Overuse!

Hello everyone. I hope this Thursday finds you in good spirits. This is the photo of the day,, with a lesson! Grins!! ;)

Id like to take a moment and address free programs. I think its great that there are some good programs to use that are free. I'm not knocking any particular program or the fact they are free.

I am however, scolding those who use these programs and the fact they are not tweaking any preset. This represents to me that one has not taken the time to see if anything being offered can be made to make your photo instead of break it. So, let me get right to a few examples..

Overuse of Framing and Focusing Presets. Look at this image below. You can see how obvious the focusing is a program and not done in the camera. It's soo "ick" to me. Pair that with a frame that everyone can use and you no longer become unique. If you are calling your self a professional.. this makes you look like an amateur. To me this images becomes cluttered. Take it with a grain of salt as this is my professional opinion.

 

 

Let's clear up the actual word of professional vs. what everyone considers a professional.

A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialized set of tasks and to complete them for a fee.

In some cultures, the term is used as shorthand to describe a particular social stratum of well-educated, salaried workers who enjoy considerable work autonomy and are commonly engaged in creative and intellectually challenging work.<sup>[Taken right from wikipedia*


If you have to use a free program , lets face it at one point we all had to start somewhere, at least take these presets, tweak them and make them YOUR OWN! Below I used the same photo, same program and applied a blur and frame. I enjoy a clean photo with a clear message.</sup>

 

This also goes for producing 5 or more of the same image  in varied sepia tones or colorized variants. Stop the madness! This is a clear indication to many pros and non pros that you need to get better with camera basics and perhaps composition.You took 15 photos but only 3 are good, so you make sure you have these three in varied forms of color, B&W and sepia B&W, so that now you have 15 images you can show!

YUCK!

 Yes! I have more than one section covering basics and modes on your camera and compositon. You just have to dig a little. Today, I refuse to give you the link to make your life easier. If you want to get better you will look for it on your own!

^{Thank you all for listening to me rant, Have a great day!}

My Valentine in Photos!

 

 

The Single Rose.

 

Read The Story

 

This morning I grabbed part of my Valentine gift, my camera (of course) a LED flashlight. I placed it next to my kitchen window for reflection. Still dark outside, I began to paint with light.
Normally I don’t post very personal aspects of my life, as I feel some things are so special.. You keep it all to yourself!

The Rose…

January 2004 I began dating a man who would eventually become my husband. I had spoken about how hard it was to watch beautiful flowers, slowly die and how commercial and cliché’ the “holiday” had become. Also, I mentioned how loads of sugar would destroy a good day’s hard work in the gym.

I had begun to see other women receive massive amounts of balloons, teddy bears, flowers and chocolates wrapped in a heart shaped box. Then in walks a man whos desitnation was my cubicle. He handed me a single rose, a lil gold box which held a just a few small pieces of strawberry and dark chocolate candies (MY FAVORITE).

It didn’t take long for the other women in the office to start whispering and snickering at the ‘Single Rose’ and I guess lack of a 5 lb box of chocolates. I was glowing, grinning from ear to ear. It represented to me that this man was listening.. That he wanted me to know, even early on in our courtship that I was special and that his feelings for me were truly genuine.

This morning I decided to take the rose and recreate how I felt 9 years ago. And.. To my husband, thank you for making EVERYDAY a Valentine’s Day.

Kissing Couples

In honor of Valentine's Day. I went through my massive library and grabbed a few disc!

Smooch Away! Its Valentine's Day

Angie & Chris- Botanical Gardens, Bham, AL

Lisa & Eric-Botanical Gardens, AL

Jennifer & Cane- Botanical Gardens, Bhm, AL

Heidi & Derrick- Botanical Gardens, Bham, AL

The Millers-Botanical Gardens, Bham, AL

Kristi & Chris-Botanical Gardens, Dothan, AL

Say I love you in Photos of Valentine's Day

Say I love you in photos! I am waiving my session fee of $50 for studio portraits for Valentine's Day!
Due to time, im not longer able to gurantee photo delivery but you can always purchase a disk!

