And what do you do with that inspiration?

Well, I arrived home happily from my New Orleans trip to the Professional Photographers of America national convention. My luggage followed by about 9 hours (woo hoo! we women all know how we don't want to appear in public without our cosmetics!).

This morning I arrived at the studio and spent several hours going over all sorts of things with Stephanie, my part time employee and idea bouncer-off'r. Might I add that I also warned her that I'd be coming home with lots of news! So much information that we had to take a break and I took her to lunch to continue the conversation. All my inspiration came bubbling to the surface....New lab to service us personally, new management software that we both have to learn...together, as well as lots of new ideas for custom backgrounds, newly purchased props, and books for fiuture ideas.

As I talked about the classes and people, I told her about how inspiration came bubbling forth in the form of offering to help with the Professional Photographers Certification Commission. I personally expressed my interest in helping on a national level to encourage photographers to become Certified.

As if that wasn't enough... Ten years ago I wanted to prove myself to me and the world, my capabilites and comittment by earning the Certified Professional Photographer designation. NOW I've made the next (and overdue) comitment to myself and my friends and clients that I now seek the PPA Masters degree. This is obtained through continued education and earning merits through print competion. My goal is that by the Imaging convetion 2015, I will stand before my family and peers as I earn this coveted designation.  I find this inspiration in my family, friends and you, my clients. I will earn my competition print merits on tthe images I make for you, my clients.

That is what I do with my inspiration....what do you do?

3 days of inspiration

As I sit waiting for my return flight from the national convention of the Prof. Photographers of America in New Orleans, I reflect on three very full but rather exhausting days of seeing friends from other parts of the country, classes, vendors, an early morning meeting, and evening gatherings. As expected I'm overflowing with ideas and insprations. The trick now is to return to the studio and put my new great ideas into play. I'm hoping that the flight home will give me the "downtime" I need to process some things. I made some major back-office decisions that will be implemented soon as well as have some great ideas that my clients will enjoy in the form of new types of products and sessions and new props. During the 3 days I had an opportunity to view the International Print Competition where hundreds of beautiful images were displayed - some of the finest in our industry. This convention also offered a few classes only offered to Certified Professional Photographers. The class last night revealed new details about being Certified (I have been a Certified Professional Photographer since 1999). It was very enlightening and I volunteered to be on a national committee for the Certification Commission that oversees all Professional Photographer certifications. I'm excited about being able to give back to my industry in this capacity even if I'm not 100% sure what the duties will entail. So full of inspiration, I return home. See you soon! my apologies for no images in this post, the ipad doesn't seem to want to load any :(

Inspiration as motivation

Inspiration can be the catalyst for motivation. As I prepared for my trip to New Orleans I needed the inspiration of things to come...the inspiration of the classes and instructors,the anticipation of seeing friends from around the country, and excitement over the parties and networking that are on the schedule...to motivate me to get all the things done yesterday in order to leave. I have my friend Jeannine Luby of Laugh to Live for her being there at a moments notice to give me direction on the newsletter that needed to get done. She was great and after going home and packing, the newsletter was uploaded at 1 a.m. I'm looking foward to this trip and to sharing some of my inspirations with you!

Pumped to be inspired

On Saturday I leave for New Orleans for the PPA national convention and I am PUMPED! Not nearly as pumped as I will be when I arrive home ready to take on the world! I will have a chance to not only learn from some of the "greats" of our industry but I'm looking forward to saying hello to my vendors that provide all the products that you enjoy in your home (and all take very good care of our studio) but I will have an opportunity to network also.  And let's not mention that I'll get to see friends that I don't see very often and be able to check out Bourbon St. again!  (The photo above is a scene from a previous convention presentation).  It will be 3 days of total inspiration!!!

Inspiration through playing

I've always been attracted to the graphic side of life. Many of my college projects included various forms of design in my photography. Photographing chrome (back when cars had chrome bumpers) and printing the images in black and white and then photographing buildings. Not the whole building but just certain elements using the building's architecture and the light and shadows to create design. Here are a couple images I took while in Rochester in August. Today I allowed my mind to wander and take a few moments to look at the images I had taken. These two jumped out from the folder full of landscapes of Lake Ontario and a butterfly garden at the zoo and some animals.

