The traveling Lensbaby Project | Danielle Hatcher photography

August 18, 2017by hellodearphotographerLeave a Comment

What is one thing about your photos that says the most about you as a person? Dig deep!

I hope the one thing my photos say most about me, is that I see beauty in every day life. My images aren’t usually particularly breathtaking or groundbreaking, but I see beauty in all of it. The mundane. The simple. The quiet. The imperfect. My images are pretty straightforward. Not a lot of editing… just a little tweak here and there. I shoot with unabashed mom goggles and I’m ok with that. I even get mom goggles for/with my clients, because I form a genuine connection with them and love their family + children as my own.

Can you tell us a little bit about the process you’ve gone through (or that you are going through) to find your photographic style?

The time period that I really found my style was when I shot every day. There was a summer I shot every day for 100 days, and at the beginning of the following year I started a 365 project (though I didn’t finish). Both those time periods were huge for my growth in terms of finding and refining my style. I started simply shooting (and sharing) for me. Not for anyone else, or what I thought others wanted to see.

How has it evolved over the years?

Well when I first got started with a crop sensor and a 50mm, my style consisted of lots of limb chops and blurry images. Now I shoot mostly with a 24-70 so I would consider myself a fairly wide shooter. I like to get a lot of the environment when I shoot. But my shooting style has remained similar for the most part – I’ve always kept it fairly simple. I like to use lines, light, negative space, and connections to create visual interest in my images.

What Lensbaby lenses have you shot with before? How have they transformed your work?

I have actually never used a Lensbaby before, although I have used a tilt shift a few times before and I frequently freelens with my 50mm.

Why is it important that photographers not get too fixed in their ways? What makes experimentation so crucial to an artist’s growth?

I’m a huge fan of mixing things up to keep my work feeling fresh. I get bored real fast. And with my way of shooting, it’s easy for me to feel like “I’ve shot this before.” Or even, “I’ve shot this five times before.” I love to use new techniques (as I’ve mentioned the freelensing above, I also like to play with a copper pipe, prism, shooting through a plastic bag, etc.) just to put a new twist on the same old things. I shoot my clients in-home on location so that I don’t go to the same park every shoot. All of these things keep it interesting to me, and my work feels fresh. I LOVE learning new things – it’s like a challenge for me to work on and perfect a new technique. I think if a photographer gets fixed in their ways, their work can start to feel predictable. They might get burnt out. An easy way to prevent this is by trying new lenses (like Lensbaby’s), setting a goal (like shooting every day for a certain amount of time) or starting a photography project based around a central theme.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

I am a California native – born in So Cal and moved up north for college. After I graduated, I realized how hard I fell in love with Northern California so I stuck around. Just a few short months after that I met my husband. The rest is an honest to goodness blur. Here we are almost 12 years later, with 3 kids and a dog living in the burbs of Sacramento. I love Diet Dr. Pepper. Cooking. Working out. Playing golf. Shopping. Traveling. Binge watching Netflix. And, of course, spending time with my family. Our rescue dog eats/steals all our toddler’s food, yet she’s still the size of a kindergartner (the toddler, not the dog). I am an extroverted introvert with the worst case of black thumbs you’ve ever seen (black thumbs = opposite of green thumbs). I have a strange phobia of ice, and use far too many exclamation points (I’ve deleted about ten from this paragraph already). My kids beg me to stop singing along to the radio, so I have officially given up on my pursuit to be the next American Idol. I shoot with a Nikon D700, and an ever growing list of lenses (my current faves being my Sigma 35 Art, and my Nikon 24-70). Sometimes when I get a wild hair, I’ll shoot a roll of 35mm film.

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GIVEAWAY, PHOTOGRAPHY

50K INSAGRAM GIVEAWAY CONTINUED

August 8, 2017by hellodearphotographer2 Comments

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31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS, BE INSPIRED, PHOTOGRAPHY

27/31 epic summer session| feature by Desra Ramey

July 28, 2017July 28, 2017by hellodearphotographerLeave a Comment

Is this session personal work or client work?

