Photography Here you can view all of my blog posts relating to my Photography as well as the Gallery (above) showing some of my work. I will be putting the finishing touches on my photography site in the next week or so and you'll be able to visit that from here. If you are interested in booking a session with me, or if you would simply like to view my pricelist, please contact me via the Contact Section on the site and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. Thank you!

Why does Custom Photography cost so much?

Posted on November 7, 2009

People are forever surprised as to how much Custom Photography costs, so I thought I’d explain a little bit as to why it costs so much.

When you pay a Custom Photographer to take your Photographs, you are paying for so much more than just someone to take your picture. When you go to Walmart or Sears, they basically have the studio set up ready for you and all they do is press the trigger and take the picture. That’s what you’re buying and that’s what you get.

With a Custom Photographer you’re paying for them to take your Photograph and then take that Photograph and work magic with it and turn it from a simple Photograph into something magical. You’re paying for the “Wow” factor. On average I spend anywhere from five minutes to a half hour or more editing each individual image. Different Photographers have different methods of processing your images. Each has their own unique style and you have to choose your Photographer based on which style appeals to you the most.

Here’s an example of the time that would be spent on your session so you have an idea as to where your money is going when you book a session with me.

Pre-session preparation : Between 30 minutes to an hour getting my equipment ready and researching ideas and poses for your session.

10-20 minutes driving to the session and I always get there at least 20 minutes early to scout it out and get my imagination going before you even get there.

1-2 hours and sometimes more actually taking the pictures themselves.

10-20 minutes driving home.

When I get home, the first thing I do it upload the images onto my computer and then burn a DVD of your images to make sure I have them in two different locations for security. Then I visually run through your images and discard any that are out of focus or over-exposed etc. etc. or just don’t work for whatever reason. At this time I usually pick about four or five of your images that stand out as being favourites and I pull them up into Photoshop. I normally then spend about two hours or so editing those favourite images and putting together a blog post for you to get a “sneak peek” of what’s available.

Over the course of the next few days I will edit the rest of your images which takes between another four to six hours and then spend another hour or so getting your Website Gallery up for you to view.

Once you place any print orders I will then spend another hour or so double checking the images at the print size requested to make sure they are flawless before placing your print order.

Finally, there’s another half hour or so getting your Print Order ready for delivery and coming to your home to deliver it, or taking it to the Post Office to mail.

And there you have it! At the end of the day if you want someone to just take some photographs of your family and hand you the results, then Walmart or Sears is probably the place to go. If you want someone to take your Photographs and turn them into something more than ‘just a Photograph’, then you want to find a Custom Portrait Photographer. Unfortunately you also have to be prepared to pay significantly more for their work than you would that of a Walmart or Sears type Photographer.

As a final note I thought I’d include a couple of images so you can see for yourself the kind of difference made in post processing from the SOOC (Straight out of camera) image, to the final image.

BEFORE :

AFTER :

Specializing in Newborn Photography ~ {Central Florida Baby Photographer}

Posted on September 16, 2009

I love taking all photographs, but I simply adore newborn photography. I love photographing babies. I just brings out the best in me, I think, but I do need a lot more practice at this! So, I am expecting my own delivery on Monday next week (my new Camera!!) and am launching my Newborn Special at the same time. There’s a link on the menu bar above for full details, but I’m basically waiving my session fee and providing two high resolution images on CD and a print discount for anyone who books a newborn session. This offer is only valid for sessions that take place through the end of 2009. Click on the link for full details.

Early morning light …

Posted on August 23, 2009

Whilst Daddy was sleeping in, I attempted to get some photographs of the boys. I’ve stopped taking so many pictures these days as when I take out the camera, it normally is followed by much face pulling and cheesy grins and it’s just painful! However, I think I got a lovely picture of Alex and one of Tom that shows how badly he needs a haircut…. ha! (He was trying desperately hard not to smile… )

My friends …

Posted on August 6, 2009

This is my friend J, with her daughter M.

She thinks she looks terrible in this picture because she doesn’t have any makeup on, but I think she looks beautiful, as always…..

Splash pad …

Posted on July 13, 2009

I don’t normally take my camera along when I’m doing things with my kids because I find it very hard to focus on my children, which is the point of going out with them, and not on taking pictures! This said, this afternoon I took the boys out and got a couple of lovely shots I wanted to share here…

Beautiful baby ~ Little Miss A. ~ {Central Florida Baby Photographer}

Posted on July 9, 2009

I had the opportunity to photograph a beautiful little girl who is just a total peanut and was so much fun to photograph I could have stayed all day!

Anyway, here are some of my favourites so far from the session and I’ve really only just started going through them!

(Note : The wraps used are all my own (except for the spotted blanket!) and can be purchased at my Etsy Store)

Timeout!

Posted on June 12, 2009

So, my littlest guy ended up in timeout this morning for throwing a fork at his Daddy…. and he took his ‘bankie’ with him.

Puppy girl …

Posted on June 9, 2009

Our baby girl. She helps even out the testosterone in the house! She’s 15 months old and this is as big as she’s going to get. She’s our perma-puppy and we love her!

Pretty in Pink …

Posted on June 4, 2009

So, I had a Baby Girl to photograph today. Most all my babies have been boys, and this is the first “pink” session I’ve done. I love pink.

Here you go!

Not every perfect picture has to be perfect …

Posted on May 29, 2009

I have recently been inspired by a friend of mine who shared a link to a celebrity wedding photographer, Joe Buissink

His photographs are not always technically perfect, but they capture the essence of the people being photographed, and I’ve been editing my most recent pictures with him in mind and remembering that whilst it might not be technically perfect, it might be slightly out of focus, it might be over or underexposed… it can still be a beautiful picture and that capturing the right moment or the right look can mean more than a technically perfect image.

Here are two to share so you can see what I mean.

Both of these are out of focus and in the past I would have written them off and discarded them, but the ethereal smile in the first and the shared joy in the second make them both well worth saving, in my opinion.

Edit : I keep coming back to this first picture and thinking how incredible it would look on a canvas…. I adore it and it’s one of my favourites from the session I think!

Note : I’m currently working on my website with my web host and we’re having a few technical issues, so ignore the “-test” under links for a few would you? lol