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Life… Just Because | Seattle Wedding Photographer

February 25, 2010 – 5:41 pm

Winter is always slow and a little depressing. Most photographers I know, myself included, end up with the doldrums. It’s a feeling of being uninspired, feeling like all your work is horrible and that business will never come again. I was lucky to shoot a wedding last week that helped break my yearly doldrums, but to keep fresh, I subject my kids to a lot of photos. I just try to keep my camera out and just shoot pictures of them doing funny or silly things, just capturing their childhood. It keeps me active, engaged and happy with photography and a perfect opportunity to show off my kids… just because.

Because cereal is meant to be eaten with a straw.

Because mommy is funny!

Because fingers taste good.

Because sidewalk chalk isn’t just for summertime fun.

Because there is still a lot to explore during the winter months.

By Susan | Posted in Family Session, Personal, Random Photography Stuff, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2) |

Mardi Gras Fun! | Tacoma Wedding Photographer

February 21, 2010 – 12:51 pm

Last night I photographed the wedding between Annie and Peter! It was at the Landmark Convention Center in Tacoma and I tried something totally new. See, I hate doing “Table Shots” which are the photos of guests sitting around the tables during dinner. I just hate walking up to people while they are eating and asking to take their picture. It’s a little uncomfortable and people don’t necessarily like to have their pictures taken while they are eating! So after some research, I found another really unique way of capturing guests… setting up a static area where guests can come and get their photos taken together (on their own time).

To add to the fun, I contacted my good friend Corine Tran, who is a wedding photographer in New Orleans, and asked her if she’d hook me up with some awesome Mardi Gras props. She filled a box (and when I say filled, I mean 22 pounds of stuff!) and shipped it off to me this week. When it arrived, it was purple, gold and green everywhere!! But boy did these props add to the fun. Everyone had a really fun time playing with the pictures! It just added so much fun to the reception!

My assistant, Rebecca, and my new second shooter Josie both took turns manning the camera and coaxing guests into their crazy natures! I’m so happy with how this turned out, I’m now going to offer this service inclusive of all my 2010 packages! If you are a bride who already has a contract with me, you get it. If you are a bride thinking about hiring me, you also get this service… free. Whoo hoo! Who doesn’t like free, right?

So I found… it’s not hard to get people to be wild and crazy!

The bride’s family, as a surprise to the couple, hired Blitz the Seahawks mascot, to come entertain at the wedding!

By Susan | Posted in Business News, Random Photography Stuff, Uncategorized, Wedding | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (3) |

Flaunt Your Rock!! | Seattle Wedding Photographer

February 16, 2010 – 6:00 am


LOVE is in the air! Did you recently get engaged and are beaming with pride over the shiny rock on your finger? Want to flaunt it some more? In honor of all the love going around Whimsical Photo Design is holding a contest for you engaged love birds to show off your new bling!

What do you get for flaunting that shiny new rock? The winner will receive a full engagement session and a $100 print credit PLUS a chance to go onto the national contest to win prizes totaling over $500!

The Details:

• Submit 1 photograph of your ring & 1 photograph of yourselves (please do not submit images taken by another professional photographer).
• Encourage all of your friends and family to vote for you. The ring with the most votes wins!
• Engaged couples only.

All submissions must be received by midnight March 5th, 2010.

Entries will be judged by a panel of photographers who will narrow down the selection to 3 rings. The finalists will be posted on my blog and the winner will be chosen via a public voting poll. Voting will occur between March 7-March 13, 2010. There are specific rules around voting that will be clarified during the voting round of the contest.

Winners will be announced on March 15th, 2010. Winning session must take place between March 22-May 1st. IF YOU WIN THE LOCAL CONTEST, YOUR RING SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ENTERED INTO A NATIONAL CONTEST WITH A CHANCE TO WIN OVER $500 WORTH OF PRIZES!!! Winners must sign a release to allow Whimsical Photo Design to display images on blog, website, Facebook Business Page and any other print or web materials as deemed appropriate. Don’t live in the greater Puget Sound area? Have friends across the country? Check out these photographers who have Flaunt Your Rock contests running in other cities!