This is personal work, my 4 girls.

Tell us a bit about the magic of summer +the connection to your lens?

Documenting my girls has always been one of my passions, and always will be. I don’t have a ton of childhood images with my family so this has always been my goal when my husband and I started a family. Vacations are also very important. I remember reading an article not to long ago about the importance of family vacations and how it reboots your soul, so to speak. So my husband and I try our hardest to vaca when we can and try and make it an important event each year. The bonus is my camera, getting to document our days while we are away.

What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?

This was a very special trip. It was our first time camping, EVER! When I say it ended up being the best trip we haven taken to date, it was!! Camping on the beach we will try and do as often as we are able. I documented each day. I feel very blessed to be able to have these and share with my girls when they are older. What makes it an epic summer session to me is of course the memories we will have forever. The early morning breakfast out on the picnic table, the late night sitting outside together laughing and making jokes while the girls ran around and played hide and seek, this is my reasons its the most epic summer session to date for me.

What else is on your summer bucket list to photograph this summer?

On my bucket list this year is to have a client session when we are on our yearly Hilton Head trip. And it will happen. By luck, I have a client/friend that will be vacationing the same week as we are, so we have arranged a sunrise session for her, her husband and her 1 year old daughter. I’m beyond excited!

What gear was used to achieve these?

I used my 35mm lens, and my Nikon d7000. This is my gear, this is what I love.

Any summer tips or photographer advice?

My advise and tips I would share would be to PULL OUT that camera!!!! If your going on a family vacation, please take it. document the stories, the memories, the laughs, the joy of your family vacation. Your children will thank you one day.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER :

My name is Desra, and I am the owner of Desra Ramey Photography. My style above all else is to capture like, in the moment, documenting clients so that years from now they will still appreciate the images that I’ve given them.

I have 4 children, all girls under the age of 11. I’m married to the most amazing man of almost 11 years, and we live in a small town in TN. I’m big on documenting my girls, walking, playing outside with them, and most importantly my faith. God has given me eyes to photograph. I’ll not let him down!

F A C E B O O K | I N S T A G R A M.

31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS, BE INSPIRED, PHOTOGRAPHY

23/31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS| Feature by Meshea Shaffer of Olive Gray photography

July 23, 2017July 23, 2017by hellodearphotographerLeave a Comment

Is this session personal work or client work?

client work

Tell us a bit about the magic of summer + the connection to your lens?

I love summer, I live on the beach so the majority of my sessions are shot on the beach. It doesn’t get any better than The warm sunshine, sand on your toes, and the salty ocean air

What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?

The light! Oh goodness, the light this night was unbelievable, so golden and warm

What else is on your summer bucket list to photograph this summer?

Families are my specialty

What gear was used to achieve these?

35mm 1.14

ABOUT THE ARTIST :

I’m Meshea

I am a Family, Maternity, Child and Newborn photographer located in Destin, Florida and surrounding areas.

I am a wife to my wonderful husband of 11 years, and a mother to my beautiful daughter. I started my photography journey in 2011, at the time I only did photography as a hobby, but after the birth of my daughter, I closed my eyes and took the leap into a full-time photographer.

I have never looked back……

I love so much meeting the wonderful families that I do. Connecting with them and telling their story. Being able to capture their memories is priceless to me

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E M A I L

31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS, BE INSPIRED, PHOTOGRAPHY

18/31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS| FEATURE BY Vanessa Mendez

July 18, 2017July 18, 2017by hellodearphotographerLeave a Comment

Is this session personal work or client work?

This session is client work. The mama wanted to secure one of my intimate motherhood sessions so we took a nice little trip out to Boerne to capture the love between her and her son.

Tell us a bit about the magic of summer + the connection to your lens?

