Monthly Archives: April 2011

Apr 18 2011

ask megan monday | week #9

This week’s question: Do you offer workshops or mentoring sessions? I’m a mom with a new camera and have no idea what all of those buttons mean!

I remember when I got my first DSLR I immediately thought, “I have a nice camera–now I’ll have professional pictures of my kids!” That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Instead of instantly taking beautiful pictures of my children, I was producing consistently blurry images and just couldn’t figure out why on earth my pictures didn’t look amazing! It wasn’t until I was further in my photography journey that I realized just what the problem was–in order to take amazing images I need to have full control of my camera and that meant learning to shoot in manual. From that moment on I decided to learn anything and everything I could about my camera from anyone who would be willing to teach me.

For me, photography has and will always be an ongoing learning process. Learning to see the light in every situation, learning to interact with each different age group to get those natural smiles, learning to pose a brand new baby to create a work of art. And just as much as I love learning, I love teaching what I know to others. I’m so excited to be offering a workshop for moms this summer to teach them the foundations of photography. And just last week I had the incredible chance to share my passion for newborn photography with Melissa of Sugarbowl Photography. Melissa was gracious enough to write a little bit about her experience and I figured today’s post was the perfect place to share.

“I am so thankful to have had the chance to do a one-on-one mentoring session with Megan! Her easy going nature and the way she shares her knowledge set me at ease right away and felt like I was photographing a session with a friend. It made it easy to dig in and glean as much as I could. I really loved how she told me about what she was doing and why, giving me a chance to see her work and then getting to use my camera as well. I had about 5 “aha” moments just in the time it took her to pose the baby the first time, and the things that I learned just grew from there. This day with Megan was so very valuable for me and the future of my newborn photography. Already, I can see a HUGE difference in the quality and art of my work, and I know my clients can as well! Thank you Megan so very much for all you’ve taught me!”

Please stop by Melissa’s blog and check out her images from our time together. And if you’re a photographer located outside a 90 mile radius of Sacramento and are interested in a newborn mentoring session, please email me–I’d be happy to send you my pricing and information packet.

(And I apologize for the lack of photos on the blog today. Our family is vacationing at the coast and believe it or not I don’t have my card reader for my computer. I promise many more posts will be coming later this week full of images, so stay tuned.)

Apr 15 2011

five days new | newborn photography mentor

I love to teach. Before I had kids I was a program director for a local nonprofit in downtown Sacramento. It was my job to get junior high and high school kids excited about the political process. And I loved it. Every second of it. I loved witnessing that “aha” moment when everything just clicked.

It’s no surprise that I’ve found this to be true of photography, as well. I still love to teach. I love when a dad from a session tells me how he just purchased a DSLR so he can document his brand new baby’s first milestones. I love explaining what camera settings I’m using, why I’m using them, and what it all means. I just love to share what I know.

So mentoring is such a natural and perfect fit for me. If you’re a fan of mine on facebook, you’ve probably heard all about how excited I was last week to have a five day old beauty in the studio. I had the amazing privilege of doing a newborn mentoring session with Melissa Yocum of Sugarbowl Photography, and I must say, we had an incredible time. Both mom and dad were such relaxed, first time parents and little Brylee was one of the best sleepers I’ve ever photographed. It’s unreal that amount of poses, backdrop changes, and setups we were able to capture. Here is a quick collage I did of just a few of my favorites–there are so many more to come.

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There will be much more of this cutie on the blog next week, along with Melissa’s take on our session together, so be sure to check back for more. And because I always love behind the scenes images, here’s one that Melissa captured of me in action.undefined

Apr 06 2011

zack – part 2 | folsom children’s photographer

Oh my goodness–I can hardly stand the cuteness! The outdoor half of our session was just as much fun as our studio time. Someone forgot to tell Zack that three year old boys can often be difficult to photograph. I just don’t think he got the memo.

Apr 04 2011

ask megan monday | week #8

This week’s question: What is the turnaround time for custom photography? After my session takes place, how long will it be until I receive my images?

I get this question quite a lot. It’s so hard because we live in society where one click and you can instantly download an app. Another click and you can receive practically anything you want on your door step the.next.day. It’s unreal how quickly you can pay for something and have it in your hand just a few seconds later. There are a couple of industries where this isn’t the case and custom photography is still one of the lonely few.

So what is the timeline for sessions, proofing, and delivery for my business? Typically everything runs about 3-4 weeks from start to finish. We hold your session, within that week I post your sneak peek on the blog (although I typically put a few up on facebook within a couple of days–please feel free to tag yourself, post on your page, use as your profile image–just please don’t crop or edit in any way), then within one week after that your online gallery is available for viewing. After that it’s all up to you. Since all of my packages include a number of digital negatives and prints, it is usually the print part of the order that takes the longest to get back from my lab (usually about one and a half weeks until it’s in your hand). So while custom photography isn’t an instant download and you can’t walk out of my studio with prints that same day, it is definitely worth the wait. Custom art takes time to create and I promise the end result is always worth waiting for.

And here’s the sneak peek of a beautiful little gal who has been waiting for her debut on the blog.

Apr 03 2011

fancy abby | folsom children’s photographer

It’s safe to say I have a slightly obsessive personality. When I get an idea for something, it tends to consume me until my dream is realized. An area of my life where I see this happen is with party planning. We have three parties I plan for each year–Abby’s, Jacob’s, and our annual Tree of Hope Christmas party–a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Well, this past March it was Abby’s turn. She mentioned to me that she wanted a Fancy Nancy tea party and boy did I take that and run with it! Maybe it’s because those books are some of the cutest children’s stories I’ve ever read, maybe it’s because little Nancy and all of her overboard emotions and drama remind me (just a bit) of myself as a little girl, maybe because the illustrations are adorable, or maybe just because having a party as an excuse to be fancy is just plain fun!

We ended up having different “stations” based on several of the Fancy Nancy books at the party. We had butterfly decorating at the “Bonjour Butterfly” table, puppy painting at the “Posh Puppy” station, nails and hair at the “Ooh La La–It’s Beauty Day” spa, and dress up at the “Fabulous Fashion Boutique”. All of Abby’s friends came in their fanciest attire and we enjoyed story time, crafts galore, and the most amazing cupcakes I have ever seen. My friend, Shanel, is a cupcake queen! I found these fantastic tea cup molds but I am seriously a terrible baker. So when she offered to make them, I was over the moon. And when I saw and tasted them I was in heaven–pure sugary goodness!

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