Before I launch into my post, I wanted to let you know about a GIVEAWAY I’m currently having here on my blog! There are some spectacular prizes like a Nikon 35mm 1.8 lens or a Canon 50mm 1.8 lens (I LOVE prime lenses!), Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, as well as a PRIVATE Day With Amy: Photoshop Elements | ONLINE workshop for you and THREE friends or a seat at the Day with Amy: Photography Workshop | ONLINE!  You won’t want to miss it, it ends this week! Make sure you check it out!

I sure look forward to writing these posts and I know Courtney does too! I hope they are helpful to you on your journey to learn photography, create beautiful images, and capture memories. Make sure you check out the post Courtney wrote last week about understanding aperture and depth of field as all these posts build on each other.

Do you remember the last post I wrote about finding great light? I mentioned that photography comes from the Greek word for light. Finding great light is an important step for creating a beautiful image, but you also have to understand how that light gets to your camera’s sensor and how it affects your pictures.

The amount of light that enters your camera will determine your exposure. If too much light enters, your image will be over-exposed. If too little light enters, your image will be under-exposed. There are two ways that you can control how much (or how little) light enters your camera: aperture and shutter speed. Courtney talked about aperture last week and this week I’m going to discuss shutter speed.

A quick preview of shutter speed:

• When you press the shutter button on your camera, it opens and closes your shutter for a predetermined about of time.
• How long your shutter is open is called your shutter speed.
• Shutter speed is measured in time. Typically in seconds or fractions of a second.
•  The longer your shutter is open, the more light is let into your camera. (The faster your shutter speed, the less light.)
• Shutter speed is responsible for recording motion in your image.

Take a moment and go get your camera. I want you to play with your shutter speed settings for a minute. Change your settings, see what shutter speeds your camera is capable of.

You probably have numbers that look like 1/200 (which is read: one two hundredth of a second) or 1/1200 (one twelve hundredth of a second) or 1/4 (one fourth of a second). (NOTE: some cameras will leave off the “1/” and just write the denominator. But remember you are still dealing with fractions.) What do those numbers mean? These numbers are the amount of time that the shutter is going to stay open. 1/200 means that the shutter will be open for one two hundredth of a second. That’s pretty fast.

Fast shutter speeds are used to freeze time. To capture the water suspended in time in this image (straight out of camera) of Courtney’s Little Man and my Miss B, I used a shutter speed of 1/1250. In that split second, my camera recorded each water droplet exactly where it was in that moment of time.

You also have numbers that look like 1″ (one second), 5″ (five seconds), 30″ (30 seconds). Rather than fractions of a second, the ” sign denotes full seconds.

Slow shutter speeds are used to show motion in an image. The sensor in your camera captures everything that happens when the shutter is open. If it is open for a short amount of time, it freezes time like in the image above. When a shutter is open for a longer amount of time, it captures all the motion that occurs while it is open. I took this image 18 months ago when I first started teaching others about photography to show how a slow shutter speed captures motion and movement in a photo. My camera was on a tripod and my husband was holding a glow stick. My shutter speed was set at 4″ (four seconds). After I pushed the shutter button,  he drew a heart in the air with the stick. My camera’s sensor captured all the movement that occurred in that 4″.

There are a ton of gorgeous images out there that demonstrate slow shutter speed photography if you google it. Beautiful soft waterfalls where the water appears to be moving, freeways at night time where white headlights and red taillights are a blur along the road, star trails in the night sky. All these are captured using a shutter speed set slow enough to record the movement of the scene.

(You probably also have a setting called “bulb”. In bulb your shutter will stay open from the time you press the shutter button until you push it a second time to close it. It’s best to use a tripod and remote for this setting.)

When I first got my DSLR, my images often looked like this one of Miss B. Here she was 3 months old and very wiggly. The day took this picture, I had shot a whole series of pictures. At the end of the session I was particularly frustrated. None of the images had turned out. Many of the images would have been perfect if not for the blur of her hands and/or feet. I didn’t understand what was wrong.

