Jessica Martin Photography

Fort Worth Rodeo

2012-02-13T07:30:00.000-06:00

Apparently you can only live in Texas so long before it's unacceptable to have never gone to a rodeo. While I hardly think ten and a half years count, it seems my husband could not believe I'd never been to one (that I can remember, at least).

Soooooo, when the Fort Worth Stockshow and Rodeo was in town a couple of weeks ago, I decided that it might be fun to go. Granted, any time I attend a fun/interesting event, my main goal is to find a seat where I get good pictures. (It's sad but true-- I can't have fun without a camera in my hand.)

While I didn't end up with a great spot for pictures, I did have a delicious greasy corn dog and cotton candy. Sometimes food > taking pictures.


Mmmmmmm. Food.


Now this just looks like fun . . .


. . . but this face-plant, not so much.

And if horses or bulls aren't your thing, maybe bikes are.

Is it wrong that I think the best part is when the rider is thrown off?

I'm sure this isn't dangerous AT ALL.

Yep, wore my boots. (And so did my husband).

Although we picked a cold & rainy night, it was still pretty.

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All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

MythBusters: Photo Edition

2012-02-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

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This link went around Facebook yesterday and many a photographer had a good laugh. Even if you're not a photographer, maybe you're hearing echoes of things you've said yourself in the past. That's okay-- we forgive you. ;-)

But right after the video ended, I realized that most people do not understand what they're really saying when they make these comments to a professional photographer, no matter how innocently they mean it.

So I'm gonna drop some knowledge on ya by debunking a few myths hinted at in this video:

1. That's a NICE camera. I bet you get good pictures!
You mean this as a compliment, but what we hear is this: "You're only good because of how much money your gear costs. If I had 10k+ worth of gear, I would be just as good." People seem to take for granted the thousands of hours studying photography. While great gear helps, that is not what makes great pictures.

Exhibit A: World renowned photographer Chase Jarvis says that the best camera is the one you've got with you. Here is his iPhone portfolio.
Exhibit B: "A photographer went to a socialite party in New York. As he entered the front door, the host said, 'I love your pictures-- you must have a fantastic camera!' He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: 'That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a fantastic stove.'" - Sam Haskins

2. You have Photoshop, right?
Everybody loves Photoshop. You can make your eyes blue-er, your skin flawless, your whole body skinnier. But here's the problem: It's time consuming, and while most photographers are very proficient at working in Photoshop, most photographers are not professional retouchers. Most retouchers can spend an average of 4 - 6 hours on an upper-body shot, while well-known professional retouchers will spend 20+ hours on a single image. Before you ask your photographer for some "simple editing", think about this: Did you pay them for 1-hour session, plus basic editing time, or did you pay them for 101 hours of work (1 hour shooting + 5 hours each editing 20 images)?

3. You can just give me all the images and I'll edit them later.
You may not realize this, but photographers have to be their own quality control. Consider this: If you're a cook and someone ordered a steak, would you just hand them a piece of raw meat so they can cook it themselves later? If you create crafts for a living, would you hand over a half-finished item to a client who insists they can finish it because they took a sewing workshop once? Your name, your reputation, and your business is on the line with each and every item/image you pass on. You don't have to be plagued with perfectionism, but as a small business you are your work. This is why photographers do not give clients 100% of all the images they've taken, and why most photographers do not release unedited images.

4. My camera has a flash right on top. Where's your flash? Why aren't you using it?
Most higher-end cameras don't have a flash on the camera body itself. Crazy, huh? That's because most professionals don't use a pop-up flash anyway. They know that the light from that flash isn't going to be powerful enough (or flattering at all) for their images. Just trust me on this one-- just because you think the photographer needs to be using a flash, doesn't mean they actually do. In fact, a lot of the time no flash > flash. It just depends on the what the image needs, and a proficient photographer will know when to use flash, and when not to.

5. Straight from the video: "Can you make everything black and white, except for my eyes/hat/etc?"
Okay, this one makes me laugh. When an entire image is black and white, except for one colorful feature, it's referred to as "selective coloring". Just like in fashion, photography has fads that come and go, and selective coloring (amongst photographers, anyway), is a horrid curse like shoulder pads from the '80s. We don't like it because it makes our photography look "behind the times". While I firmly believe that new people are discovering old fads, it hurts those of us who've already been there to resurrect them for you. Selective color can still be done well, but it's rare. And on behalf of all portrait photographers everywhere, I'm begging you to not ask us to do this.

So there it is . . . out there for all to see. The truth hurts sometimes, and I know some of this may seem a little harsh, but you need to hear it. And better to hear it from me than from 50 million photographers snickering behind your back.

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Fort Worth Music!

2012-02-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

You should support your local artists & bands. I don't actively do that often enough, but Saturday night I went out with some friends to hear some good stuff! Whiskey Folk Ramblers were debuting their first music video (which is awesome, by the way, and if you haven't seen it, look no further than this link right here) at The Where House in Fort Worth.

Saturday was also my first time hearing Sealion and Kentucky Knife Fight (KKF's from St Louis, so not technically "local", I guess), and both bands were a ton of fun. And, of course, WFR was awesome as always. Sadly, I'm not really cut out for the party life, and by the time WFR took the stage, my mind was already half asleep and I was having a difficult time handling all the smoke in the air. So . . . that's my excuse for getting only one shot of the band.

But seriously, if you haven't heard WFR, go do it. Now!


The beautiful ladies I hung out with.


The place was all tattooed and bearded-up!

The Where House has a very cool and casual art-and-music vibe.


Sealion kicked the evening off.


Sealion

Kentucky Knife Fight


Kentucky Knife Fight


Our very own Tyler Rougeux of WFR!

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All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

10 Photographers You Should Know

2012-02-03T07:40:00.000-06:00

In an article I read a couple of years ago, a teacher (I think it was highschool) asked his students to name a famous photographer. Apparently it was a rather difficult request because the one and only response he got was "Ashton Kutcher".

Well, at least we know Nikon's marketing works. =P

While I know photography is not everyone's interest, I feel like not knowing at least a few of the masters of photography is a horrible thing. It's like not knowing who Leonardo di Vinci was. So I decided to google famous classic photographers, but I either came up with lists that only included the same two or three photographers, or whole, long lists of modern photographers that were pretty obscure.

So I decided that I would create my own list. Sure, this isn't exhaustive by any means, and there will always be people commenting, "What about this photographer or that photographer? They deserve to be on your list!" Well, I only have so much room, so I chose the ones I thought have been most influential and that, seriously, everyone should at least know of.

If you're a photographer and none of these names sound familiar . . . do some research! If you know who Jasmine Star is, but not Richard Avedon . . . then woe are we as an industry. And yes, there are plenty of modern-day portrait and wedding photographers, but in 100 years, are we really going to remember most of these people? But I'm willing to bet the works of the photographers listed below will still be studied then.

So, here are my ten photographers you should know (in no particular order), excluding Annie Leibovitz and Ansel Adams, because I assume the general public probably already knows at least those two. ;-)

1. Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1908 - 2004

Father of modern photojournalism

2. Richard Avedon, 1923 - 2004

Fashion and portrait photographer

3. Dorothea Lange, 1895 - 1965

Photojournalist of the Depression era

4. Diane Arbus, 1923 - 1971

Portrait photographer of unusual people

5. Robert Capa, 1913 - 1954

War photographer

6. Sally Mann, born 1951

Portrait photographer

7. Robert Doisneau, 1912 - 1994

Photojournalist

8. Cindy Sherman, born 1954

Conceptual portrait photographer

9. Edward Weston, 1886 - 1958

Art photographer

And number ten . . .

Well, I had a hard time picking number ten, so I'm leaving it up to you. Eve Arnold? Helmut Newton? Alfred Steiglitz? Man Ray? Another photographer? You tell me who else belongs on this list. =)

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Lee & Juliana : Teaser!

2012-01-30T11:23:00.000-06:00

I know everyone is itching to see some pictures, so here's just a tiny teaser of what's to come! Check back over the next few weeks and I'll have a full blog post up with way more!

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All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

Professional Headshots

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah, I do 'em. If you're a business person, an actor, or just need professional head shots done for any other reason, call me.

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All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

Controversy in Photography

2012-01-23T07:58:00.000-06:00

Like all art, I think photography has and always will stir up some controversy. These days it's mostly all about Photoshop and models, but I thought I'd post about some controversial stories you may not know about, and maybe make a blog series out of it. There's more to photography than just weddings and pretty flower pictures. Also, feel free to voice your opinion in the comments!

Also, disclaimer: Not all of these stories are recent. Just interesting.

Terry Richardson is at it again, but we're really not surprised.
(Link disclaimer: Suggestive images in the linked article; no nudity).

Most photographers and fashionistas know who Terry Richardson is. In fact, I laughed when this particular article called him a skeezeball . . . because it's obviously not such a secret. The portrait photographer is notorious for his suggestive images and all the sexual-harassment accusations constantly thrown his way. This time he's apparently angered gym members (which is a pretty scary thought, considering the amount of heavy things fitness freaks lift): The images he shot for the Equinox gym chain feature typical super-skinny models-- not healthy, fit models, but typical runway-style models. Supposedly Equinox "intended [the ads] to be thought provoking and to generate discussion", but it seems members already have their minds made up and it's not up for discussion. Do you think a gym should be more particular about the images used to represent itself? Is "skinny" bad? Companies have a right to choose how they market themselves-- would these ads make you more compelled to join a gym than an image of fit, muscular women?

Nikki Catsouras famed leaked photographs of car wreck.
(Link disclaimer: While there are no gruesome images in the links below, the original images can still be found online. After accidentally spotting one-- I thought I was clicking on an actual article-- I *very strongly* suggest that you do not search for them. I'm not joking about this. It is both tragic and extremely horrific.)

Although these images went viral back in 2006, shortly after her car accident, I had never heard of Nikki Catsouras until today. According to this link, the 18 year old had had an argument with her family and walked out, taking her dad's Porsche (which she wasn't allowed to drive, and never had before that day). Not long afterwards, she clipped a Honda Civic while trying to pass on the right side going over 100 miles per hour, eventually slamming into a concrete tollbooth and was decapitated immediately. The controversy comes in when the coroner wouldn't allow the parents to identify the body due to the nature of the accident, and that the images (standard police procedure to take pictures at the scene of an accident) were so graphic and gruesome that they should also never see them. Unfortunately, two undiscerning officers leaked the pictures and everyone all over the world saw them. Not only that, but many people emailed those images directly to the family with some pretty horrible comments (wikipedia article). One officer said he only shared the images because he wanted to show people the dangers of drunk driving. (Ironically, Nikki had no trace of alcohol in her system, although there was cocaine). People are intrigued by gruesome images-- is this a black and white issue, or a grey area? Obviously, the family's right to privacy should be considered, but what about using graphic images to snap people out of their ignorance?

Betsy Schneider's images of her daughter censored in Britain.
(Link disclaimer: There are no images in the linked article).

American photographer Betsy Schneider decided that, when her daughter was born, she wanted to record her life. Twice a week she took pictures of her daughter, and in 2004, set up an exhibition of those images in Britain. Police received complaints of child pornography and shut the exhibit down. Needless to say, there were opinions flying all over the place. This article that I found posed several differing viewpoints on child nudity in modern art (everything from "This is nothing compared to images on the internet" to "I think everybody knows the difference between work that is made for sexual stimulation and something that might use sexuality in a much more complex way" to "Shame is in the eye of the beholder"). Do you think an artist is responsible (at least partially) for the response/reaction of the viewer to the work? Would this be a different issue if it was a father and daughter, rather than mother and daughter? Should all examples of naked children be considered indecent, or should it depend on the context of the image itself and who its intended viewer is?

And that's your dose of drama for today!

Looking for something a little less controversial? What about how adorable my pups are?? *collective "awwwww"*

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What I Love Today

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Don't call me a designer-- I definitely don't have the eye or talent for web or graphic design (the ability to streamline my aesthetic tastes to anything more than a mish-mash has always eluded me). BUT it's still fun to work on my branding and marketing in the form of . . .

. . . press-printed cards and such! I've done two versions of my business card (one a standard size, the other a folded book-mark size), thank you cards for my clients, and my portrait pricing menu (I'm still working on my wedding menu and other items).

