Fairy Portrait Day scheduled for August 20

The past few weeks have been "slightly" crazy, but that's okay--keeps me on my toes!  PandaMania vacation bible school at my church was a resounding success in June, I attended a 2-day family reunion in Columbus, went to Lake Cumberland for a few days of much-needed R&R, and now I'm concentrating on getting the word out about my first ever Fairy Portrait Day, to be held on August 20, 2011.

I am very excited about the fairy portraits.  This new theme is something I've been thinking about and planning for almost 2 years.  I hope you can join me August 20.  If you don't have a little girl the appropriate age for photos, would you please pass on the information to someone who does?  I appreciate it!


Fairy Gallery Update

Recently I did an extended fairy session for 5 little sisters, age 6 and under, who were adopted from China a year ago by my friend, Ann.  What fun we had!  Two of the girls are pictured in the flier above.  Their photos have now been added to my fairy gallery for your viewing pleasure!  Link:  http://goldleaf.zenfolio.com/p1071047913

Here are a few to whet your appetite!

That's it for today.  Have a wonderful day and enjoy it to the fullest!

Take care,

Mary Kay Baird
Gold Leaf Productions
513-877-2995
www.goldleaf-art.com

FREE PET PORTRAIT!

Pets are family, too!

I started out in my photography business doing mainly pet portraits.  It is so much fun!  I've branched out into several other areas since, but pets are still one of my favorites.  Pet owners are some of the nicest people I've met, and I've made some new lifelong friends as a result.

Do you have a pet that is a member of your family?  How would you like a free portrait of the little fur ball?  It doesn't matter if your pet has fur, hair, feathers, or scales, you can have a free portrait taken, and you and your family can even be in it, no extra charge!  This is my way of getting my name out there–it's a great way to meet people, and many of these folks come back to me when they need a wedding shot, senior portraits, baby photos…you get the idea.

Here's how it works.  Call me at 513-877-2995 to set up a session appointment at your convenience.  I have evening hours available. Bring your pet to my studio for either an indoor session, or outdoors on my 5-acre studio property.  I take a variety of poses, and you get to choose a 4x6 mini portrait of your favorite pose, absolutely free–no cost or obligation whatsoever!  That's all there is to it.  Pretty easy, right?  I'd love to hear from you.  Why not call today?


Swimming with the sharks!

OK, so maybe I wasn't actually in the water.  And maybe they weren't really sharks with fins.  But I did spend time with the Sharonville Sharks swim team yesterday, shooting their swim team photos.  These kids range in age from just 5 or so, all the way up through high school.  This is the fourth summer I've shot their team pictures, and many of them come back year after year to swim on the team.  It's a treat to watch them grow up. summer to summer.  Good luck this season, Sharks!


VBS starts Monday, June 20

"PandaMania" is our vacation Bible School theme this year and we are gearing up for a WILD time!  I'm the chief decorator for VBS and, believe me, it's a jungle out there!  I am also the "official" volunteer photographer, and I will be taking snapshots of the kids all week and posting them on a special VBS bulletin board at church and online so everyone can see how much fun we're having!  At the end of the week, parents are invited to take home the pictures of their kids as reminders of a great VBS experience.  Looking forward to an awesome week, and YOU are invited to join us!

Thanks, and have a great weekend, everyone.  Happy Father's Day to dads across the world!

Mary Kay Baird
Gold Leaf Productions
goldleaf-vgp@tds.net
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

New Senior Brag Book Design!

SWIRLY BRAG BOOK

I'm very excited to announce the first of my new Senior Brag Book designs for the class of 2012!  The 5x7 "Swirly" brag book has a hard-cover photo front and back, and contains a minimum of 20 pages.  You choose 3 colors for your custom color scheme, and the poems and quotes inside can be customized, as well!  Your favorite poses are showcased from your senior session with Gold Leaf or, if you've purchased images on a disk from another photographer, those can also be used.

Shown below are the front and back covers, as well as 2 inside pages.  To see the other 18 pages, please visit my Senior Brag Book gallery.

FRONT COVER

BACK COVER

INSIDE PAGES

 

Come to think of it, these books would be adorable for any little girl, tween, teen, or bride!  If you'd like more information on the brag books, feel free to give me a call or email.

