How We Spend Our Time - Intern Edition

Being a photographer is a super glamorous job. I mean, how could it not be? You get to spend all your time at weddings, sneaking hors d'œuvres off the appetizer trays and hobnobbing with the guests.

No, grasshopper, you have much to learn. That's not how you spend most of your time. This intern's lesson of the day is that as a photographer, the bulk of your time is spent getting things to work. No joke.

It makes sense, when you think about it (well...I suppose it would make sense regardless of your thinking about it, but that's beside the point). The actual "taking pictures" part of being a photographer is probably something that we spend the least amount of time on. We rely so heavily on technology, which can be extremely temperamental and seems to require begging, pleading, praying, and promises of your firstborn child in order to convince it to work.

It's not easy. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on, and it can be frustrating at times. Creating images that give people a way to relive their fabulous wedding day, or transport them back to a time when their now-teenager was just a wee little baby, that's the fun part, but it's just a small piece of the pie. And speaking of pie...let me present to you the graphical representation of the breakdown of a wedding photographer's time (click to embiggen if the print is too small)

Mobile Monday - Week 4

Mobile Monday is a weekly collection of iphone photos and twitter captions from my daily adventures.


Not quite boat weather yet in Boston.


I was taking photos for the Lowell Creative Economy Awards.


I heart science.


My first Korean meal enjoyed with a very good friend who knows a lot more about Korean food than I do.







Some 12seconds.tv mini videos from my phone this week as well:

[iPhone] Earth Hour Tonight on 12seconds.tv


[iPhone] Neighborhood Food Drive on 12seconds.tv

LOVE IT: Validation

I wish I could remember where I found this, but I love it. It's a mini movie and it really speaks to photographers and anyone in the pursuit of happiness. ;-) (Press play on the embedded video to watch.)

Life As An Intern - Episode Three

Good-Morning World! It's another exciting day hanging out with Anne. It is so beautiful out today. The large dose of sunshine I got driving down was awesome. If you have the time today go for a walk. You will get some fresh air and sunshine and I promise you will feel great!

Last week was pretty low-key but it was filled with photo related activities so I had a great time! I started the day off with prepping the images for Anne's mobile Monday. I'm fairly new to Photoshop and it was nice to have someone who knew the program to show me how to use it. Much easier then just playing around and trying to figure it out as you go :)

We had an awesome lunch at Brewed Awakening. I had the best Nutella and banana filled crepe ever! It was seriously delicious. Of course it will take a month to burn off all the calories from the Nutella, but it was worth it.

The afternoon was spent preparing some images for a magazine. I was simply resizing them and adding a copyright to the border. It's better to have a border with a copyright versus a watermark when images are going to be published. That way there is nothing directly on the image but they will still be printed with your name on them. Doing this reminded me that I had found a video tutorial a while back that shows how to add a border and your logo to your images, as well as how to run it as an action. I thought the link may be helpful for others who would like an easy way to do this. Here you go....  http://www.pictureinfinity.com/tutorials/actions002/index.html

I have no idea who actually created this tutorial. If you know please let me know so I can give them credit. Thanks!!
(Anne's Note: The video was created by Matt Antonino, owner and photographer of Picture Infinity.)

I spent the rest of the day putting together a guestbook for a gorgeous couple. It was really fun designing the album. It was also nice to see a full set of images from Anne and how she works a scene. The guestbook is going to be a gift for one of her clients. I love this idea!! My plan for the year was to give each client a slideshow of their images set to music, but I will be keeping this idea in mind as well.

I hope everyone has an awesome day, and remember it's now spring so get outside and enjoy it!!

Keya & Robert Engagement

One of the things that happens to me when I photograph people is that I start to "fall in love" with them. It's a platonic love like you would have for your best friend, but that love makes me want to do anything and everything I can for them. I don't know if there's something romantic about looking through a lens, afterall it can be quite cinematic when the only thing in front of you is viewed through a black tube, or if it's the process of getting to know people in a way that just isn't possible on a wedding day. I'm pretty sure it's the getting to know people- that's always my favorite part.



