Light Meters Handheld vs. In-Camera

In our last blog entry, we talked about using the in-camera meter to make a proper exposure. Let’s explore that a little further and also talk about the advantages of the hand held meter.

There are basically two types of light meter; reflective meters and incident meters. The meters in our cameras are of the reflective type. That means that they measure the amount of light that is reflected from the surface of the subject to determine an exposure that will render the scene as a middle gray.

A caveat in that is that different colors reflect different amounts of light. If the scene is mostly dark colors, the meter will try to compensate for the darkness and increase the exposure. If the scene is mostly light colors, the opposite would be true with the meter suggesting a value that would decrease the exposure.

Remember that the in camera meter usually defaults to evaluative metering setting so that it averages the whole scene to reach that middle gray value. We can “fool” the meter a bit by changing the metering mode to either center weighted (partial) metering or spot metering.

Center weighted or partial metering will look at a smaller area in the center of the frame and ignore the rest of the values outside that area when making the choice of proper exposure. The same is true with spot metering, but on a much narrower field of view. In the case of partial or spot metering, we would simply center the main subject, push the shutter release halfway down and hold it while we recompose the image for a better composition. Then we have to make an educated guess to bring our subject to the correct exposure, unless, of course, our subject is middle gray.

As an example, let’s say the in camera meter, set at the factory default of evaluative metering, tells us that f/8 is the proper exposure but our field of view is primarily dark. We would have to close the shutter down one or two stops to f/11 or f/16 to darken the image to make the blacks black and the whites not blown out. In contrast, in a light scene, we would have to open up the shutter from f/8 to either f/5.6 or f/4 to get the proper exposure.

Hand held meters are generally incident meters, meaning that they measure the light falling ON the subject rather than the reflected light. Because of that, the measurement is not subjective to the different colors or tones in the scene and will give us a more accurate exposure calculation. Place the meter near the subject pointing toward the light source. That will give you a very accurate exposure for the lighted side of the subject. If you have multiple light sources, you can measure them separately and determine your settings based on the effect you wish to achieve. Click here to see some really great handeld meters by Sekonic.

Most hand held meters will also act as a flash meter for strobes or studio flash. Putting together complex lighting ratios becomes a much easier task using a flash meter and eliminates a lot of the test shots and guess work.

Which type of meter do I use? Both! Each has it’s place, but when I am being a lot more critical with an image, I will always defer to the hand held meter. The accuracy of exposure is always more precise.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send me an email (jmhillphoto@gmail,com). I will do my best to answer all.

Keep shooting! The more you shoot, the more you will see!

Understanding Your Camera’s Meter

I think one of the most confusing things for most beginning photographers is learning how to use the meter in your camera to set a proper exposure. The first images we take with a new camera are often our worst because each camera meters somewhat differently and the default metering mode for most is evaluative mode. This means that your camera is looking at the entire scene and averaging all the light and dark areas of the image. The light reflected back to the camera is read as 18% gray which is considered middle gray. To better understand what that means, let’s take a look at a process called the Zone System created by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer back in the early 1930’s.

Adams and Archer devised a method that would help to get consistent results between film and normal contrast photographic paper. In a very simplified version, they developed a scale from pure black to pure white and broke it into 10 zones. Zone 5 is middle gray, the same middle gray that your camera tries to convince you is the right exposure for all your pictures. Zone 1 would represent the pure black and Zone 10 is pure white.

The knowledge that your camera wants to make everything middle grey gives you the advantage to make white objects white and black objects black by adjusting from middle grey. Effectively, the camera is going to loose detail in the blacks at around Zone 3 and detail in the whites at around Zone 8. To make this information useful, average caucasian skin tone would fall at Zone 7. If your camera meters that skin tone as Zone 5, you will need to adjust your shutter speed, aperture, or ISO by 2 stops.

As an example, let’s say you meter directly off the person’s face and your meter says to set your camera at f/5.6 @ 1/125 with your ISO @ 100. In order to get a proper exposure, you would need to change your settings to f/2.8@ 1/125 or f/5.6@ 1/30. Both methods will put the person’s face in Zone 7 which will be a proper exposure. You could also change the ISO from 100 to 400 and accomplish the same thing. With any of the three changes, you are adding 2 stops of light on the subject and getting a more accurate exposure.

