Banner Design

So, we're using a new website at school this year and it seems like it'll be really great. The only downfall I've encountered so far is that it's very cookie cutter looking. I want to spice up my pages with a photography-related banner. I really like the one shown here but don't want to use somebody else's picture without permission. Since I'm not well versed in fair use and copyright law, I'd just rather err on the side of caution. I'm going to try and whip something up myself, but the next week and a half are crazy busy! So, if anybody is feeling creative and wants to give it a shot I'd be interested to see some other ideas. I'm looking for about 600 x 100 pixels. It can include text or not.

If you're taking photography with me next year an attempt at this banner will count for extra credit :) Just email it to me.

Many thanks in advance!

Venice

The Venice boardwalk is so colorful in every sense of the word--the people, the artwork, the smells, the ocean, the architecture, the music. I was there visiting family, so it wasn't specifically a photography trip, and therefore I didn't spend a whole lot of time shooting. I'm definitely going to need to go back. And next time I'll have to bring a long lens, a pocket full of one dollar bills, and a braver attitude, becuase there are quite a few "No photos please" and "$1 for photo" signs up by the various vendors and performers.

An Artist at Work

At the skatepark.

Shame on me, because the first time we went to the skatepark there were tons more skaters and some were doing crazy tricks, but guess who didn't have her camera. We went back specifically to get photos, but there was barely anybody there and we only had about five minutes to shoot. There's always next time...

Shoot From the Hip - Harry Perry

This was my one brave move. While watching another group of performers this guy skated behind us playing his electric guitar. I quickly turned, shot, and turned back... so sneaky :) Or so I thought... When I looked at the shot later it looks like he was looking right at me.

"Ballerina Clown" by Jonathan Borofsky

Apparently a symbol of the variety of people you'll see in Venice. It's gigantic and is perched above the enterance to the CVS on Rose St. Yes, I realize we're looking right up his/her skirt. Guess it just adds to the weird factor.

"The Binoculars Building" by Frank Gehry

This is an alternate view that doesn't look too much like binoculars. You might have seen this building in the movie I Love You, Man if you were paying close attention. Also by Frank Gehry: The Guggenheim, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Experience Music Project, and many others. He's worth looking up.

Time Lapse

This morning I stumbled upon this SWEET video by Tom Lowe. I've been itching to do some long exposures of star trails, but this looks pretty amazing too.

TimeScapes: Rapture from http://vimeo.com/timescapes on Vimeo.

Here's a how-to video that I thought was pretty heplful. It was a little annoying, however, to see that girl lounging around underneath the tripod. The idea is to keep the camera s t e a d y !

Timelapse with a DSLR from Vimeo Staff on Vimeo.

More Traffic = More Money :: SEO for your Blog

I was recently checking out a blog that I've been following for a about a year now--Rachel Clare Photography. I absolutely love her style of photography. You should check her out. Anyway, I was noticing again how she titles her blog posts--always a simple title followed by the location followed by the word photographer or child photographer or wedding photographer, etc. For example: "Bryce & Lora :: Married! - Orange County, CA Wedding Photographer." I've always thought the titles were a bit peculiar and wordy, but when I started to think about a little thing called Search Engine Optimization (SEO) I realized how brilliant they were. Since several of my followers are up and coming professional photographers I thought I'd post a little bit about this topic.

I'm no expert by far, but I know that in order to make money off of photography people have to find out about you and what you do. A blog or website is a great way to do that, but how do you get people to visit? How do you get search engines like Google to show your site when someone is searching for a photographer? I hunted around and found an article that I think does a good job of answering these questions. If you'd like to increase traffic to your blog I think it'd make for a helpful read.

SEO Tips for the Professional Photographer

Sara's Baby Shower

This was so much fun! There was so much attention paid to the little details, which in turn were a lot of fun to photograph. I also got to run a little photo booth which served as the guest book. There were vintage props--a shawl, hat, cat eye glasses, and a picture frame--for people to choose from. Everybody was such a good sport about it, and I love how it turned out.





The cakes were magnificent! Sara's cousin Jen made them all from scratch--including all of the chocolate buttons on the button cake!

One last pic from the end of the afternoon---makes me really excited to do their actual maternity portraits! These two are going to make the best parents and I couldn't be happier for them.

She's Crafty!

I've been in a crafty mood lately. Though it's not directly photography-related, here are some photographs of my handiwork.

I made the bibs for my best friend Sara's baby-on-the-way Grace and they were such a fun project. I sew here and there, but mostly boring stuff like curtains. I did recently make some cute necktie t-shirts for my boys, which I'm really very proud of, but I feel like all of the cute, fun sewing projects are for girlie stuff. So when Sara's baby shower invitation said there was going to be a "cutest bib contest" I was ready to take on the competition. I was feeling indecisive at the fabric store, so I ended up getting supplies for three bibs (the one with the bow is the one I entered in the contest.) I was hesitant about the buttons being a choking hazard, so I sewed the crap out of them, and if Gracie is able to pull them off she will be one tough cookie. In the end I did not win the contest.. boo hoo.. :( I was the first guest to show up (because I was also the photographer... amazing pics to follow soon), so Sara saw my bib hanging there before anybody else got there and asked if it was mine. Dang! Knowing it was mine and being an honest girl, she just couldn't pick it as the winner. At least that's what I'm telling myself :)

The wreath is my new door decor. I figured the one I had hanging there since fall (with scarecrows and fall foliage) was due to come down. About the same time I saw some nice silk flowers sitting beside the dumpster by my house. Score! Yes, that's right, I am not afraid to dig in the trash a bit :) People in my neighborhood are really good about leaving useable stuff that they don't want by the dumpster so it doesn't just get thrown away. Anyway, with my new free flowers and some wire that I already had at home, I decided to make myself a wreath. I know this pic is a close-up, so you can't see much, but it's a pretty nice looking wreath.

My next project is in the garden, so maybe I'll have pictures of that to post soon too :) This is one of the things I love about summer--having time.

Leigh & Dan's Headshots : Take 2

Leigh and Dan came out to Riverside for another round of headshots recently. Here are two of my favorites from the day. Leigh told me that this one of Dan is one of her favorites of him EVER. That is a seriously good compliment! :) I think it's pretty great too!
This time around I brought along a step ladder so I could get a little height. For both of these photos I had the ladder planted in a bunch of spider web-filled ivy that was so thick that the legs of the ladder didn't quite touch the ground. It was a little bit shakey, but worth it I think. That ladder is now going to be a permanent part of my portrait tool kit.

They wanted to do a few portraits together, and I was all for it. Such a cute couple, and so photogenic!

Leigh is such a talented artist and is going to be drawing portraits of my boys. I can't wait! Check out her portfolio here.