I unfortunately work behind a computer screen.   I don’t get to see a lot of members’ art work. However, from time to time, I am lucky enough to catch a glimpse on  our various social media channels. This month’s member feature is on Mari Lowery. When I saw her work, I knew I had to feature her.

I asked Mari a little about her artwork. She replied, “The mixed media work I do ranges from restored and altered antique portraits to handmade paper collages. I have collected old photos for many years and a few years ago wanted to start experimenting with mediums other than photography. I had dabbled with the altered photo thing when I first got photoshop about seven years ago, but got much more into it three years ago. It’s nice to be able to create artwork from the comforts of home. A large part of the time spent on the work I do is the restoration of the old images before I alter them. Most of the photos I use in my work are only about 2×4 inches big and in many cases over 100 years old,  so once I scan and enlarge them, the damage becomes much more visible and there is a lot of digital restoration of the features, clothing and background before I can alter them. If I’m going to just replace the head with an animal head, it’s not as time consuming. It’s usually the skin, particularly the facial features that are hardest to restore. ”

Mari told me that her inspiration comes from many sources.  She said, “So many things inspire me. Animals, nature, film and video, beauty, music, vintage Halloween costumes, old magazine ads and obviously vintage photos. Many of my images are inspired by animals. I’ve always had a strong connection with animals and that shows itself in my artwork. I use antique portraits in my work, mostly from the Civil War and Victorian eras. Getting your photo taken back then was a big deal, and I’m endlessly smitten with the fancy dress and properness of it all. I can just look at the details of a gown, or the facial expression of a child in an old tintype and be inspired as to how I want to transform it. Sometimes I imagine the person in the photo, looking down at me changing their appearance and thinking just how silly it all is, but I have nothing but love and respect for these old photographs. It makes me sad that they have wound up with me, and not their families, but I try to take very good care of the photos in my collection. In a way, they’re my children.”

Mari runs an Etsy shop selling her amazing composites and uses Adoramapix as her print supplier in addition to printing herself.  She loves the Adoramapix matte 5×7′s and 8×10′s the most. I asked her what her future plans with her business include. She answered, “I want to try my hand at creating jewelry with my images at some point, and maybe even clothing. I draw and paint a bit and would like to do that more in the future. Do more one of a kind and large scale pieces, incorporating collage elements with different textures. I have ideas for shadow boxes as well.”

Mari still does photography using the classic cameras of the holga, the diana and polaroids. She says she still loves photography but her work has taken her in this direction of mixed media and graphics.

I always like to get the artist a little better, by asking them an off-beat question. So, I asked Mari, you’ve been granted one wish in life, what do you wish for? She replied,” Just one? It may sound cliche but I wish there was no such thing as starvation in the world.”

Thank you Mari. If you would like to view more of Mari’s work you can visit her ETSY STORE HERE AT FRIGHTEN.  She is offering Adoramapix members a great discount of 15% off her online store. Simply use the coupon “ADORAMAPIX” at check out.  You can also keep up to date with her HERE ON HER FACEBOOK PAGE.

Newborn photography takes a lot of patience. This is no surprise to the photographers who specialize in newborn photography. Sessions can last anywhere from a half an hour up to four hours. This is one photography specialty where the client is in complete control. For those of you just starting in this category, there are a few things to keep in mind when capturing those tiny clients. Here is our 5 tips on photographing newborns

1. Warmth

Newborns are not able to regulate their body temperature. Keeping babies warm helps them stay healthy and comfortable. So with this in mind, you’ll be able to have a successful baby photo shoot. Typically, start with them all bundled up. You might also want to think about warming up your studio or bringing in a space heater to warm up the area. When doing photos of the baby without clothes, start by undressing them and laying them with their diaper on (but unhinged) and resting skin on skin on their mom or dad with a blanket over them. This way when you transfer them from their parent to the set up, you are also transferring that heat with the blanket over them. Let the baby get settled in before taking off  the diaper or transferred blanket.

2. Know their Happy Times

Babies have happy times. Typically it’s usually right after they feed or they wake up. Identifying these times will typically lead to a better photo shoot. Newborns  rarely have control over their muscles including smiles, so if you or the parent are waiting for the baby to smile, know that it’s rare to get these and in fact a lot of those smiles come in their sleep. The main objective is to make the baby comfortable.