Try photographing a white wall using the camera meter settings and then take another shot opened up 3 stops. Which one gives you a white wall that still retains texture? The second shot, of course. The opposite can be used on a black wall. Close down 3 stops and the wall will be black without loss of texture.

Another method would be to meter off of an 18% gray card. Your exposure will be correct because the camera is seeing the same gray that it will always try to find. Gray cards are available at any camera store and are an invaluable tool. One caveat I would point out is that the light falling on the gray card has to be the same light falling on the subject in order for the exposure to be accurate.

In our next blog point, well discuss the differences between incident light meters and reflective meters. (Hint…the meter is your camera is reflective.)

I hope this will help understand metering better, but if you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I will answer all questions. Remember that the only stupid question is the one not asked.

Value Vs. Price

I believe the most often asked question (especially online) is, “Do you have a pricelist?” I suppose the short answer would be “No”. But since that just may sound rude or arrogant, I will get into a little more elaborate answer.


I do have some very basic guidelines for portrait work with a set hourly rate and a minimum of 2 hours. I also give certain incentives the more prints a client orders. Each and every client’s needs are different and, in order to understand those specific needs, I think a personal conversation is really required. I want to fully understand what type of images you want and how you would like them done. I would love to discuss all the nuances of a session so that there are no surprises or misunderstandings at the time of the shoot or at the viewing of the finished proofs. Maybe you have a particular idea of a special setting or styling for a session and I am very happy to try to accommodate that, if at all possible. Perhaps I can make a suggestion that helps you achieve the styling that you want in your images based on the years of experience that I have in this industry. Without that initial conversation, there is really no way I can give an honest answer to price.


I do try to make sure that all my clients know the difference between price and value. Trust me when I say, they are not the same thing. While one photographer will quote a price of $50 for a full session, what are you really getting? Most likely, you’ll get a CD with 20 mediocre photos that have no color correction, retouching, or other “extras” that are common with a professional photographer. That CD will eventually wear out and the image files can very easily become corrupt meaning that every penny you have paid is gone forever. That is price.


Value, on the other hand, is what you get when the photographer takes the time to fully understand what you want and has the experience and proper equipment to make that a reality. While the overall monetary expense may be somewhat more, the value of the final product will be much more. A finished photographic print that you can hold in your hand, hang on your wall, or send to Grandma will mean so much more to you in the long run. Yes, I will provide you with a digital copy of all finished images that will be appropriate for use on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. No, they will not be the full, raw files of the entire shoot on a copyright released CD. I take great pride in the work that I put out into the world. I want every image that is in the final proofs to be something that I will be proud to claim as my work. If I were to give you an image in which you’re eyes were closed or you’re expression was not flattering to you, then you posted that image online for the world to see, my value as a professional is diminished. No one is going to look at that type of photo and say, “Oh, I want him to do pictures just like that for me!” That is where value comes into play.


Above and beyond the question of price versus value, my goal is to put a smile on your face and for your eyes to light up when you look at the proofs of your session with me. I want you to be genuinely happy with the entire experience. If you are, then you will tell your friends, they will tell their friends and maybe I can help them be as happy as you are with you photos.


At the end of the day, one fact remains constant. This is my profession. It is how I pay my bills. It costs a lot to buy the proper cameras, lenses and lighting equipment needed to provide you with the quality you deserve. My experience also figures into the equation. My college education was not cheap and I really want to know that I made a good investment and got VALUE for the money I have spent.


I hope this helps to explain why I don’t have a posted cookie cutter price list. You are unique in your own way and you deserve for the experience of having your images made by me to be just as unique.


Thanks you for considering me to be your photographer.

Abrams Falls...Shooting Waterfalls

I used a 9 stop Neutral Density filter so that I could get a 45 sec. exposure. Long exposure gives you that silky water and smooths out the splash pool. Normally, I would have been there before daylight and just used long exposure alone, but this falls is located inside Cade's Cove and the rangers don't open the gate until daylight. It's at least an hour walk in and by that time, the sun was up fairly high making the scene too bright. Intended to do a video there this morning on how to achieve the effect, but the waterfall was so loud, I couldn't get decent audio even with a $300 Rode Microphone. I will have to shoot that video at a quieter stretch of water and I will post a link to my youtube channel when I get it posted.

