Fun family portrait session

Business is picking up as we finally start to get the nice Spring weather we earned after that long Chicago winter. I'd like to share some favorites from a recent family portrait session.

Kelly, Eric, and their son, Ryan, plus their extended family, had me over in early May. The inside of their house was very cozy. "Cozy" for a photographer means "very tight with a lot of furniture to move." With the weather being damp and cold combined with 3 kids under the age of 3, that meant making the cramped quarters work.

With all our portrait sessions, we try to do a scouting trip and client consultation ahead of time so we have a rough idea of what we're going for. Kelly's main goals were to 1) get a picture of her and her siblings, and 2) a family portrait of her, Eric, and Ryan. Anything else was a bonus.

Fine. I setup the lights inside for the "formal" portraits, and readied another camera to capture the candids that occur whenever kids are around. I started off with a formal shot of the siblings, then followed this up with other shots of the kids and various combinations depending upon which kid wasn't melting down at the time. (Photographers who only take pictures of adults have it easy!)




To break things up, I suggested the adults step outside for a few minutes for some more casual shots. When I asked Kelly about her siblings, she said she wanted a portrait that captured their playful relationship. I think I did that here.








Finally, we came back inside and I took more shots of whoever was willing to get in front of the camera. But I also saw Ryan being lit by some beautiful natural window light, so I asked Kelly to go outside and play peak-a-boo, and managed to capture this image. Those eyes tell the story.







Since Ryan was in a good mood, and took this opportunity to take care of Kelly's second main goal - her family shot. Ryan was tough to get a good smile, but Kelly's sister made some goofy faces over my shoulder and voila.



If you would like to view the complete slideshow, follow this link. Enjoy.

"Its Exposure is Totally Rad"

Sorry for the delay between posts. I try to post every two weeks or so, but we've had a busy April so far forcing me to put the blog on the back-burner for a while.

On April 5th, we had our kids' annual elementary school fund raiser. Jean was on the committee which means I was volunteered to handle several photography and computer related tasks. It was all worthwhile as we raised a lot of money for the school PTA. That same weekend, we had some dear friends from Napa Valley come stay with us. Being from Napa, they are professional wine drinkers. So the fact that Jean and I were able to pull our weight before and during the fund raiser was even more impressive.

We said goodbye to our guests, then left for Captiva Florida a few days later. We've taken a family vacation there the past 5 years. The kids know their way around and love the beach now that they're older, but there is also a pool if they need a break. We had wonderful weather and Jean and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary at our favorite restaurant down there.

During the trip, I shot 8 rolls of slide film. No digital. Just a couple of Leicas and my Rolleiflex. One day on the beach, I was taking a shot of the kids with my Rolleiflex, and a young woman walking by commented on the camera saying, "Its exposure is totally rad." As I mentioned before, what's old is new again.

On vacations, I shoot slide film because our kids love to see a slideshow on the big screen - especially of themselves. The quality of a projected slide is unbelievable too. The key is to keep the slide show short (edit!) and light, not like those marathon slide shows I remember as a kid. I also scan the slides into the computer for digital slide shows and prints. It's a lot of work but worth the effort.

Hope the weather by you is turning to Spring like it is here in Chicago. We're gearing up for a busy May and June. We're pretty much booked up with portrait sittings and weddings until July. Stay tuned for more updates - and thanks for reading.

Authors in Tweed Jackets

Another first for me yesterday. I had a wonderful portrait sitting with two local authors for the book jacket of their upcoming book called The Belated Baby. After their personal struggles with infertility, Kelly and Jill decided to write this book to help other women going through this life-altering time in their lives. We brainstormed ahead of time to go over wardrobe and the usual things. But, given the subject matter of the book, and the message of hope the authors are bringing to it, how do we convey this in a picture?

We all agreed that warm, friendly smiles that engage the viewer are a must. But, we also wanted a professional appearance and wardrobe, rather than, say, an outdoor shot with their kids. I decided on the background. I wanted an open, bright, airy background to match the look and message of the book, so a backdrop was out of the question. So was an academic setting with books and typewriters and the like. For a pose, I wanted an arrangement that showed that they were both colleagues and friends.

Well, you can see the results and judge for yourself if we achieved our goals. I think we did, and I wanted to share with you a bit of the thought process behind an "environmental portrait." And, best of all, we avoided the "authors in tweed jackets" cliche.

Professional Framing

We take a lot of pride in our finished products. Every proof album, print, canvas, wedding album, slideshow, and wallet is checked before we deliver it to you. Jean is our quality control department, and between the two of us, we reject a lot of things that most people wouldn't notice.

