Trying to break out of a rut?  Try some mini-photo shoots at home!  CMpro Jessica Holden is blogging today about how she creates a mini-studio in her home and showing you how you can too.  Thanks, Jessica!

Creating a Mini-Studio in Your Home

by Jessica Holden

These days, when it’s too dark and cold and snowy (or, in my case, rainy) to do much in the way of outdoor shooting, it can be fun to get your creative juices flowing by making a little studio right in your home!

I have been doing this with my daughter for years and it is a fun way to spend an afternoon! We like to pick out the backdrop, clothing, and props together and then do our shoot.

First, scout out your home by looking around at different times of the day, taking notes on what light you have where and when. In our house, her bedroom (which has a south-facing window) has the most beautiful warm, sweet light in the late morning, and for most of the day on bright days I can also shoot in my living room and dining room if I stay near enough to the north-facing sliding windows. None of these rooms is decorated beautifully for photography or, let’s face it, even tidy enough on the average occasion to make for much of a pleasing background, but with some creative modifications, I can make a perfectly good home studio out of them!

My daughter’s room is my favorite room to work in because the quality of light in there is so buttery and soft. But she doesn’t have a lot of closet or drawer space, so it is most often a mess! We just work around that:

The window is to the right in this image, and I can soften or brighten the light by closing or opening the curtains as necessary. (If your room doesn’t have curtains but you need more control, then pinning up a white sheet across the window will work just as well to diffuse the light a bit!)

For backgrounds, I like to shop in the home decorator’s section of my local fabric store (especially when they have their 40% off coupons!) to find fabrics that inspire me. When setting up the shot, it helps to iron your backdrop as well as you can (and better than I did in this example!) to avoid shadows that form in the folds that are hard to fix in processing, especially when you are using a patterned backdrop like this. Then I tape the fabric smoothly to the wall using painter’s tape to avoid doing any damage to the walls.

When you’re all set up, place your subject to achieve the best lighting and background, and shoot! As always, watch for catchlights, turning your subject slightly more toward the window if necessary to get the catchlights to be nicely in both eyes.

Here are two examples from that setup:

For a more modern look, I like to use my living room or dining room and seamless paper. The light in those rooms is not as bright, giving me much less even lighting, which to me calls for the edgier, more current look of seamless. I have two rolls of seamless, and I most often use Thunder Gray. I tape it around a piece of foam board from the hobby shop, and prop that up on a stool or stepladder, depending on the height I need. Then I have her sit on the ground in front of it, adjusting her height and the foam board height with books as needed to ensure that her face is completely surrounded by the board to avoid having to clone in any backdrop in after the fact (though cloning with seamless is easy and works beautifully if you miss an edge!). I also sometimes prop up my reflector on the side opposite the window to add in a little fill light to the darker side of her face.

Here is the setup (notice the pajama bottoms? I pick my battles when she isn’t wholly in the mood
to entertain my desire for a photo shoot).

And here is the result:

You might also notice the hair dryer propped on a dish towel on the chair in the lower right of the set-up image. Sometimes if we want to go a little more fun, I grab that and we turn it on low to add just a hint of movement to her hair. The dish towel helps the dryer to stay put where I want it to control where the air flows. Of course, never leave the dryer on unattended. (Also in the following image I removed the reflector, which darkened the non-window side of her face for a just a hint more shading and drama.)

But what if you want to shoot more than just a head? Then you just need to find a larger blank wall by a window! For this I have also used both seamless and fabric. For ¾ or full length I prefer to use 54” or wider fabric/seamless. I sometimes need to remove photos from the wall temporarily as well (and sometimes they help hold down the background), depending on how large an area I want to capture, but the main idea remains the same. Tape your background down as flatly and smoothly as possible:

And an image from that shoot:

And finally, I have found that using a lighter-colored seamless allows me to easily alter the background if I so desire by adding texture to the image and then carefully masking out the subject. (I generally use TV Gray for this; white doesn’t work as well, and I find Thunder Gray is so dark that it hides the texture.) This just adds one more way you can get creative with your indoor studio!

And most of all, have fun—with this basic setup you can let your imagination run wild no matter
what the weather holds outside!

