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

On Target Photo Training series--Part 3

COMPOSITION: BEGINNINGS

Regardless of who you are, there are a few mistakes that we all make sooner or later and they can absolutely destroy an otherwise terrific photo.

Imagine this…you are trying to shoot a photo of a client, let's say a pretty girl.

You are at a local park, the light is giving you that perfect glow we photographers are always searching for… in fact, the light is so perfect, that you're rushing to get the shot. You think you may NEVER get light like that again!

There's just enough breeze so that her hair is flaring out in that sexy, not messy way.

She has a ready, gorgeous smile - her posing is natural and automatic. In other words, it's one of those magic moments where everything just falls into place.

You quickly fire off 30 or 40 shots before the light is gone.

Later you review the photos and - TADAAA! There's a huge garbage can with refuse flowing all over the ground in EVERY shot. It is absolutely ruining every photo.

Yes, it can be removed with Photoshop (if you've invested the $700 to buy the program!), but to do it well is going to take hours and hours! Tedious to say the least. Not to mention that it's a pretty steep learning curve - just to figure out how to work the program.

If they were done for a portfolio or something along those lines, you'd have to repeat the whole tedious process for EVERY shot!

By the time you're done, you're no longer enjoying the magic of photography. You are sick of the shot and hope you never see it again.

Or, same photo session, but this time there are tree branches behind your model.

They were quite a ways back, so you didn't really pay much attention to them, but in the photo they are sharp as a tack and look like antlers sticking out of her head!

Let me repeat what was written above…Yes, it can be removed with Photoshop, but to do it well is going to take hours. Did you want to be a better photographer? Or did you want to learn to sit in front of a computer all day mastering Photoshop?

Or some of the shots have a drunk, off in the distance, passed out against a tree (or worse). Or kids playing in the background, or traffic.

I'm sure you get the idea.

What is the problem here?

We got so caught up with our model, the light, and so on…that we didn't check out the background in our viewfinder.

I KNOW this has happened to you! If not, you truly are a beginner - hang in there, it WILL happen!

Here's how to fix the problem. Before you start shooting, for just a moment ignore the model and scan all four corners (and the middle) of your viewfinder looking for these sort of problems.

Usually just moving your model - or yourself - a few feet one way or another will make all these problems disappear. You'll get the stunning portrait you were after and you will save hours of tedious retouching and reprinting. Or heaven forbid, a totally ruined session.

Of course knowing that you should do this is one thing, remembering to actually do it is another. So let's try to come up with a plan that will help us out.

Here's an analogy…

Structurally we want good strong photos, none of this amateur stuff we've been used to. What is there that is a good symbol of structural strength? Hmmm…let's see. The best example I can think of is a pyramid. With their wide bases, they've managed to survive in Egypt for about 5000 years! 

How to make better photos? Start with a strong base!

Every time you are ready to depress the shutter button, say the word "B-A-S-E". Out loud!

It may take a few months, but eventually it will become a habit to say the word base every time you are ready to take the shot. Now here's what "B-A-S-E" means to us…

B - background. Through your viewfinder, scan the background for problem areas you don't want in the photo.

A - action. Make sure the action you are trying to capture is in focus and as large as possible. (We'll cover more on that in later lessons.)

S - shutter. Make sure (double check - don't assume) that the camera is set to the shutter speed you have to have to get the shot you want. (We'll cover more on that in later lessons.) It is very easy to forget and leave your camera on the settings you used for the last session you did, which is likely NOT the correct setting for this session.

E - eye. The f-stop is a numeric representation of how large the iris or "eye" of the camera is. It acts like the pupil in your eye, it needs to be open wider for more light, or closed down for less light. You need to make sure it is on the right setting or you won't get the shot. (We'll cover more on that in later lessons.) As with the shutter, it's easy to leave this on the wrong setting - OR to accidentally change it while focusing or changing lenses.

If you can get in the habit of saying the word "B-A-S-E" and doing the required checks before each shot, you will save literally thousands of shots.

One photographer I know relates this story of when he was just learning about photography…

"Before the move to St. Louis, when the Rams football team was still in Anaheim, I read in the newspaper that there was gong to be a cheerleader tryout that weekend!

Professional Cheerleaders! I couldn't let the opportunity to get photos of the tryouts slip by…so I got up early, drove down to the location and there they were! Hundreds and hundreds of gorgeous, physically fit, young women! CHEERLEADERS!

I grabbed my camera body, put on my best lens and put in a roll of 100 speed film. (This was in the day of film.) I started shooting as fast as I could. I managed to fire off about 3 rolls of 36 exposures before I was thrown out. Apparently, security guards have no sense of humor.