As always, thanks for reading, and have a great day.

Mary Kay Baird
Gold Leaf Productions
goldleaf-vgp@tds.net
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

2012 Senior Season

The Class of 2012 Senior Season is in full swing!  My senior model sessions were completed last week and the girls are busy choosing their favorite poses for their albums, and passing out rep cards to their friends and classmates.  Here is just a sampling of their most recent photos.

ASHLEY

Ashley loves the outdoors, so a good portion of her sessions were spent on our 5-acre studio property, in historic downtown Lebanon, and at a local park.  The three images below were all taken at the park, which includes a beautiful stream, waterfall, and an actual swinging bridge!  It was an amazing place for a photo session. 

There are no changing facilities there, but Ashley didn't have to change outfits in the car, thanks to my portable, pop-up dressing room!  Made out of black opaque tent material, it's 6 feet tall, has an open floor and top for ventilation, and zips shut for complete privacy.

I think you'd agree that Ashley's images from her studio session turned out fabulous, as well.

The next two photos show how one image can be enhanced to have two different looks.  The first image looks very nice, but in the second, a texture was placed over the plain background to give it an edgier, more interesting look.

KRISTIN
I did the same thing for the two images of Kristin, below.  The plain pink background of the first photo is very soft and pretty, while the added texture in the second photo definitely adds some pizzazz!

Kristin is active on the golf team and in the band at her school, and chose to include props in her sessions that would highlight her interests.  The golf shot was taken on Gold Leaf studio property.

Kristin's actual sheet music was photographed separately and incorporated into the background in the above photo.

In the photo below, Kristin chose to use one of the available studio props.  She loves yellow flowers, can you tell?

The unusual objects in the next photo are located on her grandmother's property, which is a very special place for Kristin.  It was an obvious choice for one of her on-location photo spots.

Thanks to both girls and their moms for fun sessions that produced LOTS of gorgeous images!

Right now I'm running a fantastic Senior Summer Sale…during the months of June and July, receive 50% off the normal session fee for any senior session booked and completed by July 31!  Give me a call today to set up a session that's convenient to YOU.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

New Products!

I'm a graphic artist as well as a photographer.  Therefore, the artistic possibilities that come AFTER the shoot are just as exciting as the shoot itself!  "Dressing up" certain photos is fun and good for the creative soul.  And I believe that my customers like to see new and different ways to display their photos.  That's why I always keep my eye out for products that allow for that.

Two such products are this cute thank you note and matching bookmark.  Friends and family will love seeing this adorable face each time they sit down with a good book.  Guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone's face!  This colorful duo is perfect for babies, children, tweens, and high school seniors.

Thanks for looking, and take care!

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

World Drawing Day

Are you going to DRAW this Saturday, June 4th? The first Saturday of every June is Drawing Day! Join artists from around the world who will be drawing and posting their artwork this Saturday. Check www.drawingday.org for a list of places to post your work. 

Sounds like fun to me! 

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

Summer has arrived!

Hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend, and that you took time to remember the reason for the holiday.  My weekend was full of grad parties and cookouts, in addition to a studio shoot for one of my class of 2012 reps.  And to top it off, Vacation Bible School (VBS) starts at my church on June 20, and I'm in charge of publicity, decorating, and--what else--taking photos of the kids all week and posting them for everyone to see.  We have a great VBS program at our church, and this year the theme is "PandaMania."  I'll post more on that later.

Cool Program (F-R-E-E!)

I just learned of a really cool program to make your own posters, called PosteRazor.  I've already used it for VBS--what a time-saver!  Take any piece of art and enlarge it as big as you like.  The program automatically creates a PDF file that allows you to print it like a puzzle on several sheets of paper.  Then you assemble the pieces and you're good to go!  I can see this being especially useful for teachers and the like.  Here's the link:  http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/index.php?page=about&lang=english

Colton

Recently I did a really fun family session with three girls, a guy, and a dog, and the star of the show was definitely Colton, the dog.  He had no idea what was going on, therefore he didn't mind so well.  Really had no clue what was expected of him in such strange surroundings.  Colton was a big, gentle sweetie.  But he would not face the camera!  There was talk of taking some photos without him, but one of the girls would not even think about it--Colton was the main reason they were there! 

