Photographer's Tips

Newborn Photo Sessions

No Comments
Newborn photos
Photographing newborns is all about timing. It really needs to be done ASAP, because they really do grow up so fast. Typically we shoot them within 10 days after giving birth. I find day 4 or 5 is really the best and day 10 is really too late. I like to do my newborn photos on location at my client’s home. I find there is more opportunity to make the photo personal using their toys as props and their home as the background. Using their nursery as the background means the photos will match when you go to hang them on the wall. Using their toys means that these photos will truly be keep sakes, because in 10, 20, 30 years from now you can say I remember that toy… and smile.


Family Photographer, Family Portrait Sessions, Photographer's Tips

What should we wear for our family portrait session?

No Comments

 

 

 

 

People are always asking what they should wear for family portrait sessions. I always tell them “you should match” not that they should all wear the same exact outfits but dress in a similar style and complementary hues. The best examples I’ve found of this, is the Tommy Hilfiger advertisements. Everyone is dressed for the same season, they match, but their not all wearing the same thing. Below are some examples…

 

Photographer's Tips, Wedding Photography, Wedding Tips

Being Camera Ready

No Comments

 In general, I find there are two types of people when it comes to getting their pictures taken. There are those people that are simply natural at taking photos. We all know these people they are our photogenic friends that can’t take a bad photo. Many times I find it difficult to get candid photos of these people because they track the camera, and as soon as I go to shoot they look and smile. Then there are the normal people that don’t know their angles, aren’t used to taking photos. I always suggest that these people book an engagement session. Only because if you’re not used to getting your picture taken you might not know what your angles and you might be doing wrong. If a photographer gets the opportunity to photograph you before your big day they will know how to photograph you before your event. I always say engagement sessions aren’t for engagement photos, there for the wedding photos. 



 

Headshot Photographers, Photographer's Tips

Tips For Corporate Headshots

No Comments

 

 

 

 

Corporate headshots
With so many online businesses corporate headshots are more important then ever before. Corporate headshots are similar and different from other types of headshots. They’re similar because you want to focus on your message.
It is important to consider your company’s message when choosing a background, if you want to reflect a personal message you might want to consider a headshot that is more lifestyle driven and shot on location. If you’d like your message to be strictly professional you probably want to shoot on a plain white or grey background. My personal choice is a white background. A white background looks really clean, crisp and looks good on a webpage.
No matter what message your trying to convey. These photos are a direct reflection of you and your business. That being said you want to choose clothes that complement you. The clothing should fit perfectly. My biggest pet peeve is when a suit doesn’t fit properly. I think suits look best when they look tailored to you. I addition your clothing should be pressed wrinkle free. You should be well groomed and polished.
So grab your power suit and look sharp.

 

Photographer's Tips, Wedding Tips

Camera Distortion

No Comments

We’ve all had our picture taken and thought I look fat….

When I think of camera distortion I take into account two things my lens and posing. Some lenses can make you look tall and skinny and others make you look short and fat. A good photographer will know which lenses are appropriate to use.
Posing is a little tricky… My basic rule of thumb is whatever is close to the camera looks bigger. That being said if you hate the way your arms look you want to pull them back, so they look smaller.
Here is a video that will go more in depth into posing.

Photographer's Tips, Wedding Tips

How many photos do you take?

No Comments

When someone asks me “how many pictures do you take?” I reply as many as I can. In general after the event, I will narrow the images down to about 1000. During a wedding, I try and capture everything from several different angles. I know a lot of photographers try and limit the number of photos they take so they have to do less editing after the event. In my opinion, it’s more important to capture the event. I typically overshoot, because there is nothing worse than not capturing a moment. I also don’t know what my clients will deem important. One client may want lots of detail shots, while another may find guest photos to be more important. I overshoot so I can sleep at night knowing that I’ve got it all covered. 

About Me, Photographer's Tips

Sure Shot!

No Comments

As a professional photographer, I will almost always shoot multiple images of the same thing. Why you ask because there is nothing worse than thinking you’ve captured a magic moment in one frame, only to see that there is something wrong. Had you’ve shot one more frame you would have nailed it. In general, at a typical wedding, I shoot about 3,000 images. Then in post-production, I edit the images down to somewhere around 1,000 images. Due to the fast pace of a wedding there simply is no time to zoom in on each frame in camera to make sure people have their eyes open, so I overshoot to guarantee I get the shot. I overshoot both formals and candids. Believe it or not, candids aren’t often captured in one frame, even though they appear to be.

Most photographers don’t overshoot because they’re either don’t want to spend the time editing or they feel that with their skills they don’t need to overshoot. I feel like its a big mistake not to overshoot you cannot control people and digital space is cheap.

About Me, Photographer's Tips, Sara Jordan Photography, Wedding Tips

Wedding Photography is not so Simple?