3. Get a Close Up

Those eyelashes, those cheeks  and those tiny fingers and toes are so important  at this stage. Change your lens out from a portrait to a macro. Focus on all those little details, which will never be this small again. I personally, like the photos that show the scale of their tininess.  These detail shots also make for a great addition when you are putting together a photo book for your client. Fill those pages with portraits and details and you’ll have an ecstatic client.

 4. Lights, Sound and Action

Babies are very sensitive to noises and light. So with this in mind, you’ll want to be prepared.  Try diffused light when photographing babies. In other words, try window light. If you must use strobe, then I would find the biggest softbox you can find to diffuse the light as much as possible. The main thing is to not keep flashing a strobe in a baby’s face. Choose your shots carefully. As far as noise, they love constant soothing noise. There are free apps out there that can  provide you with white noise.  Remember, it was very noisy in the womb for babies and they tend to like muffled white noise to comfort them.

5. Get the Siblings and Parents Involved

This is such a special time for the whole family. Now is the time to get them involved. Have a sibling kiss the baby’s forehead. Have the parents kiss the toes or fingers. It’s fun to see how proportional the baby is to the rest of the family. Remember, from this day on, this is the tiniest the baby will ever be again.

There is one other tip that was not included but it’s probably the most important, patience. Newborn photographers have the patience to wait for the baby. Babies have a way of not doing what you want them to do, so relax and be patient. This is the baby’s shoot and he or she is running it. You just need to know what the baby needs and  make sure they are comforted at all times. This will ensure a happy baby, happy parents and a happy photographer.

Special thank you to Milwaukee newborn photographer,  Christine Plamann  of Christine Plamann Photography for supplying us with the adorable photos. You can check out more of her work on her website or blog.

Father’s Day is just around the corner and now is the time to think about  photo sessions.  If you’re stuck on ideas on how to photograph dads, here’s a hint : Let them play with their kids!  Adoramapix Member,  Natascha Lee of Natascha Lee Studios (Baby and Family Photography in Broomfield, Colorado),  creates vibrant, natural images of families having fun, especially her photos of Fathers playing with their children. So in honor of Father’s Day (June 16th),  Natascha  shares her top 5 tips for photographing Dads.

1) Recognize
Recognize that Dad may being coming along at Mommy’s request and might not be all that enthused about having photos taken. So it’s important to honor his starting frame of mind, which might be, “Let’s get this over with.” By the end of the session, my Dads are amazed at how much fun they had!

2) Relax
Things may have been stressful at home, getting both parents and all kids ready for the photo shoot. So be friendly and upbeat but relaxed; make sure you don’t “bark out orders” or give too many directions, instructions or requirements.

3) Intention
Approach family sessions with the intention to include Dad + Kid photos. If your mission in similar to mine (to provide priceless family memories in a highly artistic fashion), then capturing the relationship between Daddy + Kids is a crucial part of providing that service. I also always photograph just Mommy + Daddy (or Mommy + Mommy, or Daddy + Daddy), for the same reason: to honor and celebrate their relationship as adults, as well as parents.

4) Set it Up
I now offer headshots to parents during my family sessions. It provides a great looking photo to use on LinkedIn and enables me to set up my Daddy + Kids opportunity. First I photograph Daddy alone. Then, when it’s Mommy’s turn, I ask Daddy to please take the kids “over there” (someplace with a great background) and “just play with them.” When I’m done shooting Mommy’s headshot, Daddy is inevitably playing adorably with the kids.

5) Shoot It!
First I’ll observe and take candid photos of them playing together. Then I’ll start to ask for some/all to look in my direction. I don’t want to interfere too much, just to capture the natural love and energy they have together.

When I edit for the final gallery, having photos of Daddy with the kids makes for a much fuller (and harder to resist) gallery to present to your clients. It also creates two parents who are jointly AND individually thrilled with the experience and the images.

For more inspiration, you can find Nataschalee’s website HERE and her blog HERE.

While you might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks you can certainly learn a few tips and tricks to capture memorable photos of your pet. Pets play a huge part in many households. Capturing the personality and charm of your furry friend (or feathered or scaly) can be a cherished keepsake.

