The Real Deal

(I got some important news yesterday and my darling hubby brought me home flowers, which I promptly photographed.  Of course.) :)

So, now that I've officially been in business for six months (SIX MONTHS!?!), I've been working on the  business side of everything.  I have a business bank account and credit card, I have a financial tracking system online, I log gas mileage, I have business cards...and I'm currently designing a more cohesive, comprehensive and user friendly website complete with blog so I can have all things in one central place.

I bought a Droid Bionic with 4G smartphone with a credit card application so that I could better run my business remotely.  I admire technology and appreciate it, even if I'm a bit of a luddite.

I made some valuable equipment purchases...in addition to the Canon 50mm 1.4, 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8 macro, and 70-300 telephoto lens already in my bag, today I bought a Canon 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and a wide angle 10-22mm.  And I bought a backup DSLR...a Canon Rebel T3 12.2MP (not quite as nice as my 18MP but it'll do the job in an emergency!).

I recently got a camera raincoat...basically a way to protect my camera if shooting in less than perfect weather.  It's the smart thing to do unless your camera is water sealed.  Add to that a little pop up diffuser for indoor photography and I'm ready to go. :)

I'm all set for my upcoming weddings!  Headshots are easy in terms of equipment (The camera with one portrait lens and a second portrait lens and nothin' else!) but weddings are a whole other animal and I'm shooting three this year already and one next year.  I've learned that different lenses do different things, and it's nice to have the proper selection.  I'm still drooling for a few fixed length lenses (like the 85mm 1.2, the 50mm 1.2, 24mm 1.4 and the 35mm 1.4) and my dream full frame camera (Canon Mark II) but for now, I've got what I need, like:

shootsacs, tripod, hotshoe flash, lens hoods, collapsable light deflector, umbrellas for on the spot lighting setups indoors...and let's not forget the numerous back up batteries and memory cards, camera cleaning tools and hairbands for my crazy red hair that's always getting in the way!

It's weird to have something creative that you love become something planned and businesslike, but at the same time it's exciting to have made the investment in myself and my talent.  I just hope I can live up to that investment.

Tomorrow morning I have a photoshoot...of me.  I'm taking a photo for my website's homepage banner.  It's really important for branding for people to have a face to put with the work.  Me, my dress, jean jacket, and cowboy boots will try to enjoy being the subject of a self-portrait! :)

Stylized Bridal Shoot!

I love stylized shoots!  I get great practice while creating the pictures I see in my head when envisioning brides and it helps me to be a better wedding photographer.  In a few weeks, 4 of my lovely friends and models are donning their fluffy white gowns and letting my artistic inspiration run wild.

I'm collecting different bridal things as we speak, grabbing items from my own wedding (thank you Mom & Dad for the hope chest!) and planning items that I will be making and creating.

So excited!!! :)

Diet Coke Homage

My first professional website is near launch, and I've been working with web designers to create something simple, colorful, and user-friendly.  For the "About Me" section, I've decided to do it in pictures, not words.  So I've spent the last few weeks taking photos of things near & dear to me.  Besides my husband, puppies, and other special things, I realized that there is something that I'm just SLIGHTLY addicted to...Diet Coke.  :)  So I grabbed my trusty mini cans out of the fridge and took some fun pics, put them together in a collage, and can't wait till they're on the site.  I shared the photo with the Diet Coke page on FB and they called it "extraordinary"and asked to share it with the rest of the FB community...yay!

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! :)

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.  :)

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. :)