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area she calls home, Jessica Holden is a photographer, freelance book editor, and mom with an eye for capturing the everyday moments and ordinary things that make life extraordinary. She’s been married to her one and only for 15 years, and she’s an impossible romantic. Her daughter is the light of her life and, as you may have guessed, she’s Jessica’s favorite photography subject. Jessica is inspired by beautiful light and how it plays with objects. As a little girl she was mesmerized by watching her grandfather create masterful charcoal renderings of sun-streamed redwood groves; since she can barely sketch stick figures, she tries to achieve that same radiance with her camera.

There’s a lot of talk about finding your style and making your work distinctive … and don’t get me wrong, that should absolutely be top priority. Your work should speak for itself and represent you as an artist. If you’re in business, you want clients to come to you for your vision, to love your work so much that they trust you implicitly as an artist behind the camera … not because you’re the least expensive or shortest drive amongst a group of photographers whose work all pretty much looks the same. And if you’re not in business … well, you have the luxury of complete creative freedom and artistic risk – hopefully you’re taking advantage of that!

What about your online presence? Are you using your site as another opportunity to set yourself apart? Does it enhance your portfolio and contribute to an overall viewing experience that speaks to your style and vision? Or does your site just kind of blend into the thousands of other sites out there?

Take a look at these ten photographers’ striking site designs and note how their sties enhance the work of the photographers, advance their branding, and even tell you a little something about who they are as artists.

1. Jasmine Star

2. Kalle Gustafsson

3. Joupin Ghamsari

4. Stephen Hamilton

5. Jerry Ghionis

6. Gabriel Ryan Photographers

7. Alberto Oviedo

8. Michelle Moore

9. Chase Jarvis

10. Holly Hoyt Photography

11. Simon Hoegsberg

12. Justine Ungaro

13. Dimitris Theocharis

14. The Rhoads

15. Simon Plestenjak

16. Chenin Boutwell

17. Caitlin Worthington

18. Meg Borders

19.  Tony D’Orio

Who doesn’t feel inspired to spruce their sites up a little after all of that?

What are some of the most memorable photography site designs you’ve seen out there? Share them with us in the comments!

CMmentor, April Nienhuis has been gathering some questions for our CMpros from the CM community.  It’s so interesting to see the different responses and the thought processes that go into the choices they make.  This week we’re asking “What has been your biggest source of photography based education: college, books, internet, forums, workshops, conventions, etc.?”

Image courtesy of Sarah Wilkerson

Courtney Keim

I have two … but they are related. I have found out of everything the support of fellow photographers who have taught me to open my eyes, see new things and try new things. Lifestyle photography is just not huge here in my little beach town. Enter my friend Sara and her introducing me to Clickinmoms. Since then, I have learned so much about my camera, styles, locations and so much more. Without her and you all, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today. So thank you.

Tracy Bradbury

Mine has definitely been CM. Before I joined I had read numerous books but didn’t feel I was learning very much as I’m much more of a visual learner. After joining here I found that I was in not only a very informative forum but also a nurturing and supportive one too. The workshops I’ve taken here have been amazing and I’ve learnt so much and know that I wouldn’t be half the photographer that I am now if it wasn’t for CM – thank you CM!

Bre Thurston

I’m a very hands-on learner. I get frustrated when I don’t know where to start if there is a giant pile of information looming in front of me. For that reason, I have learned the most from online photography forums. Places like ClickinMoms have tutorials laid out in categories and I can choose to learn about one thing at a time. I also had to rely on my friends and fellow photographers to answer questions for me.  I was lucky enough to have friends who just so happened to be talented, generous photographers who didn’t hesitate to help me along. I make sure to remember that and I will pass it along to new photographers.

Jennifer Dell

I learned the basics of photography on a film camera in high school in a photojournalism class. However, I didn’t start to take photography seriously until way later while studying it in college. I learned Photoshop then as well but it wasn’t centered around portraits so I had to learn those tricks on my own. While these classes were awesome for teaching me the fundamentals of how to use a camera (both film and digital) and the software. I learned most of what I know via CM. I found that the tutorials there are worth their weight in gold and posting for critique was the only way I would get better. Using a forum like CM, keeps me constantly learning and growing.