I love learning all of the little things that make up a couple's world. Like the new home they just moved into, or seeing the neighborhood where they spend most of their time.









As we were exploring the neighborhood, there were a bunch of kids drawing with chalk on a pillar, so we took advantage of the lovely art work and made a little of our own too.


What I really love about Keya & Robert is that they have so much fun together. They haven't lost the kid inside and it keeps their laughter strong.






The trains have been a big part of their life and relationship in Chicago, so it only seemed fitting to really explore their relationship and the part that the trains have played in their lives.



They say the sign of a great couple is when they have certain "love touches" - this is one of Robert's for Keya...




How adorable are these shoes?!


I just love their smirks. ;)


This image reminds me so much of Slumdog Millionaire, even though this was taken way before I had seen the movie - just the feeling of the rushing train and her kind of looking over her shoulder with a smile...


Keya used to wait for Robert to get home each day by hanging out in this spot, reading the newspaper until he came home. How sweet is that?


I'm a pretty big believer that everyone needs to have a big fight before they get married. Not because you need to suffer through the anger and the fear, but because you need to know how each other handles anger when it relates to something you really care about. Does your partner fight fair? Do they throw verbal insults? Do they bottle up? Do they run away? A couple that never fights worries me because it means that someone isn't standing up for what they believe in, and a relationship needs to give both people an opportunity to have their say. A great argument should lead to some compromise on the part of both people in the relationship, based on hearing each other out, no matter how long it takes.

When Keya & Robert told me that this location was where they had one of their biggest fights, I knew right then that this is a couple that will grow old together because they aren't afraid to share their feelings with each other. To help make it a place of healing, we took some time to make sweeter images and memories of that spot- because really, there will be many more things in their future that they'll have to work on in their marriage, and this is the reminder that they can get through anything together.




What a better way to end a long day than with a huge ice cream Sunday?! Yummmmmmayyyyy...




Robert had us cracking up the entire time. I can't wait for this wedding!! I can already tell it's going to be so much fun!!!

Mobile Monday - Week 3

This last week was kinda slow because I was really sick with a wicked flu and ended up having to cancel a lot of appointments so I wouldn't cough all over people and gross them out. I didn't have much of a voice the entire week, and thus didn't feel much like venturing out too often unless I really had to. My poor husband was forced to make a few calls on my behalf and to be my translator when I sounded like I was speaking alien. If it weren't for having a meal with the interns and needing to take Misty out, I probably wouldn't have left the house at all. I really learned to appreciate not talking, however I still had hundreds of emails that required my fingers to do lots of walking. This week I'm happy to say that I have my voice back and I'm about 95% healthy again- just a few sniffles here and there which I'm keeping under wraps with some antihistamines. Technology also seems to be back on my side once again, so I'm looking forward to lots of productivity this week!! Woo Hoo!!


This was the extent of our St. Patty's day celebration- thrilling, right? ;-)






I love meeting over meals, especially when it involves trying a place or a dish I've never tried before.


I am both addicted and allergic to coffee. Luckily most turtlenecks and long sleeves hide my allergic reaction.

Vegas Wedding Project

When I found out that the Wedding & Portrait Photographer's International Convention was going to be held in February, around Valentine's Day this year, I decided to make the most out of my obligation to be in Las Vegas by starting a documentary project on the Las Vegas Wedding Chapels, called the Vegas Wedding Project.



Originally I was just curious about what it's like behind-the-scenes at a typical Vegas Wedding Chapel on the busiest day of the year- Valentine's Day. As I got to know more about the chapels and more about the history of Las Vegas weddings, it became clear that in order to do this project well, it needed to be more than I could create on my own, so several other photographers joined in and helped document the Vegas Chapels on Valentine's Day.

Each photographer chose a chapel to spend the majority of their time documenting. I decided to document the Graceland Wedding Chapel, at the recommendation of the Las Vegas Wedding Concierge, which is home of the original Elvis Themed Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. In preparing to document the chapel, I found out that they do 60 weddings on Valentine's Day!! Other busy days for the chapels are any date like 09/09/09, 10/10/10, 07/08/09, etc. On these busy days, if you didn't make your reservation in advance, you probably won't be getting married at any of the popular chapels. However, on any other day of the year, you can pretty much just go to the Las Vegas Marriage Bureau and then get married in a chapel on the same day!

