05:00

We were honored when Sarah and Garret asked us to be their photographers once again. We had the pleasure of photographing their wedding last September, and a beautiful day it was. With the leaves on the ground and fun all around, this time the shoot was a little more laid back and fun. Thank you Sarah and Garret for once again inviting us to capture your family. We had a great time, and we hope you did too!

Change is a good thing!

2010-11-26T23:12:00.002-05:00

If you are a regular visitor to our blog, you'll be noticing a few changes in the coming days. Along with updating the photos on our website, we are creating a brand new identity, complete with a new logo, packaging, and blog design. You can get a sneak peek at the new look in the photos below that feature our new logo. Let us know what you think, and in the mean time bear with us as we get everything set for the new design to take over here.

Thanks,

Rachel & Pennie

Tate - 9 Months {Northern Michigan Childrens Photographer}

2010-11-19T11:51:00.007-05:00

How much fun was this little guy?! He was ALL smiles for me for his entire session. This was my first in studio session with an almost toddler, and it was a breeze (Yeah, I know I probably just jinxed myself!) He loved my baseball, and I LOVE how his portraits came out. Amy, thank you so much for bringing Tate in for his 9 Month Portraits. I can't wait to see which one you choose for your canvas!

Cheyene {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-11-19T11:46:00.002-05:00

Can I just say.. this girl was GORGEOUS! And such a sweetheart. She is a natural in front of the camera and beautiful in every way. Enjoy!

The F Family {Northern Michigan Family Portrait Photographers}

2010-11-19T11:31:00.007-05:00

We are finally caught up on editing, so it is time to get the Blog updated. We've decided for a couple of reasons not to post sneak peeks anymore. We'll still post highlights from our sessions here and put your digital proofs on Facebook for you to tag yourself, but not until after you have seen your proofs. The biggest reason for this is the time factor. We want to be able to get your proofs to you as quickly as possible, and with not having to worry about getting a preview up, you'll get your proofs faster. In the past, many people were getting their preview just a couple of days before they received their proofs.

Another reason we are waiting is because we have found that clients will see their sneak peeks and not be as excited about the other proofs when they see them. We want you to be excited about all of your photos, so hopefully this will help! We'll see how it goes!

Now for the goods... Meet the F Family. I met Mary years ago when I was working at a local campground. She and her husband where building a house here and would stay in (the same) cabin when they came to check the progress on the house. She has become a dear friend and I am so glad she brought her daughters and grandkids up for a photo session on the beach. We had a ton of fun!

Holiday Order Deadlines

2010-11-18T20:13:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays!!

As you plan your menus and prepare your decorations, don't forget to order your portraits for Christmas Cards and Gifts.

The deadline for placing print orders, if you want to receive them by Christmas is Friday, December 10. If you are planning on ordering specialty items such as Collage Albums or Greeting Cards, you'll want to get those orders in by December 3rd, as they typically take a little longer to have printed.

If you need any help with your order let us know. It can be a daunting task, and we'd be glad to help you figure it all out!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Rachel & Pennie

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! {Northern Michigan Family Portrait Photographers}

2010-11-12T19:03:00.005-05:00

When I talked to Amy, all she kept saying is that they wanted fun pictures! I think we accomplished our goal... at least I hope so! I know I for one had a blast on this shoot. Amy & Girls, thanks for coming in. You were all great models and were a joy to work with!

iHeartFaces {Fix-It Friday #75}

2010-10-22T17:49:00.007-04:00

I really enjoyed this week's Fix-It Friday. This photo was taken by the beautiful and talented Angie Aurthur. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do to it. Here is the original.

For the first edit, I knew I really wanted the trees to pop, and since his skin was a touch dark and shadowed and the whole photo had a bluish cast to it, right away I adjusted the curves a but and added a little yellow and red to bring out the color.

After I had the color close to the way I wanted, I cropped it in. Even though I loved the trees, I thought the little boy was getting a bit lost. I still left plenty of trees because I think it helps to tell the story. I then duplicated the layer. I changed the layer type to Soft Light and took the opacity down to around 45% (I think... I forgot to write that down.. oops). This really helped to achieve the pop I was looking for.

Since I already had his skin the way I wanted it when I changed the color, I completely erased the boy on the 2nd layer. Then I flattened the image and did a little more playing with the color. That was it!

For the second and third edits, I ran Paint The Moon's Bliss Action, using the bliss, golden honey, boost back color, peach sorbet, iced, vintage, deeper, warmth, sunset hues, deep blue sky and dreamy pop layers.

I wasn't too crazy about the way the boy's skin looked, but I loved the rest of the photo, so I selected him and added some red/yellow to bring some color back in. After I flattened and saved the image, I desaturated almost all the way, then adjusted the color a bit to get #3.

I hope you enjoyed my edits. To see more great versions of this photo, click the button below!

More of sweet Claire {Northern Michigan Newborn Photographers}

2010-10-14T23:24:00.004-04:00

Because I promised I would share more...

I can't decide which I like better, the color or the black and white? Which is your favorite?

Katie & Shaun {Northern Michigan Wedding Photographers

2010-10-11T20:24:00.008-04:00

What a way to cap off a great 2010 Summer Wedding season! Shaun and Katie were troopers, that is for sure. Between dodging rain drops and trying to stay warm, they never batted an eye. And even though they had to ditch their plans for an outdoor ceremony, it couldn't have turned out more beautiful. The church they were married in was small, so the wedding was very intimate and very beautiful, one of my favorites ever, for sure. And the lighting... GORGEOUS!! What was looking to be a total washout, turned out to be a perfect day, and I hope they feel the same. Thank you Shaun and Katie for letting us share it with you! We hope you enjoy your previews!

Natalie & Jim {Northern Michigan Wedding Photographers}

2010-10-04T22:29:00.002-04:00

This wedding was very special for us. Not only are Natalie & Jim a wonderful couple, but Jim is our cousin & nephew. We were honored when they asked us to photograph their special day, and a beautiful day it was. We hope you enjoy your previews, you two! We had a ton of fun (I mean really... they had a party bus!) and couldn't be happier for you!!

Claire {Northen Michigan Newborn Photographers}

2010-10-02T20:59:00.005-04:00

I am in the middle of editing two weddings, so there will be more to come from this session later, but just because I just can't help but share sweet Claire with you, here's one quick sneak peek at her sweetness. Claire made her debut on the 26th of September, and at only 6 days old, she was the sweetest little bit of a girl (I mean really... those lips... and that HAIR!!)!

She and her mommy spent most of lastnight partying, so she was good and sleepy for her session and we got lots of great shots! Kerri & Josh thank you so much for bringing Claire in for us to enjoy.

Aliecia {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-10-02T16:17:00.001-04:00

The great thing about living and working in a small town is that you get to know a lot of people. We had the opportunity to photograph a young woman who we've both watched grow up! For Riverfest, we decided to do a drawing for a free senior and a free family portrait session. Alieca was the winner of our Senior portrait session and we couldn't have been more excited. We did a few studio shots and then headed out to Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga to take advantage of the setting sun. It was a fabulous(ly cold!) evening we had a lot of fun. Aliecia, we are honored to have taken your senior portraits and can't wait to show you the rest of your proofs soon! For now, we hope you enjoy your previews.

iHeartFaces {Week 39 - Chalk Photos}

2010-09-28T19:56:00.004-04:00

It has been a while since I entered a Photo Contest over on iheartfaces. When I saw this week's theme was chalk, I immediately thought of LaneyBug when we took our annual trip down state.

Upon discovering that my friend had a blacktop drive we knew how to keep her busy while I unloaded the ~~500 lbs of crap we drug along with us from~~ car. While I figured she'd be drawing pictures and writing her name, she had other plans. She immediately began drawing her own version of a hopscotch board.

Her Circles with the letter A were just way too cute not to capture, so I started snapping away! I got completely caught up in the moment of being her aunt instead of a photographer, so I was definitely more concerned with capturing that moment before it was gone than I was with white balance and ISO. Therefore this isn't technically the most perfect photo, but for memory's sake, it is TOTALLY the most perfect photo! My LaneyBug making her very own hop scotches, complete with "her name"... it wouldn't be right any other way.

To see other great photos, visit iHearFaces by clicking the button below!

Little Snapping Turtle {Northern Michigan Newborn Photographers}

2010-09-21T22:08:00.006-04:00

Meet Mshiiknaakoons, AKA Mac. Macs mommy and I have been friends since grade school, and when I found out he was coming, I couldn't wait to photograph him! I cannot even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this session! Mac came a little early, so even though we were a few days late in getting his session done he was still super sleepy and ready to let us play with him. It was great being able to use some of our new props, and Mac made the perfect little test subject. And that hair!!! Loved it. Thanks so much Sara for letting us play with Mac. I'll let you know when your proofs are back, but for now, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

Nichole & Brian {Northern Michigan Maternity Photographers}

2010-09-19T21:11:00.007-04:00

When I saw Nichole at our class reunion this summer, I knew she'd be a wonderful addition to our portfolio, so I was super excited when she and her husband agreed to come in for a maternity shoot. I had a wonderful time shooting them, and their little boy, L. Nichole and her husband are just as much in love as they were when we were in school, and wonderful parents. I hope you both enjoy your previews, and I can't wait to photograph that baby boy in November and find out what his name is!

I had to include this one of L. He LOVED my rocking chair (that was donated to our studio by some very special friends)... and my ducks! And can I just say that hair.. LOVE it!!!

Vincent {Northern Michigan Baby Photographer}

2010-09-17T13:12:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I haven't introduced y'all to sweet Vincent. Since he was already nearly 8 weeks old when we did his shoot, it took us a while to find his sweet spot. He didn't like many of the places we put him, and let us know by pooing on EVERY one of my blankets! But when we finally discovered that he LOVED my cozy fleece blankets on the bean bag, he settled right down and let me get a few good shots. Enjoy!

Jake {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-09-15T13:47:00.006-04:00

I LOVE working with Senior guys! While girls are great, if they aren't totally comfortable in front of the camera, they can be a lot harder to pose and make look natural. When a guy is having a hard time in front of the camera, all you have to do is talk to them. Seriously, they loosen right up when you just start holding a conversation and joking around (asking them about girls and having mom embarrass them helps in pinch too!).

This young man didn't have much of a problem in front of the camera. He is a natural, and doesn't he look great, too?! The only problem I had was keeping myself from posting too many sneak peeks (can I just say I cannot wait to show y'all the collaages I made... but I have to let Jake and his family see them first!)

