My first camera and tears of joy.

It started with putting away the Christmas decorations, followed with a full blown organizing frenzy and ending with a huge realization.  I'd forgotten that I’d signed up for Apartment Therapy’s The Cure.  “The perfect excuse to kickstart the process of getting our home (and, at the risk of sounding overly dramatic, our lives) back in order.”  (When the heck did I sign up for that?? AND why???)

The first assignment was in my email box early January 1.  Loved the first part: reward yourself with flowers, houseplant or a bowl of fresh fruit.  Easy Peasy.  A friend had given me a small olive tree a couple of months ago and I hadn’t potted it yet.  Out I went, potted it up, put it in a basket and felt super accomplished.

But there I walked back in the house to all the Christmas decorations and the hardest part of assignment—clean ALL the floors.  I boxed up all the decorations, got them in position to go into the attic and hit not only the floors, but the baseboards too (!) of the bottom level of the house.  Heading upstairs, my husband opened the attic.  And there's where things took a left turn.

I have to tell this part of the story so you'll know why I spent the next several hours sitting in the attic.  A couple of months ago, I wanted to find a video project I did in college.  I’d searched everywhere I could think of in the actual house and still hadn’t found it.  It was on VHS and I wanted to have it copied to DVD so that I wouldn’t lose it to forward advancement in technology.  (Hmmmm.)  My husband thought perhaps it might be in one of the boxes in the attic.  (I hoped not, but was willing to take a look.)  We climbed up and spent the next several hours going through the boxes.  (In the end, I found it along side the other VHS tapes in the media center, happily NOT in the attic!!  However, Michael ended up bringing down several boxes of his work related stuff to purge—long forgotten and obviously not needed after 9 years in the attic!!

Going through his boxes, he pulled several brand new boxes of Microdisks that hold a whopping 1.44MB of data.  1.44Megabytes??  Whaaaat?!!!  AND we couldn't play them if we wanted to.  What if there were images on there??  I’d just held tangible pieces of my past in the form of photographs and albums (yes they were in the attic, but they are in AMAZINGLY good shape and now they're not!) and we had laughed and giggled at the memories.  

Today storage is ridiculously inexpensive and we can afford to keep the majority of our memories on 3TB disk drives or in the clouds somewhere.  But I encourage you to print those memories as you go along.  Put them on the wall, put them in an album.  Enjoy them, live with them, everyday.  You’ll be so glad you did.

I mean really, you'd want to miss out on something like THIS??  

The History of Me.

I've been asked more times than I can count how I got started in photography.  And I can't remember just how it was that I ended up with my first camera at 8, did I ask for it, did my parents just think I would like it?--I just know that opening that box at Christmas was AH-mazing.  And from that moment on, I have called myself a photographer.

I got into a darkroom for the first time in middle school--and couldn't get enough printing (and experimenting!) time.  In high school, I shot for the yearbook, loving assignments that got me up early to shoot the surf team or out late at a baseball game.  It allowed me to roam in and out of every group in the school and chat up just about anyone.

My last year of high school found me working as an intern for a local portrait and wedding photographer and when my internship ended, I was offered a real paying job that took me through my first two years of college.  It was there that I started to learn a little about the business of photography, lighting, posing and building a loyal clientele.

When I left to go the University of Arizona, I began working for a very large and busy wedding and portrait photographer.  Here, I learned a lot more about business and sales.  And on the lighting side, I learned all I could from another photographer working for the studio, who is still one of my close friends.  A friend gave me a darkroom setup he found at a garage sale, and when I wasn't in the darkroom at school, I was in my darkroom at home.  My favorite darkroom memory:  printing a monster mural print (a self portrait with a friend), rolling and unrolling it through the developer, wash and fixer and proudly hanging it to dry.  My love of creating in the darkroom still holds true today, in my digital darkroom, but I do miss the smell of the chemicals.

My education in college taught me about the history of my craft and how other photographers and artists saw and created.  And as much as I complained that I ONLY wanted to take photography classes, from drawing the models in drawing class to melting silver to make jewelry to oil painting to graphic design classes, they all made me into the multi-dimensional artist that I am, still seeking to create.

Along the way, this path has led me straight, (straight, via switchbacks and turns!) to today.  And I've finally realized that it takes the sum of the parts to make the whole.  And I'm still working on that.

