It’s little moments like this that now, instead of fading inside my head, have been imprinted forever on paper (well, and digitally now too).

My journey through photography is allowing me to see light this like…as I remember from when I was a child, sitting in the late afternoon warmth of a sun filled living room.

Regardless of the camera you have, remember to take photographs of your children more than you think you ought to!
Warm regards!
Kelly

The second annual Bump It (Maternity & Baby) Trade show is happening this Sunday, February 26th, at Sahali Center Mall, from 10 until 4.

Want to know the best part?

I’m hosting Maternity mini sessions!  These are going to be amazing and I’ve given you a little preview below of what to expect if you sign up.

Oh, not pregnant, but already have a baby?  Well then you’ll still want to sign up because Carrie from Classic Blue Photography will be right there with me hosting “Connections” sessions, which aim to photograph the special connection between a mother and her baby.  These are perfect if you have a baby less than one year old.

The information on cost and photographs is detailed below this amazing image preview:

Have you signed up for Maternity and Baby Mini Sessions yet???

The second annual Bump It (Maternity & Baby) Trade show is happening this Sunday, February 26th, at Sahali Center Mall, from 10 until 4.

Want to know the best part?

I’m hosting Maternity mini sessions!  These are going to be amazing and I’ve given you a little preview below of what to expect if you sign up.

Oh, not pregnant, but already have a baby?  Well then you’ll still want to sign up because Carrie from Classic Blue Photography will be right there with me hosting “Connections” sessions, which aim to photograph the special connection between a mother and her baby.  These are perfect if you have a baby less than one year old.

The information on cost and photographs is detailed below this amazing image preview:

I know you are interested already!  Here’s the link to sign up today!

What’s the deal?  

A 15 minute session for a smoking deal of $30 until February 23rd ONLY.  Bookings after that date and walk-ins the day of are $40, which still an amazing deal, in my opinon!

Krystal from KATypical Services is also offering belly painting for an additional $30.  There are just a few of these spots available, so if you are interested, you need to email me!!

What do you get?

One high resolution image emailed to you – your choice from a selection of 5 to 10 professionally edited images.  Additional images can be purchased for just $25 and if you love, love, love your images and want them displayed proudly on your walls, we have professional print options which I will be happy to discuss with you in a private ordering session.

So don’t delay any longer!  We are already 50% full so sign up today!

P.S.  For those that don’t know, I’ve changed my business name from butterbutter photography to Kelly Tuohey Photography.

I want to thank EVERYONE who entered and helped me gain some more local fans.  I truly appreciate it, but I am a little bummed that I decided to re-brand in the midst of the contest and create an entirely new facebook page…

Anyhow, that does not change the fact that all these wonderful people helped my business, regardless of it’s name so without further adieu…

The winner of my local fan giveaway is…

So, that doesn’t mean much to people, but according to my excel document it means CARLY GEREIN!!

Yea Carly!  Contact me to book your session!  (kelly@kellytuoheyphotography.ca)

WAIT, don’t go!

I want to give SPECIAL MENTION to the one lady who drove THE MOST fans to my site – I should hire her to be my full time advocate and publicist!

COLLEEN HOLLOWAY, for the amount of traffic you drove to my page, I am pleased to offer you a complimentary session in my Spring Mini Sessions!

Both winners will be contacted via email.  In the event that no response is received with 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Much love everybody!

I just want to show why I shoot RAW, not jpeg.  What exactly is RAW?  Well, it is essentially raw camera data – that’s the easiest way to explain it.  Normally when you snap picture with a point and shoot (or in JPEG format on your dSLR), you have committed almost all aspects of your photo right then and there.  With RAW, you have the ability to change almost everything about your photo, to an extent.  If something isn’t right, such as a colour cast, underexposed, not enough fill light, you can change it afterwards.  RAW data is uncompressed and allows full editing capability, if you have an editing program that can read it.  However, if you have purchased a dSLR camera, it most likely came with free software that will read RAW data and allow you to edit to your heart’s content.

So why doesn’t everyone shoot in RAW?  RAW has it’s disadvantages, such as having to edit every single photo – at the very least to export to JPEG so it can be printed at regular camera stores and uploaded to the internet for social media sharing.  It is time consuming and the file sizes are enormous.  Even if I don’t love the fact that I can’t just snap and then upload.  But I love RAW for it’s forgiveness and this is why I spend the time afterwards to perfect my favourite photos.

