Congratulations to Kendal who is the winner of a First Birthday Session and 10x20 storyboard!
Thank you to all who voted.
I hope to have more image contests in the future so look back periodically because you never know what I might do next!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tami Jo and Timothy
Last weekend I had the wonderful privelege to be the photographer of this couple's winter themed wedding day. I love the toast that her sister gave, saying in effect that the cold snap we'd had in the past week made the warmer weather for the wedding day and the wedding it's self seem all that much warmer.
This is truely a wonderful couple, wonderful people to know, and I wish them the rest of their lives in happiness. They are going to have beautiful children... and I suspect that might happen soon!
Hope you enjoy your sneak peek guys!
Tammi Jo's ring was very unique, she had their birth stones on each side of the center diamond.
A mirror at the entrance of the reception hall had their names and date engraved on it.
A moment in the church before rushing off to the reception.
This is truely a wonderful couple, wonderful people to know, and I wish them the rest of their lives in happiness. They are going to have beautiful children... and I suspect that might happen soon!
Hope you enjoy your sneak peek guys!
Tammi Jo's ring was very unique, she had their birth stones on each side of the center diamond.
A mirror at the entrance of the reception hall had their names and date engraved on it.
A moment in the church before rushing off to the reception.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thanks to everyone who is taking an interest
in the baby images contest below! I'm so excited to see all the votes coming in! It's going to be a close call!
I wanted to also announce while I have all this traffic that I am looking for some volunteer subjects who are willing to help me out with some lighting projects. Preferably people in their late teens, early twenties. The shooting times will be in the evenings at dusk, working outdoors with off camera lighting. If anyone is interested in helping out, I will give them a disk with high resolution images of their session for their time.
If interested, contact me at jennifer@jensportraits.com
Thanks!
I wanted to also announce while I have all this traffic that I am looking for some volunteer subjects who are willing to help me out with some lighting projects. Preferably people in their late teens, early twenties. The shooting times will be in the evenings at dusk, working outdoors with off camera lighting. If anyone is interested in helping out, I will give them a disk with high resolution images of their session for their time.
If interested, contact me at jennifer@jensportraits.com
Thanks!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Baby, Baby
Well, this is it! Today I post one favorite from each newborn session that I did last year. Can you believe I only did four!? I love doing newborn sessions, and hope that everyone will spread the word on that! I plan to have another image contest next January as well.
These images are competing for the coveted "Favorite Newborn Image of 2008" title, which wins the baby in them a complimentary First Birthday Session and 10x20 storyboard with images from their session.
In my sidebar is the voting booth for your favorite image (this is not a pretty baby contest, as you can see they are all beautiful!). You may only vote once, unless you empty your cookies. Voting ends at 11:59 on January 30.
And here are the images-
A.
B.
C.
D.
These images are competing for the coveted "Favorite Newborn Image of 2008" title, which wins the baby in them a complimentary First Birthday Session and 10x20 storyboard with images from their session.
In my sidebar is the voting booth for your favorite image (this is not a pretty baby contest, as you can see they are all beautiful!). You may only vote once, unless you empty your cookies. Voting ends at 11:59 on January 30.
And here are the images-
A.
B.
C.
D.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Still makes me laugh
I saw this a long time ago, but recently came across it again... and the other day I bought a shirt with this strip on it. Makes me laugh every time. :)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Wedding Formals
Today I'd like to address the topic of wedding formals.
You've taken a lot of time and spent a lot of hours scouring over photographer's galleries and portfolios when hiring a wedding photographer. You've chosen your photographer for a reason. Perhaps it's their artistic images that captured you. Maybe it was their personality. Perhaps you really loved the albums they offered.
Now that you've signed your contract and sent in your deposit your photographer may ask you for a list of family members you'd like to have included in your wedding formal pictures.
I've had a lot of brides give me a variety of lists, some very minimal, because they want me to focus more on artistic pictures for the day. And some brides have given me a more extensive list, wanting to make sure they are photographed with each member of their day, which is fine with me, but takes a lot of time and also cuts down on the time I can spend doing more creative work for them. It all depends on what the bride and groom really want, when placing images in their wedding album.
There is one issue I'd like to address with future brides in particular, when considering on who to have photographed in your wedding formals. You and your groom are coming together to create a union.
Mark 10: 7-8 (KJV)
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
This is a union between two families. Two families becoming one. You will now belong to his family, and your groom will belong to your family. There is no reason to have individual pictures of yourselves with your family members. There are several reasons why it is not necessary. First, it quite often ends up with redundant images and burned up time, which will make less time for more artistically inspired photography. It can also wear out the whole family having to wait around for their turn in the pictures. In the end it can end up being one long portrait session instead of a wedding session. Please consider having only one image with you and your family together without your bride and groom, and then one image with both of you with the entire family instead of individual pictures of you with each of your family members.
