Virtual and On-Location Photography

Holidays are particularly stressful between gift buying, party going and party hosting. This and next week I'll outline steps that may reduce stress at least around entertaining. Keep in mind that size matters and you'll want to scale these tips to match your vision for the party. Check out other posts on my blog if you want to take better party photos. Some of the tips outlined may sound over the top snooty or expensive. Just pick a few of these ideas. I grew up with parents who loved to entertain.  There was always enough good food, refreshments and fun friends.  I learned a lot from them and over the past 45 years have picked up a few extra tips that I've written about in this email. I hope you find them useful. Planning. Start planning days or even weeks before an event depending on how many people will attend. For me half the fun is the creativity that goes into the menu, decoration, setting the table and anticipating the day of the party. Themes. A really

What you wear in your photos is important whether you want branding, family or headshots. It should reflect you, your interests, personality and style. The feet in the cover photo belongs to a client who is a dancer and runner. She wanted this image to represent her interests and passion.  Following are the tips that may help in your clothing selections, location and more. Look around on Pinterest where there are a ton of options. Search for words like 'photography' 'color' 'clothes' 'family' for instance. You'll find color palettes and more. Clothing should represent your personal style and the location where the photoshoot will take place. High heels at the rodeo may not be the best way to compliment the location. You get the idea Yes?  Don't be afraid of color. It's your friend. Colors can enhance the style of the shoot - formal, informal, athletic, hobby etc.   It's not necessary for everyone to match in fact I always

The holidays are upon us and planning the season has kicked in. I took my vampire and witch Halloween 'dolls' out (they will enjoy the light until January 2), we're planning Thanksgiving dinner and hosting a comfort soup party on January 1. Between now and when the activities are in full swing many of us will also be planning holiday cards (hopefully with professional photography but that's a different story), event invitations and more. I'm currently scheduling mini-photo sessions for Saturday November 16 in DC Ranch, North Scottsdale. Get in touch to schedule your session and receive a FREE digital photo optimized for  your holiday cards or wherever you prefer.  There are several companies that do wonderful printing for reasonable prices. The labs I use have good quality paper, fantastic range of designs and great pricing. They're easy to set up - just drag and drop. Add a personal message and you're in good shape for the holidays. Vistapri

It's not your camera, it's what you photograph that counts. I've been thinking about what we should all consider when we're planning and taking photos. Here are a few tips that may help in your photography journey. Pick a waterproof case if you're going to be near or in water. Nothing more disappointing than watching your camera flutter to the bottom of the pool, bathtub, lake and anywhere there is water. Leave free space on your digital card for plenty of photos. Newer digital technology built into the casual users camera allow high resolution photos that may take up a lot of space on the card. Even a mobile phone can run out of space. Either have a second card backup or delete those redundant selfies. That will  guarantee you don't run out of digital 'film' right at the most important time in your vacation, family gathering etc. Change your perspective. Move the camera up and down, move you or your subject to the left and right. The photos wi

There's always a lot to think about for the professional photographer much less the casual picture 'taker.' Here's one tip that's pretty easy to avoid. The Popsicle! 1. Anytime you 'pose' your photo think about what's growing out of the subject. I call that the popsicle. It's distracting and easy to avoid. 2. I scoured my photos for an example and finally found this ONE. I have taken many photos with things growing out of my clients. I dump them as soon as I notice the problem. 3. You only need to move a couple feet or even inches left or right up or down to avoid the problem. In the case of the sample photo it was even growing out of his ear.  4. You probably will never find actual popsicle sticks in nature growing out of any head but you will photograph something like the sample. Happens ALL the time. Enjoy! Check out my article  15 Tips For Better Headshots I hope that you find this little tidbit helpful.  If you enjoy the articles

Linda Kazares, Photographer, linda@LindaKazares.com Article 5 of 6 Series Here are a few more things to keep in mind on headshot day. Take two or three changes of clothing so you can experiment with contrasting colors. You only need the top half of the outfit for “head and shoulder” type headshots. Ask what color background we will be using and what prime color would compliment it. Tell your photographer before you arrive what image you are trying to convey. What type of business are you in? What is your corporate or business culture? Look at other photos of those in your company for samples to compare.If you are “not” a corporate type, let the photographer know what type of look you want to portray. Dark clothes are less distracting and put the focus on your face and eyes. Men: if you have a heavy beard, shave right before arrival. Men: Bring additional clothing if you’d like to add a “casual” look. Some people take off their suit jacket and do more casual phot

The holiday are upon us. It's 114 degrees outside in Arizona so most people aren't thinking about Halloween which is 71 days, Thanksgiving 99 days away or the winter holidays. Family Portrait Portfolio These tips will help you to plan the photoshoot so you're ready when you set an appointment with your photographer. Plan your wardrobe. It make such a difference to coordinate colors and styles. Maybe you want red for Christmas, green for St Patricks day, gold and silver for New Years. Use your imagine and fit the palette to your theme. Find a fun or interesting location that will say something about who you and your mates are in the photo. A baseball field, the Love sculpture in Scottsdale, Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix, the bridge in Tempe and one of the many beautiful mountain areas surrounding the valley. Plan the photoshoot during the day at a time where everyone has eaten (you don't want low blood sugar to ruin the event) especially the kids. 

😓😢🙈🚂 I typically start out an article or post with as much an upbeat tone as possible. This email, however, has an entirely different tone.   A l ittle glum but useful.   Never, ever, ever stand or have your photo subject stand on railroad tracks. Most of the time the train will be way past you before you ever hear it. You know what that means! It's happened more that just a few times that the client or photographer have been killed as a result of getting that 'fabulous' shot down the middle of the tracks. Seniors particularly like this setting.   Same concept as in 1 above. Don't stand in the middle of the street. You do not have right of way just because you're doing something like taking a perspective photo of the Empire State building.   Stop texting when you're walking. It's just plain rude and selfish to think that others have to watch out for you rather than you watching out where you're going. PS I know this because I've done it.

