Wanamaker Photography Blog

Behind The Scenes Of A Photography Studio

Busy … Busy … Busy … That’s about the only way that I can describe the last month or so! Things have kept us going so much so that we haven’t even had a chance to update the blog!

Soccer, Baseball, Lacrosse, School and all of our other Spring events have all come to an end … which means we now have a chance to breath a little and look at what we’ve accomplished! It also gives us a chance to work on our creative ‘eye’ while getting things ready for the fall season!

As we look back over the last few months, we’ve covered numerous Minisink Valley Lacrosse and Baseball games, attended two of the area’s largest Irish Dance Feis Events, photographed Youth Soccer Players, attended Prom as a couple’s personal paparazzi, continued with our Senior Portrait Sessions and captured loving moments between couples during their Engagement Photo Session. Needless to say, we have a lot of photos ready to be blogged about!

Looking over the calendar for the next few months has a much lighter schedule for us, but plenty of exciting work we cannot wait to get to! The 2008 Eldred High School Graduation, an annual Puerto Rican Pig Roast, summer sports portraits for i9 Sports, numerous Weddings and some additional Senior and Family Portrait sessions!

Next month, we’ll also launch our new Wanamaker Photography VIP program … so details will soon follow!

Overall, it will be nice to have a bit of a breather where we can recharge our own batteries, enjoy what is shaping up to be a beautiful summer and start getting our gears into motion for the fall. Be sure to come back and check out our blog and website often as we’ll be updating it a lot with many of the incredible images we’ve captured over the last few months!

Pregnancy and birth are miraculous journeys. This amazing time of life is full of mystery, anticipation, joy, hope, and wonder. Feeling the powerful energy of birth and new life, watching as a new family is born unto each other. These things humble and amaze. These are the things that we celebrate when a baby is born.But there is another aspect of pregnancy and birth. There is an unexpected place in this journey where some families may find themselves. When a baby dies, a world is turned upside down. There is confusion, sadness, fear, and uncertainty that cannot be explained. There is sorrow where there should have been joy. During this time, it might be impossible for families to know what they might need in order to heal in the future.

This excerpt was taken directly from the website for an incredible organization called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. This organization provides a helping hand and a healing heart for families overcome by the grief and pain of losing their newborn child. While the idea of photographing their baby may not immediately occur to them, offering a gentle, compassionate photography service done in a sensitive manner is the heart and soul of the organization.

 
Image Courtesy NowILayMeDownToSleep.Org

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) administers a network of nearly 3,000 volunteer professional photographers in the United States and eight International countries. At a family’s request, a NILMDTS Affiliated Photographer will go to a hospital or hospice location and conduct a sensitive and private portrait session. The portraits are then professionally retouched and presented to the families on an archival DVD or CD that can be used to print portraits of their cherished baby.

We at Wanamaker Photography may not be emotionally ready to accept such incredible responsibility, but we feel the need to contribute to this organization any way we can.

Image Courtesy NowILayMeDownToSleep.Org

We have decided to label May 2008 as “Mother’s Month” in recognition of all the moms that have children and for those who have suffered the loss of a child. During the entire month of May, for any Maternity, Newborn or Young Child portrait session booked, we will donate $50 to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation, in your name, to help them continue this wonderful service.

To help give you a closer look at what the organization does and how it got started, we’ve edited a video (based on footage obtained from Photo Vision) that will take you on an emotion trip to the event that started it all. Sandy Puc, one of the founding members, recounts her first session with a little boy, named Maddox, who’s life was cut short before it even had a chance to really begin. Before you watch, I highly recommend that you keep a box of tissues close by!

If you are interested in more information on Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, please visit their website, with information for Photographers and Families alike, at http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org. If you are interested in more information about our sessions, please contact us directly at 1-866-832-4001.

I hope this video impacts you as much as it did me!

Kali became one of the latest teenagers to experience our custom Senior Portrait Session!

Kali’s mom originally contacted us as she was not happy with the quality of the images that were produced by the school photographer for Minisink Valley High School. Her original intention was to purchase a bunch of wallets to include in Kali’s graduation invitations and she wasn’t about to use what was produced by the school.

During my initial phone consultation with Kali’s mom, we discussed what exactly she needed and what she could expect with the Senior Portrait Session. We booked Kali’s session a few weeks out as they wanted to wait until she had her braces off.

The day of the shoot finally arrived and Jenny and I headed up to Kali’s house to setup everything. As we brought everything into the house, I secretly scouted their decor as I hadn’t had a chance to have an actual sit-down consultation with them prior. I took notes and knew that I could surprise them with something I knew would fit right in.

We started out with the traditional drape shots …

… and then moved on to some more traditional shots … but in non-traditional locations …

Once we captured enough shots indoors, we bundled up and headed outside for some “fun” shots around her house. We posed Kali in one area and photographed away. Jenny and I would often switch off and hold the reflector while Kali’s mom grabbed one of our cameras for some “behind the scenes” shots (which are extremely top secret )

Once Kali’s session was over, she told us that she felt like a “superstar” and couldn’t wait to see the images. Jenny and I packed up and headed out. Now the real work began!

We touched up a couple photos with different overlays and embellishments to give them a unique look that Kali would love.

In the mean time, we had a custom DVD Slideshow, assembled to music, created for our upcoming Sales-Order Session with everyone. I also worked on creating a custom 5×30 poster with a bunch of our favorite images of Kali. My notes finally came in handy as well as I talked to our custom framer and had something created that would fit the style their house perfectly.

When the night of the Sales-Order Session came, we showed everyone the DVD on their big screen and I uncovered the 5×30 framed composite poster of Kali. Her mom loved it so much that she purchased it from us. However, the best part of the night was when her mom told us that the composite poster frame was “her frame” and that she felt like it was specially made just for her. Paying attention to those details always pays off!

Carly came to us for one of our Senior Portrait Sessions. Actually, she is one of our Ambassadors for the Eldred High School in New York. With that title comes a free photo session and images to take with her to show off to her classmates. In return, Carly will provide us with the information of other interested Seniors so we can setup their Portrait Sessions as well!

During Carly’s Senior Portrait Session, we took some standard and unique photos indoors and then headed outside while the sun was still strong. I wanted to experiment a little with a prom gown she owned … so we decided to incorporate some images of her trashing her prom dress.

However, before we totally ruined the dress, I took her back to a wooded area that had a couple large boulders … one of which I sat her on. I shot a couple frames before this one and then she just tilted her head and looked right into the lens with her amazing blue eyes … so I snapped this shot and absolutely loved it! (We’ve got more images of Carly coming really soon!)

I shot this with our Canon 20D with the 70-200mm lens at F4 at 1/160 with the ISO all the way down at 100.