Promaster Mini LED Review Part 1

Let's look at my first try with the LED lights.  At this point I've had them for a little over 24 hours and had shot a total of 4 photos with them prior to this test.  So let's see the control photo (please note these are not my best, they normally wouldn't be shown but they do provide some idea as to how the lights preform)

This is straight off the camera.  I shoot only in RAW, so this is without any adjustment at all.  (I'll post later about RAW vs. JPG I promise.)  All photographs end up being processed in some form or fashion but that's another post all together.

Now let's look at the control with some adjustments.  

This isn't the best processing I've ever done.  I was in a hurry trying to get this post done.  It's not a bad little photo though.  If I was selling that snowman I'd probably say it was a passable product shot.  (Disclaimer: Product shots are not my thing.  Really I'm clueless about what makes a good product shot.)

Now let's look at the Mini 9 LED.

First Up Straight Off The Camera Mounted in the Hot shoe:

Awfully bright for my tastes.  The highlights are really blown out.  The shadow is kinda large too.  I didn't move though from the spot I was in the control.  The only thing that changed was the exposure to attempt to get spot on exposure.  

I do post of my processing in Lightroom and it has this great function to be able to sync your adjustments with another picture.  So I did that with the control.  Let's see how that worked.

WAY TOO COOL.  The color temp is way too cool that's why the white is blue.

Now on to the the real post process.

Slightly better but I'm not thrilled with the brightness and shadows.  There was no way to balance it well either.  Ok, not in the whole 2 minutes I spent doing this photo.  Of course the lights may not be best used up close with a metal object that can reflect the light back.  The rest of the lighting in the room is not ideal for taking photographs at night anyway.

The next thing I did was take that metal bar that you saw in the first post and attach it to the bottom of my camera and attached the light to it.  This put the light on the right side of my camera.  So let's look at the finished product.

This is much better and probably could have even been better had I given it time in Lightroom.  I used that great sync feature and processed it with the first processed photo.

Next time we'll look at the larger mini LED.

Whatever Friday

Friday's from now on will be whatever strikes my fancy.  Who knows what may be here but hopefully it'll be something that interests you.

This week?  Review of my Christmas present.  I got two Promaster Mini LED Camera Lights.  I got the 9 LED  and I got the 28 LED versions.  They have bigger ones available but those were the two that the hubs saw me looking at.

So let's start with what you get in the box.

You get the light and an adapter that can screw into the bottom of your camera or on a tripod on one end and the other end has a hot shoe where you can slide the light on.  

To keep the post from being super long I'm going to do it in section.  The first section can be found here.

Week 0 in 365 Photographs

Well the first of the year hasn't arrived so it's not really the start of the 365 photographs.  I am though trying to get a blogging schedule figured out for the upcoming year.  So this is when the photos will be posted that I've taken for that challenge.  This will keep from overwhelming you guys or keeping me up all hours trying to get my photo done in time to get them on here.

Photo Project

I hope to set Wednesday aside to share a photo craft with you.  Not all of us are scrapbookers and sometimes just putting a picture in a frame won't cut it.  I don't have any projects done and I don't have any ideas for one right now either.  But it's a goal of mine to do that for you guys.  I'm bad about not doing anything with the my photographs and I have to solve this.  Hopefully this is part of the blog helps to improve that for all of us.  In the meantime check out these blog posts from craft blogs I've been stalking lately.

Photo beads
Photo Bags
Accordion Album

If you make one of these or if you have a great photo based craft post it here.  Would love to see what you all are making.

Food Tuesday - Food Photography

I don't have a lot of tips for food photography.  It's not really my thing but I do want to do more of it, because well it always looks cool.  :-)  I figure any photograph I takes improves my skills a little.  I do have a photo to share with you.

I took this photo at Zoobilee.  Now it's not the only photo that I took that night but, it made it into the zoo's magazine!  Which made me very happy.  I wish it had an online version because the other half of Shield's Photography got the cover.  It was pretty sweet to see our names in print.  I'll have to break out the scanner and scan the article in.  Oh if you happen to live in the Topeka area you can join FOTZ and get your own issue.  

Finding Your Style - Finding Your Photographer

I was reading over at HoneyBear Lane about her goal to "Say No To The Mom Uniform".  She wants to find her style.  We all need to do this, if we don't know what our style is.  What does this have to do with photography?  Glad you asked.