I specifically use Lightroom, but all edits that I do in Lightroom, you can also do in Adobe Camera Raw (which is free when you purchase Photoshop).

Here’s a specific example of why I photograph in RAW:

My kids and I went to the local playground the other day and my camera tagged along for the ride.  My son and I were chasing eachother and I had set my camera in Manual mode for the bright overcast skies.  However, he ducked under the playground and was hiding from me.  I didn’t have time to change the settings on my camera, for fear of missing the moment, so I quickly snapped this picture:

A perfect moment with less than perfect camera settings

I knew right away it was grossly underexposed but that I could most likely fix it later.  We continued on with the chasing game and the moment was gone forever.

Here are the basic adjustments I made in Lightroom.  Exposure + 1.5.  Fill + 37.  Recovery + 15. Brightness + 60, Clarity + 30.   With this type of underexposed image, it will also have more noise than regular, even though I was shooting at ISO 100.  I also used noise reduction in LR here.  I leave my contrast, colour boosts and final sharpening adjustment for photoshop.

Basic adjustments done in Lightroom

And here is what the final image looked like after my final processing in Photoshop.  I ran my colour boost/pop action, my reduce the redness action,  increased contrast, fixed up some crumbs on his face, darkened the background slightly, and then ran my own special sharpening action and voila ~ perfection!

The final edited image! Perfection!

When photographing with a “lifestyle” approach like I do when I’m outside, shooting in RAW has saved me more than once.  I know it takes longer, but I always strive for quality over quantity of images – this holds true for my personal images as well as my clients’ images.  I don’t edit every single image I take of my children, nor do I for my paid sessions.

As photographers, do you photograph using RAW, JPEG or both???  Why do you prefer one over the other?

Happy photographing everyone!

All in all, I got the practice I was wanting, I got to spend time with my children, they got candy canes and my husband was able to work uninterrupted in the garage! It was a great evening!

Honestly, I love my Ashcroft and Cache Creek, BC, Canada fans immensely!  They have been the biggest supporters of my business and sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it to move back to my small home town and build my business there.  (OK, not so seriously).  Luckily, it’s not very far away, so my fans can easily travel to my current studio location in Kamloops, BC, Canada!

And Hank, I am so happy to meet you, even if you did surprise me by arriving a bit earlier than I’d planned.   Hank is very much loved by all his family…and me too!

Enjoy everyone…

ANY photographer out there reading this – this workshop would benefit you in ways you can’t even imagine.  It doesn’t matter if you’re an industry pro or maybe just bought a camera and are thinking about starting a business.

Karen cuts through the crap and makes you get in touch with your real self.  Mara is probably one of the most amazing, real, inspiring people I have ever met.  Ever.

I think that’s why I struggled at this workshop.  As photographers we are artists.  As artists we are emotional – we have to be – we show emotion in our work.  And this is a problem for me.  Sure I evoke emotion in my work, but it doesn’t show my emotion.  I felt like there was no ME in my work.  And that’s a key, it honestly is.  I’m not talking about whether people can say “that’s a so-n-so photo,”  I’m talking about your raw self showing through in every image you present.  And don’t get me wrong, people should be able to say “oh, that’s a Kelly Tuohey image, isn’t it?” but not because they’ll recognize the hat, or the blanket, or the pose of the baby, but because they can see me in the photograph, through the emotion and the look of the image.  It will speak to them.  And shout my name.

I have trouble showing emotion in my daily life, and this resonates throughout my current work.  Even at the workshop, I think I may have been the only photographer who didn’t cry.  It made me sad. (But I didn’t cry.)

I’m not there, I mean, I’m not present in my life.  Most of the time.  And why is that?  Every night after a workshop day, I would come back to my hotel room and ask myself that question.   And do you know why?  Because I’d built my photography business looking at everyone else’s photography business.  I was addicted to social media – I couldn’t get off facebook, I couldn’t stop searching forums and other photography websites.  It filled up my head and left no room for my own style, my own richness, to shine through.

