Think Lighting There is no doubt the growth of cell phone camera technology has sent the entire world out trying to play photographer. So often the images posted to social media are almost indistinguishable. One of the main culprits is…
Valentine Portrait Package – 2018 Most couples will celebrate Valentine Day with flowers, candy, dinner or maybe all of these. All of these are great ways to enjoy your time together. However, at the end of the day all you…
Mixed light photography My wife Diane and I love the beach at Siesta Key, Florida. Anyone who has been to this beach raves about the white powder sand. As a photographer, I’m often left out of pictures. Which is OK.…
In Lake County, Ohio we have a lot of marketing/communications professionals. Many of them belong to a local organization know as Lake Communicators. Every year, the organization publishes a directory of members (yes, some folks still like hardcopy) and list…
Infant Portrait Session. So there’s this girl, NO, NO, NO, not like that! Shannon belongs to the same networking group as I. Gosh we’ve known each other for years and years. I feel like her brother. I can’t say Father…
Sun: A very interesting portrait video came across my feed today. I wanted to share it with you. First of all most Facebook photography I see has one thing in common – Bad Lighting! Please stop and think for a…
Light, It’s all about the light. Light! My wife Diane and I like to vacation at Siesta Key Florida. The beach has the softest and whitest sand you’ll see anywhere. During our walks on the soft powder white sand, Diane…
Film Photography – Really? Film, remember that stuff? With the explosion of digital cameras today, most of you would likely wonder why shoot on film? Let me back you up a bit. Before digital, you had to put more thought…
School Picture Business School pictures are a real tradition for families. People often ask if I provide that service. My answer: well I’d like to. I learned a long time ago this is a very difficult market to break into.…
Baby Portrait Baby portraits can be fun or a disaster – trust me! If you have a 6 month old child, wake them from their nap, bundle them up, put them in a strange location, in front of a stranger…
Fashion Magazines – Photography Tips Fashion magazines – OK, I admit to looking at them. No, No, really, I’m not that way. The fashion industry spends A LOT of money on photographers to advertise their products. So it stands to reason…
Light Equals Photography Light plays a powerful role in photography. In addition, it is relative. A scene/subject will often have varying degrees of illumination. These are commonly know as highlights and shadows. Both highlights and shadows can be a creative…
Golden Hour vs. Mid Day The Golden Hour as referred to by photographers as the hour around sun up or sundown. The sun and atmosphere combine to give the photographer unique and colorful lighting. Photographers often avoid shooting mid day.…
Portrait Photography And Lighting. Portrait photography requires that you always think about lighting. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a boat-load of studio equipment or a cell phone. I found this short video demonstrating 3 different set ups. These set…
Do you really love your family? Silly question right? Because you love them, why would you share them through lousy pictures? Today with the proliferation of smart phone camera technology, it’s too easy to shoot without thinking. I suggest taking…
If you have read some of my posts, you may have read this before: “You’ve got to be smarter than the camera!” That means understanding how the camera works and camera limitations. Cell phone manufacturers want you to believe that…
Recently one of my high school seniors wanted to go on-location in addition to his studio session. No problem, where would you like to go? Being a member of the swim team, he replied: Let’s go where there is water!…
Have you noticed how photographers are overly protective of their images? I often get requests from people to send them digital photos. To the point they feel they are entitled to them. Here’s an example of why photographers are so…
Cell phone, point-n-shoot or DSLR camera, it doesn’t matter. A bad photo is still a bad photo. As I said before, A bad photo with an Instagram filter is still a bad photo, it just has an Instagram filter! Do…
Using LinkedIn as an example, look at the profile pictures that people use? In addition, have you noticed how many people don’t have a profile photo? Let me offer some suggestions as to how your professional head shot should or…
Almost everyone today believes that technology makes you a photographer. You’ve heard me talk about understanding light, learning the craft, knowing your camera/phone and studying light. Here’s an article about Michael Afonso and his journey to turning pro. Michael Afonso:…
Anytime I look at an image, I expect a clear answer to the question: What’s the subject? When you ask this question, is the answer clear to you? Let’s not be concerned with camera exposure at this point. Let’s think…
So how do begin to understand a photographer’s thought process? The best way is to spend time talking with a photographer. Most of us do not get the opportunity to speak with world renowned photographers. So here’s the next best…
The tips in this article should help you to open your mind when you look at the cell phone camera screen. Although I follow the author’s comments under the section “Avoid Using Flash”, I’d suggest using flash. The reasons cited…
If you’re not looking at your subject and visualizing the resulting photograph, chances are you’re DOOMED! That’s right take a quick look at the surrounding elements and the subject then ask yourself: How will this look when finished? For People…
Posing a subject for a portrait is sooo very important. When people come into the studio, they are nervous and uncertain. Try to take a picture of your family or friends at an outing or on vacation. Even then you…
Allmost everyone who is being photographed asks the photographer: “How do you want me to pose?” Unless the photographer has some experience creating portraits, the answer is often “Oh, just stand there”. Take a look at this article about Mark…
Let me suggest that you first look at the images in this article. Then look at some of the pictures on your cell phone camera. Do you see a difference, aside from the subject. Read the article looking for tips…
After adding a contact on a professional social media platform, I was presented with a list of suggested contacts. I was amazed at how many connection suggestions had no or a poor profile photo. How can I confirm our connection…
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, don’t forget to contact the studio for the special Valentine!
Yes, by all means – flowers, candy and/or dinner for Valentine Day. Why not capture a great memoir though. Here’s a great offer on a 1-1/2 hour sitting and an 8X10 color print, Half Off. The offer expires January 31,…
Say Hello to Taylor. She was recently in the the A Thomas Image studio for her graduation portrait. I love photographing high school students. They’re happy, eager to try different poses and in general are very easy to work with. …
It amazes me that people will schedule a visit to the dentist every 6 months or yearly but hesitate to have a portrait created. I’ll guarantee sitting for a portrait is a lot more fun than going to the dentist!…
What do you bet every photographer, could tell you horror stories about photographing infants and children in the studio. There have been many a time I’ve scratched my head after a sitting with a child or children. I’ve even gone…
Yeah, Yeah, I know it’s too early to start thinking of school picture day. But tuck this little gem in your favorites for future reading. Enjoy your camera or come see me.
There is no doubt this economy has taken it’s toll on small business. I get offers to shoot for organizations for free in hopes their event will generate leads for my studio – Yeah right! Brides call to get pricing for…