Leading Lines

Hello, there!  I thought it was time again to give you some basic photography tips.  Today, I will talk about leading lines.  Essentially, these are lines formed in your photograph that leads the eye in to the subject.

The black and white image of a woman and her beloved old dog shows the strong leading line of the fence coming in from the right.  The way they are lit from behind (technically) helps even more to show them as the main subject.  The little path is a secondary leading line.  

The portrait of the couple below show a similar idea, as the lane leads in to them the main subject.  One other thing to note is that the background on that image is very soft, or out of focus.  That is another technique that pro photographers especially use to isolate their main subject.  The couple is even slightly soft and out of focus as they are secondary to the little chair and chalk board announcing the new baby coming soon.

Have fun and play around with lines in your photos.  Lines are everywhere if you look hard enough.  Fences, buildings, the horizon….Curvy, straight, vertical and horizontal.  Anything goes!  Happy Tuesday and enjoy your day!              Carol

Excess?!

Happy Spring Break, everyone!  I am one of the millions that has been hit with allergy symptoms here lately.  I tried to be stoic and not think about the itchiness and sneezing, and I gave it a good try.  Finally, after several weeks, I gave in and purchased a generic drug (said to compare to Claritin) from Target.

I opened the box, and was astonished that this rather small box was divided in half by a cardboard piece, and had a tiny bottle in it.  Then upon opening the bottle, again was astonished to see that the bottom of said tiny bottle was barely covered with tiny pills!

My point to all this is the excess!  The tiny pills are fine…which by the way, worked great!  Why on earth do they need to make the bottle much larger than necessary, and then pack it in a box, 2 1/2 times larger than necessary!  With our earth’s resources being depleted, and the high cost of everything (it seems!)  why not just make the darn bottle and box the appropriate size?

This got me to thinking…is this tiny pill in a bigger bottle in a larger box kind of a metaphor for our world?  The bigger the better, excess is fine….super size it!   I certainly can’t tell anyone what to do, but I think I will be remembering that tiny pill for a long time, and it will spur me on to find ways to counteract this ‘Make it Bigger’ mentality.

I feel better now…  Carol

 

“Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face, it’s about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart and a pretty soul”. Drake

I thought I would bring you some tips today for planning  and getting ready for your boudoir portrait session.

1. Be sure to pamper yourself in the week ahead of your session.  Make sure to have a fresh haircut and color at least two weeks ahead.  A manicure and pedicure a day or two ahead is nice…. remember to wear loose clothing to the session location, nothing too tight or that might leave marks on your skin.
2.  Bring more outfits than you think you will use!  It is fun to use your significant others’s work shirt, or a dress shirt and tie, his favorite sports team shirt… lingerie, of course!  Don’t forget a simple bra and panties, even a loose sweater to pull off your shoulders, and a satin robe.  There is a wide variety of clothing to wear in a boudoir session.
3. Definitely pack your accessories!  Heels, stockings, jewelry, hair and makeup supplies (if you’re doing your own).  Hats, gloves, flowers, pets, anything can be a prop as long as it means something to the two of you!

Your boudoir session can be fun and flirty or serious and sensuous.  I love to empower women and help them see themselves as their loved ones see them.  To quote Drake “Beauty isn’t about having a pretty face.  It’s about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart and a pretty soul.  I love this quote!  To me it fits perfectly with why I do boudoir images.  To show you the beauty within along with the beauty on the outside.

Give me a call and we can meet for a private no charge consultation.  We will talk about all aspects of the boudoir session.              Carol

Shoot for the Moon Photography Classes are back!

You may or may not know that I teach photography classes.  From the very beginning basic class to an all day safari type Extravaganza class, I offer it all!  I’ve attached the brochures so that you can see.  I love photography so much, and just want to help people who wish to record their personal memories and keep them safe to enjoy for many years to come…  Before I gush some more and it gets messy in here, I’ll be on my way.  Keep me in mind if you decide you need to take your personal photography to the next level, or pass this on to someone you know who might enjoy it!  Thanks!

Love, love, love…..

All you need is love, that is all you need….  It is almost the month of love, February.  Got me to thinking about all the kinds of love there are.  When I was a small child, I would ask my mother “Who do you love more, me or Daddy?”  She would always patiently answer, “I love you both, but differently.”  I’ll admit that this answer never truly satisfied me.  I, of course, wanted her to say she loved me most in the world!

