Paying It Forward: For Military Families…

YAY!  I’m so excited.  I wrote a post (see below this entry) about being accepted to the Littlest Heroes Project and just about a week ago, I was accepted to be a part of the photography team for Operation: Love ReUnited!

These are both WONDERFUL organizations and OpLove is for any military families that have loved ones that are deploying, deployed or returning home.  As a wife of a former Marine, I know how difficult it can be to be away from your loved one…even moreso, if you have little ones waiting for Mommy or Daddy or another family member to come home.

(The following is taken from the OpLove website to further explain what this is about):

If you are a member or family member of the United States Military, and are interested in having very special and touching images with a patriotic edge taken of you and/or your family before a deployment or during, and at your reunion, please contact a photographer in your area now.  You will receive a substantial package as a gift in appreciation for all you have been through as a military member.  The package will always include a 4×6 album of pre-deployment images, such as a child’s hand clasped in his parent’s with the faint glimpse of a BDU sleeve, a marine in dress with his family, a salior with his parents right before departure, or a child playing dress up in combat boots and a helmet.  The album will be sent to the deployed soldier by the photographer, at no cost to you.  Also with your package, all session fees will be waived.  Your photographer may have a designated package or other options for Operation: Love ReUnited participants at their discretion with a signed model release.

If you are in the military or have a loved one serving, I HIGHLY encourage you to take a look at their website and find a local photographer near you.  www.oplove.org

For any photographers who may not be a part of this and read this, I highly encourage you to join this organization as well.  Because in my eyes…it’s the least we can do for those putting their lives on the line for our freedom!

Paying It Forward..An AWESOME Opportunity To Help Families with Disabled/Ill Children…

Many photographers are aware of this non-profit organization and some are a part of it.  I am so excited to share that I was accepted a couple of weeks ago to Littlest Heroes Project.

Some of you may ask what this project is all about.  This organization made up of professional photographers across the nation and we provide free photo sessions to our Littlest Heroes. If you have a child, or know a child, who suffers from any type of serious illness or life altering disability, you may be eligible for a session. 

For example, if your child(ren)..ages newborn to 21 yrs… is currently fighting, suffers or has fought from:  Autism, Alopecia, AIDS, Bell’s Palsy, Cancer,Chiari Malformation,Cystic Fibrosis, Cerebral Palsy, CHD,Childhood Stroke, Servere Diabetes, Down Syndrome, HIV, Immune System disorders and diseases, Kidney Disease, Muscular Dystrophy, Neurocutaneous Syndromes, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Shaken Baby Syndrome, Sickle Cell Anemia, Spina Bifida, Tay-Sachs Disease, and other serious childhood illnesses and life altering disabilites….you could apply.

You do have to apply for a session because many people have taken advantage of the free sessions and they have to make sure it’s legit.  Typically, the sessions would be outdoors but of course, that is up to you, the family and photographer and what the conditions are.  Besides the free photo session, you will also receive at least 5 photos (on a CD or printed). 

If you are interested in a session for the LHP, please visit their website (www.littlestheroesproject.org) for more info.  You may view who the photographers are for your state to get more info. 

So, if you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and help spread the word of this beautiful and wonderful opportunity!!  Just click on the logo above and it will take you to their site.

Halloween…Better Late Than Never, Right?!

Haha, so as I was going thru some of my photo files, I realized I never wrote a journal or posted any pics from Halloween.  I’m so slacking. LOL 

For their Halloween pics, I really wanted to dress them back up and take pro pics of them.  I had hoped for outside pics, but eh…looks like that’s not gonna happen now since it’s winter.  But I might dress them and set up some backgrounds or something.  Here are some photos as they  just about ready to head out trick or treating….JJ’s wasn’t too cooperative, just for one or two…hence why there’s more of Zack.  I loved JJ’s costume because his friend that he plays with down the street gave him his old costume from the year before and JJ was swimming in it. LOL

No edits yet…just wanted to at least post them. lol 

Meet Batman & the Joker!!

And I love this one of Zack because his hair naturally so soft & straight:

Inside Out – Rock Band from RI

So I never ventured into Band Photography, so this was my first time doing it.  The lead singer is someone who I used to work with and I graduated high school with.  It was a blast to do!  The lighting was horrible in the club, but I made due the best I could. =) I haven’t edited all the images but here are some of my faves from that night.  Added some cross processing effects to give it that “edgy” look.

