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    • Kristen the designerKristen the designer

    NAPCP 1st Half Image Competition: 5 Days Left!

    July 27, 2011 | Posted by Kristen the designer

    There are only 5 days left to submit your best images! The NAPCP 1st Half Image Competition will close at 11:59PM EST July 31st, 2011. The purpose of NAPCP’s Image Competitions is to recognize the accomplishments and creative excellence of our members, rewarding their talent with medallions, priority listing on our directory, vendor endorsements, member points, titles and professional recognition. Members each receive a total of 5 Competition Credits per Competition with their Membership. Details are online!

    They say a picture is worth a thousand words … and yours may be featured in our next press release. For the past two International Image Competitions, the winners announcement highlighted the names of the competition winners and received great exposure – collecting thousands of views, postings to other websites, and search index hits. Wouldn’t you like to see your name and photo sent over the wire too?

    Members, don’t forget to submit your best images here!

    Good luck!

    The NAPCP Team

    Above photo credits clockwise from top left: Andrea Halsey, “Take Off and Fly” • Gina Miller,
    “All I Want For Christmas ” • Sandi Bradshaw, “Grandpa’s Car ” • Dana Pugh “Brothers”


    1st Half International Image Competition Judges


    Brandy Anderson Brandy Anderson has been photographing maternity, babies, kids and families for 7 years under Fresh Sugar Photography.

    She has won numerous awards including WPPI’s Fresh Face in 2010 as well as taking first place in the children’s category in the 8×10 competition.

    She’s been featured in Rangefinder and Professional Photographer magazine and recently achieved her CPP – Certified Professional Photographer. She lives in Calgary, AB, Canada with her husband and two daughters.

    Tamara Lackey Tamara Lackey is a photographer, author, teacher, and speaker with a passion for the world of creative arts – and artful living. In addition to photographing portraits, editorial and commercial work, Tamara teaches every day photo takers how to better document life with her new consumer ‘edutainment’ series, Tamara Lackey’s Capturing Life through (Better) Photography – a DVD, Book, and Gift Box combination.

    Tamara’s work has been described as “expressive, soulful, often funny … beautiful”. Appearing in a multitude of publications, including O – The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, Food & Wine, and Parenting Magazine, Tamara has been profiled in Rangefinder, Professional Imagemaker, and Professional Photographer Magazines. Her imagery has been showcased on NBC’s The Martha Stewart Show, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and PBS’ Need To Know.

    A dynamic and sought-after speaker, Tamara presents on the art of documenting life, small business strategy, and work/life balance at conventions and seminars around the world. She also regularly guests hosts on a variety of shows, podcasts and blogs. She is the author of The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography, reprinted in seven languages and referenced as “some of the best kid portraits I’ve ever seen” by Shutterbug Magazine. Tamara is also the host of the highly-praised Inside Contemporary Children’s Photography DVD, and the co-creator of the Tamara Lackey Style Book, developed in partnership with Kubota Image Tools. Tamara is currently writing her third book on re-envisioning the experience of family (New Riders Press: Voices That Matter, November, 2011). Tamara served on the judging panel a couple years in a row at the main WPPI 16×20 competition in Vegas – for portrait, photojournalism and commercial categories. She also judged the wedding category at SWPP’s major convention in London.

    Angie BaxterAngie Baxter

    Session Share: Chasing the Light!

    July 19, 2011 | Posted by Angie Baxter

    Inspiration: Before the session, this beautiful client had one requirement — capture us however we are on the day.  That was it!  She really gave me free creative reign to shoot uninhibited. I am often inspired by wedding photography, and have seen gorgeous fabrics used as photo booth backdrops, so I thought I would try this piece of lace and loved how it worked against the greenery.

    Favourite Element: Definitely my client’s carefree and laid back attitude.  It made the whole session such a joy.  There was no panic about whether her children were smiling or not, standing still or not — just happy freedom.

    Biggest Challenge: Due to bad traffic on the day, we started shooting about half an hour later than intended.  And the winter sun was setting very quickly.  So chasing the light right and getting as many gorgeous shots as we could as quickly as we could, while still allowing the family to feel relaxed and unhurried was probably the biggest challenge.

    What the Client Said (taken from her personal blog, The Little Mumma): “It had been an overcast day and I had wondered whether choosing a late afternoon shoot to capture that gorgeous setting sunlight might have been in vain. Without the sun, we might just end up with two kids who were in no mood for looking adorable and two parents who were in no mood to look like they enjoyed being a family.  But wouldn’t you know it, when we stepped from the car, the sun broke from behind a cloud and bathed the open field in the most beautiful glow. Angie has an incredibly warm way about her and the boys both loved her instantly. Zee practically jumped into her arms at first meeting. That was a great sign.”

    Photographers’ Final Words: I believe the key element for an awesome shoot is one where the parents are relaxed and stress-free — and this fab family had this in spades.  Kids are kids — they will snot all over your favourite top that you just purchased for the session; there may be tantrums, fake smiles, and crying; someone will be having a bad hair day; and most likely, session day will be the day you and your hubby have a massive argument.  This is life!

    If you can try as best you can to let it all go and laugh (if you don’t, you may cry!), it will make the session so much better for it.

    Anya WaitAnya Wait

    Session Shares: Radiating Love!

    July 14, 2011 | Posted by Anya Wait

    Inspiration:
    Families and babies inspire me.  From the way their home feels when I first walk in, to the way a family interacts with one another, the entire ambiance gives me a feel for how the session is going to go and the types of images I will strive to produce.  My ultimate goal is create a space for newborns, children, and their families to feel comfortable with me so they can feel comfortable showing who they truly are in front of my lens.