After some googling and lots of study, I realized that my images were turning out like this because my shutter speed was too slow. I was new on my photography journey and always had my camera in program mode. (The only difference between program mode and AUTO for me was that I had programed my camera not to use my flash.) By setting my camera to program mode, I was allowing it to make all the decisions. It had set my shutter speed to 1/40th of a second which was slow enough to capture the blur of Miss B’s wiggly hands. My camera didn’t know what I was taking a picture of. For all it knew, I could have wanted to capture the movement of her hands. This is why it is so important to start learning how to use your camera in manual mode. It’s the best way to consistently get the pictures you want.

NOTE: When I’m taking pictures of wiggly children (like my own Miss B), I keep my shutter speed set at 1/200 or faster to avoid blur in my images.

It’s important to remember that not only does your shutter speed record motion, it also lets light into your camera. If you let too much light in (with a slow shutter speed), your image will be over exposed. If you let too little light in (with a fast shutter speed), your image will be under exposed. This is part of the dance of using your camera in manual.

For now, practice using your camera in “S” mode (for Nikon users) or “Tv” mode (for Canon users). This will allow you to set your shutter speed while your camera makes the other decisions for you.

This week use your “S” or “Tv” mode to capture a few different types of images.

Try a slower shutter speed to capture movement. My kids like when I get images of them darting across the room while I’m using a slow shutter speed. They look like they are running at supersonic speeds. When you are using speeds slower than 1/50, you may get some blur in your images due to camera shake (this comes from even the slightest movements you make which will then move the camera if it is handheld). It’s best to use a tripod for slower speeds. If you don’t have a tripod, you can place your camera on a counter or a stack of books.

Try a faster shutter speed to freeze time. Have your kiddos splash water or jump up high and catch them suspended in air. Shutter speed is a blast to experiment with!

Have fun this week! Courtney will be back next week to discuss ISO!

During our recent trip to California, I got to do a video/image session with my sister and her family. It was such a great time! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… these video/image sessions are my favorite. My fabulous assistant (aka Jake Earle/ my awesome husband) shoots the video while I capture images. Producing them takes more time than a typical session, but it is worth it. Combining the live shots with the pictures tells a story in a way that images alone cannot. I love the smiles, laughs, and looks that go on in the background. The connection of a family truly comes through.

I can’t wait to be able to create these family heirlooms for families in the Clearwater, Florida after we move there this summer!

I love Facebook. Perhaps a little too much. It’s such a great way to connect with others. I love seeing what my friends are up to through their posts, messages, and pictures. I spend a lot of time at my computer and Facebook is usually running in the background. Did you know you can subscribe to my personal feed? I also love connecting with others on my Simply b Photos Facebook page. I was ecstatic when Simply b recently hit 2000 fans. Thank you so much for sharing my page with your friends.

To celebrate I contacted a few of my favorite businesses and they have donated some of my most favorite items!

But FIRST I have to share what I’m giving away! I’m so excited about this! I’ve been wracking my brain for weeks trying to decide what to give away. I decided to make it something big. MORE than just attendance at a workshop. So not only could you win a PRIVATE A Day With Amy: Photoshop Elements class for you PLUS three friends, you’ll also get a copy of the software! OR you can win a seat at the NEW ONLINE A Day With Amy: Photography Workshop along with a new lens for your camera! I’m a HUGE fan of prime lenses. They are practically all I use and I want you to have one too!

So thank you for being a part of my journey with Simply b Photos. Thanks for sharing me with your friends. Thanks for all your amazing comments and support. I couldn’t do what I do without YOU.

T H A N K
Y O U.

Grand Prize #1 valued at $500. Grand Prize #2 valued at $350-$400. No substitutions nor cash value to any prizes.
If you have already attended a Day With Amy Workshop, you are STILL eligible to enter if you would like.

Now on to the other prizes!