I really do think it says a lot about your business if you're able to present yourself in a unique but professional way. Like one of my friends said when she handled a few of these things, "This oozes class-- if class could ooze!"

But really, I have to admit, I feel like I order these as much for the excitement of getting a package in the mail as I do to pass them on to my clients.

Right now my absolute favorite paper to use in my branding and marketing work is a linen-type paper. You can see the texture a bit in the image above, but it truly feels luxurious.

Besides the awesome press-printed products, I was in immediate need of a physical portfolio last week, so I rushed around trying to find out where I could get a nice portfolio book and which prints (I was only picking 10 -12 images) to include. While Fort Worth Camera is my usual (closest) go-to place for photography needs, Hobby Lobby actually carries the exact same portfolio. As for the prints-- I gotta say, bigger is better! Although carrying around a book of 11x16 prints can be pretty awkward.

So that's kinda been the highlight of my week. What's gotten you excited recently?

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All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

It's a beautiful day for a baby

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

(Well, not for a couple more months exactly, but . . . .)

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All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

Hittin' the big time!

2012-01-11T11:39:00.000-06:00

Sort of, anyway!

I've mentioned this briefly elsewhere, but thought I'd go ahead and make the official announcement:

I'm a published photographer!

- and -

The winter 2011 issue of Celebrate Greyhound has three images I took of a beautiful blue Greyhound named Wagner. They accompany an article by Shannon Forest about the Bertillon card. (In short, the Bertillon card was how Greyhounds were identified before the use of ear tattoos).

The November 2011 issue of Professional Pilot magazine has a portrait I took of a pilot who flies for Pepsico. It accompanies an article about flight safety by Shannon Forest.

Lastly, and I'm not sure if this counts, but an image I took at my first wedding is featured on the Moment Junkie blog today! Moment Junkie is my absolute fave wedding blog because every entry is from a different photographer, and they specifically choose shots that are non-traditional, non-posed, and, a lot of times, probably never even make it into the wedding album. I'm talking about pics of the ring bearer sneaking a peek up a bridesmaid's dress, or a boob-grope in a group picture, or the father of the bride crying when he sees his daughter on the big day, or . . . well, you get the idea.

This was the image of mine that's on Moment Junkie today. It's definitely one of my all-time favorites. Because I was second-shooting for the inspirational Katherin Fan (or co-shooting?? we more or less worked together, though she was the primary photog), I was able be in the back as the processional started. Honestly, I prefer being "behind the scenes" with the wedding party any day of the week to waiting at the front of the church-- you can totally feel the air thick with anticipation!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

All images copyright Jessica Martin Photography.

Photoshop is not evil

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

One day, Picasso took a train trip and, as happens on such occasions, engaged in conversation with the gentleman seated next to him. When the man learned to whom he was speaking, he began grumbling about the ways in which modern art distorts reality. According to one account, "Picasso demanded to know what was a faithful representation of reality. The man produced a wallet-sized photo and said, "There! That's a real picture-- that's what my wife really looks like." Picasso looked at it carefully from several angles, turning it up and down and sideways, and said, "She's awfully small. And flat."

There's always been plenty of anti-Photoshop sentiment going around, but it seems now more than ever people are getting tired of it. Young women, especially, are effected by this false reality that apparently all the stars and models live in that us mere mortals can never be a part of.

I admit, I LOVE looking at "before and after" Photoshopped images. Some are insane. Some are funny. But they don't really make me angry. Why? Maybe it's because I'm a photographer, but I have become accutely aware of what is likely real and what is probably not. I guess perhaps I'm an exception rather than the rule here, though.

There's rumor of a law passing in Europe where images will have to have a "warning label", essentially, letting the viewer know that the image has been Photoshopped. There's also a suggestion that images be rated on a scale of how much they were edited. And then, of course, there are a lot of people who want zero Photoshopping, ever.

As a woman, I do know how seeing these perfect models in ads is a little painful. It's a little sad to think most of us will never be that desirable. I'm shocked as an adult as how many men don't have the slightest clue that, for better or worse, many woman only consider themselves as valuable as they look. We can say it's brains and personality that really matters, but unless you have the body to match, the world at large doesn't seem to care all that much.

BUT . . .

I am not against the use of Photoshop. I'm not even against the use of it in every ad in the world, if that's what companies (or the public) want. I think it's our job to educate, not to censor. Men and women should really be made aware of what is real and what is fake, even though I'm sure that won't really deter anyone from trying to starve themselves into unhealthy thin-ness. But I think banning Photoshop is utterly ridiculous.

Like the guy on the train with Picasso, even what we think of as "real" isn't necessarily all that real. I love using Photoshop to enhance the beauty of a person-- and yes, I will do a bit of slimming. I don't do any major reconstructive surgery (too time consuming and overkill for most portraits, unless specifically requested and billed for the extra work), but I remove physical "distractions" so that the eye sees what it sees in real life.

For example, if someone has slightly chubby upper arms, that's not typically something you notice immediately in real life. In a photograph, however, it kinda stands out. By slimming arms and necks (it's amazing how much sleeker women look when you slim a neck), it gives the overall appearance of elegance and your eye is free to focus on the beautiful face in the image.

Or erasing temporary problems, like skin issues. Don't tell me you wouldn't want to have perfect skin (when done well, I mean, and not plastic-like) at least once in your life.

I'm all about my photography portraying my subject as "the best version" of themselves. It's not fake. It's not someone else. It's just them . . . on something like beauty steroids. Notice I didn't say you have to be thin or young or have flawless skin to be beautiful. You can still be you. Like putting on makeup, Photoshop doesn't make you a different person-- it just enhances what you already have.

So that's my take on the retouching industry. What side do you take on the great Photoshop debate?

(Here's a picture of my husband off West 7th in Fort Worth, where I had

gelato for the first time ever last week. It's much less controversial unless

you have something to say about A&M or weird toe-shoes).

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I don't believe in resolutions, but I believe in pretty things

2012-01-02T21:50:00.003-06:00

I don't believe in making New Year's resolutions. There's nothing wrong with the tradition-- it's just that I think being resolved to "finally lose weight" and things like that are (a) boring, and (b) so general that it shouldn't even count.

On the other hand, I LOVE making goals. Checking things off from your "to do this year" list-- yes! (Confession: Sometimes I will add things that weren't even originally on my list, just so I can cross it off and feel like I was somewhat productive). I'm extremely goal-oriented, and if I write it down, I tend to keep my focus a little better whenever I stumble across that list.

Usually, however, my obsession for goal-making happens in mid-summer. June or July. That's when you'll find me with a note pad, a pen, and a desire to do some soul-searching. Maybe because summer is when everything starts going crazy that having a tangible list just for me keeps me a little grounded. I tend to get a bit listless whenever I don't have something to reach for.

This year my main goal, I think, is to BE ORGANIZED. And stay that way. David (my husband, for anyone reading who doesn't know) put in a pretty nifty filing system last year. Or maybe it was the year before. (Can you tell I'm not a frequent user of the thing?). It looks great. Every file has tabs with months or subjects written on them, and you have to change it out every so often or something like that.

The problem is that (a) it's kinda boring, and (b) . . . yeah, mostly it's just boring. Cold, hard filing systems don't really inspire me to keep my papers in order, no matter how efficient it may be. So a few months ago I decided to prep myself for the new year early by purchasing a pretty folder, some notebooks, a planner, some pens (because heaven knows where the bazillion pens I own actually are these days), and a bag to keep all this stuff in.

The bag is a leather Day Timer "Malibu" tote that I got for a steal (and by a "steal" I mean under $10). I think it was a discontinued color, but it was cheap and nice quality, so I don't really care that much that it's not an awesome color.

Right now I've only got a few things in the bag-- my "current" file folder with jobs-in-progress and things, my yearly/monthly planner, my notebook for blogging/marketing/random ideas on the go, my favorite type of gel pen (I should probably throw a few more pens in, just in case), a silver Sharpie, and some business cards. I plan on adding a physical portfolio, paper & album/album cover samples to this mix. Oh, and a calculator. I always need a calculator.

This is a close-up of the back of my new business card (you can see the front in the image before this). It's seems it's a bit controversial because it doesn't include my phone number. Just my logo/name, and my website address. I actually have a lot of good reasons for taking this risk, but those reasons will just have to be explained in another post. For what it's worth, though, I will likely be making a secondary card design that does include my phone and email, just in case.

So this is how I plan to stay more organized this year. Any more organizational suggestions that I might could use? I welcome them!

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It's a New Year. What are you going to do about it?

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-06:00

2012, just like every new year, is bringing with it some changes. I think this blog will actually see a few, even. I've spent the past year struggling to write, when it's something I used to love when I kept a personal blog. But honestly, it's not much fun any more . . . at least not when you're trying to listen to all the marketers who say your professional photoblog shouldn't have this, or should always include that, that you should always "write for your readers" and don't post images that don't fit into your niche.

These are probably great ideas, especially since I don't consider this a personal blog, really. (Although if I did have a personal blog, it would all be photography stuff, anyway! Ha!). But it has also kind of taken the joy away from writing for me. So, with a little help from my friends (believe it or not, I don't actually like The Beatles, shhhh), I've decided that writing because you love it is more important than writing to gain an audience.

So it's a little risky. In fact, one of my favorite photographers, Jonas Peterson (extremely successful wedding photographer from the great down under), recently decided that he was tired of blogging to fit the mold of the rest of the industry. He blogs some personal stuff now. He was worried that it wasn't going to appeal to potential clients. For what it's worth, though, I, like the friends I've talked to, also really enjoy people who share more about their personal lives.

And this year, I'm gonna do more of that. I'm gonna be more "me" and less "expected industry standard". Not that "industry standard" isn't a good thing-- just that, sometimes, it's a little boring.

Now tell me: What changes are you making in 2012? Also: Why does everyone love The Beatles???

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Birthday Celebration : Fort Worth Community Arts Center

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

I recently discovered that it's not a party unless you have gymnasts hanging by fabric serving alcohol through ice sculptures behind the sushi bar. And that's a pretty good summary of the most awesome birthday celebration I have been to-- and was fortunate enough to be the photographer for. Although I think the images speak for themselves, I have to add that all the businesses involved in pulling this party off did an incredible, unforgettable job. (Special shout out to Jenna of Splurge Events!)

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Southern Styled Wedding

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

This was another great collaboration with Jenna Lee of Splurge Events -- in June she styled a sweet southern wedding off the coast of Georgia, and just a couple of weeks ago we re-created some of those details with the newlyweds for a photo op. I think it turned out great. Jenna always works magic and the newly married couple were great to work with!

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Links of Awesomeness

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a little while since I've posted some cool finds, so thought I'd do that today, with an actual entry to be posted Monday morning (I promise!).

The most powerful images of 2011. I have to admit this is the first time an image has actually brought me to tears (image #12) . . . but they're all pretty moving and I have no end of admiration for those who are in those situations either by choice or by fate, and yet have the presence of mind to take a picture.

If you liked those images and want to see more truly incredible work from photographers around the world, check out some of the competition for the National Geographic Photo Contest 2011.

Photoshop is always controversial. The Birchbox blog posted two interesting articles this past week: H&M Photoshop Scandal, and "Should there be a label on edited images so that the public knows that they're Photoshopped?"

LEGO + camera = cool! Plus, the final images are actually kind of impressive.

Australian photographer Sue Bryce is livin' the dream-- my dream. Ultimately I aspire to do exactly what she's doing: Portraiture of every day women, with a make-up artist/hair stylist on staff. Seriously, I would give anything to be able to make my living doing only this.

And since we're speaking of Canon users . . . lighting god Zack Arias switched from mostly-Nikon gear to all Canon recently. I'm linking this because of the shot he posted. This guys knows artificial light like nobody else.

And more Canon stuff (why not?): You gotta admit, it's pretty cool to find a lost camera and try to reconnect it with its owner-- especially if it's been stuck underwater for over a year.

If you still haven't done your family Christmas portrait (shame on you! *ahem*), here's about a million ideas for poses for you.

My absolute, without fail, undeniably favorite board on Pinterest EVER: "Smoking is Bad". And I don't even smoke.

Don't understand camera sensors, or looking to buy a new camera? This video is pretty good about explaining the difference between cameras with cropped sensors (Nikon D3000, D5000, D90, D300s, and Canon T3, T2i, T3i, 60D and 70D) and cameras will full-frame sensors (Nikon D700, D3s, D3x, and Canon 5D Mark II and all the 1D's).