We finally got him to pose nicely for a couple of shots, and I think they turned out rather well.  Didn't get the variety I had hoped for, but the family loved the images.  Sometimes you just have to go with the flow, and be happy with what you can get!  You know, come to think of it, that works in life, too.

Have a great week, everyone.

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

Sugar and Spice…

…and everything nice.

That's what this little one-year-old is made of…with maybe a pinch of orneriness thrown in!  This tiny princess didn't want to stay still for very long at one time.  She's quite the climber, as you can see.  Good thing I had a variety of chairs and other climbable objects handy.  Don't worry…Mom was standing just out of camera range, just in case.  No accidents, though, just tons of cuteness here, there, and everywhere!

Little miss is wearing a one-year birthday outfit custom made exclusively for Gold Leaf by Tammy Hansen of Homespun Creations in Lebanon, Ohio.  It is available for your princess to wear for her session as well, and will fit a range of sizes.  Perfect for her first birthday photos, or any time during her first year!

Photographing babies and children is so much fun…no two are ever alike!  They each have their own personality and ideas of how the session will go.  It's always a surprise, and I've learned to expect the unexpected.  Next time you need a photographer with lots of patience who can go with the flow, give me a call.  I'll bet you'll be surprised, too!

Thanks for reading, and take care.

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

It's been awhile…

I think I've given up blogging on a rigid schedule…it's just not happening!  As much as I'd like to, sometimes life just gets in the way.  Can you relate?

I've just gone through one of my busiest weeks ever!  But it was great and I loved every minute of it.  High school seniors are winding down the year and finalizing up their orders for photos and grad announcements.  Here are 2 of my favorite and most popular designs from this year.

I especially love the pink announcement because my daughter, Kristin, designed it.  She is a fabulous artist and works with me sometimes.  She lives in another state but sends her finished artwork to me via email.  Gotta love technology!

You can see my entire gallery of senior designs at:  http://goldleaf.zenfolio.com/p307884859  These designs can be totally customized to any occasion.  New designs are added on a regular basis as the creative juices flow.

Senior Moms Night Out Open House

Everyone that attended my open house last Friday evening had a blast!  I appreciate every one of you that stopped by.  There was lots of great conversation and good food.  I think some new friendships were even made!  People were trading email addresses and tips for a successful senior year.  I wish all of you the best and hope to see you again this summer or fall for senior portraits!

In Memory Of Mavis

I'm very sad to report that Mavis, pet and family member to my daughter and her boyfriend, died Monday morning of complications from surgery.  She was 9 1/2 years old.  I had the opportunity to photograph Mavis 2 years ago.  Doesn't she have a sweet face?  Mavis loved to run on the beach near her home.  Her ashes will be scattered there.  We will miss you, Mavis.

Hug all your family members often, including your pets, and make the best of life!  Every day is precious.

Have a great week, everyone.

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

New Senior Wallet Designs

I'm not even finished with the Class of 2011 senior picture orders, but I'm already thinking about new and different products I can offer to the Class of 2012.  I came up with a new twist on wallets…sort of a design-meets-functionality kind of thing.  More for girls; unfortunately most guys don't really care.  I learned this year that many guys don't trade wallets, but their moms still buy them for relatives and close friends.  I'd love to hear what you think of these two designs!



Senior Moms Night Out

Plans are full speed ahead for the open house I'm holding at my studio on May 13 for the moms of the senior class of 2012. They'll have a chance to meet me, see examples of my senior photography, sample some tasty treats, meet other moms, and win fabulous door prizes! There will be event-only discounts and bonus senior package add-ons. Plus, I'll be taking free photos of each mom for emailing and social networking! If you are a class of 2012 senior mom or know one, spread the word! Come experience the radical hospitality you'll receive when your son or daughter comes to Gold Leaf for their senior portraits. We are going to have fun!


Here's the next segment in your photo training series…


On Target Photography Training:  Exposure Defined

Here is where the rubber meets the road and where most amateurs (and more professionals than you might think) fall apart.

Exposure…

It can be a very scary concept that most of us would rather deal with by leaving our camera on programmed automatic. After all, exposure is exposure, right? If the camera can do it for us - why not let it?