Jake, I had a blast, and I can't wait to show you and your parents the rest of your proofs. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Courtney {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-09-11T20:19:00.006-04:00

I promise, I am really trying to catch up on blogging. Hopefully I can get some more previews up in the next couple of days. For now, let me introduce you to Courtney. I've known Courtney since she was little and I have watched her grow from a cute little freckle faced girl to a beautiful young woman. I know that she'll be able to accomplish anything she can ever dream of. I hope you enjoy your previews, Courtney. We should have your proofs back soon!!

Michael & Ashley {Northern Michigan Wedding Photographers}

2010-08-18T14:57:00.011-04:00

I've known Michael & Ashley since we were kids. And for as long as I can remember, they've been together. It was wonderful to see them finally be married, and even better to be a part of it! And what a day it was. It threatened rain all day, but the entire time we were outside it didn't rain a drop. We had awesome light and some great clouds as a backdrop. I hope you both enjoy the preview you two. I'll be in touch soon when the rest are ready!

Kalce {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-07-28T14:07:00.007-04:00

Can you believe that Kalce is the first senior we have done who had a class ring? I couldn't either! I was so excited (maybe a little TOO excited... sorry, Kalce if I scared you!) when I saw that ring on her finger. And what a beauty she (Kalce.. not the ring) was to photograph! No matter what setting we put her in, she rocked it! She is also the first Senior to bring in a box load of trophies!! This girl has got some skills.. both on the court and behind the camera! It's a good thing her mom did a double session.. I don't know how we'd be able to narrow down her proof selection otherwise! Thanks so much Kalce and Kathy for coming in. I hope you enjoy your preview, and we'll let you know as soon as your proofs are back!

Mackenzie {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-07-25T12:25:00.003-04:00

I'm trying to play catch up on the blogging, and still have one more Senior to preview, but I thought I'd sneak in these of beautiful Mackenzie. So quiet and laid back, but SO beautiful and up for anything. Thank you, Mackenzie for having us shoot your senior portraits. I hope you enjoy this sneak peek, and we'll have your proofs ready for you soon!

Kurtis & Amee {Northern Michigan Wedding Photographers}

2010-07-15T20:15:00.008-04:00

One of my favorite couples to date! Kurtis & Amee (I think I spelled his name right.. let me know if I didn't guys!) are such a cute couple.. and SO organized! They had everything set down to a "T". It was nice to see a groom so involved. Amee.. he's a keeper!

We were waiting for the next group of family for portraits and Amee turned around... isn't she gorgeous?!

You can tell they are totally in love! Thank you for letting us be there with you on your wedding day, Kurtis & Amee. We loved every minute of it. Enjoy your previews and I'll be in touch soon when your CD is ready.

Michael {Northern Michigan Child Photographers}

2010-07-12T22:31:00.008-04:00

What a joy this little one was to photogaph! Michael is 15 months old and was visiting his Grandma when we did his portrait shoot. He is just starting to walk, so it was fun catching him standing and walking along the props, but nice that he still wasn't able to run away from us! Thanks Z Family for letting us photograph your beautiful boy!

Portraits on the Hillside {Northern Michigan Portrait Photographers}

2010-07-11T22:51:00.009-04:00

On Saturday August 21, 2010, ShutterBugs Photography, along with the Hillside Gardens will be hosting Portraits at the Hillside Gardens. For years, the Hillside Gardens has been a place our community has enjoyed, and we are proud to sponsor this event.

For a $25 donation, you and your family will get your portraits taken, and you will receive an 8x10 print. Only one pose per family will be taken. If you would like to have multiple poses (for example if you want a portrait with your entire family, and then another with just your kids) you will need to schedule more than one session. Each session is subject to the $25 fee.

You will need to schedule an appointment to have your portraits taken. Portrait sessions will be scheduled every 15 minutes from 3-7 p.m. and in order to ensure you have a time slot you will need to make your appointment ahead of time. You can schedule your session by calling (231) 330-5023 or by emailing us at info@shutterbugs-photography.net.

You may refer back to this post to see which time slots are still available:

3:00 - V/L Family
3:15 -
3:30 -
3:45 -
4:00 - M Family
4:15 -
4:30 -
4:45 -
5:00 -
5:15 -
5:30 -
5:45 -
6:00 -
6:15 -
6:30 -
6:45 -

Natalie & Jim {Northern Michigan Engagement Photographers}

2010-07-10T20:18:00.007-04:00

We have been super busy this summer. It's great to have so many photo shoots, but it also means we're a little backed up in the blogging/ sneak peek department. Here is an engagement session from a couple of weeks ago. This shoot was really fun for us. Jim is my cousin (which would make him Pennie's nephew) and Natalie is such a fun, awesome person. We wish you two all the best and can't wait to shoot your wedding!

Cody {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-06-25T16:50:00.006-04:00

A couple of quick previews because I promised his mom I would get them up! Thanks, Cody and Lisa for coming up on Saturday. I will let you know when your proofs are back!

Kelcy & Zach {Northern Michigan Wedding Photographers}

2010-06-19T17:32:00.009-04:00

Have we mentioned how much we love being photographers in Northern Michigan? There are so many awesome locations to take great photos, it's almost unfair... almost! When K told me they were getting married with the Mackinac Bridge as a backdrop, I couldn't wait for her wedding day to come. And even though it looked like Mother Nature might put a damper on their plans, the day turned out to be beautiful, and we even got some peeks of sun for some of the photos. K & Z thank you for letting us be a part of your special day. We hope you are as pleased as we are, and we hope you enjoy your preview. I'll let you know when your Gallery and DVD are ready!

This photo was a special request from K's mom. She wanted a black and white photo by the bouey. We did do a black and white edit for you, Mom... but you're going to have to wait to see it!

Bella {Northern Michigan Senior Portrait Photographers}

2010-05-21T13:31:00.007-04:00

Meet Isabella. A fun, beautiful girl who can strike a pose, and wasn't afraid to do anything we told her to.

Thanks Christina & Bella for letting us have fun with you yesterday... and for showing me an awesome new beach (and photography) hideout! I hope you enjoy your preview. I'll have your proofs back to you in a couple of weeks!

iHeart faces...and faces...and... Collages!

2010-04-19T22:57:00.002-04:00

This week at iHeartFaces, the theme is Collages. I LOVE creating collages, both for myself and for my clients. This one is one I did of my niece after our "special day" which included a photo shoot. The embellishments came from Amanda Bottoms of Kevin & Amanda. I love them!

To view more collages, visit iHeartFaces by clicking the button below.

Gina {Northern Michgian Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-04-18T10:45:00.005-04:00

Gina came flying into the studio the other day asking "how soon can I get my senior portraits done?" So we set up to do them on Saturday. It was supposed to be somewhat sunny, albiet, not very warm, but we could handle that.

But...

This.
Is.
Northern.
Michigan.

It was windy, and cold, and raining, and even snowing! More than once we considered reschedling.. But I REALLY wanted Gina to have her portraits to send in her announcements.

Gina was a trooper. She froze, her hair probably is still matted from the wind, but she took it all in stride and the results were beautiful.

Gina, thanks for being so fun and up for anything. I hope you enjoy your previews. I should have your proofs ready by the end of the week!

Our Easter

2010-04-04T22:56:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter here in Northern Michigan. The weather has been beautiful, and aside from some wind, today didn't disappoint. The kids had a blast hunting for Easter eggs.

Chunky Monkey wasn't so sure at first, but LaneyBug got into it, and had half a bucketful before Monkey would pick one up.

When Monkey got into it, there was no stopping him. He's so quick, I didn't get many photos of him, but I LOVE this one!

I told them that they each had some special eggs. Chunky monkey got all the big eggs and the ones that looked like balls. Laney Bug got all the flower eggs and any others she could get her hands on. The best part was when they would pick up an egg, and not put it into their bucket, but run across the yard and put it in the other's bucket. These two are totally awesome when it comes to being polite and sharing, and to see them do it so often without prompting warms my heart!

After we sorted the loot, Grandma gave them some goodies and we went outside to play with the bubbles they got. They both love bubbles.

I got LaneyBug to pose for me, and the photo below is my favorite of the day!

Happy Easter everyone! May we never forget the reason we CELEBRATE!

Fix It Friday #48

2010-03-26T13:26:00.005-04:00

This week was a little bit different for me. I recently purchased Photoshop Elements, so I did all my editing in Lightroom and Elements. No PhotoImpact! I did try. It was hard not to use that Sunlight I love so much... but you know what? I love the results. I even tried adding the sunlight, but it just didn't look right.

I still have a lot to learn when it comes to Lightroom & Elements, but I'm loving the results so far. I hope you do too!

Here is the Original:

I tried to keep track of everything I did, but, well, yeah... that lasted through "opened in PS Elements." I did brighten the photo, and also ran the Baby Powder Room action from Coffee Cup. Oh yeah, I took the snow off the hat, too. It was a little distracting. I know which image is MY favorite, but what is yours?

To see more great fixes, visit iHeartFaces by clicking the button below!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2010-03-21T22:18:00.001-04:00

You may notice a few wonky things in the next few days on our blog. We're working on a new design, which we hope to have live very soon!

Thanks for understanding!

Impromtu Photo Shoot - Northern Michigan Child Photographer

2010-03-13T13:42:00.007-05:00

I love it when the kids stop by. And I love it even more when they stop by the studio. Today both my babes came up to say hi, and we had little mini sessions.

I've been playing around today with combining the natural light with my speedlight to make for more flattering newborn portraits, so all I had set up was a small black backdrop. But that didn't stop us from having fun. I got a TON of cute shots of Chunky Monkey... Here's the best one. I LOVE the look on his face!

I'll definitely stick to studio lighting with kids for a while! I'll save the natural light for my newborns.

Here are a couple of LaneyBug. She was working the camera!

Fix-It Friday #47

2010-03-12T15:31:00.006-05:00

I'll be honest... when I first saw this week's fix-it photo, I almost didn't even attempt editing it. I figured it was quite dark, and probably wouldn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so I wasn't going to participate this week.

What a lesson in perseverance I learned this morning! I am SO glad I worked on this photo. It turned out very well. After actually reading the post on iHeartFaces (yes, I'll admit, many times I just go straight to the photo without reading the post.. I don't want to be tempted to sneak a peak at the contributors photos, I want to try it all on my own first and THEN try some of their ideas) I learned that I wasn't the only one with reservations about this photo.

So without further ~~babbling~~ ado, I give you this week's Original:

As you can see, it is quite dark.. but seriously... those lips?! The lights on the pinball machine?! I couldn't resist!

And here are my fixes:

I really like the way this one turned out. I also tried playing with some texture. I like the texture, but I'm not sure about the color. Don't get me wrong, I love the look... I guess I'm just not used to it. I haven't done much with it, but I always admire others' ability to pull it off. I'll have to keep practicing!

After doing some searching for free textures, I played some more and came up with this one, which I like MUCH better than the first textured image... enjoy!

