Where's Wendy? Here, There, and Everywhere!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved



The past week has been pretty busy in “Wendy Land.” So much so that I haven't had time to even sit and write a blog. From camping on the Hillsborough River, to Thanksgiving celebrations with the family, to Clearwater Beach Portrait Sessions, and Boudoir Sessions in Clearwater and Lakeland, I've hardly stopped to check email... let alone write anything valuable. So today I will just let the images speak for themselves....

The over cast sky was perfect for reflection shots on the Hillsborough River.

We did see a bit of Fall color... Autumn comes so late in Florida.  The weather here is still beautiful with temps in the 80°s!

A client in Clearwater wanted Boudoir shots for her husband for Christmas and ordered a beautiful photo book as a holiday gift.

Three other clients decided they wanted to do calendars as Holiday gifts for their husbands...

I gotta tell ya... eBay shopping at 4 am can be great fun at great prices.  I found the polka dot dress in the image above on eBay... What a great deal!  Perfect for this type of session!

Having a completely mobile studio makes it easy for me to photograph my clients in the comfort of their own home... and when you can get a group together for this kind of session it makes it all the more fun!

I carry several pieces of lingerie, as well as some shoes (depending on your size), and all basic post editing (smoothing, blemish removal) is included in the price of your package!

 

Clearwater Beach Portraits are also popular this time of year... there are so many visitors to the beach over the holidays and Beach Portrait Sessions are a great way to create memories for years to come!

The jumping pose is by far one of the most favorite among my clients... and of course I always suggest it as soon as we head towards the water.  :)

I love it when the parents give me the go ahead to do natural, un-posed shots of their family... especially on the beach!  Kids love to wander around in the sand and play in the water, and I love to create dreamy spontaneous images that will last a life time!

When I have more time I will separate this post out and give you more in site on the facts and fun of all of these sessions... in the mean time... it's back to work for me!

Here's hoping everyone had as Great a Holiday as I did!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media.

Happy Thanksgiving!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

With the Thanksgiving Holiday behind us I would like to share a few things that I'm Thankful for...

I'm thankful that I have beautiful children who try to understand all my faults, all my quirks, and all my anal tendencies.  Together we have survived a lot.  Whether I'm right or whether I'm wrong they stand beside me, encourage me, and always have my back.  They are wonderful in every way possible... even with all their diversities.

I am thankful for the man in my life... even though some people may not understand, and even though every moment hasn't been easy... he has allowed me to be "what I wanted to be when I grew up", he has faith in me, and even though we are completely and totally different in so many ways he listens to me, excepts me, and opens his mind to things that have been unusual in his upbringing.  He is and always has been my biggest fan.   

I am thankful for my friends, new and old.  During the past year I've made some new friends, and more importantly have found some old ones who came missing after an ugly employment situation.  We have picked up where we left off and for some us have become closer than ever before.  I have also found high school friends that I had lost touch with, honest to goodness people who haven't changed a bit over the years, and I only wish we hadn't lost so much time between then and now.

I am also thankful for the clients I have met over the past year... the local ones and the ones who come from far and wide to visit Clearwater Beach, and who have contacted me to photograph their families and loved ones.  Photography around here can be a tourist industry, so I'm also thankful that this is my home.

I have so many things to be thankful for that I could go on for ever, but alas the day has been as long as it has been wonderful, and now it is time to rest.

Here's hoping you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Holiday and celebrated with good food, good cheer, and with loved ones that you are Thankful for every day of the year!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

How much is Enough?

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

While I was reading a blog post from Scott Bourne this morning (I always read his stuff because he offers great information) I got to thinking... The post was titled “Slimming Down” and talked about how much gear he had and how much gear he carries around. He discusses having too much and what a distraction it can become. Go read his post and then come back here and finish this one....

As a portrait and wedding photographer I always want the latest gadgets, best camera, lighting equipment, and prettiest backdrops. Of course the perfect moment would be nice too... but that's another story and something we are always fighting for as a photographer. However, I understand where Scott is coming from on this... and I think it's because I have so many kids. I learned early that when you travel with kids (even if it's just to the grocery store), they need stuff! Lots of stuff! Diapers, bottles, wipes, toys, etc. It makes you tired having to carry all that gear around with you every where you go... not to mention, the kid, the car seat and the stroller. Plus you have to have your own belongings; purse or wallet, sunglasses, and any womanly essentials that may be necessary. So by the time my second son came along I was done with carrying all this extra baggage. I threw aside the diaper bag and opted for one purse large enough to hold all my stuff and all babies stuff (only what I absolutely needed for any particular situation). After my 4th child was born a friend of mine asked me if I would ever be able to walk around without a diaper in my purse? Little did he know there were 5 more children to follow.

