Photography/Business

My New Site!

Welcome to my new awesomeness! When I first started blogging, just over a year ago, I had no clue what I was doing. I downloaded WordPress, used the default theme and started typing. Over the course of the year, I started to see flaws in the process. I didn’t like that my website NEVER received updates, and I wanted more control over my whole site. After having a discussion with Greta from Kickify, during which she suggested that my blog should be pulled into the home page of my website(whatever that meant), I realized that the web had evolved since the days when my HTML coding was enough. SEO, WordPress themes, widgets, sidebars – my vocabulary expanded overnight and I started to work.

During this same time, I was also going through a brand identity crisis. Struggling to portray a well put together super mom to my clients was killing me. I am not a super mom. My life is exhausting, and there are days that I want to shut down my business or throw my kids into public school, but I didn’t think my clients would understand this. I was concerned that I’d get a reputation for being the “Crazy Homeschooling Photographer”. It’s funny how sometimes God leads us to the perfect people at the perfect time. Last November I met Gary and Krysta from Big Deal Branding at a film workshop of all places. Meeting with them gave me tools and resources to be honest with myself about what message I’m conveying to my clients. Well, many months later, I realize that I AM the Crazy Homeschooling Photographer. I realize that the clients I connect with, hire me because I am me. They like me, and they LOVE the product I create. So, while designing this site, I smothered it in Essence of Becky. This is me. This is real.

Starting today expect to see more heartfelt posts. More emotion. More words. I love writing, as much as – and maybe more than – I love photography. I believe that words can change lives.

This site is not SEO optimized (I’m still working on that), and there are broken links, but I IMPORTED ALL OF THE POSTS FROM MY OLD BLOG by myself – through my own research; it was the most exhilarating moment of the entire migration). I love the way it turned out. And my most recent blog posts are on my home page.

My gallery is now a collection of blog post showcasing the work that I love most. Let me know what you think!

Friendship

Photography/Business, Pinked Out (girl stuff)

Friendship. What a powerful word. It can have many different meanings. We can be “friends” on so many levels: acquaintances, intimate, Facebook. But when does a friendship start? At what point do you start referring to “friend” instead of “someone I know”? For me, friendship is not instant. I have to feel someone out over a period of time. I carefully guard myself, not wanting to offend. After many conversations with someone I start to understand how they think and what makes them tick. Realizing the limits of conversation, I can start to relax. Rarely, I meet someone who just… “fits”. Someone to whom I know I can say anything and they, not only won’t be offended, but they won’t even be shocked. A little over a year ago, I met just such a person.

Lizzy is fun, hilarious, and straight-forward. She’s also a photographer. When I first saw her work, I was drawn to the honest emotion that emanated from her images. Although we hadn’t had but three or four conversations, every time I talked to her I felt lifted up. When I asked her to do some portraits of me for my upcoming revamp of “The Brand of Becky”, she asked me to take a few of her as well. It took us a couple of months to coordinate schedules, but we finally found a morning that worked, and we set out.

Yes, it was nerve wracking, both to have my portrait taken and to photograph another photographer. However, it turned out to be a fun and fulfilling experience. My goal was to capture Lizzy’s personality and beauty in these portraits. She is fun. She is an entrepreneur. She is a mother. She is a photographer. She is my friend.

What makes a Great Portrait?

Photography/Business, Random Life Stuff

Recently, I have engaged in a heart-wrenching, emotional process – selecting images for the Certified Professional Photographer Image Submission. Two years ago I set a goal for myself to become certified, and last year I determined that 2011 was the year. Well, 2011 flew by and I was no closer to my goal, so this year, I actually declared my candidacy. Consisting of two parts, a 100 question written exam and a 15 image submission for review by a board, the CPP process did not tremendously worry me. After all, I know about lighting, and styling, and posing. I have been in business for six years – no big deal, right? WRONG!! Turns out that finding “near perfect” images is a very difficult task. The light must be directional. The pose must be spot on. There must be separation from the background. There must be NO mixing of color keys. As I am submitting images for critique, I am learning how attached I am to my images. I looked through thousands of images and selected my very best, and the critics tear them apart! It makes me question myself as a photographer and is a HUGE blow to my ego. Admittedly, I was unprepared for the first onslaught. I stepped away from the computer and cried when I read the comments. My husband asked why I was putting myself through this. My 11 year old said, “They don’t know what they’re talking about – you take the most awesome pictures in the world!” This made me start thinking. Why am I doing this to myself? I do take pretty kick-ass portraits. My clients love them, I love them, so why bother with this certification thing?

