Cosmetic Surgery Before Portraits

© Spellbound Images by Wendy

Recently a client called to cancel their portrait shoot because they didn’t realize the side effects that come with reconstructive surgery.  All reconstructive surgery, even botox, has its complication, and clients should be aware of this when they schedule their portrait session.  Cosmetic surgery can cause some mild to severe side effects.

The side effects can be nausea, blood clots, bruising or simply redness and swelling.  At any rate it’s probably not a good idea to schedule your session for at least a week with botox, and even longer for any other type of cosmetic surgery.  Botox injections can leave redness and swelling, as well as headaches.  It can take at least 3 days for those side effects just to reduce.  Even a simple headache can cause undesirable portraits.

Although your photographer may be a wiz at Photoshop, the results of reconstructive surgery can make the job impossible at times, and it may cost more money in the long run.  Most photographers charge an hourly fee for any extreme retouching of photos.

So just a friendly reminder… if you are planning cosmetic surgery before a photo session, be sure to give yourself enough time to heal (as with any surgery), before scheduling your shoot.

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

School Books Have Arrived!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

It’s been a great week!  Well… aside from one ugly mishap, which we won’t talk about.  I’ve spent time with creative friends, and good people!  Enjoyed conversations about future plans with like minds, over a little libation, and good music.

The big brown truck dropped off this semesters schoolbooks yesterday!  After opening my box of goodies I was pleasantly surprised that LightRoom 4 will be on the learning agenda this time!  I already use LightRoom 2.6 and can’t wait to get my hands on 4!  To be able to do all my editing in one simple program will be wonderful!  All special touches will still be done in Photoshop (not sure what version I’ll be using yet this year), but will be making a change from CS4. 

Along with that little surprise also came “Criticizing Photographs,”  “A Short Course in Digital Photography,” and of course the main book for the whole photography program at SPC... “Photography.”  I received another copy of the photography manual, which explains chemicals, darkroom etiquette, developing processes, etc. 

This is going to be my best semester ever!  My head is much clearer… no distractions in my life, and I have surrounded myself with people who encourage what I do… rather than those who think I should be spending my time on other things.

I will be spending the next 18 days reading, gathering more supplies, and organizing for the upcoming 4 months.  I will also be adding some better glass to my arsenal of lenses, and planning at least one four day trip during that time to some exciting location outside the state of Florida… definitely somewhere that will enhance my portfolio, and will also fill some frames!

Until next time…

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

Trip Out West – Canceled!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

A turn of unfortunate events caused the cancellation of my trip out West.  We’re not going to dwell on it, or worry about it… I have the rest of my life to travel, and even have some things in the works as I write this blog. :)

On a good note I have set my sights on school, which starts 20 days from today!  It has been a long, and hot summer… and it’s far from over.  I have spent most of it with great family and good friends; enjoying their company with evenings on the beach, long walks, and even breakfast now and then.  I have also spent some time by myself, working towards a better me… physically and mentally.  Sometimes just being able to get things off your chest and out in the open makes a world of difference, and walking and exercise are both very therapeutic!

Almost $400.00 in schoolbooks have been ordered and should be on my doorstep within the next week.  I’ve enrolled in only 3 classes this semester… that doesn’t seem like much to most people, but anyone who has ever taken a photography class knows that there is way more involved than just class time.  Words from a wise professor, “Taking a photo class is like taking 2 classes, so plan on putting in long hours.”  So not only will I spend about 20 hours a week in lectures this semester, I will spend about 20 hours in the lab, and probably more than 20 hours out shooting (both digital and film… black & white, and color).  I’m thinking that will keep me pretty busy from August until December.  They don’t allow students to sleep in the lab, so I’ll still have to go home to rest now and then.

I’ve also been thinking about what my next step will be when I graduate with my Associates in Art… I would really like to go on and get my bachelors, but will have to find a school that offers that degree.  The closest school I’ve found would be Daytona.  Hmmm… still thinking.  Maybe another state altogether!

I have still been doing my thing in Clearwater… environmental portraits for seniors, (some on the beach, some in peoples homes, and even a senior in the park), and as always, I capture the sunset whenever the opportunity arises.  I’ve still not found anything quite as beautiful as a Clearwater sunset, and there are some new places with great perspectives on the beach!  I’ve spent some time at Bare Back Ranch and captured my daughter and her horse... also therapeutic. I’ve done some volunteer work for the Sage in Clearwater (marketing photo’s and an 80’s dance party).  So yea… blatant plug here for the Sage.  Check it out!

