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

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