UNITED STATES

Boise, Idaho: Lucid Design & Photography
Boston, Massachusetts: Helen Makadia Photography
Denver, Colorado: Keri Doolittle Photography
Columbia, Missouri: Ashley Turner Photography
Seattle, Washington: Susan Berman of Whimsical Photo Design
Philadelphia and Main Line, Pennsylvania: April Ziegler Photography
Grand Rapids, Michigan: K. Holly Photography
Spokane, Washington: Cameron Glass Photography
Phoenix, Arizona: Jeanette LeBlanc Photography
Ft. Smith, Arkansas: Beaty Photography
San Jose, California: V&J Photography

CANADA

Edmonton/Vancouver Canada: Jen Williams Photographer
Fort McMurray/Northern Alberta: Leslie Brown Photography
Powell River BC/Vancouver Island: Jennifer Kennedy
Central Interior, BC: Andrea Blair
Langley, BC: Cathy Empey

The Fine Print:

This is our contest, we make the rules. We have researched many different ways of voting and there are pros and cons and hanging chads in just about every method out there. This is how we have decided to run our contest. if it’s not a fit for you, we respectfully accept your decision to decline participation. We also know there are ways to work around the system, so we will actively monitor IP addresses and research anything that appears to be fishy. We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that appears to be suspicious.

All participants must agree to sign a model release allowing images to be displayed on the Whimsical Photo Design blog. Winning participants must sign a release allowing images taken by Whimsical Photo Design to be displayed on web site, blog, Facebook and print advertising sources. Participants must also agree to standard Terms & Conditions of Whimsical Photo Design.

Regular session terms and conditions apply.

We require an electronically marked consent that you are entering this contest voluntarily and that Whimsical Photo Design is not promising any winnings or other compensation for participation.

Whew! Now that all of that is over, click on this link to enter.

By admin | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0) |

The Nursery Contest! | Seattle Children’s Photographer

February 10, 2010 – 6:00 am

Is your baby between 6-12 months old (ideally sitting!)?
Do you have a super cool nursery?
Would you be interested in winning a free session and mini-print package?

If you answered yes to all three of these questions, I would love to see pictures. What’s in it for you? A chance to win a free photography session and mini-print package featuring your baby and your nursery! I would like to see between 1-4 photographs of your space. At least one photograph must include your child in the nursery itself. We are looking for creative use of light, color and design elements. Images must be taken by you or someone in your family (what I am really saying is “please don’t submit images taken by another professional photographer.”)

All submissions must be received by 11:59 PM PST, February 28, 2010.

Entries will be judged by a panel of photographers who will narrow down the selection to 5 nurseries. The finalists will be posted on my blog and the winner will be chosen via a public voting poll. Voting will occur between March 7-March 13, 2010. There are specific rules around voting that will be clarified during the voting round of the contest.

Winners will be announced on March 15, 2010. There will be 2nd & 3rd place prizes also awarded. Winning session must take place between March 22 - April 25. Winners must sign a release to allow participating photographers to display images on blog, website, Facebook Business Page and any other print or web materials as deemed appropriate.

Winning package includes: Photography session at your location of choice (limited to Seattle, East Side, Tacoma (South Sound), Olympia and surrounding areas), password protected online gallery with unlimited proofs, (2) 8×10 prints, (2) 5×7 prints and (16) wallet prints. Additional products, packages and prints available at a 25% discount. Second place winners receive $100 in studio credit + 20% off all packages, prints and products. Third place winners will receive a $50 studio credit +  20% off all packages, prints and products.

Click here to enter the contest!

—————————————————————————

Don’t live in Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia? Have friends across the country? Check out these photographers who have nursery contests running in other cities! Their contest, terms and conditions may vary, so please make sure you read the details with care.

Birmingham, AL: Stephanie Fisher Photography
Northwest Alabama: Jennifer Weddington Photography
Denver, CO: Laura Werner of Vibrant Life Photography
Connecticut: Crista Acosta Photography
Central Indiana: Kristi Hibbetts Photography
Metro New Orleans, LA: Amy Drouet Photography
Frederick, MD & Washington DC/Baltimore metro: Shey Marin Photography
Boston, MA (including North Shore & Metro-West): Kristina Young Photography
Mississippi Gulf Coast and Pearl River County: Emotional Imagery by Brandi Head Photography
Central New Jersey: Kim Schmidt Photography
Northern New Jersey: Christie Adams Photography
Cincinnati, OH and Northern Kentucky Area: Jessica Wright of Memories That R Precious
Columbus, OH: Andrea Roberts Photography
Philadelphia and Main Line, PA: Bernadette Uzcategui Photography
Pittsburgh, PA: Seedlings Photography
Rhode Island and South Shore of Boston: Amy Ro Photography
Houston, TX: Kerri Mathis Photography
Spokane, WA: Jaidean Baker Photography

—————————————————————————

The Fine Print.

