A Trunk, Some Vintage Flair, & a Handsome Logan

I am always looking for props to use in the studio.  They are essential when working with little kids!  Usually, the best shots are when the kids are interacting with the props and not when they are looking at the camera.  Although, moms and dads love big 'ole grins too!  So when I saw this trunk on the side of the road at a garage sale, I yelled for my husband to stop the minivan and pull over.  It came home with us, and while I am running out of room to store stuff, it looks great in pics!  Much to my surprise, little Logan came with the perfect vintage outfit to go with it.  Add in some quilts and some vintage photoshop techniques, and viola!  I'm in love!

  We threw in some easter pics too, and really put this lil man to work!  He was a good sport for almost all of it.  He's so much fun and I can't wait to get him back in the studio again. 

See the entire session on my website - http://www.timelessmemoriesarcadia.com/

Things I Have Done in the Last Week

I have driven in rush hour traffic on the interstate in Orlando 4 times and survived.

I went on an adventure all by myself and made friends along the way.

I was mortified to shake 10 people's hands while my hands were still wet from washing them in the bathroom when there were no paper towels.  I can laugh about it now, but I'm still not sure that it was a good idea.

I got to photograph with Becka & Nate Robinson from Studio 222 Photography.

I got to meet Kristen Weaver of Kristen Weaver Photography, as well as more awesome photographers including Amy Smith, Abby Liga, Joey Wright, and Melanie and Brad Watson from La Dolce Vita Studio.

I just wanted to roll around in there awesomeness but absorbed as much as I could through their presentations.

I jumped up and down when I met Becka and Nate.  I'm a big dork.  But it was like meeting movie stars.  They are surprisingly normal and down to earth. 

I ate a hot dog wrapped in a cheese pretzel while on an outing.

I shot an entire session in RAW format with my fixed 50mm lens. 

I zoomed with my feet.

I got a renewed self-confidence that my way of doing things is the right way for me.

I figured out how to use Adobe Lightroom and love it.

I am kicking myself for not using Lightroom sooner.

I keep stalking a camera online.

I came home and got a full 8 hrs of sleep 2 days in a row.

http://www.timelessmemoriesarcadia.com/

Find me on facebook.



Workshop! Workshop!

I wanted to post my exciting news last week about going to a workshop, but something came up every time I got on the blog.  1st off, I'm not squeezing my pictures enough for the web or the blog, and they are eating up all the free storage room I have.  Oops!  Now that this issue is corrected (possibly and hopefully they are tiny enough now), I am finally able to go back to my jumping up and down in excitement!  Since it is super late for me, or really early in the morning depending on when you go to sleep, I am just going to post a few peeks of some of the images I got today while working with Studio 222 Photography of Orlando.

The last few days have been an awesome journey.  I have learned a lot and met a ton of very cool and talented photographers.  I will be sharing more details soon.

A Very Sweet Maternity Session

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to do a family session.  Imagine my suprise (my inner photographer jumping up and down) when it turned into a super sweet maternity session!  I love the mom-to-be's perfect ball of a belly.  I'm glad we got to capture these images for them, since the new bundle of joy arrived a few days later.  I even get to photograph the little newborn in the studio today.  I am so excited and can't wait to see what she looks like on the other side of that belly.  Congratulations!



The Business Side of Things

Photography is one of the most difficult businesses to be successful in.  It is very similar to being a musician, in that one's chances of becoming rich and/or famous, or even just successful enough to earn a living are teeny-tiny.  Also similar, is the amount of hours spent studying, learning, practicing, and editing.  It's no wonder that both of these professions are my passion!  The problem with both of them is time.  Anyone who wants to make it in this business needs to be prepared for a lot of self-sacrifice, and have a lot of time available.  My problem is that time is the one area where I come up short.

As a busy mother of two, running my own business, and earning a Master's degree, I rarely have time to sleep - much less concern myself with learning photo editing programs and website design.  There are aspects of my business that need improvement, and I love the fact that I am getting motivation and learning valuable information from other photographers in the field.  I hope in the upcoming months that I will be able to take the time to improve in each of the necessary aspects in order to really push myself up on another level. 

For myself and anyone else learning who is wanting to join the business, the most important advice I can give is to learn, learn, learn everything possible.  And then practice it.  Over and over. 

The internet is a vast array of information.  There are tons of tutorials and demonstrations and even schools out there that are free.  All of these are worth checking out.  I have been taking my own advice as of late, and here are some of the websites and blogs I have been checking out:

http://www.smugmug.com/ - This is the website that I use for my photo galleries and professional printing.  I <3 Smugmug!  They are awesome!  It is entirely possible to create a complete webpage through this company, but again - I am lacking in that department.  My website is one of those things that I really want to sort out and improve upon. 

Speaking of websites - another great way to create a professional website is through a Blogsite - just like this one. http://www.blogspot.com/ is where I am at now.  It requires purchasing a domain name through another site such as godaddy.com, but then it is possible to create your own website through them.  (Again - I haven't sorted out the actual how yet.  As soon as I do, I promise to share.)

Another great site I've found for photographers that is affordable it http://www.bludomain.com/ They have templates available for purchase that are specifically made for photographers.  They look great and easy to use.  Where were they a couple of years ago when I was banging my head against the wall trying to build a website???

It sucks that I just renewed my website for another two years.  I did it out of necessity since I didn't have the time to sort out all these options.  Although - how did I find out about all of these options, you ask?  There's a great weath of photographer blogs and awesomeness on the web where people are really willing to help each other.  One place I just joined is http://www.iheartfaces.com/ It is a community of photographers who help other photographers through tutorials, community, forums, contests, and more.  I have just started to tap into the wealth of information on there.

My favorites for camera gear: http://www.adorama.com/ and http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

And finally, some awesome blogs with some fabulous photography:
www.rootweddings.com/blog
http://www.studio222photography.com/blog/
http://thearthurclan.com/
http://www.amywenzel.com/

There's tons more blogs and info to share, but I have several hours of editing and uploading ahead of me!  I will try to incorporate more information as I learn it, since it has been other photographers who have been so helpful to me. 

Of course I can't post a blog without pictures, so here's a peek of what's to come:

The Secret Wedding

How perfect is this wedding for Valentine's Day? I loved everything about this wedding - from the bride's flowing beachy dress to the simplicity of it all.  It was beautiful, intimate, and full of meaning.  After all, the whole point of a wedding is the fact that two become husband and wife at the end of the day.  In order to keep it simple, they hid the wedding from their family and friends.  It was a great surprise to everyone, and I am grateful that I got to capture their secret for them to share with the world.  

Congratulation to Jennifer and Marcos!  It was about time you finally tied the knot!

Find us on the web at www.timelessmemoriesarcadia.com and check out our photo galleries.

You can also find me on facebook HERE

Sunset

I love sunsets, and so does my husband.  We are always trying to capture their beauty on camera.  (Which is easier said than done.)  I make it a point to get one about once a week.  Lucky for us, we live in flat Florida, so the sky goes on for miles and miles.  For some reason this time of year we get some great orange-y ones.  I think it has something to do with the cooler weather and the position the earth is in.  All science aside though, my best pics come from February and March. Tonight (technically last night now) was no exception.  I was out photographing a beach wedding and couldn't bring myself to leave until it was dark.  Check out these pics and you'll understand why.