The Best Shot

(My husband Brian recreating his proposal stance the day after he proposed...7/8/06...Fairfax, VA. :) )


I was going through old photos today (as in pics taken years ago by me with a cheap point n shoot camera and no sense of photography whatsoever) but I noticed I was still a perfectionist.  I wanted to capture the person's personality so much in every shot.  I remember making people pose constantly and worrying if there might be something in the background or if the photo was blurry...you know, the days before I knew Photoshop.  :)  Now I try to capture a lot of unposed moments and finally have a camera that can keep up with someone moving a fraction of an inch. :)

There are so many factors in taking a great photo.  The weather, for one.  My favorite weather to shoot in is an overcast day.  That way, I don't have to worry about sun shadows on the face, or using a hood, or cutting a glare.  Just after the rain is also gorgeous...there's that strange brightness to the sky that gives such lovely light on the face.  In the studio, it's about the backdrop, the reflectors, hair lighting, back lighting, lighting on the face...pointing the umbrellas in the right directions!  :)

Then there's picking the right lens for the shot.  I use 5 lenses in shooting, but use two much more than the others...my 100 2.8 macro lens which doubles as a wonderful portrait lens, and my 50 1.4, which is a portrait lens and is delightful.  Sometimes I need my 70-300mm telefoto lens or my crappy fisheye for fun effects.

Then there's wardrobe, setting, making the subject comfy enough to take a really great photo.  It's fun...it's also intimidating and scary and exhilarating.  But there's passion.  I think in order to take that great photo, you have to have the passion as much as the tools.  

I have the passion.  I have the artistic eye.  It's not as edgy or as creative as some but I do think I get to the heart of the person and capture the moment in a timeless way.  Now I'm working on becoming as technically savvy as I possibly can.  And that means investing in more equipment as well as studying the pros.  I feel like a schoolgirl! ;)

I can't wait to post photos from the past year as a look back and see how I've evolved from now.  I hope I will still look back with pride, but that I will also have gained in experience and talent.  Fingers crossed! :)

Impromptu Shoot

Since I'm doing mini headshot sessions for Leagues, I thought I should brush up on my "speed shooting".  My lovely husband graciously volunteered to be my guinea pig (he'll always be my favorite face to shoot anyway!) and we found space and good light in a nearby alley.  I shot 15 shots in 10 minutes...this was shot #9.  It helps that my husband is already gorgeous and has a great face, but he also isn't terribly comfortable in front of the camera unless he's being goofy.  

I was thrilled to get a great headshot so quickly...I also enjoyed shooting outdoors using my hotshoe flash AND my ISO cranked just enough to create a wash of light without pesky noise. 

Thank you for being a great model and a wonderful husband, Mr. Doyle. :) 

Mastering the Macro

I'm shooting a friend's jewelry collection next weekend, so I've been brushing up on my macro lens skills.  I have a fun collection of cocktail rings as well as a few real pieces, so I had a great time assembling ring sculptures.

Macro shooting is a special skill.  It's not just about having the right lens (a Canon Macro f2.8) but about the right lighting, aperture, and angles.  I wish (almost) that someone had a camera of me in my studio yesterday getting just the right shots.  I had an inspiring flash of draping my own engagement and wedding rings in white lace to simulate a veil...and was sitting in the middle of my studio floor, with the rings propped in various ways on a stool, gathering three lights, holding one with my foot and knee to get just the right flash, all while taking the photo.  It paid off:

Bottom line: you have to get creative to get what you want.  Photography is hard work.  My back often aches after just a short still life shoot because I can't ask the object to move, so it's my job to capture it from every viable line of sight.  It's worth it. :)

The Inspiration Board

I get my inspiration from many places, but most often, from magazines.  I love the stylized beauty found between the glossy pages of bridal and fashion mags, the rampant creativity of the photographers and models as well as the editors.

In my studio, I have a huge corkboard.  Before I do a big shoot, I spend weeks going through the magazines searching for inspiration.  I cut out photos and fabrics and tack them to the board.  I never copy poses or settings...I just let the "feeling" inspire me. 

Last night I went through the latest magazines and made a huge stack of things that will go on the board today.  Now I'm searching for fabrics and things that will also be up there.  I love the rush I get when creating.  I can't draw or paint, but I can make magic happen with my camera.  It's exciting and fills that creative void in my soul that has been missing since I've been offstage.  Nothing can quite replace the joy that I get from singing or acting on a stage to a packed house, but I've found it comes awfully close.  I still have the same rituals, technical skills, and instinct that goes along with performing.  I think it gives my photography a little something special. :)

*And I've added a pic of the completed board.  :)

Wedding/Bridal Ads

My husband brings me home bridal magazines which I devour like fine chocolates.  I love all wedding related things...especially dresses.  And flowers.  And shoes.  And cool venues.  And vintage cars.  And...you get the idea.  I noticed recently that in magazines and online, wedding photographers tend to do either all black and white ads (cheaper in print, for sure!) or black/white with a photograph.  Since my work focuses SO much on color saturation and bright, bold jewel tones, I realized that I needed to create some ads that reflected that.  Using my beautiful model Lisa from the stylized bridal shoot, I created five ads.  I asked for input from friends and family.  I have a tendency to ask for input when I'd probably be better off working alone...I like to find out what's good/bad/appealing to a large group of people, but at the same time, I have to realize that I can't please everyone.  Yesterday was a mostly positive experience and I ended up with ads that are colorful, creative, and totally the image that I want Gilded Lily Photography to have in the wedding world.