When you think of a Las Vegas Wedding, you probably think of the crazy celebrities that got married there and then got divorced shortly after. However, what I found was a lot of really sweet and genuine people wanting to do something a little different, and a little more personal than they might have done if their weddings had been at held at home with all of their family and friends. As I was documenting the behind-the-scenes process of the wedding chapel, I also asked if I could sit in on a few ceremonies. The chapel agreed as long as I had the permission of the couples. Since most couples were in and out in just under 15 minutes, I had only a short period of time to introduce myself, the project, and ask for permission to witness their vows. As it turns out, the personal stories of the people getting married at the chapel were actually the most interesting part of this project, and part of what made me really fall in love this project.

The first couple that you'll see saying their vows met when they were in 7th grade, shared their first kiss together, and then pretty much stopped talking to each other through the rest of grade school. They went their separate ways, married, had kids, divorced, and then saw each other again for the first time after high school at their 20 year reunion. It was pretty much love at first sight, and after a year and a half of dating each other and feeling like they should have been together all along, they decided to run off to Vegas to get married with Elvis.

The second couple that you'll see the most images of has been married for 37 years. They originally got married when they were 17 & 19, and shortly after they were married, he enlisted in the army, where he remained in service for about 21 years. Many of those years had been spent apart for the couple because he had been stationed in areas where she couldn't always live with him. Somehow in that they were able to raise children and remain married. Recently some of their close friends and family members had seen hard times or had passed due to age or illness, and realizing the fortune that they had found in one another, they decided to come to Vegas to renew their marriage vows to each other and celebrate the love that they still had. They took an extra moment to share some very touching vows with each other that had me in a puddle of tears.

What I loved about the chapel weddings was that it wasn't about impressing anyone. It was simply about love and commitment, and making a set of vows to be with each other through everything, no matter what happens. I hope you enjoy this little behind-the-scenes look at a Vegas Valentine: (Click on the image below to view the slideshow.)



Here are links to some of the other photographers who were out documenting the Chapels on Valentine's Day:
CoreyAnn Photography
Ray Anthony Photo

The ultimate goal of this project is to create a book on the history of Las Vegas Wedding Chapels. If you, or anyone you know of, was married in a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel on Valentine's Day, please get in touch!! We'd love to include your story in the book to be published!!

The Importance of [CLEAN] Air

Are you getting enough Oxygen in your diet right now?



"There is almost no end to the list of critical roles that oxygen plays. It is essential for combustion (oxidation) and acts as a disinfectant, deodorizer, sanitizer and preserver. All of the functions of your body are regulated by oxygen. The ability to think, feel, move, eat, sleep and even talk all depends on the energy oxygen generates. Your brain needs oxygen to process information and your body uses it to metabolize food and to eliminate toxins and waste through oxidation. Oxygen energizes cells so they can regenerate and it provides vital cellular flexibility.

You can see why oxygen must be replaced on a moment-to-moment basis. Oxygen is the only element capable of combining with almost every other element to form the essential components necessary to build and maintain our body." - Vistamagonline.com

Alexander Family Lifestyle Portraits

I love it when I get a family who lets me capture them as they are. I find that if I let the children lead the way, I can create a really revealing look into the life of a family and the dynamics of their personalities as they play out in their interactions together. I also feel like family portraits are a great way to spend an afternoon together - it's one of the few times when it's really truly about just making time for each other, and I feel so honored when I'm the one who gets to capture that event.



My time with the Alexander family started off with just the kids- exploring the back yard and learning what they loved about this place they called home.



















It was really fun to see how the dynamic changed when the parents came out to play. While a lot of parents feel slightly embarrassed when kids start to "act out" - I love it because it really reflects a child's personality. Years from now, when the kids have kids, there will be photos to remind them of what they were like. ;-)















We always have to get at least ONE standard portrait of the family.