This is our contest, we make the rules. We have researched many different ways of voting and there are pros and cons and hanging chads in just about every method out there. This is how we have decided to run our contest, if it’s not a fit for you, we respectfully accept your decision to decline participation. We also know there are ways to work around the system, so we will actively monitor IP addresses and research anything that appears to be fishy. We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that appears to be suspicious.

All participants must agree to sign a model release allowing images to be displayed on participating blogs. Winning participants must sign a release allowing images taken by participating photographers to be displayed on web site, blog, Facebook and print advertising sources. Participants must also agree to standard Terms & Conditions of participating photographers.

Winning participants will receive a complimentary session focusing on nursery, baby and/or family as outlined by participating photographer. Additional items may also be included. Regular session terms and conditions apply.

We require an electronically marked consent that you are entering this contest voluntarily and that participating photographer is not promising any winnings or other compensation for participation.

By Susan | Posted in Blog Contest, Business News, Children's Session, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0) |

Lacey Fire Practice Burn | Olympia Wedding Photographer

February 1, 2010 – 1:35 pm

The Lacey Fire Department holds a special place in my heart… after all, it is where a good majority of my social circle works and where my husband has chosen to make a career. I give a lot of volunteer time to the department not only because it means a lot to me on a personal level, but also because I believe that strong communities need strong emergency services, schools and law enforcement. So those are the things I choose to support through my actions.

Every once in a while, someone in the community donates a house or a building for what is called a Practice Burn. This allows the firefighters to do controlled training in a real life scenario kind of way. Essentially at the end of the day, though, the building is burned to the ground. If you’ve ever seen a true ripping fire, the power and the intensity is something to be feared, but is also so hypnotizing. You can be standing a block away, yet feel this intense heat and pressure all around you, but something about the fire just beckons your eyes and mind. It’s just amazing to witness. And watching these guys run in and out of a burning building is just a really wild experience.

My husband was kind enough to put in for photography access to this particular burn yesterday, which was approved by the Chief, and I went out to photograph some of the details of the burn. I had a lot of fun, I just wish I could have stayed until it was all in ashes (but it take hours and sometimes days for it to completely burn down all the way, so that wasn’t necessarily an option), but real life, work and kids called me away in the mid-afternoon. My mom even came out with the girls thinking that Maggie would enjoy watching the fire and watching daddy at work. Nothing could have been further from the truth as Maggie was terrified. Poor little thing… so my mom took her back to the car and they were entertained by throwing rocks in a mud puddle.

This was the first time that Maggie had ever seen Jason in his bunker gear. She’s seen him in uniform tons, but never full decked out with airpacks and everything. Even I have only seen it a few times in our marriage. So it was totally fun to see him working and doing what he does best! But at one point, Jason asked Maggie to hold his helmet.

So here are some details of the day… I’ll let the images speak for themselves and save you the narration.

By Susan | Posted in Business News, On the Road, Personal, Random Photography Stuff, Sessions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (4) |

She’s Already 2 Months Old! | Olympia Children’s Photographer

January 23, 2010 – 10:09 pm

It’s hard to believe, but Julie is already two months old! It’s been a fun and difficult two months with my newest little one. While in some respects she is totally healthy and happy, she has also struggled with some lingering breathing issues left over from birth and severe reflux. Never again will I ever look at reflux as a minor problem… it so is not! My poor girl spends a good majority of her time not feeling very good and thus, not very happy. I never knew this level of sleep deprivation existed, but luckily, I think we are past the worst of it and on the mend.

But it’s worth the struggle for the times she is happy! Smiles only come around once in while, but when they do, they light up her entire face.

By Susan | Posted in Children's Session, Personal, Random Photography Stuff, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1) |

And sometimes it is Photoshop… | Seattle Wedding Photographer

January 22, 2010 – 5:51 pm

A few days ago I wrote a blog post about how my photography isn’t all about photoshop. I truly believe that in order to provide a strong final product, you have to have a strong raw product to begin with. Too many photographers are scared to show their straight out of camera shots. It’s kind of like walking into a room just wearing your underwear… it’s nerve racking and it doesn’t highlight the ultimate beauty of the final product.

While my photography doesn’t require photoshop to look good or fix mistakes, it does require photoshop to produce a final finished product that is worth blowing up to a 20×40 size or to lay into a gorgeous album. Additionally, photoshop gives our images this certain amount of flare that stylistically sets us apart from the rest.