Ladies, Want to do something special for your sweetie? Have a glamour or boudoir session for his eyes only! Tastefully done in a private setting! Nothing will be posted on any website unless I have your approval!

Cant make it by the 11th or dont need it by the 14th? No problem, entire month of Feburary will have no session fees, so take advantage!

What is tastefully done? Here is an example. Click --->

http://laymanphoto.blogspot.com/2013/02/valentine-gift-ideas.html

For All Brides.. In Search of....

You are in search of a photographer, venue, the perfect dress, that wonderful cake. You have stressed over every detail imaginable. You hear all the time.. photographers who offer you the best images for your wedding. "To be able to re live your day in photos" Yes. That is what most photographers give!

Do you want images that are so unique that your friends, gasp when they see your wedding photos? Yeah, I thought so.

 So what are you doing about securing a photographer that will go the extra mile.. Does their portfilio show something unique for all couples or is it just a few images that are grand?

Brides.. you should request some photos. Send examples of images you adore. I love it when a bride gives me ideas she loves.. even if it comes from another source. It tells me she is creative and that she trusts me.

I like anything unusual and I do look for anything that may make it so, I used light, reflections and surrounding environments to help my modern brides get what they want. I want your wedding photos to be unique! Let us not yawn at another standard album!

So,, tell me what inspires you.

My inspiration comes from one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world. David Beckstead. If you dont know him, you should. If you are a photographer reading this.. you should as well. No longer do we place our bride and groom center of the frame for EVERY SHOT! At least I do not.

http://www.davidbeckstead.net/Portfolio/Becksteadbest/23209433_wKH76B#!i=1876510528&k=bq8kRZC

If you are interested in seeing some of his images.. click the link. You may see some things there that remind you of my style. I ve been a fan of David's since I started wedding photography and I am thankful. I was able to set myself apart from the standard.

I love lens flare. Almost all photography schools teach you to illiminate this.. I find it to be dramatic! I will seek out a way to incorporate it into some images.

 

 

Your wedding isnt standard! You have a journey that needs to be told. Tell it in your own style.

I hope his images inspire you the way they have inspired me!

Be sure to find me and view some images. www.layman-photography.com

Happy Planning!

Photo of The Week

Happy Friday! TGIF!!
 I will admit, Ive let this portion of my blog slip. There isnt any who Ive asked to particiapte, actually follow through.

So, I guess you are stuck with looking at just my images from now on!


While photographing ANY wedding.. I keep a good eye on the children, everyone is excited, busy and they sometimes get away with doing things with out supervision of adults.

 I normally walk past all chocolate fountains at weddings, never giving a thought as to dip into it, but I watched this child have so much fun hiding anything that looked like fruit. I have to say this is the first time... I wanted to play in it too!

Pinterest!

Like it? Love it? Pin It! Getting to know my bride's styles and seeing their passion for creativity with their wedding planning is awesome!  Having a great relationship with your photographer makes for great photos!



Find us on Pinterest click the link  http://pinterest.com/laymanphoto/



Thank you all for your continued support

Valentine Gift Ideas!

Say I love you in photos! I am waiving my session fee of $50 for studio portraits for Valentine's Day!
Book by 2/11/13 to get your photos on time!

Ladies, Want to do something special for your sweetie? Have a glamour or boudoir session for his eyes only! Tastefully done in a private setting! Nothing will be posted on any website unless I have your approval!

Cant make it by the 11th or dont need it by the 14th? No problem, entire  month of Feburary will have no session fees, so take advantage!

What is tastefully done? Here is an example...

 

 

 

 

Free Trash The Dress Session!

That's right! All year long I am offering a free trash the dress portrait session for anyone who books a wedding!

~What does this mean?
It means when you get back from your honeymoon, you get to wear your dress again! Want to jump into a pool? Want to play at the Botannical Gardens? Walk around downtown? Let's just have a great time being creative. So What if the dress gets a lil' dirty?

If wearing your dress  leaning on a wall or sitting in the grass is the highlight of your idea of trash the dress, so be it! Let's just have fun.

What does trash the dress look like? Here is peak of what to expect! 205 873 1803!
www.layman-photography.com