I've been a very busy girl lately and finally have found some time to update my blog. This handsome guy is my cousin. I was so excited to do his photos and he had some great ideas. Enjoy!
15 June 2012
23 May 2012
Beautiful Bride... {Austin TX | Wedding & Bridal Photographer}
Category: Austin Wedding Photographer, Cedar Park TX Photographer, Cedar Park TX Wedding Photographer, Engagement, Leander Tx Photographer, Weddings and Bridal
Wedding Photographer | Austin, Tx
I always feel so honored to photograph a bride. Whether it's her engagement session, her bridal portraits, or her wedding day.. I always seem to find myself working a little more diligently to make sure her photos are top notch. This session was no different. The sun was beating down, the wind was blowing, but none of it mattered in the end.. Enjoy!
I always feel so honored to photograph a bride. Whether it's her engagement session, her bridal portraits, or her wedding day.. I always seem to find myself working a little more diligently to make sure her photos are top notch. This session was no different. The sun was beating down, the wind was blowing, but none of it mattered in the end.. Enjoy!
20 May 2012
Fun in the sun! {Austin TX | Portrait Photographer}
Category: Cedar Park TX Photographer, Children, Families, Leander Tx Photographer, Mini Sessions, Nature, Newborn
I love people watching, and there are so many great places to hang out and get some great shots! Just a few photos of some little sweeties enjoying the river!
10 May 2012
Fauxtographer.
Fake photographer.
Fauxtographer is a word commonly used to describe someone who is portraying themselves to be a professional photographer. Many photographers dislike the word because it also has been inappropriately tagged onto new, up and coming, photographers at times. Today.. this is not the case.
I personally watched this travesty unfold over the past few days and I can honestly say, I was shocked and saddened by all of this.
A wedding photographer here in the USA was living her life, posting beautiful photos quite frequently of her recent shoots. Well, that is what her followers thought, anyway. It turns out that the majority of her photos did not belong to her. In fact, the photos belonged to many other photographers around the world. There were hundreds and hundreds of images stolen. Entire wedding albums, even. This photographer had made a horrible business move. She decided that she would take copyrighted images from other photographers and place them on display on various social media outlets, claiming them as her own work. She was deceiving literally thousands of people.
Huge mistake.
A few nights ago, it caught up to her. One person saw images that belonged to someone he knew. He informed her and she in turn verified the allegations and found them to be true. She told people, who told others... and the story went viral overnight on all of the social media outlets.
Needless to say, by the time the accused photographer woke up the next morning, her twitter account and Facebook pages were swarming with hundreds of comments calling her out on the theft. The pages, all accounts and even her website were taken down. Later that evening, her Facebook page was restored, and included a public apology, where she admitted her wrong doings and stated all of the efforts that she is making to attempt to make amends. Some people are understanding and forgiving. Others.. not so much.
It isn't up to me to judge anyone. There is no doubt that this lady has made one of the worst decisions that she possibly could have. As photographers we all want to showcase stunningly beautiful work on our blogs and websites because we want others to admire it and hire us. But this.. this is something taboo in the world of photography. Photographers put their heart and soul into each and every photo they take and publish. Their work is their baby.. and you just don't take someone else's baby. It's more than wrong.. it's offensive to every photographer who works hard and does things the right way.
I cannot imagine the hurt felt by the photographers who actually own the photos, as well as the hurt that each bride and family feels that was showcased in those photos. My heart goes out to them.
If anything good can come from this upset in the world of photography, I hope that someone who might be thinking of displaying someone else's work as their own, gets a huge reality check. Work hard, learn everything you can, and take your own beautiful photos to represent yourself. There is no other acceptable way. Because all in all, it's just not worth it to take what isn't yours.
No one wants to be branded forever as a fauxtographer, and in this case.. it's very likely she will be.
Fake photographer.
Fauxtographer is a word commonly used to describe someone who is portraying themselves to be a professional photographer. Many photographers dislike the word because it also has been inappropriately tagged onto new, up and coming, photographers at times. Today.. this is not the case.
I personally watched this travesty unfold over the past few days and I can honestly say, I was shocked and saddened by all of this.