Everyone, check out their website at: http://insideoutri.com

Same image as above, this one is just with a CP edit:

Nature…A couple of photos from today…

BARE HEART OF NATURE

I look at the trees as I drive along
All barren and sad and bare
No leaves to keep them warm
But they don’t seem to care….

What joy it brings to me
Kicking up leaves for fun
Seeing the myriad of colours
From gold to russet to brown.

(Poem By: snowbelle from www.booksie.com)

*************************************************************************

NOT JUST A COLOR

Red is not just a color, it’s Passion. It’s love. It’s life.  Red is not just a color, It’s everything…

(words by Stephanie Howery on http://www.helium.com)

A Beautiful (and yummy) Thank You….

So I had the pleasure of photographing Melanie & Nathan’s wedding back in August of 2007.  They picked up their album from me over the summer and were so pleased with it.

So the album company that I use tends to send me free products once in a while to sort of promote them.  Over the fall, the company called me and talked to me about what they were sending (just another type of photo book) and asked if I would like to try it out for free.  They chose a wedding of mine that they still had on file and sent me the book.  The book came out great but it wasn’t something that I know would sell to my wedding couples.  It would be better to use it towards maternity/baby/children or possibly seniors. 

So seeing how I couldn’t really use it for weddings, just a few weeks ago, I sent the book to the bride’s mother & father as sort of a Thank You.  And in return…and a huge surprise to me, the mother sent a beautiful Thank You card to me as well as a stunning box of handmade Chocolate Truffles and Chocolate Turtles.  Mmmmm, they are delicious!

Aaaaand it turns out Melanie & Nathan are now expecting their first child in April!  I’m soooo excited for them!!  They were just an awesome couple to work with and I hope to photograph their little bundle of joy when he/she is born. =)

Melanie’s mother, Doreen, who made the chocolates, has her own little business on the side.  So if anyone is interested in having her make anything, here’s her info: “Delectables By Doreen” and her email is: delectablesbydoreen@yahoo.com

Here’s some pics of the yummy treats!

100 Things I’ve Learned About Photography…

** I came across this post from another site and thought it would be awesome to share.  Hmmm, I think I just may write my own list when I have the spare time. (spare time??  what is that?! lol)  I figured all you photographers could appreciate this!**

100 Things I’ve Learned About Photography (from DPS site)

Since I found photography two and a half years ago I have learned different things which I would like to share with you today. These lessons have made me richer and I hope that you will find them refreshing and inspiring on your journey with the camera, too.

1. Never do photography to become a rock-star.

2. Enjoy what you are shooting.

3. Prepare well for your shooting, realizing that your battery isn’t charge when you’re setting up for that sunrise shoot is too late!

4. Always take one warm garment more than you actually need with you

5. Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions while you are shooting

6. Set goals you can achieve

7. Write tips about photography, because writing is also learning

8. Never go shooting without a tripod

9. Be pleased with the little prosperities

10. Build relationships with potential photo buddies

11. Watch the place you want to shoot first with your heart then with the camera

12. Always stay calm

13. Know that you tend to overestimate yourself

14. Perspective is the killer

15. Dedicate yourself to photography, but never browbeat yourself too much

16. Take part in a photography community

17. Keep your camera clean

18. Never compare yourself to others in a better or worse context

19. Find your own style of photography

20. Try to compose more and to hit the shutter less

21. Seek out and learn to accept critique on your images

22. Do something different to recover creativity

23. Get inspiration from the work of other photographers

24. Criticize honestly but respectfully

25. Get feedback from your lady

26. Don’t copy other photographer’s style

27. Be bold

28. Take care of the golden ratio

29. 10mm rocks!