Jessica Holden

I am a reader. My first big leap was reading Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure. That book really made the exposure triangle make sense to me, and I had been so overwhelmed and confused by it before. I finally understood how to make a technically correct exposure, and, even better–how to make a CREATIVELY correct exposure. After that, I felt I was ready to get both more information AND some genuine CC from photographers whose work I admired, so my next step was to take a beginner’s workshop. The tutorials, assignments, and feedback provided in that workshop were tremendously valuable to me. I took that workshop in 2009, and have been taking one or two per year ever since to keep myself creatively inspired and actively learning, and I am still reading voraciously about a variety of photography subjects. I feel like with photography, there will always be a new frontier, and I know this passion will last me a lifetime!

Carrie Anne Miranda

would have to say Clickin Moms, I knew how to use my camera in the manual setting before I came here, but I didn’t know how to put it all together. I was so overwhelmed. I came here, I read and read, and then I started asking questions. I looked around at all of the members who inspired me, and who’s work was at the level that I wanted to be at, and they all had a high post count. So, I left my pride behind, and read, posted, asked questions, and got feedback. I have only been here a year, and I feel like I have grown so much. I went from a (very amateur) hobbyist to owning my own business in a year and I NEVER could have done that without the knowledge, and more importantly support I have gotten from this group.

Tami Wilson

Hands down online forums, specifically Clickin’ Moms. After reading the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and practicing shooting in manual every single day for a year I knew I needed more guidance and help. After looking at a few other online forums, I decided to check out Clickin’Moms after a review I saw on a blog I followed. I seriously couldn’t get enough and was so excited how much I could learn at this place and the amount of information at my finger tips. I found people to be very helpful and learned at a much faster rate than if I had just “figured it out” on my own. Plus, I not only learned how to become better at photography but also how to properly run a business.

Amber Scruggs

When I first started it was books, I read any and every book I could get my hand on about photography and how to use my camera in it’s manual settings. After that, I found online photography forums and those have been a wealth of information ever since. Even 4 years into this journey, while my style has definitely developed, I learn something new every day and am constantly pushing myself both creatively and professionally.

Leah Cook

First of all, I wish I had joined CM long ago and really took advantage of the expertise on this board…the amount of knowledge to take in is staggering. My photography friends from across the world and locally have been invaluable to me from a learning standpoint. They are always there to bounce questions off of, encourage, and teach me. Aside from this amazing forum and my peers, the biggest education has come from shooting consistently – both with client sessions and personal work. I’ve succeed and failed miserably, but each has allowed me to grow!

What has been your best source for learning?  We’d love to hear about it – share with us in the comments!

Thanks to April for a fun series and to our CMpros for sharing with us!  Have a question of your own for our CMpros?  Make sure to check out our “Ask the Pros” section of the CMforum!

Love the interacting with clients?  The shooting and editing?  The blogging?  Hmmm…not so much as we hear many of you say.  What to blog?  When to blog? How often to blog? What images to choose?  Repeat for the next client.  Never fear!  CMmentor, Leah Cook, is helping to simplify the process for us a little for sharing her blogging workflow.  Make sure to stay tuned to CM this week for more info on Leah’s upcoming breakout session – it’s going to be awesome!  Thanks, Leah!

my blogging workflow

by Leah Cook

Having a blog to showcase recent work is one of my favorite parts of being a photographer.  I love to blog both personal images and client sessions.  It’s a huge reward after hours of shooting and post processing to hit ‘publish’ on a post…I get butterflies almost every time.  Of course it always feels great to get blog ‘love’ and even better to know that my clients are appreciative. Thanks to Courtney Keim for my amazing blogsite, she truly made my web-dreams come true!

Layout

There are multiple ways to layout a blog post.  Some photographers prefer single spaced-out images, some like to share entire galleries using a slideshow or grid, while others combine pictures together in different types of collages.  Personally, I love to create groupings and sometimes galleries.  I feel like a little kid cutting and pasting…fitting work together like a puzzle.  I absolutely LOVE seeing color, light, different angles and perspectives all together…it makes me positively giddy!  There is no right or wrong way to blog…it’s all about what appeals to you.

