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I just returned from the Imaging USA show in Nashville and it was great. There were a ton of photo labs, vendors and dealers there for just about any photographic product you could ever imagine ( and even some you couldn't imagine). You can have a portrait or wedding image printed on just about anything from coffee mugs to throw rugs. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this place spoke volumes.
The problem with all of this, in my opinion, is that while these products are very high on the "cool" factor, they do not always lend themselves to the best use of an image. Don't get me wrong, the images I saw were beautiful, but were they really showing the subject or just showing off? Also, how many of them were real and true and authentic? Many of the images were obviously done using a professional model in a session that was designed with one intention; get good promotional images.
I can't vouch for everyone, but I want a photograph that tells something about the subject, not some glitzy, over-produced caricature printed on a piece of stainless steel. I know that I am a bit old school in my thought, but I think that many people want something more. They want something honest. They want something that a portrait that people look at and say "You look great" and not "what a cool frame".
Our goal at LHS is to offer our customers something with character and substance with beautiful lighting without relying completely on the latest PhotoShop plug-in to create something different. If you are growing tired of all of the gimmicks and glitz, I invite you to contact us for your next portrait session. I believe you will be glad that you did. |
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No, I'm not talking about Christmas. I am talking about Fall. I love fall here in East Tennessee with the cooler temperatures, beautiful colors, and clear skies. I don't know if you have ever had a picture taken of your family outdoors in the fall, but if not, you really should consider it. We do a lot of family groups and senior portraits in the summer, but October and November in Knoxville and the surrounding areas is a setting like no other. One of my favorite photos ever made of my family was taken in my mother's front yard with the fallen leaves spread like a carpet below us. The coolness of the day made everyone feel more at ease and relaxed and I think this transferred into the photograph. There is just something relaxing about being outside on a sunny Fall day. At least it is to me. We ended up using those photos for Christmas cards that year and everyone just loved them. Christmas cards are a great way to give a gift of a portrait to those friends and family who do not get to see you very often. I enjoy getting them from my friends and family, so that I can see how much older and grown up their kids have gotten since the last time I saw them.They are great scrap-booking items as well. As I said before, if you have never had a portrait made in the Fall colors, I highly recommend it. It will likely be one of the best photos you have ever had made. If you would like to schedule an appointment with us for a session, just give us a call or send us an email through the contact page here on the site. If not, at least get out the tripod and shoot one yourself. You'll be glad you did. |
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Are you planning to have a portrait made in the near future? Are you still debating what clothes to wear or how to have your hair done? Here are a few tips that might help. - Consider wearing clothing that is of medium tones. White shirts tend to wash out easily, especially in digital photography. Also, a fair skinned person in a black suit will tend to look even that much more pale when photographed.
- Make sure you like your hair. One of the biggest complaints we hear from people when looking at their photos, is I wish I had fixed my hair differently. Test out your hairstyle before hand just to make sure it is really what you want. It is also a bad idea to have a portrait made shortly after you have your hair cut. The hair looks choppy and rarely lays the way you want it to.
- Consider what others in the photo will be wearing. Nothing looks worse in a photo than people who have on clothes that clash.
- Simple is good. I usually recommend clothes and accessories that are simple in style and color. Busy clothing or large accessories will just distract from the subject of the photo. YOU!
- Relax and have fun. One of the most important things you can do to get great, natural looking portraits is to relax and have fun with it. It is stressful enough just to get ready and be at the session. Don't let that get in the way. Give yourself enough time to be ready and don't sweat the small stuff. That huge blemish that just popped up on your face can be easily removed in editing. Also, let the photographer work on getting the best smile and making sure your eyes are open. That is what they were hired for. If you spend too much time worrying about your smile looking fake, you can be certain that it will.
There are probably many more things to add, but this seems to be the most common issues I see on a day to day basis. The biggest thing is as I said above, just have fun with it! |
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 I recently read an article in one of the big photography magazines that talked about the debate over what is considered a portrait. This debate has been going on for years, or for that matter, decades and maybe longer. Many photographers seem to believe that any photo of someone is a portrait and while that is technically correct, I believe it falls short of the true meaning.
A portrait of a person should say something about who that person is. It should be a bit of a glance into their soul, if you will. You should be able to look at that image and feel like you have learned something of the subject, even if you do not know them personally. That is my philosophy, anyway.  However, that is not the whole story either. Many photographers today seem to feel the need to portray their subject as something they are not. This can be a good thing, if you are trying to enjoy the fun of being someone different than you really are. I think that is what most actors find so attractive about their line of work. However, there are areas of portraiture that this seems to be inappropriate.
One such area that I have noticed lately is in the area of Senior Portraits or Senior Pictures as my 17-year-old refers to them. Having a child who is about to have her senior portraits made, has made me look at them from a different perspective. I have been looking at the current trends in this area because I have been having a difficult time deciding what to do with my own child's portraits. (It is much easier to photograph anyone who is not a member of your own family.) As I looked at the styles that photographers are using for Seniors, I realized that it is very disturbing to me as a parent. After showing them to my daughter and my wife, I found that they shared my sentiment. |
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I have noticed a trend over the last five years or so in the photography industry. With the start of digital cameras, it seems that almost everyone is now a photographer. Everywhere I go I meet someone who is a budding "shooter" or knows someone who is. It seems to me that about every third person you meet is getting into the business. When I started in photography over 25 years ago, it was not quite the same. There were technical challenges and financial conditions that made it difficult to get into the business. That has changed a lot with the coming of digital photography. It is easier than ever before to get a camera that will take a nicely exposed image with little or no effort on the operator. However, being a photographer is about more than a good exposure. I have known technically challenged photographers who shoot beautiful images. I have also know those who can quote all of the technical data that you could ever want to know and still turn out mediocre images at best. Being a good photographer takes someone with a good "eye". Someone who can see the way the light falls on a subject and capture that emotion in a photo. It takes experience in dealing with people, so that you are able to get them to relax in front of the camera. It takes experience to know where to be and when to be there in order to create the right mood or get the perfect shot. Plus, the business has a lot of unusual accounting and operational situations that you don't find in many other jobs. This is probably why there are many studios that pop up and dissappear within a short period of time. This is not good for someone who might want their images a few years down the road. I have been very hesitant in writing this post, beacuse I don't want readers to get the idea that I am just some bitter guy that is mad about having competitors take away my business. Maybe I am, but I don't think so. Even if I am, I think the point here is still valid. Check out who you plan to use to photograph those important events. It will make a big difference in the end. |
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