To view other great fixes, visit iHeartFaces by clicking the button below

FAQ - Postponed

2010-03-01T23:15:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know I promised answers to questions. I will get to that as soon as I can. Things have been very busy here the last couple of weeks and weekend events have made it impossible for me to be able to do the post right now. I'll get to it soon.. promise. In the mean time, if you still have a question you'd like answered, you can post it here or on my Facebook Page.

Thanks for your patients and understanding!

iHeartFa...Hands!

2010-02-21T22:52:00.003-05:00

This week's theme at iHeartFaces is all about the hands. That's right! They're taking a break from the sparkly eyes and pretty smiles and focusing on those beautiful digits. Here is my entry this week. This photo was taken during a wedding ceremony we photographed. I love that she was still clinging tight to her hankerchif. I think it totally adds to the emotion of the day, and the photo!

Click the button below to view more great entries!

I just can't get enough!!

2010-02-14T22:59:00.001-05:00

Simply Beautiful

2010-02-14T21:06:00.003-05:00

I don't consider myself an artist. I can't pick up a paint brush, wave it around and create a beautiful painting. I couldn't draw my way out of a paper bag if my life depended on it. Sure, I can take a great photograph, but I've always wished I could create art with my hands. I used to watch the artists on PBS as they would create a beautiful painting in the span of the program's 30 minute time slot and wish I had just a fraction of their talent.

So when I came across the below video on another blog I watched in amazement as this young woman created not only beautiful pictures, but art, and a swell of emotions ran through me.

The video shows the winner of "Ukraine's Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand (yes, sand!) table showing how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about £75,000.

I've always been fascinated by the whole Nazi German/WWII era, so watching this video brought on many emotions for me as well.

Simonova begins by creating a scene where a couple is sitting on a bench, holding hands under a starry sky. As warplanes appear, the happy scene is obliterated. It is replaced by a woman crying, but then a baby arrives and the wom an smiles again.

Once again war returns creating chaos from which a young woman's face appears.

The woman quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, then the scene turns into a monument to an Unknown Soldier.

This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house, where a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.

The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine, resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.

The artist Kseniya Simonova says:
"I find it difficult enough to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is beyond me. The art, especially when the war is used as the subject matter, even brings some audience members to tears. And there's surely no bigger compliment."

I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did!

Q&A - Your Questions Answered

2010-02-13T12:27:00.002-05:00

We are going to be hosting a Q&A right here on our blog! If there are questions you have about photography, cameras, having your portraits taken or anything else, leave a comment on this post. We'll answer as many of your questions as we can. Then tune in next Saturday, February 20 to get the answers to your questions.

You can also post a comment on our facebook fan page. We look forward to answering your questions!

Grayson... Again! - Northern Michigan Newborn Photographer

2010-02-04T22:27:00.002-05:00

I promised more previews, and I am not one to disappoint. Here are a few more photos of baby G from yesterday! E, I hope this will tide you (and your sister!) over until I get your proofs done. Thanks again for bringing him up!

Grayson - Northern Michigan Newborn Photographer

2010-02-03T21:50:00.007-05:00

When I found out a former coworker was pregnant, I knew I just HAD to invite her to bring her babe in for newborn photos. After ~~what seemed like forever~~ a few short months, Grayson finally made his debut, and at only 8 days old, he visited the studio for his newborn shoot.

E told me that we would have no problem getting the sleepy baby poses; that he was a great sleeper. So when they showed up today after he kept his mama up all night we thought for sure he would sleep throughout his session.

He had other plans, however and stayed awake the entire time. Every time his mama would get him to sleep and we'd lay him down, he'd wake right back up. We did get a few sleepy baby photos before he'd wake up, and he did settle down for us for about 10 minutes at the end of his session, allowing us to get a great selection of images for E and B.

I hope you two enjoy this sneak peek. I'll try to get a couple more up tomorrow for you and get your proofs sent out soon, too!

Fix-It Friday #42

2010-01-29T19:58:00.003-05:00

This week's theme at iHeartFaces was texture. I didn't get a chance to enter a photo, so I was happy to see a photo that was ready for texture posted as this week's fix.

Here is the original. This is Amy's Daughter. Amy is one of the co-founders of iHeartFaces.

Here are my fixes:

And my texture:

Click the button below to view more great fixes!

iHeartFaces Challenge - "We Are Family"

2010-01-19T22:37:00.004-05:00

This week's theme at iHeartFaces is "We Are Family." My first thought was 'I wish I had a photo of all the guys on the Fire Department' since they are family too. I finally resigned myself to the fact that I didn't have very many family photos.. ya know, where there are actually families IN the photos (not just various photos of the kids, or of single family members). But then I remembered a wedding that we photographed recently. The groom had a daughter... the CUTEST little 3 year old at the wedding, and the Bride has stepped in and just adores little 'K'. I captured this photo during the couple's first dance. About halfway through K came running up and jumped into her daddy's arms. Instead of being annoyed that she'd intruded in their moment, the couple whisked her up and made her a part of their first dance.. as a family. And so this is my entry for this week's contest.

In The News - Northern Michigan Portrait & Wedding Photographers

2010-01-18T23:16:00.005-05:00

I meant to post this over the weekend, but, well.. it just didn't happen. This weekend was pretty busy, so forgive me for not getting it out sooner.

Anyway, our local paper did a story on our studio opening! You can read it here. Thanks Kristin for doing the write up. We've already gotten a couple of calls from people who have seen it.

If you read it and are really interested in contacting us, it's probably best to go to our website. Both the address AND phone number are wrong in the article. They're supposed to be working on it for us.

iHeartFaces Challenge - Week 2, "Best Face" Photo

2010-01-11T10:26:00.002-05:00

This week was a little tough for me. I've been busy with no-camera-photo-work. I've been in the studio for the last couple of weeks, but I've been doing more busy work and haven't really had the camera out much. I wasn't going to enter this week, but I'm trying to make myself enter every week this year. So, as I turned on my computer this morning and my desktop image loaded, I thought "why not enter that photo?" So here it is, my friends. My best face photo, taken on December 19, 2009. LaneyBug was here to make cookies for the weekend, and when we got home from an errand she wanted to play outside while I made lunch. She spent the time shoveling and eating icicles, and I snapped a few photos in between running in the house and stirring the mac & cheese!

I love this photo because it shows true blue, LaneyBugs personality. She loves my camera and I love that she loves it. (it loves her, too don't you think!?) I also love closeup photos, and have really been into taking them horozontally lately, and of course I've been loving Lightroom and all of the presets I've downloaded (this photo happens to be edited with the "Street Fashion" preset from Preset Heaven). So this photo incorporates all of my loves, and I love it! To view more great Favorite Face photos, visit iHeartFaces, by clicking the button below.

iHeartFaces Challenge - "iHeartFaces"

2010-01-03T22:37:00.007-05:00

I am so incredibly excited for this week's challenge over at iHeartFaces. Not only are they giving away a fantastic prize (a great lens!) but this week's challenge has been a complete blast for me. For this week's challenge we had to use the site's logo in our photos. It challenged me to be creative, not only while taking the photos (for the photos that I actually took OF the logo), but in editing them (in the photos where I added the logo). I hope you enjoy viewing my entries as much as I have enjoyed doing them!

This little Angel (the cookie, not the face) may not have come out of the oven in one piece, but that little Angle (the face, not the cookie) sure enjoyed eating it, regardless!

Every Christmas Eve, Grandma reads to LaneyBug and Chunky Monkey. This year, the Night Before Christmas just wasn't the same ;o)

At least the graffiti is something worth looking at! (*no slides were actaully defaced in the making of this photograph*)

Trying to keep Chunky Monkey from EATING the dough (and cutting the heart!) was the hardest part of this shot!

This is a self portrait of my niece, LaneyBug. Every month from the time she was 2 1/2, I've had her draw herself as she sees it. From the very beginning she's done a superb job of drawing her face (eyebrows and all, even when they weren't recognizable as eyebrows, she'd tell you that that's what they were and put them right above her eyes!) This was her first portrait with clothes, shoes and arms that weren't coming out of her head! She's also practicing her writing, so it was only appropriate that we show our love for iHeartFaces.

I am submitting these photos into the I Heart Faces logo photo contest. By entering, I am granting I Heart Faces LLC permission to consider my photo for use in the marketing and promotion of their website.

We're Moving!

2010-01-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Into our very own studio that is.

And we want you to celebrate with us!

You may print this invitation to take advantage of the offer, and contact us anytime to get your referral cards! For more information on either offer, you can Contact Us.

2009 Year In Review - Northern Michigan Potrait & Wedding Photographers

2010-01-01T00:34:00.020-05:00

2009 has been pretty good to us at ShutterBugs Photography. 2010 is already revealing more surprises and adventures than we could ever imagine. Stay tuned for some exciting news! But in the mean time, we hope you enjoy this video slideshow we've put together, featuring all of our beautiful faces from 2009. It takes a bit to load, so you will have to be patient.

ShutterBugs Photography - 2009 Year In Review from Rachel Reid on Vimeo.

Thank You to all of our wonderful clients. We can't wait to see what 2010 has in store!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T11:11:00.004-05:00

Published!

2009-12-21T11:55:00.012-05:00

**HOPEFULLY THE LAST UPDATE**
The articles are all back on the magazine and the site seems to be working well. There were many articles missing. Thanks Laura for letting me know you couldn't get there this morning so I could let Brent know. All the links to the magazine, article and gallery should work correctly now.

**UPDATE AGAIN**
It has been brought to my attention that the link to my article no longer works, and that it isn't listed in the contents of the magazine either. I've got a note into Brent about this and hopefully it will be fixed soon. The good news is the magazine seems to be working better now. The heavy traffic from a couple of very popular blogs yesterday overloaded the server and caused it not to respond correctly. So while you're waiting for my article to come back, go read some of the other great information included in this issue!!

**UPDATE**
If you tried to get to my article today and had problems, try again now. The site got overloaded due to all the traffic from MckMama's Blog!!

**Original Post**

A couple of weeks ago, after I wrote this post, Brent Riggs sent an email out saying he wanted to do a photography issue of Serious.life Magazine to be published before Christmas. He and I exchanged a few emails, and the issue published today,including my article on Posing Hands.

Check it out, if you get the chance. I also have a small photo gallery in the magazine. Be sure to go through the whole magazine as it has a ton of great information from some other really great photographers (including one many of you probably will recognize), as well as a lot of other fun and interesting articles.

Thanks again Brent!

iHeartFaces - Constructive Feedback Friday

2009-12-18T20:02:00.023-05:00

This week at iHeartFaces, it's Constructive Feedback Friday. It is a chance for people to submit one of their own photos, and have other readers provide constructive criticism or tell them how the would edit the photo. I played with a few of the entries and thought I would share what I did!

