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    Summer Fashion Alert!

    July 20, 2010 | Posted by janejohnson

    One of the most common questions a client asks after booking their portrait session is “what do we wear?” Personally, I have a hard enough time deciding what to wear for a normal day, let alone a portrait session that will hang on my walls for years to come!

    Because of this, I’ve taken some time to put together some fun outfits for your children thanks to the ever fashionable Janie and Jack–a children’s clothing company that offers distinctive, finely crafted clothing and accessories for the little ones in your life!

    Be sure to check back next week for a fashion alert just for you (the parents)!  Because you’re just as important as your little minis, even if they’re the ones who end up stealing the show!

    janejohnsonjanejohnson

    Tips for Photographing Your Own Kids

    July 12, 2010 | Posted by janejohnson

    I talk to so many moms who have trouble taking photos of their kids.  Either the kids aren’t interested in stopping to pose for a picture, or they get impatient holding the pose as mom tries over and over to get just one good shot.  I have a few tricks that just might help you get a good shot while still keeping everyone happy!

    GET ON THEIR LEVEL

    Kneel down, squat down, or lay down, but do whatever you need to in order to get on eye-level with your child.  More than likely they’ll be looking down at whatever they are doing, and it’s easier to catch a glance than to have them stop what they’re doing and look up.  If you have an entry level digital SLR camera, you’ll have more luck with catching the quick moments.  Standard point and shoots will probably take some more finesse with the time delay.  One way to get around that is to make sure you’re by a window, outdoors, or in an area with plenty of light and turn your flash off.  Not only will you get better color in your photos, you also won’t have those pesky red eyes to deal with!  A favorite trick I use regularly with younger kids is to have them lay on their back on a blanket.  Stand over them and pretend like you’re going to fall on them.  If that doesn’t work (or if they’re infants that aren’t sitting up yet), kneel down and tickle them with one hand while shooting with your other.  Most of the time, a fit of giggles will ensue.  The above shot was taken with a Nikon Coolpix S220 (point and shoot) with the flash off, and without any color correction–just some sharpening for clarity.

    INTERACTION IS KEY
    How many times a day is your child begging for your attention?  Asking you to play with them, or pretend that they’re a dinosaur knocking on the door looking for some lunch.  By now, you’ve become accustomed to tuning out the constant “mom….. mom….. mom…..” until it turns into an exasperated “MOM!” but one thing is for sure–your child loves to spend time with you!  Take advantage of the opportunity, but grab your camera at the same time.  Ask them questions about what they’re doing, the picture they’re coloring, the doll they’re playing with, etc.  Most of the time, when they answer you, they’ll look at you.  If the don’t, ask them to show you what it is they’re working on and they’ll hold it up.  Set up a tea party outside.  Or a picnic.  Or a fort using patio furniture and blankets.  Create a special environment that they don’t normally find themselves in and they’ll be having so much fun, they won’t even realize you’re taking pictures!  Another trick is to play hide and seek.  If they hide on the side of the house, and know you’re right around the corner looking for them, sit and wait with your camera ready.  Eventually, they’ll peek around the corner to see what’s taking you so long, and you’ll be able to catch that mischievous grin that you love.

    NEVER STOP SHOOTING
    A good rule of thumb from back in my film days is that you’ll typically go through an entire roll of film for one good shot.  I just had a session with a 12 month old two weeks ago, and shot 255 frames to end up with 40 final images.  For every good shot, there are at least six or seven bad ones.  Usually, if you’re not interrupting what your child is doing (all that much) and forcing them to hold a pose and smile for twenty minutes, they won’t mind a few pictures snuck in during some quality play time.  In the end, neither of you will be frustrated, and you just might happen to get that perfect shot you will still love looking at when they’re 30.
    Alice ParkAlice Park

    NAPCP Retreat 2010: A Full Recap

    July 7, 2010 | Posted by Alice Park

    On June 20th – 23rd, 2010, NAPCP members gathered together to for our first annual Retreat in Napa. We emerged with a renewed commitment to our craft and forged lifelong friendships with the individuals who attended. This was an experience that celebrated who we are. We laughed, cried, shared, and opened our hearts…

    The retreat is still very much a haze to us. We are so humbled by the 50 attendees who flew cross country to join us in Napa. Our speakers were phenomenal, the wine and atmosphere – perfection, and the late night bonding with new & old friends was priceless.