The one building that obviously is being demolished. I was taken by the textures and colors and how it's kind of tower-like. I finished it as a black and white for the graphic effect of the textures and patterns. This image makes me wonder who the last people were that walked those floors. Notice the top window is open.  Guess someone needed some air.

This image is a light fixture at a train station. I love the round shape agains the angled beams. I finished this as a "lith", or lithograph to flatten it out to its basic shapes. That makes an image (or the negative, originally) with blacks and whites, no shades of gray. I can't wait to dive in to the rest of the images and see what I can do! I love to play!  What have you done with your favorite images?

Inspiration in age

Back in October I had the priveledge of photographing a family on their farm. The property has been in the family for years. All the generations live on bordering properties along this country road. What a beautiful area. When you step onto the property it's like you are transformed to a day long ago when life was much simpler and you leave behind, even for a while, the craziness of the day to day thing we all do. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the family. "Gram" was wonderful to talk to, I could have sat and chatted with her all day, she had so much character and you could tell she had great wisdom. She is in her 90's and very much part of the day to day family activities and "goings on" and is actually a great-great grandmother. It was my job to take her arm and escort her from the house while her chair was carried outside for her. Tucked under her arm was a book she was reading. An old book that has probably been on her bookshelf for 60 years. I love the contrast of the old book and the brightly colored bookmark in the one portrait below. It has been a priveledge to photograph different aspects of this family's life for years but it was a true blessing to record their moments on their generations-old farm. In the portraits below you see Gram interacting with her great-great grandson. How often do we come across these precious moments?

Today's Ah Ha

So for a while now I've been wrestling with what to do that would create a one of a kind product. Now as a matter of background, in my deep dark past I did years of craft shows, selling my photographs and one of a kind hand tinted photographs. As my business grew I gave up craft shows - probably 10 years ago. Many may remember seeing me at the Moscow Fair for the 9 years I displayed there. Anyway, last June when Carbondale had their Art Walk, my friend Donna (owner of Art Strands Jewelry and Gifts) basically shamed me into displaying my work on the sidewalk outside her store for the evening. Heck, that's not what I've done for years. My work is stored in totes in the studio basement...why now. Well, I displayed only my hand tinted work. Funny how thing happen. I did some demos of tinting - like I did back in the day. Then as people admired my work I found myself using the dialog of days gone by..."these are hand printed by me in my darkroom and hand tinted using brush and dyes.." BAM there it was. Hand printed....hand tinted... Wow, hadn't thought of that in years. I was actually asked if I'd be interested in exhibiting in a gallery!!! That was the bolt of lightning that I needed. Sort of.

Well, since then I've learned to oil paint too. My goal was to offer oil painted portraits as a one of a kind portrait product to my families but having some issues getting exactly what I wanted. THEN this morning...I was looking at a newsletter from a mentor and an image I saw rekindled something inside me that reminded me that   1. I love, love, love hand tinting. 2. I'm not as good at painting and don't want to rely on a computer for a truly artistic product. 3. With my hand tinting experience and newly formed oil painting techniques - oil based, hand tinted portraits are what I'm meant to do as a one of a kind product. Gee, why didn't I see this all along? I've posted some photos here showing well, not the most ideal prints for tinting but I was totally in my element creating them. I tried one at my desk at the studio - not the ideal lighting. Where did I end up working? Well, my old darkroom-turned-art room! The place where I have spent 20 years creating either by light or safelight. It's not a darkroom anymore, but I'm working on that.

What's next? Well, some trial and error with particular labs to find the perfect paper to create the perfect final piece. The plan is these one of a kind pieces will be available 16x20 and up, matted and framed. My goal is to be able to offer this by April. What do you think?