Also, If the owners of the photographs would like a larger version, please let me know. I uploaded a smaller file to save space on my Flikr account, but I would be happy to send you the full version!

This first photo was submitted by Tricia from Capturing a Moment. Tricia says: "I know that her eyes are squinty, but this “pose” is perfectly Karlee...My issues with this photo are that the overall effect is rather dark, and there is not enough contrast"

The first thing I noticed about the photo was her awesomely chubby cheeks! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM! And other than having a bit of a blue cast, there wasn't a whole lot to do with this photo. So, in lightroom, I just warmed it up a bit, bumped up the contrast a touch and added some vibrance. I also added a white vignette, just enough to give the photo some light. I also cropped out the shoe behind the little girl, and did a little touch up on her face to get rid of the remnants of lunch!

This next photo was submitted by Lisa of Being What I Want To Be. The first thing I noticed about this photo was the little ones Beautiful blue eyes. I also noticed that the photo was crooked (something Lisa fixed in her edits) and that there was WAY too much light on her face. Also, she took the photo in a horizontal orientation. She did crop it in post processing, but if I could give anyone one piece of advice it would be to take the photo as close to how you want it to look when it's printed as possible. This means using your zoom or getting in close. By getting in closer, Lisa may have been able to notice some of the problems with her photo before she even took it!

The first thing I did was to straighten the photo, then I cropped it. I warmed the photo just a touch (litterally, I only bumped it up to +5). I also darkened the photo just a bit. her face was way too washed out, and there wasn't a lot of dimension to it. It looked to me like she was facing the light source. Maybe next time, turn her just a little bit, so the light hits her at a slight angle. Also, if you are planning to do more pictures like these, invest in a piece of white foam board and use it as a reflector. You can prop it up against a chair, or anything so that it faces your subject and bounces the light that is coming through the window to light the other side of her face.

I also softened the photo and added a little saturation and vibrance. Then I sharpened it and added a vignette. I also used the touch up tool to get rid of the {stuff} on the backdrop.

Finally, I used the sunlight tool in PhotoImpact (we all know how much I love the sunlight tool) to add just a little bit of color back into the photo. The reason I love this tool so much is that it makes the light look like it's coming in at an angle, so it looks natural. The key is to not use too much. I almost NEVER take it up to more than the default of 10.

Here is the finished image:

This next photo is the last one I did. I LOVE sweet little baby faces, so I just {had} to do this one! Here is the original from D & C Steward.

The photo is very dark, which upon looking at the photo information, I can see why. Here is what it was shot at ISO 1600, 1/20 sec, f18. So I'll hit all the points... ISO 1600 is way too high. If this photo were to be blown up it would be very grainy... especially after being lightened in post processing. It looks like this photo was shot indoors using natural light. Moving closer to the light source, or finding a diferent, brighter light source all together would have helped a lot! ISO 400 would have been absolutely perfect. 1/20 of a second is quite slow. If this baby had moved, the whole photo would have been blurry. 1/100 of a second or even faster helps get nice crisp shots. f/18 explains a LOT of the darkness. The higher that number, the smaller the opening on your lens. By lowering that number (most kit lenses top out around f/4.6) to around 5.8, the photographer could have lowered her ISO and used a faster shutter speed and still gotten a lighter photograph.

As far as the pose: I like it. I do wish the photographer had moved her camera up slightly. It would have cut out all the black under the baby and gotten the hat in there too. I also am not fond of all the black in front of the baby. So the first thing I did in processing was to crop the photo. Then I lightened and softened it. Unfortunately, this photo may not print well because of noise from such a high ISO.. although I did blow it up and it did look remarkably well! Again I used the sunlight tool on this photo to add some light and to also soften it just a bit!

Here is my edited photo:

I had so much fun working with these photos. I love photo editing and learning new things!! Thanks to all who submitted their photos for people like me to play with. I wish I could have done more!

Fix-It Friday #39

2009-12-11T13:49:00.007-05:00

So for this week's Fix-It Friday, I went WAY overboard. But when you see the photo, you'll know why! What a cool, action packed photo it was.

Here is the original:

This photo was great! I had so many ideas, and as you'll see below, I followed through on every one of them! But first I did a basic edit. I did all of my editing in lightroom today. Have I mentioned lately that I love lightroom?

Yeah, I do!

Anyway here is what I did for my basic edit:
1. Warmed the temperature just a bit because I was going for a rugged, older fashioned look.

2. I adjusted the exposure just a bit.

3. Then I cropped just enough to get the focus back on the action. Everything in the background did add to the feel of the photo (and come on.. you can never have TOO MANY horses in a picture), but it was just a bit TOO distracting to me.

4. A little softening to tone down the dust a little. I Loved the actual chunks of dirt flying, but the dust was taking away from the action that was happening RIGHT NOW.

5. Bumped up the vibrance & Saturation. Even though I was going for an aged feel, I LOVED the color in this photo and I wanted it to stand out!

6. Took a little orange/red out because his face was VERY red by the time I got to this point.

7. Lastly, I added a Vignette/Lens Correction post-crop. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this feature of lightroom!!

Here is the result:

I also did a LOT of playing with presets in Lightroom. This was the perfect photo to do it with, and as you can see there were a lot of them that looked really good on it.

In the first photo, I used the Mocha Preset from Coffee Shop. The other three were Built into Lightroom. I used Antique Grayscale on the 2nd photo, Aged Photo on the 3rd and B&W High Contrast on the last photo.

The rest of the presets I used came from Preset Heaven. Let me tell you, this place really is Heaven for photo editing. I downloaded over 50 presets one day, and there are a TON more that I haven't even seen yet. The best part is, they are all free!

So in the top set of photos I used Elsie, Auto Tone (I wanted to compare that one to the edit I did manually.. pretty close, I'd say), Direct Positive and Orange Garden. I love the way the Orange Garden photo turned out!

For this last set, again all the presets came from Preset Heaven. The first photo is Retro, and is exactly what I was going for. I also used Zurich Street Scene (love the grain in that one!), Cold Tone and 7 Up! I love the way 7 up turned out, and what a fun name, too!!

To see more great fixes, visit iHeartFaces by clicking the button below.

Fix-It Friday #38

2009-12-04T10:29:00.003-05:00

Most of my reason for doing this week's fix was to play in Lightroom. This photo really didn't need much fixing at all. I did a little color adjustment, softened and sharpened his eyes and that's about it for fix 1. For fix 2 I just converted it to black and white in Photo Impact.

Here are the fixes:

To view more great fixes, click the button below

What Do I Do With My Hands?

2009-12-02T13:14:00.012-05:00

Have you ever tried to take photos of someone only to discover neither of you have any clue as to what to do with their hands? I get this question a lot while photographing, especially during Senior portrait sessions.. "What do you want me to do with my hands?" Hands can be difficult to pose, but they don't have to be.

My rule of thumb? Don't pose them.

When I think of the word "pose," I think of my grade school years. Every year in October, we'd have school picture day. You remember…. The day where you have to get up early, wear your best clothes to school (but don't you DARE get them dirty) and then have a weird man touch you and move you so that you were sitting just so, then in a flash (literally) it's over and you are left with a stiff, head-cocked-too-far snapshot to document that year in your life.

Sound like fun?

Nope, I didn't think so either. That's why, when I am photographing someone, I just let them be themselves. I let their natural look come out, and then capture their beauty. From head to toe… including their hands.

Finding something to do with the hands doesn't have to be difficult. Your subject should never feel awkward, and should most definitely never look awkward in their photographs. Here are some of the things I do to get great shots of someone and incorporate their hands nicely. MOST of the suggestions I have here are for photographing seniors, but you can incorporate any group type and modify to suit your needs.

POCKETS, POCKETS, POCKETS! Most seniors today are foregoing the suit and tie look in their senior pictures and going for looks that are totally natural for them. Jeans and t-shirts, jackets and their favorite sweatshirts, the look is more comfortable than ever before. This is great for photographers because we can use those pockets to our advantage.

For girls, have them put their hands in their back pockets, then point their body at an angle where they're slightly turned, but their eyes are still looking into the lens. This gives them a sassy, flirty look. Take photos both with and without smiles. Some of my all time favorite photos are of girls who are not smiling. This same pose is also very cute if you have them put just their thumbs in their front pockets (or their belt loops). Keep their body turned at a slight angle and have them turn their heads toward the camera. Also have them tilt their head down just a little and use their eyes to create the emotion in the photograph.

For guys, hands in the front pockets work best. But be careful. Just have them put their hands half into their front pockets. You don't want them to go in all the way because it makes it look too bulky. Also, the fingers in the pockets or belt loops works nicely. Again have them turn slightly and even lean back on one leg so they look very relaxed. Having them lean against a tree, wall or fence is a great way to achieve the relaxed, even macho-cool look. Again, they can smile or not. Do a series of both so you have the choice of what you like best later.

You can also incorporate props here.. A chair, stool or trunk makes a nice footrest and makes your photo a little more interesting. But don't go overboard. The focus should always be on your subject. You don't want them to get lost in a sea of props.

USE CLOTHING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. Have your subject bring a jacket. leather, jean or their Letterman all work nicely. For girls, you can also have them bring a sweater (turtlenecks or even scarves work nicely). For the girl poses, turn up the collar on the jacket and have them gently rest their hands around the collar near their face. Guys can either sling the jacket over their shoulder, or wear it, and put their hands in the pockets. When you do this, have them open the jacket just slightly outward. Don't let them stuff their hands in the pockets and close off their body as if they're walking home from school on a cold, 30 below day.

FOUND OBJECTS, BUILDINGS AND THINGS that have character make GREAT photograph props. Have your subject rest their hands on a fencepost, crate, tre, barrel, wall or any other object that looks interesting. This also works well if it is an object (such as a fence) where they can also set one foot on it. Have them put one foot on the bottom rail of a fence and then rest their hands on the fencepost. If the fence is sturdy enough (and if you have permission), have your subject sit on it with one foot up. have them rest their hands on their knee. This is a great pose to take in landscape orientation so you can lead up to your subject with the fence. If you have a crate, chair or trunk, they can prop their foot on that and rest their hands on their knee as well (make sure that senior ring shows!)

You may also have them lean against a wall or tree with their hands up near their face. Be careful with this though, it only works if you have the right subject and if you do it just right. I don't use this option very often, because it looks stiff and "posed." However as I said above... you can have them lean on the tree and cross their arms, put their hands in their pockets, or even sit against the tree with their hands on their knees.