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Engagement - Fort Worth Stockyards

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

Proof that the holidays are solidly upon us now-- my blogging has taken a backseat to the winter insanity. But no more excuses from me (well, for now at least).

I'm just glad that I've got a minute to post just a few of my faves from yesterday's engagement session down at the Stockyards. When Brittany told me she and her fiance Ryan wanted their engagement portraits done there, I was super excited-- it's such a fun, very Texas-y sort of place.

Yesterday's predicted 80-degree weather turned out to be a drizzly 50-degree day, but that didn't stop us from getting some great shots. Although both Brittany and Ryan insisted that they weren't photogenic (ha!), and weren't comfortable in front of a camera, you couldn't tell it at all-- they totally made this shoot a breeze for me.

Oh, and never let it be said this couple doesn't have a sense of humor. ;-)

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Do What You Love . . . But Don't Forget Why

2011-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

A lot of people seem to think that if you're doing your dream job, you won't experience burn-out. Or, at the very least, periods of frustration with your job and wondering if you really even enjoy it any more. There's a lot less pressure when your favorite hobbies are . . . well, just hobbies. It takes on a life of its own when it becomes your career.

I think most creative jobs are this way-- you get into it because it's something you love doing, but then you realize that it's actually 90% business and only 10% actually creating. At least if you want to put food on your table. Even if you haven't been in business for long, it's easy to forget what drove you to do this crazy thing in the first place. I love portraits-- people are my favorite subjects (but, well, I do love shooting food, too, haha)-- but it doesn't take much for me to forget why I love shooting them when I constantly find myself distracted by all the little details of marketing and costs and all the boring business-related crap that I don't particularly enjoy.

Sometimes you have to just grab your art, take ten minutes for yourself, forget the pressure, and just do what you love for the sheer joy of doing it. A few weeks ago, on one of the first nice days that it was under 100 degrees outside, my husband and I drove up to Roanoke for some delicious chicken fried steak (seriously, you can't go wrong at either Babe's or Cowboy Chow). As I used to do (but have sadly gotten out of the habit of recently), I threw my camera over my shoulder, just in case anything happened that needed to be documented.

It was such a gorgeous afternoon, though, that we ended up taking a short (you have no idea how small Roanoke is) stroll down the street. I decided to take the opportunity to just click a few shots for the heck of it. And it was fun, not even thinking about who would see these images, whether or not I was even going to bother editing or saving them. I was just taking pictures for the fun of it. And it reminded me that we should all really get out and do what we love with no thought for a little while every so often, just to get a break from the technicalities that distract us and sometimes drag us down.

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Kate & Jess : Weatherford Wedding

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

I don't get to second shoot weddings as much as I'd like, but my last wedding was one of those pleasant exceptions. My friend and fellow photographer Hope (Hope Helms Photography) asked me a few months ago to assist her in a wedding in Weatherford. Having never actually been to Weatherford myself, I wasn't sure what was in store-- especially since it seemed like I was driving deeper and deeper into the middle of nowhere. Hah.

But I was in for a surprise-- an incredibly gorgeous locale with no detail left unattended! Everything from paper lanterns hang from the old trees to the parasols for the bridesmaids to the pinwheels on the tables . . . perfectly planned, and a photog's dream come true.

One fun thing about being a second shooter is that I don't have to rush home and edit, edit, edit. (Don't get me wrong-- I actually LOVE post-processing, but after 8+ hours of it, you start feeling a bit numb). So that being said, here are a few of my shots that I did decide to edit because the wedding was so beautiful there's no way I could keep it to myself, anyway!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

It's that time of year again . . .

2011-10-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

Yep! Family Christmas photos! I hope you've all got on the ugly sweater your Aunt Sue made for you last year 'cuz we'll be needing it for your family Christmas card this year. Well, not really. Unless you want to, I mean.

Last Spring I rolled out my first mini-sessions, and while I counted it as a success, I wanted to do something different for holiday season, so I'm announcing the . . .

(drum roll, please)

"But I Don't Wanna Pre-Made Package"

Family Portrait Sessions

Or something like that. Essentially I'm trying to make it easier for you to buy only what you need. Don't need five 8x10 prints? Don't get 'em! Need a disk of images of your adorable family so you can send them in your yearly Christmas email? We can do it! I like to make things as simple as possible for everyone involved. That's why my wedding packages are a la carte, and why this year's family sessions are a la carte also.

So, tell you more . . .

These are the mock-ups of the 5x7 cards I'll be handing out around town in the next week. I started this project a bit later than I initially wanted, but it seems like most people (myself included) tend to groan when the word "Christmas" is mentioned before October.

So the most awesome thing about this year's family session is that, yes, I'm bringing out MINI (4"x4"!) leather-bound photo albums as a VERY cool option for grandparent's gifts! Super excited about that . . . I've posted more information on them here, but let me just say these little guys are impressive. And they're very affordable for leather albums, too. Trust me.

The main thing about these family Christmas sessions is that it's limited time only. I'm only booking through the week before Thanksgiving so I can get print orders back in time, so if you want a session, get 'em while they're hot!

So head over to the website and see what's going on. If you're in the DFW area and think this is a good deal, please copy the link at the top of this page and post on Facebook!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Family Session - Fort Worth area

2011-09-26T07:53:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd share a few faves from my most recent family session. The A family was incredibly prepared, calm and collected, and ready for pictures-- plus, I was SO impressed by their unusual ability to naturally arrange themselves in flattering compositions. (Do they practice family posing at home? I wonder). All that to say I had a great time meeting with this gracious family, along with their soft doggie and their very cool gecko. (Yes, it's true. I do love lizards and snakes).

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ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

More Fort Worth Fashion

2011-09-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

Another collaboration with Goldwaves Salon and Splurge Events! I love working with these guys, and am grateful for the talented models who put time into this shoot as well.

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Stephanie & Ryan : Dallas Wedding

2011-09-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

It's always hard to narrow down faves for a wedding blog post. This time it seemed especially hard-- the wedding was beautiful, relaxed, and SO much fun! The Trinity Audubon Center in Dallas is a really awesome place to shoot, too. We did bridals there the week before the wedding, but thankfully the weather was a little more gracious this time around. ;-)

Maybe I've just been lucky thus far, but all my brides have been very chill on their wedding day, and Stephanie was no exception, in spite of the electricity in the venue having gone out not long before everyone arrived to get dressed. And Ryan was also one of the more happy/calm grooms I've seen, too!

So without further ado, a sneak peek from Stephanie & Ryan's wedding!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT JESSICA MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY.

Fort Worth Fashion (Part 2)

2011-09-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week I decided to share a few more shots from the fashion shoot. I finally finished all editing and then decided to do a few in a more . . . . interesting style. Enjoy!

Styling by Splurge Events. Hair and makeup by Goldwaves Salon.

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Dallas Bride

2011-09-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

You may remember Stephanie from this engagement shoot a while back. Well, we had been wanting to do her bridal portraits before her wedding also, but with the combination of crazy schedules and record-breaking heat, it was starting to look like that might not happen.

Fortunately, though, we were able to find time one morning to drive over to the wedding venue and finally make the session happen, almost a week to the day of the wedding. And lucky me: gorgeous bride + awesome venue = great bridal shoot!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

It's a Circus Out There

2011-08-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

I don't get to do themed shoots very often, so I was super incredibly excited when I was invited by another photographer friend to join in on this fun circus-themed shoot. Since I'm still in the editing process, I only have a handful to share this time, but maybe more to come later . . . enjoy the teaser!

Styling by Jenna of Splurge Events. Hair by Goldwaves Salon.

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

It's Rehearsal Time!

2011-08-23T07:53:00.000-05:00

Photographed a gorgeous rehearsal dinner last weekend at Joe T Garcia's in the Stockyards of downtown Fort Worth. I thought I'd share a few of the detail shots just to tease you guys with thoughts of Mexican food . . .

I didn't even know Joe T's had this gorgeous chapel.

Beautiful, vine-covered building.

The bride and grooms initials were placed behind the bar.

Maracas for the toasts-- cool idea!

Elegant locale.

The guest book, and trays of jelly beans formerly used to hold name tags.

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

A Little Bit o' This, and a Little Bit o' That

2011-08-12T10:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a hot couple of months down here in Texas, so if you're looking for an excuse from me as to why there haven't been a bunch of portraits posted recently, that would be it. It's just really too hot at 100 degrees (yes, even at sunset) for anyone to have any desire whatsoever to go out and get pictures taken. But definitely expect to start seeing more in the next few months . . .

In the meantime, I had a really great opportunity to do some shots of this incredibly gorgeous blue hound a few days ago. It's no secret that I love greys, and I'm always a bit jealous when I find out someone was lucky enough to adopt a blue one. My own boys are beautiful, but there's nothing like a true blue. =)

So I am now happy to introduce you to Wagner, whose pics will be featured next to an article about the Bertillon card in an upcoming issue of Celebrate Greyhounds magazine. The couple who have adopted this spunky boy are actually the ones who first introduced me to greyhounds when I went to my first greyhound meet-and-greet, and they have several other retired racing beauties, too.

Wagner is photogenic, even in 100-degree heat.

I am not pet photographer, but I love dogs, and I will do anything to help retired racers get the attention they need. After adopting two of my own, I am still secretly harboring the idea of fostering a third once we are no longer renting a house. You just really have no idea how incredibly sweet and affectionate these guys are-- and they generally spend most of their days sleeping, so not as high maintenance as you think!

He loves squeaky balls as much as my own grey does.

I've also spent the last day starting up a fashion blog. It seemed every time I thought about blogging here, it related to fashion. I'd like to keep this place more focused on photography over-all, so that was my excuse to start another blog, even though I know fashion and photography overlap a lot. You can visit The Five Inch Heels here. I plan on doing a few "what I wore" posts, but mostly just anything that strikes my fancy at the time-- current trends, new purchases, high fashion, fashion editorials, etc.

In other blog-related news, if you click on the link on the top of this page that reads "PHOTOGRAPHERS", you'll see a link to yet another blog of mine called "Above the Ambient". There isn't anything there yet, but I had been hoping to start a blog specifically on lighting a month ago. I promise it's coming! I intend to write about all the things I wish I'd been told about using flash, and about all the screw-ups I make, and things I've learned. Hopefully before August is over it will be up and running.

So this is my short little update for the week-- next week I'll try to be a bit more entertaining, and maybe post before the weekend hits. ;-)

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It's time for MORE Random Awesomeness!

2011-08-05T16:07:00.000-05:00

I have been a bad, bad blogger this week and I am appropriately ashamed of myself. BUT, lucky for you guys, I have been busy collecting some fun links!

If you've missed the previous posts o' fun stuff, find them here.

Your day just got better. PUPPIES!!

Anybody want to do 30 Days/30 Photos with me?

Tomboy Style grid: Which are you? I'd say I'm mostly "the edge" with a bit of "the american".

All the places I know you'd rather be. (I'm picking Iceland out of these shots).

Movies are just moving photographs, really. But if you freeze the last frame of a movie, can you guess what movie it actually is??

I love hearing about unique wedding invitations. Who would have thought to use those fun little Viewmasters, though??

This photographer does a before-and-after of his subjects-- random joggers in Paris.

Cookies AND cameras. You can't go wrong with this combo.

Best bridal hair and make-up I have ever seen. I love her tattoos and jet black hair. So edgy!

If you plan on renting lenses, you need to read this. Or, if you're not a photographer, you'll get a kick out of all the horrible things people do to rental gear. ;-)

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Dogs are people too

2011-07-27T12:00:00.003-05:00

Well, Cesaer Milan may not agree with the title, but I love my doggies. I have always grown up with dogs (not being a big fan of cats in general, and all), so it was a strange feeling when I was pet-less for the first time in my life after getting married and moving from my parents' house. My husband likes dogs, but he's never really had one. BUT, after four and a half years of marriage, my threats to dognap the random neighborhood chihuahua-- and I don't even like chihuahuas, since they are basically cats that can bark, which shows you how desperate I was-- finally paid off: We adopted a greyhound. (We now have two).

