National Association of Wedding Professionals NAWP Conference

Both the photography business and the wedding business are highly competitive so the summer/early fall is the time we get educated by going to conferences, seminars, etc.  The National Association of Wedding Professionals held its national conference right here at the Naples Beach Hotel this year!  The kick off party was Sunday night on the Naples Princess.  Wedding pros are a lot of fun!

 We were shuttled from the Naples Beach Hotel to the Naples Princess via the wedding trolley by Premier Trolley Services.

The Naples Princess!  Even in the rain, this boat is fabulous!

Dave and Stephanie - Along Came Stephanie Wedding Planner

Diego from the Naples Princess takes great care of us!  Courtney Herrell from the Naples Zoo looks adorable.

Sara Booker from the Inn of Naples and Dina Eisenberg of Positively Wed.

My new friends from Fort Myers!  Jovina and Barbara.

Chocolate covered macaroons from Roy's Hawaiian Cuisine.

El Presidente!  Stuart Rosenthal

Siri Ecklund, CEO and found of Two Bright Lights

It's me, Peggy Farren, with Bill from Premier Trolley Services.

Feeling the LOVE!

Thanks Jerri Lynn Merritt, of www.photographybyjerrilynn.com for the super sweet blog post!!
http://photographybyjerrilynn.blogspot.com/2011/08/naples-wedding-photographer-weddings.html

We had so much fun with our "Weddings 101 with a real "fake" wedding"! This is the second time I've taught this class and it is so much fun! Yes, I'm giving away my "secrets" but I would much rather have great competitors who bring the value of photography up! We had a mix of seasoned pros in our class, along with some photographers just getting into wedding photography.
We were so lucky to have professional makeup artist, AlexAndrea for our rain date. We got rained out at the end of our fake wedding last week so we got together again on Sunday to take more pictures at sunset. We made it to sunset and then got rained on AGAIN! But it was so much fun! And we all got the chance to practice beautiful sunset portraiture!
As Jerri Lynn says in her post - even seasoned professional photographers need to get out, learn new things and practice! It's way better to try new things on models than on a real wedding day!

Show and Tell - Photoshop Actions and Layers

We host Studio Model Shoots twice a month through Photography Naples. If you have a DSLR - come on down! We will help you with your settings and it's only $19. You will have so much fun!! www.PhotographyNaples.com

We had a fabulous model last time, Jessica Stone, who is a teen singing sensation. Jessica loves to dress up and we love it to! http://jessvocalist.bandvista.com/bio/

In this post, I'm going to explain how I achieved this look. I will assume you have basic Photoshop or Elements knowledge.
Here is the retouched image:
Instructions:
1. Convert the RAW file to JPEG in Adobe Camera Raw.
2. Make a copy of the background layer.
3. Run “Portrait Pop” action. Paint eyes, lips, headress and armband with white brush.
Portrait Pop, Shannon Beauford, 9/28/08 from www.atncentral.com (This may or may not work with Elements - if not, you can skip this step).
4. Reduce top layer to 88% (portrait pop is a little intense).
5. CTL E to merge one layer down.
6. Make a new copy of that layer.
7. Use Quick Selection Tool to choose floor under model.
8. Use burn tool to darken floor.
9. Deselect and burn a bit around top of picture.
10. Make another copy of the layer.
11. Desaturate picture (SHFT – CTL – U).
12. Add a Layer mask to that layer (it's at the bottom of the Layers Palette - Elements didn't come up with this option until Version 9).
13. Paint the model with a black brush to bring the color back.
14. Paint with a white brush to fix any mistakes. I love layer masks because you can easily fix your mistakes!
15. SHFT-CTL-E to flatten layers (or go to Layers - Flatten Image)
16. Add contrast of +18.
17. Crop as a square.

Here is the original picture:
Stay tuned for more photography tips! Better yet, join our Meetup group: www.PhotographyNaples.com.