These two are my favorites... probably because of my love of trees. ;-)





And this image was the family favorite- I'm just dying to see how the 20"x30" canvas looks on their walls!!

Green Boston Wedding Giveaway!

Contest ends April 19th- so get your entries in soon at GreenBostonWedding.com! Video entries are strongly encouraged!! I have to give a HUGE thanks to Kelli Sigmon of Swank Events for bringing all of these fabulous eco-friendly vendors together in one place!! I'm really excited to work with such a green team of Boston wedding vendors!! I just can't wait to see it all come together!! If you know of someone who would love to hear about this contest- please pass it on using the little email icon below!

(Please note: If you've already booked your vendors, please don't enter because we'd like everyone to keep their jobs.)

Life As An Intern - Episode Two

Sorry for the delay in this post. Anne and I decided it worked better in my workflow to blog at the beginning of each week versus the end. So welcome to episode two of Life As An Intern...

Last week the day started with an appointment to view a building in Lowell Anne is thinking of purchasing for Lowell Handmade. It's a cool old building in need of some TLC. The first floor is currently being used as a flooring shop, but the rest of it is basically storage. I photographed the rooms while Anne chatted with the realtor. I must say trying to photograph large dark rooms with loads of stuff in it is not the easiest task! But it was really neat seeing a few of the items in storage. On one of the upper floors they had these amazing pewter chandeliers! I wanted to take one home, but I really doubt my husband would appreciate having a chandelier the size of our living room :-)

The afternoon was spent working and talking business. Anne was helping me figure out how I should be pricing myself so that I can someday go from part-time to full-time photographer. I am still slightly confused by the whole equation but when I have the time to sit down, figure it out and punch the numbers I'll share the process with you.

Anne also critiqued my work and pointed out a few things I could improve upon. One of the big things was watching my backgrounds. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my clients and the emotions I am seeing and capturing that I tend to forget about the entire frame. She helped me see this, so it is now one of my goals for shooting this year. My other two goals are to always (mostly) shoot in manual mode and also to start shooting in RAW.

Jason, my husband, was kind enough to be my model Saturday afternoon. Here's a few before and after images of easy ways to improve the background and in effect improve your entire image.

This first shot, is a great shot of Jason, I just love his smile. But the background and light are distracting from the image.

By using a fast lens (85 1.8) I was able to open the aperture and blur the background, seperating Jason from the background. Now if I had set my settings before I started shooting I would have been able to capture that awesome smile and a less distracting background. I also had him turn so the lighting was coming from the side. I still find this background slightly distracting, especially after I noticed the two birch trees growing out of his head. Now, it's not extremely noticable but it can still be improved.

I changed our angles even more, creating more even lighting across the face as well as making sure nothing was growing out of his head!

Here is another shot of Jason. Not bad but it could be greatly improved. First let's work on the light, we have harsh lighting in this setting.

By simply having Jason turn and face the other way we have nice shade and even lighting. Again by opening the aperture we can blur the background and keep the focus on Jason. We are now using that hard light as a rim light to seperate Jason from the background. It would have been even better if I had used a reflector to fill in his face a little.

My final step to make this image better was to gain a little height. By only being 5'2" I'm naturally at a disadvantage. People always look better when photographed from above, and well frankly not many people are shorter then me. Jason is a whole 12" taller then me so I had to scale the wall to photograph him from above. I think the second image was worth it.

Thanks Anne for teaching me to take the time to set up my lighting and background and then capturing the subject for a better picture. I think everyone should give Jason a HUGE round of applause for being so willing and patient as my subject. He hates being in front of the camera. I guess it shows how much he loves me. Thanks hun!!

Come back next week for Episode Three!

Mobile Monday - Week 2

Truth be told, I'm actually posting this around midnight on Thursday - but it's only because it has taken that long for technology to agree with me this week. I have yet to figure out this phenomenon that I'm starting to see as a pattern every December-March. I'm not sure exactly what kind of electromagnetic forces are at work, but computers and I have a much more difficult relationship in the winter months. Two years ago I didn't notice it, last year it seemed like a fluke, this year it feels like a pattern. All the more reason I can't wait for spring to be here!!!