When deciding what images you really want in your album to look back on in the next 50 years, think about what is most important to you. When choosing your photographer, what images were you drawn to most? Are pictures of your family what you will hold most dear, or will you want more artistic images?
You make the call.
You've taken a lot of time and spent a lot of hours scouring over photographer's galleries and portfolios when hiring a wedding photographer. You've chosen your photographer for a reason. Perhaps it's their artistic images that captured you. Maybe it was their personality. Perhaps you really loved the albums they offered.
Now that you've signed your contract and sent in your deposit your photographer may ask you for a list of family members you'd like to have included in your wedding formal pictures.
I've had a lot of brides give me a variety of lists, some very minimal, because they want me to focus more on artistic pictures for the day. And some brides have given me a more extensive list, wanting to make sure they are photographed with each member of their day, which is fine with me, but takes a lot of time and also cuts down on the time I can spend doing more creative work for them. It all depends on what the bride and groom really want, when placing images in their wedding album.
There is one issue I'd like to address with future brides in particular, when considering on who to have photographed in your wedding formals. You and your groom are coming together to create a union.
Mark 10: 7-8 (KJV)
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
This is a union between two families. Two families becoming one. You will now belong to his family, and your groom will belong to your family. There is no reason to have individual pictures of yourselves with your family members. There are several reasons why it is not necessary. First, it quite often ends up with redundant images and burned up time, which will make less time for more artistically inspired photography. It can also wear out the whole family having to wait around for their turn in the pictures. In the end it can end up being one long portrait session instead of a wedding session. Please consider having only one image with you and your family together without your bride and groom, and then one image with both of you with the entire family instead of individual pictures of you with each of your family members.
When deciding what images you really want in your album to look back on in the next 50 years, think about what is most important to you. When choosing your photographer, what images were you drawn to most? Are pictures of your family what you will hold most dear, or will you want more artistic images?
You make the call.
© 2009 Jennifer Klingensmith
Monday, January 5, 2009
Getting started
I've run into a few people lately that have wanted to get into photography professionally. I think that's great. I love to see new views and new ways to do things, and I love new ideas! Fresh blood is great, in my opinion. I don't think you need to go to college to become a great photographer. Most all of the greatest photographers in history were self taught, or had very little formal education in the field of photography. It is a trade, an art, where the technical parts can be learned, but only the greatest artists have it in them to make the greatest images. You can give someone a pencil and teach them to draw a horse, but it doesn't mean that person's horse is going to look realistic or even relatively like a horse!
I do want to share some thoughts I have on the matter of people getting started into photography. I think, that a lot of people are misguided by mainstream media and advertising to think that mega pixels are the end-all, be-all of cameras. The more pixels the better. This is not so. Unless you are planning to shoot the next billboard going up on I-80, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. A fair amount is good. I'd say 8 is a fair number.
We have a family picture above our fireplace that is a 24x36. It's huge. I can read my husband's atomic watch on it and tell you the exact second that picture was taken. It was taken on a 30D, which has 8 mega pixels. I doubt many people need a picture that is much bigger than that.
I think that some people think that more pixels will make their pictures better. This is not so.
If you'd like to get started, first you need to invest in a good SLR body. Sorry guys, no point and shoot will be able to cut it for very long. Nor, as you improve, will you be happy being stuck with that one lens that is stuck to your camera. You need a good SLR that you can change lenses on, that allows you to shoot full manual (that means you can choose your shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focus).
I'd recommend, if you'd like to keep your costs down to start, finding a good reputable dealer in your area or try Adorama or B&H for used equipment that they rate on a scale of wear. Both are very reputable companies. Beware of the businesses giving a "great deal!". When I first started out I got scammed into buying a camera I thought I was getting a great price on, but then the next day they called me and they told me that the camera wasn't "formatted", whatever that meant and that I'd have to pay major bucks to "standardize it". I still have no idea what that all meant, but I quickly cancelled my order and cancelled my credit card so they couldn't charge me a "restocking fee".
Don't ignore the fact that there are also many great local businesses that have great reputations and can be very helpful in helping you find the best first SLR for you and your needs.
Look for a body that is in good shape. I'm more familiar with Canons, so if you are looking for a used SLR I'd recommend a Canon 20D, 30D or 40D body to start, if you can get it with a kit lens even better. You can talk to a Nikon enthusiast to find out what's comparable for Nikons.
You can get a couple of excellent lenses to start with for little money. Lenses DO MATTER. You can have an excellent camera, and a crappy lens will ruin the picture. One I would recommend to start would be a 50mm 1.8. Don't let it's small price ($80-90) or plastic body fool you, this lens is a sweetheart! It's what's called a "prime lens". It won't zoom, you'll have to do that with your feet, but you can get some amazing depth of field (where some thing's in focus and everything behind/in front of it is blurred), and also can shoot in lower lighted settings.