If you wear glasses most of the time, you will probably want to wear them in your headshot photo. If you’d like photographs without your glasses, just let your photographer know.  To eliminate glare or reflections: Tip One: Bring empty frames or remove the lenses from your glasses. Tip Two: Tilt your head slightly down or away from the camera.  Tip Three: Have lights off to the side or anywhere they are not right in front of the person, I generally use two lights off to the sides so I can get even fill for business headshots. It may take a few shots before the lights are in the right position. Tiny adjustments make all the difference. Of course you can always just not wear your glasses! ;-) Many people choose to have their makeup done professionally for their headshots. It’s a good idea! A professional makeup artist will know how to make you look your best for the camera. If you’re doing your makeup yourself, keep it natural. In either case if you are going to wear your gl

Figuring out what to wear is only the first step in preparing for your headshot session. You’ll also want to pay special attention to your hair and nails. I can’t stress enough the importance of well-groomed hair in your headshot. Bad hair can ruin your whole session! Tip One: Don’t style your hair in an unusual way. You want to look like you normally look. Ladies: Play it safe and go to the hairdresser for color and cut a week before the session. Then have your hair done the day of the shoot. Guys: go to the barber a day or two before the session. Tip Two: Remember the importance of your hands they will be part of your portrait. Whether you choose to do your nails yourself or have them manicured, keep them clean. Ladies: If you wear nail polish use coordinating colors. Frankly it's best to keep them a neutral or no color polish so they don't clash with your clothes or distract from your face. Guys: Buffing your nails will make them shine and show that you car

It may go without saying, I'll say it anyway, that your clothing choice is important. That doesn’t mean that picking clothing is easy though! I have some tips that will make the process of deciding what to wear easy and help you ensure that you look your very best. Tip One: When choosing what to wear for you professional headshots, it’s best to avoid complex patterns like stripes or checks. Horizontal lines can be difficult to look at in a photo and mixing patterns can make the photo feel busy. Vertical lines can have a slimming effect but should be minimal. It’s best to opt for solid colors whenever possible. This will not only give the headshot a more classic look but will be more visually pleasing several years from now when styles and trends have changed. Tip Two: Men Choosing what to wear is often pretty simple. For a corporate headshot, a business suit is almost always a good choice. If you want a more casual look, you can forgo the blazer and wear a white shirt with

How often have you taken a pic and at least someones's single eyeball is the only thing that shows up in the photo. Or you can see two eyes peeking out under the arm pit of someone who should be in the back row. Ha, happens all the time. Try these tips: Arrange short people in front! Little kids in front of them. It's OK to sit on the ground or front row chairs depending on how many you have in the group so you can get everyone in the photo. This sounds like a duh head slapper but people aren't always aware of if can or cannot be seen in the photos. Next time you're doing a group photo make this announcement... "If you can't see the camera, the camera can't see you!" ...then wait for everyone to reassemble themselves.  You'll get better group photos this way. Have fun at your next party. I hope this little tidbit is helpful.  If you enjoy my articles, I’d love to hear what you liked best. Please feel free to pass these tips on

Photography may not seem complicated to the mobile phone clicker but there are a lot of 'rules' that can help you take better and look better in pictures.  I've compiled a few relaxed ways of making your pictures look terrific. (Of course there's always the option to hire a professional photographer but that's a topic for another blog!) Light is everything. Arrange for the light to be on either shoulder to a 90 degree angle No light in back or in front (make squinty eyes) Use light/bright surfaces to reflect light What you use to reflect will change the color of what you’re shooting Use your automatic settings based on what your light is…sun, shade, clouds – it changes the color of the final photo. Your camera!  Get familiar with it.  Unless you are comfortable using all manual setting to manage ISOs, aperture and shutter speed use the automatic settings for sun, shade, clouds, action etc. Shooting better selfies Please, no  cutesy  pouting

You may never need to know these things but for every budding photographer who has a smartphone and may transition to a point and shoot here's the  lowdown on some technical terms and what they mean.  At a minimum the next time you have a portrait taken by a professional photographer you can impress them with your knowledge of the terminology!  Definitions: Aperture Aperture (opening)  Think of the lens as a window—large windows or wide angles let in more light, while small windows let in less light. A wide open aperture will let more light into the image for a brighter photo, while a smaller aperture lets in less light. Aperture is measured in f-stops; a small f-stop like f/1.8 is a wide opening, a large f-stop like f/22 is a very narrow one. Aperture is one of three camera settings that determine an image’s exposure, or how light or dark it is. Aperture also affects how much of the image is in focus—wide apertures result in that creamy, unfocused

This photo tip is a little advanced. I want to talk about clothing color balance which is a subtle detail that is often overlooked particularly in bestie selfies. When you take a photo of the family or friends think about where they should be placed in the group pose. A good start is placing people by height (remember the tip - "if you can't see the camera, it can't see you").   Next consider what they're wearing. Placement of color, tones, light/dark and patterned clothes can kill or enhance the photo. I did the Red Carpet photos in this blog for the Leukemia Man and Woman of the year. Observe how I placed people to balance the colors and heights. It won't always work to be this detailed, after all you want to have fun when you're using your smartphone to take pics. Take a few second when you're getting ready to take the shot. You'll be amazed at how this will improve your photos. Enjoy! If you enjoy the articles, I’d love to hear what