Heather Garland - North Carolina Wedding and Portrait Photographer (Charlotte, Greenville, Belmont, Gastonia, Eastern NC) » off topic

Special – March Contest

Heather — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:30:23 +0000

I am starting to host a contest every newsletter with a special theme, this months was flowers. The winner is chosen by the most votes by everyone on the blog! So please vote for your favorite picture (there were only 2 this month, so ENTER NEXT MONTH!) and whoever wins gets a $25 gift card for session fees or product fees. So vote now by leaving a comment with either #1 or #2!!

Also, I will be out of the office for Easter to spend time with my family. So if I am slow to respond this weekend, that is the reason! Have a great Easter holiday everyone!

Opinions – What do you want to know?

Heather — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:39:05 +0000

So it is the notorious slow season, and though I have a few sessions here and there, overall there isn’t much to blog. I am far from bored, working on accounting, new marketing materials, fixing up the websites, etc. I would bore everyone to death if I blogged about this though. I want to blog what what YOU want to hear.

So… leave me a comment or email me what you want to hear. I would love to answer both clients and other photographers questions about ANYTHING! So start asking and suggesting what you want to hear about on the blog and then look for your answer soon!

Off Topic – New Jewelry Store

Heather — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:10:31 +0000

This is very exciting news for me! I have decided to open an etsy shop to sell my handmade jewelry. I have always had a love of making jewelry but I usually just made it for me, for presents, or for my family. I have decided to let the rest of the world enjoy it as well too. You can visit the store here: http://adieuamour.etsy.com/. I got the inspiration to list it on etsy when one of my brides started making jewelry. (She makes green jewelry and I absolutely love her stuff. Go visit her blog as well: http://jbmade.blogspot.com/.) My jewelry is much different from hers however, my necklaces & earrings are from beads I have bought while on trips or while out. Also, whenever one of my necklaces, bracelets, or anything breaks and I can’t fix it, I just put the beads in my bead box and make a completely different piece of jewelry out of it.

I am kind of just testing this out with 5 pieces of jewelry, but I really hope it goes well! I plan on making custom pieces upon request and adding a lot more variety as soon as there is some interesting in the store (http://adieuamour.etsy.com/). So go check it out, leave me some comments, and check out the pictures below of my 5 new pieces.

Off Topic – Camera’s or Photographer’s

Heather — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:50:28 +0000

This topic bothers me the VERY MOST in the whole world. I saw this neat little cartoon from http://whattheduck.com/. I know DSLRs are coming down in price and a whole lot of people are getting them. However, everyone can not understand why they are not getting professional worthy pictures. That is because the equipment DOES NOT make the photographs, the photographer does! You have to have a creative eye to take a good picture, and know what looks good and what does not. I hear all the time “If I had a camera like yours I could do that…” “I wish I had your camera so I could do photography…” or “I am going to open my own business when I can afford a camera, it will take good pictures…” I am not saying to not get a DSLR, I am saying it will not make the photos for you. If you buy a DSLR and leave it on Automatic or Program mode (especially one of the picture modes, sports, portrait, etc.) there is no need for it! The point of a DSLR is to have control over your picture’s using Manual, Aperture Priority, or Shutter Speed Priority modes. Learn to use your Point-and-Shoot cameras first before upgrading! Learn to shoot in Manual mode, learn what shutter-speed and aperture are, and how they effect the picture. I learned by going to the public library and getting books, and READING, READING, READING! A great resource online is: Morgue File

Now onto those who still do not believe me that a nice camera DOES NOT make the photos… (DON’T LOOK AT THE ANSWERS FIRST! And don’t laugh some of these photos are years and years old!)

Every one of these photos were taken with a DIFFERENT camera. Now which one is professional and which one is not?

Another example except with portraits:

Surprised with the results? I used my best camera, with my favorite lens, and the best flash. Yet, those pictures on Auto and lack of composition turned out worse than a disposable camera & a camera phone. Yet with a “bad camera”, and good lighting and good composition, you can make good photographs.

So what do I suggest to those wanting a DSRL right now? Learn your Point-and-Shoot, it truly stretches your creativity. You have to learn to control your camera that has little to no controls on it. Get out your manual and READ! Go to the library and check out a camera book! Another suggestion, if you want a little more control is get a film camera! You can get a Canon AE-1 that I took some of my shots with for between $30-100 depending on the shape. In doubt that a camera from the 70′s can take great pictures, or even that film can? http://www.josevillaphoto.com/ still completely uses film! This camera is fully manual so you will learn to focus, use shutter speed, and aperture very fast, because you only have 24 frames of film to get it right!

So why do professional photographers have top-notch equipment? I ONLY upgrade equipment when I can tell that the equipment is preventing me from achieving a picture and not my own mistake. For example, I upgraded from a Canon 30D to a Canon 5d because I noticed the noise in my pictures even when shooting at a low ISO. Would someone who was not a photographer notice this? Of course not, but it proved to me that an upgrade was necessary. I upgraded to a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L from a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 because I could not take photographs in low light. So, when you outgrow your equipment, upgrade, but not until you have maxed your equipment to it’s full potential.

So go out, get some books, read, and show me what awesome stuff you get with your cameras!

Answers to Travel: 1. Canon PowerShot S200 2MP Digital ELPH Camera, 2. Casio Exilim EX-Z40 4MP Digital, 3. Canon 30D 8.2MP with Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 on Manual, 4. Canon 5D 12.8MP with Canon 50mm f/1.4 on Auto with 580EXII flash, 5. Kodak Disposable Camera, 6. Canon AE-1 Film with 50mm f/1.8

Answers to Portraits: 1. Canon Powershot SD500 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera, 2. Canon AE-1 Film with 50mm f/1.8 , 3. Canon 5D 12.8MP with Canon 50mm f/1.4 on Auto with 580EXII flash 4. Casio Exilim EX-Z40 4MP Digital , 5. Sony Ericsson w810i Cameraphone, 6. Canon PowerShot S200 2MP Digital ELPH Camera

Off Topic- Something Funny With a Point!

Heather — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:36:04 +0000

I found these on the internet and thought they were super cute and funny (and TRUE)!

This one is so true! I think brides sometimes don’t realize that although photographers might seem pricey, we go through costs and charge as little as we can to still survive. The photographers that charge so little haven’t gone through a good and solid business plan and probably are making less than it costs them. You get what you pay for!

Ok this one doesn’t have much of a point, but it is funny, because I always look just like the first one at weddings (unless Walter is carrying the stuff for me!)

And goodness, gracious that would be hilarious if a camera really was like that.

I know this was silly and random but I just found the site and thought they were super funny. If you want to see more the site is http://whattheduck.com. Enjoy!

Also, Just wanted to remind everyone about 10% off any session booked or wedding booked from now until March 31st! So book NOW, and get your deal!