I went to the 2013 I Heart Faces Photo conference { Part 2 }

The last day of the conference was the Photo Walk day.  I could have had two days of photos walks or at least a full day broken in half. I got so much out of it. But like any good candy bar.... I wanted more.

That morning Michelle and I went back into the little town by the hotel and went to the  little Mexican restaurant (I know, right?) for breakfast to meet her nephew and his boyfriend. We then walked around and took a ton of photos.  Everything was kinda  dark and damp but beautiful and fall.

We went back to the hotel to start our photo walk day.  There were five different stations and we were  broken up into smaller groups  to get to each one quickly.

 

See the lady in brown above.... that's Michelle.  And Julie Rivera behind her.

This was  Melissa Hutchinson and her beautiful daughter. Geez, it shouldn't be legal to both be that pretty and talented.

The beautiful brunette above is Angie Arthur's daughter(co-founder of I heart faces)  Had this been in my hometown, I would have totally volunteered my family. They would have had no choice. :)

And this cute couple below,  so awesome to photograph. I can definitely see the difference between kids and adults during a session..LOL.

The last  vignette  was this cute sister pair. I think we were their last group of photographers. They were SO done. Their mom and Dana were doing everything they could to get some smiles or at least cooperation  out of them. They reminded me so much of my girls.

I had a fantastic time.  I hope I get to go to another regular workshop through I Heart Faces again.  I won't  be able to make it this year. Sniff Sniff.  You should all go next time. I'll see you there.

I went to the 2013 I Heart Faces Photo conference {Part 1}

Exactly one year ago, I got to go to my very first photography conference/workshop. More importantly , I got go somewhere without my kids for three days and I was ok with it.  BUT THAT'S GOING TO BE A WHOLE OTHER blog post.

Being a photographer  is important to me and I'm always looking for ways to improve my abilities any chance I get. Two years ago, I came across I heart faces and saw that they have a conference /workshop but it was down in Dallas and at the time, I didn't have the resources to get me there. Fast forward to 2013 and  my friend Michelle over at Callia's Corner  and Michelle Montero Photography asked if I was going and that it was in Ohio.  It was half way between the both of us. I looked it up and the airfare to Ohio was totally affordable.  I told her yes and since she already had booked a room, we would be roomies.  I don't know why I was more excited, that I had kid free time for three whole days, I would meet an awesome bloggy friend that I had made in person or that I got to be in a hotel with hundred or so women who loved photography as much as I did. I was soooooo excited.

I have to say that I didn't' take a many photos as others that attended the conference.  I was so busy taking in everything that some of the time I barely even took notes.  I was just soaking it all in and trying to learn as much as I could.

We got there early on Friday and had some time to explore cute little Granville, OH.  Cute little town with a college, bars, deli, a some shops and restaurants. It was almost the most perfect little town I had ever seen. Gorgeous old houses and a quaint main street.

Friday night was the mixer/ meet and greet.  So we got on our best pair of jeans :) and went down to meet some other photographers. They had a great bar and snacks around the room.  Also , two different photo booths were set up to take some silly pictures with your new friends.  Let's not forget the DJ. It was just like a regular wedding reception, all women on the dance floor having a good time.

Saturday morning we got started with a great breakfast and then on to our many sessions that we could choose from. Some we needed reservations for and some we didn't.  There were six class sessions that you could attend.

The first session I chose was  "Using Reflectors & Diffusers in Your Photography" with  the rep from Wescott.  She went over how a 5 in 1 reflector can really enhance your images and your session. They can get rid of harsh shadows and help your clients to not squint as much. They really looked like a good idea but I'm still trying to get my images straight out of camera as awesome as they can be and right now I don't need to worry about  where to put the reflector.

 My second  session was  "Simple tips to Improve your Photography Today  with Angie Arthur , co-founder of I Heart Faces.  Ok, let me start by saying that she is just as nice as she looks and as someone else at the conference said...she has the most amazing mermaid hair.  I hope that K's hair looks like hers some day. She talked about 12 Simple Tips that we could do to improve our photography hence the title of the session(duh)  Things like turning off your flash and  take the time to find the good light. Some were basic and some maybe you just didn't take the time to think about.