It’s been a long and busy weekend so I’m thinking more coffee is needed!

Happy Shooting Everyone!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

  

Heading West!

I’ve really dropped the ball on blogging… sometimes life just gets in the way.  I know that seems like a lame excuse but between school, work, and my personal life things have just been a bit hectic.  School and my personal life seems to have taken precedence over everything else.  If you read my blog, I hope you also check out my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spellbound-Images-by-Wendy/  … because that seems to be the only thing I’ve had time for lately, and even that was lacking, up until recently.  So I will attempt to catch you up to speed on school, a bit about my personal life, and a few photographic experiences I’ve had over the past several months.

I ended my last semester with grades that were really satisfying.  Although A’s are always my goal, B’s across the board are nothing to snivel at in my book.  What most people/new students don’t understand is that a photography class is like taking two classes, and in actuality seemed more like three to me.  When you calculate class time, shoot time, and process time (in the lab)… well, lets just say, that’s a lot of time!  My design class was great fun up until the end when it was crunch time.  You have to understand that crunch time means crunch time in all your classes, and since I took four classes last semester, it was crunch - times four.  I thoroughly enjoyed my US History class too… learned a bit about our country, how things happened, and why.  If I could go to school forever, I would take another history class for sure.  World Religions was very time consuming as it required a lot of reading, but I enjoyed learning about religions from the beginning of time up to the present, and why, and how things changed.  So check this out… next semester I’m taking three photography classes!  Yep… already told my professors that I will be bringing a cot to the lab and just staying there for four months.  Of course I cant really do that, but I’m thinking maybe a mattress in the back of my van might work.  :)  Intermediate Photography, Color Photography, and Digital Photography should keep me hopping for a while, sooo I’m thinking the blog will also be lacking during that time, as well as any social life I might have during the fall semester!

Between photo projects for school, and the ones that actually helped support me, I’m pretty sure I had at least one camera on hand most of the time… but it was probably more like two or three cameras at any given time.  My projects for school included a depiction of words, a sequence theme, and my final project, which I had to come up with myself and write a proposal to the professor, turned out to be my best critique.  I chose abused women as my theme, which I thought would be way easier than it really was.  Most abused woman don’t want to be photographed, and if they are… they prefer not to show their face.  As far as the professor was concerned this made it even more unique than if they had let me photograph their expressions.  Outside of school projects I shot families on Clearwater beach, and in their homes.  Did a lighting project for Chase Bank in Palm Harbor, and helped out Brandi Morris Photography with a wedding in Tampa. 

Kids, especially teenagers will also keep you going, there is always somewhere they want to go, something they need to buy, and god forbid they get bored!  Then you have to come up with creative ways to keep them occupied until they are worn out and want to go to sleep.  :)  My daughter is doing well in school, and my son will be going back to school in the Fall.  When the kids are busy I spend time with friends on Clearwater Beach at the Palm Pavilion, or hanging out with special friends for coffee and tons of conversation.  A couple of friends have kept me afloat the past few months and I’m very thankful to have them.

On a final note… I have taken the summer off from my studies, the kids are settled with what they are doing for the next couple of months, and I am going to do some traveling!  Yep… finally getting to take that trip out West that has been in my plans forever!  I’ve never been past San Antonio Texas, and no further North, aside from the East coast.  I know the East coast like the back of my hand, and have traveled it many, many times, but I have never been West.  I feel like an explorer from the 1800’s!  We are going to try to hit Graceland (because I’m an Elvis freak from way back), and then head to Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and finally to California.  I will be making a stop at the four corners, and want to photograph Las Vegas at night.  I will be visiting Los Angeles and Hollywood!  There are a kazillion places I’m going to stop and photograph… but too many to list.  I’m so freakin’ excited about this trip I can’t wait to get on the road!  When I return I will have a lot of photographs to share with you… I will try to blog on the road every day.  So book mark this blog and stay tuned!  It’s definitely going to be go, go, go, for at least a month!

I hope everyone has a great summer!!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

Shooting in Low Light!

Shooting in low light situations is a challenge for almost any photographer.  I happen to be one who loves to experiment with low lighting.  I love to get out and do night shots… capturing just the ambient light from streetlights, skyscrapers, automobiles, etc.  Ambient light… or available light is light that is not supplied by the photographer.  It is basically the light that is already there… and the light you have to work with in any given situations. 