I have always had a need to excel – to be the best. Driven by competition (usually with myself), I find myself in a constant race to learn more, do better, update processes. In every aspect of my life this is true. For homeschooling, I am constantly looking for new approaches or new curricula. We will be in this house for another year, but already I am thinking about ways to make the move more efficient and expedited, so that I will be READY! When I was in college, I was the only one of my classmates who took all SEVEN exams to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. Why? Because I knew this certification would set me apart from other job seekers. It would not only show that I knew the “Microsoft Sanctioned” way of doing things, but that I did something that the other students had not. It also proved to me that I was the best. I needed that piece of paper. This extra step landed me my first job. The hiring manager told me that because I already had this certification it showed him that I was willing to go above and beyond what was required, and he was my champion and is the reason I was hired. Did the company follow the “Microsoft Sanctioned” methods? No way! But I was seen as a resource when something went wrong. I was looked to for my knowledge and although we didn’t use all of the methods, I was seen as an expert.

Naturally, it just makes sense that I pursue the Certified Professional Photographer certification. Already, in just the two weeks I’ve been submitting images for critique, I’ve learned so much more about portraiture. I’ve learned how to “see” a perfect portrait. I’ve learned that the hands have to be “just so” for a complete portrait. I’ve learned that a “kicker” is essential to the classic portrait. I’ve learned that the subject in a traditional portrait is NEVER in the center of the frame. I’ve learned that the traditional portrait probably didn’t take into account an 18 month old. I’ve learned that spontaneity is one of my strong points. I’ve learned that I would rather capture a hearty laugh than a perfectly lighted face. I’ve learned that I will not always practice the “perfect portrait” rules. However, I will use what I’ve learned. I will teach what I’ve learned. I will constantly drive myself to become a better photographer. Always. Do I need the certification? No – my clients love me, and I love them. I capture amazing images of their kids through an unforgettable experience culminating in cookies. No, I don’t need it. But I really want it, and I’m going to keep going back for more until I have 15 near perfect portraits, and unmeasurable lessons learned that I will fall back on for the rest of my life.

I submitted this image of my daughter for critique to demonstrate "short lighting" (lighting the side of the face turned away from the camera), and this image is a great example of short lighting. However, I was told my "Posing is Off". Whatever! This is stinking cute! 🙂

Cine-Skool or Home-skool? Both!

Film, Photography/Business

At about this time last year, I was attending a photography workshop on mixing video with photography (it’s called fusion in the industry). Fusion is very powerful because when photographers add just a 10 second clip of video to their photo slide shows, it creates a more emotionally invested client. You can imagine watching a slideshow of your baby’s 18 month portraits when suddenly the baby starts running away in high-definition! This image invokes a special memory of your child and the day. The videographer, speaking as a guest of Sandy Puc`, went over how to adjust settings for shooting video with D-SLRs (cameras with detachable lenses) and gave some high-level tips. After the workshop, I shot a few clips here and there for my slideshows, but I couldn’t really grasp video. A couple of months went by and I tried using my “big” camera, rather than the video camera, to film family stuff. I LOVED the look of it, but still, my shots were shaky, the sound was iffy, and it was frustrating trying to always use a shutter speed of 50, like the guy at the workshop had instructed. Then one day, I was browsing Sandy’s forum and watching random interviews she had done with industry professionals. The last one I watched was an interview with Chad and Drew from Shade Tree Films.

When the interview started I immediately loved the pair. They were funny, they knew what they were talking about, and they were truly humble. As a clip from a wedding they had filmed played on the screen, I was hooked. The clip opened on a bright sunny day. The camera was “floating” (which, I now know is via “steadycam”) through the air, following a sidewalk. Suddenly, as the music reached a crescendo, the camera made a sweeping motion around a corner and the screen filled with the scene of an outdoor wedding. At this time, I realized that I’d been listening to the voices of the guests, and the vows. I’d seen the bride get ready. The full emotion of the groom on this, the most important day of his life to that point, was palpable. As the one minute clip faded, I released my breath. I wanted more! I immediately launched to their website. I watched every film they had on their site, and I cried at them all. It had never occurred to me what a wedding film could be! Oh, how I wish I had such a memory of my wedding day. How I would love for my children to watch and listen as I promised my life to their father. How they would laugh at the dancing, and the rain, and the blown over tents at the reception. Alas, my wedding “film” was a camera on a tripod in the balcony of the church – I don’t even know where the footage is. Watching the films on the Shade Tree blog opened my eyes to what film can do. I was determined to learn how to capture a complete memory and I registered for Cine-skool.