LESS IS MORE when it comes to props. By all means use props and have your subject hold something, especially if they are having a hard time with hand placement. But be careful not to overwhelm them. Simplicity is key. A flower, a piece of sporting equipment, musical instrument, letterman jacket, anything that in the finished product says "this is me" are perfect props. If you are photographing a girl outdoors, find a garden or even a field and have them cup a hand around a flower and kneel on the ground as if they are either admiring it or smelling it.

RELAX, RELAX, RELAX Teens have a very laid back, relaxed attitude. Use this to your advantage. Have them cross their arms and lean on ANYTHING. You can also have them put their hands in their front pockets (or jacket pockets) while leaning, too. This works great in studio and on location, they can bend over and lean ON anything (for example, a fencepost, chair, trunk), stand and lean AGAINST anything (a wall, their car, a tree). Also the arms crossed looks good with them just standing too... especially if you put them at a slight angle like I suggested with the hands in the pocket.

SIT, BOO BOO, SIT! Not all of your photographs are going to be of your subject standing. If you are doing head shots with your subject sitting on a stool, then just have your subject place their hands in their lap, but when you're ready for more fun poses that include more of the body, move to the floor or a chair.

For shots where you're using a chair as a prop, there are two great ways to incorporate the hands. One, have them sit on the chair backwards. Then you can have them cross their arms and rest their head on their arms (have them turn their head, so their cheek rests on the arm, not the chin). This pose looks better with girls than guys. You can also have them just place their hands on the back of the chair. If the chair has knobs on each side of the back, have them rest both hands on the knob and sit at a slight angle. Then have them sit with their heads up, but still relaxed. No military poses here.

Next, have them seated on the floor or ground. You can choose to have them sit alone, or have a prop (such as a trunk, stuffed animal, book, or musical instrument). If you use something such as a trunk, have them place their elbow on the trunk and rest their head in one hand, and have them lay the other on the trunk (quick tip: if they have rings on... make that the hand that lays on the prop. They'll be easier to see). When placing hands on or near the face, either place their hand under and slightly to the side of their chin or against the temple. Don't stick their hand straight under their chin. It is too stiff and unnatural.

Another pose I love is to have them just sit on the floor or ground with one leg tucked under the other, sans props.

The untucked leg should be the leg furthest from you camera and should be up with the foot flat on the floor, and their body should be turned at an angle. Their other leg will lay on the floor crossed under the back leg. Have them balance themselves by placing the front hand behind and off to the side of them and just have them rest the other arm or hand on their knee.

This will naturally turn their upper body toward the camera. This also works with both knees up and the arms wrapped around them with the fingers entwined (you'll want to have them turn a little more toward the camera for this one)... make sure those senior rings show off, too!

While they are on the floor with one leg up, have them wrap their hands around the leg and cross their fingers. Then have them rest their head in a relaxed way on their knee. This pose is nice for girls when you don't have them smile. It gives it a dreamy look, almost like they are thinking about all the excitement ahead of them.

I LOVE HATS!! If they are wearing a hat (especially a cowboy hat or beret or similar style) or if you have some for props, have them place a hand on the hat either in a flirty manner or as if they are tipping it. This is especially effective if you get right in their face with your lens. That way you are focusing on their face and the only other thing in the picture are their fingers.. No arms flapping in the breeze!

DON'T STRESS OVER IT The more relaxed your subject is, the less you'll find yourself directing their posing. It will become natural. Talk to them, laugh with them and you'll notice a huge difference.

I like to catch my subjects off guard. My favorite thing to tell them: "hold that" if I see something I like. I'll just tell them (softly, I don't want to scare the living daylights out of them!) "hold that" and shoot real quick before they have a chance to move. Some of my favorite shots are of "poses" that came by naturally.

If I could give you one all around piece of advice it is to limit how much YOU touch and move your subject. You never want your subject to LOOK posed. So instead of turning, pushing, tilting and placing my subject, I simply guide and ask or tell them to do a certain thing. 99% of the time when I touch a subject it Is to pull down a shirt, smooth their hair or point to where I want their hand to be on their leg.
I don’t hesitate, however to walk right up and show them exactly what I want them to do, but I won't touch them. I have found that this technique not only makes them more comfortable, makes them look more relaxed and makes the photograph turn out more natural, but I find that they also have more natural smiles too! Think about it. If you are uncomfortable, does your smile feel funny? But if you are relaxed and doing what you do, your smile is completely you.. Completely beautiful!

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, hide the hands! If I have a subject who just absolutely can't get it, I'll take all my full frame photos with the hands hidden. I will have them put their hands in their pockets, hold something or even put them up against a tree then lean around that tree. Then the rest of the photos I do as head shots where the hands won't be seen. And head shots don't always have to be taken with the subject sitting on a stool. Be creative. Find a pose you like and move in closer to make it a head shot.

SPEAKING OF HEAD SHOTS… please, by all means, NEVER EVER let your subject just let their hands fall to their side. Even if you are only taking head shots, it makes their shoulders sag and their posture stinks! Instead just have them lay their hands in their lap. It will make for a more natural look. Sometimes for added effect I'll even let my subjects sit on a stool at a bit of an angle and put one foot up a rung of the stool.

No matter what level of photographer you are, I hope you benefit from my words of wisdom. I am by no means an expert in posing… more like an expert in trial and error! If you have any questions or even your own posing ideas, please feel free to leave me a comment. I love to learn, and am always looking for new ideas!

iHeartFaces Challenge - "WeHeartTooshies!"

2009-11-29T23:01:00.002-05:00

I've always loved this photo of my niece. It was her first trip to the beach and she was all about playing in (and eating) the sand. It's "tooshie week" at iHeartFaces, so go check out all the tooshies by clicking the link below.

Lightroom is My New Friend

2009-11-21T20:48:00.001-05:00

For a while now, I've heard people raving about Lightroom. I had never heard of it before and had no idea how it worked, what it did, and how it was different from a lot of the other photo programs out there. I figured it was just another expensive, photoshop-like program that I would never be able to afford, so I never really looked into it. That's just what I needed... another photo program that I didn't know how to use that I spent and arm and a leg on sitting around taking up space on my computer.

I don't know why I never thought of it before now, I've done it with countless other programs, but today I finally downloaded a trial version of the program. Let me tell ya, after 5 minutes I was looking at prices. 10 minutes later, I was ready to order.

The program is easy to use. I had no idea what I was doing, but after about 10 minutes I had, what I consider a pretty good edit going on. And I'm sure after I know more of what I am doing, it won't take nearly as long.

I haven't done it yet, but the program lets you bring in a whole set of photos, so you can work on a whole shoot at one time. There are presets that you can get and it seems to be pretty easy to make your own presets. All of the work is done by using sliders, or typing in numbers. It is not an image creation or Graphic design program, but it is a photo editing program. Think of it as the quintessential digital dark room.

I still have a LOT to learn, but let's just say Lightroom, and the Lightroom Classroom in a Book have both been added to my Christmas List.

Here are 3 versions of a photo I took this summer of Chunky Monkey to show you the difference:

This is the original. Pretty dark, kind of blah! I really liked the photo, but it needed a little work. So after I took it, I edited it as I usually do in photo Impact.

I lightened it, may have even done some editing in RAW, sharpened the eyes in Portrait Professional, added some warmth and color to his face and softened it a bit. Here is the result:

I loved it. It came out just the way I wanted it to. nice and bright. You can see his eyes, although they look blue and I know they are not, nobody else did (uumm... well... until now that is)! And by the way... my sister's walls are NOT lime green!

Then today I took the original into Lightroom. I LOVE the result. I always try to go for natural skin tones, and sometimes it comes out a little too red. I love the coloring on his skin, although I do have to admit it did take a tiny bit getting used to. I love the overall soft look (I did do softening in photo impact when i was done, but even the straight out of Lightroom version looked good) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that his eyes are their natural color. I still did sharpening with portrait professional, but most of the rest of the editing was done in Lightroom.

I can't wait to try more photos! Fix it Friday is going to be LOADS of fun next week!

Fix-It Friday #37

2009-11-20T08:00:00.002-05:00

I love the colors of Autumn. So this week's fix was fun! It was extra fun because this week I accomplished a Rachel first. I did my fixes on Thursday night before any of the contributor's photos were posted. So these are completely my own ideas. Not that I don't always use my own stuff, but sometimes I'll look at someone else's photo and add a bit of it to mine. This week was all me! I hope you enjoy!

Here is the Original:

The first thing I noticed was that it was blurry. So I took it into RAW to sharpen in. I also added a little bit of red, and took out a little green and blue. Even though her face came out a wee bit more red than I would have liked, I like how it evened her skin tone and it almost looks like the leaves are reflecting of her face.

I also cropped the photo since there really were a LOT of leaves. I also like how cutting out all the leaves behind her makes it look like there is an endless pile surrounding her.

I knew as soon as I had cropped it that I wanted to find some text to put next to her. I did a search and LOVED this poem as soon as I read it. It fit the photo perfect. So playful and fun just like the little girl must be.

To view more great fixes, visit iHeartFaces by clicking the button below.

Practice Makes Perfect!

2009-11-19T22:20:00.017-05:00

I'm bored. Nobody is around to chat with tonight. Nobody is on Facebook tonight. I don't feel like playing a game, and I don't just want to "browse the web." So I decided to check the iHeartFaces Flikr Group for the Fix-it-Friday photos to see if tomorrow's photo had been posted yet.

It hadn't.

But then I got looking through past photos... ya know, before I started participating. There were some CUTE pictures. So I decided to play with them. You can never get too much practice with photo editing! And here is what I came up with!

I LOVED this photo. At first I was just going to lighten it and brighten her eyes. With kids, I don't like to do too much retouching. I like them to look as natural as possible. When I got it into Portrait Professional, however, I couldn't help myself. I had to play with some of the presets and ended up leaving it on Glamour. Then I brightened, saturated, softened and cropped.

This little girl was SO cute. As soon as I saw her little nose, I new I had to make a collage. Really, the only editing I did was a couple of touch-ups. I removed the zit on her arm, the spot just below her cheek and the lines/scratch marks on her forehead.

What a BEAUTIFUL pose! I love the way her head is turned. I love the way the wind is whisping her hair. I simply sharpened her eyes and make her coloring look a little more natural.

I love the look on this little guy's face. I knew immediately that I was going to turn and crop this one. Then I sharpened his eyes and I also softened it a LOT! After I got all that done, I turned it black and white and added just a little saturation and warmth to keep with the soft look. When I was done, I noticed that his eyes hadn't changed and remembered that I had done them in Photo Impact, not Portrait Professional. But I loved them so much that I left them blue!

