Thoughtful Thursday- What to Expect!

In the past three years of my photography journey, I have heard more often than not, "We've never done this before, what do we do?" or " I'm not very photogenic so you'll have to really help me!" My answer to the first "Well, I have, so I know what to do!" and to the second "Most people are more photogenic than they think!" Want to know what makes someone "photogenic" in my opinion? PERSONALITY! Some of my favorite photos are ones that you can see the person's personality beaming right off the print, or screen I should really say! In the beginning of a session, things can be a little tense. This is completely normal. In a lot of cases this is the first time I am meeting everyone involved in the shoot, and like the question above, most people have never done a photo session before. This is when my job really starts. I believe it is my job to get photos that show each person's personality. Normally, I can be pretty timid when I'm first meeting someone, but at photo shoots, for some reason, I'm don't feel shy or timid. I think because I know my clients are usually unsure of what to do or how to pose/move and I just get so excited to photograph new people! I try and make my clients feel as comfortable and at ease as possible. We want natural relaxed photos, not stiff generic ones! Most of my sessions end in laughter and smiles, so that's a good sign right?

Now another thing I have been frantically asked on numerous occasions is, " What am I supposed to wear!?" Well, no need to worry, I can help you with that also! As I'm sure a lot of you already know, there is this awesome site, www.pinterest.com. There are so many amazing things you can find on pinterest. One of which is different outfit ideas! I have created an entire board filled with different ideas on what to wear. My board has many different outfit inspirations and color combination ideas. This new era of photography is not like the old. No more one color pallets or boring khakis! We, photographers LOVE when families come to a shoot in different color combinations and patterns that compliment each other. Key word here is "compliment", we don't want to go overboard! Every person in a session is an individual with an individual personality. Their clothing should reflect the who they are! One other thing I ask of my clients is to not where clothing that has characters or logos. I find these to be distracting and they take away from the photographs.

As of now that's all I can really think of, but if any of you have any questions concerning a photo session with me, please email me! I would love to answer any and all questions you may have. If you are interested in a session with me please email me at jhallphotograph@gmail.com. Here are a few ideas from previous sessions I have had! Also please feel free to follow my board!

Thoughtful Thursday- Oh to be Thankful!

Originally, I was going to write a blog about to what expect on a photo shoot and what to wear, but instead I decided to do something different. In honor of Thanksgiving I am going to pay homage to all the things I am thankful for. Well, maybe not all because there's a lot and we don't really have time for that! First and formost I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ who has given me everything I have. Then of course my wonderful family. My husband is such a wonderful companion and I couldn't imagine my life without my two boys. They all make my life so worthwhile even during the hard times. It's amazing how much love one can feel towards others. I am also so thankful for the best career I good ever wish for! I love my job so much and I couldn't imagine doing anything else! Photography has made me grow so much as a person and it brings me so much joy. Last but certainly not least I'm am oh so thankful for all of my wonderful clients and fans! You guys are the ones that make my dream possible! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Now everyone go enjoy this wonderful day with your loved ones! Look forward to next weeks post about what to expect and what to wear on a shoot with me!

Thoughtful Thursday: To edit or not!

For those of you just joining my "Thoughtful Thursday" posts, welcome! I encourage you to check out last week's post J. Hall Photography: Thoughtful Thursday- Know your Camera! As I mentioned in last week's post, this week is about editing! Just as developing film played a huge roll in film photography, editing plays a huge roll in today's digital photography. I have heard from other photographers that, photography just isn't what it used to be. Which to some extent I completely agree. On the other hand, I think we, as digital photographers, have so many more tools at our finger tips that past photographers different. One being of course the tools we use to edit our photographs. Developing film can be a very tedious and time consuming task. We are so lucky that all we have to do now is upload our photographs onto our computers and begin working on them. If we decide we don't like something we did, we can just "undo" it and begin again. There are also so many different editing programs offered to us. Currently I use Adobe Lightroom. I have to say, I love it! It makes my process in editing so fast. I used to use Photoshop for all of my editing. Now I only use it once in awhile to fix facial blemishes that are too much for lightroom or other random things. I think photoshop is more in depth than I need. Most of what I do to my photographs is adjust the color balance, the brightness and contrast and other things along those lines. Lightroom's focus is on just that. I can make my own presets which makes editing even faster. Also Lightroom allows me to have a quick work flow by not having to save each photograph before I work on the next. You would be surprised at how much time that cuts out. As a portrait photographer you don't just take photographs or edit, you have to look at the business side of things also. Having a quick turn around time is very important. Lightroom allows me to do that! Being able to work with just the essentials helps me stay on track and not get carried away. Your photographs should speak for themselves. You shouldn't have to rely on your editing to let your photograph tell it's story. Although, just because editing shouldn't tell your story, doesn't mean it shouldn't be apart of it. Editing can help seperate your style from others. It can help elevate your photographs. My philosophy is simple is best. Like I said before, let your photograph speak for themselves. I hate when I see other photographers work that is so retouched and manipulated that the object looks fake. I feel it is so distracting and takes away from the photograph. I end up spending so much time trying to figure out what went wrong with the editing, then what the photograph is actually focusing on. As with everything else in life, you have to find a balance. Practice on getting your photograph as close to perfect in camera, and then add the finishing adjustments with your editing. Someone should be able to look at your photograph and not be distracted by what you did to it. Here are a few examples of some photographs before and after editing.




In the first photograph, you get the same feel in the before and after. I basically just brightened the photo and upped the contrast.