I’d started to get a sense of this over the holiday season, when things were slowing down and I was taking a break and regrouping.  I focused on photographing my own kids, much to their dismay, but they did get used to me with my camera around my neck constantly throughout the holidays.  I studied them.  I studied the light.  Quietly observed.  I went to the hospital and photographed my new niece days after she was born.  And I created something.  My work was different.  It moved me.  It moved my husband.  It moved my “facebook followers.”  It was real.  Little parts of me and my hidden style were peeking through.

But holidays ended and I slipped back into my regular ways.  Computer every night, sometimes every morning, barely sleeping…but what was I doing?  I wasn’t busy.  I wasn’t filled up with bookings.  I don’t even know how I spent my time those first few weeks.

But after this workshop everything is now so clear.  Here’s what I’m going to do and implement immediately:

Learn more.  From the right people.

I know I still have tons to learn technically and I won’t be learning it from the photographer down the street.  I’m headed to the library to learn from the masters, those who shaped our photographic world and to whom tribute should be paid.  Before this workshop I hadn’t really seen great photographs.  After all, I’m a digital girl – and you aren’t going to see great photographs on a computer screen.  The image is only half the story.  Stunning photographs happen on paper – they are tangible.  You can feel them, you can smell them.  They pop off the page. They are absolutely amazing.

Get off social media.

I’m leaving my facebook friends.  Why am I spending so much time “networking” with other “photographers?”  What am I honestly going to learn from them?  Where is the value in that?  How do those 15 hours per week translate into revenue for me?  Is it so I can look at others’ sites and go “wow, I’m so much better than them?”  Or answer their silly questions “click like if you can see this! xo!”  I once read a debate on this so called “silent tagging” on facebook.  The pro-answer was “oh it’s such a good way to network and we can learn so much from eachother.”  Really?  What am I going to learn from the photographer who opened their “facebook page” 3 months ago?  Anybody I should really care to learn about isn’t going to be sitting on facebook silent tagging in order to “network” (i.e., get more fans on their business pages.)  They’ll be out pounding the pavement, bringing in new clients, or reading books or taking courses on how to get better at their business – taking photographs and selling their photography.

Why exactly do I post on facbeook? My answer previously was so I could share my work with potential clients.  Yeah, well, unless I sent the notification directly to their email inbox, they probably aren’t going to see it.  And facebook is designed for my fans – people who already know about me and like my work.  They like me, but probably not enough to share my “sneak peek” albums every time I post one.  Not that it won’t get the word out, I just don’t think it’s an effective use of my time.  Sorry, no more sneak peeks.

Show the world who I really am.

I’m redesigning my blog and my website (maybe it’ll already be done by the time you read this-hah!).  butterbutter is going.  What is butterbutter?  Well, my son thought it up.  Yes I let my son name my business.  Sure, it’s a conversation piece, but I don’t think people take it seriously.  How can they?  I don’t even take it seriously.  I constantly apologize for the funny name.  It’s a childish name and I am not running a childish business.  Enter Kelly Tuohey Photography, a fine art family and children’s photography studio.  No longer will I hide behind a made up name.  That doesn’t mean I’m not going to take fun, creative, colourful photographs any more – I’m not stuffy or snooty –  I’m  just proud of my photography and I’ll use my name to show it all off.

Get rid of the Flippin’ Digital CD.

You know the photographers at the workshop said to me?  Oh, you’re the kind of photographer we hate.  (And, no they weren’t trying to be mean, they were making a point).  Make a choice – I am not a mom, with a camera.  I am a photographer, with a couple of kids.  There is a whole world of amazing photographers out there who wouldn’t dream of giving digital files out. Did you know that is actually isn’t the norm in most parts of the country?  I have so many reasons now (see, it’s all about education!) why a CD should never be given out that a CD will never leave my studio again.  It’s that simple.  I don’t really care that every single other “photographer” in the area gives a CD.  It’s not a sustainable business practice and we’ll see who is thriving in five years.  By the way, it’s actually a disservice to your customers.  What to know more?  Ask me, I will happily tell you all about it.

Thrive.

That’s right, I’m going to thrive.  It’s an aptly named workshop, for those willing to do the work.  It may not be easy, it will require effort, but success is my only option.  I now have set office hours.  The phone is now a corner stone of my business practice, instead of something I hide away from by using email as my only form of communication.  It’s kind of like that printed photograph.  Email only tells half the story, only engages one sense – what about the other four?