Shiner, formerly racing as Spit Shine, celebrated his eighth birthday today. A friend once asked me to describe his personality, and that's no easy task (although it's admittedly easier than describing our other grey's personality). When we first met Shiner he was very apathetic towards anything and everything. He wasn't anti-social amongst the group of greyhounds, but half the time he would just face away from the group and not really seem to care. He wasn't particularly affectionate, and he wouldn't look you in the eye. He was subdued and apathetic and kind of just . . . his own dog without any defined personality traits. Frankly, he was a little boring.

Now that he's been with us for nearly a year, his TRUE personality has shown through-- and he's a total mix of a bunch of things. Shiney is an old curmudgeon when it comes to being around our younger grey (he doesn't like to play with the rough-and-tumble three-year-old), but he's a huuuuuge baby when it comes to pretty much everything else. He is extremely affectionate and will rub his head against you (or against parts of you that make you feel awkward, even though he doesn't seem to notice or care) to tell you to pet him. Yes, that is bad doggie manners, but we don't mind and we find it endearing. He doesn't like storms and will stay up all night panting and pacing. He likes to sleep a lot-- way more than our younger grey. He has no problem letting you know when he feels like he's being ignored (this is pretty much the only time he ever barks, and he'll just let out one bark or maybe two, and then be done). He is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever known. The greatest love of his life is a tennis ball-- any tennis ball. I have never seen a dog's eyes light up like Shiner's does when he spots one of those fuzzy yellow balls.

Before we adopted Shiner, my husband wondered if our new dog would like him at all. I assured him that he would, and I wasn't wrong-- Shiner starts getting impatient and antsy 30 minutes before David gets home from work. David is his favorite person.

So to celebrate eight years of life, here are a few images I've taken over the past year (some you may have seen, some maybe not) of our Shiny dog.

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Ryan & Stephanie - Engagement Session

2011-07-18T12:00:00.002-05:00

Let me just start by saying that there is nothing I don't love about Stephanie and Ryan. I love that they have a similar interest in architecture. I love that they are both truly kind to one another, and that they can still definitely goof off and throw each other punches (sometimes almost literally, haha).

When Stephanie told me they wanted their engagement pictures done down a street near her house, I was intrigued: Most neighborhood streets aren't really all that interesting, let alone beautiful. As it turns out, this street was both. I was told that this is where they first held hands and knew there was a definite spark between them, and where they've had many walks since then. That was enough to get me pretty excited, and it was even more awesome when I realized that the locale was actually really beautiful, complete with big trees hanging over the road and a little creek near by.

I think that's all I really need to say-- the images below speak for themselves. I had so many incredible ones from this session that narrowing it down to about fifteen wasn't easy. But this is all you get for now!

(In case this needs any explanation: She's A&M and he's Tech.)

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Birchbox!

2011-07-15T11:00:00.002-05:00

At this point I might as well rename my blog "Jessica Martin Photography and Fashion and Beauty and Lifestyle and Pretty Much Everything Else Not Just Pretty Pictures Although You Can Get That Here Too". (I could abbreviate the url to www.jmpfblpmeenjppaycgtht.com and people will still visit . . . right?).

All that to say that this is another beauty post (duh) because it is a momentous occasion: My first Birchbox! My good friend Aline joined up with this program several months ago and told me about it, but I guess I wasn't sold on it at that point. Obviously, things have changed. Mostly it changed when I saw Aline's Birchbox wherein she received a full-sized $30 bronzer. This is kinda amazing because for $10 a month it's like Christmas come to your doorstep (if you like beauty products, anyway).

So what do you get when you give these guys $10 a month? Well, you get four or five awesome generously-sized samples of higher-end (well, way nicer than drugstore brand, anyway) make-up and skin/hair care products. And sometimes they send you a full sized product. Once you test these awesome things out, you can write reviews and rack up points that go their way of earning you percentages off products at the Birchbox store.

And that's the short story of Birchbox. My first box came today and I was super eager to open it up (after all, I spend hours in Sephora, so a box of samples is stupid exciting for me). I haven't tried any of the samples yet, but decided to take my time and shoot some pics for the blog. I'll be trying most of these things out within the next day or two and maybe I'll come back with a review if something really impresses me.

Disclaimer: I am not a salesperson or anything like that for Birchbox. In fact, I don't even think they have salespeople. I think the company just already knows that their clients will be squeeeeeeeeee-ing from excitement to other beauty-loving friends and the service pretty much sells itself, I guess. I dunno. I just like free samples. Squeeeeee.

Do they all come in these hot pink boxes? I love that color.

It makes me happy.

Apparently I jumped in on a weird month since they actually picked a

designer to, well, design the box and make some product picks.

Sadly, I still have no idea who Cynthia Rowley is, other than a designer.

(But a designer of what?)

A note of some kind that I did not even read

because I was too excited about the good stuff.

The aforementioned good stuff!

I love companies that take the time to make their packaging awesome.

Best packaging I've received so far was from Piperlime, but Birchbox is a close second.

Thing I'm most excited about: the Redken Shine Flash.

Thing I'm kinda "meh, okay" about: AHAVA hand cream.

Weirdest item in box: Kind granola bar.

Most practical item in box: philosophy cleanser.

Something I never get around to doing, but probably will do tomorrow: Paint my nails.

Are you signed up with Birchbox? If so, what has your favorite product been?

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Lee & Juliana - Engagement Session

2011-07-11T07:55:00.000-05:00

M&Ms are good for lots of things. First of all, they taste SO GOOD. Secondly, they make a great way to propose-- which turns out is an awesome idea that Lee came up with when HE asked Juliana to marry him. You know you can customize M&Ms, right? How about getting a bag of them that ask, "Will you marry me?" Juliana obviously said yes, since I have the engagement session posted below.

This was a bit of an impromptu session-- these guys came up to the Metroplex from Austin and we decided to go ahead and squeeze some pics in. They were awesome enough to meet me in the Fort Worth cultural district where I'd hoped to shoot on the grounds of the Kimball. (Turns out, the Kimball grounds are under some seriously ugly construction). Well, there are other museums and fun areas down there, so we made the best of shooting AROUND the construction.

What I love about Juliana and Lee is their lack of taking anything too seriously. You can probably tell in most of these shots that we were having a TON of fun. They were very awesome and . . . well, entertaining, and very obliging and (mostly) forgiving when I put them through a couple of near-death experiences.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are a few of my faves from our shoot!

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Five I Can't Live Without

2011-07-08T12:00:00.014-05:00

In honor of the my recent Birchbox membership (I should get my first box in the next week or two!), I decided to do a quick beauty post. After all, most of us pay closer attention to our make-up when we're about to get our pictures taken, right?

So, although I've been to Sephora before, I have to admit I didn't develop an addiction until a few months ago. Yikes. Now I can't ever seem to leave without buying something . . . or a lot of somethings. In my pre-Sephora days, I was drugstore-brand make-up girl (well, except for foundation, the perfect brand of which I am still searching for), but I have made some pretty cool discoveries that I don't know how I lived without before.

#1. Japonesque Heated Eyelash Curler

I have tried regular eyelash curlers in the past, but they just will not work with my monolid-ed eyes. Because my top eyelid presses down onto my top lashes, getting a curl was pretty much impossible, and you can forget getting a curl to stay. When I asked the salesperson at Ulta what her opinion of the heated lash curlers was, she seemed skeptical and very nervous about them. After using this for over a month now, though, I can say this is the ONLY curler that works for me!

#2. Eyeshadow Primer Potion by Urban Decay

Again, the monolid eyes come back to bite me. I have always loved eyeliner, but I cannot line my top lid without the liner rubbing off onto my eyelid. For this reason alone, I have also avoided eyeshadow up until a couple of months ago . . . and that was when I discovered Urban Decay's eyeshadow primer (I use the "original" color in the purple bottle). This stuff is flat out amazing. While I still can't exactly wear eyeliner on my top lid by itself, I can definitely wear shadow without ANY creasing-- even after showering, my shadow is still at least 50% still there. You need an actual eye-make-up remover if you want to get this primer off.

#3. Smashbox Eyeshadow in "Shell"

Smashbox is really the only brand of eyeshadow that I am loyal to-- it's heavily pigmented, it doesn't seem to have much fall out, and it just goes on so perfectly. Since my natural eye-lid color is a weird combo of dark tan in the crease and much more pale under the arch (I don't know how I ended up with naturally contouring skin-color that way), it's always hard for me to find a shade that's natural, yet not invisible. I pretty much use "Shell" under any other eyeshadow color and as the highlight under the eyebrow arch.

#4. Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Color in "Muse" + Glo Lip Plumper in "Clear"

With petal pinks being quite "in" these days, I'd been out looking for the perfect pink for myself with no luck. All the pinks that looked good on me were a boring mauve and all the pinks I liked were just too bright for my sallow skin color. Plus, I didn't really want a gloss since that's what I always wear. . . but I don't really like a matte look on me, either. So I was stumped and getting hopeless when I finally gave up and asked a salesperson what in the world I should do. She put on a pretty clear lip plumper first (which stings like nobody's business-- and trust me, Lip Venom has nothing on the Glo plumper!), which brought out more of my natural lip color. That was nice, but when she added a touch of Stila's "Muse" colored matte lip color over it-- voila! My perfect shade of summery pink! You may need to try different shades, but this combo totally worked for me . . . and just a tiny bit of the Stila goes a long way, so I'm expecting to be able to wear both separately for a long time.

#5. Fresh Supernova Radiance Brightening Pen

Ahhhhh, those dark, scary, reddish under-eye circles. Some people are lucky enough to have them after nights of no sleep. And some of us are unlucky enough to have been born with such an uneven complexion that under-eye circles have simply been a part of our daily life for as long as we can remember. Because the latter has been my lot in life, a good concealer is probably the most important part of my beauty-life. Period. I've used a few different brands (mostly drug store), mostly creams, and have always felt like I needed to layer on top of layer the stuff for it to do any actual, you know, concealing. Deciding that I was tired of having piles of heavy make-up drawing more attention to my under-eye circles, a friendly Sephora salesperson suggested Fresh's Brightening Pen. She threw some under my eyes and I. was. amazed. Still am, actually. "Less is more" seems to be the idea behind the brightening pen, and, honestly, it works. And if you still need convincing, here's a review from a woman who was brave enough to post before-concealing pictures and after-concealing pictures. Worth every penny.

So what are your make-up staples? What exciting finds have you made and are sticking with? I'm ALWAYS looking for new stuff to try!

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Random Awesomeness

2011-07-06T12:00:00.004-05:00

Styles I'm loving right now: Blazers with shorts, white blazers, minis under sheer maxis, anything off the shoulder, and pretty much anything Debbie Harry-esque whatsoever.

This isn't exactly a .GIF, and I'm not really sure what it is except for very "ahhhhhh, so sweet".

"Aging Canine Souls" . . . what a beautiful (and kinda sad) documentation of older dogs.

Some cool old pictures of famous people! Mostly the Beatles, but also some Hendrix, Janis, Grateful Dead, and, my personal fave: Twiggy.

I love darrrrrk black and whites, which explains my love of this editorial. I like this one too, but not quite as much. This one isn't dark, plus it has birds!

As a woman who has left the ranks of the brunettes and joined the redheads, I found this kinda cool. I guess I need more red stuff.

This blogger tells you what they hate about photography . . . I kinda agree.

Whoa. Best beauty blog ever.

I shoulda posted this on the fourth, but happy belated birthday, America.

Oh yeah, one last editorial because a Bonnie & Clyde themed fashion editorial is just that cool.

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Whiskey Folk Ramblers

2011-07-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

So this post is a little late going up, but I definitely wanted to share some pics I took the other day. My friend Shannon is married to the bass player for the Whiskey Folk Ramblers, and I'm ashamed to say I've never got to hear this awesome Fort Worth band live until a couple of weeks ago.

These guys are truly like nothing you've heard before-- there's a lot of gypsy, some old country, some . . . other sounds I can't quite distinguish, but all good. I mean, they have someone playing the accordion, so how cool is that? Do yourself a favor and go out to see Whiskey Folk as soon as you can (and visit their website here).

And the winner is . . .

2011-07-01T12:00:00.009-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered the Dream Job e-Course Giveaway!

This morning I assigned all contestants one or two different numbers (depending on whether they entered once by commenting, or twice by commenting + linking on Facebook) and used a random number generator at www.random.org to pick the winning number.