New Beginnings

I truly thought that once we left our house and everything else behind that life would be a lot simpler and in many ways it is. However, moving into a 30' travel trailer from a big 2 story house has a BIG learning curve! The space is smaller, of course, but the adaptation to the change in lifestyle takes a bit more than we had figured. The first few weeks have been mostly spent on getting organized, moving our domicile to another state, getting new drivers licenses, tagging vehicle and trailer and just generally learning what we can and cannot do in such a limited space. It has been eye opening, to say the least. But, alas, I have finally settled into a kind of routine and started getting out to shoot new images everyday. We chose to spend our first few months in the area of the Great Smoky Mountains and make this region our new home base. I had lots of images of the Smokies during spring, summer and fall, but virtually none in winter. Ironically, the weather has been unseasonably warm for the Smokies this year, but I heard last night on the news that we may get some snow later in the week. Yes! I love shooting snow covered mountains and rivers and waterfalls! So look forward to that in upcoming posts. In the meantime, enjoy a few of the images I have been lucky enough to capture the last week or so.

The Ogle Farm is a historic place built in the mid to late 1800's just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Since it had been raining a lot for a few days, when the rain stopped a beautiful misty fog developed in the higher elevations making some of these old farms look rather surreal and almost spooky. I loved it!

Yesterday, we took off to the far side of the park to revisit a few places I have photographed in the past. Not to mention the wonderful ride through the Smokies, Mother Nature cooperated with some very pleasing light to aid in the documentation of our new journey.

I plan to keep this blog a lot more active from now on, posting at least twice a week with new images, tips and tricks on how the images were captured and processed, and much more. Stay tuned! The journey is just beginning! Please, leave comments, questions and suggestions of things you would like to see or how-to questions. I will do my best to answer them all.

Image courtesy of: SnapKnot - Local Wedding Photographers

Win a Free Camera!

Image courtesy of: SnapKnot - Los Angeles wedding photographers

The Big Leap

     The time has come. I am closing my tattoo studio and taking on photography full time. Already have some work lined up in the next couple of weeks, but it's time. I have put it off for too many years and it just feels right.
     I had hoped that my photo book project on kickstarter would get fully funded and that would be the catalyst. I suppose, in some ways it has been, even though the funding has not been up to par. Simply starting the project has been the impetus to make the transition from not knowing if I can pay my bills to REALLY not knowing if I can pay my bills! On the positive side, I have most of my bills reduced to minimal amounts now and closing the tattoo studio saves me a lot of money.
     The photo book project, "Mist on the Mountains, Southwest Virginia" is still very much in the works, although printing the book may take a bit longer due to cost of printing. I am continuing to shoot images for that book and also beginning another project that will provide more immediate income. More about that soon. Let's just say for now that I will be shooting cops and blowing them up, and it's all with their permission!
     So it's off we go into this new chapter of my life. It is pretty exciting to write the chapters as you go along!!!

Less Than 5 Days To The End, "Mist On The Mountains, Southwest Virginia"

"Mist on the Mountains, Southwest Virginia" kickstarter campaign is almost over.

Here we are near finish line of our funding cycle and we're only at 11%. Kind of disappointing, but the remarkable thing is WHO is backing this project. There are the few family members I knew I could count on, and another family member that blew me away with a wonderful pledge. Then there were the people I know on a more casual basis. There have even been a few perfect strangers, even as far away as the United Kingdom! Wow! To each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in me and in this project!

Even if funding does not reach 100%, I am still going to complete the book. It may take me a bit longer to do it, but I WILL do it. The motivation for the project has not changed, The drive and desire has not changed. The one thing that has changed is my absolute determination to see this project come to fruition, despite any and all pitfalls.The desire has been there all along, but the faith that all of the backers have placed in me has overwhelmingly touched my in ways I cannot begin to describe.

We will see this project through!

Press Releases Sent Out

Press Release
I sent this out to every newspaper and TV station in our region. Let's see what kind of response I get.

Press Release

Clintwood Photographer to Publish Photo Book Depicting Southwest Virginia Landscapes and Landmarks

From an early age, j. Michael Hill has loved art in all forms. He’s made his career from art as a tattoo artist for nearly 4 decades. During that time, he has also been an avid photographer, even going back to college (Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas) at age 36 to hone his skills in photography. 

