Happy halloween 2014! Why Glinda the Good Witch?

Happy Halloween!

Bonnie as Glinda the Good Witch!

Here's me as Glinda the Good Witch, as I was dressed for a meeting earlier today.

I chose to dress as Glinda, for I felt we had something in common, although my husband Dan thought I should have been dressing in black and wearing a pointy hat ... hmmmm.

WHAT do I have in common with Glinda?  No, not her ageless beauty, unfortunately, or wisdom born of centuries of experience, but, we both help people to find their way home.  It doesn't take ruby slippers, but just taking a moment to truly see the little things we take for granted, and understand the value of family, the power of love.  

There are no flying monkeys at my Studio 

(do moving stars count?), but there is some of that all-powerful wizard stuff in the ideas I bring to the set, and the technology I use to create my art.  The yellow brick road is the planning consultation where my clients share with me what their everyday life together looks like, the activities they like together, the skills, talents and interests that family members have individually, and the relationship they share.  They are always surprised how easily the conversation becomes a footprint on that road towards the well planned and orchestrated image I will craft for them, one that illustrates their story.

Oz has those great ruby slippers, and so, we have that meaningful portrait created, the gift I give to my clients, to keep forever.  Whether it is a series of images that are used to create one of my signature custom written and illustrated StoryBooks for them, or portraits for the wall, the moments captured have a candid and casual feel of family moments that will be enjoyed over and over again, no matter the continued march of time.

This young family portrait, for example... it will all too soon be the wedding day for this little princess, and I feel certain that this portrait will continue to be treasured for years even beyond that day.  I can imagine her own children looking at it in awe, can't you?

So anyway... just wanted to share why I identified with and chose to dress today as Glinda from the Wizard of Oz.  Perhaps I put too much into a simple dress up day, but well, it WAS a business meeting... haha.

What did YOU dress up as today, or is it happening tomorrow for you?  And tell me too, why you picked the costume that you selected.  It's always fun to hear the story behind the costume.

If you're starting to think about what a special portrait would look like for your family, please visit my website or facebook page, and then, call me (603-883-2517) to talk.  I love hearing what's important to all of you - it's inspiring!

As Glinda, I leave you all with this very true and well-loved quote.. yes, say it with me... "there is no place like home"!

Sincerely,
Bonnie

Take great snapshots of your pet!

It's no secret that I am highly motivated to provide something  special in my client's portraits, excited when I am able to create an image that celebrates an interest, passion or talent, or simply put, tells a story that they will have, to enjoy for a long, long time.  One of those special pieces in our lives, also members of our families, are our pets.  

Here at the Studio, I often create an environment for the session where the image created is interactive and illustrates that special relationship that exists between us and our pets.  When I do this, I set up the optimum situation with my lighting and the set that will guarantee success.

This, however, is a snapshot pic, using my phone because it's what I had in hand, of our dog Sammi.  She and I were outside on this spectacular Fall day, tossing a tennis ball around - a favorite activity for one of us and I bet you can guess which one - and she's just so darned cute, that I can never resist trying to capture the essence of what I'm seeing in her during those times.  You know it don't you - if you are a dog owner, you know that twinkle in their eyes, the mouth falling open in pure enjoyment, the tilt of the head and the cocked ears, as they keep drawing you in to play with them.

We love our animals.  If there's any doubt, just look at the number of them on FaceBook and the shared animal story posts, right??!!  I do it too. I've loved every dog and cat that I've ever shared a home with, and can identify with those pics and videos.  They make me smile.  As does this photo of Sammi.

If you've ever been frustrated in trying to get that great picture of YOUR pet, here are a few tips.  It's not the camera you are using - as you can see by this picture using my phone.  It doesn't allow me to do all those great manual adjustments that my cameras provide, so I have to plan a way around the challenges that these limitations will make even more difficult to work with.

First, if your pet is dark, they are going to need light directly shining on their fur, and hopefully especially, into their face.  If your pet is like Sammi, very dark in some areas and very light in others, oh boy, the challenge is doubled.  I like to find an area where she'll be stepping into sunlight, so the details in the fur on her face, and even harder, light in her eyes, is possible, yet there are some shadows that will fall upon her body to keep detail in the white areas of her fur.  If your pet is light colored all over, it's a little more simple - you just need a good exposure for their coloring and you're good to go!

