A Little Sneeky Peek

Winter and I usually get along just fine, but today it seriously made me sad panda.

I'm a jogger when the opportunity is there.  I say when, because if you are familiar with a typical Maine winter you will understand that it is not always an option.  Our condo is lovely, but not at all large enough to house exercise equipment more extensive than my Wii Fit.  I waiting until the baby was napping, hooked up my infant monitor with the awesome radius that allows me to get to the end of the road (about a half mile) without loss of signal and headed out the door.  I got to then end of my drive way before landing firmly on my backside thanks to our recent melt-freeze cycle that has been making this area it's pet project.

That meant trading jogging time for logging in to more wedding websites and working on the 2013 campaign for elopements and weddings.  Bookings have started to pick up a bit and I find myself hopeful that adding in two new services will expand on that growth.  The bigger of these two factors is that we will be launching an option for brides to work with our exclusive seamstress to design a one-of-a-kind gown to go with their one-of-a-kind day!  

This seamstress has over thirty years professional experience and a passion for rich fabrics paired with figure flattering designs.  She has done everything from prom gowns and wedding design to approved regiment garments for reenactments presenting battles from the American Revolution.  She has owned and operated a costume design company for over ten years specializing in beautiful designs for children.  And finally, she did the detail work on all of the gowns this budding photographer wore through her early years and in high school.  Yes, she was even the skilled hand for fitting wedding gowns for my closest friends, bridesmaid gowns I have worn, and my own wedding gown.  I am talking of course about the fact that I am now employing the seamstress services of Diane Martell... the person my son calls "Namma" and I call "Mom".

We have both been budget brides and planned our events in a limited schedule.  When she and my father held their wedding they announced their engagement and set out the details so quickly her family was shocked.  We both believe in getting things done the right way first and making sure that services match the price, but that a couple should not have to spend themselves into a lifetime of debt for one day.  From finding unusual venues for a wonderful price, to planning a special surprise with the DJ to make the father of the bride sniffle when he dances with his little girl... we work as a team to bring out the best in a big day.  And we do it because the strongest force in the 'verse is LOVE!

Check in soon for more updates with Diane's designs, our adventures in planning the wedding of a close friend for this summer, and more amazing news about our contacts with officiants and other vendors through the newest part of the Akelis Studios family:

WEDINATOR LOVES US!

Though this was not posted by the bride, groom, or Akelis Studios... we are all surprised and happy to see such love from fans of the LOL cats wedding world.  Thank you icanhascheezburger!

Make Overs Make Me Sick

About as girlie as I get,
and this is mixed media paint/photo.

I am not now, nor have I ever been particularly girlie.  I have never hand a professional manicure or pedicure in my life.  The last time my hair was touched by a trained professional was in the summer of 2009 when I cut and donated a large portion of it.

It is not that I dislike the idea of a make-over or being pretty.  I am a fan of well finished hair and make-up and have taken years working to achieve a signature look that I can complete with little to no extra effort.  I even have a "mundane" job for extra income that involves selling skin-care and make-up products.  I take my hair color choices seriously, and I now use strictly henna dye for health and beauty reasons.

That said... I am not a fan of excessive tanning, heavily made-up faces, or a highly altered look plastered with the label "beauty".  I see this kind of thing from the point of view of a person who then has to spend time correcting skin tones, the odd look of running make-up, or generally working to fit a false standard when looking at their photography.  Most often, I see this is terms of working with brides, because white does not help skin tone to look it's best and requires some careful metering to make sure it is not blown out with poor lighting already.

What I say here is just a suggestion for brides and anyone else looking to have important events documented in the near (or not so near) future:

1. LESS IS MORE:
   
   I know I sound like a broken record here, but it will continue to be a valid point for the rest of eternity!  Keep your make-up fairly simple.  Stay true to the kind of look you achieve every day or perhaps on date-nights.  You want to look like the lovely woman he fell for when you look into his eyes and hear him say I do.
   
   
2. THE EYES HAVE IT:
   
   Perhaps take your time to focus on having eyebrows shaped and finished and do a smokey eye using those neutrals to keep the attention on your sparkling baby blues (or browns, or greens in my case). If you are a neutrals girl, stay in that realm and work it up a notch or two buy using a black mascara and liner in place of brown.  Drawing the attention to your gaze can make for some beautiful photography in either a cathedral veil or a petite bird-cage.
   