Before and After - Intern Edition

Before I got to work cataloging Anne's hard drives last night, she was kind enough to take a look at some images from a dog portrait session that I did this weekend. She gave me some great feedback, and suggested a couple easy ways to improve the images. I thought I'd share a before-and-after with you and show you the steps that I took.



Internet, say hi to Gunner. Isn't he handsome? Except for some minor tonal adjustments in lightroom (mainly exposure and contrast), I haven't done anything to this image. Not bad, but we can make it better.



The first step I took was to crop the image a little tighter to get rid of some of the distracting trees in the background and to focus more on Gunner's sweet face.


That's already a big improvement. Because the background is still pretty contrasty, we want to tone that down so it's not competing with Gunner for our attention. Trees are great, don't get me wrong, but I want the dog to be the most compelling part of the image. I used one of Kevin Kubota's actions to burn, or darken, the edges of the frame. The amount of vignetting is purely a personal preference. I like it when it's not-so-subtle, but it depends on the image and your own personal aesthetic.


The last step that I took on this particular image is to bring out his eyes a little more. It's not a smack-you-in-the-face adjustment, but it does help. By adding an empty curves level to the image in Photoshop and changing the layer blending mode to "color dodge" (or one of the other lightening blending modes...totally up to you), you can brighten the eyes of your subject. Just add a layer mask and brush the eyes back in!




And there you go. Quick, easy, and makes a big difference. I heart you, Photoshop! And Lightroom. And Gunner. I just have a lot of feelings, ok?

Mobile Monday - Week 1

Confession: I use my iphone camera more than any other camera I own. Why? Because it's always on me.



Welcome to my first Mobile Monday - where I'll be sharing small bits of my life that I document with my phone camera. The fact is that if I documented EVERY second of my life, most of it would be boring photos of me sitting behind the computer answering emails, editing photos, and trying to overcome technology. Why post mobile photos instead of professional ones? Because I don't need mobile photos to be perfect- there's simply beauty in their imperfection, and being a photographer is ultimately about the heart, eye, and mind, not the equipment that anyone can own or all the other stuff we have to deal with.



However, I've been trying to make a conscious effort to spend this year having more face-to-face conversations with people, as well as getting out of my home office at least once a day above and beyond taking care of my dog. This is kind of a documentation of the ways that I'm challenging myself every day to get out, try new things, and find the beauty and joy in everyday life.





The idea was sparked by Evan Williams' Recent TED Talk Presentation and the name was inspired by Jackie Blair who tried something similar a while ago. Anything that requires dedication, but does not have financial motivation behind it is difficult to keep up for people who travel a lot while running their own business, but it never hurts to try.





The fact is, and I think anyone who twitters regularly can attest to this, sometimes the most "exciting" part of my day involves something related to food. After all, when I'm not working behind my computer, shooting, or in a meeting, I'm probably eating or sleeping... and I can't take photos while I'm sleeping.



If having food involves getting outside of the house it's even more exciting...



...if it involves getting outside of the house and trying something I've never tried before... watch out world- the excitement gauge just might blow a gasket!!!



Since I work from home, most of my life during the week revolves around a 5 mile radius, if not a 1 mile or less radius.



However, part of the challenge in being creative, and thinking creatively is to find the interestingness in the everyday.



If we stop paying attention to the interestingness that surround us in our everyday lives, how ignorant will we be when we explore the rest of the world?

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust

Life As An Intern - Episode One

Hello Everyone. Thanks for tuning in to the first episode of Life As An Intern. I hope these posts can give you some insight into what it's like working with Anne and be full of helpful little tips. I will try to make them interesting as possible but even if I fail I hope they provide you with a little break from your workday :)

I have now enjoyed three weeks of being Anne's intern. First I want you to know Anne is actually even nicer and sweeter then she is online. I didn't think this was possible but I have learned it is. My first day she greeted me with cozy slippers and my very own apprentice. Those two things were even in the agreement I signed.