1. Little Bitty Toys is giving away a custom family doll set. Just send her a picture of your family and she will make your own little doll family!
(Up to 6 people. A $45 value.)

2. Fondant Flinger is giving away a $50 gift certificate. Use towards the purchase of a cake if you are local to Kodiak, or she can make and send custom cupcake toppers!

3. Playful Princesses is giving away a dress of your choice! She made the most beautiful princesses dresses for Miss B when we went to Disneyland. She also makes other dresses including Easter dresses! Valued at approx $65.
She is also offering fans of Simply b FREE SHIPPING on your purchases! Just enter “simplyb” at checkout to receive the discount.

4. Bownanas is giving away an adorable diaper cover set with initial and headband! Valued at $40.

5. Bush Creative is giving away a $40 gift certificate to use towards custom vinyl wall art. I LOVE mine!

6. Like my new blog and layout? Courtney Kirkland is offering a 15% discount on a custom blog design for one lucky winner!
She is amazing and you will not be disappointed!

7. I’m so happy that J. Marie is joining the giveaway! She has made the most adorable outfits for Miss B for almost two years!
She’s giving away a ruffle skirt (or pants) plus an embroidered applique shirt. Valued at $45.

The Fine Print:

There will be 8 winners: two Grand Prize winners and one winner per other prize.

The giveaway starts today February 20th and runs through Thursday March 1st.

Winners will be selected via random.org and notified at the email address they leave in their comment. They will have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be selected. The first winner drawn will have first choice of their prize, the second winner drawn will then choose, and so on. Once all the prizes have been awarded, I will announce the winners at the top of this post. It may take a few days.

The Entries:

Please leave ONE comment on this post when you have completed #1, #2, and #3 . BUT rather than just say, “I did #1, #2, and #3″ tell me your middle name. Why? No reason. I’m just curious! If you don’t want to tell me, just make something up. This isn’t mandatory. Just fun!

#1. Make sure you “like” Simply b Photos on Facebook.

#2. Please visit each of the vendors on Facebook and at their websites. If you like what you see, “like” their Facebook page and let them know that Simply b Photos sent you!

Here’s a quick link to each of their Facebook pages.

Little Bitty Toys
Fondant Flinger
Playful Princesses
Bownanas
Bush Creative
Courtney Kirkland
J. Marie Designs

#3. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page! Make sure to tag Simply b Photos by typing @simplybphotos! You can use the “Share” button at the bottom of the post.

Would you like two more entries?

Leave up to TWO additional comments letting me know if you completed either #4 or #5. And go ahead and tell me your favorite food or candy bar. Again, just for fun.

#4. Tweet about this giveaway and be sure to tag me in your tweet @MrsAmyEarle. (I’m totally new to Twitter, but trying to figure it out!)

#5. Pin this page to Pinterest using the “Pin it” button at the bottom of the post.

Disclaimer:

This giveaway is in NO WAY sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.  Winner will NOT be notified via Facebook, but through a blog post and an email.  If you are under 18, you must have your parents permission before entering. By entering this giveaway, you are doing so by choice and are providing information to Simply b Photos and not to Facebook.  There will be no returns or exchanges on any of the items.  Winners will be picked at random based on comments made on this blog.

Miss B was the Belle of Disneyland. Her infectious smile and coke bottle glasses are enough to bring attention to her, but dress her as a princess and set her free to chase birds or twirl in front of the castle? That’s just perfection… and a memory that will last forever.

The quality of these dresses is top notch. They are made with beautiful fabrics that wash up nicely. I bought a crinoline pettiskirt for her to wear under them to give them a little extra poof. On the days it was a little cooler, she wore little white pedal pushers under the skirt.

My niece Adelaide is a big fan of Disney too. I had planned a whole shoot with Miss B and her cousin to wear the dresses together, but Miss B came down with a terrible cold toward the end of our vacation and was miserable enough to want to do nothing except lay on the couch and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Adelaide, however, enjoyed the heck out of dressing up! Isn’t she just a doll?