    One of our members, Tanya Alexis, writes:

    I have never been to any sort of photographer retreat/expo/convention, and I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was looking forward to meeting some faces who had been a large part of helping me shape my business during my first year, but other than that I was curious to see how things would end up. The retreat exceeding my expectations above any beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It was the perfect combination of fun and information. I have already starting implementing information that I learned during my days in Napa. Alice & Kyu are amazing. They put their heart and soul into this retreat, and it showed in spades! The attention to detail and to those at the retreat was above and beyond anything you would expect.

    I know that I have forged life long friendships with people that I only met in person for a couple of days. I cannot think of another situation where you would be able to get so close to people in such a short period of time. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this retreat possible. I am very proud to have been apart of the first NAPCP Retreat :)

    Thank you, Tanya…. :)

    On our first night, Whitney, Sara, Tanya and I stayed up until 2 am or so putting together our member swag bags.  Swag stands for “Stuff We All Get.” Every time you attend a workshop, convention or event, Swag is usually given as a thank you at the end. For our first retreat, we wanted to make the entire experience extremely memorable – starting with our gift bags.

    Each contained hundreds of dollars in gifts from our sponsors. Sponsors included:  Album Crafters, Custom Photography Blogs, Easy as Pie Pricing, Big Folio, J Lee Albums, Bay Photo

    A special thanks to our contributors who provided goodness to our Swag Bags and over $5,000 in raffle prizes for our attendees:  Simply Canvas, Adorama, Design Aglow, Kubota Action Tools, Asuka Books, Skye Hardwick’s Workshop Workbook, Pocket full of Poses, Kelly Moore Bags, Brand Camp, Totally Rad Actions, Studio Cloud, Luxcetera, BorrowLenses, Photographer Cafe, Loktah, Jolie Wraps, Buckeye Photo, Designer’s Concept, Photographers Kick Start & Simply Edits

    

    And one of our top sponsors, my good friend Zida of Studio-Z, created the most gorgeous letterpressed programs, table cards, stationary, and business cards we’ve ever seen. The below photos honestly do not do the pieces justice. You really need to hold them to appreciate them….

    My absolute favorite part of the experience = the connections that were made.  Online friends who were able to meet for the first time, share a glass of wine, and really bond….

    Our keynote speaker, Tamara Lackey, discussed the importance of Photographer-Life Balance. This is a constant struggle for many working child photographers.  How do we balance work, family, and living our own lives to its fullest?

    Along with being an incredibly gifted speaker, photographer, all-around awesome person, Tamara is also a pretty brilliant group therapist.  Lots of digging deep inside, prioritizing and, real & practical tips for balancing it all.

    We also welcomed Dane Sanders to the floor – the celebrated author of Fast Track Photographer, a new and innovative approach that allows photographers to get clear on the gifts and talents “you” have as an individual.  Dane shares with the group:  “Start with your most powerful resource: You.”

    We were so blessed to have such phenomenal speakers at our first Retreat.  Dane absolutely mesmerized the group.  Fans lined up for their autographed copy of Fast Track Photographer.

    We also were able to get the inside scoop of his newly announced Fast track workshops! This workshop is a collaborative experiment aimed to do nothing short of transforming photographer’s businesses into exactly what they were made to do as a creative.  It promises to be intense, challenging, rich and relational.

    Fellow attendees stepped up to lead group discussions:

    Lisa Thomas: “What is Community?”
    Jane Johnson: “Photoshop Tips & Workflow
    Brandy Anderson: “Fusion Videos”
    Andrea Halsey: “The Client Experience”

    They all did an amazing, amazing job….