My second day I had mentioned it was kind of cold working near the window and I joked I was going to bring mittens the next day. Well I arrived yesterday to find she had set up a space heater for me. It was very cute and thoughtful, and to my surprise actually did help a little.

I've been doing a lot of little things and meeting wonderful people. Not many of things are directly related to photography but have still been enjoyable. I will share this one little nugget of gold Anne gave me...her blogger uploading secret. (Shhh, don't tell I told). Now many of you probably are incredibly smart and already know what I am going to share. But I had no idea it could be so easy so I want to share this with you in case someone has been struggling with this as well.

I'm a horrible blogger mostly because I hate the blogger picture upload tool. It takes forever and then puts the photos in opposite order then how you loaded them. If that wasn't frustrating enough then you have to move the photos around in the very tiny preview window. I found this very frustrating and so I often simply avoided blogging. But now I know an easier way...Flickr!! That's right, I said Flickr. I would have never in a million years thought to use Flickr in uploading to Blogger.

So here are your steps:

First you want to size your pictures correctly for your blog ( I believe Anne uses a format of 400x600) and of course place your watermark on them.

Then upload those images into your Flickr account.

Create a set for those groups of photos. I'm going to create a new set for each couple or event. That way when people like one photo they can very easily see other photos from the same event

Next you can create tags for your set. This really is the key. These tags are searchable by Google! My standard tags are going to be, wedding, engagement, city, state, venue. But you can also add in the location such as a beach wedding, or even the colors used. It's completely up to you, but try to use words that people will often search. Then under each individual photograph you can add a tag. I was thinking this would be great for adding in things like flower girl or wedding ring.

Under description it's good to at least put a link to your website. That way people can very easily find out how to contact you and see more of your work.

When you are viewing your photos in your photostream there is a little button that says "Share this". When you open the button it gives you four options for your photo, you want to embed it. This will give you a link for your photo. It is important to pull the text from this area instead of simply using the grab the link field. The text in the grab the link field is really only the link. When use the text in the embed field this holds much more searchable data. It holds your Flickr account name (business name) and also holds the name of the photo. 

Copy the text and simply paste it onto your preview window. Voila!! You now have a picture on your blog without having to use the blogger uploader tool!! You also have a picture that when people click on it brings you directly to your Flickr account. Then they can see even more pictures from this event, and others.  Pretty neat, huh?

I have tried to explain this as easily as I can, but if it is unclear to someone please feel free to send me an e-mail. katie@katebakerphotography.com

I hope you all have enjoyed this weeks episode and it has proven useful to you. Please tune in next week for a new episode. :)

Zen and the Art of Data Management

Alexis: I don't think this hard drive is going to mount. It's been spinning for 5 minutes and I don't see it on the desktop.
Anne: Ok. [Takes hard drive and puts it in the freezer]
Alexis: Does that really work?
Anne: Hopefully!
Misty: [snore]

What's the moral of the story?

• Yes, freezing a hard drive can actually work.
  

• Always, always, back up your data! Anne's storage is...well, a little scattered at the moment, but she has everything, in more than one place. If that hard drive had failed to mount even after its stint in the freezer, it would not have been the end of the world. Precious wedding memories would NOT have been lost forever. Not only should the data be backed up, but you should know where it all is. That's something I'm helping Anne out with right now - cataloging her many, many hard drives. When I'm done, she's going to have a monster file that will tell her exactly what is on every single folder on every single hard drive.
  

• RELAX. Freaking out about the hard drive really wouldn't have accomplished anything. To say that I'm a bit of a worrier is just a *slight* understatement. The whole point of having a good backup system, however, is to alleviate that worry and turn it into an annoyance at best. If you don't have a reliable system, the point at which your freezer becomes your best bet for data recovery might be a good time to start panicking. I'm just saying. Otherwise, just breathe. Anne is very much a roll-with-the-punches type of person, and I hope I can pick up some of that.

• Bullet points make everything look more official and give the illusion that you know what you're talking about.