Share the Love #4

I found a fantastic tip at photojojo: There's a new website that offers simultaneous uploading to your preferred photo sites. No more of this:

Log on to Facebook.
Upload.
Log on to Picasa.
Upload.
Log on to YouTube.
Upload.
Log on to Blogger.
Upload.
Log on to . . . you get the picture.

Instead, head over to pixelpipe, upload your photos, choose where you want them sent (i.e., photobucket and Facebook), and then sit back and relax while pixelpipe does the hard stuff. Easy peasey :)

You can read the whole article here (and by the way, subscribe to photojojo's funky-awesome newsletter while you're at it!).

My Sugar Baby

grasshoppers

I'm a little slow with my posting this week... I was going to do some quick editing over my lunch break today, but as soon as I walked into the apartment, I get a knock on the door.

It's the drywall guy, ready and waiting to replace part of the ceiling in our bedroom. Without calling first. Grrrr. Thus, my editing will wait until tomorrow! The upshot? I got to eat lunch at a cutsie sandwich shop; I sat at a table outside, chowed down on a delicious reuben, and soaked in the sun :) Late September afternoons in Chicago are amazing!!!

Another random thought: apparently, September is grasshopper season in Chicago. On my walk to work every morning, these little buggers attack me, flying out from the prairie grass next to the sidewalk and getting smashed under the shoes of businessmen in a hurry to catch the train. Sick!!

All that to say, more pictures coming soon :)

: Heidi and Hal :

Heidi and Hal, two very dear friends from my church, are absolutely perfect for each other. Heidi is cheerful, bouncy, giggly, and happy. Hal is steady, a little more reserved, and has an hysterical sense of humor. These two probably laughed all the way to Italy, where they're spending their honeymoon right now :) Here are some pictures from their wedding day...

The wedding was at a cozy place called the Gaslite Manor, on a rainy Friday night. How romantic is that?!


The maid of honor was Heidi's sister. I love her face in this picture:






Kiss!!


Mr. and Mrs. Wezeman!




Heidi was absolutely radiant.

Share the Love #3

Friday again :) Here's my quick tip of the day (by the way, I'm hoping to get a few more pics up from last week's wedding later on today!):

Have you heard of F-Stop Beyond? Basically, videographer Ron Dawson has taken it upon himself to record interviews with amazing photographers and release them to the public... for free. Honestly, listening to some of these shows is almost as good as having a real-life photography mentor. The other day, I listened to Ron interview Cliff Mautner, one of the world's best wedding photographers. Want to know one of the key things I took away from it? Cliff talked about the importance of finding your own style, instead of scanning blogs, trying to mimic someone else's. Find inspiration in your own talent, and do something different from what everyone else is doing!

You can subscribe to the podcast or review past episodes here.

sneak peak

Due to record rains in Chicago over the weekend (resulting in a washed-out football game, canceled soccer games, flooded basements, and a leaky skylight), things didn't turn out exactly as planned. We did make it to the wedding on Friday night, however!

I've been behind on my editing, because of a nasty cold; regardless, here's a sneak peek from Friday's wedding:



More to come!

Share the Love #2

Is it Friday already? Where did the week go?!

Anywho, here's my tip of the week for fellow photographers: Have you heard of Dane Sanders' book, Fast Track Photographer? If not, get it NOW (you can order it here)! Written primarily for wedding photographers, this book isn't about the mechanics of photography... it's about the mechanics of you. It comes highly recommended from incredible photographers like Jasmine Star, David Jay, [b]ecker, and the like. Seriously. Read. It. Now.


It's a rainy, gloomy day in Chicago... call me crazy, but I love, love the rain! Marty and I are off to a wedding tonight; two friends from our church are getting married. Tomorrow morning, a few friends and I are going out for a yummy breakfast, before catching a college football game (Wheaton vs. my alma mater) and then spending some time with my family (middle school soccer games, here we come!).

Have a great weekend :)

chi-town

Last week, Marty and I took the train down to Chicago for dinner at Petterino's, an excellent restaurant in Chicago's theatre district.

Check out the architecture! This is at Ogilvie train station:


The Lyric Opera house (always wanted to go there...!):


Picasso!! (um... maybe it's an orangutan?)


Ok, so I really, really wanted this girl's purple shoes. So we took a picture...


Marty, in the middle of Daley Plaza: he was taking pictures of little kids playing on the Picasso; I stole the camera, ran away, and snapped this! He looks amused :)


Dessert at Petterino's!! AMAZING APPLE PIE!! (seriously, GO THERE AND TRY IT!)


Outside the restaurant: the Oriental, where Wicked is (still) playing...


And... just a pretty building.


I heart Chicago, and date nights with Marty :)

Danny : senior shoot

Since we've began our dive into the world of photography, Marty and I keep a mental checklist, a "must-remember-this" list of all things photography-related. Things on the list range from certain types of shots that are really important to a couple on their wedding day, to what aperture setting is best in direct sunlight, to what mega-bucks lens I absolutely have to have by next weekend... you get the picture :)

One thing we've added to our mental checklist is the importance of making your clients feel relaxed when you're snapping their picture. Sure, it sounds like a no-brainer, but it can definitely be tough at times, especially when there's only one person in front of the camera! (Weddings are simple, because the bride and groom aren't interested in anything else but each other... cutsie "I love you" shots and beautiful smiles are easy to come by!)

On Saturday, we shot Danny's senior photos. We really wanted to emphasize the different sides of Danny's personality: his deep, pensive side, as well as his fun sense of humor. The deep shots were easy, but capturing his lighter mood was a little tough. Because of this, Marty had to jump in and resort to some extreme measures...



HAHA! I guess it worked :)

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot:













Happy Monday!!

Share the Love #1

I recently attended David Jay's Free to Succeed Tour when it stopped in Chicago. I learned SO much in that four-hour seminar, and I met some amazing photographers... but one of the key things I took away from that night is the importance of photographers helping each other. True success comes from sharing what you know with others, as well as admitting that you still have a lot to learn, too!

As a result, from here on out, Fridays at my blog will be devoted to photographers and photography: tricks of the trade I've learned, admiration of the work of fellow photographers, and links to helpful sites. Maybe it'll be old news to some people, and really helpful for others. Whatever the case, I'm convinced that it's important to share what you've got, so I'll give it a try!

My first tip, ever: check out the Digital Photography School blog. Old pros and puppies alike can benefit from this awesome site. [Uh, yes. "Puppies" refers to baby photographers. I prefer that term, instead of "newbie," "inexperienced," or even "business-stealers"... everyone starts somewhere :) ] Whenever I've got a question about my gear or how to nail a specific shot, I try Google first, and 9 times out of 10, DPS shows up in my search results. Looking for a general category like how to break into the wedding industry? Need specific info, like what's the difference between a full-frame vs. a cropped sensor? DPS has you covered, so check it out!

Luke : senior shoot

I remember walking up to the old, single-level house. A wrinkled woman answered my mom's knock, and we were ushered through a living room with plastic covered sofas and yellow shag carpeting, back into a photography studio. Mom pulled a comb out of her purse and did her best to straighten our unruly hair. We were plopped on a stool in front of a stationary camera; the photographer instructed each of us on how to tilt our chin just right; they snapped three pictures; and we were done for another year. Ahh, the beauty of school pictures :) Thankfully, things have changed quite a bit since then!

'Tis the season for senior pictures, and for me, it doesn't involve shag carpeting or combs. I'm on the other side of the camera this time around, and I prefer a more natural setting to the vinyl backdrop of my third grade pictures :) Here are a few from Luke's senior photo shoot:









More on the way soon!