Every photographer has a style.  Your style and your photographer's style need to match up.  Neither one of you will be happy otherwise.  If you are a traditional style and your photographer is casual style you aren't going to mesh.  One of you is going to be out of your comfort zone and it will show in your pictures.  Nothing should be forced.  If you want perfectly posed, traditional photographs then your photographer needs to be a posed photographer.  A casual-style photographer may do a few poses but they won't be comfortable with an entire session of poses.  The same goes if you want casual photos and you choose a traditional photographer.

What if I don't know my style?


That's ok.  We can figure it out, or better yet you can all by yourself.  How is your house decorated?  Is it traditional or do you lean more to the modern?  When you see pictures that your friends have had done what do you like?  Do you like the ones where everyone is posed?  Do you like the ones where it looks like someone captured a moment in their life?  Do you like indoor, studio photos?  Do you like outdoor, nature, natural photos?

Are you getting an idea of what you like?  Good!!  By now you should be forming an idea of what you want your photographs to look like and what kind of photographer you want to take them.  This is a key step in choosing your photographer.  You should now be ready to start an educated search for your photographer.

How do I find a photographer?


Google.  Ok it won't be that easy but it's a good starting spot.  You can search for photographers in your area.  Most will have some sort of website with a few pictures that they have done at least.  You'll get an idea for their style.  They should also have sort of contact information on the site that you can/could call, email, Facebook, or Twitter with them.

You could also look on bulletin boards in area businesses for brochures and business cards of photographers in your area.  You might just find a gem there.

You could ask for recommendations on Twitter.  We actually got a client that way.  I have a saved search for people talking about photographers in my area.  That way if someone is looking for one I can always toss myself in the mix.

Search Facebook everyone is on Facebook it seems and you might just be able to find the photographer of your dreams there.

Alright, I have a list of photographers I like now what do I do?


First things first do they fit in your budget?  If their starting price is $500 and you only have $200 things aren't going to work.  You either need to save more money up or move on to another photographer.  If you aren't working with a time table you can save up the money or you can see if they do mini sessions cheaper.  You'll be able to get a few images that way.

Speaking of money high price tags doesn't mean the best of the best.  Look at their photographs, online and in person, you want your money's worth but you there is no need to pay more than what it's worth.  I'm willing to bet that there is a photographer out there that matches your style and your budget.

Do they do the type of session you want done?  If you want a family session and they only do weddings then it's time to move on again.

Now that you've got your list of photographers that match your style, your budget, and what you want done it's time to get in contact with them.  YOU HAVE TO TALK TO THEM!!!  It's the only way to be sure that you really do mesh.  This is also the time to schedule a time to look at their portfolio.  They've got one trust me.  Find out the nitty-gritty of a session with them.  Do you have to purchase a certain amount of prints from them?  What are your options for products?  Do the products they offer match up with what you want?

Hopefully now you have found the perfect photographer for you and your family!

What Have I Been Doing?

The Christmas Holiday is over.  I have a cold but other than that it was a wonderful time.  I got a new sewing machine.  I was in need of one.

The picture didn't show up so if you want to see it click on the link.

(This one isn't mine but it sure looks like it, including the cabinet.  I found the picture on google from this website)

Now I have this machine:

(It's a Brother SQ 9000 So far I'm in love!! When I get a project completed I'll be sure to blog about it.)

I also got a couple of Mini LED Camera lights.  I can't wait to start playing with them more than I have.  I'll be posting about them later.

I've also been working on changing one of the spare bedrooms from a bedroom to a craft area.  I have lots of crafty stuff stuck in boxes, drawers, and corners but hopefully soon I'll have it all in one area.  Then I'll be able to work in there creating all kinds of stuff.  Hopefully I'll also know what I own and won't have to run out to the store for everything. 

Oh and in my usual let's wait until the last minute style I have chosen the photo to enter in the Visit Topeka Photo Contest. I have it ordered, and will hopefully have to them in time to get it judged.  Oh want to know what I'm submitting?

I took it on the Photowalk this spring.  I really love it and hope that it speaks to someone else too.  I'll let you all know how I did.

Starting New Years Day

I'm going to participate in a 365 photo challenge.  It's not for anyone or anything other than to snap more photos, get better, and have some fun.  I'm going to post attempt to post each one of the photos.  Some may not make it because of privacy issues but I'll post as many as I can.  Wish me luck! lol

Blog Changes

As you can tell from the fact that I haven't blogged since August that I have a hard time doing this.  So I've decided to change things up a little bit.  I'm not just going to blog about my photography.  Maybe I'll find someone who wants to guest blog!!  Wouldn't that be exciting?  :-) I'm going to try to share more information about photography in general and some creative things to do with all those photos.  Stay tuned!!

