One of the most common questions that high school seniors want to know prior to their portrait session is "What to Bring?" Since we provide a customized portrait experience, this FAQ is not asking permission. The real question is "Can you help me think of some ideas to make my portraits tell my story best?" This video helps start the creative process. Additionally, Oro Valley Photography helps seniors think through some ideas in our FREE initial consultation which we also provide a more comprehensive list of suggestions. Remember this time in your life with more than a sterile yearbook head shot.
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Yearbook pictures are not the same as senior portraits. Many seniors are choosing to have a second senior portrait session that expresses their unique character without institutional constraints. The individualized senior portrait session allows seniors to choose meaningful locations and props that represent themselves and their high school experience. Recently I received a thank you letter from a mom that reflects why seniors choose to have portraits done outside of the studio.
- “Thank you so much . . . through all your shots, you truly captured her youth, happiness and beauty. It was wonderful working with you. I look forward to working with you in the future!”
For those who plan early, you have the opportunity to have your favorite portrait added to your yearbook. Most high schools yearbooks allow senior dedications that are available in quarter, half or full pages. The yearbook typically requires the images for these pages to be submitted early in the school year. Senior clients that have portrait sessions in the summer and fall are able to share their favorite senior portrait in their senior yearbook. Here is an example from the Canyon Del Oro Yearbook.
Some news articles on senior portraits is available from the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal.
Oro Valley Senior Portrait Photographers: Erik Wilkinson and Jacob Wilkinson
Senior Portrait Package Rates range between: $140 - $500 (Includes personal rights to digital images)
Your high school can mandate where you get yearbook pics, but you choose your senior portrait photographer. If you would like to learn more, then please call Erik at 520.404.7007.
]]>When deciding on the best photo booth for your event, it is important to consider the size of your event, the quality of images and what you want your guests to remember.
Go Big!
Size matters when selecting a photo booth. This is important for two reasons. The first is how large of an area do you have for the booth and how many guests will want to be pictured together. If you have a small area, then your best option is likely a rental photo booth kiosk. The larger the size of your event the more likely you will have groups of people wanting to be in the photo booth at the same time. The larger on-site photography studio creates excitement with more fun and variety with props, posing and expressions. If you are anticipating group photos with more than four people, then request a minimum of a 10 X 10 backdrop.
Go Bright!
With larger groups, a bigger backdrop and more flashes are needed to have a good quality set of images. Some “Photo Booth” photographers and most kiosk units have only one small flash. We have found that this method while economical, will typically exaggerate skin imperfections and leave people in groups over shadowed. If this is a concern, then request a photo booth with a minimum of a single 48 inch light source or two flashes. Bounce reflectors properly angled can also help with increasing the effective size of the light source.
Oro Valley Photography recently photographed around 500 students at the IRHS Winter Formal, during this “Photo Booth” we used 5 studio flashes with 3 front lights and two back lights. The back lights were used to create an ultra-white background which made a soft rim light that made the formal dress colors pop. The multiple front lights made it easy to switch between groups and couples without having to reposition the lights. As one school administrator commented, “Your photo booth is more popular with the students than previous photo booths." Additionally, many of the students and parents have commented about how good the images look. These high quality images are possible with professional lighting techniques.
Go Flashback!
As everyone heads home from your event they will begin reminiscing. The photo booth keeps those memories alive. The big decision is how you want to keep those memories alive and how soon do you want the buzz to start. In today’s world, the old norm of one to two weeks is too long to wait to see photos. Oro Valley Photography offers our clients the ability to have images posted online the following day, on-site professional printing and on-site slide shows. The on-site options provide immediate gratification and more importantly make the event more fun. Additionally, these options can be used at corporate or fundraising events to create excitement around a brand or company.
The Running Shop in Tucson received several compliments from the Thanksgiving Cross Country Classic for providing a free photo booth with immediate professional prints from Oro Valley Photography. Three month later, a friend of mine still has one of these branded images on her refrigerator.
When planning your next event, remember to Go Big, Go Bright and then Go Flashback. When it comes to parties, people do not remember cell phone selfies, they remember the pictures with their friends and family. Oro Valley Photography makes events more memorable.
]]>In today’s world photography is everywhere. Driven by improvements in camera phones, Instagram, Facebook and in-expensive 1 hour photo developing at your local drug store, there are plenty of candid photos of everyone. This leads a few wonder why a professional photographer can charge as much as they do. One of the largest local photography companies in Tucson will charge a $199 for a two hour on-location sitting fee and then charge an additional $39 for a single 5 x 7. Although, our rates are much lower, this company has reasonable rates when you consider what is included to make those professional photographs.
You are paying for the time, expertise and equipment needed to create the image itself. This is not just a focus, click and print. There is much more that is involved.
Time
- Traveling: To/from the location
- Shooting: – actual time with the camera
- Set up and preparation: This includes packing, scouting, client communications and researching
- Loading photos onto a computer
- Post processing: Cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, clarity, tone (much more time than you would think)
- Posting photos to web-site
- Printing: Receiving orders, processing payments, ordering prints, sending orders to photo lab, verifying prints, and shipping.
Every hour of actual shooting time is often accompanied by four hours of non-shooting activities to produce high quality photography. So, when you are paying $199 per hour for a two hour sitting fee, then you are not paying $100 per hour. It is more like $20 per hour.