If you’re interested in my journey, I hope you keep coming back.  My blog will be changing to provide more value to my customers and my readers.  Sure I’ll still blog about photo sessions, but it’s going to be such much more than that.

In 2012, I am thriving.  Thank you!

A favourite of mine

Did you know I am almost at 1,000 fans on my facebook page?

I would love to have more local support, as my facebook page is one of my best forms of advertising, so to persuade all of you to help me, I will be giving away a photo session of your choice!**

To be considered for this giveaway, here’s what you have to do:

Step 1:  You have to LIKE butterbutter photography on Facebook. Leave a comment below this post stating you are “Already a fan” or that you are a “New fan.”

Step 2:  Share my page on your wall and suggest it to your friends – entice people to come like my page.  You must come back and comment on this blog post that you did just that!

You need two comment posts to enter the giveaway.  Want more entries?  Here’s how:

Additional entries:

1)    When one of your friends does like my page they need to tell me who sent them.  Every time you are tagged/mentioned is another entry

2)   Update your status to tag my page and tell your friends about the giveaway (simple as typing @butterbutter photography is having a giveaway for a free photo session.  Come check it out!)

3)   Every time one of those people also signs up for my newsletter, you will also get another entry. (so you should suggest it to them!)

4)   Whenever I post a photo session, if you share it on your wall (simple as clicking the “share” button below the album), you will get another entry.

The giveaway ends when you, my current fans, have referred 200 more fans to my page or on February 14th, 2012, whichever comes first. New fans can participate as well by simply following the above entry methods!  A winner will be drawn randomly by entering all the entrants into an excel spreadsheet and using random.org to generate a number.  The winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, they forfeit their prize and another name will be drawn.

Thanks so much for your support everybody!

Prize Details:

The giveaway prize of a photo session of your choice has no cash value and cannot be transferred or applied to an already booked session – it must be used for a future session.  The session is to take place at my studio or in the Kamloops area only.  The value of the prize is approximately $350.  A photo session entails the actual session, which is 1 to 2 hours in length (newborns are up to 4 hours) – studio or outdoor location, and can be newborn, baby, one year cake smash, kids, family or maternity – your choice.  It also includes 15 to 20 professionally edited, chosen at my discretion, high resolution digital images, presented to you on a CD with a print release.  The photo session must be completed by Dec 31, 2012.

Legal Jargon:

Each participant agrees to give a complete release (of responsibility) to Facebook.  This giveaway is not promoted, sponsored, administered or endorsed in any way by Facebook.  Any information given is provided to butterbutter photography, and not to or for Facebook.  Entering your email address (which is required) for the blog comments will sign you up for my monthly newsletter.  If you don’t wish to receive them, unsubscribing is super easy!

For those of you who don’t know, Alicia owns The Portrait Place in Orting, WA (which is about one hour south of Seattle).  Want to know how I found her?  On Flickr, of all places.  Don’t forget about Flickr – as we all seem so obsessed with facebook these days.  This is where I draw most of my inspiration from and it keeps me from peeking too much at my local “competition.”  I know Pinterest is all the rage right now, but I just love Flickr.  Anyhow, I digress.

Alicia hosted a one day workshop where she went over absolutely everything regarding newborns, setup, safety, posing, editing, sales, marketing…the list goes on and on.  I attended, along with three other photographers from the US and Canada.  I drooled over her studio and immediately started planning all my changes.  At the end of the day, I dragged my husband up to her studio (when he came to pick me up) and showed him everything we needed to implement in my current studio. Already the changes are occurring!

Here is what we covered in our workshop:

• the perfect studio lighting setup/equipment – how to beautifully mimic natural light.  Alicia often switches between studio and natural lighting, and you really cannot tell the difference when you look at her pictures.
• newborn and studio setup – everything you’ll need and want to know about properly and safely setting up your studio for each newborn session, how to keep those babies in a deep, deep sleep and how to handle difficult situations.
• newborn posing – Of course, this was the “meat” of the workshop and we covered a variety of different poses with three different babies.
• editing and post processing techniques – the essentials you need to have on your computer, and certain techniques to achieve different looks and styles while editing.
• critiquing – at the end of the day, Alicia generously offered to critique some of our photos.  Of course, by this time, we could all critique our own phones as well