 

In this second photograph I took a little more artistic liberty. I used a different color tone and brightened the photo. It's bright and vibrant just like the subjects in the photograph. Editing should match the mood of the photograph!

 

In this last photograph I had to share an example of black and white. When do you use it? Honestly, for me it's a feeling. As I'm shooting I will look down at my camera off and on and check on the photographs, that is when I mentally edit the photos I see. When I took this one I knew before I even uploaded it that I wanted it to be black and white. It matches the mood of the photograph don't you think!? 

I hope this post helps you in deciding which way you decide to go with your editing! Don't forget to let your photograph speak for yourself. Oh and remember, your editing should match the mood of the photograph! Look out for next Thoughtful Thursday, it'll be all about what to expect on a typical photo session with me!

Thoughtful Thursday- Know your Camera!

Last week's "Thoughtful Thursday" was about how I stay up late editing. Well, tonight is not such a personal entry. This is for all of you who are just starting out on your photography journey.

In the photography world today, things are much different than they used to be even twenty years ago. Most photographers no longer use film cameras or have a need for dark rooms. Instead we have digital cameras and editing software on our computers. Before, a photographer had to really know their camera in order to get the shots they wanted, and usually had to have a light meter. Now, cameras are so much more accommodating. Digital cameras now can be set to automatic and do the work for you, except pushing the button of course. There is a saying I've heard before, "Anyone can be a photographer these days!" I find this saying somewhat offensive. I don't think everyone is cut out to be a photographer, just like not everyone is meant to be a painter or a sculpter. Photography is an art form. It is craft you have to work at and constantly strive to better. I want to challenge all of you aspiring photographers to take your cameras off of automatic and keep it on manual! Learn how your camera actually works. Take control of your camera, don't let it control you. A camera set on automatic won't usually give you the results you want. You need to know your f-stops and shutterspeeds, your white balance and ISO, and how they all work. It may seem difficult or not worth the hastle of memorizing how everything works. Trust me when I say, it is totally worth it! If you are confused and can't figure it out on your own, take some classes! If you want to be a great photographer you have to dive in, don't limit yourself by staying on automatic. Manual equals freedom! When you know your camera, you can get your shots as close to perfection as possible before you mess with them in your editing program. Editing plays a major role in photography these days but you should always try to get your photograph as close to the way you want it without editing. If any of you have any questions, please ask me! I love to discuss all things photography, although I will say, I may not have all the answers! Like I previously wrote, photography is an art form, you have to constantly strive to be better and to know more! Below are three examples of photographs straight out of the camera, and then the edited version with explanations.

 In the first example, the SOOC (straight out of camera) shot is obviously too dark. I had my camera set at a low F-stop to give me the blurred background. I had to set my camera at a faster shutter speed because it was very windy when I was trying to take this photo. For me this photograph was more about getting a clear photo rather than a perfectly lit one in a short amount of time. Editing wise all I did was brighten the photo, add a tad of contrast and a little more orange tones.

 In this example, they are very close. My son is very hard to get good photographs of because he won't usually hold still long enough. So I snapped the photographs as quick as I could before I could adjust my white balance. All I did was add a tad of contrast and a little more orange tones.

Last but not least in this example, all I did was add a bit of contrast. Can you see how close the SOOC shot is to the final product? I try to have this result with all of my photographs. The key word here is try. You probably won't ever get the perfect photo straight out of camera without wanting to do a little something to it, even if it is just adding a touch of contrast. Sometimes you don't always get the chance to change your white balance or your f-stop or maybe even your shutter speed but the point is to try and get it as close as you can! Stay tuned for next week's post that will be all about editing!

Mr. & Mrs. Turner- Anderson Wedding Photographer

I met Morgan in September 2011 when I photographed her brothers wedding. When Morgan called and asked me to shoot her wedding of course I said yes, I knew it would be amazing! I am always excited when I am hired for weddings from families I've worked with before. The wedding took place in Anderson, CA and we began the day at their hotel. It was a beautiful rustic hotel that fit perfectly with their wedding day. I typically meet with both the bride and groom before the day but Tyson was unable attend any of our meetings. I was afraid that it would be a little awkward at first when photographing him but he was so friendly from the beginning that we just jumped right into shooting. We went up the road for all of the before ceremony photographs to the Anderson Park. It was a little difficult taking photos there because there was another bridal party taking photos and people having barbeques but I think we made it work! After photographs we rushed off to the wedding site and I was so pleased when I got there. It was at a beautiful outdoor restaurant that was right on the river. The ceremony was short and sweet. After the ceremony the sun was in the perfect spot and the bridal party photos turned out beautifully. I love when I have couples that aren't as concerned about time as they are about getting great photos. I always tell my couples, this is your day, your guests will remember it as another wedding they went to, but you'll remember it as one of the best days of your life. The biggest way couples remember are by the photographs, and it is my job to get the best possible photos that I can! We finished the photographs and the reception began. I could tell by the speeches that Morgan and Tyson were so loved by all of their friends and family. One of my favorite parts of the reception was the mother/son dance. It wasn't the typical slow dance, they had an upbeat song and both really let loose, which made for great photographs! One thing that showed the brides warm heart was when she presented one of her guests with an oversized birthday cupcake even though it was her wedding! Overall it was an amazing wedding and I wish every wedding was just as beautiful and full of love as this one! I had a hard time narrowing down the photos to share so I hope you enjoy them all!