Above you see Vicki, and her daughter Beth.  You can just feel the love radiating out of this portrait.  Vicki lives here in town and Beth has moved pretty far away, but I wager that the miles fall away whenever they text, call or skype.  I am so blessed and honored to have been asked to photograph their whole family this day after Christmas.

Married love, love of a child, love of a friend or sibling….they’re all different but yet the same.  I feel that the more we love and have close, personal relationships the bigger our heart grows.  I think society sometimes get too caught up in everyone’s business of loving and who and what they’re loving.  Love is a personal ‘thing’ to be held close in and within your heart.  Who you love and what you love is your business, and only yours.

Go today and love someone.

                         Carol

Kindness and Quiet

My mother Tillie was a kind, quiet woman.  I think she always felt that listening was what she should be doing….more so than talking.  My sister and I definitely used that feature of her personality a lot growing up and even well into our adulthood.

In today’s climate of unrest and the constant need to let everyone know our opinion on social media,  maybe we need to take a chapter from Tillie’s book.  More listening and less talking.  But….. I feel we need to try to hear each other as well, there is a difference between just listening and actually hearing the other person.

Last Saturday was the 5th anniversary of my mother’s death.  Hence the reason I am so nostalgic, I guess.  I can’t imagine what she would say about the state of our world these days….probably that there needs to be more kindness and listeners.  I for one vow to carry on her traditions, and try my best from now on to talk less, listen more and to be kind!

Below are two photos of Tillie, the left is from a few years before her death.  The right is Tillie at around 30.  Beautiful lady!

Thanks for noticing

I have never felt unappreciated in all the years that I have done rescue photography, I want to put that out there loud and clear!  I hear “Thank you for what you do!” so often.  The sentiment that makes me want to cry is “The animals really get adopted faster because of your images!” .    I cannot tell you how humbled I feel that I have a part in the amazing work that these rescue and shelter workers and volunteers perform.  I can’t imagine what it feels like to see the many scared and hurt animals that they must deal with on a daily basis.

What prompted this blog post, you might be wondering?  A lovely friend of mine, Kris Saia, presented me with a treasured gift the other day.  Yes, it made me cry…  she captured me in an amazing way, but also seemed to get in my heart and see the joy that I feel being with the animals, but also doing the work that I do.

I cherish meaningful gifts like this!  It will always make me smile when I pass by it, and also remember the many times and many people who noticed what I do and thank me.

Thank you, Kris, and thanks for noticing!

Sweet Abby

Happy almost 2017!   Big changes are coming soon to Memory Makers Photography!  We are just about to launch the new, updated and beautified ( that is my word, whether it is a real word or not!) website!  It will be fantastic with a clean fresh look,  and lots of new images and content.

Sorry, Abby, for hijacking your blog post.  Meet Abby!   Abby’s mom, Teresa, brought her to me for portraits as a Christmas surprise for her dad.  I hear that he was over the moon in love with her portraits!

This adorable girl loves her people.  I could tell by how she watched every single move they made.  Teresa and her son Aaron were working with me while I photographed.  Abby gave me some lovely expressions, all the while keeping an eye on where her people were.  That’s the wonderful thing about the human/animal bond…  Dogs are simply devoted to their people, and want nothing more in return than a kind pat on the head, a good game of toss the tennis ball, and a little food every once in a while. I feel that a dog’s goal in life is to give pleasure to their humans.

As 2016 comes to a close I wish you Peace and Love, and a new chew toy accompanied by a kind pat on the head.              Carol

Do you love technology…a little too much?

Hopefully you won’t take offense to this post!  I love my smart phone, and I’m even one of those strange people who only really uses it for a phone and to text!  You see I work from my office, which happens to be in my home, so I have access to my computer almost 24/7.

All I’m getting at is that even though your phone is great, and you can keep up to the minute on everything going on in the world….don’t miss what is going on right around you.  Is your dog wanting to cuddle?  Is your teenager telling you what happened today at school?  If so, are you subtly (or not so subtly) ignoring them in order to look at your phone?  Don’t even get me started on ignoring aging parents!

At the risk of sounding cheesy, this moment won’t happen again.  These times with those you love just won’t come around so often anymore…and you can bet you’ll miss it when they’re gone!

Take a photo together, and then put the phone down, even for 5 minutes.  Real life is way more precious than that sports score, or who is on Dr Oz today, or who wore what at the Emmy’s last night…