Project 52, Week 21 {Personal Photography Project}

Last week's theme was "water".  My family ventured north for a day at the cottage with my parents.  We couldn't have asked for nicer weather....mid 70's and a light breeze.  :)  The boys were quite eager to go swimming when we arrived.  I warned them that the water would be cold.  They said, "It's okay, Mom."  Then they put their feet in and realized just how cold it really was.  You see, the lake is spring fed which means the water never really warms up much except along the shoreline where it's shallow.

For those interested in camera settings, I shot this Motorola Xoom tablet. Trying to interpret the camera settings in the Exif data is interesting.  The only thing I know for sure is that it is ISO 100.  The aperture value is listed as 14/5 and the shutter speed is listed as 3/5000. So my interpretation of that is F2.8 at 1/166th of a second  (but I could be wrong).  No editing done here other than to resize and sharpen for web.  But, I also posted this photo through Instagram and used a tilt-shift effect which was pretty cool.  You can see that on my Facebook page.

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)

     

 

 

Project 52, Week 20 {Personal Photography Project}

Last week's theme was "Old".  My family went with our scout pack to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval Park yesterday and most everything there is what I would considered old.  We had the chance to tour two ships and a submarine that were used in WWII, and even spent the night sleeping on the larger ship shown here.  This is the USS Little Rock.



For those interested in camera settings, I shot this with my Fuji Finepix P&S zoomed out to 14mm at ISO 100, 1/350th at F6.4, no flash, handheld.

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)

     

 

 

Project 52, Week 19 {Personal Photography Project}

Sorry I'm late in posting last week's Project 52 image.  I was busy doing a couple of portrait sessions, and then had some editing to do for another photographer.  By the time I actually got around to shooting this, it was Saturday.  And then the weather was just too nice to not stay outside and enjoy it.  :)

Anyway, the theme for Week 19 is "nature".  This is a large silk moth which measures about 7 inches across.  He was sitting out on our compost pile behind the barn...just hanging out.  LOL  I am in awe of how furry his body is and those long feathery antennae were pretty cool to see.  I've never seen anything like this before.

For those interested in settings, this was shot in natural light at ISO 200, 1/60th sec at F4.5, using the 135L lens, handheld.  I must admit that this is a tad soft on focus...I only was able to get a couple shots of him and none of them were super crisp.  Oh well...maybe next time.  ;)

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)

     

 

 

Product Feature: Image Folios {Senior portrait photographer, Kim Hill}

Last year, I started offering these beautiful custom image folios for all my boudoir clients.  But recently, I had some inquiries about this product for high school seniors.  So here's a look at the newest sample. This is the outside.  Each folio is custom designed so you can choose the colors, text and overall look of the product.  You can opt to have your photo wrap fully from front to back, or I would be happy to design and incorporate some digital artwork (as I've done on this one).

When opened up for display, you will see the two 5x7 raised panels:



When closed, the spine displays whatever text you've chosen.  It could be a name, a class year, the school your teen is graduating from, or even a simple quote.  Lots of ideas to consider.



This would look terrific on an office desk, decorative shelf, or even on a night stand.  The image folio measures 7 inches tall by 5 inches wide when folded.  It has a custom image cover that wraps across the front and around to the back, and then two raised images on the inside.  The images are printed on a smooth matte professional grade photographic paper.  This product is available as an add-on with purchase of any package.  Be sure to ask about it when you come in for your session, or even at your pre-session consult.

Are you ready to book your own senior portrait session?  Click the link below to get started. :)

     

 

 

Project 52, Week 18 {Personal Photography Project}

This week's Project 52 theme is "Laughter".  The other day I received a portrait order and everything was wrapped in bubble wrap.  The boys absolutely go crazy for this stuff so I knew that it would be a perfect way to get some natural laughter and smiles.  Here's our youngest:

For those interested in settings, this was shot in natural light at ISO 250, 1/125th sec at F3.5, using the 24-70L lens at 63 mm, handheld.