Second, keep your background simple.  You don't need the distractions of too much stuff, or too many bright spots in the picture pulling your eye away from your pet's face.  In my pic here, notice that I even planned for the direction of light coming from the top left at an angle towards Sammi... a composition decision, not just luck. That brighter area of grass serves as an arrow aiming right towards her face, and that is where your eyes are drawn to look.  Love it.

Next, pre-focus and let your active pet walk/run into the spot, where you will be ready to hit the shutter and get the shot.  Set things up so that they will be positioned exactly where you want them for the picture.  You want their eyes to be in sharp focus, so as their nose enters that area, shoot!  Yes, you might have to repeat this a few times to get exactly what you are looking for, but your dog won't mind - they can play all day long without wanting to quit.  If you can get them to sit-stay, that's great, but keep in mind that when sitting in a command, they have a tendency to lose that lively expression.  Click your tongue or make mewing/barking/squeaking sounds, or use the phrase "do you want to" to get their ears up and head tilted. This only works for a couple times, so be ready and grab the shot!

I talked about the lighting being in their faces, and there is one more thing to note about that.  If you can use lighting coming in from off to the side a bit, instead of from directly behind you at camera and straight towards them, then you will get more texture, more detail in their fur.  Look at Sammi's muzzle and up into the top of her head and the curls on her ears - so adorable!  You feel that you could reach out and touch her, and that too, is what photographing our pets is all about.  We love to cuddle our pets, and the appeal of that soft fur should come across in the pic.    

Sometimes, having a white side of building or reflective surface nearby is helpful, for it can bring a nice amount of lighting into dark areas of fur.  Just be sure to keep the wall or reflective surface out of the picture.

I'm a minimalist when it comes to portraits, so I don't add bows and am not really even a fan of collars or decorative bandannas, but that is a personal choice.  I prefer to really look into the animal's eyes and don't wish to look at lots of stuff that pulls me away from them.

This might sound like I am talking only about dogs, but you can use these same tips for photographing your cat, hamster, bunny, lizard, tarantula, ferret, or what have you, using an indoor well naturally-lit location as well.  Some of these creatures, you'd be striving to capture the texture of skin instead of fur, and using the direction of light as described here will work fantastically for that!

Lastly, don't get frustrated.  Sometimes, it takes many, many attempts before you get that perfect one.  Have fun with it... for me it is the level of challenge that gives me the most enjoyment in the process, for when I am successful, I know I've done something that even the smartest camera on the planet would not have been able to do.  After all, it's just technology to make our lives easier, not to think for us.

Happy shooting, and I'd love to see YOUR pics!  You can comment here so I'll know to look for them, and email them to me, bonnie@bstpierrestudio.com.  I'll be pleased to offer you feedback and suggestions, or even just the "yeah for you!" if you're pleased and excited.  Should you, or someone you know, appreciate the art that I can create in portraits for you or your family, to be treasured for generations, contact me to get that conversation going by email or phone, 603-883-2517.

Bonnie

www.bstpierrestudio.com

Maybe I shouldn't call myself a photographer

It's been a while since I've posted to my blog, but this seems like the right forum for asking for opinions and help to gain better insight into something I may be too close to, and might even be the reason that I've been absent from my blog for so long.

I've been calling myself a photographer for 30 years and am not sure that I should continue to do so.  

You're saying "WHAT??!!??"  Don't get me wrong, I've been doing the job that allows me to do that, and doing it quite well... I've got awards to support that title plus some other fun accolades, like having a piece of work in the Smithsonian Institute with the product I photographed for my client, having had an image display at Epcot Center, work published in magazines, hanging in museums and galleries, so many great clients, and wonderful pats on the back.  From these, I know that my clients are getting a good value when they decide to hire me, and I'm proud of what I've done for them.