Stay tuned, because tomorrow is Fix-It Friday and I will be posting another cupie face full of fixes here.

iHeartFaces Challenge - "Autumn Beauty"

2009-11-16T23:51:00.007-05:00

This year we had LOADS of yellow leaves on the trees. It was very hard to find red and orange, but yellow was in abundance. And it wasn't bright yellow. I made the comment on more than one occasion that I couldn't believe the color, that it looked like gold. And it made for a wonderful background when it came time to shoot Alex and Carly's senior portraits.

I knew which batch of photos I would go through to find this week's entry for the iheartfaces challenge. But I still wasn't sure which picture I would choose. I ended up choosing this photo from Carly's shoot because I just loved how relaxed and happy she looked. She kept telling me that she never looks good in photos and didn't know what to do. I really don't know what she was talking about because she totally ROCKED her shoot. It really was hard for me to remember that I was also shooting 2 other people at the same time!!

This is my favorite photo from that day. It wasn't even planned. We were finishing up her shoot, and just kind of standing around talking to her boyfriend and his mom when I turned around to see her standing like this. I told her to hold it, and got the shot. I love it!

To see more great entries, visit the iHeartFaces website by clicking the button below.

Fix-It Friday #36

2009-11-13T12:27:00.005-05:00

I've participated in Fix-It Friday for quite a while, and I thought since I now have a photography blog, that I would post here as well, along with an explanation of everything I did to make the photos look the way they do.

First of all, here is the original Photo

And here are my fixes. First, I sharpened his eyes, then played a little with the curves. I cropped the pole out of the left side of the photo, and then decided I might like it if I tilted the photo. So I did, then then cropped out the white space. I wish I would have had a little more room to work with, because I would have liked to not have to crop in so close, but I do like his head tilted better than the original.

After all that, I selected the boy so I could blur the background a little more than it was. The bokeh was very nice, but I still thought the color in the flowers competed a little too much with the boy and I wanted to change the color anyway. After I had the background selected, I created a new object (the same effect as creating a new layer in Photoshop) out of him, then selected the background. I used the softening tool in the sunlight palette in Photo Impact to blur the background even more. Then Adjusted the colors to not make the green so prominent.

After getting the background just the way I wanted, I warmed, saturated and softened the whole photo a little.

For the second photo, I turned it black and white, then decided that it reminded me of an old photo from 70's or 80's, so I added saturation and warmth to "brown it up" a little. Then I added just a little bit of film grain to give it that older look.

And that's it. I had fun with this photo. Even though there wasn't a lot to work with, I got to do a few things that I haven't done much and it was fun.

If you'd like to see more great fixes, check out iHeartFaces

Learning Photography

2009-11-06T11:33:00.001-05:00

Now that you've chosen a camera it is time to learn how to use it. there are may ways to go about learning and I’m really not sure what kind of information I can give here. All I can do is tell you what I did and how it worked for me. I do not endorse any specific school, program or way to learn photography. There are many great ways to go about learning the art of taking a beautiful photograph. I’m simply going to tell you my experience in learning the art of photography and let you decide what will work the best for you.

When I decided to take my first photography course, it was at my mom’s suggestion that we do it so that we could get to know how to use our cameras more. At the time we were both using 3.2 MP HP point and shoot cameras. I had been working with a guy who was a photographer, and he had shown me some different things I could do with my camera, which had peeked my interest, so I was all for taking the class and seeing what I could make my camera do.

We both enrolled in the photography course offered by our local community college. Each week, for 16 weeks, we’d take a photo (usually a landscape or still life), that had to do with the theme we were discussing, then bring it in for the rest of the class to see and for it to be graded.

The class I took was really an introduction to using your camera. Sure, we learned things like the “rule of thirds” and about f/stops and exposure, but only in their most simple form. But, it was during that class that I really realized that I wanted to be a portrait photographer.

That fall we both purchased our first DSLR’s. We had learned enough in that first course to be able to pick up the camera and make a nicely composed photo, but I wanted more. When we saw on ad on TV for the New York Institute of Photography, I knew immediately I wanted to enroll. Mom was a little more reluctant (mostly because of the $900 price tag attached to the course), but we finally decided that if being photographers was really what we wanted, that it would be worth it. We enrolled in the course in early 2007 and we both are awaiting the critiques of our final assignment. It has taken us 3 years to complete the course, but I wouldn’t have done it any differently.

NYI boasts that you can complete the course in as little as one year. I truly believe this is possible, even for a working adult. It has taken this long because we’ve done it together. We both were maintaining full time jobs, each have 1 night a week and a full weekend every 3 weeks that we run EMS and are unable to go out to do our assignments, both have other activities that we participate in on other nights of the week. And lets face it… some days, we just didn’t feel like doing it!

But that’s what’s great about NYI. We’ve had a whole 3 years to do it, and we did. Easily. Now don’t think I’m endorsing them, and I’m certainly not saying that this is the best way ever to do this. I’m sure there are many other great photography schools, even photography programs through other colleges and universities. And I’ll be honest, if I were doing the course on my own, I may not have gotten some assignments done when I did. So my best advice is to look into different classes, programs and decide what is right for you.

Here are some places to start:
NIY
Your local community College
Community Centers
http://www.findyourartschool.com/ep/photography-schools.php

I’ll close by listing what I feel are the pros and cons of the two programs I used. Again, you’ll want to do all the research and decide what is best for you before jumping in with both feet.

Photo Class at the community college
· Low cost – most colleges will give you a discount for being a resident of that community. Plus the actual courses are a lot less expensive
· Small classes & great atmosphere – Most of the people who are going to take a photography class at a community college are going to be people interested in photography. In a small area, you’re probably not going to have huge class sizes or a bunch of young kids who are only there for the credit.
· More 1-on-1 instructions – because of the small class sizes, you’ll be able to get more information and more 1-on-1 time with your instructor. He’ll be able to answer your questions face to face.
· Limited knowledge – Sure, I learned enough in my first class. However I only had the experience of one instructor who has never really had real world experience as a photographer. Classes like this at a community college are usually taught by someone who just enjoys what they do, not necessarily a professional, so you really don’t know what you are going to get.

Overall, a class at a community college is a great place to start If you just want to get your feet wet. You’ll learn the basics of photography and how to take a “good” photograph, and you’ll start to understand all the technical aspects of using your camera. If you’re not exactly sure what you want to get out of a class or your camera, I would definitely suggest going this rout first.

NYI – Correspondence Photography Course
I took the Professional photography course through NYI. They also offer other photography courses, so you can choose which course is a best fit for you.
· All the information you need – Every part of the course is divided into units. Each unit covers specific details of photography from the basics of your camera, to the basics of using it, to more in depth aspects. If you pay in full before the course starts, all your course material is sent to you by the time the course is half way through.
· Variety of learning material – The course includes text, audio and video material, so that you can learn using your own style. The texts are great for a quick reference especially once you’ve completed the units. They include photographic examples, which I LOVED. The audio tapes are great for auditory learners, and the DVD’s are great for seeing “real life” photographers and examples of what is in the text. Every piece of material is a great reference to me, even now that I’ve completed the course.
· Completion certificate – at the end of your course, you get a diploma. I’ve always had the mindset that I’m not a professional until I get that piece of paper. Now that I’ve finished, and will be getting it soon, I definitely feel more like a pro. It gives you a definite sense of accomplishment.
· You are assigned a single instructor throughout the course – Your instructor will grade all of your assignments, so he or she will know your work. They’ll be able to make personal comments and recommendations based on what they see from you. You’ll receive their contact information so that you can call them at the school with any questions
· The extras included in the class are nice. I received an umbrella that I use in my pro shoots and my camera bag and lens cleaning cloth are two of my favorite items in my arsenal (besides my camera and 50mm lens, that is).
· A lot of money – if you only want to familiarize yourself with your camera, really, a simple photography class is all you need. I wouldn’t recommend that anybody spend hundreds of dollars learning more than they need to know. I would only recommend going this rout if you are really serious about wanting to take GREAT photos.
· No 1-on-1 contact – Because the school is in New York, it’s obviously not feasible for me to just go talk to my instructor. I’ve really never had a problem with it. I am a little worried about this assignment, however because I got a call yesterday stating that my instructor was away “indefinitely” and I am having to have a new instructor grade this last assignment.

Overall the pros have definitely outweighed the cons in both instances. The idea is to start out small. See how you like it, and proceed from there. I had no idea when I took that first class that it would lead me to where I am at right now, but I certainly wouldn’t change a single thing. I love what I do, and I love that I am able to do it!

I truly hope this has helped you in your photography journey. I certainly have enjoyed writing it for you. If you have any questions please post them. I look forward to doing another Informative post soon!

Buying a New Camera - Part 4

2009-11-05T10:13:00.002-05:00

Welcome to our final post on buying a new camera. By now you've hopefully made your decision and even have a very good idea of what you want in a camera and accessories. In our final installment, I'll talk about where and how to buy your camera. Is Ebay really a better deal? What kind of buyers should you look for?

Let's get started!

What to look for in a buyer

Ebay vs. Stores
Many people love ebay. I do too most of the time for big purchases like this (if you didn’t catch that in all my previous ramblings, you better go back and re-read, because you probably didn’t pick up on anything else I’ve said either). Their prices are usually a little lower than most camera stores and the sellers usually throw in a few extras for you. But you do have to be careful. You could catch yourself in a bind with a bad seller if you’re not careful.

Also don’t completely count out the stores. Sometimes you won’t find a better deal on ebay. This is becoming the case in my search for a 50D. I have come up with my list of exactly what I want:

The camera
18-200 IS (image stabilizing) lens
An extra battery or two
Maybe another memory card
Possibly a battery grip

A kit with the camera and lens is on B&H’s website for the same price as the same kit on ebay. Even if the kit on ebay offers extras, unless it is exactly what I want, I am not going to spend the money on what I won’t use or what I already have. I can get the batteries and extra cards on Amazon for about $10 a piece.

So be careful and do some well researched price comparisons. It can be tedious, but it will be worth it!

So lets say you find a great deal on Ebay and you’re ready to make your purchase. Now we’ll talk about what to look for in an Ebay seller.

Seller feedback
This is paramount. I will not buy from a seller that has any lower than a 98% feedback and even then I hesitate. I also look to see how “automatic” the feedback sounds. Believe it or not, some sellers bribe their buyers with products and discounts if they leave positive feedback and they tell them what to say.

Phone numbers
Most of the time you can tell by the design of the sellers page whether they are a Joe Schmoe on his home computer or if they are a real store. But one thing I look for in a seller is if they have a phone number I can call with questions. When I bought my camera, I called and talked to the gentleman to ask about the camera and ended up ordering while I was still on the phone with him. They were a real store in New York City that I could have walked into (if I lived in NYC that is) and I was more comfortable ordering from them.
Now I’m not telling you not to order if they don’t have a phone number. But sellers with working phone numbers who are willing to talk to you probably don’t stand as much a chance of ripping you off.