In case you didn’t see it, here’s a little movie I made showcasing Miss B’s first visit to Disneyland.

A couple days ago I posted a picture on Facebook of these adorable princesses that my sister, Elizabeth, made for Miss B after our trip to Disneyland. They are teeny tiny and she just adores them. Her attention to details is incredible!

Elizabeth is our youngest sister. The baby of the family. We called/call her Little Bit. She’s opening a business on Etsy that she has named Little Bitty Toys. I just love the double reference!

She sent me some of the toys she’s going to be selling so that I can take pictures for her to use on her website. My kids were over the moon about them! My 9 year old enjoys them even more than Miss B does.

Next week I’m launching a 2000 Fan Giveaway and Elizabeth is donating a Family Set to be given away. But that’s not all. It’s going to be a CUSTOM Family Set! You’ll send her a picture of your family and she’ll paint your family to match! How PERFECT is that? I know I’ll be ordering one of those!! The kids will love it!

This set is great to see all the different sizes available. The princesses and wedding set are the size of the little sister in yellow. The pirates, adventure set and Peter Pan are the size of the older brother. Buzz and Wood are the size of Mom and Dad.

I love all the detail in this Wedding Set.

This is the set that Sam-a-lam loves. He loves keeping things in little containers and so the treasure box is perfect for him!

Miss B’s BFF can’t wait to get his hands on Buzz and Woody. Courtney Kirkland will be reviewing and giving away a set of these soon too!

Jake and The Neverland Pirates

She’s got a whole series of book characters coming soon. These Peter Pan ones are adorable.

These aren’t all she has to offer! Lots more coming soon!
I’ll have more news next week on the 2000 Fan Giveaway and Elizabeth’s new store!

I’m thrilled to be partnering with my incredibly talented friend Courtney Kirkland on a new series called Move to Manual. Courtney wrote an introduction to the series and the first post about composition. This week I’m going to be discussing one of the most important topics in photography.

Light.

Per Wikepedia: The word “photograph” was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek (phos), meaning “light”, and (graphê), meaning “drawing, writing”, together meaning “drawing with light”.

Drawing with light. I think this is a perfect description of a photograph.

I ordered my first DSLR in the summer of 2009 after Miss B was born. I didn’t understand light or how it affected the images that I captured. I thought all I needed was a fancy camera and I would immediately have beautiful images. Turns out I was wrong. At first, all I was getting was pictures like these.

Regardless, within four months of purchasing my first camera (a Nikon D90), I started a photography business. By the end of the first year with my camera I had taken over 100,000 pictures. What an education that was! It was the best thing I could have done. Had I waited until I thought I knew enough, I never would have started. It’s a little (read: A LOT) risky to put yourself out there as a new photographer. Plenty of people will be in the wings waiting for you to fail. Everyone has an opinion on how good (or terrible) your images are. I just put blinders on and ignored the naysayers and moved forward. If your dream is to take photographs for others, I say GO FOR IT! The world is there for you to conquer!

There have been several monumental steps throughout the last 2+ years (since I started Simply b) where my skill as a photographer propelled forward. One of those was when I realized how important lighting was in capturing a great image and more importantly, how to capture that light.

Today I’m excited to share two of what I believe are the most important concepts I’ve learned about finding beautiful light when I’m taking photographs of people. If you follow these key concepts, you will instantly find yourself taking better photographs.

When I first got my camera, I thought I wanted bright sunny days. I would look outdoors; see the bright noonday sun and say, “OH! Time for pictures!! Let’s go kids!!” When I got pictures like the ones above, I didn’t understand why they weren’t turning out correctly. What I was looking for and couldn’t get was nice evenly lit skin like in the pictures below.

The first concept I want to introduce is time of day. For outdoor photography, time of day can play a vital part in taking photographs. What I didn’t understand as a novice photographer was that bright, direct sunlight in the middle of the day is the worst light for portraits. The subjects are always squinting, their skin is too bright, and the shadows on their face are very harsh under their eyes, nose, and chin.