    Favorite Element:
    My favorite element of this particular session (s) is the love that I could feel radiating off this family.  This was to be mom’s last pregnancy and I could tell she wanted to cherish every moment of it.  When Lily was born, mom emailed me that night just basking in the glow of having just given birth to her first daughter.  I even received a picture of “just born” little Lily showing me how absolutely beautiful she is.  I could not wait to photograph her newborn session!

    Biggest Challenge
    The biggest challenge in this session was that Lily was diagnosed a few days after birth with Down’s Syndrome.  Some of my go-to newborn poses did not mesh very well with Lily and we had to work together to find comfortable positions.  This was not only a challenge but also a wonderful gift as during the session Lily and I got to know each other and I could feel coming off of her what positions made her the happiest.  She in turn gave back to create beautiful relaxed images documenting her delicate beauty and inner contentment.

    What the Client Said:
    “Thank you Anya! They look amazing, you have such a gift! I tell everyone that you are a baby whisperer with the most patience I have ever seen. I can’t wait to see the rest. Thanks again!!”

    Photographers’ Final Words:
    It is always an honor for me to be a part of each families lives, however for many reasons this session touched me deeply.  I am forever changed as a person, a photographer, and a mother, for being allowed to be a part of this families journey.

    Natalie Mancino HathawayNatalie Mancino Hathaway

    Reviving Creativity and Passion for Your Craft!

    July 12, 2011 | Posted by Natalie Mancino Hathaway

    In recent months I found that my work was not inspiring to me, and I started questioning what was setting me apart from the rest of the pack? With the influx of photographers coming into the industry, how am I going to differentiate? I was so busy with sessions, using the same “go to” poses, and having a “just get the shot” mentality, that my work looked like a lot of my competitor’s work. My passion and drive were focused on getting the job done and getting the bills paid. My photography got lack luster and my creativity became stagnant.

    In truth, when I was lying in bed at night, I wanted more than that from my photography career. I AM an Artist; I AM creative, people LIKE LOVE the images I make that are outside of the box and creative. New clients quickly forget the example image they showed me and asked me to recreate, and choose images that are inspired by their child’s unique personality instead of a Google search.

    Let a little thing inspire you then make it happen.

    For this session, I was inspired by one little crocheted pirate hat! I picked it up at a local boutique and the wheels started turning. I thought, “How cute would it be to photograph a little boy in a bubble bath with this pirate hat? No wait! In a bubble bath in a claw foot tub! Now if only a client with a little boy and a claw foot tub would book an appointment…WHY WAIT?!” So I extended a call out to my FB fans. “Looking for a fab bathroom with a claw foot tub. Anyone know anyone?”

    Within a day, I had a call from a friend/client with a sister-in-law who’d just remodeled her bathroom with a gorgeous claw foot tub. I excitedly told my friend of my vision and she procured her cute little nephew, the perfect subject for my idea! Before the idea faded away into my journal, we packed up and headed over on my off day for a session.

    The beauty of this session was that I had full creative control and there were no expectations. Mom wasn’t even there! We played until the little guy was as wrinkled as a raisin and I got to exhaust every camera angle, lens, perspective and prop I brought to create new work I was excited about.

    After the session, I realized I was stalking my own Facebook posts and web galleries. I found myself going back time and again to see if the images lost their luster. Every time, I fell back in love with them. If I was in love with the images, how could my clients not be? All the thoughts and visions I poured out on paper or dreamt about were right in front of me because, as Seth Godin suggested, I “poked the box.” Take initiative, make a move and see what happens. If you don’t, nothing bad will happen, but neither will something great. Don’t you want to be the one to create something great?

    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    1 Godin, Seth. Poke the Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?. Powered by Amazon, 2011. 6-7. Print.

    Kristen the designerKristen the designer

    Happy Fridays: How to Display your Child’s Artwork!

    July 8, 2011 | Posted by Kristen the designer

    Even if your little one is not the next Picasso, you will certainly want to save every little project and drawing to cherish for years to come. The tricky part can be deciding where and how to display your child’s masterpieces. To give you a little inspiration I have gathered some great display methods to share with you below!

    Traditional Framing

    Framing is always going to be the go to method. It can work well with almost any home decor while also preserving the work for many years. For a more modern home you may want to choose identical frames to create a gallery like the image on the left. Or maybe you want to mix and match and create a really unique wall gallery space. One of my favorite framing techniques is pictured above right. This piece is comprised of scanned thumbnails of several different pieces of art all collaged together and framed as one print. Such a beautiful display!

    Make Your Own Frames

    I absolutely love this idea, but it is certainly an option you have to commit to. These above images depict frames painted directly onto the walls to surround your child’s beautiful art.  The gallery on the left had several frames painted originally, all different shapes and sizes, and then artwork added later. However it appears that the gallery on the right was painted around the images once they were hung. Either way, it will look stunning!

    Hanging Displays

    Hanging displays are usually a much more flexible option. They are easy to put up and easy to take down. They are also great for switching pieces in and out, allowing space for new art that is made. The gallery on the left uses these amazing (and extremely versatile) rails sold at IKEA. Mount them anywhere and everywhere to create a unique wall display. Another alternative would be basic old thumb tacks, pictured on the right. You can either install some cork boards to protect the wall, or go to town with an already existing wall. Hanging displays are by far the easiest and quickest way to get some art on the walls!

    Lattice Displays

    Similar to the painted frames, these are a bigger commitment and certainly more time consuming. Assembly isn’t difficult, just requires a few more steps to get everything set up. You can purchase lattice strips in various sizes at your local hardware store and then either assemble them as a separate unit away from the wall (left), or mount directly to the wall (right). Attaching and displaying the art can be done with hangers, nails, thumb tacks and clips. Lattice can also be painted to match an existing home decor as well.


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