Choosing Images

Aside from personal work, there are two schools of thought on what photographs should appear on your blog:

1. Only blog images that clients have purchased…this decreases the chance of pictures being used without your permission + carries incentive to boost sales.
2. Blog what you love, whether you’ve ‘sold’ it or not.

Again, this is a choice you get to make as a photographer.  I’ve decided to blog what I love, showing only my favorite shots.  Watermarking is a great way to protect your work.

Tip: avoid choosing images that are almost identical, mix it up a little to add interest.

Blogging Workflow

Once you’ve decided on the layout and type of images you’d like to display, you’re ready to create your post.  Below are the steps in my blogging workflow:

1. Select images from a client gallery, then copy + paste into a subfolder
2. Choose a ‘header image’ that will be the width of my blog and makes a statement about the post
3. Group the remainder of the images in the order I want them to appear, taking into account how they will fit and look next to each other (i.e. close up, wide angle, eye contact, b/w, etc.)
4. There are lots of different ways to create blog boards – using layers in Photoshop, templates, actions, or scripts.  I use a combination of each so I have complete control
5. Once the layout is exactly like I’ve envisioned (make sure to save a layered psd doc just in case) I’ll flatten and resize the documents to the width of my blog
6. Next I’ll apply my logo with a watermark brush, sharpen, and save as jpegs
7. I upload the images to my blog and type in my title, text, and tags
8. Then I’ll share the link on facebook and send a private message to my client that they’re on the blog!

Tip: posts that are broken up into several jpeg files can be easily pinned to Pinterest!

Blogging is extremely important as a photographer.  Not only does it showcase your recent work and style, but it can also be a record of life events.  It’s painful to look through really old images and posts, but I’m so thankful to have documented my photography journey!

Leah Cook
CM Mentor
Website | Blog | Facebook | Pinterest
Leah has always had an interest in photography and art but that interest increased when her dad, who has a great eye for photography, gave her her first digital camera.  That interest skyrocketed after she quit teaching when her first son was born.  When asked about her style Leah says, “my style definitely has a mix of lifestyle + classic elements…I hope to keep things modern but still timeless and I love adding a sense of humor!  It took me a while to figure out what I loved and I think that’s part of my style…being all over the place and loving lots of different ‘types’ of photography.”  Her style has continued to evolve, especially after the birth of her second son and photographing and posing him daily gave her a great amount of experience and knowledge.  Leah currently uses a Canon 5d mark ii and a variety of lenses.  She shares a home in Dallas with her husband, two sons, and two dogs.  Spending time playing in the yard, taking a long walk, watching a good game, or eating a yummy meal with her family is the recipe for a good day in Leah’s world.  She also loves her iMac, iPhone, the DVR, goldfish crackers, wine, dark chocolate, and ranch dressing.

We’ve been having such fun with our Photoshop Friday posts here on the blog that we decided we should give Lightroom some love, too!  Fortunately, we have our own Lightroom guru on hand,  the always amazing Lynne Rigby.  Lynne is the instructor of our widely popular Processing 101: Lightroom Start-to-Finish workshop. Registration for this workshop is currently open and seats are selling fast. Stay tuned to the end of the tutorial for your chance to win a coveted spot in this workshop!

get organized | keywording tips for lightroom

by Lynne Rigby

I was the world’s worst offender in the image organizational department. I take about 25,000 shots a year of my family and when I need an image, I have to go through the folders that I think it might be in. Heaven forbid, I use all those handy dandy features that I teach about in LR101 My new year’s resolution was to get my stuff organized this year and so far, every picture I’ve taken has been keyworded. I’ve figured out a few shortcuts to make it as painless and quick as possible.

Paint Can

I like using the paint can for keywords if I have a smattering of different images in the folder. For instance, if I’m taking pictures of all 5 of my kids at the park and they’re all mixed together.  A few here of Lylah on the swing, then a couple of Jackson on the slide,  then Carson crossing the monkey bars, then more of Lylah now with Jackson pushing her, then Paxton on the baseball field, etc.