Unfortunately, it's not that simple and in the vast majority of cases, we could get a far better, more creative shot if we decide on the exposure settings ourselves, rather than letting our camera do it for us.

Here is a classic example of what I mean…when you are using the automatic or programmed settings, your camera's internal light meter looks at the scene you are photographing, takes the total amount of light available, averages it out and sets it to 18% gray.

Don't worry if you don't understand how all that works. At this point, you don't really need to and we will cover it in full in a later lesson.

Just understand this - all the available light is averaged and set to 18% gray. That's basically how your camera determines the proper exposure.

So, we have a winter scene and we are out there trying to create our own version of a Currier and Ives Christmas card.

We carefully compose our shot, getting all the elements perfectly in place. We note everything in our notebook…we say the mnemonic BASE and check our background for extraneous junk, etc.

Now, we've pre-visualized and this photo is gorgeous in our minds….  But, we don't want to mess it up with the wrong exposure (all that white is confusing) so we set our camera on automatic.

When we get our prints, we notice that the snow is a dingy, lifeless gray. Not the vibrant white we saw in the viewfinder.

Why? Your camera's meter got fooled by all that white. When it set everything to 18% gray, it was really underexposing the shot. By a lot!

Now let's go to the opposite extreme. You are trying to shoot a bin of coal. Why someone would want to shoot a bin of coal, I'll never understand, but anyway…

Again you take all the right steps, again all that black is confusing so you set the camera on automatic and again your prints from the lab that are a dingy, muddy gray! Not the intense, crisp variations of black you saw in the viewfinder!

Everything being equal as to the quality of your meter, printing and etc.,  BOTH the snow AND the coal should be exactly the same color in your prints! An 18% gray!

Obviously, if you want your photography to go to the next level, you need to turn off the automatic settings. Your camera just isn't up to the task.

It's like the choice between vanilla ice cream and the whole world of other flavors. And no, that is not an overstatement.

What do I mean by exposure?

Simply put, a properly exposed photograph has enough light striking the film (or the digital sensors) to produce a correctly lit, appealing picture with adequate detail in both the highlights and shadows.


Photo Exercise

Take a white piece of paper and a black piece of paper, go outside and set them side by side so that they both get the same light.

Put your camera settings on automatic and shoot a photo of the white piece of paper. Be sure that the paper completely fills the frame - nothing else can be showing.

Next take note of the settings your camera used, then take your camera off automatic, and shoot the following series of photos… Starting with the same settings the camera automatically used, shoot photos in half stop increments up to +2 stops and down to -2 stops. (So that's 4 shots on either side of the automatic settings.)

Do the same thing with the black piece of paper.

Be sure to note all of this in your notebook.

Take your film or CD to a photo lab and ask them to print your photos - WITH NO EXPOSURE ADJUSTMENTS.

How did they turn out? Which one was the closest to the correct color?

Tape this series in your notebook. It's a truly valuable lesson.

Happy Mother's Day

Hope all of you moms and grandmas have a very Happy Mother's Day on Sunday! I'll be having dinner with my family at an Asian restaurant, my favorite. Yay--no cooking! Hope you have a very special day, whatever you do and wherever you are.

As always, thanks for reading. Take care and have a great weekend!

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

It's frustrating…

Right now I'm blessed with a ton of work…and that's a really good thing! But, as a result, I'm not able to make regular posts to my blog, and that's very frustrating. I promised a photography training segment last Friday and just couldn't squeeze it in. I hope you will forgive me…  :-)  Here it is, a little late.

On Target Photo Training Series--Part 4

Previously we discussed how quickly your photography will improve by the simple use of a notebook. I hope you've started one. If you have, I'm certain you've had some pretty interesting insights over the last month. Don't forget to pre-visualize your photos before shooting. Note it in your notebook.

We also covered how easy it is to improve our photography by simply saying the word "BASE" - out loud before each shot.  B-A-S-E is a mnemonic to help us remember--before taking the photo--to check the Background, Action, Shutter, and Eye (f-stop).  I hope you have been forcing yourself to say the word BASE before each shot AND going through the checks. It may seem silly and time consuming, but you will save yourself much heartache in your photo adventures.

