Stories
The wonderful thing about the photography industry are the people you meet along the way. From photographers, caterers, officiants, florists, grandparents and everyone in between. But, what is really wonderful are the couples I get to photograph. Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph beside Whitney of Tulle and Grace! We photographed a wedding high in North Georgia where cell service is nonexistent, but love fills the air!
When friends Rachel and Thomas decided to elope I was so excited! But, shortly there after I realized I wouldn't be there to take the photos. So, when we started planning our annual OBX (Outer Banks, North Carolina) vacation I knew Rachel had to bring her dress. This was my chance, my chance to photograph love in one of the most romantic places EVER! We decided to start with a bridal session in Rodanthe, North Carolina. The same Rodanthe from "Nights in Rodanthe", the Nicholas Sparks book turned movie with Richard Gere and Diane Lane. THAT Rodanthe! Following Rodanthe we drove the hour back to Corolla, North Carolina and met up with Thomas. The rest of the session was done on Corolla Beach. YES! The Corolla Beach that wild horses live on.
ROMANCE, ROMANCE and more ROMANCE in the Outer Banks!
When a Mom says, "My children are 1, 4, and 7" most people might cringe at the idea of this type of photo session. I, on the other hand, welcome it with open arms. Why? Well, this means I get to show up to the shoot in a t-shirt and jean shorts. I get to bring my secret weapon: bubbles. And I get to have FUN!
It always amuses me when the Mom starts to panic because all she can see is her children running around, not smiling, not listening. She doesn't see what I see. I do my best to calm her down and let her know that it will be fine (in the end). I try to remind her that they didn't come to Wal-Mart for their portraits, she came to me. The person who is going to take her well dressed children and throw them in the river for a portion of the shoot. The person who is going to play with them, the person who is probably going to end up in an ant bed and at the same time take some photos.
Sometimes- you just have to the let the kids BE KIDS. Not all photos need to be looking straight into the lens with a smile.
Sometimes- it can be the connection between the siblings that makes the portrait
11 days late! Little baby Jaxton had us all on edge waiting for his arrival with tips and tricks pouring into Christine like eating eggplant, and walking and every other idea you could think of. I was so excited to photograph their first family portrait as a group of 4. We all starting cooing over newborn sneezes and yawns, but first big brother had to give me a lesson in legos!
Congratulations you guys! Thank you for inviting me into your home and letting me be Jaxtons' first photographer.
By definition:"A head shot or headshot is a photograph of someone's face. Many head shots are promotional pictures of actors, models, authors, or other famous individuals." I have specialized in (children's) head shots for the last 4 years. So, what makes a great head shot, you ask? Well, you might as well ask what makes a great photo. But, here are some pointers:
1. Connection. Eye contact is KEY. You want to be able to look at the image and feel the person is looking you in the eye. If your subject isn’t intrigued then neither will the person viewing photograph.
2. Simple backdrop. We are here to see the person in the photo, not where you took the photo. If the backdrop is visible then it should support the subject and not be distracting.
3. Clothing. Simple solid colors are always best. Also, try to avoid solid white – it can be distracting. The eye tends to go toward the brightest part of the image and you don’t want that to be the shirt your subject is wearing. Also, minimal jewelry and makeup. BUT- if your client insists on wearing white and patterns pull yourself together and MAKE IT WORK. After all, you are a professional.
4. Vertical: In my experience, comp cards are generally vertical. If you take a horizontal shot, make sure you pull back enough to where it can be cropped vertical. There is nothing worse than having your client love the (horizontal) shot you took only to hear they can’t use it because it can’t be cropped vertical.
5. Posing: Head shot means just that. Pose from the shoulders up and fill the frame. Don’t “cut off” the top of the head. Proper facial expressions can also affect posing. Change up expressions!
But, most importantly, you need a good photographer! You have to have fun and feel comfortable during a head shot session or it will reflect in the photo that is primarily, well, your face. Head shots are about capturing your personality, so make sure you bring it to your session.
