{Musings and Insights...Submission info from Green Wedding Shoes}

Happy Tuesday my lovelies!!

 First thing I try to do before I get unbundled from my bed is answer emails, then browse my daily reads ( I like to be up to date with current events and to get inspired first thing...awesome!),...which includes a wide variety of sites and one of my favorites is the uber talented and ultra creative, Green Wedding Shoes Wedding Blog. 

As I was perusing tips and tricks from Jasmine Star's insightful blog for photographers, Jen from GWS was a guest poster with some helpful tips for Submitting to Wedding Blogs. I thought I would share a few of her tips with you because one of my goals in 2012 is to submitt more and build networks and maybe it will help you too! 

 Also, my goal is to share more info for photographers on my blog...so here is this weeks

Musings and Insights... with words from Jen of GWS...enjoy! 

From Jen..." 1. Read Submission Guidelines. Each blog is different and likely has their preferred method of accepting and reviewing submissions (you can see the GWS submission guideline here). You can easily find their guidelines in their navigation and once you do, please read them and follow them. The easiest way to get your submission reviewed is to follow the preferred submission method for the blog to which you're submitting.....the opposite is also true, ignore the preferred submission method and there's a good chance that the same will happen to your submission. At GWS, we still review each submission, but those that adhere to our preferred submission methods will have a better chance of getting featured.

2. Be Selective When Submitting. Most of the top wedding blogs share only exclusive weddings and styled shoots. We work hard to share unique features with our readers, so we're looking to share weddings that won't be seen on two or three other blogs that same week. That doesn't mean that we'll never share a wedding that's already been featured on another site, but if your submission has already been featured....be up front if about it and let the Editor know when it was shared and on which blog.

Also, when initially submitting a wedding, submit it to just one blog and wait to hear from them before submitting elsewhere. If you send a mass email to five or more wedding bloggers and ask, "Who wants it?" , which happens quite often, the answer will likely be No One. My advice is to review your portfolio, select a shoot or two that work for a particular blog's style and submit only there and tell the Editor why you selected their blog. As an Editor, I appreciate Photographers that are selective with their submissions and definitely remember their selectivity when I receive future submissions from them.

Obviously not every submission will be accepted, so if an Editor doesn't feel your submission is a fit, figure out the next best match for your shoot and submit there.

3. Give the Editor Time to Review Your Submission. I receive over a hundred submissions each week and I look at each and every one. I appreciate the time and effort taken to submit, so I believe its only fair that I review each submission. However, given the large number of submissions, it typically takes a few days until I get to a submission after it's been sent.

Each blog is different, but the GWS policy is that I will respond to you within 12 days. If 12 days have passed (or however long the blogger you submitted stated it would take them) and you still haven't heard back from me - yes, I do try hard to respond back to each and every submission with a yes or no - then please follow up. A simple "I sent you a submission 2 weeks ago and haven't heard back. If I don't hear anything by XX date I will be submitting elsewhere." works and then I can make sure to review and let you know.

4. Don't Send High Res Photos. Since your photos will be presented online and not in print, photos delivered at 72 dpi and not more than 900 pixels wide are sufficient. Anything larger risks filling up the Editor's inbox and increasing the time it takes for the Editor to downsize your images so they can be used on their blog. 

At GWS, I prefer images 650 pixels wide, but 900 pixels should cover all blogs.

8. Styled Shoots. If you're working on a styled shoot and have a blog in mind that you would love to get featured on, email the Editor in advance to share your idea. If the Editor is interested, they'll likely have feedback or suggestions to ensure that your shoot is a fit for their site. This gives you a much better chance of having your hard work pay off with a feature on your preferred blog."

These are a few of my take away passages, but there is more info on Jasmine Star's blog too! Thanks to Jen for sharing!! 

xoxo

{Green Fresh Florals} San Diego Florist and Design

Hello and good day to you! I want to share a fantastic vendor with you! I am completely impressed with Green Fresh Florals in San Diego! Why you may ask?

Well, I recently had a Styled Engagement Session and I needed some flowers to complete the look.

 My husband and I go to Hillcrest all the time for its yummy food and great shops. We have passed by this Flower shop a dozen times and I had always wanted to go in ( their shop looks uber cute from the outside)! So, when this shoot arrived in my inbox I decided I would give them a try. Quickly, I emailed Travis and he was incredibly helpful and generous with his time. 

I cannot say enough good things about their customer service, design aesthetic, flower selection, and their just all around good people. 