But, it was fun while it lasted.

I ran down to the lab and turned in the film. About an hour later I discovered that I had screwed up - big time!

The day before, I had been doing some experimenting with 3600 speed film and had forgotten to change the setting back to my normal 100.

Not one single shot turned out!"

An opportunity gone forever, if he had said the word B-A-S-E even one time, he would have noticed the incorrect settings and changed them.

Photo Exercise

1.    Grab your camera and notebook and go shoot a roll of film - or 36 digital exposures.
2.    Record everything in your notebook - including your pre-visualization.
3.    When you bring the camera to your eye - say the word B-A-S-E. Out loud.
4.    Check the background for unwanted elements.
5.    Check to make sure the action is in focus and filling the frame.
6.    Check to make sure the shutter speed is at the best option for that photo.
7.    Check to make sure the f-stop is the optimal one for that photo.
8.    Rinse and repeat…

Next time…another frequently overlooked pointer that can - actually, let's change that to WILL - immediately improve your photography

Sorry…I know I promised, but…

I apologize that I don't have my fairy images ready today.  I had a wedding to shoot on Thursday and I'm helping to put together a video to show at the reception a week from today in Puerto Rico, where the bride is from.  I will get to the fairies asap.  Thanks for your patience.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend.  Happy Easter!

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

On Target Photo Training series--Part 2

Fast and Easy Ways to See Immediate Improvement in Your Photography…

THE NOTEBOOK

Most courses in photography start out by discussing either composition or by telling you that you need to use a tripod.

While composition is a very important component in great photography and while using a tripod can be vital at times - there's a beginning step that is rarely mentioned but is vital to your photo education.

The first thing you need to do is start a notebook! From this day forward, you should record every shot you take.

With the rise of digital photography and the ease of manipulation in Photoshop, most photographers - particularly amateurs - are losing skills that were essential back when film was king.

When you knew that it was going to cost you between $10 - $20 to have your film developed and printed, you took a lot more care with each shot! These days, I constantly see people - with digital cameras - rapidly firing away. They'll shoot hundreds of photos hoping to get one or two "good ones". All pretense of skill has been replaced by a fast trigger finger.

Any really great photos they get are accidents and cannot be repeated.

That is NOT how to master photography. If the thought, "I'll fix it in Photoshop" ever crosses your mind…immediately take your finger off the shutter and rethink the shot. Your goal is to have every photo be perfect - in camera.

You can do this with your notebook.

Your notebook doesn't have to be fancy, just something that you can put in your camera bag or in your pocket. A big three ring binder with color coded tabs may be pretty to look at, but face it, you aren't going to lug that thing around with you in the field. If you have the tenacity to transcribe your pocket notebook into the fancy binder, go for it. But first just get a pocket notebook.

You will want to record the data for every shot you take.

You will want to record: the frame number, the date, your subject and location, what kind of film you're using (if you are shooting film), the film speed (or the digital equivalent), the type of lighting (ambient, incident, etc.), your f-stop, shutter speed, camera & lens, and any filters you are using.

Those are the basics. In addition - your route to photo mastery will be greatly shortened if you pre-visualize every shot and write in your notebook what you expect to have happen.

I know that with digital, you can see the results right away, but taking the time to imagine what you want and writing it down - before the shot - will tremendously enhance your learning.

Side note: Educational studies have shown over and over that if a student is asked a question (one they don't know the answer to), and they are asked to try to guess the correct answer before being told, they'll do much better on subsequent exams than students who were just told the answer.

Along those same lines…your photos will improve much faster if you try to pre-visualize the result first - before shooting!

Later, you will compare your actual photo with your pre-visualized goal. If you got exactly what you wanted, note that in your notebook and put a star by it so you can find it again.

In this way, every time you want a shot to turn out that particular way, all you have to do is refer to your notes for the settings needed. It makes it easy to duplicate your masterpieces.

Soon, you won't need to refer to your notes. When you see a situation, you will know exactly how to get the desired shot.

If the result WASN'T what you pre-visualized, make a note of that too and write down one or two thoughts on how you could solve the problem. The next time you're shooting, try your new ideas! See if they solve the problem. Keep doing this until you get what you wanted! Now you'll be able to repeat those results any time you want - just by referring to your notebook!

I hope you can see the power in that. It is the fastest route to photo mastery there is.

Yes, it takes a little extra effort to keep a notebook. And yes, it will slow down your shooting dramatically. The good news is, in a few short weeks when you go somewhere with your friends and you are all merrily shooting away…you'll find that they will shoot hundreds of photos for one or two "keepers", while you are getting almost ALL "keepers".

If you want terrific photos, the first rule is: Keep a notebook.