The third session was one of the RSVPs "Finding the Light with Julie Rivera".  She was so funny and really showed us how to find the light no matter what time of day and what the weather was like.  I even was snapping pictures of her as she described how to find the light. And she caught me a couple of times.  Hey, I was practicing.

After she was done talking, we split up into pairs and tried to practice what she was preaching.

 I got to pair up with none other than Jessica Paige  from One Willow Presets. Of course at the time, I didn't know who she was, but when she knew a lot  about my camera and the way the light was working under the trees.... I figured it out real quick that she was a professional.  She was so patient and kind with me. 

Finding the light is something that I am still struggling  to be  able to do consistently.

Session number 4 was  "Using elements of composition to Create a stronger Image with Dana Suggs"
Ok, Dana  is a total hoot.  I could sit and listen to her talk all day , or go shopping, or have a drink as she imparted her wisdom.  During her session, if she asked a question and you got it right, she threw you a candy bar. We were all trying to be really smart that  hour :) Just to give you an idea of my first impression of her, Friday night there was a "dream big "chalkboard that we were supposed to write our big dreams on. I saw one that read " I want to pee alone."  I laughed and said "Now, there's a lofty goal."   to which she replied" Hey, now."

Her session talked about things like:
- The rule of thirds ( no horizon lines in the middle of image)
-Rule of Odds ( odds are always better in photography)
-Leading Lines ( put your subject on a line to draw our eyes in)
- the Rule of Space ( give the eye something to go to)

Session 5 was "Capturing Children's Natural Smiles with Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman" . This class was so eye opening to me. She told us to really engage the kids. Don't' stop moving. Don't be afraid to be and act crazy.  Say things that will make them laugh and do things that will make them relax with you. Kids are more natural when they have something to do and react to.  I was so busy running after her that the only picture I took was of her taking pictures.  I really hope I can have the connection  that she has with her clients  but with mine own clients someday.

Session 6 was "How to Use Pinterest & Instagram to market  Your Business and Blog with Amy Locurto".  This session had a lot of info and I'm not even sure I can do it justice in a few short words.  So maybe bullet points would be easier:

Pinterest
-use keywords
-put a Pinterest description in Photo alt tag
-Pin your own work
-Use vertical photos
-Use a watermark or put your url in the description
-Edit old blog posts or photos for Pinterest
-Put your popular pins on the sidebar of your blog

Instagram
-try to be consistent with your brand ( not just pictures of your food unless your a food photographer)
- use hashtags
-comment and share others photos

Finally, our keynote speaker was Tamara Lackey.  She spoke for a few hours about how it IS about the Money.  Maybe I'm not as far along in my business to get all of what she she said because alot of it went over my head. It could have been that I was flipping starving by now or tired but the gist of what she said was...Don't think of money as a bad thing.  If you don't welcome it in, it won't come visit you at all. You are being a creative being and you deserve to make money from your creativity.  You should get paid for time away from your family and for your efforts.

I know she said alot more than that but that's what I got from her talk.

All I know is after that Michelle and I ran to the nearest bar/restaurant in town and  some food and some beer. We.....were....starving.


Stay tuned  for part 2 with some more gorgeous photos.

Photography: Family/Kid Session with C & B

Back before Christmas, my super awesome neighbors asked me if I could take some pictures of their young men. These guys are the best so I jumped at the chance to photograph some tween/ teen boys. I brought them to one of my favorite spots. They were really great and did everything I asked them to including "act natural" which meant kinda pounding on each other,head locks, and jokes at each other expense. It was pretty cool. I think I see some senior pictures in my future....right, C?

