Thursday, April 23, 2009

Paulette Clay: Event Coordinator

Late yesterday afternoon I had the absolute best time photographing Paulette Clay, who is the visionary behind Visionz, a wedding and event planning company.

Paulette and I went to high school together, and after all these years the thing that stands out in my mind about her is her amazing smile. I'm talking Julia Roberts, here - big, genuine and infectious. She has the kind of smile that makes you feel warm, happy, and very interesting, even if you weren't already having that kind of a day.

But I think her heart is even bigger than her smile. She spent a little time filling me in on how she came to begin her own company during these rocky economic times, and how she just knows that this is what she is meant to do. She is taking a huge leap of faith, but everything in the universe is telling her that she isn't jumping blind, that she is doing the right thing. I think she is going to be wildly successful, and its killing me that I won't be here in SA to watch as it happens.

For her session, we headed out to The Vineyards Restaurant, one of my favorite spots on earth. It is located just a bit past the city of Garden Ridge, right at the edge of Texas Hill Country. I don't know which is best, the beautiful location or the food, but the combination is perfection, making it an amazing choice for a very special dinner or a wedding. A huge thanks goes to the manager, John, for allowing us to use the grounds of the restaurant for the session.

See what I mean about her smile?


She can look fierce, too:


And sweet:


It usually takes 30 minutes for people to warm up enough for a good hard laugh. Paulette was cracking up less than two minutes after she arrived:





One of my favs:






Sorry Paulette, I HAD to post these. Don't get mad.



Paulette is currently booking events and weddings for 2009 and 2010, and I completly recommend her for both her personality and her work. Her website will be live very soon, in the meantime you can call her at (210) 452-7874. She is sure to bring you a smile!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Photography Question, Answered.

You may remember Lindsay, one of my future brides and past engagement shoot clients. She has a blog of her own, which I am guilty of stalking on a regular basis, just to keep up with what is going on before the wedding goes down (in only SIX MONTHS!).

The photography bug has bitten Lindsay, long before we met, and I always love to see what she is doing with her camera. This past weekend she had the opportunity to photograph her absolutely adorable, pinchable-cheeked nephew, whom she calls Moose. She wasn't getting the results that she usually gets, and asked on her blog if anyone knew the problem. You can see the post, along with the images, here.

So here is her question:
"I tried the manual aperture setting on my camera for these pictures of Moose and for some reason they all turned out very grainy. You might not be able to tell here, but they don't have the crispness I usually get. Anyone out there know what I did wrong? Help!"

I know I'm not an expert on photography, but I have a fair idea of what is going on so I emailed her my take on it. It then occured to me that there are lots of people who have the same questions, after all I was in Lindsay's shoes not too long ago, trying to figure all this out.

So with the hope of helping out at least one other person, here is my reply:

"The problem, which really isn't a problem, is that you were shooting in RAW, and so there are absolutely no adjustments made to the image by your camera. That means that you have to do stuff to it in PS to get it to look the way a JPEG looks SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera).

I tend to shoot JPEGs as much as I can, unless I know that there is a reason that I need the extra latitude a RAW file gives to fix stuff. For example, I shoot RAW if there are very bright areas and very dark areas within the frame (subject is in the shade and background is bright sun) or if the white balance is questionable (any light source besides the sun or your flash). These situations are hard to fix once they have been shot in JPEG, but a RAW file is much easier to fix because it has so much more information, RAW files are huge for a reason. You don't, however, want to fix every image you take because it is extremely time consuming. If the conditions are such that it is easy for the camera to get it right, then take advantage of the amazing software in your expensive DSLR and let it do the work for you.

In my mind, I think of a RAW file as raw food, like carrots, potatoes and chuck roast sitting on the counter. There are a million ways to cook it, a million different things you can do to it to make a meal. But just keep in mind that you will have some work to do before its "done." RAW files are flat and lackluster by nature, but all of the information is there in the file for you to be able to make it mighty tasty.

A JPEG is like an already cooked meal. Someone else has done all the cooking, just as your camera has done all the post-processing. You can still do a few things to it in order to get it just how you like, but not much. You can cook it a little longer, add salt or seasoning, etc. Its the same with a JPEG. The contrast, saturation, white balance and sharpening are done for you. The camera actually starts with the same RAW file, applies all that stuff, and spits out a JPEG, to which you can add some salt."

All Lindsay really needs to do is add some extra contrast and then sharpen the image in Photoshop or any image processing software. Or next time, shoot JPEG to start with and let the camera do most of the work for you.

So there you have my take on the JPEG vs. RAW debate. I do both, just as sometimes I buy an Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich and sometimes I spend the whole afternoon making Pot Roast. I love them both, for different reasons.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Alicia and Corey

I've got some serious blog catching-up to do. It seems that our impending move to Arizona is sucking up every available moment of my computer time. I am searching for a new home, conducting online searches for organizational tips, researching Phoenix area high schools, emailing cheer coaches for tryout dates and information, and then doing more home searching. Love that home searching part.

So here is what I've found so far: Gilbert and Chandler. Since I've never been there I have to rely on the advice of others, and everyone tells us that those two areas are the place to be. The schools are great (although HUGE), the communities are clean and family friendly, and I've found several houses that look just right for our bigger-than-average family.

I have called a realtor and hopefully things will start to move along soon.

And so what have I been neglecting to blog? Well, I did an awesome brother/sister shoot a couple of weeks ago. Awesome because they are as relaxed and fun as they are gorgeous!


This is the only year that they will be in high school together, so the point of the shoot was to commemorate that.






It was a fun and quick shoot, thanks so much for letting me spend some time with you!

Friday, April 10, 2009

Mercado Family: Lifestyle Session


As you may know by now, casual and relaxed family sessions are one of my favorite kinds of shoots. I get to go into someones house, get to know them a bit, and capture everyone relaxing and interacting in the place where they feel most comfortable-home.

The Mercados welcomed a new baby boy into the family a few weeks ago, making them a family of six! It is definitely a happy home, with love and joy in every hug, kiss and smile.

We started the session with baby A, who was fast asleep when I arrived:

Baby toes!


Soon after, his big brothers and sister joined us, fighting over who got to hold the baby.


I adore freckles.



This little guy needed a bit longer to warm up to me.




We did a special shot of everyones favorite toys, with a little mischief going on in the background:



One of my favorites from the day:



I always love to include the family art gallery:



They fell for all my jokes:








Father and son, doesn't it pull at your heart just a bit?


Another fav:

And we are back where we started, with baby A asleep in his swing. Is that a smile I see? Beautiful.


I forgot to say goodbye to all the kids when I left that day. I hope you know how much I enjoyed spending time with all of you!

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Mom of four fantastic, funny kids. Freakishy addicted to hot tea and cold cereal. Fantasizes about a future in photography. Loves to death her fun friends, funky family and football (just ask anyone). This has been brought to you by the letters "Ph."