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.