Learn your camera. Get out and shoot a LOT! And READ a lot! Canon has a great website to help you learn to use your new camera, link here. Check out Erin Manning's tutorials with the Rebel Xsi (it can apply to any Canon SLR) in the Canon Digital Learning Center.
Many people make the mistake of thinking they need the latest and the greatest in the world of cameras, but really with a good body and a good lens you can do a lot of great stuff! Learn to work with and master what you have before investing in the next "big idea". This is really important. If you don't do this, you will find that you aren't getting the results that you want and throwing money after stuff that you think will help you. You will never really get what you want.
Editing programs are also nice if you plan to make your pictures better. You don't need to start with a $1500 program. Finding a program that will let you do simple editing is all you really need when starting out. Some things to look for are "does it let me lighten, increase contrast, clone or crop?" The trick is to get it mostly right in the camera, so that you don't have to edit much, if at all. That takes lots of practice, studying and knowing your camera and subject.
I do want to share some thoughts I have on the matter of people getting started into photography. I think, that a lot of people are misguided by mainstream media and advertising to think that mega pixels are the end-all, be-all of cameras. The more pixels the better. This is not so. Unless you are planning to shoot the next billboard going up on I-80, you don't need a whole lot of pixels. A fair amount is good. I'd say 8 is a fair number.
We have a family picture above our fireplace that is a 24x36. It's huge. I can read my husband's atomic watch on it and tell you the exact second that picture was taken. It was taken on a 30D, which has 8 mega pixels. I doubt many people need a picture that is much bigger than that.
I think that some people think that more pixels will make their pictures better. This is not so.
If you'd like to get started, first you need to invest in a good SLR body. Sorry guys, no point and shoot will be able to cut it for very long. Nor, as you improve, will you be happy being stuck with that one lens that is stuck to your camera. You need a good SLR that you can change lenses on, that allows you to shoot full manual (that means you can choose your shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focus).
I'd recommend, if you'd like to keep your costs down to start, finding a good reputable dealer in your area or try Adorama or B&H for used equipment that they rate on a scale of wear. Both are very reputable companies. Beware of the businesses giving a "great deal!". When I first started out I got scammed into buying a camera I thought I was getting a great price on, but then the next day they called me and they told me that the camera wasn't "formatted", whatever that meant and that I'd have to pay major bucks to "standardize it". I still have no idea what that all meant, but I quickly cancelled my order and cancelled my credit card so they couldn't charge me a "restocking fee".
Don't ignore the fact that there are also many great local businesses that have great reputations and can be very helpful in helping you find the best first SLR for you and your needs.
Look for a body that is in good shape. I'm more familiar with Canons, so if you are looking for a used SLR I'd recommend a Canon 20D, 30D or 40D body to start, if you can get it with a kit lens even better. You can talk to a Nikon enthusiast to find out what's comparable for Nikons.
You can get a couple of excellent lenses to start with for little money. Lenses DO MATTER. You can have an excellent camera, and a crappy lens will ruin the picture. One I would recommend to start would be a 50mm 1.8. Don't let it's small price ($80-90) or plastic body fool you, this lens is a sweetheart! It's what's called a "prime lens". It won't zoom, you'll have to do that with your feet, but you can get some amazing depth of field (where some thing's in focus and everything behind/in front of it is blurred), and also can shoot in lower lighted settings.
Learn your camera. Get out and shoot a LOT! And READ a lot! Canon has a great website to help you learn to use your new camera, link here. Check out Erin Manning's tutorials with the Rebel Xsi (it can apply to any Canon SLR) in the Canon Digital Learning Center.
Many people make the mistake of thinking they need the latest and the greatest in the world of cameras, but really with a good body and a good lens you can do a lot of great stuff! Learn to work with and master what you have before investing in the next "big idea". This is really important. If you don't do this, you will find that you aren't getting the results that you want and throwing money after stuff that you think will help you. You will never really get what you want.
Editing programs are also nice if you plan to make your pictures better. You don't need to start with a $1500 program. Finding a program that will let you do simple editing is all you really need when starting out. Some things to look for are "does it let me lighten, increase contrast, clone or crop?" The trick is to get it mostly right in the camera, so that you don't have to edit much, if at all. That takes lots of practice, studying and knowing your camera and subject.
© 2009 Jennifer Klingensmith
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Don't Rule Out!
Don't rule out winter for a fun outdoor portrait session!
Bright winter-wear shows up beautifully with a snowy white backdrop, and so many unique ideas and poses can be done, that can't be done any other time of year!
Besides, who's seen a kid play in snow with a frown?
Bright winter-wear shows up beautifully with a snowy white backdrop, and so many unique ideas and poses can be done, that can't be done any other time of year!
Besides, who's seen a kid play in snow with a frown?
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