When I attended Cine-skool in November, it literally changed my life. It made me think about my life differently, it made me think about my business differently, and it made me think about the way I shoot differently. There is no limit to the unique creativity at my disposal with film. Film allows me to set myself apart creatively from other photographers. If you give 20 filmmakers 2 hours of coverage from a birthday party, you will get 20 completely different films. The level of individual creativity explodes. That idea is so freeing! What I wanted most, though, was to learn how to tell a story with my camera.

I love photographing details. Telling a story. What an amazing experience! I love writing stories. I love reading classic novels and fairy tales to my kids. I love a good story. Can anyone honestly say that they do not love connecting with a great heroine and cheering her on as she slowly falls in love with the beast? Or, consider the poor girl who was locked in a tower because her father stole some vegetables. When we read these tales, we know how they end, but we don’t stop reading them. We are entranced every time. All people love stories. Have you ever told your children the story of their birthday? When I tell my kids their birth stories, they gather around me with eager eyes and they listen intently. I tell them of the contractions, of the pain, of the traffic, about the doctors and nurses, I tell them what time it was, I tell them what it was like when I first heard their cries. At other times, I will tell them fictional stories in which they are the main characters. Children love stories in which they are the star! When I first saw the one minute wedding clip, it didn’t make me want to start filming weddings. What I envisioned when I saw that 60 second segment was a story of a newborn, narrated by mom, with footage of the family welcoming the new baby home. The baby being rocked, onesies being folded, the toddler walking up and kissing the new babe on the forehead (okay, poking her in the eye, but do you get the idea?) Now, fast forward 25 years and envision the same film being played at that newborn’s wedding. This is so powerful! I sat through the three days of Cine-skool absorbing all I could about how to turn my films into stories. However, Cine-skool was so much information at one time – especially for a newbie like me. Topics quickly moved along, with not much time to digest. Cine-skool was concentrated film training. At the end of the three days my head was spinning and I was wishing that I had taken better notes. When I returned home, I started shooting film a little more purposefully. Everything I’d been taught in Cine-skool started to make sense, and I REALLY wished I could take a refresher. While I loved Cine-skool, my life isn’t structured so that I can be away very often, so attending the spring class was out of the question. I needed a Cine-skool correspondence class.

Because Chad and Drew can read minds, Shade Tree started offering Home-Skool classes (how fitting!). The first one, entitled “Be a Journey Guide” was last month. A full three hours on story telling! Admittedly, the process was a bit meandering-a journey, but it all made sense in the end: To tell a genuine story in your films, you need to genuinely know who you are and what your destination is. The class built on what was taught in Cine-skool. It was raw and it was real. I am currently editing my first client film, and I am at once nervous and excited! But with the tips I learned from the class, I am reinvigorated and ready to tackle the giant task. The second Home-Skool class “Branding Magic”, held this past week, was incredible -not for my filmmaking, but for my business. Krysta and Gary from B!G Deal Branding were like a punch in the face – in a good way. Sitting through that class gave me the tools to reevaluate my brand message (not just buy a new template set and add my logo). It made me think about why I’m doing what I’m doing and who I’m doing it for. I am so excited to take the next few months to build a consistent message for Rebecca Williams Photography. The next Home-Skool class, “Step-by-Step” on June 20th, is about telling a story through sequences, something that I really had a difficult time wrapping my head around in Cine-skool, but am now so ready for!

In short, Cine-skool is concentrated, you are handed a gallon of delicious sweet tea and have to drink it down in one minute. Unless you’re prepared, some of it’s going to run down your chin. In Home-skool, you have time to enjoy each sip, and anticipate the next, daintily dabbing your lips with a napkin. They are both fantastically refreshing, fun, and…rad.

Shade Tree Films Home-skool Journey Guide — "Be a Journey Guide" Home-Skool class #1

Home-skool class Branding Magic — Home-Skool class #2 "Branding Magic"

How To: Sun Flare

Education/How-To, Photography/Business

sunflare over airplane — See the beautiful, nostalgic glow...

We’ve all seen it. We’ve all admired it. Some of us… love to hate it. Sun flare. It’s the newest craze to hit photography, and EVERYONE (including myself) is doing it. Creating such a dreamy creamy image, it pulls you in and holds you captive. With your eyes fixated on these surreal captures, it is difficult not to remember where you were when you realized that you were in love for the first time, or think of your wedding day, you think of bringing your first child home, you think of purchasing your first car. Maybe, perhaps, you think, “YOU ARE BURNING PIXELS, PEOPLE!!” No? I’m the only one, then? I thought as much… Sigh. Well, if you can’t beat ’em – teach ’em. 🙂

sun flare used as a rim light — In this image, the sun was used to rim Abby's hair.