PHOTO EXERCISE

1.    Get a notebook.
2.    Grab your camera and go out and shoot either a roll of film or shoot 36 digital shots.
3.    Pre-visualize what each shot would look like in a perfect world and write it down. Take the shot.
4.    When you get your film or digital images, compare them with your pre-visualized goal. Do this later - not in the field. It will teach you to write better pre-visualizations if you later have to figure out what you meant.
5.    Analyze your shots. Aside from your pre-visualization comparison, what else did you learn? No matter what, NEVER do a photo session without trying to learn something.  No photo is perfect, find the flaws and learn to fix them.

Next time…PART 3 - Composition: Beginnings 

Tuesday Fairy Shoot

My "sisters" fairy session last Tuesday went great...I'll be posting some images in my next post, along with an amazing real-life fairy tale.  Don't miss it!

Take care and happy shooting!

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

p.s. To illustrate that you don't need fancy equipment to get good photos, the image of Fountain Square in Cincinnati (above) was taken years ago with a 5-megapixel camera, and remains one of my favorite images ever!

New Logo design and babies

I know I've been MIA the past few days. It's been a really busy week, but a good one. Adrenaline keeps the creative juices flowing!

Recently Ann, a long-time friend of mine, approached me about creating the artwork and photography for a new business she's launching, called Simple Witness Tees. The company will offer fund-raising T-shirts with Christian themes as a means of "spreading God's word, one shirt at a time." It was a great concept, so I told her to count me in.

Ann wanted the logo to have an "edgy" look to it. She also wanted the T in witness to be a cross. But the logo design needed to be simple as well, keeping with the name. We were both happy with the final version, shown above.  So what do you think?  I'd love to hear your comments.

Everyone loves babies, right? Who can resist those chubby cheeks and adorable smiles? This little guy was one of the happiest babies I've ever photographed. He was so tickled to be there, he could hardly contain himself! He was definitely having a good time, and we got some incredible shots.  His mom loved them all and it was pretty difficult for her to choose, but here are a few of her favorites, and mine too.

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

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

How to take amazing flower photos

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. It got to 85 degrees in Cincinnati on Sunday--it felt SO good!

A new feature has been added to my blog as of today. If you'd like to receive my blog posts by email, simply enter your email address above in the space right under the header, and click SUBMIT.

As I've mentioned before, flowers are some of my favorite subjects to photograph. Doesn't matter to me what kind they are…even dandelions can be photo-worthy. In fact, when I was a very small girl, my sister and I thought dandelions were so pretty that we went door-to-door selling bouquets of the bright yellow blooms. We were baffled that no one else shared our fondness for these beautiful flowers. Our business venture came to a screeching halt when a neighbor called our mother and complained. But I digress…

I went to a baby shower in Springboro last Saturday, about a 45-minute drive from my home, most of it through the country. On the way north, I saw hundreds of trees that were chock full of white blossoms (I think they were pear trees). Even though it was drizzling, they were just beautiful. If it had been nice weather, I probably would have stopped to get a few shots. Oh well, another day!

I'm sure there are lots of you who also enjoy flower photography, and Mother Nature will reward all of us soon with more than enough subject matter. Today I have a wonderful article for you on taking floral photos, by Darren Rowse at DigitalPhotographySchool.com. Here's the link if you want to check it out:  http://www.digital-photography-school.com/photographing-flowers. In the article, Rowse mentions using a tripod, but don't worry if you don't have one. It does take a steady hand to get sharp images, but it can be done. Experiment, practice and, above all else, have fun!

If you are interested, email your best flower photos to me and I'll post them on my blog. If I have enough, I'll create a gallery and post a link. Send your images to:  goldleaf-vgp@tds.net. If you are able, add a copyright to the image first. If you can't, I'll add one before posting.

Take care, and have a fabulous week.

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com

513-877-2995

Macro photography with your DSLR

Today's post expands on yesterday's subject of macro (closeup) photography for those of you that have a DSLR camera (digital single lens reflex), or any camera with a lens that will accept lens filters.

With prices dropping to affordable levels, lots of folks these days are buyng DSLRs for their own personal use. They are fairly easy to use and take beautiful photos.

Most DSLRs don't have a macro setting on the camera like the point and shoot models. Certain lenses allow for some degree of closeup photography, but are limited to how close you can get. There are specific lenses you can buy for extreme macro use, but they are expensive and, IMO, unnecessary for the hobbyist. I have a 50mm lens for my DSLR that also has macro capabilities, but often what I prefer to use for my macro images is a set of closeup filters. They are very inexpensive and give me the soft focus effect I love.