My working oil tinting pallat 

 the couple different portraits I sampled. The large one is actually printed a little too dark for proper tinting but I had to try!



This cute little guy...the small print is tinted, the larger one is an original. This doesn't do it justice. I'm so pumped and feel the artistry just flowing! More test prints to be uploaded tomorrow!!

Past inspiration helps with new

I painted this a couple months ago as I took oil painting lessons. Taking these one-on-one lessons with my friend Mary Lou Chibirka (a wonferfully talented painter)refreshed my eye to color and detail in what I was seeing. This freshed vision has helped in so many ways including my photography. In November, I took a break from my Monday morning lessons for holiday season. I promised to paint on my own and have a finished piece when I returned in January. Well here it is, January and no painting. But by having this piece hanging in my dining room im constantly reminded how much I enjoy oils and to call to restart my lessons and pick up my brushes tomorrow...

new life in winter

It's wonderful and inspiring to see some signs of new life popping up from the bulbs I planted after Christmas! It was a kit I received from my mother and soon they will be paper white daffodils. (my apologies for the sideways photo)

January 6 - A different Point of View

Sometimes it just takes simply sitting in a different place with a slightly different view to give you some inspiration. You see the world around you from a different perspective. You may even notice things you didn't before. Working on my 2012 planning, I set up at a table only about 5' from my desk and computer. That's all it took to keep me focused.

Inspiration and a brand new year!

A new year, a clean slate. I just love "starting over". It seems like the perfect time to implement new ideas and learn from others too. There are lots of new ideas coming very soon so we will keep you posted. Today I had lunch with some friends who are also studio owners. These lunches usually go for a couple hours, especially if it's been quite a while since we were together last, as it was today. I alway come away with some new ideas or a new outlook on something. A conversation we had got me thinking. What inspires us each day? Think about it. There is always SOMETHING that either inspires us to be creative, to get out of bed, to stop and think...so my new idea is to blog every day about what inspires me that day. I hope you will enjoy!  (Thank you Chrystal!)

After returning to the studio from lunch, I worked on an order for a newborn that I photographed just before Christmas...like the 23rd of December! As I looked at this precious face, it really inspired me to stop and look and reflect on the innocent peace that we each are born with. Isn't she sweet?

Fall - Holiday Newsletter

We are proud to provide you with our latest newsletter! This time we have made it an information newsletter magazine. It includes articles as well as out studio speicals. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.

Fall Holiday Newsletter

Tips to natural smiles and expressions

If there is a camera in the room the most overused word in our language becomes “cheese”. Think about it. Then what happens? The kid gives the most ridiculous grin – totally fake. Then mom’s response is always “smile naturally, that smile is so fake”. I’ve even had moms in my camera room say that to the child during a session. This usually causes stress on the child and angers mom too. My response is to say chuckle and say “the only cheese in here better have crackers to go with it!”. I then continue to explain to mom we want to avoid that word, or to tell them to “just smile”.

1. Natural expression. Most times, no smile or a simple pleasant look, is so much more gorgeous than having a big smile. When we capture a child who is pondering something we’ve said, or interacting with a toy or sibling, those are the most precious moments. They are relaxed and having fun and you see the roundness of their features and wide open eyes. When you tour an art museum and look at paintings, they aren’t smiling back at you. These types or portraits are beautiful for large wall portraits.

2. Smiles. Of course every mom wants to see their child happy. Some families consider only a good portrait is one where the child is looking straight at the camera and smiling (a fallout from generations of dreadful school photos I believe). This is a great record of the child’s face and stage but we still don’t want all that “cheese”. With big smiles parents have to understand that the child’s eyes will be crinkled up. This is where I see parents decide that a more relaxed expression is nicer because you see the eyes better. But to get the best smiles. After all we are creating something artistic…not school pictures.

So what to do?

A. Just talk to the child, ask him/her about something funny that happened to them or a family member or about something relevant to his/her life. This will give you thoughtful and pleasant smile or even giggle expressions.