This technique is not difficult to achieve, it just requires patience and confidence in yourself. Confidence requires a knowledge of your camera’s manual settings – ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. If you need help with mastering manual settings, Mommy Photography 101 is for you!

the sun truly flared — I used sun flare to add a sense of wonder to this image. As in, "I wonder why those kids are having a tea party in the grass."

Alright, back to sun flare, or lens flare, or… PIXEL BURN. I would suggest that you start with an inanimate object, but I know you are going to take your own kids out to practice on, and they will be less than thrilled, so you need to time it right and be ready. Ensure you’re camera’s battery is charged (and in the camera). Verify that you have a memory card, with free space, in your camera. The sun will need to be low in the sky, but not so low that you can’t see it, so if you have a giant tree line you’ll want to shoot earlier than someone who can see the horizon. I’d say about a half hour to 45 minutes before sunset is ideal. Set the camera dial to “M” for Manual! Start your ISO at 200-400, but you may need to up it as the sun sets. Knowledge of your camera comes in handy right about…now. With your subject’s back facing the sun, fill your viewfinder with the subject – if your subject is a person – get close enough to fill the viewfinder with the person’s skin (face). This is where you get your reading for the manual settings, so it’s important to read off of the skin, and be sure none of the sunflare is sneaking into the viewfinder. Set your aperture (how wide the opening letting light hit the sensor- it’s the number that is usually the lowest of the three in your readout). Start with it around 5.6 or 4.0. The final setting to think about now is the shutter speed (how long the shutter will allow light to hit the sensor). This is what you are going to adjust until the meter is reading a correct exposure (arrow in the middle).

back of camera — Cameras will vary. The double arrow on the f-stop indicates that on this camera (an entry level model Rebel), an additional button has to be pushed to adjust the aperture.

Now for the capture. You have your camera settings adjusted to a correct exposure for your subject. Step back and frame your shot. Your camera may scream at you, telling you your image is not exposed correctly, but you know that your subject is, so tell your camera to shut it. You’ll want to get low enough that you can see the sun through the viewfinder. The sun can flare through your entire shot, through part of the shot, or just rim the subject with a beautiful back light glow. A word of caution here: if you are using auto-focus, your camera needs to be able to “see” the subject without too much “flare”, so move around until the camera can get a lock on your subject’s face. Finally, push the shutter button! Take a look at your shot. Is it amazing? Need to try again? Go ahead, play around!

Points to keep in mind:

– Your camera owner’s manual, your lens owner’s manual, and your eye owner’s manual (if there was one), all say “Do not point directly at the sun”. So, shoot at your own risk.

– If your camera’s auto focus can’t get a lock – try manual focus! It’s fun to play around with.

– I call this technique “pixel burn” because the glow it creates, the very aspect that draws viewers in, is caused by the light spilling across the sensor and burning out pixels.

side by side comparison with and without flare — I took the image on the left while standing, to get the sun in the lens. To get the image on the right, I stooped down to hide the sun behind the plane and the trees. You can see how much more detail is caputred in the image on the right.

Obviously, due to my irreverent post, this is not my favorite type of image, so keep that in mind when you’re following my instructions. I am not claiming to be a sun flare expert by any means, and there are photographers, photographers whom I admire very much, who have mastered this skill enough to base their entire business on it. I am not trying to denigrate their creativity at all. There are many factors that combine to make a great image, more than I could discuss here. This post has an intended audience of an amateur photographer trying to do something fun, or spice up, her photography.

Comment with any questions!

Sun Flare with the rising sun — Here, you can see the flare throughout the entire image, and see the lens flare over her jacket. This image was captured at sunrise.

Technical Note: These images were captured using the Canon 5D Mark II body with the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L lens and the Canon 85mm 1.8 lens. Slight adjustments were made to the RAW files, but I tried to keep them near out of camera.

Beautiful Mama

Photography/Business, Pinked Out (girl stuff)

Beautiful Amanda arrived for her maternity portraits in early May. She was in her 36th week, and I could tell by the way she waddled that her body was feeling the heaviness of the approaching end. Quiet and soft-spoken, I felt an immediate connection with her that only deepened throughout the session as our conversation revealed how much we had in common. Stunning, even in the final days of pregnancy, she made my job easy. We went with pink to celebrate the addition of another girl – her third child. This maternity session showcases the beauty that is every mother.