30. Take self-portraits

31. Read books about photography

32. To give a landscapephotograph the extra boost, integrate a person (maybe yourself)

33. Every shooting situation is different than you expect

34. Pay attention to s-curves and lines

35. Always shoot in RAW (my opinion: hmmm, raw is good but I’m perfectly ok with jpegs.  As long as you are spot on, or fairly close, to the correct exposure, you’re fine). =)

36. Keep your sensor clean, so you can save some work cleaning your image in post production

37. Discover the things you think are beautiful

38. It takes time to become a good photographer

39. The best equipment is that what you have now

40. You can’t take photographs of everything

41. Break the rules of photography knowingly, but not your camera 😉

42. Pay attention to the different way that light falls on different parts of your scene

43. The eye moves to the point of contrast

44. Clouds increase the atmosphere of a landscape

45. Start a photoblog

46. Accept praise and say “thank you”

47. ‘Nice Shot’ is not a very useful comment to write

48. ‘Amazing!’ isn’t useful either. Try to describe specifically what you like or don’t like about an image.

49. You are not your camera

50. Ask a question at the end of your comment on a photo to get a ping-pong conversation with the photographer

51. Do a review of your archives on a regular basis, the longer you photograph – the more diamonds are hidden there

52. Always clarify what the eyecatcher (focal point) will be in your image

53. No image is better than a bad one

54. Everyone has to start little

55. Your opinion about photography is important!

56. Leave a funny but thoughtful comment

57. Speak about your experiences with your photo buddies

58. Limit your photograph to the substance

59. Participate in Photocontests

60. Post processing = Optimizing your image to the best result

61. Shoot exposure latitudes as often as possible

62. Use photomatix as seldom as possible, HDR’s always have a synthetic flavor

63. Always remember what brought you to photography

64. Never shoot a person who doensn’t want to be photographed

65. Always turn arround, sometimes the better image is behind you

66. It’s who’s behind the camera, not the camera

67. Mistakes are allowed! The more mistakes you make, the more you learn!

68. If you have an idea and immediately you think : No, this is not going to work – Do it anyway. When in doubt – always shoot.

69. Understand and look to your histogramm while shooting. It delivers very important information about your image

70. Know your camera, because searching the menu button in the night is time you don’t want to waste

71. Shoot as often as possible

72. Believe in yourself

73. Don’t be afraid of getting dirty

74. Pay attention to qualitiy in your image

75. Your photographs are a personal map of your psyche

76. Re-check your ISO-Settings. It’s aweful to detect the wrong settings on your screen.

77. Be thankful for long and thoughtful comments on your images

78. Never trust your LCD. Normally it is brighter and sharper as the original image.

79. Provide for enough disc space, because it’s cheap and you will need it.

80. Learn to enjoy beautful moments when you don’t have a camera with you.

81. Always arrive at least half an hour earlier before sunrise / sundown, composing in a hurry is a bad thing.

82. Try to amplify your mental and physical limits. Takes some extra shots when you think “it’s enough”

83. Pay attention to structures in the sky and wait until they fit into structures in the foreground

84. Visit the same place as often as possible. Light never shows the same mountain.

85. Print your images in big size. You will love it.

86. Calibrate your monitor. Working with a monitor that is not accurate is like being together with someone you can’t trust. It always ends badly.

87. Don’t think about what others may say about your image. If you like it, it’s worth publishing.

88. Never address reproaches to yourself. Learn from your mistakes and look forward, not backward.

89. Fight your laziness ! Creativitiy comes after discipline.

90. Ask yourself : What do you want to express in your images ?

91. Always try to think outside the box, collect new ideas about photographs you could do and ask yourself : Why not?

92. Search for a mentor.

93. Photography is never a waste of time.

94. Every community has it’s downsides. Don’t leave it out of an emotional response.

95. There will always be people who will not like what you are doing.

96. Henri Cartier-Bresson was right when he said that “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”

97. A better camera doesn’t guarantee better images.

98. Always have printing in mind when you postprocess your images.

99. Photography is fair : You gain publicity with the quality of your images. Unless the images are stolen, there is no way of cheating yourself higher.

100. Write a 100 things list

New Websites….

I now have a Myspace and Facebook account, in which I will also be posting images from sessions, discounts, promotional deals, etc on.  If you have an account with either website, please feel free to add me as a contact/friend!

http://www.myspace.com/teresasweetphotography

And for Facebook, just search under my name “Teresa Sweet” and you’ll see my Self-Portrait Profile (same one that is listed a few posts below this one on this blog…the pic where I’m holding the camera). =)  Let me know if you’re a client, friend or someone who just wants to follow my work so I can approve you.  DO NOT search under Teresa Sweet Photography because that account is bare and isn’t updated.

Hope to see you on both sites!