B. Engage his/her mind with a question or a toy. This will give you natural “look of wonder” expressions

C. Using a word that makes kids giggle. That will get them laughing, and naturally. Sometimes ends up with those fun belly laugh expressions! BUT THEY ARE NATURAL and no cheese was used!

Making clients of all ages comfortable is something we strive for here at Kaiser Fine Photography. When a client comes in for portraits, either family portraits or of the child alone, we find out what the child (or children) is into and get to know the child before entering the camera room. We will learn the child’s personality and make them feel comfortable, no matter how long it takes. Then we will use some or all of the techniques discussed here to give parents the look they want. Our parents love the variety of expressions they can choose from and we all have a lot of fun. All without muttering the word “cheese”!

I think there are two things that I’d love to stomp out in the world - parents saying “cheese” to kids and any camera wielding adult lining people up in front of and against a wall or sitting on a couch for a photo (it kind of reminds you of a line up photo doesn’t it? But that’s another blog post!).

Try some of these techniques. I’d love to hear what worked for you!

Where did the summer go?

It is said that life happens when you are busy doing other things. That it does! Here we are - Labor Day, and I think I cooked on the grill three times all summer! I love grilled food. But somehow we were all running in different directions or looking for something quick or cold. But there are still some warm days ahead of us so there is still time for getting a couple summer activities in. I hope you had a chance to travel this summer. Getting away is always nice. We opted not to get away for a beach vaca - our daughter, Taylor wanted to work and stash some cash for college. Who can argue with that! So we decided that since she was taking a 3 day, pre-orientation class and we also needed to be at the first day of orientation, that we would take a week and tour the greater Rochester, NY area as well as get to know the RIT campus a bit better...all giving Taylor her space. Bill and I enjoyed a day at Lake Canadagua sampling beer at the Naked Dove brewery and some wine at the Wine and Food Institute and enjoyed a lakeside lunch too. We also became very familiar with the shopping around RIT!

So now Taylor is off on her own, classes start tomorrow for her. Looking ahead, Bill and I have some crazy weeks ahead. The fire company wine fundraiser, then a weekend at Rahoboth Beach, I then travel to Kentucky for a class, supporting Bill as he runs his 11th Steamtown marathon and then attending my class reunion back home. Whew. It's going to be a whirlwind!

We have new, fun things ahead for the holidays for you and even are ready to launch a new e-magazine! So stay tuned, call Kaiser Fine Photography soon for your holiday portraits, especially if you would like some outdoor portraits! And watch your mailbox and email for our upcoming specials!

Happy Labor Day, Cheryl

The Old Darkroom makeover

It's been probably about 5 years since I put away my darkroom equipment. At that point I had been digital for almost 6 years and no one was in need of prints from negatives I had in the files. So it was pretty safe. Closing the darkroom down was one of the most emotional things I'd done to date (sending my daughter to college is currently the most emotional...). Then a couple years ago I reopened it for Taylor and her friend and showed them how to develop film. Then it got put away again. While I really miss my darkroom time, life changes and I didn't enjoy it as much as time went on, as I had in high school and college and my early career. My darkroom was my domain, my private world.

So as it would  happen, we had flooding (again) in the basement in February. This time it flooded 4 times in 2 weeks. We had some ruined sheetrock and it got cut out of the wall. There went the "light-tightness". In recent years it was my scrapbook and art room anyway. But it's just kind of sad that even if I wanted to I couldn't use it for printing. Anyway, I decided it was time to ditch the flat dark charcoal paint that made it quite depressing to work in...rather dungeon like. It was time to make it a more visually inspiring place for creating art.

Not wanting to spend a ton of money on this remember, we are sending a kid to school soon and I see 4 years of eating Ramen noodles ahead. I found sky blue paint. That took care of 3 of the walls - barely. This weekend while my husband and daughter were away I decided to tackle the complicated task of painting the cinderblock wall with the pegboard and plumbing and the ceiling. I thought about just leaving it dark but it didn't look right. So on my way back from visiting a friend yesterday I hatched an idea. I bought a gallon of white and painted the wall and ceiling. I also bought those little sample tubs of paint which Justus Hardware had on sale in bright colors. Then I took my brush and just threw paint on the walls, ceiling...and me. It was one of the most liberating things I've ever done! I was singing at the top of my lungs to may favorite music, had some wine while keeping my friend entertained with text updates and just threw paint...laughing the whole time. What better way to decorate an art room! Here are some photos.