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)

     

 

 

Canvas wall portraits {Senior portraits, Cicero NY}

Last fall I had the pleasure of working with a lot of fun teens who were just starting their senior year.  One of them was the beautiful miss Brittney.  When they first met with me prior to the session, her mom had said she always wanted a canvas for the wall.  Before delivering it to her, I took a few minutes to photograph it so that you can see how gorgeous a canvas wall portrait can be. 

The color and clarity is spectacular due to the exceptionally tight weave of the canvas! 

The depth on these are 1.5" and they are called a gallery wrap since the image wraps around the sides of the inner frame.  However, Brittany's mom chose to have a solid band of color along the edges. 

The back is finished with a tyvek style paper and hardware already attached, making this a "ready to hang" product.



There are many sizes available, as small as 12x12 and as large as 40x60.....custom sizes are also available.  If you need help deciding on a size or putting together a wall cluster of several different canvases, I'm more than happy to help.  When working with a professional photographer, these are the types of options you can expect to be made available to you!  :)

Are you a 2013 grad?  Ready to book your own senior portrait session? The summer session slots book up fast as I only take on a limited number each year.  To guarantee you don't miss out, please be sure to contact me by clicking the "Book a Session" link below. :)

   

Cash for Friends Referral Program {Senior Portraits, Cicero NY}

With the new senior portrait season getting underway, now is the time for the graduating class of 2012 to start referring friends who will be graduating in 2013. 


The Cash for Friends Referral Program provides cash incentives to former clients for each friend who is referred to the studio and purchases a senior portrait package.  You, as a former client, will receive $10 per 2013 student.  Yes, that's right - cold, hard cash paid directly to you for each 2013 friend you send to the studio. 

All you need to do to ensure you receive your cash payment is to have your friend mention your name at the time of booking their session.  A running tally will be kept here at the studio and you may call here to check on the status of your incentives at any time.  Payments will be made twice this year - once at the end of September and again at the end of December. That cash will certainly come in handy as you start your first semester of college!  :)

     

 

 

Project 52, Week 17 {Personal Photography Project}

This week's Project 52 theme is "Addiction". We all have a vice right?  Some drink alcohol to excess, others enjoy far too much soda, some people gamble, and yet others play far too many video games.  My addiction is candy.  I love anything chocolate - Toblerone, Hershey's bar, Ghiradelli milk chocolate baking chips, etc.  Here's my take on this week's theme....just one of the many candies I love (and try oh so hard to resist).



For those interested in settings, this was shot in natural light at ISO 250, 1/125th sec at F2.8, using the 24-70L lens at 70mm, handheld.

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)

     

 

 

Project 52, Week 16 {Personal Photography Project}

This week's Project 52 theme is "Books".It's interesting how just a little over a year ago I was still reading paper books and still have shelves full of them to this day.  But now, with technology making greater strides than ever, we're now able to read on our smart phones and personal tablets.  Last year, I purchased a Xoom and have only recently started to purchase e-books.  So far, I'm loving this!  No more books piling up, no more pages getting bent so far that the spine breaks, and it costs a little bit less to purchase an e-book than the traditional book.  Yay!  So, here's my take on this week's theme:

For those interested in settings, this was shot in natural light at ISO 1000, 1/80th sec at F3.5, handheld.  In Lightroom, I adjusted the developing and merged two versions together in order to keep the highlights from being blown out.

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)

     

 

 

Project 52, Week 15 {Personal Photography Project}

This week's theme is "Numbers".  Since today is my son's 10th birthday, I figured his card would suit the theme nicely for Project 52, Week 15.  That's him in the background, just starting to build his Halo Pelican Dropship by Mega Bloks. 



For those interested in settings, this was shot in natural light at ISO 1250, 1/80th sec at F2.8, handheld.

And he just finished building the project - took him about 8 hours:

Are you doing your own Project 52 or Project 365/66?  If so, please post a link to your images in the comments below.   :)