Shannon reached out to me to secure one of my intimate motherhood sessions. She wanted to capture the raw beauty of breastfeeding her son, Laiken and their relationship. Her concern was that he was nearing 2 years old, and these beautiful moments between them would soon pass. We went out to a local nature center and headed to the creek. He was scared of the water at first, but to loosen him up Shannon carried him and loved on him. Once he was ready to nurse Shannon and Laiken stripped and I stood back and captured the connection between this mama and her son.

What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?

This is an epic summer session because it captures the wild, raw, vulnerable and powerful moments of motherhood and nature. This mother and her son were so in love, and their love shines through these images.

What else is on your summer bucket list to photograph this summer?

I am dying to capture an expecting mama in the nude!

What gear was used to achieve these?

Canon 6D, Canon 35mm 1.4

Any summer tips or photographer advice?

My only tips are not to pose, possibly direct, but look to capture those little moments – the ones that people forget after a while. The brush of their hair, that quick squeeze or snuggle, the way mama looks at her babies. Capture the memories that matter

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Hi, my name is Vanessa Mendez. I got started in photography at the end of 2015 and was immersed in birth photography. Through 2016 I worked to find my style, speciality, and love. It took me all year to really figure myself out as a photographer and I am still learning and working hard every single day. I found that I have a passion for capturing raw and emotion filled moments between families and especially mothers. My inspiration comes from my own heart as a mama of two. I have been married to my amazing, wonderful, handsome and sweet husband for 5 years in October. We have two beautiful and talented kids, Ava who is 6 and Ezra who is almost 3. I also work as a Mortgage Loan Officer for a Bank, so I am balancing a lot, but photography is worth it!

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P I N T E R E S T | E M A I L

31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS, BE INSPIRED, PHOTOGRAPHY

14/ 31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS | Feature by Shelby Fawcett of Shelby Truly Photography

July 14, 2017by hellodearphotographerLeave a Comment

Is this session personal work or client work?

It’s client work.

Tell us a bit about the magic of summer + the connection to your lens?

Summer is the time when the kids are out of school, and extra time is spent together as a family. Whether a family goes on vacation, or stays home, and plays in the yard, special memories are made. As a documentary family photographer, I want to capture these moments, and give each family I photograph images that preserve these memories for the years to come.

What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?

At home playing in the backyard is where so much time is spent as a kid, especially in the summer. Whether it’s playing in the sprinklers, drawing with chalk, popsicles on a hot day, so many memories are made there. This session gives these kids images that they can look at 20 years from now and have a real glimpse into their childhood.

What else is on your summer bucket list to photograph this summer?

I would love to document a family’s summer vacation!

What gear was used to achieve these?

Nikon D610 + Sigma 35mm

Any summer tips or photographer advice?

Document your everyday life, and get in the frame! Life goes by so fast. What do you want to remember about this summer ten years from now? Go photograph it!

ABOUT THE ARTIST :

Shelby is a documentary family photographer. She lives in South Florida with her husband, daughter, and two crazy cats. Photography is her way of creating something tangible to preserve the intangible moments of life. Her goal is to preserve memories for each family she photographs. No posing, or stressing about perfect outfits. Shelby photographs life as is, amidst all of the chaos, and imperfection.

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31 EPIC SUMMER SESSIONS, BE INSPIRED, PHOTOGRAPHY

9 /31 Epic summer session | Ardelle Neubert

July 9, 2017July 9, 2017by hellodearphotographer1 Comment

Tell us a bit about the magic of summer + the connection to your lens?

Summer is my favourite time of year to photograph. The season brings warm, bright light and vivid colours. Summer also means I get to spend lots of time with my boys, with plenty of opportunity to photograph authentic moments.

What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?

This past summer we were fortunate enough to holiday in Palm Springs, CA. We stayed in a house that had an amazing pool. I have a passion for water photography. Getting my gear in or around water is always my favourite. Water always gives me something to explore. The way light plays on water and the movement of the water is ever changing. I am memorized and constantly challenged by it. Being in the pool everyday during our week vacation was definitely an epic summer session!