And the winner is Sarah Watkins! Sarah, please send me your email address at jessicamartinphotography@gmail.com and I will have the girls at Red Velvet get in touch with you to access the e-course. I hope you enjoy!

Even if you didn't win this time around (I hope to do more giveaways in the future!), the Dream Job e-course can still be purchased for $38 by following this link, which also gives a session-by-session overview of what you're getting. (Well worth more than the price, in my opinion!)

Thanks again, everyone, and thank you to the girls at Red Velvet!

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Oops

2011-06-29T06:19:00.001-05:00

I'm a bit remiss in blogging this week . . . a fever of 102 will do that to ya, though. Giveaway winners will be announced Friday, and new posts back in full force next week. In the meantime, go out and enjoy the sun! (Or, if you're in Texas, stay in and enjoy the shade). ;-)

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Light-hearted Friday fun

2011-06-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

Last month a restaurant arrived in the DFW area that had all the citizens in a frenzy (and I saw at least one citizen on TV crying in happiness). As everyone knows by now, I'm a huuuuuge fan of junk food and fast food, but I'd never had one of these famed burgers.

Granted, the first In-n-Out is still on the complete opposite side of the Metroplex from us, but my husband (who has memories of them from his visit to California many years ago), insisted that we go. Well, why not?

There has been a line at the In-n-Out since the day it opened. By the time we got there, it had already been open for a few weeks and there were still cops out directing the drive-through lane. Lucky for us, our timing couldn't have been more perfect-- only a few people in front of us, and once we picked a table outside, the line was getting close to rounding the corner of the building.

So, the food itself: My favorite burgers are cheeseburgers with mustard and ketchup. That's it. So that's what I got, and it was definitely some good food.

I'm not really sure an hour-drive is to be advised for just a burger, but it's always fun to spend a day with David when he's really excited about something. Hahah.

Coming soon: In-n-Out near downtown Fort Worth! Yes, it's easier to rationalize grabbing some fast food that's a little closer to home. ;-)

Do you have an In-n-Out near you? Do you think it's worth all the fuss?

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How to Blow Away Your Competition (Theoretically, Anyway)

2011-06-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time there was a professor. She taught at a big university. She decided that she wanted her students to know where they stood in different areas of strengths and weakness, compared to the class average.

So, she made each student a pretty neat bar graph with a line drawn though the middle to represent the class average, and then vertical bars showing where that particular student fell in regards to things like presentation skills, creative contributions, and analytical thinking.

Of course, there were many students whose strength lay more heavily in the analytical realms, and many students who showed more creativity. But both types of students, upon seeing their own graph, fixated on their weaknesses. After all, we need to be more well-rounded, and we need to be better students. There's no reason to improve in an area where you are already head-and-shoulders above the average, really.

The students all focused in on their weaknesses and began making significant improvements in those areas. However, the professor noticed an unusual phenomenon: Their classroom discussions, once lively and brilliant, had become a bit lack luster the more the students improved in their weak areas. How could this be?

And then the answer came: Where the group once had students who stood out because of their strong analytical thinking, and students who stood out due to their creative skills, now there was a body of students whose weaknesses were brought up to a level much closer to their strengths. In other words, the playing field had leveled and everyone was, for the most part, on equal footing with everyone else. No one stood out, and was little debate or outstanding ideas.

The teacher in this story is Youngme Moon, a professor at the Harvard Business School, and this is one of the stories she relates in part one of her book, Different. The interesting thing is that businesses do the exact same thing-- they look to see where they are in comparison with their direct competition, and they scramble to make sure they're doing at least as well in their weak areas as others.

As a photographer, we know there are a lot of us out there to choose from, and we certainly can't afford to completely ignore areas where we tend to fall short, but Moon suggests that putting our effort into doubling the lead we have in our particular areas of strength will make us stand out to potential clients.

Since I'm a very visual person, I made three boring (haha) graphs to illustrate the point.

Chart #1: Let's say you business is on a chart that compares you with your local and direct competitors in three different areas. You're not perfectly strong in all areas, and if you were, chances are that people are going to think (a) that you're lying, or (b) you've got some serious weakness hidden somewhere. No one is perfect in everything.

You notice that your competitor is particularly strong in the area that you're the weakest, and they see that you're strong in one of their mediocre spots. Take a look at the next chart to see what usually happens when everyone is trying to keep up with the Jones'.

Yay! Now we're more well-rounded. Both you and your competitor have upped your game and have no fatal flaws. You won't have potential customers questioning those weak areas now!

But wait . . . now you and your competitor are pretty much identical. So why in the world would a client choose YOU over THEM? You both are pretty close to the "average" line-- no serious weaknesses, but no outstanding strengths, either.

Here is the very boiled-down chart that illustrates Moon's theory that blew me away:

While your competitor is out there trying to bring their weak spots closer to average, you decide to try a different approach: You focus in on what you're good at. Not only are you already strong in this area, but now you're much, much stronger. In fact, you're so significantly strong in your one area that your business looks nothing like your competitor's at all. When a client tries to decide which person gets their business, they're going to look at you and see that you're head-and-shoulders above the "average-line" competition now.

The main question you (and your client) has to ask is this: Can you live with your weakness? You surely can't ignore it, and naturally you should try to better yourself and your business, but ultimately, you don't want to be the average-line business. You know the saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none", right? The theory is that it's better to be noticeably different from your competitors by maximizing your strengths, than it is to be exactly like everyone else and the potential client is essentially left to a game of eenie-meenie-minie-mo. Being different is an essential key to success in an over-saturated market. You just have to decide if it's worth the risk.

I plan on doing an actual review of Different once I'm finished, but I was so floored by this theory of Moon's, that I just had to share it. I plan on writing down some ideas to help me focus on my strengths and find my weak spots, and use the former to my advantage.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

Would you be willing to keep your weak areas where they are (very little growth), to see if you can be successful based solely on maximizing your strengths?
What areas do you think your business is strong in, compared to your competition?
How will you deal with your weak areas-- are they noticeable enough that they will deter potential clients?
In portrait and wedding photography, personal taste and style play a HUGE role in a client's choice of photographer. How can this be taken into account when evaluating your strengths and weaknesses?

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GIVE AWAY! (Not just for photographers!)

2011-06-20T12:00:00.005-05:00

I am very happy to announce my very first give away, and that it is something as awesome as the Dream Job e-course by the girls over at Red Velvet (here's a link to their awesome site for ya)!

I first heard about Red Velvet and this e-course in particular when a friend sent me a link on Facebook because she thought I might be interested. Well, of course I was . . . except that e-courses like this are usually pretty expensive. New flash: This course is totally affordable (only $38!), and worth every penny. (I'm telling you this because there can only be one winner for the giveaway, but I don't want that to deter you from checking it out anyway).

Here's the thing: I haven't made it all the way through the course myself yet, but this is solely because there's so much stuff there, you can't just swoop in and read it all and be done. I'm particularly loving the hard-hitting questions it forces me to ask myself about my business. I'm only four chapters in (of twenty-one) and I've already learned quite a bit-- the section talking about the "first five years" has been particularly helpful.

So what's the big deal with this e-course? The big deal is that these two women have been there, and who better to get advice from than someone who has seen both success AND some failures? And no, this isn't just for photographers. This will be helpful to anyone with hopes of running any creative-type business at all: artists, musicians, vintage shops, handmade sellers, and even food. That being said, some things won't necessary apply directly to all photographers, although I've found that the principles translate over to certain areas of business photography.

Here is a link to everything you need to know about the Dream Job e-course that I haven't told you yet, with an overview of what's covered in each session (from copyright to customer service, to knowing when to go full-time to creating customer loyalty . . . trust me, it's all there, plus some).

NOW, TO THE GIVE AWAY!

Here is how it's going down:

ONE winner will get a free pass to the Dream Job e-course, courtesy of the girls at Red Velvet. The winner will be picked via a random number generator and announced on July 1st.

Each person can enter a total of TWO times.

How to enter:

1. Post a comment below. If you've been following the Virtual Photography Workshop here on this blog, leave a comment telling us something you've learned. If you're not a photographer and/or haven't been following the workshop, leave a comment telling us what your creative dream business is!

2. On Facebook, post a status mentioning this giveaway, and tag the Virtual Photography Workshop event (click here to see the FB event page) so that we can see you've tagged us! (To tag the event, click "attending", and, in your status, somewhere type "@Virtual Photography Workshop").

You can start commenting and tagging any time, but all commenting and tagging should be done by midnight, June 30th. I will announce the winner here on July 1st. If you're the winner, you must contact me via email at jessicamartinphotography@gmail.com by July 15th or another winner will be picked.

Happy give-away-ing!

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Photography Business | Live View Studios

2011-06-14T12:00:00.008-05:00

JESSICA'S NOTES: We've spent seven weeks honing our skills and figuring out what we need to work on. So what next? Well, if you want to really pursue this thing, starting a business is next. I definitely think you can jump into business too soon-- before you know what you're getting into, and before you know how to make it work for you. So for this post I turned to a photography team who definitely has their act together: they blog regularly, come up with great senior campaigns, and just generally know how a business should be run. While you obviously can't include everything you need to know about starting a photography business in just one post, Brent Dietrich of Live View Studios definitely covers some of the most important aspects from building a website to networking to social media. You can find Live View Studios shooting fashion, wedding, and lifestyle photography around the Raleigh area in North Carolina. Check out the website here!

Photography Business

Photography has become your passion, and now you want to do it for a living. Welcome to one of the most challenging, yet personally rewarding of careers! After photographing our friends and family, we began our professional photography business the early part of 2008. Since then, we have been on a roller coaster ride of learning, changing, and growing, and still feel like there's more to be discovered and done. When Jess asked us to write about business - my gut reaction was "I'm still learning on a daily basis about mastering the business of photography!" Welcome to the first step of success, realizing that you are going to always be learning and never feeling like you've already gotten it all together.

Being able to touch people's lives by making them feel beautiful, being around other couples in love, and laughing with and getting to know our clients makes it all worth it!

So what's the first step in turning your hobby into a career? First, research. Every state, county, and city or town have different regulations for licensing. Not only did we have to get a business license, but we also had to pay North Carolina for the privilege of photographing in our beautiful state, as well a license for the town in which we live. Next, look up or ask your accountant about the tax laws for your state and area. If you plan on selling prints, you probably need to collect sales tax.

Now that the legalities are all squared away, the next thing is getting your name and work out there and becoming known in your area. If you live in an area inundated with other photographers (like we do), this can be a daunting task! A website is a good place to start.

A few words on websites though -

While flash-based websites are ever popular among photographers, they are not very good from a usability or search engine standpoint. One photographer friend of ours compared them to a Lamborghini that's shiny on the outside ... but has a lawn mower engine.

Another thing to consider is that flash websites do not function on iPhones or iPads, which over 50 million people use to view websites now. Can I give one more reason? They can also be sloooow to load, which could potentially frustrate your prospective client. Ok, done now.

So what's a good option for your website? Content management systems, like Wordpress and Joomla, make great choices and include blogging capabilities. Many people are technologically-savvy enough to build their own websites using these platforms and there are customizable templates readily available. Since our sister company does website design, I'm going to give a shameless plug here [link to http://liveviewstudiosdesign.com] in case you'd rather leave all the web-related stuff to someone else. :)

Another thing to consider is eliminating music on your website. Musical tastes vary greatly, and not everyone appreciates music auto-starting on page load, especially if they're at work or another public place. Music can be appropriate in videos and slideshows, where the option to play it is a personal choice, though.

Using social media ...

Social media, like Facebook and Twitter, has been a very influential tool for our business, with Facebook now accounting for almost 70% of our website traffic. We strongly encourage you to set up these free accounts and link them to your website. After sharing pictures from a client session on Facebook, tagging them in the photos will almost always drive new people to your page. Using Twitter for localized searches for applicable terms like photography, weddings, etc. can yield interesting results. We met one of our favorite wedding planners this way! Responding to Twitter photography questions in a helpful manner, and not being too pushy or spammy (wait, is that a word?) is generally appreciated and gives you street cred.