Before. I have 3 walls done. I was kind of not looking foward to dealing with the plumbing and guages on the sink (under the sheet to the right) and cinderblock in general.

You can see where sheetrock had been removed to allow access to kitchen plumbing work we did.

my thrown paint

The finished part of the wall over the sink. I painted the pipes different colors too.

What fun it was!

Now the task of putting everything back in the room in an organized manner!

Written goals

I was compelled to share this. Over the last few months I've felt like my brain was rebooting. There was no inspiration as far as business building goes. Normally I'm adicted to reading magazines, looking on photography forums I belong to and generally "hungry" for knowledge and inspiration. Since early May, not so much. I believe my brain hit an overload and needed to reboot. Anyway, the last couple weeks I've suddenly rekindled my desire for marketing and inspiration. So last night I'm watching tv and going over notes, articles and things I had printed off the internet, assembling them into an old 3 ring organizer binder. I have one section in there that I use for my goals and one for to-do's and one for notes,etc. Well I had a sheet of goals that I had written down last September and another page of goals that I had written down in January. I hadn't really re-visited these pages too much (not as much as I should have). Well when I looked and read each goal, I was totally amazed at how many goals, from both pages, I've already accomplished or changes in my life that I've made, just since I wrote them down....and without even trying! So I'm in the process of making some new and loftier goals and promises to myself. I'm going to spend some time just visualizing and then write down new goals and see what happens. Then, if I re-read them from time to time and purposely create direction and pray on them, who knows what more I can accomplish! What goals have you written down and accomplished? I'd love to hear!

Anyone you know having a baby?

We have a very special offer for new mothers. Click on the link and give us a call. We offer only a few openings in our schedule per month so make sure you call now.  http://issuu.com/cherylkaiser/docs/kaiser_fine_photography_new_baby_gift_certificate?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

It's Senior Portrait time again!

Yup - it's that time of year. I'm way behind and only getting my catalog to the printer as I type this but I've attached a link for you to browse. If you are the class of 2012 or know someone who is, please share this with them!  click on the link and it will open the 2012 catalog!

http://issuu.com/CherylKaiser/docs/senior_caty_2012?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

New ...just in!

I am very excited. As part of all the new products and backgrounds we've added just in the first 3 1/2 months of 2011, we just got in a new line of frames. These whimsical frames are just plain fun. Like all our frame mouldings, we can show you samples and how they will look with your portrait art and if necessary, you can borrow them overnight to make sure they will look good in the room where the portraits will hang. There are so many combinations. You may select just the wide moulding itself or accent your favorite color moulding with an accent wavy or round inner moulding. What possibilities! as always, we are there to help you make your decisions because we want you to be completely happy with your investment. And if traditional or contemporary mouldings are more your style, we have plenty to select from too. These new whimsical mouldings will be a level E upgrade to your wall portrait purchase.  Check them out!

Ladies' Night at the Country Club

Last night was the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce's Ladies' night at the Country Club at the Glen Oak Country Club. I have been involved with it for several years now as a vendor. Last night I had a display table and covered the event too. My new part timer, Kim, talked to clients while I worked. The event was great and I just love networking, sometimes I feel like an ambassador to Carbondale!

Here is my display table. It was a bit small but you work with what you have.

Here Kim (right) talks to some of the women about Kaiser Fine Photography's services. She even had a wallet of her daughter's mother's day portrrait in her pocket to show off what we did for her!

Here are the two bottles of wine from the wine pull that I bought as part of this fundraiser.

Kim is very dramatic when it comes to the passion she has for my work. She does a great job talking to people and really enjoyed herself too!