Extras they’ll offer ya
Another perk to calling in your order?! When I placed my order over the phone, they offered me a 3 year warranty. It was somewhere around $60 I think. Not only did that cost cover the warranty, but I got an extra GB of memory and an extra battery. Definitely worth it. But judge it yourself. If they’re offering you junk (you’ll know, because we talked about that already) say no thanks.

Hopefully that Is enough information for you. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments of this post. I love helping people out and no question isn’t worth posting.

Tomorrow I’ll round out the week with a post on Photography classes. Now that you’ve found a new camera, you’re going to have to learn how to use it properly. And since I’ve had a couple people ask, we’ll go over it!

Buying a New Camera - Part 3

2009-11-04T08:00:00.003-05:00

Ok! Today I promise I won’t be so long winded about each piece of equipment. The following, while still useful and somewhat important things to consider, aren’t as much of a big deal in the sense of whether they’ll make or break your purchase. So, here we go!

Carrying Cases
This is where I get picky. In 99% of the packages you’ll find on ebay, the cases aren’t going to be of much good to you. The one that came with my kit is one big open box of a couple pieces of hard fabric sewn together. I’ve used it once, and that was to run in to town to take a couple pictures and go to the dollar store. I didn’t want to carry my camera in with me, so I put it in that case because it didn’t look like a camera case and I knew nobody would want to steal it!

Yeah… seriously!

So unless the camera kit shows nice pictures of a nice bag, don’t make that a priority. Walmart, Best Buy and your local camera store will have perfectly good solutions for you. Of course if the kit you choose does come with a no good camera bag, you can also relist it on ebay, which is what I plan to do someday. Right now it’s making a good storage spot on the top shelf of my closet for all the other little camera bags, wallets and small purses I have.

Here are a few good options for inexpensive “starter” camera bags for you:

The traditional camera bag - There are a wide array of shoulder bags. This is the most traditional type of camera bag and comes in many different sizes and styles. Most large packages on ebay will include a bag. Normally, they won’t be this nice.

The backpack - This is what I have for all of my camera equipment. When I got it, all of my stuff fit. Now it’s overflowing, but it is a great bag. Very roomy and very easy to carry. You may find these types of bags in packages online.

The stylish camera bag - Usually a little more expensive, these bags let you show off your style while still keeping your equipment safe. You probably won’t find bags like this in an ebay package.

The Hip Pack - This bag Is on my wish list. Right now, when I’m shooting a wedding, and for other outdoor shoots, I have a traditional fanny pack that I use to keep memory cards, batteries and an extra lens close at hand. Unfortunately, it has become way too small. This pack is HUGE (watch the video!) and if you plan to do a lot of walking around taking photos and want to carry lots of extras with you (it’s even got a spot for a water bottle!) this type of bag will be a good investment.

The hard case - Most packages you find on ebay won’t include a hard case this nice, but they are sufficient and very convenient for storing your equipment long term or for traveling. The hard sides and foam interior will assure safe travels for your camera and lenses, and they’re really not extremely heavy. I wouldn’t use one for every day use, but I do have the one that came with my ebay package, and I would use it if I were traveling and needed the extra security for my equipment.

What about all that other stuff that comes with the package?
Here are the things that came in my camera kit, and that are included in varrious kits on ebay right now. I’ll offer my opinion on all of them

Memory
I like to get memory cards that are 2 and 4 GB. I know, I know… there are memory cards that run upwards of 16 GB nowadays, but I really do have a good reason for my way of thinking, so bear with me.

Here’s the deal: The more photos that fit on a memory card is all the more photos I stand to lose if that card fails. While I really don’t like the idea of losing ANY of my photos, I’d much rather lose 2GB worth of photos than 16GB worth. And the 2 seconds it takes to switch out a full memory card for an empty one is nothing compared to the frustration and grief of losing all those photos. So don’t fall for a package just because it comes with a 16GB memory card. Cards are cheap. Stock up on 3 or 4 2-4 GB cards instead one large 8 or 16GB card.

Memory card reader
This is an essential piece of equipment for ANY camera if your computer does not have a built in card reader. However, just like the camera bags, the ones that come in most ebay kits aren’t worth using. They’re slow. So don’t be sad if your kit doesn’t come with one. You can get a decent one (off brand even) for $10-$20 at office max and they’re twice as fast, and most have slots for many types of cards, so you’ll be able to put cards from your SLR, P&S, MP3 player or phone all in the same reader.

Cleaning kit
Are you sensing a theme here? These aren’t that great. The cloths are linty and you don’t want an alcohol based cleaner on your lens anyway, and the “swabs” are just q-tips. You can get a nice microfiber cloth from a camera catalog for $10, a spray bottle to put water in from walmart for $.50 and a travel size pack of q-tips for a buck. Even nicer are the swabs in the makeup aisle for applying eye shadow. They’re not as sure to leave lint behind and they’re only a couple bucks for a package.

Filters
When you know how to use them, these can be a nice addition to your photography arsenal. Filters screw onto the end of your lens and either help filter out the glares of the sun or enhance the colors in your photos. They come in different colors, and different filters can be used for different things. One word of caution: Many people will tell you to put a UV filter on the end of your lens to protect your lens from scratches. This isn’t a bad idea, however keep in mind that that’s one more layer your lens has to go through, and may affect the quality of your photos.

DVD tutorial
I haven’t used one of these, but when I buy my 50D, I’ll be looking at packages that include a DVD tutorial on how to use the cameras features. I figure, what’s the harm? If it can help me learn how to use my camera faster, that can’t be a bad thing. The DVD’s are made specifically to teach you how to use your model camera. If you find a package you like that doesn’t come with a DVD, you can pick one up on ebay for $15-$20.

Batteries
You can never have enough power for your camera, so the more batteries you can get, the better. If you can find a package that throws in extra batteries, go for it. Also, you can find inexpensive off brand batteries on ebay and actually I’ve found the best deals on batteries on Amazon. Digital Concepts makes a wonderful, inexpensive battery. We’ll talk about calling the company later, but when I bought my camera, I found it on ebay but called the store that listed it. They offered me an extended warranty that included more memory and an extra battery. That was worth the price (around $60) to me.

Camera grip
Unless you are going to go pro tomorrow, you don’t need this. A camera grip will hold an extra battery and allows you to take a vertical photo without turning your arm. It has it’s own shutter button on top. This isn’t anything you’ll need. I don’t even have one.

Flash
Don’t look for a kit based solely on the fact that it has a flash with it. Most of your “affordable” (like under $2000-$3000) are going to have a built-in flash, and if you really get serious and want an external flash, the one that comes in most kits isn’t going to do you any good anyway. I’ve never used the one that came in my kit on a shoot because it’s not powerful enough and doesn’t have enough control. I’ve only played with it. I bought myself a nice, professional quality, manual bounce flash for less than $100 this summer.

Wireless trigger
Unless you are going to be taking photos off a tripod, and really unless you’re going pro, you don’t need this. I love mine, but I only use it when I’m doing a photo shoot off a tripod.

recovery software
I have no experience with this. But I look at it kind of like I look at the tutorial DVD. If it’s included, what the heck? I’m not going to base my decision on purchasing a camera solely on whether or not it has recovery software, but If it can save your pictures, it is definitely worth trying out if you find a kit that includes it.

Ok, we’ve made it through equipment. By now you should have a pretty good idea of what you want in a camera and the accessories to go with it. A good idea now would be to make a list of what you want and start looking around. I’ll list some of my favorite sites for browsing photo equipment below. Tomorrow we’ll talk about the actual buying of your camera and what to look for in a buyer.

Ebay
Amazon
Buy.com
B&H
Porters
Ritz Camera

Buying a New Camera - Part 2

2009-11-03T08:00:00.004-05:00

Welcome back! Yesterday we talked about what you may want in a camera. Today we’ll elaborate on that and get into more detail about what you’ll want in a camera. Let’s get started.

What accessories do I need/want?
After you decide how much you can afford, you should really look into what exactly you want in a camera and what you want to purchase WITH you camera. In doing this you should know what you plan to use the camera for. If you are looking for something to take great pictures at birthday parties and Christmas, you’ll probably be fine with purchasing a somewhat lower end (for example something like my Canon Rebel XT, or the newer Canon Rebel Xsi) camera/lens combo kit. These cameras are marketed more toward the novice users, who want a little more fun with their cameras than something professional. The kits are assembled by the manufacturer and usually sit right on the store shelves. If you are wanting to refine your photo taking ability, even possibly looking to make a little money from your camera, you may want to get a little more with your camera, and even think about going a little higher end in your purchase. Something like the Canon 50D, which is what I am looking into.

My first DSLR, and the one I use for all shoots is a Canon Rebel XT. It is an 8 mp, which was perfect for me, a good camera at the time and in my price range. Be sure you know how many MP you need. 8 is about the minimum anymore, and really it is great. You don’t need a 21 mp camera. Remember, if you can’t take good pictures in the first place, higher resolution isn’t going to make any difference. The higher the resolution only means you’ll be able to blow the photos up larger while still keeping them nice and sharp. It’s not going to make your blurry photos any sharper or your noisy, low light pictures any clearer. The camera I am looking at right now has 15 MP. It certainly isn’t the top of the line, but it is definitely even more than I need, but it has all the features I want. Look for features before you look at the resolution.

When I bought it, there were no helpful blog articles (or at least none that I could find) like this one, so I did all the research myself. I started by deciding what I wanted in a camera. I decided that I wanted something “big” with interchangeable lenses.

Yeah… that’s all I knew.

I started my search by looking up information on the bigger camera companies. Olympus, Sony, Nikon, Canon. I’m not going to tell you about the other companies because I don’t have any information on them. After looking at prices, I pretty much decided Canon had one of the best cameras I had found and it had a price I could afford. So then I started looking at the different models. I compared, looked over, went back and forth, drooled over and talked myself into…and out of… different cameras and different packages many, many times. Ask my friends… I’m pretty sure they got sick of it.

I finally settled on the XT. It had reasonably good resolution at 8 MP, had the ability to change lenses, like I wanted and had a very tolerable price tag. When I decided what I wanted, I really had no plans of buying a ton of accessories with it. However after checking every website, catalog and store I could find, I found that Ebay had the best deals, and that I could get a kit with a “ton of stuff” for what Best Buy and Circuit City were selling the basic kit for. So I started looking for package deals on ebay.

When I got my camera, I really didn’t have much of an idea of what I wanted with it. I wanted a camera and a lens. Now that I am a little smarter, I’ll help you out with information on different accessories you may want to include in your camera wish list, as well as things that normally come packaged with a camera on ebay.