The best time of day for outdoor photographs in open spaces (fields, parks, etc.) is just before sunset (or just after sunrise), when the sun is low on the horizon. The light at that time of day creates a beautiful dreamy glow without harsh shadows. This image was taken just as the sun was disappearing below the horizon. The back of her hair is lit from the sun, and I’m able to get beautiful light on her skin with no harshness.

The picture below was taken about twenty minutes before the picture above. Utilizing the beautiful soft light of a sunset is like adding magic to your images. Just make sure that you place your subject’s back to the light. Otherwise, they will be facing a setting sun and you’ll blind them! One thing to note about shooting a backlit image (when the light is behind your subject like these) is that it works best if you are shooting in manual. This is the easiest way to ensure you get the right amount of light in your camera to capture the scene the way you see it. The good news is that Courtney and I will be writing more about your Move to Manual in the upcoming weeks!

What if you just want to take a picture in the middle of the day? I was born in Alaska and have lived 30 of my 38 years here. We have a unique daylight situation. In the winter we have hardly any light, and in the summer we have an over abundance. We don’t have typical sunrise/sunset hours except for a few weeks in the spring and fall. I’ve had to adapt my photography stratagem for less than ideal lighting situations. During the winter when the sun is setting at a reasonable hour, it can be crazy cold and too uncomfortable to be outdoors taking pictures. In the summer, the sun hardly ever sets. I can’t exactly ask a family with toddlers to meet me at 10:30pm so that we can capture light from the sunset.

What I had to figure out was how to take pictures in the middle of the day without getting harsh shadows, squinting subjects, and bright sun spots in the images. It took me months to figure out, but the key is using shade.

Here’s an example of some pictures I took just a couple weeks ago that prove my point. We were at a park in California in the middle of the day and the sun was out in force. In the image on the left, Miss B was standing in the middle of a field in direct sun. You can see the harsh shadows and areas of her skin are so bright, they have been completely washed out. In the image on the right, we’ve moved to an area of the park that was shaded by trees. You can see areas behind her where the sun was streaming through, but she was standing in shade. Her face now has nice even light over it. No unsightly shadows or bright spots.

When I’m out on a session during the day, I keep my subjects in areas that are shaded. This technique really helped me when we were at Disneyland a couple weeks ago. I saw others around me taking pictures of their children standing in direct sunlight. Their eyes were squinting and their faces covered with harsh shadows. I really wanted to suggest they move just a couple feet this way or that to where the child would be standing in shade so they would be able to capture a much more pleasing image. As well, there child would have been much more comfortable not having to look into the bright sun.

Here are a few images I captured at Disneyland utilizing the idea of shade rather than direct sunlight during the middle of the day. In the reflection in Sam’s glasses, you can see the line between sun and shade several feet behind me.

Here we found a little park to the side of the castle out of the glare of direct sunlight where I was able to capture this image of Miss B in her Cinderella dress from Playful Princesses.

One thing to avoid is dappled lighting, especially on the skin. Dappled lighting comes when you have areas of direct sunlight combined with areas of shade, typically caused by the branches and leaves of a tree.

To practice finding great light, here are my suggestions:

1. Start looking at the light around you differently. Seek out different types of light and watch how they affect the appearance of skin. This is so important for portrait photography! You definitely want the skin to look soft and beautiful. Notice how direct bright sunlight causes harsh shadows and bright spots while using shade creates even lighting.

2. Capture an image using the soft glow of the setting (or rising) sun. (This will work particularly well if you are not living in the frozen north!)

3. Try shooting during the day when the sun is high overhead, first take an image with your subject standing in direct sunlight and then find a spot of shade out of the direct sunlight where you can place your subject to get nice even light on their skin.

4. If there is a particular area you like to take pictures, visit it during different times of day to see when you would be able to capture the best light for a portrait. (When it is out of direct sunlight.)