I am shooting two weddings this year with a possibility of a third that has just arrived and I'm psyched...I can't think of anything better than helping people have a picture book of the start of the happiest days of their lives.

Photographer, Know Thy Equipment

I taught myself Adobe Photoshop nearly three years ago and I've been steadily learning more and more to help my photos really pop with either color, special effects, or unblemished perfection.  I had no idea what Adobe Lightroom was, or that it was REALLY helpful to photographers.  It wasn't until I was shooting the children's hospice event back in December that I started to wonder what on earth I'd do if my indoor, poorly lighted photos would contain too much noise to be worth a darn.  I called upon my Photog Angel, who told me of the wonders of Lightroom.  I promptly downloaded a trial and taught myself the basics and OMG...what a difference.

The two programs work like melody and harmony, perfect together.  They complement each other.  I had photos that I'd taken early on, in my studio with makeshift (read: AWFUL) lighting that weren't worth much because of either the color, exposure, or noise...with Lightroom, the editing process is so much easier and cleaner.  I've posted a headshot that I loved way back when, but hadn't edited...today, I edited in Lightroom and am thrilled with the beauty of it all.  The actress has one of the most beautiful faces I've ever seen, and her coloring is extraordinary.  Finally I feel like I can do some justice to it!

Photogs...do your research.  Make sure you know all the available programs, lighting, tools for your particular trade.  It makes all the difference in the world.

I like thinking outside the box.  And since I've decided to make couples/engagements/weddings the focus of Gilded Lily, I want new ideas.  Last night, with Brian's help, I took a macro photo of my wedding band against a favorite poem...with special lighting, a heart shaped shadow was thrown past the ring.  It makes for a really special, beautiful, and unique shot.  I want to keep doing that...find the extraordinary in the ordinary, things that will set me apart from other photographers.  I mean, other than the things like being fun, having red hair, and the ability to pinch hit an Ave Maria during your wedding ceremony if your singer doesn't show up...but I also want my photography to shine.  :)

Icy Leaf

Last night I was inspired by the small amount of snow and ice in our yard to brave the cold and take a few shots.  My friend and fellow photographer Amy had taken gorgeous pics of her various flowers and plants encapsulated in ice...I didn't have any quite so cool but as it turned out, the leaves on my favorite bush had frozen speckles.  It looked as though the leafy green was dipped in a waterfall.  I had all the perfect elements: the bush was under the lamplight, and by setting my aperture, shutter speed, and ISO accordingly, I got a cool pic.  :)

I'm a Photographer...

I've been taking pictures seriously since college.  Of course, I had a terrible camera and didn't even know the settings on my point and shoot.  But I carried it faithfully everywhere and documented every event I considered important.  Then I was the unofficial photographer for every opera, play production, etc. that I was involved in.  My love of taking pics continued through my 20s, as I merrily took pics of everyone I loved.  

Diagnosed with serious illness over the last few years, I found myself bedridden in early 2011.  I was bored to tears...doing homework for nursing classes was something, but I couldn't do my beloved theatre and couldn't work.  I'm an extremely social person by nature, and this sitting in bed was awful.  My husband Brian bought me a "real" camera...a Canon Rebel DSLR.  For the first few months, I shot completely on automatic, having no idea what any of the buttons or settings were.  I was just thrilled with the image quality.  Then Brian asked me to take his headshots for his playwriting website.  I did and really enjoyed working with him.  Then I wondered what I could do with the more advanced settings.  


So for the next month, I buckled down and learned what all the buttons meant, what aperture and shutter speed were, and how to focus manually.  It was an amazing experience.  

My long, lonely days in bed weren't so long or lonely with my trusty camera.  I shot anything and everything.  I had Facebook friends post daily challenges that I could do around the house...it gave me not only something to do but an opportunity to practice manual focus, and learn about light and angles.

I got the idea to start my own business.  I gathered several friends as guinea pigs, and from June to October, took many, many practice sessions.  People were pleased with their shots, and I was having the time of my life.  As tired as I was, I could generally handle a 2 hour photoshoot as long as I got back into bed for the editing process and didn't do anything for the rest of the day.  And sometimes the next day.  :)

I launched Gilded Lily Photography in October 2011.  For the last few months, I've done 30 headshots, a wedding, two engagements (booking two weddings for the coming year in the process), a fairytale photo shoot, a glam girl shoot, numerous kids and families and holiday cards...and it's been a wonderful, rewarding, fulfilling experience for me.  

I've always been the girl to make lemonade out of lemons...this experience has been the entire lemonade stand. :)  I have high hopes for the coming year, and am extremely excited to focus on couples, engagements, and weddings.  I love love...I think it's because I live my own fairytale every day with Brian.

I couldn't do any of it without the incredible love and support of my husband, my family, and my friends.  I can't wait to expand my business, and blog about the experience here.  I have my very own Photo Angel...an area pro photographer who is everything I aspire to be in the wedding world.  She's amazing. :)