   
3. TEST EVERYTHING: 
   
   When you hire a make-up artist, or if you re going the road alone, you should be certain to plan a date to test out your concept.  This is standard practice for most professionals to book, but there is another step I suggest. 
   
   Get a digital or disposable camera and once you find a look you think will work, take a bunch of photos in different light.  What looks lovely under staged lighting at the salon might not hold up out in the full glare of a sunny day.  You need to know if you will have to re-apply or fix smudges for an outdoor event. 
   
   
4. EVERYBODY CRIES AT WEDDINGS:
   
   Bring a bottle of fake tears (eye drops) to test how much it might run when you do what we all do and start weeping at the alter while you say your vows. If you are doing your own make-up, check out Sephora or other make-up counters and see what they suggest if you know you're a teary eyed bride.  It took me forever to find a truly waterproof mascara in a brown shade, so let your artist know if that is a concern for you too!

This is a short list of a few of the things I suggest when preparing for your big day.  It is a ton to think about when you are looking at layers of white gowns, billions of floral arrangements and color choices, and thinking about your hair and make-up.  Remember that you are getting married and will have these photos forever.  Think about the fact that in twenty years you will be showing them to your kids and want to look at them and see the genuine joy in your face.

The North Remembers

I have been neglecting this blog as I deal with some difficult family situations lately.  Honestly, it is more that I am just not keeping up with it while I work out a way to get my family through a rough patch. I need to get back to work on this blog and make sure that I am not ignoring my updates. 

We live in Maine, an area always covered in snow in the winter.  When I was in middle school a serious ice storm came through and caused saplings along the road to my family's house to become curved from the extended period under the weight of the ice.  They now make arch over the road and the snow looks beautiful on them.

What I would like is the chance to share more wintery images.  For that reason... I am sharing these until I finish editing the next batch of wedding and portrait works.

Good Bye To 2012

Hell to a happy 2013!

The holidays are gone, and I cannot say I am sad to see them fade into memory.  I always feel drained after Christmas and this year was no exception.  By the time Christmas day arrives I have been covering so many holiday parties and weddings, that I write "sleep" on the top of my list each year when family asks what I want.

With the trees no longer covered in lights it is time for planning the next big holiday for photography... this time for adults!  I am talking here about Valentine's Day. 

Boudoir is always a popular gift for that special somebody and this time of year just increases that focus.  This year I am going to work on planning boudoir sessions without having to drag a ton of equipment out for each shoot.  I am working on changes in how I light and draw focal lines so that everything can be done with just a simple standing light and portable flash.  My ideal would be to have a set-up that can be set or packed in under 5 minutes and prepared to shoot at any location.

I also count this as my time to start focusing on bookings for late spring weddings.  These brides tend to book a little later in their planning and I want to make sure they are not ignored.  Being a budget bride and knowing how hard it can be to plan an elopement without feeling that you have nothing to share... I will be rolling out new offers for small events.

Keep an eye out for the announcement of new packages.  The goal is to produce three new ofers that can work for couples planning a weekend get-away elopement, all the way to the grand bash that every princess dreams about for her wedding day.

The Dangerous World Of Child Modeling

I keep a steady portfolio to allow us to apply for child modeling and advertising gigs in an effort to fund his future college career.  Being a college graduate with serious debt from her student loans, I want him to have a good fund built up and feel that while I cannot offer cash of my own to put aside, I can help him build up funds in a savings account under just his name.

Tomorrow's blog will cover the slippery slope of child models and talent agents.  Pageants are also discussed, though I do not work with any as a parent, simply as a contestant when I was younger.  This blog requires your understanding and acceptance of the choices others make.  Bashing comments will not be given room and will be removed.

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Due to a few rude comments and retorts that could not remain civil, the full post about child modeling will no longer be available.  I regret that it must come to removing something that was intended to teach parents and their kids about how to safely enter a contract or search for an agent.  Please understand that all of this must be approached with great care and focus needs to be placed on keeping the education and health of your child fist.

Botanical Prints Available

As a rule, the work I do for the studio is considered private because I am hired to cover an event or sitting for an individual.  However, this holiday season I am going to make an exception and offer select prints of some of my favorite botanical images taken over several visits to the New York Botanical Gardens. 

