Category Archives: photography

The 'Green' Movement

It seems everywhere we turn these days someone is ‘Going Green’.  Today for instance I drove by a car dealership and they had all of their scooters out on display, every color combination you could think of, and a huge banner saying ‘GO GREEN’.  I have not been on the Green bandwagon 100% (who can really) but there are a few things that I have gone Green with.  The first huge change that I made was not printing out a big Products Price Card.  I use to do this every time my products or prices would change and then always ended up with copies that would not get used.  Sure I can recycle them but even that seemed wasteful, especially of the ink involved.  I then decided to create an entire website dedicated to my prices and products where I can direct prospective clients and current clients to.  This website has everything a client could ever want to know.  It just might have to much information on it but it is all there!  It enables me to get information to clients without mailing a large packet prior to them booking their session.  Then after their session they receive a small packet with information on what to expect and to help them put their order together.  So far it has been working wonderfully and I hope my clients find it helpful!

Another area of my business that is ‘Green’ is my proofing system.  I do not print out paper proofs which has cut back on unused prints.  I average 90 images per session shown to my portrait clients.  Nobody has all those images printed, for obvious reasons!  There would be many prints that would just be ‘wasted’ away.  I can attest for this because I have boxes of prints that are never seen!  I wish instead of having all these 4×6 prints boxed away that I would have one large print hanging on my wall or a book of several favorite images.  I want this for my clients as well so I provide digital proofs that can be looked at anywhere from a computer and then only the favorites are printed for wall portraits or custom books.  Now that’s going green!

Then on a more personal note, the plastic bags everywhere drive me nuts!  They have bothered me way before every store started offering reusable bags.  I have always kept them and used them in our small trash cans in the bathrooms but I get way more then what I can go through.  I have purchased the Safeway black bags but they are not easy to carry around.  Last week I found what just might be a great solution!  Envirosax!  I have not purchased an Envirosax YET but I am about to very soon!  Look at all these great colors!  The only thing I wish was that they were made in the USA instead of China, then they would be perfect.  I also noticed how a few of these bags go perfectly with my branding…might look for a way to incorporate these into my business.  Thinking!!!

This is how small these bags fold up so they fit inside a perse and can be taken out whenever you make a purchase at your favorite store.

What are some things that you do to ‘Go Green’?

To Be Inspired

I love when I find a group of images that inspires me to look outside the box in what I already create.  As most of my loyal visitors have seen I love to photograph flowers.  I have been posting many images from a recent series of blooms that I created last month.  You can view them by clicking on the ‘fine art’ category in the menu.  This has been a passion of mine for many years!  Two years ago I entered into a local gallery’s call for entries and was excepted!  That truly was a highlight of my fine art career thus far and will never forget how wonderful that was.  I hope to do that again!!!

I came across and new exhibit that PhotoWorkshop.com commented about on their online magazine Double Exposure.  The gallery is Watson Studio Gallery in Texas and the exhibit is called Flower Power.  There are some gorgeous images in this exhibit that opens May 2nd.  I am partial to the black and white images and the very close up shots.  I am ready to drive to the flower shop and buy some flowers with my new found inspiration.  Sometimes I look at the flower as a whole instead of focusing on certain parts.  Don’t get me wrong I have those in my stock of images but it’s not always a norm.  I must create what I have in my head right now!!!  Got to write it down…..

If you love images of flowers go check out the images that are in this exhibit by clicking HERE.

An image from my Bloom Series

Feeling Left Out!!!

I am feeling left out of the Photography World today and will for the rest of this week.  This week is the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International convention in Las Vegas!  It’s when all the photographers from all over flock to see the new products available from the biggest photographic supplier’s and hear some of the most amazing photographers talk and teach.  Oh how I wish I could be there!  I mean really, wouldn’t it be exciting to be around people who love the same thing you do and just talk photography all day?  Ok, maybe that isn’t for everyone but I would be in heaven.  Maybe someday I will be able to go but for now I am happy cleaning my house, doing laundry, and watching Disney with my 3 year old while I dream.

Here are the WPPI Sponsors for this year!

A New Antique Look

I have been playing around with a new look to add to my arsenal!  The image has to be very specific for it has not worked on all images but Ava’s were perfect for this.  These are using the Troy action from Totally Rad Actions mix but used at a low opacity.  I like the antique look it gives, especially in these images!

What do you think?

Custom Cd Holder

I have been scouring the internet for weeks now for a really great looking CD Case for my clients disks.  I have been pretty embarrassed with my very BAD presentation of disks now for awhile.  I package my products to look so beautiful and then there is the clear jewel case that is screaming “ugly CD inside”!  I have been asking others what they do and pretty much got suggestions for what I did not want to do.  Was either not my style or just plain expensive!!!  To have something ‘custom’ printed is outrageous!  Cha-Ching $$$$  Finally this weekend I had an epiphany, why not make the holder myself?  I love creating hand made cards and all of my packaging is hand done, each is unique because I probably never do it the same way.  This is fun for me so why I didn’t apply it to the disks I just don’t know!

So today I finally sat down and tried it out.  I started with some black card stock, some pretty black and white paper, ribbon, logo sticker, and a disk holder that is sticky on one side.  Off I went and in no time had something more beautiful then anything I have seen online and completely hand made by me (except the sticky plastic holder which I bought at my local office suppy store).  I love it!  What do you think???

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