    Afterwards, the group ventured outside at the Resort’s private vineyard and joined 15 child models from San Francisco for our Shooting Clinic.

    Armed with our gear :)

    Dane is providing the group fill light with his 17″ macbook pro. Awesome.

    The shooting clinic was a huge success! The challenge: finding beautiful light, connecting with our subjects in such short amounts of time, and producing stunning images.

    All without any instruction….

    Those that remained til the very end. sunset after our shooting clinic… What a great group.

    The next day, we set out for our wine tasting experience! So fun singing “Hey Soul Sister” on the bus with everyone.

    Merryvale had a lovely spread prepared for our first wine tasting experience… The wine-cheese pairing was amazing.

    At Judd’s Hill, we were fortunate to have been able to sit in on Dane’s askdane.com with Tamara as his guest.  Tamara recapped her presentation discussing Life and Work Balance.  She shared some great tips with Dane and his viewers on being able to single-task (not multi-task) and structure your day to get more accomplished.  Their podcast is available online here.


    In the end, we all left with 45 new friends, a lot of inspiration, and a better sense of who we are… (not to mention some good sun and some good wine)  We are so thankful to be part of such a warm and soulful community of child photographers.  Crystal James writes, “I left the retreat with renewed enthusiasm in my business and personal life, as well as a long list of trusted advisers and friends.”

    Thank you, from the bottom of NAPCP’s hearts, to all who attended.  We can’t wait until next year!!




    janejohnsonjanejohnson

    Photography Studio vs. On-Location: A Biased Opinion

    May 20, 2010 | Posted by janejohnson

    I met 10 year old Jack while he paused his Guitar Hero long enough to shake my hand. He then quickly resumed his game, eager to show off his widely practiced skills to a new audience. I was at Jack’s house on a recent trip to Scottsdale for a portrait session. We were on his turf, in his domain, and his dog ran by with the occasional bark to remind us that she was important too.

    There’s something about going into a child’s environment that makes an instant friendship a little bit easier. When they’re surrounded by familiarity, having someone new with a camera in their face isn’t quite as intimidating as a photography studio with lots of expensive equipment they aren’t allowed to touch. I might have a biased opinion since I am a strictly on-location, natural light photographer, but let me give you a few reasons as to why your home (or favorite locale) is the perfect backdrop for a portrait session with your child.

    Freedom to wander.

    Children like to be entertained. Toddlers, particularly, don’t like to be in one place for long. I don’t know how many times I’ve spent an hour running backwards with my camera low trying to catch a little one on the move. During my session with Jack, we spent most of our hour together exploring his backyard. He showed me his mother’s rose garden, and which buds he was saving for the girl he has his eye on at school. We lay in the grass, threw the ball, chased after the dog, and (when all that grew old) Jack offered to show me his “washboard abs”. That’s when I got the good smile out of him. The continual change of scenery allowed for a wide variety of visually stimulating backdrops that I couldn’t have gotten inside a studio.

    Your style is unique.

    Once a portrait session is booked, most moms immediately think to themselves “what are we going to wear?” Putting the effort into styling your children in a way that they won’t resist while still adding a touch of your personality always results in a series of photographs unique to your own family. Pairing that with the backdrop of your own home is a guarantee for something that hasn’t been seen. Because no one’s house looks quite like yours. But what if your house isn’t quite the house of your dreams? Simply choose to have your session in a favorite meadow, that building you love downtown, or even in a local ice cream shop. The options are endless!

    Yummy evening light.

    There are plenty of lighting options when it comes to in-studio lighting, and a photographer with a good understanding of light can create some pretty stunning effects.  However, nothing really compares with a good dose of yummy evening light.  The kind of light that just wraps itself around your child and kisses the freckles on their nose.  The kind of light you think of when you remember going to bed as a child when it wasn’t yet dark outside.  The kind of light that makes your soul smile.  After all, many things in life are fleeting.  But the warm glow of a summer evening is always waiting to greet you.  Even if it’s hidden behind some clouds.


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