Somewhere during all of the above, carrying out your brand and establishing your style is crucial, and your website, Facebook and Twitter should reflect that. Our brand and identity has evolved over time to a softer, more feminine version (women are usually the ones making the photography decision), yet remains modern and fashionable with the look of a glossy magazine. Considering the type of client you hope to attract is important when making branding decisions. Because we are marketing for weddings, we took some cues from popular wedding websites and blogs for our website's colors and feel. We also incorporate many elements from fashion photography into our work, so we wanted it to have a very Vogue-like feel as well.

But what makes a client want to book with you? Hint: it's not all about your photos. Clients are looking for a way to connect with you, and that is why inserting your personality into your business works. When writing your 'about' section, don't focus only on achievements or education, instead write about the quirky things that make you 'you'. Your blog is also a great way to bring out your personality through your website, as long as you keep the right balance (i.e. the majority of the posts shouldn't be about your weekend, your pet, or what you had for dinner).

A website and online presence isn't enough ... more marketing and networking tips...

-Get involved in your community! Volunteer your services and connect with local businesses. Wedding photographers, you'll want to connect with local florists, make up artists, cake designers, wedding dress boutiques, etc. for more exposure. Try offering referral incentives for them, or discounts to the clients who come through them. Make sure you build these into your pricing though, or you'll be losing money!

-Share. If you worked with a make up artist or wedding vendor on a shoot, share some of the images with her or him. Drop Box is a great and easy way to share images with other vendors and the basic storage plan is free. You'll find it builds up good will and referrals will start coming in from the people you enjoy working with.

-Talk with other photographers. While we have come across a few photographers that viewed us as competition and didn't want to get involved in networking, we have found this to be the minority. If your area has a photography group, join it. Connect with other local photographers. Ask questions and bounce ideas off a photographer friend. We're here to help and to learn from each other, and an important thing to remember is photographers need other photographers too (the timer and tripod thing only goes so far!) There are also online photography forums that can be helpful to join. We like the Open Source Photo forum by David Jay for tossing around ideas with our peers.

-Submit your stuff to get published. Using Two Bright Lights, we are able to submit our wedding and engagement sessions to many popular wedding blogs for more exposure outside of our local area. Some blogs will also accept email submissions, and there are even blogs for family, baby and maternity photos.

-Become a member for photography associations, like PPA and WPPI for more education opportunities, to keep up with current trends, and group benefits for insurance and more. PPA provides an Indemnification Trust (malpractice protection) as an included member benefit.

-Evaluate pricing often. As costs of living go up, be sure that you are covering expenses and being paid what you're worth. But what if you are just getting started? Should you offer to shoot weddings for free or charge less than average? Because this undercuts business for your peers, consider starting out as second shooter with another photographer until you have built up experience, and at least charge close to the going rate for your area to start. One of the best guides we've ever read for wedding pricing as well as portrait photography is: http://www.stacyreeves.com/greatestpricingguideever.pdf

Marketing to Seniors

Today's high school seniors are not like those from 10 years ago. They don't like the traditional yearbook photos, they want pictures to use on Facebook, and they want to look 'cool' in their photos. We started reaching out into our local high schools through a program we call Expressively You. Each year we put out a casting call for seniors to apply to model for us. In exchange for them modeling for us for that year's promotional materials, we give them a free session and then use their photos all over our promo material for that year. We then print out some rep cards and send them back to school with them. Our rep cards are bookmark sized and printed on both sides. They can hand these out to their friends, and for every friend that books with us, the rep gets a credit they can use towards buying something from their photo session - and the friend gets a $25 discount.

We also do Glamour Girl sessions, which includes several wardrobe changes and multiple makeup and hair looks. We network with our favorite local makeup artists and hair stylists for this!

Consistency is the key

Regardless of what approach you take to increasing your business, remember that there is no wrong way. You have to do what works for yourself. What works for others may not work for you. Be yourself, and don't watch what others do and try to copy it! Come up with an original idea that no one else in your area is doing, and then run with it. Repetition keeps your name in front of people, so constantly be looking for ways to put yourself out there - blog every day (Mon-Fri is best, no one reads blogs on the weekends!), get out in the community, sponsor local events, look for ways to get your work published - but keep doing it regularly.

If you are loving what you do, then it's always possible to succeed!

Film Again

2011-06-13T10:00:00.030-05:00

I finally got my prints-from-film back from our Utah/Arizona/Route 66 vacation! I know, I should have sent it in as soon as we got home, but I was lazy. Annnnnd, I was pretty lazy about shooting film. A couple of weeks before we left, I ordered a bunch of film and ended up taking all of it (27 rolls!) with me . . . and I came home with almost three rolls used. I'm actually pretty disappointed in myself. Oh well.

Anyway, I picked up the prints the other day, so I thought I'd share a few of the shots I took with my Hasselblad. Hope you enjoy!

Grand Canyon

Arizona

Film: Ilford HP5

Juniper Tree

Mesa Verde, Colorado
Film: Ilford HP5

Church Rock

between Monticello and Moab, Utah
Film: Fuji Reala

Mountain view
Mesa Verde, Colorado
Film: Fuji Reala

Grand Canyon
Arizona
Film: Kodak Portra 160NC

Chapel of the Holy Cross
Sedona, Arizona
Film: Kodak Portra 160NC

The more I think about our trip, the more I think Utah was my favorite part. In fact, it may be my favorite "middle of no where" place I've ever been (and I've been to a LOT of places in the middle of no where, believe you me). Don't get me wrong-- Arizona was fun (Flagstaff had the most perfect weather), and Antelope Canyon may have been my favorite stop, but Utah was just incredible.

Do you have a favorite vacation location? Where is it, and why is it your favorite?

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5 Blogs Not to Miss

2011-06-09T16:00:00.013-05:00

I'm forever adding blogs to my Google reader, and, I confess, there are plenty out there that I just skim . . . mostly wedding blogs, because most of them look the same. I'll stop and read if I spot something that catches my eye, but overall, ehhhh.

BUT, there are a few blogs out there that I read every time they show an update. I thought I might share what those blogs are, and maybe you'll enjoy them, too!

CMYBacon

This site has little to do with photography, but it is probably the most fascinating blog I read. What makes it so interesting is that it's always a random find that I hadn't heard about before-- everything from interesting typography, to unique pieces of furniture, to unusual art mediums, to clothing . . . it's way cool.

Sociological Images

This is may be the only serious blog I follow. I love it because it starts with an image, and talks about social trends surrounding that image. I guess their "about" blurb says it better: "is designed to encourage all kinds of people to exercise and develop their sociological imagination by presenting brief sociological discussions of compelling and timely imagery that spans the breadth of sociological inquiry".

Tomboy Style

Although I'm still in the process of fining my own personal fashion style (or lack thereof), I have always been drawn to menswear-inspired clothing. I love women who can wear a tie with a pencil skirt, or suspenders with a feminine top. (Again, my fascination with juxtaposition). This blog covers everything from tomboy style by the decade, to current tomboy fashion, to successful women who are rocking a tomboy style today.

The Sartorialist

This one should pretty much go without saying. The most influential-to-fashion street photographer EVER. Who wouldn't want to spend their days walking around the world's great cities, shooting fashionably dressed people who walk by? I think being shot by Scott Schuman on the streets of NYC is a worthy life-goal.

The Photography Link

Fashion editorial photography. I'm subscribed to several fashion blogs, and it seems like this blog is consistently posting the good stuff (not just fifteen updates every day about every little thing in fashion). Plus, this one is specifically for photographic editorials, and they tend to be a little edgier than many others, but the photography still accessible to every day people-- it's not just "art" photography. Hard to explain, I guess.

So, I hope you enjoy. Take a look at them, and let me know which ones you like!

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Post Processing Efficiently | Angie Knopp

2011-06-07T12:00:00.039-05:00

JESSICA'S NOTES: When I first opened Photoshop (this was Photoshop 6, btw, ha!), I was amazed. Mostly, I was amazed at the nothingness there. I'm not sure what I expecting, but I wasn't expecting a big, blank grey space that left me clicking and playing with every little feature just to see what it did. These days I'm lucky enough to know two photographers in particular to harass when I need to find out how something is done, and who are kind enough to not just tell me to stop bothering them and mind my own business. ;-) Angie Knopp is one of them, and, after previewing this post, I gotta say she was the right woman for the job. Angie has helped me on several occasions and now I'm thrilled that she agreed to pass along even MORE helpful info to everyone (like, I never thought about making my own keyboard shortcuts. Definitely gonna be doing that now, though!). Although she puts the disclaimer that she's not primarily a photographer, she does have some incredible talent behind the camera. Take a look at her work at Angie K Studios-- she shoots mostly travel, and does some second-shooting for weddings, but mostly shoots for her own personal love of it. Angie lives and works in the Sacramento area, and she does accept images by mail if you need someone to take a little bit of stress off your photographer workload!

Post Processing Efficiently

I differ from many of the contributors in this workshop in that my first title would not be “photographer” but “photo editor”. I am an outsource editor for professional photographers. Today, photographers are expected to do it all. They handle the business end, the paperwork, communication with clients, they travel, they shoot, then they post-process . . . all before they can deliver the final product to their clients. I help alleviate some of the workload by taking over the post-processing for them. I work with them to nail down their editing workflow so the images they get back from me are consistent with their style.

image by Angie Knopp

Why Photoshop?

Photoshop is considered the industry standard by nearly all photographers and graphic designers. Why? Because it is the most powerful image editing software in the world. Over 90% of creative professionals use Photoshop on a regular basis. The impact of Photoshop is everywhere – billboards, magazine covers, major motion pictures, even the logo on the coffee cup you drink out of every morning. All have likely been touched by the software. They use it is because it is the best and it can get the job done.

Photoshop vs Lightroom debate.

A lot of people ask if they should get Photoshop (PS) or Lightroom (LR). If you are a serious photographer, I think the answer should be “both”. PS and LR serve different purposes. PS was created for people in many different creative fields. It's intended purpose was not solely image editing. Lightroom was created by photographers for photographers. LR is great for speed, efficiency and organizing your photos. PS is the big boy that does the heavy lifting.

Workflow

The quicker and more efficient you become at editing your images the more profitable your business. I find this especially true, because that is my business! The first step to a quick workflow is taking the time to learn how to use both programs well. If you do not, it will cripple you down the road. Do not rely on actions to get you through. Of course you will not use every feature of these programs, but learn to use what you need and learn it well. It will pay off.

One hundred percent of my photos go through LR first. Because of its speed and efficiency, all basic photo corrections are done here first: exposure, white balance, contrast, cropping, etc. Then you can sync the settings from one photo to as many as you wish. This saves me hours of work over the thousands of images that I process. The images that are exported from LR should be of good enough quality that they can be presented to clients as is (for galleries, or if you aren't someone who likes to 'stylize' in PS). If you are getting your images good SOOC (or close to it) a little enhancing in LR will make them client-ready.

After exporting from LR, I move to Photoshop for stylizing and any retouching needed. As a side note, I always export and work in PSD until my final output. Why? Because jpegs are a lossy file compression. That means every time you open up a jpeg and re-save it you are losing more information. The first couple of times a loss of quality probably will not be noticeable. After multiple times of re-opening the quality loss will begin to show. With storage being so cheap these days, the argument of large file sizes in pretty much null. I use the PSDs as working versions only and delete them when I am through. I do this to preserve the integrity of the image as much as possible. For this reason I also work in ProPhoto colorspace and only export as AdobeRGB in my final output. As explained to me by a mathematician photographer, working in sRGB is like having the color available to you that would fit into a drinking glass. AdobeRGB: the size of a large house. ProPhoto: The planet. Why wouldn't you want to use the greatest amount of color available to you? Technology just keeps getting better, and using the best available to us now allows us to continue using these images with relevant amounts of quality in the future.

Photoshop is where the stylizing and artisticness happens. All the fun stuff. Any retouching gets done here as well. While you can do retouching in LR, PS allows a much better control with it's precise tools. When working for another photographer, I use an actions set they have created or make my own. Huge time saver when you are performing the same steps over and over again.

Don't forget to use layers when you edit. It is not a good practice to edit directly on your background layer. Having a non-destructive workflow saves time when you need to go back and change something, or if you don't like the direction you editing is going. You can dial down the layer or throw it away completely, all with one click of your mouse.

Two tips for faster workflow.