Equipment Costs
Although many of the DSL cameras that you see in the local electronic store look similar to professional cameras, there are some big differences. Most notably is the size of the individual light sensors (not the number of megapixels). The larger sensors capture more light which means less electronic noise is created. This greatly increases the image quality. A typical professional camera costs $3000 and up for the body only. It is an additional $2000 for the most commonly used professional lenses. The lighting system are even more and again much more than you probably expected.
Expertise
Although the cost of equipment can be staggering, taking professional portraits involves more than just having a nice camera. Professional photographers spend years developing their ability to visualize and create the best photos from properly posing to adjusting for optimal lighting. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, many long nights are also spent perfecting photographs with post processing software.
For more information on Oro Valley Photography rates, please see:
How much does it cost for Wedding Photography in Tucson?
Think of it this way – the next time you pay $100 to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional to actually do the job.
]]>STEP 1: Select Buy (on the drop down menu "Select Product"
STEP 2: Select Category (If needed)
STEP 3: Select Product
STEP 4: "Add to Cart"
STEP 5: View "Cart"
STEP 6: Review Your Order and "Checkout Now"
STEP 7: "Checkout as Guest" (or use other options)
STEP 8: Fill in the Required Fields and "Continue Checkout"
STEP 9A: Enter Coupon Code then "Apply" (If Applicable)
STEP 9B: Select Deliver Method and "Continue Checkout"
STEP 10: Select Payment Method and Enter Information
After entering your payment information, you will be directed to a confirmation page. On this page select "Place Order."
Thank you,
Oro Valley Photography
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Celebrating 10 years, the Arizona Distance Classic has been described as the most scenic Arizona race event of the year and takes place in Oro Valley, AZ. M3S Sports, the race organizer, has continued to grow the popularity of this event through community support. The local support is huge from the major employers of our area including Ventana, Northwest Medical Center, Splendido, All About Running & Walking, Hilton-Tucson El Conquistador, Arizona Party Rental and the Explorer.
Oro Valley Photography is proud to be the official photographers of the 2014 event and we look forward to capturing some wonderful memories of the anticipated 2500 participants. We hope that you are one of them, so please come and join us. You will not want to miss this event.
For more information please click: Arizona Distance Classic
For race photos please click HERE
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Running into the Photo - Wilkinson FamilyPicacho Peak State Park
www.orovalleyphotography.com
Did you ever notice that when you look at pictures of yourself, the ones we typically like the most include our friends and family? These images remind us of the people we love or a time that we enjoyed.
Here are seven photography tips for when you have your family together this holiday season. These can help you take that photograph that will bring back wonderful memories for years to come.
Scout
Outdoor locations are usually best. Look for shade and avoid direct mid-day sun. The best time for outdoor photos is around sunset and sunrise, when the Arizona sun welcomes photographers.
Nickles FamilyBackyard photos overlooking Catalina Mountains
Recruit
A friend with a load pleasant voice can be a great ally in getting your group to the location. It lets everyone know that this is a team effort and takes some pressure off the photographer.
Stagger
Most amateur group photos have everyone line up rows like a little league baseball team. Although, this may be practical for large groups, it is not the best options for less than 10 people. In these situations, you want your group laying, sitting, kneeling, and standing on multiple levels. Avoid positioning multiple faces on the same horizontal or vertical plane. This variety makes the image much more dynamic.
Pusch Ridge Homecoming 2013www.orovalleyphotography.com
Focus
Depending on your camera settings, everyone in your picture may not be perfectly in focus. When you focus on the person closest to the camera, then even with others slightly out of focus, the image will be a keeper. On the other hand, if the person in the front is blurry, the eye will be drawn to the imperfection of the picture.
Fill Flash
Sometimes your camera will not want to flash on a sunny day because of the amount of light in your background. By forcing the flash to fire you can light your subjects, preventing them from being lost in the shadows. This can be done with almost any camera, including phone cameras.
Wilkinson Family PhotoPicacho Peak State Park
Click, Click, Click
The hard work is done and it is time to click the picture. Taking multiple shots can increase your chances of getting everyone smiling with open eyes.
Have Fun
Family and friend photos are better when everyone is having fun. Sometimes this is hard with little ones or inpatient teenagers. Keep the session light and remember no picture is perfect. Plan the formal picture first and saver the silly picture to the end.
Ironwood Ridge Women's Cross Country2013 Ironwood Ridge Women's Cross Country Team
As photographers and everyone is a photographer, we need to develop our “Eye for photography.” Eye sight is defined as our visual perception of our surroundings contained in visible light. A photograph is simply capturing that perception to view or share in the future. We can begin to develop our “Eye” with these simple three steps.
1. Know Light
Understand light begins with seeing the world differently. A simple exercise will help you achieve this. You will need a flashlight (or other light source) and an egg. Slowly reposition the light around the egg. Notice how the appearance of the egg changes as the location of the light changes. Identify a few angles of light that you prefer, try taking a few pictures. Look around; see if you notice different shadows and degrees of light.
2. Use Light
Light can either be your friend or your foe. Are you using light or is light abusing you? A built in camera flash often produces flat images and annoying red eyes because the primary light source and camera angles are identical.
3. Follow Light
The angle of light is determined by the location of the light source, the camera and the subject. A better angle of light can typically be achieved by moving one of these three. Some quick fixes that can be helpful include having your subject move their head or body towards a light away from the camera. Additionally, on a sunny day, have your subject step into the shade to avoid the direct hard light of the sun. If you have a swivel on your flash, try moving the light source by bouncing your flash off a nearby wall.
As you begin to see the world differently, the heart of your photography will shine. Remember this next time you hear, “You have an Eye for Photography.”
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