I’ve made mention of it before, but I’ll say it again, I don’t like photoshopping myself. In fact, I don’t do it. Steve has spent his entire career learning and perfecting his skills in photoshop. I remember him asking Dad at around 12 years old for the first generation of photoshop (which was an insane request at that age!!). He has always been driven and known exactly what he wanted to do and knew the steps he needed to make to get there. But he has spent years perfecting his skills and techniques. And this is what he does. I couldn’t be more proud to have him be a driving force behind our company.

Most photographers don’t have the luxury of a full-time graphic artist. This is something unique and different that we are able to give to our clients. And because of this, we are able to create a distinct product that gives clients the utmost in service, skill and quality.

As you can see from the example below, the straight out of camera file offers a great product. It’s clean and a great image for any photographer to grab. But look at the final edits done in photoshop. There is a style and flare that distinguishes that marks this photo as a Whimsical branded image.

And here is another family photo. While the original file is great, the photoshopped version just polishes up an already clean file.

When you are out looking for a photographer to fulfill your needs, ask yourself about the product that photographer is producing. Is it clean? Are they using photoshop to cover mistakes? Or are they using it to stylistically enhance an already nice image?

Investment in custom photography is expensive. No bones about it. For every wedding client that hires us, we put in approximately 100 hours of back-end work on their account. For every family client that hires us, we put in approximately 25-30 hours of back-end work on their account. Lots of hours go into making our product the best it possibly can be! But we also know that our customers are receiving the best quality in terms of a final product out there.

By admin | Posted in Business News, Children's Session, Engagement Session, Family Session, Personal, Random Photography Stuff, Wedding | Comments (1) |

The Tease: Valentine’s Boudoir | Seattle Boudoir Photographer

January 20, 2010 – 11:35 pm

Anyone interested in doing a Valentine’s Boudoir session? You gotta e-mail me personally, and quickly, because I’m only doing a handful of these next week in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. Products from these sessions make absolutely perfect gifts for your significant other. They are totally fun, totally flirtatious and really quite sexy. I know it’s nerve racking… but as I tell everyone… There is just something about me that makes women want to take their clothing off!

I’ve found this awesome loft space in Seattle that I want to rent to do a series of boudoir session in a marathon format! What this means to you is… instead of booking a private boudoir session and then a location separately, I’m saving you the cost of the location and running a special promotional price. Whoo hoo! All sessions will be held on pre-determined days; but rest assure that it will be within the next 10 days. Session times are on a first-come-first-serve basis.

So there are two packages available:

Package #1: $250.00 (savings of $25.00)

  • 90-minute session with photographer (me!) in a super chic location.
  • Minimum of 50 soft proofs in a password protected online gallery.
  • (2) Fully retouched 5×7 prints matted and encased in a silk lined gift folio.
Package #2: $500.00 (savings of $75.00)
  • 90-minute session with photographer (me!) in a super chic location.
  • Minimum of 50 soft proofs in a password protected online gallery.
  • (10) Fully retouched 4×6 prints bound inside of a silk lined gift album.

You must e-mail me and have your payment to me by this Sunday in order for me to make this happen! Sessions are not confirmed until payment is received and session times will be made available based on receipt of payment. E-mail is susan(at)whimsicalphotodesign(dot)com. Call me at (360) 915-2025.

Tell your friends. I do combined boudoir all the time… so bring a friend with you! It makes it more fun!

(Oh… and I’ll supply the wine and munchies!!!)

By admin | Posted in Boudoir Sessions, Business News, Random Photography Stuff, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0) |

It’s Not All Photoshop (nor is it all the fancy camera) | Seattle Wedding Photographer

January 18, 2010 – 9:21 pm

Rebecca is my wonderful assistant. Seriously, she keeps me working at a consistent pace on a wedding day and I’d be much more disorganzied if it wasn’t for her. I adore her! She is also an aspiring photographer who is taking a slow-and-steady pace towards her development as a photographer. Recently her husband Jake started playing around with his photography skills for a class that he is taking. He wanted to know more about what Rebecca and I always talk about and wanted to develop some skill of his own.

Jake recently posted a picture on his Facebook, as his assignment for his photography class was to “Paint With Light.” I’m familiar with the concept and employ it frequently in my off-camera lighting set ups, but he got a comment on this particular photo that was interesting. Someone wrote “You did this in photoshop, right?”