Featuring: Plant Depot's "It's always summer somewhere" image creation

Summer may be coming to a close here in the Northern Hemisphere but really, it's summer somewhere else in the world--Hello Southern Hemisphere! It's good to think that a plane ride could drop you right back into summer.

Creating this image for Plant Depot was a fun challenge because finding a watermelon WITH seeds was a challenge in itself!  Although sometimes you cut seedless melon and find one or two black seeds, I didn't want to have to dig through and ruin the whole melon to find them as I was using this one to photograph!  I lucked out and found a couple of seeds in the first cut to photograph individually on a white background.  I also photographed the melon on a white background, which provided the main parts of my image to put together in photoshop.

I gave the melon a little bit of cleanup in photoshop to make it more attractive ;-) and set to work to create my letters.

From my image of the black seeds, I used one perfect seed duplicated to create the letters.

Finally, I used a little more photoshop magic to take a "bite" out of the melon.

Looks good enough to eat!

This is the Instagram version of the image--Head over to Plant Depot's Facebook page to check out the finished Facebook cover image here!  You can also find them on Instagram @plantdepotsjc

My idea of fun!

A couple of weeks ago, I was taking photographs in a roller rink for my goddaughter's 9th birthday.  I'm out there on the rink, (I think I must have walked around that rink at least 100 times!) with an idea of what I wanted I wanted my images to look like.  And let me tell you, it was NOT happening.

Honestly, when I left the party, I was soooooo relieved that I didn't shoot for Roller Derby magazine and frustrated with myself for not being able to figure out how to accomplish what I wanted in camera!

But when I got back to my darkroom, I realized I could create the image I was looking for with a photo composite.  Okay, so I might have thought about this while I was walking the rink ;-)  I had shot several images that were exposed specifically for the colorful lights (helllllo 80's!!) and the movement and several images exposed just for the people, some with flash and some without.  The frustrating challenging lighting situation is that it's an on and off lighting situation--the lights are flashing on and off and changing with generally very low ambient light.  But combining the two images gave me exactly what I was after: a well lit image depicting the motion of my fast moving subject in a low light situation and the colorful lighting behind without looking, well, overly flashed.

Combining the two images and voila!  Exactly what I was looking for.  And instead of being frustrated, I ended up enjoying the challenge, creating a little playtime in my darkroom.  

Has a frustration ever turned into something positive for you?  Share it with me!

It's all about the eye (or is it?)

I used to think when I was younger and in school that it was ALL about the eye.  That is, it was all about how you see things, and how you see things differently than anyone else.  And of course, if it pleases your eye, but maybe more importantly if you are in the business of photography, how it pleases someone else's.

But I know differently now.  Seeing differently is absolutely still important, but now I know that how you run your business and treat people within your business can trump that any day.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou

That's why I strive so hard to make my subjects feel good about themselves.  Most of the time, at the beginning of a shoot, I hear how much they hate having their portrait taken, but it's something they have to do--whether it be for a business portrait, family portrait or high school senior portrait.  They've had awful experiences, whether it be from friends snapping unflattering pics or professionals rushing them through the process.  I understand that feeling--funny enough--I'm not fond of having my picture taken either!  So I want my clients to not only enjoy the process and love their portraits, but to know that I understand and change their feelings about having their portrait taken. And I want them walk away from their shoot feeling like a rockstar.

So before I even raise my camera to my face, we spend time just talking.  I ask them questions about their life, family, friends, pets.  It's amazing how much laughter and softness comes to a person's face when they speak about the people and things that they love.  I spend a good deal of time just chatting with my subjects, about who they are, what they do and who they love.  And you know what happens?  They forget just a little about my camera and just relax.   Their body relaxes, their faces relax, their eyes sparkle and their real personality shines through.  We begin to have fun and they end up feeling like a supermodel.  And then all I hear about is what a great time their photo shoot was!  And I feel like the rockstar for changing their mind!!!  Win-win!

I can't wait to meet you and hear all about you!

Summer Fun

We spent our weekend on little outside projects around the house, prepping for the upcoming outdoor days ahead.  And so on this rainy day, I'm dreaming of summer fun with my little Olympus that can go underwater. A project in the works???  Perhaps!