Chantal and Rob's Naples Beach Wedding

Chantal and Rob had a wonderful beach wedding! We started at Chantal's parents' home. I love the birdcage veil. Chantal was incredibly beautiful!

Chantal and her sisters! Pink was the theme!

Kelly Werder from No Worries Weddings made sure every detail was wonderful!

Chantal's parents walked her to the ceremony. We had fun using our digital infrared camera for a mix of traditional and artistic photographs!

These two were laughing so much! This was a fun wedding!

Kelly Werder from No Worries Events organized AND officiated at this fun wedding!

The guests blew bubbles at the end.

More laughing as Chantal and Rob got bubbled!

Infrared is so COOL!

The handsome groom wore raspberry!

I think Chantal is happy about being married!

More laughing!

Fun with the siblings!

Gazing out to the future!

Now the families are blended together!

And Naples gave us a beautiful sunset... as usual!

Photo Contest for a MAGAZINE COVER!

Photo Contest:

Neapolitan Family Magazine and Photography Naples are teaming up for a cover photo contest!!June's cover by Peggy Farren, Avant-Garde Images, Inc.

This is your chance to harness your creativity to produce a unique photo that can be used as the cover image for the July issue of Neapolitan Family Magazine! It's also your chance to get your children, your favorite relative or neighbor on the cover of the most popular parenting publication in the area.

The theme is simple: BIRTHDAYS! Set up props if you wish and then use your imagination to create a photo that shouts birthday fun. You may use any number of children in the photo but do keep in mind that the best cover photos are vertical in nature and have room for cover titles.
The following rules apply:
1. No professional photographers. This is open to amateurs only. If you have a photography website or have been paid for your photos, you are not eligible.
2. Subjects must be under 16 years old, must live in Collier County and must have clearance from a parent or legal guardian to have their photo taken. No professional models and no makeup unless it is for costuming purposes.
3. Photos must be available in high resolution as the image will be printed at a final size of 8 1/4 x 10 3/4. You may make edits to the photo and use Photoshop to alter the original.
4. The photo may not have appeared in any other media. The photo needs to be an original work created for this contest. By entering, you will be granting permission for the photo to be used on the July issue of Neapolitan Family and in subsequent promotional pieces when deemed appropriate. You also agree not to sell the photo or use the photo in any commercial capacity. You will be given permission to use the cover PDF (it will be provided to you) for your own promotional use.
5. By submitting your photo, you are granting permission for us to post your photo on both our web site and Facebook page as an entry in the contest if we so choose.
6. To enter contest: submit a lower resolution version of your photo (under 2MB) to info@neafamily.com. Include a brief description of photo including names and ages of models and your phone number.

All entries must be received by June 10 to be considered.

We will choose the winning photograph before June 15. You may enter up to 3 different photos of the same subjects but please make each photo a unique setting.
7. The winning photograph will be on the July 2011 cover of Neapolitan Family Magazine. The photographer will receive a full credit in the "on the cover" bio inside the magazine. We will also provide you with 50 copies of the magazine and a PDF of your cover. We will also post the cover and bio on our website and on our Facebook page. In addition, we may choose to enter the cover into a national Parenting Publications contest for "best cover photograph" if we feel that it is a potential award winning photo. Those entry fees will be paid for by Neapolitan Family Magazine.

Posing Class coming up June 24!

I finally put together a workshop on posing! It will be held on June 24 from 6-9 p.m. Sign up soon as this will surely sell out! For more info, click http://www.photographynaples.com/events/15479888/

When I started my photography career, posing was an extremely important part of the education process. The the trend of "photojournalism" hit and posing became passe'. Well, things have come full circle and now clients want properly posed and composed images.

Here are some basic tips:
1. Eyes should be at the top line of the Rule of Thirds grid. You can crop someone's head off if their eyes are not too close to the top of the picture.
2. Never put a person straight square to the camera. Angle them slightly (also makes them look thinner).3. The masculine pose has the subject's head leaning toward the lower shoulder. This is a good pose for women too, especially business women since it is considered a "power" pose. Tilting the head to the right is considered a feminine pose and not as appealing on a man.
4. Hanging feet - cross at ankles for a more put together look.

