Behind the Scenes 5: Wacom Intuos 4 Professional Tablet

  

After having some trouble with my wrists (and seeing live demos at the photography convention in Pasadena), we finally bought a Wacom Intuos 4 Professional Tablet (small). I've only had it for 3 days and it's a little hard to get used to, but already I can feel the difference... no more wrist pain, no more fatigue from editing, even after several hours... and I still haven't learned all that it can do. You can see a video of the tablet being used here. I'm happy the tablet also has compatibility with drawing programs (I actually think that's what it was originally meant for) because I'm hoping that my husband will get back into drawing by using it too.

Behind the Scenes 4: Adobe Lightroom

          Finally, I have Lightroom 3, the latest software in professional digital photography! I was using Photoshop Elements for a long time--then they sent me a promotion in the mail to buy Lightroom for only $99 (it's usually $299). What a buy! I have been incredibly busy with schoolwork lately, but my good friend Vivien asked me if I would photograph her 11th grade students for their poetry books. Over the weekend I loaded Friday's shoot into Lightroom and was surprised at how intuitive it really is. I love the "punch" feature and of course the vignetting, a style lots of photographers use for portraits.

          Friday's shoot was exhausting but a lot of fun. I only photographed 37 students and still was exhausted! (This one was one of my favorites... it makes me want to shoot seniors!) I'm going back this Friday to shoot more. So at least, behind the scenes, I'm pushing on! (click once to enlarge)

Behind the Scenes 2: My First Proof Box from Cypress

        K&L's wedding packaging included this 5X5 proof box and a matching dvd folio (not pictured).
  
        February turned out to be quite the stressful month; it took nearly five weeks for Cypress to process my order (granted, they were closed one week for WPPI as well as on President's Day) and the quality of the other disc printing company I used turned out to be even worse than Discmakers. I even struggled getting the proof prints made with Bayphoto because all my digital files were so large. Bayphoto came through for me, though, as did Cypress.

                                
  The beauty of a 5x5 print

Here's what I learned:
      *Cypress's 1000-print proof box only holds about 950 prints, without wiggle room. Next time, allow an extra 50-100 print space.
      *Decrease image sizes before uploading. It will take a lot less time and hassle.
      *Expect about a four-week turnaround time. Editing the photos took about two weeks (I took around 2000 photos and narrowed it down to 950); the proofs came about two days after I ordered them, which wasn't a problem, but the Cypress order took much longer.

        I also learned that all the stressing I did over the whole thing wasn't worth it (is it ever?). At moments I thought I would actually pull my hair out I was so frustrated. But by about the first week of March, the package was finally mailed off. I felt a great sense of satisfaction and a huge weight lifted. A few days later I was stunned by the check I received in the mail. I wrote Katie to thank her, and she replied with this:

Hi Ashley,

You're so welcome!  I feel like it's not enough for the amount of work that you did.  The photos and their packaging are absolutely lovely.  Everyone is commenting about it on Facebook.  Your presence and expertise were such a gift for our special day, and I wish we could do more to reward you for that! Now, to MyPublisher!

Love, Katie

(I saw the 5x5 print size inside a beautiful proof box when I visited Cypress last fall and decided then and there it would be my proof size. The actual photo does not take up the complete paper space (obviously); I thought this was actually beneficial because it helps isolate the image to help a person with enlargement decisions.)

        I guess the thing I'm wondering now is whether or not I'll ever do this again. I hope to. Certainly, if someone asks me, I think I know what my answer will be.

Photo Shoot 12, January 2011

Katie & Luke
1.30.11

Last Sunday, I flew up to Sunol, California to shoot my first wedding as lead (and sole!) photographer at Elliston Vineyards. I'm glad I did it because I learned a lot -- about my equipment, about weddings, about time constraints, about needing help!

Lessons learned:

*First of all, I worked too many hours without a break. I was too tired by the end of the night (I worked from about 9:30am to 7pm!); there was definitely the possibility for human error to seep in towards the end of the day. It could've happened -- but it didn't, praise the heavens! But the truth is, I wanted to be with the bride from start to finish. When I shadowed Valyssa's photographers at her wedding (Photo Shoot 6), I sensed the need for a photographer to be with her all day; thus it was my personal goal to do so with Katie. But seriously. I'm not Wonder Woman! Lesson: Next time, get serious about hiring help. An assistant could have photographed everything that didn't involve people (reception hall, centerpieces, favors, programs, decorations, etc.) I actually wrote that in my notes from last time. I guess I thought I could handle it. . .

Just a side note: A tremendous thank-you to Antonio, my good friend from Whittier College, who just happened to be a guest at the wedding, and who filled in (yet again!) as the last-minute extemporaneous photographer's assistant, usher, party-favor manager and coordinator (lavender-throwing), and the best all-purpose people director in the world! Another huge kiss! (Right: Antonio luring flower girl, Violet)

*I had actually planned on taking an hour or so for lunch because I knew I would need the break, but I lost track of time at the salon (where we spent the morning); I ended up only having about 15 minutes in between salon and hotel because Katie was already ahead of me. Lesson: Plan out the day & take personal breaks. Tell the bride I intend to plan for that so in case there's a moment "I miss," I won't be to blame because it was planned from the beginning. (Of course I thought about taking a break at the salon. But I didn't want to miss anything!)