In most cases for shooting low light situations you should use a tri-pod and a remote or cable release (if you have one) so you don’t cause any unnecessary movement of your camera.  By using a tri-pod you stabilize your equipment resulting in better photo quality, by reducing blur or shake that is very prominent in low light situations.  With a tri-pod you will also eliminate any grain from higher ISO’s (film speed).  Now that’s not to say you cant do it without these extra items, but you should be very sure you become stable before you take your shot, and you will probably still experience some shake or movement. 

In really low light situations a flash isn’t going to do you any good either.  In most instances the flash wont even reach your subject, or you will have nothing to bounce off of.  The sky is too far up when you are shooting outdoors, and even in a theater the ceilings are high and the walls are generally dark.  If you can use a flash you will probably end up with those ugly harsh shadows behind your subject anyway.  So best not to even attempt the flash. 

Speaking of theaters… now you not only have low light, but also moving objects.  A tri-pod is not going to work well in this environment.  Your subjects are moving… you will have a hard time focusing on them, and they will be blurred… however, blurring is ok sometimes if that is what you are looking for, and can make some really cool captures.  When working in a theater or event hall however you need to learn to use your camera settings.  By bumping your ISO (or using faster film) and using a larger aperture you can begin to capture ambient light.  Even though technology is a wonderful thing, remember by bumping your ISO you take the chance of getting a lot of grain in your images, so play with your settings and use the lowest ISO possible and the largest aperture possible.  A large aperture is the lowest setting on your lens… if you can take it down to 1.8 then your shutter speed will be pretty fast.  If you don’t have that low of an aperture then just get as low as you can.  It can take some practice, and every lighting situation will be different so if you are going to shoot an event… get there early and work on camera settings as quickly as possible so you don’t miss any of the action.

Another good idea is to set your camera to continuous focus.  That way when the lights go down your camera will continually refocus on your moving subject.  Once you have all these things in order it should be pretty easy to photograph a play, a dance, or a concert.  Also if you get a lot of grain from a higher ISO you can use a noise reduction process in post editing.  There are a lot of good programs out there for this. 

Every camera is different, so read your manual to find your custom settings.  Take the challenge…go out doors and do some night shooting, or go to a local event where the lights are low or ever changing.  If you’re strange like me… you might just enjoy the experiment and the outcome. 

The image above was shot at 1/30^th of a second with an F-stop of 3.0, and my ISO speed was at 400… pretty cool huh?

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

 

Photographing Another Wonderful Couple!

Tatiana and Gene chose the courthouse for a small wedding with a few good friends.  The courthouse has in it, a tiny chapel, and I’m talking tiny.  Squeezing 10 friends into this box of a room was a chore, but we pulled it off nicely with the help of my wide angle/zoom.  The ceremony was short and sweet (as most are), with the exchange of vows and rings.  Tatiana was beautiful, and Gene handsome.  When we finished up in the chapel, we headed outside for a few shots in front of the courthouse, and along side of the courthouse, which boasts some beautiful pillars. 

We had planned on hitting the beach for some fun formals, but they wanted to do some shots on the staircase of the beautiful work of architecture across the street.  The Super Power building that is adjacent to the Fort Harrison Hotel… just refinished and a spectacular work of art.  I try very hard to accommodate my clients so I said, “sure… we can do anything you want to do!”   We headed across to what seems to be a public building in downtown Clearwater, got off a few shots, only to have security personnel come out and tell us it was private property and we would have to leave.  I would like to know why we have to be so paranoid in our own city?  That’s another story… not for this blog.

After that disturbing and aggravating encounter the bride and groom shuffled their friends off to the reception and the three of us headed for the North end of Clearwater beach.  We spent about 45 minutes doing some very cool shots.  Other than the encounter with several sand spurs in the dunes (not sure where they came from), Gene and Tatiana weren’t shy, and we had a great time getting some awesomely different shots!  They were the kind of people that I always hope to get during a wedding shoot; especially on the beach… they didn’t mind getting a little sandy, sweaty, or wet.  As you can see we had a great time!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

Sharing a Little Insight on Wedding Photography

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

First of all, Photographing weddings can be fun, and rewarding.  Not only do you get to share in the excitement of someone’s special day, you also get to do a bit of networking and meet some new clients.  What's more important is you get to present your clients with the memories of their special occasion that will last a lifetime!  Every click of the shutter is an important moment frozen in time.  Wedding photography can also grueling; long hours, no breaks, constant moving (in and out, around, and through people), relentless lighting situations, and dealing with all sorts of people.