First of all, you need to be in grid mode (shortcut: G) in library module. I make my thumbnails small so I can see as many images as possible and still make out what is in the picture (control the size with the slider in the blue box).  Click your paint can (circled and red) and select ‘keywords.’ Type your keywords into the box and then click each picture (not just the gray box) with the paint can. If your paint can isn’t showing, press that little arrow circled in green and that will let you specify which tools you want in your tool bar.

Click/Shift-Click

If you have a bunch of images together in your grid that will have the same keywords, click the first picture of the bunch and then shift-click the last image. That will highlight both pictures and every picture in between. Now just type in your keywords in the keyword box and every highlighted image will now have those keywords.

You will see that I also added an orange label to those images. I use  the color labels for them. Five colors and five kids….Perfect!  Carson = orange.

Keyword Sets

Because pushing a button is much quicker than actually typing the full words. Sure, you have the suggested keywords set, but Lightroom isn’t quite that smart to know what is really in your images *yet* (I have my fingers crossed for future versions ;)) A word of warning, if you click a keyword in the suggested keyword box, and the image is labeled with that word, the words shift around in the set, so if you start going quickly, you might not get the words you want.

You can create your own custom sets so that you can add keywords with a click of the mouse.  Click edit set from the drop-down menu:

Type in keywords that go together to make your keywording life easier:

Save as a new preset and name it:

You can create multiple sets. This year, I’ll make a football set, a beach set, a pool set, a baseball set, etc.  Because I’m on an organizing mission; 2012 is my year to get organized. Who’s with me??!

Want more?  Here’s your chance to win a spot in the next run of Processing 101: Lightroom Start-to-Finish that starts March 19th.  Leave us a comment telling us WHY you need this class.  Make sure to bookmark this blog post as it will be updated with the winner (chosen by random number) next Friday, February 24th.  Already registered?  Don’t worry – you can still enter.  If you win your registration fees will be refunded.  Good luck to all!!

UPDATE:

Thank you to all of you for your entries!  The winner of the spot in Lightroom Start-to-Finish is:

Lucky comment #9 which is Kimberlee Southard!  Congratulations, Kimberlee!  Please contact me at Kathryn@clickinmoms.com so that I can get you added to the class.

Lynne Rigby
CM Mentor | Workshop Instructor
Website | Blog | Pinterest | Mentoring
Lynne is a lifestyle photographer residing in Orlando, Florida with her husband and their 5 children. “Living in Florida” she says, “has shaped the way I shoot. I either had to learn to embrace the sun with my images or stay inside. I chose the former.” Her original goal was to take better pictures of her sons’ football games and get good Christmas card pictures but Lynne has presently joined her former career as a teacher with her passion for photography and is the instructor of several CM workshops including Shooting 101: The Best Darn Beginner Course Ever, Shooting 201: Beyond the Basics, Vision 301: Finding Your Style and Processing 101: Lightroom Start-to-Finish. Lynne can’t live without her Diet Coke with lime, AdvantEdge Caramel protein shakes, Mellow Mushroom pizza, Tijuana Flats, and ice. She also loves the gym, shopping, the beach and hanging out with her beautiful kids. Her camera bag is loaded with the Canon 5d mark ii, multiple prime lenses and the 70-200L.

Happy Thursday everyone!  It’s a super fun day today on the cmblog!  We have an inspiring interview with the amazingly talented Jamie Schultz.  Jamie must be a multitasker extraordinaire with all that she has going on – I could use some tips for sure.  Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us today, Jamie!

an interview with jamie schultz

You’re both a designer and a photographer; which came first, Jamie Schultz Photography or Jamie Schultz Designs?

The photography business came first.  The design business began when I started posting cards and other keepsake items I created for my portrait clients on various photography forums.  Fellow photographers were asking to purchase the Photoshop files so they could create similar products for their clients and that’s how Jamie Schultz Designs was born!

Some people attend college, others study online, while others attend multiple workshops in an effort to educate themselves about photography. What methods did you choose or was it a combination?

While photography has been a hobby of mine since I was a child, I decided to pursue a degree in political science and secondary education.  After completing graduate school I accepted a job teaching in an inner-city school.  Photography continued to be of interest to me so I spent time reading digital photography books and participating on photography forums.  When my first son was born I made the decision to leave my teaching position and pursue a career in photography.  In preparation I attended a few select workshops which have all helped me develop my signature portrait style and improve my technique.