Make sure you check out the Move to Manual Flickr Group where you can post images using the skills you’ve learned here, ask questions, and get feedback on your pictures. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Check back next Monday when Courtney introduces Aperture and how it affects your images!

Happy Shooting!

We spent 19 days away from Kodiak and enjoyed every minute. It reminded me how much I enjoy hanging out with my family. I’m working on writing a small novel about it on my family blog, but I wanted to share just a small peak with you here.

I’m glad I captured the moments I did with my camera, but I’m even more pleased with the video that my husband shot. He’s the videographer around here and does an amazing job. I’m so blessed that he enjoys capturing the little moments as much as I do. Together we make a pretty great team!

I had someone wonder about the logistics of taking a camera to Disneyland. I put a lot of thought into it before we left. I brought most of my equipment with me to California. We wanted to be sure to capture video for a movie and also some great pictures, but I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work. I didn’t want to be lugging around thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment all day every day. The prospect of having it stolen or broken made me nervous. I brought three cameras. A Nikon D700, a Nikon D5100, and a Nikon Coolpix S9100. I used 4 different lenses, all Nikon. 85mm 1.4, 50mm 1.4, 24-70mm 2.8, and 18-200mm 3.5-5.6. (I wished I’d had a 35mm with me.) I have an awesome camera backpack from Lowepro which was easy to carry and fit the equipment nicely.

What I ended up doing was bringing the big equipment in the mornings when everyone was fresh and primarily relied on phone cameras and a little point and shoot in the afternoons/evenings. Because we stayed at The Grand Californian which is crazy close, we were able to go back and forth to our hotel room easily in case we needed to drop something off or pick something up. I highly recommend it if you are traveling with a toddler. (They offer a great military discount too!) Typically Miss B, Jake and I went back to the hotel after lunch so she could nap and her brothers were able to stay at the park. Because we were so close I didn’t worry about them at all. If you’ve got any other questions, just give a holler!

50 full color pages filled with images and instruction!

You’ll learn how to find the best indoor and outdoor lighting. I’ve included tips and tricks I’ve learned over the last 2 years through countless hour of study, workshops, and mentoring sessions. I get down to the nitty gritty and help decode your lenses. I explain terms like aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance. I lead you step by step through instructions on how to use your camera in manual mode!

If you want to stop using your fancy camera as simply a point and shoot and really learn what your camera can do, this is the book for you! Start taking beautiful images today!

This book is a companion to my Day With Amy Photography Workshop, those who attend the workshop will get a copy.  For more information on my upcoming workshops, including Hawaii on August 6, 2011 and Sacramento on September 10, 2011, please click here.  For those who cannot attend a workshop, but would still like to learn how to use their cameras outside of auto mode, you can purchase the workbook separately!

This is a downloadable workbook, within 24 hours of your purchase you will be emailed a link where you can download the workbook.

Only $50 per workbook!

Your workbook also comes with a set of cheat sheets emailed to you in a PDF file! When printed, mounted and laminated, the cheat sheets can be carried with you to help you remember the different settings for your camera and how they work (Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO), steps on how to set up your camera prior to taking a picture, and tips to help you create fantastic images.

]]> http://simplybphotos.com/2012/02/day-with-amy-photography-workbook/feed/ 3 http://simplybphotos.com/2012/02/day-with-amy-photography-workbook/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SimplybPhotos/~3/6Y2lZfjvJqU/ http://simplybphotos.com/2012/02/day-with-amy-photoshop-elements-giveaway/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:47:21 +0000 Amy Earle | Simply b Photos http://simplybphotos.com/?p=6166 I decided to draw THREE winners rather than just two!

Congratulations Sarah B., Alexandra Turner, and Rachel Garner!!

Contact me at amy@simplybphotos.com with which class you would like to attend and I will send you the details!

….

Yesterday our family returned from our 19 day vacation to California. My mind is still in vacation mode, though when I look out the window at bleak grey skies, icy roads, and dirty snow piled everywhere, I know I’m home. I already miss blue skies and comfortable temperatures.