Wanna see more, come over and like my Emily Hughes Photography Facebook Page

Second Shooting a wedding Part Duex

Remember  how I second shot a wedding last year?   I was super lucky enough back in the fall of 2012 to get hired on as a Second Shooter for Karen at  Karen Hendrix Photography.  My sister happened to know someone that used her and she posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for a second shooter for 4 fall weddings that she would be shooting.  I met with her, found out  I could get paid ( woo hoo), and get experience from a pro. How great is that?  She interviewed a few other people but I got the position.

I really learned alot from Karen about how shooting  a wedding works:  how to balance your time, the clients needs, and  still be creative at the same time.   Of the 4 weddings,  the first was down at the Four Seasons on the Landing in Downtown Saint Louis.  It was quite a first wedding to do with her.... huge wedding party and almost all indoors. Indoor shots are still more of  a challenge than the outside shots for me.

Here's a little peak and if you want to see more head over to my photoblog.

Where should you print your pictures?

(F.Y.I..... I did all this research to find good quality on the consumer-not-pay-too-much side of photos. Just my o-pin-ion. Just another option{smile} )

Imagine you just paid to have some great photographer :)  take your family pictures.  You purchased your  15-20 digital images on a disk and now it's in your hot little hand. You can't wait to go print them out somewhere, but where? Not all photo labs are created equal.  I noticed a while ago that some of them gave me different results so I wanted to share that with you.

I decided to print out one picture at six different labs, some in town and some online, some in town BUT with online access too. Confused? I hope not.

The labs  I tested this time were:

Walgreens ( nationwide in-store/online 1 hour lab)

Sam's Club ( nationwide in-store/ online 1 hour lab-Does every state have them? )

Creve Coeur Camera  ( in town/online access STL camera store/lab)

MPix ( online only consumer division of Millers Pro Lab)

Shutterfly ( online only)

Diversified Lab ( professional photo lab here in the STL)

You deserve to get the most consistent results from your digital files that you can. You should see the same color and quality in your prints as you do when you view them on your computer screen.  That being said...the pro labs will always give you the best color and  quality. Getting prints through your photographer is always the best way to go.

I understand the need to save some moola so that is why I did this test. I know most the folks I take photos of now ( here in the STL)  want the digital files and want to go get prints out and about.

Here are some of the things you should be looking for when you print your images:

Type of paper
Do you want your picture to be glossy or not glossy? It really does change the look/feel  of most images. Some photo places give you a choice, some don't.  Don't be surprised. If you don't know or can't tell from their site, throw them an email and ask.

Cropping preview ( again... a whole other blog post)

When you print anything above the size of 4x6, there is going to be some cropping that happens. If you are ordering a vertical picture, the cropping will be on the top and bottom. If you are ordering a horizontal image, the cropping will be on the left and right.  You may lose some of the image that you don't necessarily want to . That's why previewing your crop is so important.  Look for a place that let's YOU decide where you want to crop and then let's you preview it.

Too Dark or too light or weird color
 You don't want your images to be way darker than you intended or way lighter.  Like I said , they should look very close to what you see on your computer screen ( for the most part). Test out a few places yourself, you might be surprised like I was. Some you will definitely notice a color whether it's yellow, red, or blue.

I used the picture of  Louie above to check for color, clarity, and lightness/darkness in my prints. I sent the same exact file that I had corrected to six different photo labs. I wanted all of them to print as is but as you will see, that  didn't always happen.  To be fair,  I also think my monitor needs to be calibrated.  That just means that you buy a little contraption that helps you to make your screen as neutral as you can so your prints don't have too much of any one color at any time. But I digress, that's a whole other blog post.

Here are all of the prints laying together so you can see the differences with them close up.