What was one of your biggest a-ha moments in your photography journey? 

Easily one of the biggest a-ha moments for me took place during a workshop by Cheryl Jacobs.  She encouraged me to stop looking at what everyone else in the industry was doing and focus instead on making an authentic connection with my subjects.  With this approach to each and every photo session along with the array of keepsake products I offer my clients I’ve been able to grow my business to a level I never dreamed possible.

Living in Wisconsin you obviously have cold, long winters. What happens to your photography business during those months? Do you take a break from shooting or do you offer studio sessions?

My schedule definitely slows down during the winter months, but I do still do some studio sessions and in-home sessions.  The sessions are typically for newborn babies or children which are conducive for shooting indoors.  I have been known to brave the cold with high school senior clients, as well, and have found that the process of running indoors and out not only keeps my subjects noses from turning red, but also helps me stay in shape.

You photograph children, families, and seniors. What is it about those specialties that you find so appealing?

Before I started a career in photography I was a high school teacher.  Working with children and teens is something I have always been passionate about so I think photographing them is a natural fit for me.  My experience as a teacher helps me connect with kids easily and I love nothing more than photographing the honest reactions that result from our conversations.

You have many returning clients and get the opportunity to watch babies grow into children. What do you think are some key elements on getting clients to return to you year after year?

I truly believe that my clients come back because they value the experience of working with me.  Prior to their appointment I collect information about what they hope to get out of the photo session and work through ideas on how they could preserve and display their favorite images. By providing my clients with a variety of keepsake products that are timeless and purposeful they leave my studio confident with their choices and their decision to hire me as their photographer.  It’s this experience that keeps them coming back.

And along those same lines, what do you believe are some of the key elements of having a successful photography business?

With the ever increasing number of photographers joining the industry I think it is essential for photographers to provide service and products that set them apart from their competition.  I also think developing a style that comes naturally to a photographer will help potential clients know what they can expect from their session and help the photographer settle into a niche of consumers perfectly suited for them.

Personal style is important in a creative field like photography. What do you feel makes your work distinguishable from other photographers?

No matter what trends are popular in the photography industry I prefer to keep the focus on my subjects and capturing them in a way that is both honest and emotive.  I also take great pride in offering my clients unique, yet timeless keepsake products that can be cherished for many years to come.

The dreaded creative rut happens to all of us but where do you look when you find yourself struggling to be inspired? 

One of the  most important lessons I’ve learned during my career as a photographer is that everyone has peeks and valleys of creativity.  I’ve learned to embrace both and have developed some strategies to work through the down times so I don’t get overly discouraged.  Simply understanding that it truly is a creative PROCESS has been huge for me.

It might sound crazy but I’ve actually come to enjoy the creative “rut”.  When I feel myself slipping into that place I know it’s time to take a break.  That’s a signal for me that I need to step away from my daily routine and take time away from social media.  I’ve made a habit of using this time to get together with my creative friends, take trips to flea markets and/or antique stores, reading, writing, anything that isn’t directly related to photography.  I almost always find inspiration during this “break” and feel motivated to get back to creating.

You’ve had your work featured in several internationally distributed magazines. Can you offer any advice to someone who may be interested in working with magazine publications and how to get started?

My contribution to the magazines really stemmed from a place of genuine interest in educating others about photography and to offer pointers to those who were struggling to grow their businesses.  Having a portfolio of solid imagery along with a willingness to share tips or strategies that have helped them grow as a photographer and/or a business owner would definitely help anyone interested in having their work published.

You recently went through a redesign of your blog with Ribbons of Red. Would you tell us why the need for a new design?

Over the past few years I’ve found it harder and harder to update a traditional web-site.  I found myself blogging images from recent sessions but very rarely added new images to my web-site.  It was a big decision, but ultimately I decided to go to a blog only site where clients can see an overview of my work along with the information they need to book a session with me.  The new design was inspired by a photograph I found of my studio space from the late 1800′s.  The new look reflects my passion for both photography and history.

Tell us about This Lunch Rox and what motivated you to share your journey with everyone?