Some of you may think I’m crazy, but for the most part I photograph a wedding by myself.  That means I normally do it without the help of an assistant.  And because I’m sometimes a one man band… I try to work with as little equipment as feasibly possible.  Lets face it, trying to drag around a bunch of gear would only get in the way and make it impossible to capture every detail of the event.  Other photographers might argue that by doing so I’m not capturing the affair under the best conditions, with the best light (off camera).  I would like to share my thoughts on that… I do get my lighting off camera as much as possible.  I have a bracket for my flash unit that brings it out to the side, or… I simply bounce off walls, ceilings, or someone’s white shirt/dress.  A little trick I learned from David Ziser (a great wedding photographer in my opinion).  When photographing a beach wedding, I simply use a lot of fill flash for those nasty shadows.  Because for some reason people always want to get married in the midst of the brightest sunlight of the day. :/

While we are on the subject of lighting, let’s talk about how quickly it changes and how fast you have to think about adjusting your camera settings to accommodate those changes.  When photographing beach weddings there is the issue of sun and clouds (they can change rapidly here in Florida and you have to think quick to make the changes in your camera).  Lighting also changes from the outdoor ceremony to the indoor reception, or even from daylight, to dusk, to night.  Lighting also changes during an inside reception… lights are normally up to start the introductions of the bridal party, turned down for the first dances, and then up again for dinner, and down again for the remainder of the reception while everyone is dancing and having a grand time.  The only advice I can give you here is; be aware of all these changes and make your adjustments accordingly before it’s too late.

Weddings also require a lot of group shots, the couple, the bridal party, families, and extended families.  Sometimes small groups will request a shot because they are all there, and dressed nicely.  Take their photo… it will almost always give you another sale.  However, don’t spend too much time on these, as you are there to capture the day for two special people.  I usually set up “a go to person” on my first meeting with the bride and groom.  Someone who knows the families, and can help gather them after the ceremony for the group shots.  Try to make sure it’s not someone that is in the wedding party, as they will already be busy enough, and in a lot of your shots. 

If your bride and groom already have children, be sure to include them in your shots, especially if they are not part of the wedding party.  These will not only be treasured memories for the parents, but also the children in years to come.  I usually try to capture them during the getting ready shots, and the formals, then again during the reception, making sure they know that they play an important role in what may seem a bunch of chaos to them.  Kids aren’t really as enthused as the adults about this whole hullabaloo with dressing up, and the duties they may have to perform for the day, and sometimes they just seem to get lost in the crowd or pushed aside.  I try to make sure they feel like it’s their day too!

A little more on the getting ready… sometimes this is a first time event for everyone, and getting ready turns out to be a nightmare.  I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve done this so many times, or it’s just the kind of person I am, but I have been known to put down my camera and help with a veil, a necklace, a boutonniere (cause guys always have a hard time with those), or the buckling of shoes.  Even though it is not your job, and you can just stand there and watch them suffer… in the end (if you lend a hand), it can make your images much better.  Who wants to photograph a bride whose veil is a mess, or a groom whose boutonniere is hanging off his jacket like someone just mugged him in the parking lot?  You get the idea…

Post editing wedding photographs will also take some time.  Don’t promise them their photos will be done in a few days, take your time to go through each and everyone and clean them up before presenting them to anyone.  Make them wait for a nicely finished product, no matter how much they push you.  My biggest problem when editing weddings is always the bride’s room.  There is always so much stuff scattered in that room!  Discarded towels, shoes, bras, hair accessories, etc… You get the picture!  As much as you try to remove these things before you take the shot, someone else comes back to drop something there, and it ends up back in your frame.  You could spend all day just picking up the stuff that others lay down.  So in the end, no matter how much I physically try to remove clutter, I always end up having to clone out something in the getting ready shots!  Sometimes I can’t get rid of everything, but if it’s a shot worthy of an oooo or an ahhhh, I take the time to clone away clutter.

Those are my thoughts for now on photographing weddings… I hope in some little way they help you think about what goes on in the mind of a wedding photographer, and help’s you prepare for your next event. 

 Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy