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Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
{ Petite Déjeuner } -- Mesa, AZ Food and Product Photographer
{ Petit Déjeuner....Breakfast! }
I wanted to share a tasty little breakfast food I love to prepare on occassion. My family and friends affectionately nickname me "DC" when I step inside the kitchen because I'm not exactly talented in the kitchen.....I did not inherit my Mom's amazing cooking skills. Uh...kind of the opposite. That's why they call me "DC."
For those of you who are curious, "DC" stands for "Domestically Challenged."
Yeah.
Sigh.
Chef, I am not.
BUT!
Here is the redemption!
I may not be able to whip up a casserole, but I can sure make fun little meals like this that don't require measuring or knowing how to fold eggs or knowing how to decipher other kitchen-ese jargon.
This is truly easy enough a child could make it. It's also easy enough that I can make it. Yay me! ; )
1. First, cut a croissant down the middle, but leave 1 side attached so it's hinged like a little book.
2. Put a little mayo on the inside and sprinkle lightly with garlic.
3. Put a piece or two of Provalone cheese inside.
4. Wash basil and put that in there too.
5. Wash some grapes and include those too....makes it somehow look healthier, lol.
Enjoy!
See? I can make something...
It's actually really tasty too!
I really should enroll in some HomeEc classes though, huh?
Until then, I'll affectionately keep my title of "DC."
I guess it could also stand for "Doesn't Cook."
{ Grin }
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
{ Photoshop & Lightroom Magic } -- Mesa, AZ Photographer
{ Magic }
I'm a sucker for Lightroom and Photoshop magic and have been having fun trying new techniques with my work! I love doing basic edits in Lightroom and more detailed edits in Photoshop.
Editing magic can take a photo from average to wow:
Photoshop magic is really just a series of layers and adjusting them and individual parts of your photo one step at a time.
I realized after joining Pinterest that I'm very drawn to Fall colors:
http://pinterest.com/bebaphotography/changing-seasons-fall/
and warmth:
http://pinterest.com/bebaphotography/golden-light/
and I really wanted to start bringing a lot of that warmth into my photos. That is why I chose to change the leaf colors behind the little girl to a golden color instead of green and why her skin tone has a slight sepia to it.
Each photographer interprets a photo that suites his or her own style and this golden tone happens to be mine.
What is your editing style?
Do you like warm and rich?
Light and airy?
Vintage-y and textured?
Colorful and fun?
Contrasted and black and white?
I'd love for you to share! :)
Friday, August 5, 2011
{ Be An Original } -- Mesa, AZ Photographer
{ Be An Original }
"Be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else."
--Audrey Hepburn
I love seeing all of the different styles that photographers have created and interwoven throughout their work. There is a magical charm about each style and it's fun to see the personalities of each digital artist coming out through the work that they are presenting. The truly masterful have created a style set apart from the rest.
As a photographer, it is vital to develop a style that is uniquely and intensely "you" -- something that sets you apart from the rest as different and something that echoes the ramblings of your heart at its very core.
Too often, photographers are tempted to go with the popular and many a time, a person will find themselves looking at a series of photos that look entirely beautiful....but all the same.
The same props.
The same lighting.
The same costumes.
The same poses.
Though beautiful, it becomes repetitive and in time, it's hard to distinguish one photographer from the next because everything is shared and the same.
When Anne Geddes first arrived on the scene, babies everywhere started getting put into giant flowerpots with flowers on their heads. It was a nice gesture to Ms. Geddes and I'm sure quite flattering....but the creativity of so many photographers became stagnated by copying ideas for their own work. It was probably just as beautiful as Ms. Geddes work, but the same, nonetheless.
That's not to say that a photographer cannot glean inspiration from photos that he or she likes.
But they key is analyzing what makes the photo so appealing -- the individual elements that unify together to make it so pleasing to the eye -- and trying to capture the essence of those things and put them together into his or her own work with a personal spin on it. The goal should be to glean techniques from and not to replicate. To capture the essence and the feeling of what's being displayed without copying it.
It's a challenge for sure!
But it's oh, so worth it! Each person and each photographer is so uniquely different and the variations in people's work is so refreshing and appealing to one's senses to see.
What makes you, "you?"
What is your own personal style?
What do you look at and say, "That's SO me!
Everything about it describes my personality and who I am as a person!"?
What do people see in you and say, "That's so "you"?
That is an important key to finding your own individualized photography style. Finding out your own style first.
I'm starting to offer $15 mini style sessions to photographers who are struggling to find what makes them, "them." I accomplish this through a special questionaire and then spending time researching photos, colors, design applications and ideas online and putting them together into a style board on Pinterest which can then be repinned, placed into a pdf and/or printed out as a hard copy.
I did a test group with photographers and there were multiple style matches.
Here are two quick examples:
Photographer: V.G.
"I loved the images and they really reflect where I want my brand to go. I had already pinned some images on pinterest and the ones you found for me matched exactly the ones I had found already. I could help go ooh and ahh at every pin. Thanks again!"
Photographer: A.G.
No official statement has been written yet but she said it in a separate message that it was a perfect match!
If you would like to hire me to find your style and what makes you "you," then email me at:
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