This Lunch Rox is a place where I share not only images of the lunches I pack for my kids, but also information about children’s nutrition.  As I was growing my photography business my family fell victim to convenience food and developed poor eating habits.  I started a transition to healthier eating to reach my own weight loss goals.  However, when I noticed how much better I felt mentally, emotionally and physically simply by changing the quality of food I was eating I knew it was something my entire family needed to embrace.  Because we had all grown so accustomed to eating junk food it was hard to get my kids to try new foods.  I found that by cutting vegetables and other healthy foods into small bite sized pieces and presenting them to my kids in fun, creative ways they were MUCH more likely to eat them.  I posted images on my personal Facebook page for my friends and family I thought might also be looking for unique ways to introduce healthier foods to their kids.  It seemed people were asking for more and more information so I decided to turn it into a blog and the rest is history.  I’ve been absolutely amazed by the response and feel more motivated than ever to keep doing what I’m doing with This Lunch Rox!

For anyone who is interested in living a healthier lifestyle, what resources would you recommend?

I would highly recommend the book “Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism” by Maria Emmerich.  This is the book that started it all for me.  The way she explains nutrition and how various foods impact our bodies made perfect sense and inspired me to make big changes in how I feed my family.

What goals do you have for 2012?

My goal for 2012 is to continue to lead a balanced life where my family, business, and lunch-making hobby can thrive.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us, Jamie!  We have enjoyed learning more about you and your photography and your other exciting endeavors and wish you continued success in all you do.  You can find Jamie around the CMforums as one of our CMpros as well as in her capacity as one of our premier vendor partners.  You can find more of Jamie’s work on her blog, her design site and you can keep up with her on Facebook and Twitter.  And don’t forget to bookmark This Lunch Rox for some delicious and nutritious meal ideas for the little ones!

Jamie Schultz is a Hudson, WI based photographer where she resides with her husband and two boys.Jamie’s signature style in portrait photography consists of simple, yet strong composition resulting in images that are both honest and highly emotive. Forgoing stiff poses and forced smiles, she interacts with subjects in such a way that unveils their distinct personalities. This approach combined with exquisite attention to detail provides for a comfortable and relaxed photo session and extraordinary images.

Jamie’s work has been featured internationally in publications such as Better Homes and Gardens Scrapbooks, etc. magazines and the book, Better Homes and Gardens Photography. She has also photographed ad campaigns featured in regional publications of Vogue, Lucky and Allure. She has been a featured photographer and columnist in both Digital Memories magazine and Scrapbooks, etc. Her photography has also been published in the Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine.

Jamie also owns and operates Jamie Schultz Designs, creating graphic design projects used by photographers worldwide.

Get to know your CMteam!  We are so often asked what we shoot with, what’s “in our bag”, what bag we carry and so on and so forth.  So we’re giving you all a little peek behind the scenes to get to know your CMteam better.  A couple of times a month throughout this year and into 2013 we’ll feature a different CMteam member and give you “a peek inside” – a peek inside their bag, their workspace and a peek into their personality with five little things you may not know about them – so FUN!

This week we have our super sweet CMmentor, the amazingly talented Amii Wroblewski.  A longtime CMmember, Amii is known for her business savvy and stunning work with seniors.  Though she has a new baby at home, Amii has also been hard at work on another baby that just launched this month – her brand new CMworkshop!  Amii is joining the ranks of our CMinstructors with her Business 201: From Shoot to Sale (Client Sessions Start to Finish).  Here’s your chance to get to know a little more about our friend, Amii Wroblewski.

a peek inside | amii wroblewski

what’s in my bag?

I am pretty minimalistic when it comes to my gear…I like to typically shoot with a single lens and usually decide which lens to shoot with (I only have two…not a hard choice…ha!) once I get to a session.  So here’s the lowdown on what is in my bag!

1. Kelly Moore B-Hobo camera bag.   I love this bag…it’s perfect for those that don’t carry a lot of gear.  I actually bought this to use as a diaper bag when I’m not needing it for a session.

2. Canon 5d Mark II.  It goes without saying, I love this camera!  I made the massive jump from a Rebel to the Mark II a few years ago and never looked back!  Full frame + high ISO + Kelvin WB + video capabilities?  SOLD!

