Tag Archives: photography

spend your time doing what you do best

Being a few years into business as a photographer, I’ve had many lightbulb moments. One of them went a little like this: “Photography is my specialty. I’m not a graphic designer, web designer, videographer, etc.  I can outsource these things even if I am “capable.” Everyone specializes in their field for a reason!”

spend your time doing what you do best ( blog post templates )
Templates have been an incredible way of simplifying my life! I used to make my own but I never “loved” them. Why? Because I’m not a designer!
 spend your time doing what you do best ( blog post templates )

As a wedding photographer I realize that blogging is more important than I give it credit for! These templates are so powerful – I can drag, drop, blog and be back to editing and sessions in no time at all. They are amazing. Lightbulb moments are only beneficial when you actually take action! ;)

spend your time doing what you do best ( blog post templates )

Don’t just take it from me, go try these templates for yourself!

- Sarah
( Psssst! The last template used in this post comes as an extra freebie in the Angular package! )

photography + blogging your way

Capturing images is the heartbeat of my photography business, but it requires so much more than taking photos. From the research I have done, the average photographer only spends 12% of their time photographing. The rest is devoted to editing, book keeping, taxes, banking, insurance  advertising, clients, emailing, social media, networking, equipment upkeep, meetings, album designs… and the list goes on! During any work day it seems as though everyone sets something on the back burner. For me, it has normally been blogging!

photography and blogging your way

As a photographer I capture stories. I tell stories through images. Therefore when it comes to blogging my words get jumbled, my thoughts get lost in daydreams and before I know it, I’m staring at images I love yet there are still no words on my page. After a few minutes of the war between typing and erasing I normally come up with something.  A few days ago my blogging world was changed when I realized something: I put too much stress on myself to write something perfect when really I need to post the images and let them tell the story. If I’m inspired with words I will write, if not, my images will tell the story.

Images without words can be so powerful. Words tell us how to read the story behind the image. I believe the beauty behind an image is being able to imagine the story however you wish. You are the reader, I am the photographer.

Therefore, whether you blog with words or with images, blog. Every story is written and read differently. Just remember, YOU are the artist!

- Sarah

Q+A / getting a photography business started

Instead of adding another Valentine’s Day post to your feed, today we’re kicking off a new series that will involve doing something we love, ( i have a feeling you’ll love it too! ) helping creatives just like you succeed. That is our main goal at CLC but in this new series we’re taking it a step further and diving in to the nitty gritty! We’re starting a Q+A series! ( darn, i totally gave it away in the title, didn’t i? )

Consider this your go-to source for all of your creative questions. We’ll do our best to answer them and post them here so everyone can benefit! If you have a question, you can submit it on the Q+A page!

Today Sarah is going to be sharing an email she received from a friend regarding photography + business, just to get us started! Take it away, S!

Q+A / getting a photography business started

Email from Sarah’s friend:
 
Hey Sarah,
 
I’m taking the plunge, going to start a “for real” photography company. I’ve been lurking in the background and the shadows because my life “works” as is.
 
Let me give you the real quick backstory on me…
I LOVE what I do, but on top of that I’m an artist, musically, graphically, and I love photography and want to use that for the glory of God and financial gain.
 
It has been awesome to see how your business has taken off in the past years. Here is my question. What’s the best piece of advice that you can offer me as I really get off the ground? I’ve drug my feet on so many things. I’ve had a website for 2.5 years, but haven’t published it because I didn’t think it was totally up to par. Never liked the logo I had so I created a new one. I wouldn’t buy business cards because I was afraid they wouldn’t be good enough. Haha, maybe I just need a kick in the seat of the pants to do something and trust the Lord with the results!
 
Those are my thoughts and questions… What are your thoughts?
 
Thanks Sarah, praying that God is blessing your socks off!
 

Who can raise their hand and admit you have these same thoughts and questions? By the time I had finished reading the email I was ready to reply. Why? Because photography is a passion of mine. Excitement fills my heart when I see other talented artist becoming serious with the art. It wasn’t long ago these were the same questions lurking in my mind. These thoughts and questions pertain to all artist, not just photographers.It didn’t take long at all and my reply was written. Not because I’m a writer, not because I had free time, but because I am passionate! If you’ve asked this question about your art, stop thinking and wondering, jump in! Thats the gist, but if your interested, read my in depth reply below. Continue Reading →

photography tip / calibrating your computer

Now that 2013 has arrived I have a list of things to improve, goals to reach and things to just get done! One of the first things I wanted to do was calibrate my computer monitors. I had gotten a bit behind on this in recent days and it was time to calibrate again.