One of his goals after college was to photograph the Great Smoky Mountains and the Appalachian regions, but life intervened. Making a living stepped in the way of  living out a dream. On July 5, 2013, Hill’s daughter, Candy passed away in her sleep from complications from COPD. She was only 39. The realization that we are not guaranteed tomorrow, next week, or next year prompted Hill to begin the journey of fulfilling his dream of producing a coffee table book covering the Appalachians.

“I decided to start with a smaller goal first, and began the compilation of the book
‘Mist On The Mountains, Southwest Virginia’ as my first goal.” Hill said. “From there we go on to the full southern Appalachians from the Mason-Dixon line to western North Carolina. After those projects are done, I’ll tackle the big one, The Great Smoky Mountains. We live in one of the most beautiful regions of this nation and it needs to be shared with the world.”

Hearing a story on the Today Show, he heard about Kickstarter.com and the concept of crowd funding. After a little research, the decision to use crowd funding to publish the books was made. 

Crowd funding is a relatively new tool propagated by the internet. People choose to back a project and make pledges from $1 and up to fund the project. If a project is appealing to enough people, and they become sponsors, the project can be funded from their pledges. If a project fails to meet the funding goals, it dies and no money changes hands.

Mr. Hill began the campaign on Friday, July 25th, with the goal of $14000 to cover the cost of publishing “Mist on the Mountains, Southwest Virginia”. As of this writing, the project has achieved  pledges equal to 8% of the goal in only 5 days. More help is needed to reach the final goal and Mr. Hill has asked the readers to check out his project and to make a pledge to make this book become a reality. 




The project web address is:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1109020688/mist-on-the-mountains-southwest-virginia-coffee-ta

Milky Way over Bark Camp Lake
Shot last night!

Mist On The Mountains, Southwest Virginia

It's official! The Kickstarter funding push has been launched! Here's the link.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1109020688/mist-on-the-mountains-southwest-virginia-coffee-ta

Be sure and make a pledge. Every little bit helps us reach our goal! Stay tuned for updates as the project progresses!

New Project Set to Launch On www.Kickstarter.com !

     Okay! It's time to start living my life instead of just making a life!

     On July 5, 2103, my daughter, Candy (age 39), passed away in her sleep from complications of COPD. She was a very talented artist, but making a life for her and my grandkids got in the way of her pursuing her dreams as an artist. So many things have gone through my head because of loosing my daughter.

     One of the biggest things is the realization that I have been doing the same thing she did. Too busy making a living, I have failed to live out my dreams. I will be 60 at the end of this year and the time is now to take the bull by the horns, let go of all the excuses of why I can't accomplish my goals as a photographer and just do it!

     So here goes!

     Tuesday, I will launch The Southern Appalachian Series, Part 1, Southwest Virginia. The project is a series of 3 (maybe more) self-published photography coffee table books showcasing my landscape photography of the southern Appalachian region. The first in the series will be specifically the beauty of the 17 counties that make up southwest Virginia (the area I now call home). The majestic mountains, the fabulous waterways and waterfalls, and the stunning landmarks of the area will be the focus of this book.

     In the successive  projects, the plan is to extend out to eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, northern Virginia, east Tennessee and North Carolina to cover as much of the southern Appalachian region as I can. The culmination will be a book dedicated to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I fell in love with the beauty of the park in the early '80's during my first visit there and have kept going back as often as I can over the years. The GSMNP is the primary reason I decided at the age of 36 to go back to college to get a proper education in photography and I have been compiling images from the park for over 20 years.

     I will be posting updates here at least twice a week during the course of the projects, along with images from the progress. I would like to invite you all to come to Kickstarter.com as soon as I have the project listed, and make a pledge to help make this dream a reality.The rewards I will be offering will be fantastic and I would love to share the beauty of the southern Appalachians with each of you!

     For those that are not familiar with Kickstarter.com, it is a crowd-funding site that allows people to invest in ideas and projects from virtually every venue. Check it out because it is one of greatest concepts I have ever seen to help people move their dreams from simple concept to reality.

jmhillphoto promo

Excerpt from my Upcoming Book, " Lights, Camera, Uh...What Do I Do Now?"

Lights, Camera, …Uh, What Do I Do Now?

A Guide To Photography For The Absolute Beginner

Forward

                You’ve decided to take the plunge and learn how to use that new camera you got for Christmas, birthday, etc., or perhaps, you are still trying to decide what kind of camera would be best for you. Through the course of this book, I hope we can answer that question or, at least , steer you in the right direction.  