Fusion Videos and Showreels

The Gift--Laura Schmidt Photography from Laura Schmidt Photographer on Vimeo.
I created this video with Jessica Grothjan Film Maker to showcase a client experience with my studio and to create a visual representation of what my clients tell me about how they feel about their session--how much fun, how relaxed and how natural the experience felt to them from beginning to end.

Film by Jessica Grothjan jessicaanngrothjan@gmail.com
Music by Mat Kearney SongFreedom.com
Hair by Shelly Brouwers

Video is something I've only toyed with and occasionally dabbled in.  I'm intrigued by it, but often while I'm "seeing" through my viewfinder, I can't help myself to think in stills.  When I was in college, during a class devoted entirely to video, the instructor used mine as a "here's what you should do!" and I was proud.  But I still stuck to my stills.

Recently, I invested in a webinar about making showreels for your business with Hailey Bartholomew. She encouraged photographers like myself to try several projects--one was to create a showreel for business.  I was pumped to create something new!

I thought a great deal about the business showreel.  I decided it was out of my wheelhouse (for the time being anyway) and contacted a client that I had photographed, Jessica Grothjan.  I knew she was a budding filmmaker and I sent her video examples of the style I was looking for and Boom. Our fusion team was built.  Turned out, we worked very well together.  I created a storyline, secured our talent while she created the shot list.  We were lucky to have a fabulous family to work with and a fabulous hair stylist to make them even more beautiful!  And together, we created what I think is a fabulous first effort combining our skills as still photographer/photo editor and filmmaker/editor to showcase Laura Schmidt Photography!

Fusion (still and video) portrait sittings are NOW available--contact me for more details!

Savoring summer!

The end of school...whew.  It's been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks.  Dance recitals, musical theater performances, shin-digs and memorial garden trees, birthday parties and end of year gigs.  And through it all, I'm realizing my girl is growing up.  I am seeing  the young girl instead of the little child.  This one uses big grown up words like "evidently".  She styles her hair (I can't say I like it some days, but it's her style) and styles her clothes (much better).  She holds my hand infrequently and likes to listen to kid's bop music.  So when she reaches out for my hand or crawls into my lap or tells me she loves me, I have to stop and grab the moment for they are all too fleeting.  So that's my plan for summer--to savor those moments for as long as I can.

 Here's a share of kid things--some of my favorites...

dance recital

flowers and trophies

first time with makeup

my favorite of our friend Ella

it doesn't matter how old you are, your parents still love you

monarch toddlers on our Environmental Nature Center field trip

field trip fun

more field trip fun--studying scat (poop!)

crawfish hand jive

cut footloose!

Darcy's Smart Bottom Kids booth at the shin-dig! cool craft kits for kids!

Darcy--cute as a button!

this is the craft kit we picked!

but I think we're gonna have to get this one too!  Do you want one?  Get it here!

Hula hoop winner!

crazy hair day

Savi at the shin-dig

Savor the Summer!

Lessons from Life

You know how sometimes Life throws you a shout out that screams--"Here's a lesson (or two!)--take heed!"  I'd have to say that's been life lately.  

My daughter's teacher passed away suddenly 4 weeks ago and I've spent the last 4 weeks in the classroom helping as much as I can- helping to figure out where things are, making copies, gathering homework, helping with the kids--sometimes helping just by being there.  It's been eye-opening for sure.  Our teacher, Ms. Slaght, just had a way with the kids and I've learned so much more about her in her passing than I knew about her living.  (a lesson I'm not taking lightly)  I have worked in the classroom all year--so I knew a little about its day to day routine, but always wondered about some things:  Ms. Slaght's ability to speak fluent spanish to the lone spanish speaking student or the mentally challenged kid that comes in daily to the class ("Do all classes have a special needs kid or just Ms. Slaght?" I asked of the helper--and her reply--"I don't know, but I do know that Ms. Slaght stepped up.")  I am grateful for the time Taylor had with Mary.  She grew so much this year.  And I am grateful for the time I had with Mary.  I know that unlike this year, where she was learning to read, next year, Taylor will read to learn and that she will need work with her math skills over the summer to prepare for third grade.  I loved that I felt like Taylor was special to Mary, but then again, I get the feeling that all of her kids were special to her.  She was an extraordinary teacher, so extraordinary in fact that she was Teacher of the Year last year.  How lucky we were to have had her in our lives. 

This morning, our Brownie troop dedicated a tree donated by Plant Depot in San Juan Capistrano, in memory of Ms. Mary Slaght to our school.