Color calibration is key for not only photographers, but all digital artists. It measures and adjusts the color input and output of your monitor. Your work will show up differently on different monitors and when printed if your computer is not calibrated properly. Always try this before buying a new monitor if you think your color is off!

photography tip / calibrating your computer

Personally, I use the Spyder 4 pro. I’ve installed the program on my computers and calibrated my monitors to make sure my images look the same on each. I have scheduled reminders weekly to run the calibration to make sure my monitor’s color is spot on.

Having a calibrated monitor will save you so much headache. Your images and printed work should look just like your digital version. It’s a must for digital artists!

It’s an easy thing to check off your list! Here’s to 2013!
- Sarah

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( photography by sarahdipity photos )

> read more photography posts

design elements by CREATE LIKE CRAZY design studio


photography / 09

It’s Christmas time! I’m sure your Christmas tree is up and hopefully you’re capturing it all! Here are a few easy tips and tricks to capture Christmas lights this year.

how to photograph your christmas tree lights and achieve the bokeh effect

1. TURN OFF YOUR FLASH! Ha. Can you tell I have a strong opinion about that? ;) A flash takes away from the ambiance. When I think of Christmas lights I imagine the glowing lights in a cozy room or the exterior of a home outlined in Christmas lights. When a flash fires, everything in the room becomes illuminated rather than just the glowing lights.

2. Tripod – A tripod is the perfect way to steady your camera to capture lights in low light. If you don’t have a tripod, try putting your camera on a table or standing up against a wall to steady yourself.

3. ISO – If your still having a tough time with lighting, turn up your ISO! It will add grain to your image; the higher the number the more grain.  This will allow you to capture a sharper image in lower light. So turn up your ISO and capture away!

4. Aperture – After you’ve captured general photos of your tree, you might want to try bokeh ( where lights are blurred in the background ).
First, put your camera in aperture priority or manual capture mode. To achieve bokeh your aperture needs to be wide open – the lowest number your aperture can go. If you stand far away and focus on your whole tree, it’s still going to look focused for the most part.

Now, try this: standing away from your tree, put your lens into manual to have control of the focus.
Twist the focus on your camera both directions and look at the lights starting to create bokeh! See how it works!? It’s incredible.

how to photograph your christmas tree lights and achieve the bokeh effect

Focus on something closer to you, with the Christmas lights in the background or walk in close to the tree/lights and focus on an ornament. Because your lens is close to the ornament, it puts the ornament in focus and the lights become blurred and because of your open aperture,  it creates a shallow depth of field which creates the beautiful effect!

how to photograph your christmas tree lights and achieve the bokeh effect

Play around with it. Get creative!

I’m so thankful my home is filled with Christmas lights, joy and love; I am so blessed. Christmas is a favorite of mine, not just because of the lights, parties and gifts, but because we are celebrating the true light of the world, Jesus.

-sarah

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> read more photography posts here

design elements by CREATE LIKE CRAZY design studio

photography / 08

December is almost here! Life as a photographer is very fast paced. Engagements, family sessions, Christmas cards, the list could go on. If you’re a photographer, you know exactly what I mean! It’s overwhelming and lovely at the same time. As I thought about decorating and traditions I became a bit overwhelmed. When I took a few minutes to jot down my schedule and think through everything, I realized there is only one solution; embrace it! That is what I did.

Last week a friend showed me a stop motion video he does of his family decorating the Christmas tree every year. It was incredible! It captured the whole experience and tradition. This inspired me. Over the weekend I decided to step away from the desk for a while and follow through with the tradition of decorating my grandparents Christmas tree. I grabbed my camera, sisters, and we were off to make the most of this tradition!

Here’s what you’ll need to create your own stop motion video:
  1. Camera
  2. Tripod
  3. Computer
Here are the steps I took:
  1. Upon arriving I set my camera on the tripod, set my settings and synced my remote and got to work on decorating! I shot in JPEG and didn’t edit the images. This was key because I knew this would be the way I could enjoy the images most because of time sake.
  2. Back at my computer I downloaded the images and imported them into iMovie.
  3. In iMovie I set the duration of each photo to be .1 second
  4. I then found the perfect Christmas song and added it as the soundtrack, added a few titles and exported the video!
…and ta-da! It was done. I’ve watched it multiple times, passed it along to the family and we have already been reliving and cherishing the memories we made last weekend. Oh, and my 89 and 93 year old grandparents are just blown away with technology these days. I love it! I think they could watch this all day long and never get tired of it. To them, they saw us enjoying and making the most of being with them, setting up the Christmas tree.
So, are you going to take time for traditions and family? Stop motion videos are a great to capture it!
Post a link if you get inspired and create a stop motion video or to share the ways you capture the holiday!
- Sarah

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> read more photography posts here

design elements by CREATE LIKE CRAZY design studio

DESIGN BY JORDAN OF CREATE LIKE CRAZY