Our prints and canvases come mounted on heavy matte board and are spray coated for protection. It's always impressive to show a large mounted canvas to a customer for the first time. However, they are not really finished until they are framed. A great matte and frame enhances a print and incorporates it into your home.

We do not offer framing services but we recommend "Art & Frame" in Naperville. Agitha is the proprietor. She has top of the line products, but she also has the talent to help her clients choose the right frame. You can get lost in about 30 seconds inside a frame shop, but Agitha helps you sort through all that. We have two of her works of art in our home. Well worth the trip if you are even somewhat close to Naperville.

Payment Options

This time of year is usually quiet in the portrait and wedding photography business. I use this time to retool and repair equipment, do taxes, recharge my batteries, and do some R&D. I love learning new things - photography related or otherwise.

One of the things I figured out how to do is accept credit cards as a payment option. Yes, I realize credit cards have been around a long time. But working with credit cards is not economical for a small business like mine that doesn't have a lot of point-of-sale business. So I accomplish this via Paypal rather than using a merchant "card swiper." More economical for me, more convenient for you.

Here's how it works. If you would like to pay for your photography services with a credit card, I will email you an invoice containing your total. Simply follow the included instructions on how to pay the invoice online. You do not need a Paypal account to do this; just your credit card. Once you pay, both you and I receive a receipt. Done.

I added the "Paypal Accepted Here" icon to our website to announce this feature. I hope this adds a measure of convenience and security for our customers.

Choosing a Wedding Photographer

If you are looking for a wedding photographer, you are probably overloaded with magazine tips and online advice. I won't repeat those things here. My assertion is the most important thing you can do to ensure great wedding photographs is to select a photographer you "click" with.

Period.

Ok, let me expand on that thought. You will be spending a lot of time with the photographers on your wedding day. (Maybe more than the groom!) Before and after your wedding as well. You must be on the same page, like each others' style, develop trust, and have a good working relationship. The photographers at your cousin's wedding may have been great, but if they rub you the wrong way, it will reflect in your wedding pictures.

If you have ever seen "America's Next Top Model" or "The Shot", all those photographers and models are excellent professionals. But, they each have their own styles, and when model and photographer are not in sync, it shows in the final product. Same thing happens at a wedding except the bride and groom are not professional models, and they are experiencing an emotional day together, and this means hiring a likable photographer is even more important.

You want to hire somebody you don't mind being around.

My advice:

1) Know what you want. Know the kind of pictures you like. Determine the kind of photographer you want: photojournalist or formal-posed? Or maybe a blend? What do you want for a final product? Just the digital files, prints, and/or an album?
2) Narrow your search. Use the web or other references to create a list of 2 or 3 candidates. Price, style, packages and location all factor into this decision. A photographer's website should give you a pretty good idea of their personality.
3) Get personal. Schedule a meeting with each of those candidates. Review materials and sample albums, but most importantly, just talk. Bring a list of questions if you need talking points.
4) Decide. You know better than anyone what's right for you.

We're not trying to be cavalier. Jean and I feel it is one of the most important decisions you will make that day because you will have your photographs long after the flowers have wilted and the cake eaten. We only shoot a handful of weddings a year and we meticulously prepare for each one. Individual attention is our hallmark. If you think we can "click", please give us a call.

Sundance Catalog

In the weeks leading up to the Holidays, our house received about a dozen catalogs a day. Places I never heard of or knew existed. Some repeated themselves once or twice a week. I felt sorry for our mail carrier and the recycling guy. After the new year, things settled down and one Sundance catalog promoting the 2008 film festival caught my eye.

Flipping through (I always start at the back and work towards the front - odd) I noticed in one shot, they had a vintage Rolleiflex camera sitting on the table as a prop along with what looks like a Mamiya rangefinder next to it. Looking closer, I realized the model was carrying a box with reels of film on a set designed to look like a darkroom. The Rolleiflex appears on other pages in the catalog, but it is not for sale. However, they will sell you a new Seagull camera manufactured in China and a very good value for the money. There was one other page where they were selling "vintage home movie cameras" from the '50s and '60s to decorate your home theater.

I guess where I'm going with this story is I'm glad there is still a lot of interest out there for film. Walking around downtown Chicago, I always see students with their manual cameras loaded with Tri-X film out on-assignment. Friday, I was in the Cultural Center taking pictures of the Tiffany Dome and I was stopped by somebody asking about my Leica. And, as I mentioned before, I always get a reaction when I pull out my Rolleiflex especially from the younger crowd. Film seems simpler. Nostalgic maybe. Makes you think before you take the picture rather than chimping afterwards. Hopefully it will be around for a long time.