But always, from long before I picked up a camera professionally, having my "ah ha" moment for this career path when first seeing some beautiful interactive children's portraits while in my nursing training pediatrics rotation, my passion has been one hundred percent for the STORY!

It seems I put this aside, and indulged in that pleasure only occasionally when a particularly creative client shared the enthusiasm for an image that told a story about their child or family, but the drive to create and offer these meaningful images never went away... it just ... waited.   

It waited while I figured things out, or, maybe it just waited until the right time in my life for me to know that I wasn't really wanting to be a photographer in the strictest sense of the word after all - I was wanting to be a place where people could bring their own passions, skills and love, and let me take that and hand it back to them in a profound way that they can proudly share it, and know that their family will enjoy it as it passes through the generations.  

Sometimes what they receive is a story book, that I've also authored for them, illustrating with the images I've created on pages designed for their purpose, and sometimes it is thought provoking or tender wall decor.

Maybe I had to experience enough loss in my own life, to have total empathy for how our lives ALL change so quickly, and how, what makes us feel whole needs to be celebrated NOW.  

I use photography and artwork to build these creations, and I'm at a loss as to what to call myself as the one who gives them life.  As it follows the same type of life event schedule a photography studio experiences, baby, children, family, senior high school, pet, couples sessions, this specialty has been hiding here at B. St.Pierre Studio for many years, but it now needs to be named.  

WMUR's NH Chronicle titled me the 'StoryBook Photographer' in their television feature (see the link at the bottom of this post... it's a great piece that they did!!), and I like that and intend to use it too, but that seems to focus more the whimsical or childhood fantasy part of what I do, and solely for the book form.  While that is so much fun for me to do for my clients, I also have created stories in books and for walls for families celebrating the life of their adult sibling with Downs Syndrome, young adults indulging their Cos-Play personalities, musicians, dancers, gymnasts and athletes reveling in the results of their years of effort, and families and couples celebrating the special moments within everyday activities together. Plus I'm talking to families that are living under the shadow of Alzheimers and other awful and consuming diseases and situations resulting in great loss.  The story of their love for each other and family history together is profound. 

I've come to realize that much of what I'm providing is very much like the pics we all put up on FaceBook to share with our family and friends, but with the big difference of having the skill behind it to ensure that clients are seen only in the most flattering of ways.  No ugly lighting or bad angles, just the forum that allows the beautiful message to shine out from the image.

I need a short way to describe what it is that I do, a name, a title, a phrase... yes, I'm finally getting to where I'm asking for help!  I'm too close to it, and maybe seeing it discussed as you tell me why you would be excited by the idea of a creation for you, it would help me to come up with the right words to make it clear to others what service I provide.

What story would you have me tell?  Would it be of you, you and your partner, your child or family, or even your pet? Some of you are enduring personal hardships, or have moved past them to a stronger and more meaningful life.  Some are talented musicians, craftsmen, artists, authors, philosophers, or masters of their bodies and health.  Some are teenagers, graduating next year and looking ahead in your lives.  Some are struggling in their lives with chronic family illness and some are enjoying moments with families and pets that will too soon be only a beautiful memory as time brings its change.  Tell me what excites you, where YOUR passion is, what you're afraid you will lose someday, what fills your heart.  

I'm showing you one today taken just this past weekend, of a couple that my husband and I often go trail riding with.  My subjects are not always outdoors (I do a lot in the Studio with great set building skills), facing the camera and smiling, but these two are doing all three.  The story here that I wanted to develop for them to have, is to see themselves enjoying the awesome feeling of freedom and gratefulness that we all feel when we are out there playing for hours on our machines, under the limitless sky and breathtaking beauty of the area.  We have our health, we have good lives, and we have good friends.  When Gail and Neal came around that corner, I was there, a surprise to them, in place and ready to capture their candid expressions in a situation over which I had gained technical control.  They saw me and this is what they gave to me... and now, I give it to them to keep, always.

If you GET this, then you are in the best position to help me figure out what to call myself. What words would YOU use to talk about me?  

Your thoughts on this are most definitely welcome and appreciated!!

NH Chronicle's segment on Bonnie's StoryBooks at B. St.Pierre Studio!