One costs and one is free. ;) The best $50 I ever spent and has probably saved me the most time. MikeD's AutoLoader: http://www.photoshoptools.ca/autoloader/ I will let the link speak for itself. I would estimate that I save between 6-10 seconds per image. This saves me 10-17 minutes on a 100 image session. That really adds up! After 4-6 sessions I have saved an hour's worth of work. Just by simply using this one little script/program. So you can see why speed and efficiency are so important. The less time spent on an image, the more money you are making.

Customize your workspace. This can be two-fold. I included a screenshot of what my PS workspace looks like. The first thing that probably looks different is that my tools' palette is on the right-hand side. I do this because I am right-handed and because I use other palettes so much. Rather than move back and forth across the screen selecting tools and then using the palettes, I prefer to have them in one place. You can try out different workspaces and create your own by selecting the double-arrow in the upper right-hand corner. You can see that mine is titled “Angie”. I also use Button Mode for my actions and color code them.

When saving your own workspace you will see two options to also save “keyboard shortcuts” and “menus”. Both of these can be found under the Edit menu, near the bottom. I have several shortcuts saved to help make myself speedier. Examples: Flatten Image=F1, Advance Autoloader F4, My Favorite Action=F3. (Additionally, I have these keyboard shortcuts programmed into the extra buttons on my gaming mouse, haha!)

Moderation is Key.

Don't over-Photoshop. This is a common mistake made by new PS users. PS isn't there to make bad photos good. It is there to enhance already good photographs. Also, try to avoid fad-ish Photoshopping techniques. It's like those horrid acid-wash jeans of the 80's. Cute for while . . . but down the road we wonder, “What the hack was I thinking?!”. Make your photography timeless. Don't over-saturate. Nobody likes over-saturated images with weird skin colors. Don't use high-key vignettes. And please, please . . . don't selectively color the flowers of you Black & White images (or eyes. That's just creepy!). Also, with less Photoshopping is a faster workflow. This is another reason why you hear so many photographers saying to “get it right in the camera”. It's easier to shoot it right than to have to fix it later.

Tips for new PS/LR users:

Learn to use your programs.
Create actions for redundant tasks.
Customize your workspace.
Create shortcuts.
Use Layers and practice non-destructive editing techniques.
Develop a quick & efficient workflow.
Don't over-Photoshop.

Bite-Sized Finds

2011-06-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today's list is pretty light-hearted. I've got some more serious ones, but I think those will wait for next time!

If you've missed the previous posts o' fun stuff, find them here.

This engagement session makes me sad. Why? Because I shot a wedding last year and had no idea that there was an old telephone booth just around the corner from me. So sad . . . what a prop that would've made.

I've never been to NYC, but it has a special place in my heart. It's kinda like a dream man-- you may not have met them yet, but you know he's out there, waiting. NYC is waiting for me, so I'm looking at beautiful old black and white images of the city in the meantime.

SUMMER. IS. HERE.

Fashion: If I could pick a favorite fashion decade, it would probably be the 70s. I want a white suit now, I don't care what you say. Now this isn't from the 70s, but I want this outfit, too, minus the hat and gloves. It need edgier accessories, I think. Lastly, I can't image wearing this thing, but I love love love the image.

My dream house will have this tub and this . . . loft? I'm not sure what it is, other than awesome.

This is not your mother's bridal shower. I want to know where this took place-- it looks totally exotic. Also, what poor person had to move all that furniture out there?!

Whoa! Awesome alternatives to traditional wedding guest books ahead!

Editorial of the week. Maybe it's because I just saw both "A Very Long Engagement" and "The Fall", but this editorial fits my mood today. It's so unbelievably simple and light and airy and makes me think of the 1920's.

Medium format links: This is a beautiful blog (plus, pictures of cute animals!). And . . . Hasselblad announces a 200 megapixel camera. It's only $45k. (Yes, you read that correctly). I love Hasselblad, but this is getting ridiculous.

Instagram Hipster Edits! Hahaha. (Warning: some language).

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

10 Ways To Get Good, Fast

2011-06-02T20:16:00.006-05:00

Since we're over half-way through with the Virtual Photo Workshop, I thought I'd add a little advice of my own to the mix that hopefully you'll find helpful.

I am not a particularly incredibly amazing photographer. I am, however, pretty darn good at learning, and learning fast. I think this obsessive must-know-everything-about-photography tendency has given me a huge advantage over people who have been shooting equally as long as myself, and yet are content to just learn something new whenever they feel like it. In fact, there are very few instances these days where I can't hold my own in a conversation with other, more experienced, portrait and wedding photographers these days.

One of my all-time favorite quotes EVER is this:

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. Pablo Picasso

This is your starting point. People say you can't just go out and do things you don't know how to do, and maybe it's just me, but I like to start where all the action is. Give me some guidelines and set me free. I'll learn as I go!

Granted, if you take this advice, don't be stupid about it. Don't jump into a $5k wedding contract if you've never shot a wedding before. But don't be afraid to do some crazy things when there's not a chance of someone suing you.

So this is how you, as a photographer, can get good, fast:

1. Ask a lot of questions. I mean, a lot. This is naturally what you're going to do, anyway. You're thinking about buying a camera, you ask other people which one you should buy. You finally buy that camera and you ask how it works. But you can't just stop there. You need to always be asking about everything. You have to be curious. Ask about every little thing that interests you. "Where did you buy that background?" "How do you like that particular piece of gear?" "How can I do that in Photoshop?" "How did your lighting turn out so perfectly?" "How did you get so successful, so fast?"

You're going to find some photographers who don't want to share. Thankfully, I haven't run into any of them-- I have many pro photographer friends whom I am always sending messages to asking about this or that, and I'm actually kinda surprised they haven't gotten tired of my incessant questioning. I usually find a photographer who is strong in a particular area and then latch onto them and suck out all the information. (Eww, that was kinda gross. And creepy). But I do it in a nice way, because I realize they're being generous when they don't have to share their knowledge. So, ask.

2. Join a photography forum, or Flickr groups. This goes along with point #1. There are many active photography message boards around, but my favorites are the Flickr groups. I'm a member of a couple of groups that, every time I log on, am simply amazed by the amount of things I've learned just by lurking and reading people's responses. Want to get into wedding photography? Search for a wedding photography Flickr group! (There are a couple of really good ones!). Seniors? There's a group for that! Pets? There's a group for that, too! And usually not just one group, but many different ones all discussing the same subject.

Why does this help you? Because even if you know ten pro photographers personally, you're never going to know 500 pro photographers, each with a different perspective. Flickr groups and photography forums can give you that. You'll see what the field is like outside of your local area, and you'll see how someone does something so completely differently (and maybe better!) that you never thought about.

3. Read. Read read read read. The first book I recommend to all people new to photography is Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson. This is where you start-- you learn what your camera can do. After that, it's all up to you, but I say read. And read everything you can get your hands on. Read other photographer's blogs whom you admire, read posts on Flickr groups, read photography magazines, read "how-to" photography blogs, read fashion magazines if you want to get into fashion and wedding magazines if you want to get into weddings, read books about photography, books about business, books about art.

JUST READ IT ALL. Devour it. Take notes! Make projects to practice something that you've read about. Even read stuff that you don't think necessarily applies to your field of interest just so you've expanded your horizons. (Say you're a wedding photographer-- read the bio of Ansel Adams. Or, if you're a pet photographer, read about the work of Richard Avedon. Not interested in HDR? WHO CARES, find out how it's done!).

4. Keep your eyes open. This is more abstract, but you've got to start seeing everything. Notice how shadows fall on faces at different times of the day, and different places. Look at how the light bounces off the building and onto another building in the alley. Watch how the color changes between mid-day and late evening. Pay attention to the movement of a person walking, or the way their clothes move around them. Watch everything.

And this goes for movies and images, too. You'll start noticing interesting shots from your favorite movies (maybe you can replicate that angle, or that light). What colors the actors are wearing. Start taking notes of things that you like, and why.

5. Learn from someone, and then teach someone. If you want to shoot weddings, everyone recommend second-shooting for another photographer first. That is sound advice. See if there's someone who will let you hold their camera bag for a wedding, and spend time observing how they work (make sure you're getting in with a photographer you admire, otherwise you may pick up some bad habits and not realize it). You can learn as much from observing as you can from actually shooting, most of the time. If you can find someone who's able to work with you, one-on-one, that's even better.

If you want to understand something, read it. If you want to know learn something, write it. If you want to master something, teach it. Yogi Bhaian

Now, teach it. The longer I am involved in photography, the more excited I get when someone asks me a question about it. Why? Because I feel like I actually know something, for once in my life, and, even if I don't, it gives me the opportunity to learn something new and share it. Part of my "teaching" is this blog, really. I don't have a classroom, and I don't have the opportunity to do much one-on-one time with newer photogs, so this blog is it. If you know how to shoot in manual, be eager to pass on that knowledge. Organize a small group and teach them! You don't have to know everything-- just teach what you know! I plan on starting a secondary blog solely to write about shooting with flash (off-camera flash, multiple flashes, etc), and, although there's already THE blog on the subject (that's www.strobist.com, fyi), I feel like hashing out my experiences, both good and bad, will help me get a better perspective on mastering artificial lighting. Plus, you guys get to watch me fail miserably, so that's all the more incentive for me to learn faster. ;-)

6. Practice. This should go without saying. I admit that I don't pick up my camera every single day. But when I do take it out, you can bet I'll be shooting more than one or two images. I shoot until I get it exactly right, and then I make a mental note of what I had to do to get there-- why this shot didn't work the first 50 times I tried it.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, talks about how many, many successful people (including Bill Gates and The Beatles) get to the breakthrough moment of their life only after 10,000 hours of practice. That's not a random number-- he does actually mean ten thousand hours. Whether or not you believe that, it still gives you an idea of the obsession and devotion and passion you really have to have to be successful. So go practice, and practice the hard stuff.

7. Get critique, but get it from the right people. This is similar to the first two points, and the one, out of all of these, that I hate the most. You can't improve your work if you're content with it (more on this later). Maybe you see a few errors, but some constructive criticism will push you forward more than ever before, especially if you're already feeling pretty good about what you're doing. Granted, critiques can be scary-- and one of the reasons I avoid this step at all costs is because I'm already a perfectionist, so I already see five million little things that I hate about every image I've ever shot. A critique of those images will just drive home the point that I make so many screw-ups I might as well just give up. It's hard for me not to take these things personally. I challenge myself, along with you, to put on some thick skin and gather some professional opinions.

But almost more importantly, get the right people to critique. Don't ask your mom, because chances are she'll think everything you do is wonderful. And if you're a wedding photographer, don't ask a landscape photographer for their thoughts. (This inadvertently happened to me once: I was sharing a few portraits with a bird photographer and he gave me several snippets of unsolicited tips . . . and maybe I was just feeling defensive, but I didn't feel like he really understood the idea behind why I shoot the way I do). So seek out the professionals in your field whose work you admire, and who will give you a straight answer.

8. Ask yourself the hard questions. I currently have a small notebook in my purse at all times for when a thought-provoking question hits me. Most of these questions that I've written down don't have solid answers yet, but I will soon force myself to sit down and think about what the heck I'm doing. It's easy to keep on keepin' on without stopping to ask yourself some soul-searching questions.

Spend an afternoon writing down every question you can think of for your craft, as it relates to you. For example, "Where do I want to be in five years?" "What practical steps can I take that will help me achieve those goals?" "Who are my clientele? What are they like, their ages, their income, their fashion taste?" "How is my business different than anyone else's?" "What jobs would I definitely not want to take, if offered?" "Am I getting the results I want? If not, how can I remedy this?" "What are my biggest weaknesses as a photographer? Biggest strengths? How can I use these to my advantage?" "How will people recognize my work?" "What are my ideal clients' expectations, and will I be able to meet them?" Then, spend another afternoon answering them. Maybe bring a creative friend along and discuss it over coffee.

9. Become a perfectionist. You simply will not advance if you're truly happy with every image you create. If you refuse to see your mistakes, you won't grow. The flip side to this is that you can't dwell on your errors. See them, make note of them, maybe even physically write them down, along with a way to fix it next time, and move on. Never assume that you "have arrived" as a photographer. You can be pleased with your work, but always think of at least one thing in every image that you can improve next time.