5. With groups, heads should NOT be aligned horizontally or vertically.
6. Double chin - have the subject put their chin down and then stick their head out slightly. This will stretch the neck slightly and since a picture is two dimensional, you won't see it.
7. Move YOURSELF to get a better pose. You don't always have to move the subject.
8. Fingers should not be peaking around someone's waist or shoulder.

We'll have so much fun at the posing class. As always, our classes are HANDS-ON so you'll have the opportunity to practice! The class is limited to the first 15 who register. http://www.photographynaples.com/events/15479888/

CSN Student Interns

This is Tori, I'm interning this week at Avant-Garde Images with another intern from the Community School of Naples. Tori, Peggy, and Paige at the PRACC luncheon, where Peggy gave a talk about using photography in marketing.

Paige in action at a photo shoot.

A photo we took of the model.

Tori taking photos of the model.

Raquel was great at posing and so much fun.

Paige and I spent a week with Peggy. We learned a lot and also had a great time. I never realized how much marketing went into photography. We got to do a variety of things like classes, client meetings, and photo shoots. I even got to participate in a studio session with two dogs. There's also a lot of busy work! All in all it was an eye opening experience!

Tips for Large Family Portraits

One of the reasons Helen and I bring along a student on portrait sessions is to give him or her a taste of real world photography. Photographing friends and models is great fun but really doesn't teach you how to handle the many personalities and situations that come up. Managing people is a huge part of a portrait and wedding photographer's job!

Because we live in Southwest Florida, our typical family portrait will be the grandparents, their kids and spouses and all their kids. Oftentimes this is the first time the entire family is together for many years so these portraits are extremely important. Here are some tips: 1. Do the most important portrait first. It's best to catch kids off guard. Once they get used to you, they tune you out. 2. When posing large groups, put in the smallest children last. They don't last long! 3. We give a "lecture" before we even start each portrait session. a. Take hairbands off your wrists (why do so many women do that?) b. Spit gum out. c. Take all wallets and cell phones out of your pockets. d. Adults and older kids - sit and smile! DO NOT HELP ME WITH THE LITTLE KIDS! If you help, I'll get great pictures of the little ones and scary pictures of you (and I make a contorted face for emphasis and humor!). Please note that this is really difficult for the parents of the little ones. They want their kids to smile and look great so they have trouble not helping. e. Have a few good things for people to say that will make their mouths look good: Cheese, Money, Disney, YES, etc. f. The first time you ask the group to say MONEY, only a couple will. Encourage them all to -- this will help the little ones think this is something fun to do. Otherwise the little ones will only be thinking about how to escape. g. If there are extra people or you have an assistant, instruct them to stay directly behind you or out of sight. Nothing smacks of an unprofessional portrait as having everyone looking in different directions. You need all eyes on YOU! h. Mix it up. Say MONEY a few time, say CHEESE a few times, squeak a toy (directly above your head or lens) a few times. With little ones or pets, they tune out after about three. One reason to have an assistant is to make sure necklaces are straight, hair all looks good, etc. They may see things that you don't. Another reason is for candids. Everyone loves candids so the assistant can be shooting "between the shots" pictures. Your assistant can be photographing closeups of the faces of the little ones as they are running around in the background while you are photographing the smaller family groupings. If you are a photographer who only shoots candids, please let your client know that ahead of time. You can't imagine how many reshoots I have done for clients disappointed by hiring a photojournalist instead of a portrait photographer. It's virtually impossible to get a large group of people to all look good in a candid situation. Once we photograph the large group, we move on to the smaller family groupings. With four or five people, we can photograph those candid looking pictures that people love. We love to feel the love and connection between family members! You can have a lot more fun and be more creative with a family with all older members. Managing people is a huge part of a portrait and wedding photographer's job. It's a skill that is learned with education and practice.