So now that I'm a full time photographer I have acquired a bit of equipment, a couple DSLR cameras, a couple external flash units, extra batteries and flash (memory) cards, 4 different lenses, lens hoods, filters, etc. so I carry one camera bag, that also holds all my personal stuff like wallet, biz cards, and glasses. I'm also a completely mobile photographer, so I carry around my lighting equipment, backdrops, tripods, props, etc. in my van all the time (I know there isn't a sports car anywhere in my future). I never get bogged down with too much equipment, I keep it simple and only take what I need to each shoot. I always take a back up camera, a back up flash, and back up batteries and flash cards, but that's it! That's enough! If you've been doing this long enough there is no reason why you can't assess the situation, and figure out what you need ahead of time (along with back up... because you never know when something is going to bite the dust in the technology world)! 

Remember... Lighten Up!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media.

Where's Wendy? Hillsboro River!!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

On Monday we took a ride in search of a place to have our next camping extravaganza! After some online research we found ourselves heading north to the Hillsboro River State Park! We are looking for in state places where we can enjoy some camping during this beautiful season in Florida... before it gets too cold! I know you northerners are laughing right now, thinking we don't know what cold is in Florida, but believe me... it does get cold for us... especially when our bodies are so used to the tropical climate! So... this is the time of year when we can really get out and enjoy ourselves!

Of course we had to stop at the front gate and pay our entrance fee (all state parks are like that, I assume), so we inquired about camping and received a map with prices and attributes. We drove into the park with it's native Florida landscape, reading signs and searching the map while deciding our best course of action. We looked at the slow hiking trail, and the fast (shorter) hiking trail to see which one would suit us for the afternoon... we decided on the shorter one for time reasons. I wanted to see the rapids (class 2), and I wanted to check out the bridges. Hillboro River State Park has 2 bridges, and one is a suspension bridge... even though I hate height's and get ill from motion very easily, I wanted to see what this was all about. It wasn't at all what I expected. I thought it would be a bridge that was suspended across the river by ropes and would be very scary... as it turned out this bridge was suspended from cables and wasn't very bouncy at all.

Unexpectedly our fast hike turned into a long one! We found both bridges and decided to make our way across the suspension bridge. On the other side there was a definite hiking trail but that wasn't the one I wanted to take. Along side of the river there was another primitive trail that looked as though it wasn't traveled by many, but I'm sure the ones who did take it, and probably helped make it had a camera in their hands. We tracked through the brush, stepping over tree roots, climbing the bank at points and pushed palm fronds out of our way. I stopped and looked at every clearing finding the best places to shoot the river, the bridges, and the rapids. I think we actually walked 3 or 4 miles by the time we made it back to the van.

We saw turtles, fish, and birds... and even though there were signs about gators we never came across any, even walking the trail closest to the water. When our hike was done we sat and observed the beauty of the river, took more photo's of the water scape, and each other. I'm sure we've found the spot for our next camping journey! The kids are going to love it! We plan to take our peddle boat, and canoe. The park has canoe rentals also, as well as bike rentals, and life jacket rentals. It offers a concession stand, that serves breakfast and lunch, and has a store for essentials you may have forgotten to take with you (such as food, sweatshirts, soaps, firewood etc.). We drove through the camp site area and have already picked out the spot where we would like to set up camp (right near the canoe launch, campfire circle, and best of all... over looking the river)!

We also visited the contact station, which was once the place to purchase tickets to enter the park. Now a-days it is a small interpretive center which holds artifacts from the Seminole Indians and the Second Seminole war. Some of the artifacts were quite interesting... a bone toothbrush, what was left of hand made dishes and bowls, and crafted candle holders). There was many more, but I'll leave that for you to check out for yourself! The historic building reminded me of homes from when I was a child in upstate NY, and I couldn't help but get a shot of it from several angles.

So here is another adventure for you... If you haven't been there, and you enjoy camping... check out the Hillsboro River State Park, and take in some relaxation time with canoeing, hiking, fishing, and certainly do some photographing!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media. Post enhanced in Photoshop CS4 using Onone, and Tapaz adjust plugins.

Where's Wendy? Getting Ready for the Holidays!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

A few months ago I posted information about Holiday Portraits, and here we are just a week and half away from Thanksgiving! Time does fly when you're caught up in life! This time of year, photographers are busy, and printing companies are even busier! However, now that we are down to the wire I have had several phone calls for Holiday Portraits! That is just how life works these days... everyone lives on last minute decisions.