1) Walgreens

The only option you have as far as paper goes for a  one hour print in any size is glossy.  Now, I'm not knocking glossy but sometimes you want it and sometimes you don't. My image came out dark and I lost alot of detail in anything that was even sort of shaded.  I usually only use them in situations where I need something asap like a school poster for K.  You do get the option on how you want to crop your picture so make sure you use it. ( see image below)

2) MPix

This one was pretty good. It was a little on the warm (orangey) side compared to my screen but all of the details were in the shadows. And it was in a matte  (non-glossy) paper which I wanted. They offer the cropping tool as well. ( see image below)

3) Diversified Lab

They offered me some test prints to test the color between my monitor and their printers. It was still off , a little too yellow/orange compared to my screen.  Over all the lightness  and details of the picture were good. They also got it to me very quickly. They offered many different types of paper: matte, glossy, metallic, etc.  Lots to choose from based on the kid of image you would have. As  I chose any given size , they had a very easy to use  cropping tool that left nothing to the imagination.  What I saw, was what I got. They also have the option to  not( see image below)

4) Creve Coeur Camera

This one was one of the top three for me. It was probably the best as far as looking like my screen. It was the right lightness and the details were all there.  They have the crop tool  along with a setting that says " no color correction" .  That is important when you receive digital files from your photographer as they have taken the time to edit and enhance all of the images they have given you. They also give you a choice of paper.

5) Sams Club

Again, just like Walgreens, very dark and I lost all details in the shadows. yuck.  That being said I have used them for 4x6 album prints in the past but know I'm wondering  how good my prints would have looked from somewhere else. I would only use them in  pinch if I really had to. Someone told me Costco was really good but I don't have a membership there so I don't know.( see image below)


6) Shutterfly

This one was again very close  to my screen....good lightness, good details and decent color.  I got the glossy here and I don't know whay I chose that.  You only have the choice of matte in prints bigger than 11x14 here in case you like the gloss.I would definitely order other images from them. And as they seem to always be running some kind of special, it would be good for  your wallet as well.( see image below)

Can you see what  I am taking about with the details? And the color?  Look at his eyes... only in some images can you tell there is some brown in there.  Or that you can see the pattern of his fur.


I think I would rate my favs as  Creve Coeur and with a tie between Mpix and Shutterfly.  I hope this helps you decide on where to take your pictures.  I know there are so many other photo labs you can go to and this is all just my opinion. There might even be some better than these.  I just know that I do my best to take awesome pictures and when they  don't turn out awesome being printed.  I get  kinda mad.

So where do you go for pictures and do you love them? Tell me so I can go try them out and report back to you.  Happy photo taking!

Monday
What is the Gunny Sack -Making the world Cuter -Debbie Doo -DIY Show Off
-I should be mopping the Floor


Tuesday
 Tip Junkie - My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia -The Kurtz Corner
Sugar Bee - Romance On A Dime -The Winthrop Chronicles

Wednesday
 Someday Crafts - Sew Much Ado
 -SNAP

Thursday
Beyond the Picket Fence - Somewhat Simple - Live Laugh Rowe
- The Shabby Cottage The Taylor House- House of Hepworths 
Two In Diapers-Mommy Brain Mixer


Friday
Naptime Crafters - Stay At Home Nation
Young and Crafty -  My Turn(ForUs)
Delicate Construction
Serenity Now


Saturday

Six Sister's Stuff

Cheerios and Lattes

Furry Kids Photo Session

I was honored enough to photograph the dogs of my godmother and godfather a few weeks ago. I've tried to for years but usually with my kids near by...it doesn't work out so well.  The dogs get distracted and you know how that goes :)

Having had dogs since I was born ( my first dog Trinket was 1 when I was born) I love taking photos of  anyone's furry family members.  I know how they work and what to try to get them to behave as best as they can.

Click the link below to see more cute pictures of their furry kids.

Furry Kids Photo Session with the Schafer Dogs

Family Session-The Dibbles

I'm a little excited to say that recently I have had a bunch of friends ask me take some family pictures. Some you have already seen Little Miss M's Birthday Party. I've always loved taking pictures so this is a win-win for me.  There's still so much I need to learn.  I'm still in the beginning sages of everything when it comes to this. Especially the business side, craziness!

I've decided to start another blog just for my photo stuff so that this blog doesn't  get bogged down.

Emily Hughes Photography

Here is a sneak peak of of their session....click over to see some more ;)