These filters come in different sizes. You will need to get the correct size to fit your lens. Just look into your lens and you should see the size printed near the rim (52mm, 58mm, 62mm, etc.). I have a couple of different sets to fit different size lenses, since they are so affordable.

Closeup filters normally come in sets of 3. Each filter is a different strength, and you can use them individually or layer 2 or all 3 of them together for stronger magnification.  The photo above is the center of a flower that was no more than 2 inches in diameter. I used all 3 of the filters together to get this shot.

The subject area that will stay in sharp focus will be limited, so play around with different filter combinations to get the effect you want. You'll also need a steady hand.

The following link contains a really good list of the different types of camera filters available, including closeup filters, and what they do. This is not an endorsement of this company, since I have no experience with them. But the list is informative.  http://www.camerafilters.com/

Thanks for visiting. Take care and have a great weekend!

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

Macro (closeup) photography tips for point and shoot cameras

I have always been fascinated with macro photography. I love to get very up close and extremely personal! My favorite macro subjects are flowers, insects, and textures, but when I’m in the mood, I’ll just walk around with my camera and shoot anything that looks interesting.

Two years ago in May when the 17-year cicadas invaded the Cincinnati area, I went for an early-morning walk in my back yard, and discovered that the split rail fence along our property line was just covered with cicadas in their shells. Upon closer inspection, I found a cicada that was just beginning to emerge from its shell.  The sun was still low in the east and was casting magnificent shadows onto the fence. Macro time! I dashed into the house, grabbed my camera (a DLSR) and, during the course of the next few hours, captured closeups of this one cicada in the process of freeing itself from its now-too-small casing. It was an amazing transformation, and I learned so much from just watching. I developed a new respect for these tiny critters. If you’d like to see these photos, here’s the link:  http://goldleaf.zenfolio.com/p984030467/h1f707129#h1f707129
 
That same year, the following June, I was photographing swim team photos for the Sharonville Sharks at their pool in Sharonville, Ohio.  By this time, the cicadas were out in full force and they were everywhere! In the pool, on the wet concrete, on my camera as I was shooting, and dive-bombing the Sharks as they waited in line for their turns. By this time I had learned that cicadas have no mouth parts, so they can’t possibly bite, but those little swimmers were scared half to death! They were still talking about those nasty bugs when I took their photos again the following year. Scarred for life, I’m sure.

But back to macro…closeup photography opens up a whole new world. While I use a DSLR, most point and shoot cameras have a macro setting. If you are interested in trying your hand at it, or want to improve your macro shooting, the Digital Photography School website is a wonderful resource. Among other things, they provide great advice on shooting macro with your point and shoot camera. Here’s the link for macro tips:  http://www.digital-photography-school.com/macro-photography-tips-for-compact-digital-camera-users

I highly recommend you bookmark the page or sign up for their newsletter. Lots of great stuff.

Take care and happy shooting!

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

Spring has sprung…or so the calendar says!

With the long winter we've had, it's hard to be patient for warm weather.  We had a brief taste of it a few weeks ago in the Cincinnati area, but we want more! It will come in due time, on its own schedule, and before long we will be complaining about the heat!

But things are starting to green up--grass, tree buds, sprouts--even the weeds are looking good at this point. I love spring and the promise of the future. My husband and I are blessed to live on 5 acres, where I run my studio. When spring is in its full glory, the grass is a lush, green carpet, and the trees once again are full and bushy with new growth. It won’t be long now. Mother Nature is already working her magic.

Any season will work for outdoor portraits, but there’s just something special about spring! Everything is so FRESH, right down to our attitudes. No doubt, my property would make a gorgeous backdrop for your family or pet portrait, but maybe you have some beautiful property of your own! On-location photo shoots are some of my favorites. They are fun and exciting for everyone. Think about it…maybe this is the year.

Take care!

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

Welcome to my blog!

Hello and thanks for visiting! My name is Mary Kay Baird, photographer and owner of Gold Leaf Productions, a photography and graphic arts studio located in the Blackhawk area of beautiful Warren County, Ohio.

I photograph high school seniors, families, babies and children, pets, weddings, baptisms…you name it! It’s impossible to specialize in just one area because I love to do it all.

The purpose of this blog is to share and inform. I’ll share tips, tricks, and links on how you can take better personal photos, and I’ll keep you informed about what’s happening in my studio…new ideas, designs, projects, and events. My goal is to post something new every few days, so please check back often!

Feel free to leave comments or questions about any photo topic you would like me to address, and I’ll make every effort to include a blog post about it.

Again, thanks for joining me on this new blogging adventure!  Take care and have a great day.

Mary Kay
Gold Leaf Productions
www.goldleaf-art.com