I have written this book with the absolute beginner in mind.  This book is not intended as a guide to make you a professional photographer.  I would recommend college or, at the very least, a direct apprenticeship with a skilled and established photographer to reach that goal. You may have never even used a camera or only had a very simple point and shoot camera in the past and have now decided that you would like to take things to the next level.

Congratulations! You are about to be bitten by the photography bug! Don’t worry! It won’t hurt and you actually might find that you enjoy it.  Let me warn you, though. It does involve exercising your brain a little as you learn some of the basic “rules” of photography. Once you understand the basic rules, then we’ll discuss how you can bend or even break them! That’s right! You can break the rules without any more severe a penalty than the need to reshoot the image. How cool is that?

Kick back in your easy chair and relax while we begin your journey!

Chapter One

Which Camera Do I NEED?

While this may seem on the surface to be a rather simple question, there are several things you should consider first.

The key word in the title of this chapter is NEED. Will you be primarily taking photos of your family, friends and pets? Do you want to make sure you capture the best memories of that family reunion or your trip to the Grand Canyon?  How about the marvelous landscapes you pass every day on your way to work? These questions and many more will be a part of your decision on camera purchases.

Unless you are independently wealthy, price is always going to be a consideration as well. Digital cameras today can range in price from under a hundred dollars to well over several thousand dollars. In most cases, the more you invest, the more control over the final image and the more you will have to study all the functions of the camera to use it to it’s full potential. Every new camera sold comes complete with a little book referred to as the “Owners Manual”. Take the time to read that little book and keep it handy so you can refer to it often. Believe me; it is not in the box as padding! It is your best friend as you learn to use and become familiar with the functions of whatever camera you have decided is right for you.

“But what camera is right for me?” , you ask. Let’s see if we can sort that out by learning a few things about modern digital cameras.

MEGAPIXELS

            Yeah, I know. Less than a couple of pages into the book and I am already throwing gobbledy-gook words at you. A megapixel is simply a term that refers to the number of pixels on the sensor of the camera that will record your image. Each digital image is made of tiny little color pixels (red, green, and blue) that will be activated by the light passing through the lens of your camera and are either turned on or off by that light in such a way to form a copy of the picture you are attempting to capture. A single megapixel is one million pixels (or points of light). That is the first item that will determine the quality of the image you get. Theoretically, the more megapixels you have, the more detail will be seen in the final image.

                “Oh so I need a 36 megapixel camera so all my pictures will be super sharp!” In a nutshell, no. Just starting out, keep it simple. If most of the pictures you make are destined to live on the internet to be shared on social media, a camera with only 4- 8 megapixels will be plenty. An image from an 8 megapixel camera can be blown up to 11x14 or even larger print without any discernible loss of resolution (sharpness). I know of several renowned professional photographers that use 12 megapixel cameras on a fairly regular basis to photograph images for publication in some of the best magazines.

 So let’s take a look at some of the different camera types.

POINT AND SHOOT

            One of the most common cameras is a fixed lens camera, often referred to as a “point and shoot”. By fixed lens, I mean that it will have one lens that is permanently attached to the camera and will usually have a feature that allows you to zoom in and out to make objects appear larger or smaller in you picture. There are many manufacturers of good quality point and shoot cameras, such as Nikon, Canon, Kodak, Sony and many, many more. They can range from 4 megapixels up to 16 megapixels as of this writing. The prices range from as low as fifty dollars or less up to several hundred dollars. I carry a 12 megapixel Canon point and shoot every where I go for those moments when I want to grab a quick shot of something without having to really think about what I am doing. It is pretty simple to get a decent image from a point and shoot camera. By changing a few simple settings on the camera, I have shot magazine quality images with that simple point and shoot. So can you.                        

                The larger you blow up an image from a low resolution (read - small number of megapixels) camera, the more it will be pixilated or seem to fall apart and have little squares that are out of focus. The more pixels you have, the larger you can make your images. Planning on doing a billboard? Then you will likely need a camera in the 16 megapixel and up range. But believe me, for a billboard, you will likely have to use something more than a point and shoot camera.