10. Take a break when you need it. I tend to be a very type-A personality when it comes to photography. (If you know me in person, you know that I kind of transform a bit once there's a camera in my hands). I am obsessed with all things photography and camera related. If you're as passionate about this subject as I am, burnout is inevitable. For me, I don't go years shooting and then burnout for a year. My ups-and-downs as a photographer are much more frequent. I will spend weeks just thinking about one aspect of photography (business or lighting or planning shoots), and then a week later I'm too tired or frustrated to even look at my camera. I've learned that sometimes I need to stop focusing so heavily on learning and growing and just shoot for fun.

As a portrait photographer, it's sometimes a relief to me to get out and shoot some flowers. Or trees. Something mindless, but beautiful to me. Or I can break out my point-and-shoot and just have fun. It's as important to take a break when you need it as it is to pursue your dreams relentlessly. If you don't rest when you're tired, you will experience frustration that may deter you in the long-haul, and you don't want that.

So those are my ten ways to get good, fast. If any of this was helpful to you, please let me know in the comments. In the meantime, keep shooting!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Discovering Your Style | Rebekah Chapman

2011-05-31T12:00:00.004-05:00

JESSICA'S NOTES: Most of us know that there are a lot of photographers out there. I mean, a lot. So how do you make yourself different? What's the real . . . you, as a photographer, that you want people to see? I admit I'm a little obsessed with trying to blaze my own style-path, and it's not easy. Enter, Rebekah Chapman, of Mae Photo + Design. I'm lucky enough to know a lot of photographers personally, and a lot of photographers not-quite-as-personally, but there are less than a handful of them whose images scream their respective names as soon as I spot them. Rebekah has always had a very distinct style-- both in the way she shoots, and the way she post processes-- that makes her work flat out unmistakable and very recognizable. I am super thrilled that she agreed to share a few of her secrets on this guest post, so please . . . read on! And after that, check out Mae Photo + Design, where you can see Rebekah's travel, life style, and editorial photography. (As for locale, she says, "currently in Seattle/Tacoma (heading south ASAP)". ;-)

Discovering Your Style

Image by Mae Photo

When Jessica asked me to write about style, I kind of blushed behind my computer. First of all, I am not what you would call 'a writer.' I had high ambitions of being a novelist when I was a little girl, but I also planned to be a dolphin trainer in spite of the fact that I can not swim to save my life. "Could." "..could not swim to save my life." This would be more grammatically correct (?), but the sad truth is that I still cannot swim. I feel like I am getting off track here, but that is probably okay since we are talking about STYLE which is a purely subjective topic.

My second thought was that I would have to get a large glass of wine and DO THIS THING LIKE A REAL WRITER. So here I sit, glass of wine, obligatory Seattle-ite lumberjack shirt (to cover my otherwise pretty clothes--WE CAN'T HAVE THAT), and computer. Writing like a real writer. Living the dream. [Actually, I feel like I should have a proper typewriter so that I can quote You've Got Mail like any other live girl who made it through the 90s singing Harry Nilsson like an idiot while wearing curlers in traffic. True story.]

Image by Mae Photo

It is difficult for me to put into words something that is completely visual. In the larger scheme of things, I feel like you should not stress out over your personal 'photo style.' We are only human, always changing and growing, evolving in ways that we could not possibly predict. Over the past year a giant Picasso exhibit toured the country from the Musee National Picasso (Paris). When it came through Seattle, my dear friend took me as a birthday gift. Picasso is one of the most celebrated artists of all time and if you have ever had the opprotunity to see his work you are likely aware that his pieces have been classified into a few different "periods" (such as the Blue Period and the Rose Period). It is only natural that the work of an artists' life will change over time. Not only because technique is always improving with 'practice,' but also because 'art is a very human way of coping with life.' I'm 100% sure I stole and butchered that quote from Kurt Vonnegut.

When I first started taking pictures, I WANTED to have a very specific style and spent hours studying other people's photography. How do they choose locations? What do they do in photoshop to get this effect? A lot of it was easy to figure out and I spent a lot of time experimenting with different styles until something just seemed to 'settle' with me.

Image by Mae Photo

That being said, if you are just getting started as a photographer, I would definitely take the time to literally try and copy other photographers, especially in terms of post-processing. The whole trial-and-error method of learning photography takes time, but it is certainly worth it. Most often, you will discover things that you did not set out to find. You may not be able to duplicate the exact effect, but you might find something that you like even better. So many people are hyper critical and stress the importance of 'being different.' Which I understand, I do. But when you are first setting out on the process of finding your style, it's okay to explore and try things that catch your eye.

Take time to be inspired. Look outside of photography for inspiration...music, literature, nature...even just every day objects. You will be surprised.

Image by Mae Photo

A few years ago, I took a trip home and spent just a couple minutes photographing things around the house that I grew up looking at. It was one of the best things I ever did. We're talking about objects that have been a part of my life for so long that I hardly took the time to notice them. Turns out the pictures were kind of cool (who knew?), and I got messages from everywhere unexpected. It was then that I realized that I was better at photographing details and 'scenes' then, say, people. It's not that I don't enjoy photographing people, but I have a tendency to make people 'part of a scene' when I am in an inspired mood.

Image by Mae Photo

The thing that inspires me most is travel. I have not had the opportunity to travel very far or to very exotic places (yet!), but I certainly can't sit still for long. When you feel like you are in a rut, there is simply nothing better than getting out of the space that you call your own and exploring another part of the world that you have never experienced. Even if it is just a small road trip, or a visit to a different part of the city.

Image by Mae Photo

Assignment: Call your momma. Go to a place you consider "home," take time to photograph every-day objects.

Make goals. Achieve greatness.

2011-05-30T14:00:00.008-05:00

So I made up the part in the title about achieving greatness (although you never know!). BUT, when I took a class a the local college about starting a photography business, the teacher insisted that we physically write down (or type out) our goals. I've always been very goal-oriented, and, as messy as I am, writing down a list of "things to do" has kept me from becoming unbelievably overwhelmed at times.

Now, most normal people make a list of resolutions and goals in January. I am not a normal person.

Usually by the time June and July hits, I'm feeling in a slump and need to get focused and moving in a specific direction. It's now almost June and I have only just started actually writing down my goals for the year. (In my defense, I've had these goals in my head for several months already).

I just thought I might share a few more since talking about my main one in this post last week. Now, this is nooooooot a complete list. I have a lot more ground to cover and I'm always adding things like specific number of weddings or seniors I want to do per year/month, or how many new Facebook fans I want to have, or blog subscriptions.

Goal #1: Streamline and define. I've already covered this one. Now it's time to make a conscious effort to incorporate it into my shoots.

Goal #2: Do more themed/styled shoots. I rarely, if ever, do themed shoots. It's time to change that. I love how put-together and purposeful themed shoots are. The consistency and unity of the images make a really strong visual statement.

Goal #3: Learn to shoot boudoir. Boudoir is something I'd like to get into, but I'm convinced that you have to know how to do it-- you can't just jump in and start shooting. You've actually got to know posing-- good posing, for women, that accentuates good features and minimizes bad features-- and you've got to know light and you've got to have a good connection with your subject. Oh, and you've got to be decent at retouching. I can do all of these to varying degrees, but I don't feel like I'm proficient enough shoot boudoir. I want to take a class.

Goal #4: Learn to process my own film. Right now this lies more in the realm of "personal goals", but I have a plan in development that will eventually mean incorporating film into my photography business.

Now, for non-photography-related goals, I haven't even thought about making a list. Last year I had a really truly awesome set of goals (all were pretty much just for fun), and my friend Aline helped me achieve a lot of them. I ended experiencing a lot of "firsts", like first time eating sushi, first time doing origami, and first time at a hockey game.

This year the only goals I can think of are to "rollover" the goals not accomplished from last year: Go rock climbing (indoor!), and go to a wine tasting. I really need to add more stuff . . .

So now that you know my secret goals, tell me:

What goals have you made for this year and are you achieving them? - and - What goals should I add to my "personal" list?

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e

Music to Your Ears

2011-05-27T11:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but I like all kinds of music. I mean, I really do. Which actually shocks people who've known me for a little while because it's no secret that I'm a bit of an entertainment snob (even I will admit that).

But here's the thing: I do actually like a lot of different bands/artists in a lot of different genres, and yet, I love very, very few bands/artists. (It's even harder for movies to get a spot on my "favorites" list, and books are about the same.) Pretty much the only genre of music of music that I won't listen to is country (especially classic country, but I like folk and Americana, go figure). I also don't really listen to metal or Christian music. That being said, there are a few select bands/artists even in those genres that I don't mind. Other than that, you can pretty much pop in any CD you want, and I'm fine: blues, opera, top 40 pop, obscure indie bands, gypsy, hip hop, classic rock, you name it.

Music has a weird way of reaching each person differently, and I'm always a bit amazed when a particular song comes on that evokes specific emotions in me, or reminds me of a person or a time in my life, or even a season of the year. Without fail, the song that sucker-punches me the most is "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" from Handel's Messiah. Following right behind that is probably "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. To a lesser extent, OAR's song "Shattered" was getting air play right at an appropriate time in my life, but unlike the two songs mentioned before, I'm not especially fond of this one.

There are plenty of songs and albums that remind me of people, especially my husband. It makes sense, I guess, that your significant other has a lot of music attached to them in your mind. Bon Jovi and Natalie Imbruglia always make me think of David.

The first song (or piece, in this case) that made made me cry was "Meditation" from the opera Thais by Jules Massenet (I wasn't even a violinist at the time). The first song made me throw up a little was probably whatever it was that I accidentally heard Ke$ha sing. ;-)

So that brings me to today. These are my current faves-- for inspiration, for fun, and for . . . any reason. Share your current faves in the comments!

1. Nantes by Beirut. So I'm a liiiiiittle late to the Beirut party, but since I first heard their electronica stuff on Realpeople: Holland, I was pretty sure I was in love with their sound. Pretty recently, someone gave me a copy of "The Flying Cup" and that sealed the deal. One of my favorite bands now.

Why I love it: Flowing, simple melody line (ignore the fact that you can't understand a word of what Zach Condon is singing. It doesn't matter anyway). Unbelievable percussion that should just not work, and yet it does-- and perfectly. All the different layers of instruments, and yet none are over-powering. I can say with certainty that there's no other song that, even at my first listen, made me feel so relaxed and yet . . . soaring (whaaat? That's not a good description) at the same time.

2. Wolf and I by Oh Land. A friend had mentioned Oh Land several months ago, so, curious, I did a quick search and didn't hear anything that was even very memorable. Maybe I just wasn't ready, because when said friend gave me a copy of Oh Land's album (see where I get all my music? Generous friends!), I was immediately taken in by her light, yet very interesting style. Plus, she's freaking gorgeous (darn her and her Danish genes).

Why I love it: Okay, so now it's obvious that I have some sort of fascination with a slow-moving melody line backed by fast percussion. But even ignoring that, did you hear those lyrics?! Google them. It's tragic, and it's very poetic. And the music is just a beautiful darkness that the words glide on. The melody is super haunting-- you can totally hear the tragedy of the relationship there.

3. Eet by Regina Spektor. All the cool girls I know have been listening to Regina for a long time now. When "Fidelity" was getting listened to a lot a few years ago, I got curious and picked up the CD. Honestly, I liked one song on the album ("Samson", which, for the record, is still my favorite song of hers). She was just too . . . weird. I admit, even when I picked up the album "Far" a month or two ago, I was still a bit leery, but time has led me to embrace more whimsical things, like women who sing strange lyrics.

Why I love it: No one, and I mean no one, can use their voice as an instrument like Regina Spektor. I could probably listen to her just "ahhhhhhh oooooohhhhhhhh eeeeeeeeeet" for an entire album. All the inspiration in my life right now can be summed up in one word: Movement. Movement everywhere, and of all kinds. I really love a melody that moves along, and I love when it's just one or two words that the melody carries over several seconds (and I'm not talking about just holding out a single note). Regina does this every time she sings the sound "eet" and I love the motion of it-- I can almost see the sounds rise and fall like a beautiful scale.

4. 40 Day Dream by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. I'll admit I'm still on the fence with most of this band's stuff, but some of it I really like.

Why I love it: Because I just do. "She got sunset on her breath / I inhaled just a little bit / Now I got no fear of death".

And now it's time to share your faves. Aaaaaaand go!

v i s i t m y W E B S I T E || C O N T A C T m e || F A C E B O O K m e