Capturing great photos of your pets.

What started out for me as a few furry photos has become a big part of what I love to take photos of. Here are 7 of my best tips and tricks for taking fantastic photos of pets:

1. Get to know your pet. It’s important to ease into the relationship with the pet you’re photographing. When I first meet a client’s pet I let them get to know me by gently extending my hand to allow them to sniff me. I also display a genuinely warm and caring attitude. Pets can sense fear or trepidation so it’s important to exude confidence and caring.  If they are very shy have the owner hold them for a cute and cuddly photo.
   

   For those shy pets have the owner hold them for a cute and cuddly photo.

2. Pet friendly parks. Find a few pet-friendly parks in your area. Many parks do not allow pets to be off leash so be sure to check and observe the rules of each park. At the onset allow the pet to roam and play to extend some of their energy. I often take a few test photos at this point to set my exposure and shutter speed.
   

   Check whether your pet can be off-leash at a public park.

3. Trick or treat. I typically do not give out treats until the very end of a session. I want the pet to be himself or herself and not guided by food. Oftentimes the clients like to bring a few favorite treats and that is okay to use as a reward, but use them judiciously.
   

   Hand out pet treats judiciously especially if your pet is food motivated.

4. Toys and noises. Dogs typically respond to squeaky noises. I have a few toys that squeak and oftentimes take the squeaker out of an old toy to have on hand to get their attention. If I forget my squeaky toy I make a high lilting noise or knock on wood (to mimic someone at the door) to get their attention. Cats respond to playful toys. I’ll often have the owner take a toy and position it behind and above my head to have the cat look in my direction for a head on shot.
   

   Get a cat toy to capture a cat’s curiosity.

5. Camera settings. When I work with children and pets I set my camera in shutter priority (Tv) or if I am on manual mode I make sure my shutter speed is at least 1/200. And I also set my camera to take continuous shots. Because pets, like children, don’t sit still for long I need to be sure my camera is ready to take that amazing shot at just the right time.
   

   Set your camera to fast shutter speed to capture a pet in motion.

6. Focus on the eyes. Pets speak through their eyes. Be sure to focus your shot on their eyes. Buy a poster size white foam core or poster board and have it propped in front of you to get nice highlights reflected in the eyes.
   

   Aim your camera’s focal point on the eyes to capture their essence.

7. Up and down. One of the best tips for pet photography is to take the photo from different angles. Try getting down at pet level to capture the perspective they see. Or take them from above with the pet looking up. These angles mimic the perspective that either the pet views the world or how you view the pet in real life.
   

   Be sure to take photos from different angles to capture the right perspective.

Take a shot at capturing some of your favorite pet photos with these tips and tricks.

What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for capturing picture perfect pet photos?

Tina Case is a writer and photographer out of the San Francisco Bay area.  She writes for a number of sites and co-writes for the photography blog Moms Who Click where she shares photographer tips, tricks and interviews.  Tina shares her parenting stories and more on Yahoo! where she is a featured “Parenting Guru.” Check more of her photos at Tina Case Photography, on Facebook and Instagram. 

We are very excited to announce a new program for our members. It’s our Adoramapix Account Plans. We will now offer three levels of membership, Basic, Plus and Pro. The three levels are designed to accommodate all of our members  from consumers to prosumers to professionals.  To view the accounts, you can click  HERE after logging into your account.

Under the free Basic membership, you will be able to have unlimited temporary photo storage,  3 GB of long-term image storage, and free pick up on in store orders over $20. All these benefits come automatically to everyone who has a registered Adoramapix account.

The next level is our Plus membership. For only $34.95/year you get all the benefits of a Basic membership as well as 25 Gb of long-term image storage,  an unlimited maximum file size to upload, unbranded links to photo books and free in store pick up on orders.

The highest level is the Pro membership at $69.95/year. It includes all the benefits of Basic and Plus memberships in addition to an end of year rebate, pdf download of photo books,and free standard shipping on orders over $35.00. Because of the rebate, many Pro memberships will pay for themselves within that year.

We are sure you have lots of questions regarding our new plans. Here are some frequently asked questions with answers.