Lenses
If you are just starting out and don’t have any intentions of doing more than taking snapshots with your camera, you really don’t need any more lenses than what comes with the camera (be careful, some cameras do not come with a lens at all. If you see a listing on any website or in a catalog that says “body” or “body only” this means you are only getting the camera itself. You will not get a lens with your camera and you cannot use the camera without a lens).

If, however, you are interested, or think you may become interested in the near future in doing more with your camera (ie, photographing “real” portraits of friends, family or potential clients) you may want to look at packages that offer an extra lens or two.

When I bought my kit, I got the standard 18-55mm “kit lens” that came with the camera. I also got a telephoto lens that ranges from 70-200mm. The kit also came with two lens attachments for doing extreme macro (or close up) photography and super telephoto (distance) photography. Honestly, I don’t use the attachments often, mostly I’ll play around with them once in a while, but I have never actually used them on a shoot.

This spring I purchased (and I really recommend finding a kit with it if you want to take portraits or if you have kids) a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Of course, there are better lenses, but for the price, this lens is worth its weight in gold.

Let me tell you why…

It’s a little secret called f/1.8. If you’re not familiar with photography terms, in the most simple of descriptions, the f/stop is a number that tells you how far the lens can open, and in turn tells you how much light you need in order to take a photo. Now it’s a little confusing because the LOWER the number the WIDER the opening in the lens is. If that is hard for you to understand think if it like this: the lower the number, the less light is needed to take a photo (because the lens is open wider). Most “standard” or kit lenses have their lowest f/stop around f/4 or f/5. That’s low… but not low enough for low-light photos. Because this lens can go all the way to f/1.8, it can pull in a lot of extra light, when there isn’t much to begin with. This makes for sharper photos in lower light. Remember all those blurry, grainy photos you took of your daughter’s birthday party last year? This lens will help to eliminate that.

Another perk of this lens is that the wide aperture of the lens makes for nice blurry backgrounds. See the photos I have posted above? The first was taken with my kit lens at somewhere around f/4.6. The candle is nice and clear, and the background is somewhat blurred, but look at the second photo. The candle is nice and sharp, but has a beautiful soft look to it, and look at that background! Beautifully blurred.

Keep in mind though that this lens does not zoom. YOU have to move in order to get everything you want in the photo. But it’s quality and stand alone price tag (it retails at $100) make it more than worth it.

Another lens option you may consider is something around 18-200mm. This lens will let you take photos at normal, close distances, but also let you zoom in close to things far away. Be careful though, the further you zoom in, the more the chance for your photo to turn out blurry. This is because these lenses are heavy…and long. When you are zoomed in all the way, these lenses can be upwards of 8-10 inches long! Even though they make lenses now with image stabilization, it is very difficult to stabilize a lens that is zoomed in this far. Which brings us to our next topic…

Tripod
Tripods are a good thing for anyone to have… or so they tell you. I’m not going to say you don’t need one, because they do come in handy, especially with a big bulky camera with a big bulky lens. But if all you are going to use your camera for is snapshots of friends and family, and you have the regular, run of the mill kit lens, you are not going to use one most of the time.

However, MOST kits on ebay will include one. Don’t let that discourage you from buying the kit. You never know when you’re going to need one. I use the one that came with my camera for an extra light stand or to hold up a reflector board during a photo shoot, so don’t think you’ll never use it. And even if you don’t buy one right away, Wal-mart carries a perfectly good tripod for less than $30. It’s what I use, even with my professional shoots.

Phew! That was a lot of information for just a couple of things. But really, lenses and tripods are the most important accessories to consider when purchasing a camera. Let all that information sink in, and tomorrow we’ll talk about more accessories you’ll come across in your search for a camera.

Photography Q&A - Buying a New Camera - Part 1

2009-11-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

It probably has something to do with the holiday season, but lately I’ve been asked quite a few times about purchasing digital cameras (just to clarify, the cameras I’ll be talking about here are DSLR cameras) and equipment. It is no secret to my friends and family that my beloved camera was purchased on Ebay. A combination of knowing exactly what I wanted, a great package at a good price, and being at the right site at the right time gave me what I believe was a great deal on a package chock full of enough goodies to keep an aspiring photographer happy for a good number of (or in my case 3) years.

Now that I’m in the process of ~~looking at~~ dreaming about a new camera, I thought I would take you through the steps I used, and am using in my search for the perfect camera for me.

I’ll touch on different topics and split this into a number of parts. If I posted it all at once, it would likely cause your retinas to bleed. And since the whole idea of purchasing a new camera is to be able to take photos, and in order to take photos, you must be able to see, I have a feeling you will appreciate my not posting the whole 10 pages single spaced at one time.
So, let’s get started shall we?

What do I need?
This is the first question to ask yourself. What do I need in a camera? How will I use it? Where will I use it? I’ve talked to many people who only want to buy a DSLR (or Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera because they think it will take better pictures than their point and shoot (I’ll abbreviate P&S from here on). While it is true that a DSLR camera will give you much more creativity and control over your photographic opportunities, you have to have an idea of what you are doing in the first place. If you can’t take a good picture to save your life with a P&S camera, odds are, a DSLR will not help you. As harsh as it sounds, you have to have some sort of eye for a good photo before you can take a good photo. And at the same time, you also have to have the understanding that just because you have a better camera, doesn’t mean all of your photos will be better. You can still take bad photos with a good camera. You can have the best equipment, know exactly what you are doing, and still get bad pictures. It happens. Every shoot I do, I take upwards of 100 photos to get 10 or 12 that turn out well. It’s the nature of the beast and something you’re just going to have to live with.

Also keep in mind that while a DSLR does have a halfway decent automatic mode, it’s not going to have all the different functions of your point and shoot. There is no “fireworks” mode. There is no “sunset” mode or “snow” mode. While it does have a couple of automatic modes, an SLR camera was made to manipulate manually, allowing you to control every aspect of your photograph from the amount of time it takes to expose the photo to the color that goes in the photo. This is what makes professional photographs look so great, and thus is the reason most people falsely believe an SLR will make their photographs look much better than they do already. Professional photographers know how to manipulate their cameras, and sometimes even “push the envelope” to make their photographs really stand out. They don’t just pick up the camera, shoot, and get great shots.

Even in my search for a new, better camera I am limiting myself. Do I need a camera that takes video? Nope. Do I need 30 mp? Not at all. I just want something basic, that allows me to have all of the creative control to take absolutely stunning photographs. So keep that in mind too. Sure, that $3000 camera has all the bells and whistles, but that's why it has a $3000 price tag. Will you ever use all that? That's the main question.

How much can I afford?
Ok. So you have convinced yourself that you’re ready to jump into the land of the DSLR. Congratulations! I didn’t discourage you. The next question to ask yourself is how much can you afford? A DSLR is no small purchase. Depending on the brand, quality and age of the camera, you are going to spend anywhere from $500 - $1500 or more on a DSLR. That’s a big jump from the $80 - $200 for a nice point and shoot.

New vs. used
I’m a snob. I don’t generally make a habit of purchasing used items. Sure, I love me a good yard sale, and resale shops are a good friend of mine, but when it comes to “big purchases” I like to know that what I am getting has never been touched by someone else’s hands. I like warranties, I like me a 30 day money back guarantee. So it is for this reason that I don’t buy used camera equipment… at least not online. If someone offered me a great deal on a used piece of equipment, I probably wouldn’t turn it down, but I generally tend to stick to new items when I’m buying online.

Your opinion may differ, but be careful. You never know what you are going to get in a used piece of equipment.

I’ll end with that for today. Tomorrow we’ll talk about what accessories you may want to consider purchasing with your camera. I’ll explain what they are, and why you may or may not need them, and in some cases why you don’t want to waste your money on what comes in an Ebay Kit.

Thanks for reading along! I’d love to hear your comments and if you have any questions, by all means, please post those too.

~RAch~

Photography Q&A

2009-10-30T23:37:00.003-04:00

At the request of some friends, I am working on a post with information on buying a new DSLR. If you have any questions or are looking for information, feel free to post your questions on this post. I'll be writing this weekend and publish the post(s) throughout next week.

I'm also planning to publish more informative posts in the future, so if you have any photography related questions, or if you have seen anything here that you'd like more information on how to do, feel free to ask that here too!

Alex, Carly & Baby S - Northern Michigan Family Porrait Photographer

2009-10-29T13:54:00.016-04:00

What a great family to work with. Full of fun and lots of smiles. Thank you Alex, Carly and your mom Betsy for allowing us to photograph such an exciting time for the two of you. Enjoy the preview. Your proofs should be in by the end of the week!

Get Your Gift On!

2009-10-27T14:13:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year! Gift buying can be a hassle, especially when you don't know what to buy for the person who has everything. This year, give them a gift that will last a life time with a photo gift certificate. Our gift certificates are totally customizable from the colors and fonts to what you give with it!

Want to give the recipient the option to choose what they want? Our certificates are available in increments of $25. You may also specify particular services or products to give your friends and family, so that their gift is more personal.

Some ideas for giving photo gift certificates:

Purchase a $75 Gift Certificate to cover the session fee for a friend.
Purchase a $100 or more Gift Certificate to go toward print orders.
Purchase a Gift Certificate to cover the cost of specialty products such as Collage albums or our special 10x20 Reflections Collages.

Whichever you choose, our gift certificates are the perfect gift for your friends and family!

Welcome

2009-10-26T21:38:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Blog for ShutterBugs Photography. We are located in Michigan's Beautiful Northern Lower Peninsula, and specialize in both Portrait and Landscape Photography.

ShutterBugs is a Mother-Daughter team, bringing experience from many walks of life.

Rachel is the main photographer for most events and brings a self proclaimed "sassy style" to her photography. "I love trying new things with my portraits. I love trying to find what brings out the best in my subjects and then running with it. If a client is shy, I like bringing the flirtiness that comes with that shyness out. If a client is wild at heart, I like to capture that 'walking on the edge' look in their eyes." Rachel has a degree in web design and is behind the creation of our custom Invitations, Announcements and Portrait collages.

Pennie brings her experience in the cosmetology field to every shoot to make her subjects look their best. Her photographic style is more classic, which makes a nice compliment to Rachel's style, giving you a wide range of choices when it comes to choosing your photographic prints.

Our goal as photographers is to provide our services to those who may otherwise not be able to afford a professional photographer. Whether you are embarking on the journey that is marriage, graduating from High School or want to create that perfect family portrait, we want to help you create memories that will last a lifetime at an affordable price.

Our blog will be a place for you to view previews of shoots as well as to get all the most up to date information about us, our studio and any specials we are offering. If you have any questions about any of our services, please do not hesitate to contact us.

You may also visit our website to view complete portfolios of our work.

We look forward to working with you.

Rachel & Pennie