Hope The Giraffe

So I love the zoo.  I really love the giraffes.  I don't know why, maybe because they aren't loud.  At the Topeka Zoo they are just inside the gate.  I can spend hours there.  Watching them, talking to them, taking pictures of them.  They are just precious.  But enough about my love of this animal, today I want to talk to you about one super special giraffe at the Topeka Zoo.

Only July 11, 2010 Hope the giraffe was born.  Her mom Dolly and dad Jessie are both long time residents of the Topeka Zoo.  There was a problem with Hope though, her rear hoofs were bent the wrong way.  The staff at the zoo jumped into action and within hours she had received her first treatment.  She's been responding well so far to the treatment but she isn't out of the woods yet.

Hope was on the Today Show on NBC Sunday, August, 15 for a three minute remote.  It was a bittersweet time for the zoo.  Just days before they had lost BG, the other female giraffe.  She was pregnant with Hope's half brother.  It was so sad and just writing this is bringing back the tears that I shed that day for BG.  The decision was made that the show had to go on, Hope's story needed to be told now more than ever.  Everyone needed to know that life was precious, that Hope was not out of the woods yet and help for her is still needed.  I don't know if Hope sensed the sadness of some of us or what but she sure made everyone smile.  Almost as if she had been prompted by someone she took off running.  She had zoo staff scrambling as they tried to keep her contained to keep her safe and the television crew safe.  She was having the time of her life.  It was the first time she had ever ran.  It was a joyous moment for those of us in the crowd.

So why is this whole story being told on a photography blog you ask?  Aww, good you are still reading if you are asking.  The reason is, Hope needs lots of treatments and they aren't cheap.  The zoo only gets so much money each year.  Money needs to be raised to help cover the costs and that's where I come in, kinda.  Shields Photography will be selling prints of Hope in our artfire studio.  20% of the sell price will be donated to Hope's fund.  Take time to look at her section in our studio, it's named Hope, it will be growing as she grows.  Buy a print or two and help her while you decorate your home or office.

How To Set-Up A Fan Page on Facebook

There has been lots of discussion and questions on how to set up a fan page.  So I've making a mini tutorial here for everyone who needs help.

Step 1: Sign into your personal Facebook account or create a new one, just follow the on screen steps.

Step 2: You'll be taken to your feed page.  It looks like this.

Step 3: Now we need to create a page.  There is a link on the left hand side you may need to click the more link to find it.  I had to.  See where the arrow is pointing.

Step 4: After clicking the link you'll get a page like this if you already have a page.

Step 5: You'll need to click Create Page.  When you do that you'll get this.

Step 6:  Fill in the the appropriate information.  You will be taken back to the page on Step 4 where you can further edit the page and information.

Step 7: You get your fan page.  In order to get your friends to like your page, you'll need to suggest it to them.  This is great because every time you like a page it shows up in your feed, which is broadcast to all of your friends.  This makes your page available to hundreds, thousands possibly new people.

When you click on that a pop up will come up with all your friends.  Click on the ones you want to suggest your page to.  Then click send invitations. 

If you need more help just ask, I'll be happy to help.

Exciting News!!

I have lots to share with you guys but, I'm not going to write a novel so I'll spread it over a few posts.  I've been horrible about getting here and keeping things updates but promise things will turn around.

So what's the great exciting news?  One of our photos was chosen to be used as the cover art for Friends of the Topeka Zoo's summer issue of Zooreka.  Zooreka is the magazine that goes out to all the FOTZ members.  They say it's close to 5,000 households.  That's a lot of people seeing one of our photos.

Very exciting for us, but super exciting for my husband, it's his photo.  It's the first time one of his photos have been published.  I've been published a couple of times.  I'm happy that he got this little boost of confidence.

Well do you want to see the photo? Good, because I'm going to post it anyway. :-)  If you love it you can click on it and buy it in our Artfire shop.

Just Popping In

I'm just popping in to let everyone know I haven't forgotten about you.  I've been re-working the artfire store.  We will be offering free shipping on all of our items shortly.  There are 15 more to go and then we will be adding a lot of new photographs.  I also promise to get back to blog more often.  I don't want anyone thinking we've forgotten about them.

I Heart Faces Friday Fix-It

I'm doing another Friday Fix-It.  The rules have changed though, someone was using a submitted photo as their own.  Totally not cool!  Any way on to the submission.