Last night I left my computer processing the thousands of images and videos I took while we were gone and went to bed. This morning I was so excited to go through them all! I can’t wait to put together a movie (…or two …or three)!

This is one of my favorite images from the trip. (So far.) Miss B loved peaking in all the store windows. (Her dress is from the fabulous Playful Princesses) I love the reflection, the colors, the lighting… everything. But it needed a little “pop” to transform it to what I saw in my mind when I took the picture.

I did a quick 5 step edit in Photoshop Elements 10 and this is what I got:

I just LOVE it!

Have you seen the new ONLINE Day With Amy: Photoshop Elements class? I’m so excited about them! I get to teach you how to use Photoshop Elements to make your images FAB too!!

Here’s a side by side comparison. I love how quickly I can turn a good image into a great image with Photoshop Elements! I’ll be posting more before/afters as I get to them!

I’m still working on a BIG Giveaway to celebrate reaching 2000 fans on Facebook, but I want to do a mini giveaway as an excuse to celebrate on this grey, grey day.

Want to join me?

I’m giving away TWO seats at this weekend’s ONLINE Day With Amy: Photoshop Elements Classes (valued at $100 each)!

The winners can choose from one of the following classes:

Friday February 10th at 5am AKST, Friday February 10th at 7pm AKST, or Saturday February 11th at 5am AKST.

You can see more details about the class here.

 

What to do to enter:

1. Make sure you are a fan of Simply b Photos on Facebook!

2. Share about this giveaway on Facebook. Make sure to tag @Simplybphotos in your status in order for it to count!

3. Leave a comment here letting me know you did #1 and #2!

That’s it!

Short and sweet! It’s going to be fast and furious too!

The giveaway will end TOMORROW at 10pm AKST. I’ll randomly draw 2 winners and contact you via email.

The prizes are for specific classes offered this weekend. You can choose which class works best for you!

Disclaimer:

This giveaway is in NO WAY sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.  Winner will NOT be notified via Facebook, but through a blog post and an email.  You must be 18 years or older to participate.  By entering this giveaway, you are doing so by choice and are providing information to Simply b Photos and not to Facebook.  There will be no returns or exchanges on any of the items.  Winners will be picked at random based on comments made on this blog.

]]> http://simplybphotos.com/2012/02/day-with-amy-photoshop-elements-giveaway/feed/ 50 http://simplybphotos.com/2012/02/day-with-amy-photoshop-elements-giveaway/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SimplybPhotos/~3/Qbsgytk55Q0/ http://simplybphotos.com/2012/01/kimberly-and-katelyn/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:19:18 +0000 Amy Earle | Simply b Photos http://simplybphotos.com/?p=6127 Still working on all those big changes around here.
New website, logo, photography style, Photoshop Elements classes (online)… Exciting stuff. But it has to wait a bit longer.

I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow… I’ll be gone a few weeks. Before I leave I had to get these sessions posted. Which explains why I’m up at 1:33 am writing this doozy of a blog post just hours before we get on a plane. This post is filled with maternity and newborn images as well as a new video!

I saw an idea to photograph a pregnancy week by week and I couldn’t wait to try it out! Kimberly was fantastic enough to be my model. What a great experience to meet with Kimberly each week and document her pregnancy as it progressed. She is beautiful inside and out and has a wonderful family! Her new baby (born just days ago!) is lucky to be the newest member.

Producing these videos is my new favorite thing. I couldn’t do it without my talented husband. He rolls video while I take photographs. We make a pretty good team. I love to capture moments that are more than just predicable studio shots. Recording the connection of a baby with their new family is an honor. If you are in Kodiak, having a baby before June (we’re moving this summer) and would like me to document your baby’s precious early moments in your home, let me know. I’d love to do something like this for you!

Katelyn Abigail is Kimberly’s sweet baby. She was born 4 days ago and I spent the afternoon with them today. It was such a pleasure to record these early moments of them together. I hope these become memories that Kimberly’s family will treasure forever.

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