Category Archives: Photography Related

Flashdance – visual backrounds

I stumbled upon this website by accident – and I’m so glad I did!

This is an absolutely FABULOUS idea from The Flash Dance for your wedding dance or cocktail hour. I mean… how perfect?!  And such a great way to get the energy up and your guests moving!

Dance Trailer from Chris Poole on Vimeo.

Cocktails Trailer from Chris Poole on Vimeo.

If it were me, I would have this going in addition to my dj/band. However, if you are providing your own iPod mix for the reception… I could see this as being the perfect way to take a playlist to the next level.  Extremely reasonable for a 1+ hour looping flick.  Even an outdoor wedding could feature something like this with those handy-dandy inflatable screens (several places here in St. Louis rent screens of all sizes).

Will one of my brides please, please, PLEASE do this? For me??  I promise not to dance too much at your reception…   ;-)

xoxo, Maranda

Family Portrait Month + Operation Smile

My inbox is constantly flooded with inquiries for family portraits.  Since this is not a service that I normally offer, I have been waiting for the right opportunity to open the door for these type of sessions.  When I heard about Operation Smile’s Save a Smile Family Portrait Month - I knew that this was something that I was supposed to be a part of.

A portion of each session will be donated to Operation Smile. Your purchase of family portraits can help to provide the greatest gift that can be given to a child with a facial deformity. Since 1982, more than 150,000 children and young adults have been treated by thousands of volunteers worldwide. This is such a great cause and I’m so happy that we can be part of it!

In addition to being for a great cause, October is THE perfect month for family portraits. It’s late enough in the year to get the beautiful fall colors and foliage, and early enough to get your images back in plenty of time before Christmas.

Portrait Sessions for families will be offered the full month of October on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sessions are normally 300.00, however for the month of October they will be offered at a significant discount that includes a generous amount of prints, as well as an archival disc of images w/release.

Session Fee ($250) includes

  • 1 hour portrait session
  • (2) 8×10
  • (4) 5×7
  • (16) wallets
  • Archival disc of images with photographic release
  • Donation in your name to Operation Smile
In addition, at the end of the month I will be holding a contest here on the blog. The October family with the most comments on their portrait will receive a FREE 20×34 Wall Art! ($200 value)
I’m super excited about this autumn season and have already begun booking slots… email me using the link above and let’s get your session scheduled!

The crop…

The way you crop an image is important. It can evoke a different motion and feeling, but it can also help to draw the viewers eye to a particular area of the photo.

Ideally, you should work towards getting the crop right in-camera. This will save you time in post-production, but most importantly will prevent loss of quality for the file. The more you crop an image, the more dpi/resolution you will lose.

Original... not bad

I like this crop because it highlights the depth of field

Not too far from the original, but I think this one plays with the miniature size of the flowers better

This feels very airy and light... I like the negative space at the top. Although the main flower is in the middle of the frame (this is normally a no-no) I think that the out of focus blooms on the right help to frame the image while still following the rule of thirds.

A couple things to keep in mind when you are experimenting with cropping:

  • Look for symmetry & patterns. Life is full of patterns. Explore!
  • Learn the rule of thirds and use it to your advantage. Studies show that the human eye automatically goes to one of the intersecting points rather than the center of the page. It’s all about balance. This is something that may come naturally or unnaturally to you. Start looking at the works of other photographers, painters, etc to see how they use this concept.
  • One guideline that I’ve found to be true consistently is to never have the horizon line in the middle of the frame. Imagine your image divided horizontally in thirds and pick one of the two lines for your horizon line. I promise this works!
  • Use objects to frame your subject. Trees, plants, walls… be creative!
  • Cut out all unnecessary details to keep the viewers eyes focused on the subject. A random car, mailbox or telephone pole can be distracting if not meant to be part of a photo.
  • Leading Lines. Look for curves or lines that can lead the viewers eyes towards the subject, or “through” the photograph. The eye will naturally follow and you can use this to “pull” the viewer into the image.
  • Slow down, take your time and think about how you’d like the image cropped…. BEFORE snapping the shutter. It will only make you a better photographer!

Happy shooting & cropping!

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