I get this comment a lot - both from my clients and from other photographers. A lot of people assume that most of what I do is done in photoshop rather in inside the camera.

I have a great deal of respect for the job Steve performs for me as a graphic artist and album designer. His style, creative vision and skill is a directional force and a major contributing factor to the look and feel of my images. He is one of the best in the graphic arts business and I’m totally proud of him and happy to have him driving us forward; constantly challenging me and making me strive towards something better.

But we both know this little fact… It’s not all photoshop.

While I was setting up at the Tacoma Bridal Expo a few weeks ago, I had a couple of photographers stop by and introduce themselves and chat a bit. This is typical vendor stuff at these shows as we use them to network with each other in the industry! But as they were perusing through my portfolio and looking at some of my images, one image in particular stood out. It’s a signature image in my portfolio, one that has come to define a certain amount of my business.

The one question that rang out again and again is “You mean that isn’t photoshop? How did you do that?”

I had established professionals, that are working in the industry, who could not figure that this particular image not only wasn’t photoshopped that way, but it was pretty much taken in camera exactly how you see it here. Brides and grooms are floored to know that we as a team only spent approximately 5 minutes on this image and it was done around 5:00 pm in the afternoon; on the summer solstice.

While photoshop is a major player in what we do, I have to admit that it makes me feel bad to hear people always ask me if we’ve photoshopped something. I’ve taken a lot of time and energy, knowledge and talent, poured it all into my craft in order to obtain and develop skills that set me apart from other photographers. I believe in getting the image right there in the camera as I take it and see it at the moment. I don’t wait for Steve to put something in that image that wasn’t already there. So I keep my images clean, my lighting perfected and posing natural and beautiful.

I like the fact that we’ve developed this romantic styling to our portraits, kind of a fanciful look where the veiwer isn’t quite sure if it’s real or fake. But I assure you… it’s all real.

So next time you see an incredible photograph, don’t automatically assume that it was all done in photoshop or because someone has a fancy camera. While these are powerful tools, ultimately the skill of the photographer is what makes the photo!

By Susan | Posted in Business News, Personal, Random Photography Stuff, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (2) |

Taking it in stride… | Seattle Wedding Photographer

January 16, 2010 – 4:21 pm

If you have children then you know that if it gets quiet they are getting into trouble. It’s just how it is; especially with toddlers.

Today, I was making lunch when it was eerily quiet in the house. Julie was in her swing taking a nap, but Maggie was no where to be found. A quick shout down the hall produced no results and I knew she was up to no good. As I walked into my bedroom, all of a sudden she came darting out of the bathroom and ran as fast as she could to her bedroom. She totally knew she was causing trouble and that she was caught.

Little Maggie had gone into my make up drawer, taken out all the expensive eye shadows (left the cheap ones of course) and lined the window sill. Further more, she had taken my expensive make up brushes and was currently using the wall as her canvas. I now am the proud owner of a lovely painting done in the elusive eye shadow medium.

Little girls playing with mommy’s make-up. It’s a right of passage. So I laughed it off and made sure I grabbed a picture to remember the moment.

That’s kind of who I am though.

Most people who know me would say that I’m kind of high-strung. I am. I like things the way that I like them, I’m opinionated, and I am super-insane-crazy about timings and being on time. But all of those things are well within my control.

There is a ying to my yang though and when it comes to things I can’t control (like a 3 year old) I often times will just sit back and relax. Instead of fixating on the problem, I try to fixate on a solution, an alternative to the original plan, to get me back on track as soon as possible. I take the problems that come in stride and make the solution easy.

Often times my brides say that my presence is pretty chill on their wedding day. And I really strive to make that happen for them. There are so many variables and so many little things going on that there really isn’t a good reason for them to be worried or upset. The number one priority on their day is to get married to the man they love. Period. All the rest is just (excuse the pun) icing on the cake. And I believe if a bride hires good people around her that the person hired should take care of any issue that arises. So I do. And I make sure that I do my job to the absolute best of my ability because that is part of why people pay me to do what I do. Plus, when I’m chill, everyone else relaxes… which gives me better images in the long run!

So when my Maggie has destroyed the house playing with her toys, I just relax. At some point in my life I won’t be stepping on blocks anymore and I’ll miss the times that I did. And if my house is a disaster, I take comfort that at least once a day (at bedtime) the house gets picked up.

By Susan | Posted in Business News, Personal, Random Photography Stuff, Wedding | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1) |