Original:

My version of it:

So no how I did it.  Lightroom again this week, it's just quicker for these basic edits that I'm not making selections and layers on.  Of course the first thing I did was rotate the image. Now I'm just going to go down the sliders

Exposure: +2

Recovery: +24

Fill Light: +20

Blacks: +20

Brightness: +10

Contrast: +35

Clarity: - 48

Vibrance: +80

Saturation: -45

Lumiance: 36

Color: 36

Lens Correction: +86

Mid-point: 60

This can easily be achieved with the preset Abby Angelic that can be downloaded from Adobe.  Which is what I did. :-) 

Things Are Getting Exciting

This last week has been filled with exciting prospects for our little business.  When you take something for a hobby to a part-time business it can be a little scary.  We went to taking photos for fun to donating photos to the school to doing photos for friend and then biting the bullet, after much begging, to a part-time business.  But this week has proved to be worth it all.

We have two prospective clients that aren't related to us or friends.  :-)

We finally heard back from the friends of the zoo!  They are accepting our donation of photos for use in fundraising and advertisement! This is a non-paying thing but it gets our photos out there and it helps a group that has become very near and dear to our heart.

We finally got to chat for a little bit with my step-son last night.  He's on leave now for a few days before he ships out to the horn of Africa.  We won't get to see him but it was nice to hear from him.  He had told us before he left he would be talking up our photography to his buddies.  He had been showing them the photos we took of him and his fiancé before he left and he has 164 people interested in it.  Even if a tenth of them call us when they are back on leave that's sixteen new clients!!  Which is uber exciting!

I got a new photo up on Artfire this week too!

Scheduling, Lightroom, and Other Frustrations

I made up a schedule, even put it on my Google calendar so that it would give me little pop ups to remind me what I'm supposed to do next.  That's wonderful when you can stick to it.  I however I am not so great at sticking to it.

I'm supposed to start my "work" day at 10 AM.  I'm not a morning person and knew this so I wanted to make sure I was well awake by the time I was supposed to start.  The first thing I am supposed to do is make connections for my Artfire shop.  I do great at that! I like to talk and I figure the more I'm posting on twitter and the artfire message boards the more I'm putting my stuff out there.  Only problem is I don't like to stop so I end up spending well more than an hour each morning doing that and start wondering why no one is responding to me.  Yeah I know they are off creating things.

Then is the ever important lunch hour, which I never actually eat during.  I set it at that time though so I could watch Young and The Restless. lol  What I end up doing is watching the show while checking Facebook, email, twitter, the message boards and here to see if anyone has commented.  I know get a life right. lol

After that fun time I'm supposed to actually work on photos.  I pulled my card, almost full, started to transfer all those hundreds of photos off my card and on to my working hard drive.  Only I messed up and created short cuts so I had to start over.  At least while that was happening I started some laundry.

Finally got my photos on my working drive and imported into lightroom only to have lightroom dump all my camera information so instead of the bright vibrant photos I ended up with blah and boring photos.  It sucks and no one seems to know why.  We are looking into it though, I find lightroom faster than photoshop for developing my shots.  We are doing the rule out all the variables.  Right now my husband is putting one of my cards onto his computer to see what happens there.  I put another load of laundry in too! 


After working on my photos I'm supposed to up load some to artfire.  Since I didn't get my photos done I didn't upload any.  Hard to sell art prints when you aren't uploading any.  I did make another business card though. 

What do you guys think of this one?

I finally changed my anti-virus while typing this blog. 

(Note: what I actually did is in bold not a lot accomplished today)

Answering 25 Questions to Make Me A Better Photographer

I found these questions in an article online. I thought the best way to make myself accountable to my goals is to answer them right here so all the world can see it.

1. What’s holding you back from starting your photography business?  Nothing!  I'm out there but probably not as out there as I could be.  I don't have business cards or brochures out anywhere locally.  That's what I need to do.

2. What steps would it take to go from part time to full time? I would need to have a steady stream of clients, enough to make as much as I do with my regular job if not more.  I would have to be making enough to sock some away for retirement like automatically comes out of my check.

3. How many clients have you made happy this week? Well it's Monday so I haven't made anyone happy.  I'm dropping off a CD tomorrow of graduation photos that I took.

