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29 September 2011

~ Fall 2011 ~

This school year has started like every year.  I do not think I could ever be fully prepared to start a year.  So many things happen and change.  It feels like trying to jump on a roller coaster that is going full speed.  You just have to jump on at some point and hang on for dear life.  I really do love teaching, there are so many ups and downs (kind of like a roller coaster and like photography too for that matter).

I love that the Vegreville Photography Group has been growing and more people joining all the time.  We have started a photo challenge contest for fun on our FB group.  Basically just a theme is chosen and then we all submit our top 3 images for the group to vote on.  The current theme is reflections, so this week my awesome friends Soren and Lynda Olsen of OLSEN ART, invited me to join them on a photo walk.  It was totally needed, I was feeling stress at work and needed to get out.  Here are a few shots from this walk.


~ Fall 2011 ~ ~ Fall 2011 ~ ~ Fall 2011 ~ ~ Fall 2011 ~ ~ Fall 2011 ~ ~ Fall 2011 ~

16 September 2011

~ Need a good Rant on a Friday ~

So I feel I am in need of a good venting.  I am finding it mildly amusing how so many photographers get so paranoid about the way their work is handled by a client.  There are many photographers that get bent out of shape if a client were to print an image at Wal-mart and claim their overpriced printing is the ONLY way to go because it is professional.  I have compared Wal-Mart, Costco to some professional prints and yes, I have noticed differences but not enough to care where a client takes the images to be printed.  But really the client takes the image to be printed at Wal-Mart or a professional printing place, will they even notice like "we" would the difference?  Probably not.  Most people are happy with a FAR lower level of quality of work than we feel is acceptable.  So I really feel it is important to unleash a client in the end and allow them to enjoy the images in any way they see fit.  Is it worth all the stress in the long run?

I just don't get why the photographers get so worked up.  I read one photographer's website where she was saying she would threaten legal action if a client even emailed pictures to their Grandma.  Some photographers really stress about this stuff. I shoot with models frequently and love giving the models images from our shoot.  I don't mind if the model down the road edits them herself or has a friend edit them.  It really does not bother me in the least.  A picture that I take and edit is going to be uniquely mine. If it gets edited by someone else, then I don't mind, it is not like it will go in to my portfolio.  If it is a terrible edit, I don't mind, it is not in my portfolio.  There are so many photographers online, if people want to steal my images I post and re-edit them, then I can't really stop them.  I do not have an army of lawyers at my beckon call to threaten legal action.  Some photographers write so many things that a client CAN'T do with their images.  I honestly read some of their "disclaimers" and wonder why anyone would want to shoot with someone so picky.  Maybe I am just too easy going.  But I feel a client should be given more freedom to enjoy and share their images in a variety of ways.  We live in a technology driven world, where framing a print won't cut it.  People want to share images on FB, they want to be able to print at their convenience.

I am not trying to say that it is wrong to want to protect a copyright of ones work, I am just annoyed at times when photographers put so many restrictions on the work they do.  It is almost paranoid behavior.  I will give an example.  I worked at an alternate school one year.  I was teaching kids that were violent, drug users, had criminal records and lots of other problems.  I created a small stash of "Costco" munchies to sell the kids, so they would not always run from school to the local corner gas to buy junk.  This way we were able to raise some extra money for school functions etc.  I kept all the food in a file cabinet with NO lock.  The money was in a sandwich bag....VISIBLE to all the kids.  They knew where the money and food was kept.  I think had I kept everything locked up like a prison, I would have had things stolen from me.  The entire year not a penny went missing or one morsel of food.  When I read a photographer writing, DON'T, DON'T, DON'T....I just think, wow, they are asking for trouble.  Treat your clients with respect.  Not everyone is out there wanting to rip you off, make you look terrible and ruin your reputation.

Just my 2 cents, I needed to vent.  :)  I will close by posting a recent shot from a shoot with a lovely model from Vegreville. :)




~ Nicole ~

~ Nicole ~

14 September 2011

~ Danielle Super Hero ~

I had the pleasure of going out tonight with the Vegreville Photography Group.  We shot a few models and just had a fun mini shoot.  Here are a few of the images I came up with. :)
-Randy

~ Danielle ~ ~ Nicole ~ ~ Nicole ~~ Nicole ~

07 September 2011

Vegreville Photography Group

I am so lucky to have found an awesome group of people in Vegreville that enjoy photography.  We have created a FB group, called the Vegreville Photography Group.  We have got together quite on a regular basis over the summer doing photo shoots in the area.  We have some models and sometimes we have to be our own models.  It is easy going and fun, a good mix of people that are starting out and some that have shot for a long time.  I have loved this opportunity to be around other photographers so close to home.  I really hope the group stays growing.  Winter will be tough but I am sure we can still find ways to stay active.  

Huge thanks to Lynda and her husband Soren for being such a key part of our group.  They have a passion for photography and they just bring it to every shoot.  They designed and created the logo for the group and made some amazing shirts.  Their business signsations is a great place to go if you want a creative design.

~ Vegreville Photography Group ~ ~ Vegreville Photography Group ~