No Comments

 

Many times people think wedding photographers simply shows up at a location, shoot for a couple hours, burn a disk and the jobs done. No matter how big or small the event is this is some of what’s involved.
The day before every wedding I spend a lot of time getting prepared. I always start by charging batteries, which is a process that takes most of the day.  Then I go through all my gear cleaning, testing, syncing camera times and formatting cards. I pack up all my gear.  I also review timelines, shot lists and locations. I plan my gear and my shots around the location and the timeline.  What I bring for an indoor wedding is very different from an outdoor location.  Finally, I map all locations, and layout my clothes.  One the day of the only thing I want to think about is getting all those amazing shots. The getting prepared to shoot a wedding takes up most of the day before the wedding.
On the day of I run around for hours with 40 pounds of gear strapped to me in order to capture all those memories. I’ve actually been described by a groom as a ninja. I wear all black, I sneak around and I draw cameras like weapons.
After the wedding, I download everything online incase of a fire, on 2 external hard drives one to back up the other, two computers, all the cf cards don’t get reformat until images are done being edited and discs incase the hard drive fails. Archiving your memories is just as important as capturing them.  I’ve actually had several brides loose their images and come back to me and I was able to send them a new disc.
On a typical wedding, I shoot about 3,000 images per event. I probably go through each event about 5x.  The first time I go through an event I edit out the obvious bad images. The second time I check focus. The third time I color correct everything. The fourth time I get rid of all unnecessary images (I tend to over shoot and edit later) and double check my color corrections. I upload the proofs to an online gallery and release the gallery to my clients. Typically I give my clients 800-1000 proofs to go through. After my clients pick their final proofs I recheck their final selects and export them as high-res jpegs, burn a disk, package everything, and mail it out.
Each wedding is actually days of work.

Family Portrait Session, Family Portrait Sessions, Photographer's Tips

How to shoot kids

No Comments

 

I can’t stand to see people struggle to photograph kids when it’s so easy. The number one mistake I see over and over is that people try and force kids to pose a certain way or do something; which never seems to work. What I do is I take a more candid approach and let the child lead the shoot. I photograph the world through their eyes. The approach has had incredible results because it gets the kids involved. The kids are more interested in taking photographs and have a lot more patients when it comes to having their portrait taken. The best part is you capture the child’s natural expressions and things that interest them; which means when looking over the family album you can “that’s when you were going through your owl phase.”
 
Kids do cute things all the time; all you have to do is capture it.

 

Headshot Photographers, Photographer's Tips

Headshots Made Simple

No Comments
Everyone needs a good headshot and the idea behind a good headshot is simple it’s all about connecting. A good headshot should be an extension of your brand and reflect who you are. Since most business is done online, a great headshot is a good way to connect with your customer. People use headshots for more than just business. I have people coming to me for their Facebook and dating profiles.

 

Clothing – What do I wear? Is the number one thing I get asked and clothing is the number one thing people get wrong. Clothing is so important when it comes to headshots, so it’s going to be the first thing I talk about. I’ve had people show up with stained fluorescent shirts that were wrinkly and didn’t fit properly. You want clothing that reflects you and that projects the right message about you. No matter what your planning to use headshots for, you want to make sure your clothing doesn’t take away from you, it should be clean, wrinkle-free, and fit properly.
No Ruffles, no metallic shiny materials, No bright colors or busy prints. Clothing should be neutral, complementary, appropriate for the message you want to convey. Don’t bring your Clubbing Hot Mama Mini Skirt for a Professional Headshot, wear a Suit, or sweater.
When in doubt bring options! I always tell people to bring options and they show up with three shirts.  What I mean (options) I want you to fill your trunk with clothes. I want you to bring half you closet.

Hair and Makeup – (Men skip ahead to posing) Hiring a professional gives you professional results but if you can’t splurge…. Make-up should be minimal. Do not go to the Mac counter; 9 times out of 10 they’ll put way too much makeup on you and you’ll show up looking like a drag queen.  Just do your makeup and hair like you normally do.


*For offices – Make sure you send everyone a reminder that they’re having their photographs taken the day before the shoot. Many times people forget we’re taking photos and they don’t bring the clothing that is appropriate for picture taking. Additionally, you should schedule everyone about 15 mins apart. When shooting headshots I tend to shoot tethered to a computer so people can actually pick the image they like best,
Posing – Connect with your audience the way actors do.  When shooting actors they always ask me what’s my motivation? It’s a term that every actor uses, cracks me up but is something to consider. When it comes to your expressions and poses, you really want photos that reflect you and your business. So if your business is something to do with weddings and you want someone to think if I hire this person my wedding will be perfect. You want your photos to reflect someone who’s fun to work with, honest and creative. If you were a mortgage officer you’d want to hire someone that is honest, professional and someone who has a lot of experience. Smile with character!
Photographer – Check out his or her portfolio; you want a photographer who understands lighting, don’t hire anyone whose photos have been overly manipulated. With regards to price, I would never recommend anyone to bargain hunt for a skilled trade service. The old saying you get what you pay for. Meaning don’t hire a photographer that is the cheapest and don’t get the most expensive either. Usually contrary to what you might think most expensive does not mean the best.