By the way, they did not pay me to say this...I love to sharing and giving back. 

Now for some pics of the gorgeous florals they created for our shoot...

 A little teaser of the Styled Engagement Shoot...

 I adore the colors of the mini-daisies, fluffy garden roses, billy balls, and sweet aster.

 Placing a few buds into vintage soda bottles adds a lovely dimension to these gorgeous blooms...

 Found this delicately printed "I love you" ribbon from The Lonely Heart on Etsy. 

 I am swooning over these blooms!!!!

You should totally check out Green Fresh Florals for your next event...

Wedding, Party, Annivesary, or Just Because flowers are awesome occasion. 

Thanks to Travis and Carlos at Green Fresh Florals for the fantastic help with this shoot!! 

Happy Day to you!!!

xoxo

{Musings & insights...Genuine kid portraits?}

A big Hello to you!! Today, in an attempt to catalog, share, and grow...I thought I would begin a series of posts designed to bring helpful tips to others who love photography. I call it, "Musings and insights." Todays topic is... Genuine Kid Portraits.
Honestly, my first child Portrait session I was shaking in my Steve Madden flats. A bazzilion thoughts were streaming through my consciousness..."what should I say? Where should we sit? What poses should I use? How do I get them to smile? What if they cry?" and in a whirl wind the session was over and I realized...OMG! I loooved photographing kids! 

Over the course of my business I have picked up a few things that work well for me when wanting to capture genuine expressions, hopefully they help...I am not claiming to be an expert, these are just a few insights that hopefully help someone out there in the blogosphere:)...here we go!

It may take time to warm up:

 In preparation for their Session, I will email the parent to ask what their child likes, about their personality, what toys they love or colors, this way I can be prepared on all levels.  I first meet a child, they are often shy, but I get down to their level and say hello! I try not to let their shyness detour me from talking to them. I know this seems simple, but making the child feel important is a way to connect with them on a basic human level. 

I always treat them with a big smile and sometimes a treat or a toy ( if it's ok with the parents).  As we start the session we have more action shots, I will just let them run and play, then I will join in and show the child their pictures. This normally gets them excited about how great they look or what a fun time they are having and after a few minutes...whammo... they aren't worried about me, but about being in the moment. 

(Side note: not all photos have to be smiles...the mom of this cutie patootie... told me this was her daughters favorite face to make and that she loved how it showed her true personality.)

Be observant:

The little boy below was super shy. He kept hiding and did not want his photo taken, plus he wouldn't smile for anything. Except when I saw he was interested in climbing a stone wall, but his parents were busy. I asked if I could take him to the wall and he said yes. I jumped at the opportunity to find something he would smile for. This shot was taken as he happily walked across the stone wall while his parents were busy changing their daughter. I showed him this pic and from then on he was all smiles.  Sometimes, older kids get more natural when their parents aren't telling them what to do or to smile. It can be fun and a great bonding moment. 

Also, observing when to move to the next location or activity. Sometimes, we want to squeeze in the 5 locations, 3 outfit changes, and a gazzilion pre-planned shots that we forget to observe our clients and how they are reacting to it all.  If a child is super stoked on a leaf, he is smiling and laughing, then I want to interrupt that joy to get them to go climb a tree we pre selected. Um hold up wait a minute...let your client have fun! You can still get the tree shot, but be patient. This concept took me awhile because I was so eager to get all my shots in instead of capturing the moments in between. At the same token knowing when to move on is important too. 

Be ready: 

 I had to constantly remind myself don't put my camera down when I first started. This was a constant battle for me because when my client laughs I would laugh, when my client told a story I would put my camera down and listen. It is just a natural reaction, right!? But, gosh, I missed some great shots because I didn't want to be rude. Now I know I am not being rude and my camera is always ready. I still engage with the client, laughing at jokes, listening to stories and I do put my camera down slightly in different circumstances, but had to practice multi-tasking between listening to a story, laughing, and taking pictures. 

Be interested in what the child is interested in:

Don't get caught up in, "I have to get that pose or this shot mode." Part of truly capturing a genuine portrait is bringing genuine moments out in your client. So, if you are stressed and anxious that will rub off on your clients. My rule of thumb is if they like the cool rock in the field, then I like the cool rock in the field. 

I had a little girl who looooved to roar like a lion, so instead letting it hinder my shoot, we made a game out of it and we would roar together, then after she would giggle and laugh at me, which gave me the perfect opportunity to capture her true personality. 