4. What makes your photography different from other photographers in your niche? I allow the person(s) being photographed personality to come out.  In my opinion that's really what needs to happen.  The photograph should look like the person.  I don't like the stiff looking portraits that are prevalent in my area.  I like more model shoot feeling, where the person moves and the photographer just snaps away, maybe a little music playing to help them relax..  If someone is unsure what to do then of course I'll help them but I don't want to bend them into a position that isn't natural for them.

5. What do you love more than anything?  I love seeing people sharing the photos I have taken of them.  When they are happy enough to share those photos with their friends and family then I know that I've done something right.


6. If you could do something all day long, and not have to worry about money, what would you do? If money wasn't an issue, I'd spend all day buying new lens and maybe even a new camera body.  I'd fill two bags full of some great glass so I had no limitations.

7. What would your perfect client look like? What type of photography would they be interested in? How much would they spend? I don't have a picture of the perfect client.  I'm not a looks based person so I guess that's why.  They would be interested in photography from an art point of view.  Things taken on a different plane then normal photography.  They would spend about $150.00 total.  If I was booking three shoots a week that would be perfect.

8. What photographer do you most admire? What steps could you take to make them your mentor, and follow in their footsteps? I admire lots of different photographers.  When I find one that I like I try to find them on twitter and ask as many questions as I can.  Sometimes they are willing to answer the questions and sometimes they aren't.  I just roll with it.

9. You’ve taken a great picture. What would make it better? A shallower depth of field, more bokah in the background.

10. What words could you use to tell your customers how special they are to you? I don't think words as much as actions will tell your customers that they are special.  Listening to what they want and then doing your best to provide it will go a lot farther than words.  Also treating them like they are the only customer goes a long ways.

11. What words do you want to hear from your customers when they talk about your photography? Amazing, thank you, I love it

12. What’s your favorite store? Why? How can you bring their ideas into your own business? Wolfe's Camera store in downtown Topeka.  I love that you see the same people in there each time you go in.  They are willing to help you in any way that they can.  I like the personal service.  By keeping my photography to just myself and my husband then people will get that personal service.

13. What does your ideal workday look like? There is a photo shoot booked with a great family or a senior wanting knock senior photos.  After an amazing shoot, I go back dump my cards on to my computer and start sifting through the photos.

14. What does your ideal workweek look like? 3 - 5 photo shoots and 3 proof sessions.

15. If you knew you only had 10 years left to live, how much action would you take to make your photography dreams a reality? 10 years is long enough to put any goal in action.  I wouldn't quit my day job yet but would spend a lot more of my "free" time focus on my photography.

16. What’s more important, being a great photographer, or having a successful studio? Being a great photographer because a successful studio will follow.

17. What could you do this week that would bring you closer to your goals? Don’t have goals? What could you do this week to set your goals? I don't have goals yet! But I think answering this questions is certainly putting things into focus for me.

18. What do your friends think of your idea of having a full time photography studio? Are they holding you back? My friends are the people that are knocking down my door for me to take their photos so they are absolutely encouraging me!

19. What group or place could you visit this week to bring in one new client? I need to make brochures and business cards first, right now I'm going with word of mouth.

20. What could you do to make sure you are on track to make your photography dreams a reality? By answering these questions and posting them to my blog for the world to see I'm adding a level of accountability that I didn't have before.

21. What are you doing differently today than you did one month ago? One year ago? One month ago I barely had a web presence today I have 125 fans on Facebook and an Artfire account for my art photography.  One year ago I wasn't doing anything with my photography.

22. What do you want to be doing differently one year from now? A year from now I want to be out shooting portraits on an almost daily basis, not sitting at home answering questions to make myself better.

23. Where could you find an extra 30 minutes today to do something towards making your photography dreams a reality? I could cut 30 minutes from my playing video games. :-)

24. In 5 years, how do you see yourself spending your perfect day? In 5 years my perfect day would be taking some great shots in my own studio.

25. When you die, what do you want to be remembered for? I want to be remembered for making a difference in someone's life.

The D Family

I had such a great time taking these family shots just before Christmas.  We had to wait for the snow to melt and decent weather day but I think they came out great!  The spot they picked was just wonderful though!  Then even brought the family dog along.

That tree behind them is one of the coolest trees I've ever seen!

This is one of my artist renderings.  I had been waiting for the right picture do it on.  It makes me think of a Levi's commercial.

A Glimpse Into The Past #2

This photo is of the old Buildex plant outside of Ottawa, KS.  There is a whole concrete plant just sitting there rusting out.  I found the Buildex website the other day.  They are still in business but have relocated their plant.  This one just sits there waiting for someone to fire it up again.