It's a MUST. A job is a job. It doesn't matter if it is photography or sitting at an office desk. It's still a job. And yes, while photography may seem like a super cool job (well, it really is) but there are certain photography jobs I would rather not do. Yep, you read right. There are certain photography tasks I would rather not do. Why? Because they don't ignite the passion I have for photography. They don't inspire me. They don't challenge me. It's the same as an "office desk job". I'm sure you joined the company because they had some really awesome things to say, but there are those mundane tasks that every job has that you would rather not do too! But, we still do these jobs with a smile on our face and to the best of our ability because it comes down to this- WE GOT BILLS TO PAY!
This is why I give my self personal assignments. You might find me at a tattoo shop photographing. You might find me in the Chattahoochee River photographing. You might even find me at a desk working on an extensive restoration project. Projects that I can do to practice techniques, to try new things, to "see what happens if"… To break the "rules".
Doing personal projects like this allows me to bring new ideas to all shoots. It allows me to bring my personality to the shoot.
How do I come up with personal projects? I might be on Pinterest for an hour (don't act like you're not on for long amounts of time too!) browsing around and see something that strikes me and an idea develops from that. Or I might be at the grocery store and see an interesting person and ask them to "model" for me on a shoot. Or someone might approach me with a shoot idea. Ideas come from everywhere! Movies, other people, magazines, the internet, my Mom.
It doesn't matter where the idea comes from. What matters is that the idea is executed- good or bad.
The important thing is to stay creative.
It's the tale old battle of which is better… Black and white or Color? When you don't know which one to post, what do you do?
99.9% of the time I will post color images. That .1% of the time I do post a black and white images it is because for some reason it caught my eye more than the color image did. Why is that?
Black and white tends to be more simplistic. Timeless. Less distracting. More dramatic. Right?
Then there are times where you want the image to grab your attention. You want to see all the colors involved because they play off each other to make the image. And sometimes who really cares how timeless the image looks because, well, it's just that good of an image!
So, you tell me.. Black and White OR Color?
SO! YOU'RE ENGAGED! Time to show off that amazing ring. Here are a few tips and tricks to taking an amazing engagement ring selfie. 1.Lighting is EVERYTHING!
Sunlight is key! Go outside, or by an open window even. The natural light will do way more than the overhead yellow light bulb in your house. Trust us! Oh and did I mention the sparkle that comes with natural light. Don't' believe me? Look at how your engagement ring sparkles!
2.Get your nails done!
Seriously gals. You have an amazing ring on and your nails are chipped? Go! Get a manicure! There is nothing worse than seeing an amazing ring, but being distracted by un-amazing nails. But wait, you just can not wait to post a pic before your manicure? Ok, fine. There are many different ways to show off your ring in photos that don't include your unkempt nails.
Like, placing the engagement ring on an object like a flower or your favorite book. Did the engagement ring come with a box? Display it. Have your fiancé hold his hand open and place the engagement ring in his palm (that is if he has lotioned his hands in the last 24 hours).
3.Be aware of the background, PLEASE.
Yes, we get it. You Are Excited and you should be- but we don't want to see the toilet or your dirty socks or sink full of dishes. Take a second and look around at your surroundings. This picture you post of your engagement ring is going to be seen by a lot of people. Take the time to set your background even if you take a t-shirt that is a solid color and lay it on the ground.
4.Take lots of options, but only show ONE.
Don't make us gag by posting tons of photos and collages of your ring. We get it, you're engaged. We are happy for you. Don't give us a reason to block you. You know you want us to see the rest of your wedding planning photos, right? RIGHT!
5.Style is key
Try photographing your engagement ring from different angles. Does your engagement ring have stones around the band? Is your stone on a unique setting? Have you tried photographing from overhead to show the shape of the stone?
6.Filters and frames.
You know you have a ton of apps on your phone- USE THEM! VSCO, Snapseed, and InstaCollage are a couple of my personal favorites. Experiment with the contrast, saturation, and crop. Add a nice filter and finish it with a heart frame. Add a couple of sentimental words and share with the world!
YOU'RE ENGAGED! CONGRATULATIONS!!
All photographs were taken by Krisandra Evans with a iPhone 4 using the apps mentioned above!