Our printing companies (yes we use different ones for different projects), are working overtime and weekends to get all your portraits done in time for the Holidays. They are even working Sundays and late into the night! Be warned though... anything ordered after December 18th will not get to you in time for Christmas, and even that is cutting it close. Remember there is a process that your images go through when I capture them... Every image I create is inspected, sharpened, and sometimes processed before it goes off to the printer. The busier I get the longer it may take to make your photo's perfect! Also keep in mind... I'm not the only photographer who uses these printers... they have thousands of customers to make happy this time of year!

This is just a reminder that my cut off date for Holiday Portraits is December 13th. Not that I wont still create portraits for the holidays, just that you most likely wont get them in time to share on the 25th! So if it's important that you have them before the 25th, get on the phone... get me an email... or send me a message through Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. I would like to make your Holidays special!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

All images captured with the Olympus E500 on Lexar digital media. All post editing is done with Photoshop CS4, Lightroom 2, using Onone and Topaz adjust plugins. New background papers compliments of Ashe Design.

Where's Wendy? Heading Back to School!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

“When you stop learning, you stop living.” I'm not sure where I heard this or even how long it has been, but it is one of my favorite quotes.

I've had some kind of camera in my hand for as long as I can remember, or at least since I was a young girl. Now most of my learning has come from trial and error, doing my own research, and applying what I have read, and seen. So just because you aren't in school does not mean you aren't learning. However, I have decided to learn in a more formal setting by going back to school. I want to take my photography to the next level and I feel that in this day and age things are changing rapidly in the photographic industry. I for one want to keep up! So it's off to school I go!

I thought I would be starting school last semester, however things don't always go the way we want, and Albany NY was a little slow in getting my high school transcripts to St. Pete College. My previous college was on top of their game and had my college transcripts here in a matter of 5 days. With the delay, all of the classes I wanted and needed were already taken by the time I could register.

There was also some confusion about a placement test, since it has been 27 years since I've been in school, so that was kind of a run around and time waster for me. Since the last time I went to college I made the deans list the people that run the testing office, sent me away. As it turns out I did not have to take a placement test and I'm finally enrolled in a full time schedule at St. Pete College for the spring! School starts in just a few short months, and this time I will be ready and in class when it does!

So here is my advice to anyone wanting to learn, whether you are going to school or are self taught... study, study, study... apply what you learn, and never stop doing these things over and over again! Times change, styles change, equipment changes, and programs change. You must always be willing to study, apply, and change!!

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,

Wendy

Where's Wendy? Creating Pre-pre School Portraits!

© Spellbound Images by Wendy - All Rights Reserved

Yesterday was my Grandson's 7th birthday... and I always try to celebrate with my children, and grandchildren on their special day. I have 10 grandchildren, some in school and some not. A couple days before the party my daughter messaged me and asked if I could bring along my equipment and take a few pictures of her youngest daughter Lileigh, who is not in school yet. She was looking for something to go along with the older kids school portraits. Even though I'm not a fan of typical school portraits I understood what she was looking for, and why.

My daughter lives in a nice apartment... however it is filled with furniture and kid stuff... not to mention we were having a birthday party! So room was a little bit of a factor. To pull it off we cleared a spot of toys and candy in the living room. I pulled out my blue backdrop from the van, which was about the same color as the other kids portrait backgrounds. Instead of putting up my stands I just had two of the guys hold the backdrop up behind her, about 4 feet away. We used a small table to sit her on, and I brought along my light stand with flash/umbrella bracket. I set this up about 2 feet away from my subject... camera right, and had my daughter hold my silver reflector at a 45% angle to camera left. I captured this one with my wide angle zoom lens.


Now Lileigh may only be 3 years old, but since she's MY grand daughter she knows exactly how to pose... she knows what Nana is looking for, and even though everyone else was running around having a great time, she sat long enough for me to pop off 4 shots, and smiled beautifully!


When I returned home I went to work in the digital dark room to recreate the texture in the background from the other children's portraits, although it's not perfect, it is a pretty good match. I removed some boo-boo's, softened her skin just a tad, brightened her eyes, and did a quick overall sharpen. Wa la! A pre-pre school portrait.


I wasn't sure what to call it at first since she isn't in pre school yet, but my daughter thought pre-pre school was the best name for it. I remember when I was younger, and we did school portraits, my mother was allowed to take my younger sister to the school to have her portrait done... why don't they do that anymore? Something to think about if you're a school portrait photographer.

Love, Laughs, and Photographs,
Wendy

Images captured with the Olympus E500, on Lexar digital media, with the Zuiko 14-54 wide angle zoom lens.