I Heart Faces Friday Fix-It

This week I decided to participate in I Heart Faces Friday Fix-It.  I did it all in light room.

Before:

After:

The first thing I did was adjust the white balance.  I left it in auto mode because they looked fairly good and I knew I could go back and adjust it more if I needed to.  Then I upped the vibrance to 17 and saturation to 26. I did a little luminance smoothing to take a little of the noise out.  Then I went in with an adjustment brush and brightened her eyes.  I also used a adjustment brush to to darken and desaturate the background slightly. It still needed something so I cropped the photo to an 8x10.  Finally I added a vignette to further cut the background down and draw the eye to the baby's face.

A glimpse into the past - Day 1

So I've started a series of photos about the past.  They all are of things that were once used a lot and are now tossed aside or only used to show the historic value of them.  The first photo has been shown on the blog but I'm going to show it again and tell the story behind the shot. Each photo will take you directly to the artfire listing for purchase.  All photographs in this series will sale for $35.00

A train and elevator were once the source of many things.  A train brought goods, family and friends, and provided a way to transport goods and travel.  Grain elevators were once a social hot spot.  The elevators were always near the train depot.  This train now serves as a traveling history attraction.

Thankful

I'm thankful that this week I have no photo sessions scheduled and no client meetings.  It's a first that's for sure.  Why you ask?  Well I made a bet with twelve second graders that if they read 500 books they could pick a color and I would dye my hair that color for the last week of school.  Well they did it.  Tonight I'll dye it purple and proudly wear it for the next week.

Possible Business Card

Let me know what you all think.

Well.....

Announcements

Tonight at 7:00 PM, 7:30 PM, 8:00 PM, 8:30PM there will be some great deals announced via our Twitter account.  Be sure to be following http://twitter.com/shieldsphotos to grab these great deals.

Calling All Seniors

Need your senior photos done this summer?  Want your senior photos to look like you?  Give us a call!!  We are currently booking summer senior portrait sessions.  If you schedule your appointment before June 1, your shoot can happen any time during the summer, you'll get a free album of 25 of your favorite photos!

Destiny Senior Photos

I had so much fun doing Destiny's senior photos last fall.

Like what you see?  Give us a call to schedule your senior photos NOW!

Portrait Sessions

We are now available for portrait sessions.  We'll be updating the pricing page in the next few days with the information.  Currently we are gathering releases from past clients to include in our gallery.  Watch our Facebook page to see some of our work.

A little information when considering us for your portrait needs.  We are natural light photographers.  We do not have a studio so this means our photos are taken on location somewhere.  Our photos are not overly posed, we want to capture you so, unless it is distracting from a shot, we allow you to stand how you are comfortable.  Since we both work regular jobs our availability is evenings and weekends.  Please be sure to contact us in advance to make sure we are available.

Portrait Services

Family - 30 to 45 minutes of shooting time.  This usually gives you 15-20 shots to choose from.  If you want more time that can be scheduled also.

Maternity - 3 sessions 1 early in your pregnancy, another around 20 weeks, and the last as close to your due date as possible.  Other children and spouse are encourage to join in these sessions. Each session will last 30 to 45 minutes.

First year - Babies change so much in their first year of life thats why we offer a package to let you do just that.  The first session will be done as soon as you would like after the baby is born.  Then again at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and near they child's first birthday.  Each session will last about 20 minutes.

Children - 20 to 30 minutes of shooting time.  This usually gives you 20 shots to choose from.

Senior - Senior portrait sessions are custom to the senior.  Please contact us for more information.

Wow!

That's about all I can say today.  I didn't expect anything out of my little adventure yesterday.  I did it just for the heck of it.  I mean I have always had goals with my photography.  I just didn't think there were so many others who supported it.  I sold a print, have 30 followers on Twitter, and almost 50 fans on Facebook.  I even got my husband in to it and he's culling his photos to add to Shields Fine Art Photography.  I'm excited for him, he's got great shots but hasn't been willing to share them.

I did it!

I set up an artfire.com account.  I loaded a photo.  I set the price.  Guess what happened?  I SOLD IT!  That's right folks I sold a photograph.  I'm so excited.  I'm now culling photos for sale.  I've posted one other which I will share here shortly.  I've offered it in a lot more sizes than I did the first one.  These photos appeal to a certain type of person but I hope some of the others will widen my appeal to a larger market.

My First Photo To Share

You may now purchase this photo at http://www.artfire.com/users/melphoto