It's ok to be silly:

Sometimes as photographers, we feel we need to be professional, dress a certain way, and maintain control, but with Kid Sessions all that goes out the window. We are there to bring out the best in our clients, no matter how old. I truly believe being silly is an advantage and brings peoples guards down even if they are 5. Plus, it is fun! 

Under 1 year  is where singing, showing them different toys, dancing silly, and making funny noises often brings a smile to their face. I also, find playing peek a boo with my camera can make a child look right at me and smile, which is awesome!

Over 2 years, giving them actions and playing games happens more often. 

Posing is not neccessary: 
In my opinion, when photographing kids, posing is not neccessary. Like I said this is my opinion. I enjoy candid, spontaneous images that bring out the child's true personality. So, instead of posing them I will give them an action, like we are playing a game of tag and I ask them to freeze or  play Simon Says and they don't even realize I am posing them. In the photo above the child was eating Mac n' cheese and having a great time, my husband went with it and I love this photo of her. The turquoise is just a plastic table cloth wrinkled on the grass and pink paper plates with mac n' cheese all over...way to work a scene Parker!

In none of these images did I ask the child to smile or do a certain pose. They did it on their own.  Taking pics of kids can be incredibly intimidating, but incredibly rewarding if you loosen up and have fun!

 I hope this helps and I wish you all the best with your Child Session adventures :)!

Happy Wednesday!

{Can't stop Pinning...}

I often feel that I may have an addictive personality...eventhough I don't have any addictions. 

Pinterest is amaaaazing! I can say... I am addicted! I love the features of social networking, but drawing tons of inspiration at the same time. I love that you have all your favorite, wacky, fun images saved in one spot and the website info is just a click away. It's like a virtual cork board...how great is that!? 

So when I am on a diet...I can still collect all these wonderful desserts without the guilt :) 

(Photographer: Unknown) if you know who took this, let me know :)

Happy Pinning!!!! 

{Rue}

Rue is a fantastic, fun, and original new design magazine!

 If you live and love design as much I do, then you will flip for this! Enjoy! 

Happy Tuesday!

Night photography tips

Parker and I were given a used tripod, but it's new to us:) (Thanks Micheal!You are the best). So we decided it would be fun at 11:30pm to take some pics of downtown San Diego and use our new tripod. We seriously had the best time and stayed out until 1am (Who needs sleep anyway).

* All photos taken with a 50mm 1.4, a level tripod, in manual mode, and a Canon 7d. 

(These are all straight out of camera)

 Exposure 30 sec and 22 aperture setting. While the shutter was open a boat with a green light sped by. Awesome!

I've seen this before and Parker had a flash light on his i phone. Let me tell you it's hard to write in the air:).It says "love" in case you were wondering. 

* 20 sec/ 13

The following pic is a little fun with bokeh, which I love! 

*15 sec/ 1.4 /Manual focus 

Some tips for night photography

1. Try to pick somewhere dark with not too much ambient light.

2. Higher apertures keep light focused.

3. For long exposures use a tripod or something really stable (note: human tripods don't always work.

4.If you don't have a shutter release cable use the timer to reduce camera shake.

5. Patience

6. Go with someone who likes photography as much as you:).

These are a few things I learned and I hope you had a great weekend! 

Designaglow- photographer's info

   Designaglow

image by designaglow

Happy Saturday! I am super excited to share a great resource for all you photographers out there...

designaglow

This is a website that offers templates of all kinds, contracts, tips, studio books, marketing items, and much much more. I adore this website and it has helped my business brand. Remember, Be unique! Be you!

On a business note: I have a lot of sessions coming up in the next two weeks that I am super excited about.

Not only do we get to hang out with great people, but we get to take their pictures too! How cool is that!

Have a LOVELY weekend!

Epiphanie Bag

After much debate and weeks of research...I finally gave in! I purchased an Epiphanie Camera Bag. 

One thing I really loved about this camera bag is that it doesn't look like a camera bag. It's stylish, yet super functional. I want to use it on trips and it would have come in handy at the wedding last weekend-darn, why didn't I think of that earlier.

I bought the "Lola" in black and am so excited to use it. This feeling reminds me of Christmas morning when I was 5 and I saw a Strawberry Shortcake bicycle under the tree, wrapped up with a big bow, built and everything!

When I get the bag I will do a full review of it and let you know what I think, but for now here are some images...

images from Beyond Snapshots

***Disclaimer: My shootsac is still my go to for sessions and weddings. 

Happy  Friday!