Remember "Murphy's Law"? It simply states that something that CAN go wrong eventually WILL go wrong. And I can tell you from experience that whenever a photograph gets ruined by overlooking one of the BASE checks, it will ALWAYS turn out that that one shot would have been the best one of the day.

So now, let's move on to some new territory…


You're Not Likely To Enjoy This!

In this section, I'm going to give you another frequently overlooked pointer that can - actually, let's change that to WILL - immediately improve your photography.

But, there's some good news and some bad news.

Here's the good news…assuming you have a camera - this next technique is free.

The bad news is that it is…b-o-r-i-n-g, but SO essential!  You'll thank me later (I hope).

A true professional is someone who has mastered all the basics.

A long time ago, I read something that really struck a cord with me.  Here is what I read: "At least once a year professionals go back and review all the basics."

Think on that. If a professional is someone who has ALREADY mastered the basics and yet they need to review them at least once a year...how about those of us who HAVEN'T reached a level of mastery?

Here's another question for you…have you read the user manual for your camera? That's about as basic as it gets. Have you really read it? Not just skimmed through it. Can you even find it?

I keep mine in my camera bag and I read it through - with my camera in hand, at least once a year. I find all the buttons they refer to…even though I've been pushing those buttons for years. I find all the knobs. I check out all the settings, and so on. I make sure I understand every page before I move on to the next one.

It may be boring, but you WILL learn something.

Read your user manual this month - every page - and make a note of what you've discovered in your notebook. (You have started a notebook, right?)

Now, on to bigger things…

Let's do the unthinkable! Let's turn off our camera's automatic (programmed) settings and start taking pictures in manual mode.

It's worth it. When you start thinking about the creative options your camera has to offer - and start using them, your photography will skyrocket to the next level so fast it will boggle the mind.


Gold Leaf Senior Reps

All 3 of the high school juniors who attended my senior rep meeting last week signed up to be part of the program! Yay! I'm very excited. These young women will represent Gold Leaf Productions photo studio at Blanchester High School, Little Miami High School, and the Warren County Career Center. We'll hold their senior photo sessions in the next few weeks, and then the fun begins!  You'll be seeing their smiling faces quite a bit in the next several months.

Senior Moms Night Out

On May 13 I'm holding an open house at my studio for the moms of the senior class of 2012. They'll have a chance to meet me, see examples of my senior photography, sample some tasty treats, meet other moms, and win fabulous door prizes! They will be eligible for event-only discounts and bonus senior package add-ons. Plus, I'll be taking free photos of each mom for emailing and social networking! If you are a class of 2012 senior mom or know one, spread the word! Come experience the radical hospitality you'll receive when your son or daughter comes to Gold Leaf for their senior portraits. We are going to have fun!

Gotta run--take care and have a great day!

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995

I've been rethinking my series on photography training, and have decided that 3 segments a week is too much. Therefore, to allow more time to really absorb the information, I'll be posting one topic each Friday. That way you'll have the weekend to play!  Hope you are enjoying the series so far.

This week has been incredibly busy, but I love it!  Monday I finished up my part of the wedding video I was involved with–the video that will be shown at the reception in Puerto Rico this Saturday.  This couple had a very small wedding at a justice of the peace, but it was really nice!  I had pictured photos in an office with a desk and filing cabinets in the background, but it wasn't like that at all.  The officiate had quite a nice setup, and we got some really great images in the chapel.  Afterward we shot some photos along the Ohio River near the Newport Levy in Kentucky.  Amazingly, the clouds parted for just that one day last week, and we had a glorious, sunny Thursday.  Best wishes to the happy couple!

For the past few years I have used high school senior ambassadors to represent by photography studio to boost my senior picture business.  I am in the process of selecting Senior Reps for the class of 2012, and held an informational meeting with 3 lovely young women and their mothers last night.  I explained the program and they had a chance to view samples of my work and ask questions.  They all seemed interested in participating, so hopefully you will see their images soon in this blog and on Facebook.  I love working with this age kids–they are so full of excitement and energy!

Must finish here to get ready for a family session later today, which includes 4 people, a dog, and a cat.  Should be fun–I'll post images later.

Take care and have a great day!

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com
513-877-2995