Change...chills and butterflies

Change. That one word alone can either send chills of fear up your spine or put butterflies in your stomach with excitement.

For me I've experienced both over the last 10 months. Selling my building...excitement..a little fear but I knew I needed a change; the idea of what's next but not really knowing... alot of excitement AND fear; Realizing I can reinvent my business to keep my passion fresh...A LOT of excitement; being led to see that anything IS possible...more excitement; seeing along the way that things happen exactly as they are supposed to (and it isn't by MY plan)...awe and wonder; reflecting on how people are put into our lives exactly when we need them or they need us...awe and excitement!

My husband and friends each hold and important part in helping encourage me to identify and dream what my clean slate should look like. One person who I owe much to is my amazingly talented and insightful friend Jeff who coached me through the process during which I realized that yes, I needed some change.  At first I didn't know what the answer was that I was looking for but I came to realize that there really is a calling in all our lives. I just had to listen for it and follow the path. I love my portraiture and I love connecting with my clients. That connection makes the difference between a technically nice portrait and a soulful portrait. I cherish that connection and how I can make people feel good about themselves with my photography; and I love helping people in general.

For me, I really love to create artistic portraiture. It's what I've always done but I wanted to take it to a level that no other could touch and doing it while focusing on my client - through and through. So with great excitement, I've expanded my fine portraiture and phased out the work that isn't quite as artistic.  I've changed the name a little bit and the "look" of the business a lot!  My dream is to make having your portrait created be a "memorable journey" that will make you smile every time you walk by the finished portraits, not a "stressful process”.

So....I'm proud to be your Concierge Photographer.

What is Concierge Photography? Well, for starters I come to you to create your portrait. Have an idea?  No request is too big or too "out there".  Ask me and I will do everything possible to make it happen. Wondering how you are going to get it all done so you can even think about having a portrait created? Call. Yes, I am your personal concierge in your portrait journey. How does it all work?? Well we talk. If you need some extra help then yes, I'll make sure the dry cleaning gets picked up in time, I'll shop for  your perfect accessories to match your outfit, make arrangements for your favorite place for dinner after the session, have a nanny help get the kids ready and even hang your final portraits...whatever it takes to simplify your life.  It's all about making your life easier while I create an heirloom for you!

As part of this change, I'm training to be a Concierge (I take my test tomorrow) in addition to my ongoing photography training that keeps me cutting edge. Concierge training will help enhance the services I will offer you in addition to the highest quality products my industry has to offer. I've added some unique things that you will love. Over the next week you will see the website change to reflect this new business. And if this wasn't enough, I am also offering coaching and workshops as well.

Change IS good and I've been so excited about this new beginning that I'm considering naming those butterflies in my stomach!

Your Concierge Photographer

Winter pictures from the inside out!

Ok, so it's confession time...

           I love snow.

                    There I've said it.

                                But I hate the cold. (huh?)

When it comes down to it I would love to be outside photographing winter if it was say, at least 40 or more degrees out. Like so many others I know, we are all pretty tired of the never ending winter. It seems to be longer every year.

But I'm facing the never ending desire to be creative even when I feel my DNA wanting to continue to hibernate...

               ...but I don't feel like bundling up and trying to fit my camera under my coat to keep it warm (it's only about 10 degrees today which means I'd only get about 10 minutes before the camera died if I didn't keep it warm).

So I decided to just have a little fun and be warm while I photographed winter. I love the form of the drifting snow and the sparkles of sunshine that catch my attention and ice. So call me lazy but I got some cool shots of winter from my dining room window! Anyone can do this and have some creative fun in the comfort of your warm house.

At this temp, who doesn't have some ice on their windows someplace in the house? Maybe even steam from the morning showers leave some ice on the bathroom window. In my case the bright sun has made some frost and crystals between the double panes of glass. Looking closely at the ice, it's really cool and there are so many different looks to it when you view them with different things outside as a background. Shadows, the blue sky, etc. all give the crystals different looks. 

Take a look. I took these photos with my Canon PowerShot SXS510 camera that I keep in my purse. Just to prove that any camera can do this.  I tweaked them a little bit with contrast and exposure. That can be done in any basic photo editing software. I even did a couple photos with an incandescent light balance setting, pretty cool look I think!  So it may be cold out but there's so much you can do for winter photos without getting cold. Next, I think I'll just pop quickly outside on my front door and see what I can find from there (as usual, without a coat or shoes). 

Tips: try your camera in manual or one of the other NON-Program modes. Change the exposure settings because the camera's meter wants to make the snow a middle gray. Try different light balance settings. Just play with the menu and try different things!

Most of all have fun with it!

 snow drift

 ice crystals with a shadow behind for contrast

 snow as the background for a higher key look.

Frost with a shadow behind

landscape with a midnight look to it. Taken with incandescent white balance setting.