3. Canon 50mm f/1.4.  This is one of my two lenses I use for my senior work.  It’s perfect for those tight spaces in urban locations and when I want to get more of the surroundings.

4. Lens Cloth – I don’t leave home without one!

5. Canon 85mm f/1.8. LOVE this lens…love it!  I love the reach I get with it but can still pull in a lot of the surroundings without being too far away from my subject.

6. Lensbaby Composer. This is definitely a “play” lens for me…it doesn’t really fit my style of shooting but it’s definitely worth taking to a session just in case the moment calls for it!

7. SanDisk Extreme 8GB CF cards. I always have four or five of these on hand at all times.

8. iPhone 4s. Not certain anything needs to be said…this is a given, right?!  Not only do I like it for maps, I use it to look up the weather, check out what time sunset is and snap some fun Instagram shots while I’m on location.

9. Carmex, tissues, and some senior cards are always in my bag, too.

my office space/viewing space

Not THAT exciting of an office but it’s bright and airy and just mine.  This is where I spend my time editing and working on the computer…all on an ancient PC (Mac…you are calling my name!).  I love my Pottery Barn desk and Ikea Expedit shelves are pretty standard for any home office.  But where all of the fun stuff happens is in my living room where I handle all client consultations and ordering.  I created this space to be modern but inviting…urban loft meets the suburbs!  I do all of my client viewing on a 65″ flat panel TV and it definitely is a great way to add the wow-factor when seeing those images for the first time!

5 things about me

1. I’m known as “Mrs. Wizard” (for those that are children of the 80′s you totally watched Mr. Wizard, right?!)…because I seem to know something about everything.  Or as my husband says, I THINK I know something about everything.

2. I play the piano and used to teach little kids.  I started playing when I was 7 years old and it’s one of those things I sit down and do to de-stress and unwind.

3. I once (canNOT believe I’m stating this for everyone to see) tried out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.  It was one of those “bucket list” kind of things…I didn’t fit the DCC mold but I wanted to say I at least tried!

4. I have a huge passion for cooking (and eating)…I love just about everything you could imagine and actually started eating stuff like escargot when I was around 6 years old.  Cooking is in my blood…I even applied for the Art Institute’s Culinary Program to become a chef and started my first blog documenting and photographing the food I cooked.

5. I am obsessed with making lists with fine point Sharpie markers…my current color of choice is a pinkish-melon color.

CM Mentor | Workshop Instructor
Website | Facebook | Mentoring
Dallas/Fort Worth resident Amii, instructor of CMU workshop Business 201: Shoot to Sale, sincerely loves spending time with her family whether they’re playing in the pool or snuggled up watching a movie. Her must-haves in life are “an awesome relationship with my husband and spending quality time with my son.” Cooking and reading are two of her hobbies but her love for knitting has taken over as she creates a newborn wardrobe for her second son. Amii says that she is a “very minimal, modern individual with a bold personality and a very straight-forward life” and this is clearly reflected in her clean and fresh senior photography. The Canon 5d mark ii, 50 f/1.4, 85 f/1.8 and a Lensbaby Composer is the gear of choice for Amii.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!  To celebrate the sentiment CMmentor, Stacey Haslem, put a call out to our members to show us their images of  LOVE.  Here is just a sampling of some of the beautiful images our members submitted – they tug at your heart strings for sure!

 love is in the air | picture share

Image on left courtesy of Erin Bell.  Image on right courtesy of Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai.

Image courtesy of Laura Lu Photography

Image courtesy of Kelly Rodriguez

Image courtesy of Katrina Gotschall

Image courtesy of Jennifer Dell

Image courtesy of Holly Thompson

Image courtesy of Danielle Allen

Image courtesy of Bre Thurston

Image courtesy of Sara Seeton

Image courtesy of Lora Swinson

Image on the left courtesy of Jo Clark/BluElla Photography.  Image on the right courtesy of Taryn/BluHippo.

Thanks to all of our members for their amazing, inspiring contributions!  Do you have an image that evokes feelings of love for you?  We’d love to see it – share with us in the comments!

Happy Valentine’s Day, all!