DSLR CAMERAS

            The majority of professional photographers and a great number of amateur photographers use what is known as a DLSR camera. DSLR stands for “digital single lens reflex”. A single lens reflex camera is very simply a camera that has the ability to accept a number of different lenses that attach to the camera giving you an option of shooting things close to you or far way depending on the lens you put on the camera body. Reflex in the description refers to the way the mirror in the camera moves out of the way of the viewfinder when you push the shutter button. Think of it as the same as the standard 35 mm film cameras used almost exclusively into the late 1990’s. Instead of film, modern DLSR cameras have a sensor inside that collects the light reflected from whatever you are photographing and sends it to a small computer chip in the camera. The image is stored on a data card that allows you download the images to your computer. From there, you process the image in the editing software of your choice, the most popular of which is Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

                DLSR cameras offer you a lot of creative control in the camera. By changing certain settings on the camera, you can alter the look of the scene entirely. You have the ability to capture the image almost exactly as you see it or you can alter the scene to fit the mood you wish to convey in the final image. While you can do that to a great extent on many point and shoot cameras, a dslr will allow you an even greater control because of the ability to change lenses for effect.

                Digital images require a lot of space on your computer. The more megapixels, the larger the image file on you computer.  An average 18 megapixel file when you are shooting in the raw format, is approximately 120 megabytes and that is before you do any processing of the image. Image editing software will most times make the file even larger depending on what you do to the files. We’ll talk a bit more about the various file formats soon.

            

THE DECISION

                If your primary focus is photography for social media, sharing photos with friends and family, then a point and shoot camera may really be all you need. Weigh the options of the two types of camera outlined here and make the decision based on what you can handle, both on the learning level and the cost level. Just remember that with a dslr, you will also have to purchase lenses for more creative control. Lenses are not cheap. At least, good lenses are a not cheap.

                My best advice would be to go the your local camera store and talk to them about the different cameras. A reputable camera store will have a knowledgeable staff that will be happy to point you in the right direction. They are in the business of selling cameras and related equipment, so take that into consideration when they start recommending a camera that is way more than you need. Don’t be afraid to tell them the LOW end of your budget. If you can afford $1000, start at $400 and see where they steer you. Salespeople generally make commission on what you buy and will do their best to lead you to the higher end of your budget. This is not always the case, but always check in more than one store before you make a purchase decision.

                Check on social media (ie. Facebook, Google+, Twitter) for local camera clubs. The folks in these clubs are usually a pretty good source of information and, in my experience, are pretty nice folks that are more than willing to share knowledge with others. Internet reviews are also good, but keep in mind that not everything you see or hear on the internet is necessarily true. GASP!!! Double check information with reputable sources.

                There are also some great places where you can purchased equipment that has been previously owned. I would highly recommend stores like Adorama (www.adorama.com), KEH Camera (www.keh.com), or B&H Photo ( www.bhphotovideo.com ). I have personally done business with each of these companies and they are all very reputable. I am sure there are many others out there, but these I can personally recommend.

Why I Don't Just Hand a Client a "copyright released CD"

     It is really a matter of pride in the images I make. Handing a person a CD of images that are not processed is a disservice to both the client and me. They do not get the quality they deserve and for which they paid. They cannot get the images printed with the same quality as the professional labs that I use. Your local big box store or pharmacy cannot provide you the best images with proper color balance and they do not retouch the images. Do you really want that pimple on your forehead in the otherwise beautiful photo? I don't want it there either.
        When I do a portrait shoot, I take a LOT of pictures. I want to make sure that I get the best looks, eyes open and in focus, with the most flattering light falling on your face. Then I cull through all those images and pick the cream of the crop to retouch, removing blemishes. balancing the color, making sure your blue/green eyes are exactly the natural color in your picture. I will also crop and add special effects (if it will enhance the image) to ensure that there are no background objects running "through" your head or body. All of that takes time using expensive processing software that I have studied for years so that I can use it to it's full potential. My goal is to have you look at your images and LOVE what you see. I want to see a huge smile on your face as we go through your photos because that let's me know I have done my job and made you feel good about yourself.
     So, when you are deciding who you want to do your family portraits, senior pictures, engagement photos, or even shoot your wedding, please, do yourself a huge favor. Weigh the cost of using a professional that will take the time to make sure your memories are captured in a way that will be a part of your family's heritage for years. Yeah, it might be a few dollars more, but quality rarely comes with shortcuts or budget pricing. It most definitely won't come on a copyright released CD.