Brilliant Daisy

Lone Tea Rose

Emily's Garden

Tropical Blossom

Dew On Tea Roses

Terra Cotta Rose

 

Red Queen Roses

Each one is available on fine quality preservation paper with metallic finish to ensure the color remains true through years of display.  All items are printed to order and come prepared to frame or gift.  Free Shipping available on orders over $30.00.

Standard             8x10 Prints           $ 10.00
Standard             10x16 Prints         $ 15.00
Canvas Gallery    10x10 Prints         $ 55.00

The Torture Of Just ONE Good Shot

I  am the mother of a very precocious little monster.  At eighteen months, he has grown up with a camera constantly documenting his every adventure.  What I share here is a small fraction of the memories that fill albums and frames in my home; but they all come at a price.  Hours of practice and careful planning to devote the time to each shoot.

The shot above is one of two successful images from a period of twenty minutes on Saturday afternoon.  He was occupied with the cat stalking through the tall grass, a bird flying past, the dog waiting to cuddle with him, and finally a pile of doggie left-overs from when that same cuddly dog had to visit the bushes.  Which is why I wanted to point out that toddler photography requires the understanding that a single great image is all you may receive and it may not be the one you desire.

Every year in my early days working chain store studios and selling retail photography, this was the time of year that made me cringe.  Families and parents that otherwise felt photography was a waste of time and money would begin booking sittings while some ideal image of two toddlers sitting with model perfect smiles in a catalog perfect holiday scene danced in their heads.  I often watched new hires and veteran coworkers being insulted and abused for failing to make their children magically behave like perfect darlings.

What I will be doing now is sharing all those moments that could have made lovely photos that fell victim to the evil toddler photobomb! Yes, even professionals suffer from those moments.  In fact, with my son visiting my studio on a daily basis at times, I have a plethora of material to choose from for this entry.

The image to the left is also for Saturday, though taken at my home with studio lights up while attempting to take an updated headshot for his portfolio**.  As you can guess, he was having no part of Mommy and her camera being in his face.  This is a rather typical response from toddlers to anything which they no longer want.


The next image, on the right this time, was taken at a family gathering on Thanksgiving Day.  This is a common moment of poor cooperation through extreme sleepiness on the part of the child.  My son had refused to nap and was about two hours past his usual time for unconsciousness following his watching of Sesame Street.  I was already forming the idea of this blog entry and was pleased to get this "gem" for our examples because I cannot begin to count the number of parents with infants and toddlers that do not understand how vital it is that they consider feeding and napping times when booking with photographers.

As the manager of a few chain studios I often gave advice to parents as they booked about outfits, props, and the often ignored "how to time your booking".  The factors were simple, children who are over tired or just woke up from a nap will be puffy-eyed and grouchy.  Children who did not have their snack prior to sitting for the camera should not be expected to just wait because they will get focused on food over smiles.  Sleeping newborns should be allowed to nap and wake up on their own; babies tucked into a gift wrapped box can be the best holiday card you will ever find.  I stuck this information into the Brain-File of advice along with having your child partially dressed for their sitting as you arrive so that you can put on their shirt or dress and make sure it is free of stains.

The example here is from another day I was in the studio just to shoot my son's photos.  This was at the same session that involved his destruction of a birthday cake, though I intentionally planned to do that last.  At this point it was late June and I wanted to take photos of his beach outfit before allowing him to make an epic mess.  I had put the hat on his head, but he insisted on holding it, leading to a natural failure with this second image.  I fell victim to having an idea in my head that he would leave the hat on, and instead he fought it and eventually tossed the hat on the floor before we moved on to our next phase.

Toddlers making a mess or doing things you do not expect can also make for lovely moments.  Keep in mind that there is often a way to make something beautiful without having to retake or ask your photographer to create a false image through large amounts of image manipulation.  That photo of your little angel looking off into the distance and not making eye contact with the lens can be just perfect. The cozy little monster sleeping through his photos could make for a perfect "Sugarplums Danced in Their Heads" moment to share with family.  And that kid with the grin that shows every missing tooth... he is just perfect even when he's asking Santa for his two front teeth!