"In the words of Karen Joy Fowler--'Trees are as close to immortality as the rest of us come.'
The members of Brownie troop 1741 respectfully donate this memorial tree that stands before you in memory of Ms. Mary Slaght.

Let this living memorial serve as a longstanding remembrance of our teacher and our friend and serve as welcome comfort as well as a celebration of the cycle of life.  Let this tree stand as a symbol of Ms Slaght's legacy in our school community--and carry on her gifts  to her students in the form of protection, shade and beauty.  Ms. Slaght had an impact on every student she touched."

"Let our tree grow wide and tall so that it may touch the floor of heaven so she may look down and  know that she is not forgotten."  

Living with your images!

  A few weeks back, I installed a beautiful wall portrait display in my client's home.  Every time I do this, I am reminded of how fabulous it is to live with our images everyday--not just on our phones or computers or Facebook, but to really LIVE with our images.  We've become so accustomed to seeing those images on our phones, but have you thought about what it might be like to have those beautiful images to admire and treasure in sizes larger than that phone screen?  How many wonderful images do you have that are lost or forgotten on hard drives?

My clients have a beautiful entry hall that screamed for something--barren walls don't make for warmness in a home!  Our portrait session at the beach told a story about their beautiful blended family--from the energetic 7 year old to her older polished siblings.  With so many images to tell the story, it didn't make sense to hang just one family portrait on the wall!  They choose their favorites and we created their story on the wall in my favorite new product--metal prints!  Metal Prints are a new medium for preserving photos by infusing dyes directly into specially coated aluminum sheets. The image is infused into the surface and not on it, so the images take on an almost magical luminescence--they are breaktaking!  They are float mounted off the wall creating a breathtaking display!  Metal prints aren't for everyone, but there are so many other ways to show off your treasured images--why not take advantage of all the new advances in displaying your imagery?

But here's where a lot of my clients get stuck:  

How do you go about creating a wall grouping and then actually getting it onto the wall?  Wanna know how I do it?

First I measured the wall--side to side and top to bottom.  We decided how much of the wall we wanted to fill--this gave me preliminary dimensions to work with.  We decided what images we wanted to work with--not necessarily the sizes yet; only choosing the images.  Then we worked to decide the sizes for the display.  Some images lend themselves to being a focal point.  In this case, the portrait of the whole family was to be the focal point. 

When the metal prints came in (it's like Christmas for me!), I made templates using craft paper.  First, I drew the outline of the piece on the craft paper.  I cut out the template and then laid it on the back of the metal print and marked where the hangers were on my craft paper.  You can affix the templates to your wall, arrange as you'd like and hammer in your hangers.  You can do this to easily hang any pieces.  In this instance with seven prints, I put the templates on a larger piece of craft paper, measuring the distances I wanted between images, and affixed them with tape to the larger piece of craft paper.  We showed up at my clients, affixed the large piece of craft paper to the wall.  We used a level to make sure it was level and then nailed our hangers at the appropriate spots on the wall.  We carefully removed the template (we wanted to save it, just in case) and hung the portraits.  Easy Peasy!!  No more extra holes in the walls!  You can buy templates just like this, but why, when you can make your own?  I use a large roll of craft paper because I do this so often, but you can use any clean paper to create the template.  I recycle my templates by giving them to my daughter to paint and color on.  (Then I have that art to hang!)

If you like the look of photographs with other mementos or images, how about incorporating your family portraits into a wall display as sort of a three dimensional scrapbook?  Canvas or framed prints with glass may be classic ways of displaying your portraits, but why not create a display using some of the fabulous new products available?  Have questions?  Want some ideas?  Call me for a consultation on how to get those images off your computer and into your life!

Samantha

 Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing the sweetest young lady for her First Communion.  Not only was she beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well.  Sweetness and grace.   Having First Communion portraits done ahead of time is such a great idea; so much more relaxed than having them done that day!

 We arrived just after a wedding ended and Mass began, so we had a little time inside--The light inside St Edward the Confessor church is so beautiful!

Outside, the beautiful walkway is filled with white roses and bougainvillea.

 We had a very special guest appearance! 

 Adding to the sweetness--Mom's bridal headpiece...

Congratulations Miss Sam! You are a little gem!

Here's a fun little Animoto video--let me know what you think!