What else is on your summer bucket list to photograph this summer?

I plan to get my gear in and around the water as much as possible.

What gear was used to achieve these?

Canon Mark III, Sigma 24 1.4 Art, Ikelite Underwater Housing

Any summer tips or photographer advice?

Some of my favourite images are ones that transport me back to the moment…floating in the blue lake water watching as boys jump from the dock, splashing into the water.How can you capture the memorable moments this summer? Here are a few helpful tips.

tell the story of your summer – Photography is about expression. As photographers we have the ability to convey emotion, mood, and messages through our images. I love the stories I can express in a photograph. I especially love the feeling and emotions an image can evoke when I look back at them.Tell your story of summer through your images. Use these questions and thoughts to help you tell your story of summer.What does summer mean to you? swimming pools, picnics, building sand castles at the beach, campfires, driving with the windows down, eating ice cream, a cold drink in hand? What does it make you think about? Blue skies, heat of the sun, green grass, bare feet, music, golden fields, waves?How does it make you feel? Happiness, warmth, relaxed, carefree, silly, excitement, adventurous, love? get wet – Summer usually includes water, whether it be the swimming pool, sprinkler, slip-n-slide, water guns, water balloons, the ocean or lake. There is no better way to capture summer then by using water!

Get underwater – There are plenty of ways to get underwater photos. For a fairly low cost option there are cases available for your iPhone, or amazing waterproof point-and-shoots. Or options that are more of an investment, an underwater housing unit for your DSLR. Use a zoom lens – Keep your camera safely away from the water by stepping back and zooming into the water action. Get close to the water – You don’t need to be in the water, just get as close as you can. Before I had my underwater housing I used to lay on the side of the pool, holding my camera just above the water. Or I used to walk right into the lake with my camera. Just a word of warning, you have to be brave (or maybe a little crazy) having your gear this close to water. maximize colours – Summer is especially full of rich, bright, saturated colours, use them to help tell your story. Colour is highly expressive and can communicate a message in our images. Deep, saturated colours can add impact to your images. Colour choice can also help set the mood of your images. Warm tones of orange, red or yellow can bring to mind the warm temperatures of summer. In contrast, the cool tones of blue can bring to mind feelings of refreshment. Remember colour in even the littlest details, swimsuits, beach towels, watermelons.

Use the light – Light can be glorious in the summer. We photographers are told that there is “bad” light, like shooting in full midday sun. Of course not all light is equal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to use any kind of light to create a great image. This summer take advantage of the soft golden light of sunrise and sunset, but don’t forget about the rest of the day. Real summer life happens all day so don’t put away your camera in midday sun, just learn to use that light creatively too. My advise is to observe the light, look at what it is doing throughout your day, watch the shadows it creates, watch the colours and tones it creates. Practice using all different types of light. Oh and don’t forget to add some fun sunbursts in your images!

use movement- How can you add energy, emotion and visual interest to an image? By adding movement! Summer is full of fun active activities such as biking, skateboarding, swimming, blowing bubbles and running through the sprinkler. This is the perfect opportunity to capture movement! Freeze motion at the peak of the action; anticipate what will happen and be ready to capture the right moment. Or imply motion with blur; by either panning or using a slow shutter speed.

ABOUT THE ARTIST :

Ardelle Neubert is a lifestyle and fine art photographer. She lives in Calgary, AB, Canada with her husband and their two boys. She carries her camera everyone, capturing the real life moments of love, laughter, daily activities and adventures in her life. Ardelle is an international award winning photographer who’s work has been featured in a variety of publications including Click Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, Photolife Magazine, and several photography blogs. She is also a contributor to Offset and Freelance photographer. When she isn’t keeping up with a calendar full of her boys’ sports and activities, she loves being anywhere near the water. Ardelle’s work can be seen here:

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