*Even though I was dutifully prepared, once we arrived at the venue, things were very stressful. Not only did we have less time than I had anticipated, but it was raining -- all challenges for a first-timer. So I began prioritizing. (And suddenly I became the director of things. That was an amazing feeling!) I knew the "first look" was a priority (I didn't know this term before last weekend: it's the industry term for when the bride & groom first see each other), as was the wedding party -- so that's where I began. With the ceremony time closing in (4pm), I had to tie it up, and I still had a list of items I needed to get through with the bride and groom! Lesson: Be more strict about following the pre-planned schedule. Ask the bride & groom to be sure to be at the venue (or appointed place) no later than 15 minutes after the originally appointed time. Other than being on time for the ceremony, I now believe this is the next most important appointment to keep on a wedding day! (Fortunately, we got lucky with the weather -- the rain eased up around 3:30 and there were enough cloud breaks to continue the photos and ceremony as planned!)


Beautiful things:

*I was more than prepared battery-wise. I brought 4 Canon batteries, fully charged, my new battery grip and 50 extra AAs just in case. I only used two of the Canon batteries, which I have discovered are very well made and last quite a long time. I could've used a flash pack so my flash would reboot faster but, finances aside, my Speedlite did a great job.

*I typed up all my notes and thought about them forwards and backwards for months beforehand, and I retyped them the night before. And they actually served me well on the day of. A little unwieldy to carry maybe, but they worked!

*Pre-planning is key: the day before (during the rehearsal), I decided where all the pictures would take place beforehand. It worked out great!

*Once at the venue, I was fast and efficient with the time frame I had. No one became over tired or grouchy.

*I remained with the bride. All day. And I loved every moment of it.

Post-production is still on-going, but here are just a few of my favorites so far. (I will post again when my packaging arrives! Exciting!) Until then, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this and especially to thank you for your enduring support and love. I don't know that I could've done it without you. (Sorry -- I know "you" is a floating pronoun and somewhat impersonal, but all of my antecedents know who they are. . .  I love you!)

(Click once to enlarge)

Behind the Scenes 1: Photo Packaging from Cypress Albums

Greetings, loyal fans! I have been spending a lot of time lately on thinking about, researching, and ordering photo packaging and branding. Here's the scoop!

Determined to find the most quality photo presentation products on the market, I finally found a company called Cypress (cypressalbums.com). Thankfully they are located in Glendale, so I was able to drive over there one weekend last fall to check out their stuff in person. 

I tend to have champagne taste, so I wanted to make sure these keepsake products were as good as they looked online. They were better.

The company doesn't have a separate store, but merely a showroom to the side of their workshop (which is, from another paper-lover's point of view, VERY cool to see in person!) dedicated to the display of several samples of their fine work. I was totally enamored. I fell in love with just about everything. (No one actually saw me come in at first; I was glad for this because I wanted all the time in the world to be able to browse and enjoy myself on my own!) Considering my current business needs, I particularly fell in love with their dvd folios and proof boxes.

When I read about the proprietor of Cypress, I learned that she was an artist herself, and when, as a bride, she couldn't find the type of quality and style in an album she was looking for, she "learned the ancient art of bookmaking" and started her own company. Her products are exquisite and 100% handmade. They carry albums, boxes, and folios of all kinds. What's also neat is they will work with photographers individually to come up with custom designs (they sell to professional photographers only!). Most of their products are custom anyway because they're handmade with a customer's choice of silk fabric and ribbon. Exciting!

I finally took the plunge for my most recent order. When perusing Cypress's blog, I found photos of this dvd folio: (click once to enlarge)

I thought the colors were basic and lovely, so I went for it (black silk, cranberry ribbon). Notice how the name of the photographer peeks out from the right side of the folio. (Yvette Roman Photography)

I don't have a cd printer, so I did some research and found other photographers who had used a company called Discmakers. I ordered 3 blank printed dvds; 4 came. The order also took approximately 3 weeks. I was not happy about this. And to top it off, the quality of the on-disc printing was sub-standard; my logo and the printing of the client's name at the bottom were pixelated (however, you won't be able to tell from these photos). I guess I will have to keep experimenting with quality disc printing.

Pixelation problems aside, I feel very satisfied about the way my first order turned out. And my client was even more thrilled. She received something beautiful and special that she can display in her home and treasure for years to come. The presentation of the dvd inside the folio made the entire experience even more meaningful.

I also had Cypress emboss my studio name on the back (not pictured) and ordered some stickers from Zazzle (average quality; I think I'll end up just making my own). Cypress wraps the folio in parchment; I added my sticker and voila! A beautiful order completed.

For your (and my) pleasure, I also found several other examples of Cypress specialties at various other photographers' websites. Here are a few of my favorites . . .

Custom proof box with 3 small window openings on the cover (looks like 5x7s?)

Photos courtesty originalKIDSbyTA.com





Album with custom box (dvd folio tucked into front cover of custom box)

Photos courtesty originalKIDSbyTA.com

Wedding album with custom box

Flush-mounted Iris album, courtesy
http://carriepatterson.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/experiencing-the-cypress-album/

I can't wait to share all my future Cypress orders with you. 

Thank you as always for your loyal support and love. 

All the best in 2011, 

Ashley

Photo Shoot 11, December 2010

Just after Christmas, a friend of mine from school hired me to photograph her family before her husband left for D.C. Their little boy is beautiful, and as a group, they were really playful together which really helped me get some great shots.

We started at Friendship Park in San Pedro, then drove over to the Trump Golf Club (there is also public access, which I didn't know before they took me there) for the golden light of the evening sun.

This shoot turned out to be one of my favorites of all time. It was a real challenge trying to capture the beauty of the scenery while also shooting in the direct sun and getting the right angle and expressions! But I got some real gems. Here are a few of my favorites.

(Click once to enlarge)