A wedding photographer here in the USA was living her life, posting beautiful photos quite frequently of her recent shoots. Well, that is what her followers thought, anyway. It turns out that the majority of her photos did not belong to her. In fact, the photos belonged to many other photographers around the world. There were hundreds and hundreds of images stolen. Entire wedding albums, even. This photographer had made a horrible business move. She decided that she would take copyrighted images from other photographers and place them on display on various social media outlets, claiming them as her own work. She was deceiving literally thousands of people.
Huge mistake.
A few nights ago, it caught up to her. One person saw images that belonged to someone he knew. He informed her and she in turn verified the allegations and found them to be true. She told people, who told others... and the story went viral overnight on all of the social media outlets.
Needless to say, by the time the accused photographer woke up the next morning, her twitter account and Facebook pages were swarming with hundreds of comments calling her out on the theft. The pages, all accounts and even her website were taken down. Later that evening, her Facebook page was restored, and included a public apology, where she admitted her wrong doings and stated all of the efforts that she is making to attempt to make amends. Some people are understanding and forgiving. Others.. not so much.
It isn't up to me to judge anyone. There is no doubt that this lady has made one of the worst decisions that she possibly could have. As photographers we all want to showcase stunningly beautiful work on our blogs and websites because we want others to admire it and hire us. But this.. this is something taboo in the world of photography. Photographers put their heart and soul into each and every photo they take and publish. Their work is their baby.. and you just don't take someone else's baby. It's more than wrong.. it's offensive to every photographer who works hard and does things the right way.
I cannot imagine the hurt felt by the photographers who actually own the photos, as well as the hurt that each bride and family feels that was showcased in those photos. My heart goes out to them.
If anything good can come from this upset in the world of photography, I hope that someone who might be thinking of displaying someone else's work as their own, gets a huge reality check. Work hard, learn everything you can, and take your own beautiful photos to represent yourself. There is no other acceptable way. Because all in all, it's just not worth it to take what isn't yours.
No one wants to be branded forever as a fauxtographer, and in this case.. it's very likely she will be.
23 April 2012
12 April 2012
I took this photo this evening after my teenage daughter told me she'd purchased a ring and brought it in to show me. I couldn't wait to set up the little makeshift area and get the 'perfect' photo. In my eyes, this is pretty close. :)
 |
| A 'purity ring' inscribed with the words "True Love Waits" along with "1 Timothy 4:12" on one side. The side opposite to the inscription is studded with crystals similar to an anniversary band. |
02 April 2012
My husband and I have decided... What good is living in such a wonderful state as Texas if you never get out and enjoy it? So we've been taking a day trip every Sunday to a different location. This week was Port Lavaca, Tx and Magnolia Beach. We started out with some "Black's BBQ" in Lockhart, double yum!! I highly recommend it!
Magnolia Beach isn't very big, for those wondering, but it does allow access to the bay, where the water is a little calmer than it would be if it were right on the Gulf of Mexico. On the way back home, we stopped in Luling at Mr. Taco and got some of the best Mexican food I've had yet. The trip took all day, about 6 hours of drive time in total, but it was so worth it. The kids really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed the family time.
Magnolia Beach isn't very big, for those wondering, but it does allow access to the bay, where the water is a little calmer than it would be if it were right on the Gulf of Mexico. On the way back home, we stopped in Luling at Mr. Taco and got some of the best Mexican food I've had yet. The trip took all day, about 6 hours of drive time in total, but it was so worth it. The kids really enjoyed it and I really enjoyed the family time.
 |
| Upper left : Seashells Upper Center : What NOT to pick up! I saw this little boy caring around a jellyfish. He was thrilled, I was terrified. Upper Right : Building something in the sand. Center : Having fun! Lower from left to right : Smirking for the camera, Seagull in flight, and confusion or maybe pain?.. lol |
25 March 2012
Texas is such a huge state that there are plenty of opportunities for exploring. Typically my hubby and I like to reserve Sunday afternoons for our little day trips. Sometimes we take the kids, sometimes we don't because most of the time they don't want to sit in the car that long anyway (teenagers!). Today we headed south and southeast, visiting Lockhart, then on to Bastrop, and finally finishing up in Smithville. Here are a few photos from today. I am really in love with the shot of the roses with the courthouse in the background. I just might frame that one! Enjoy. :)
 |
| Beautiful Roses with the Caldwell Co Courthouse in the background. Lockhart, Tx |
 |
| Caldwell Co Courthouse - Lockhart, Tx |
 |
| The house used in the movie "Hope Floats" - Smithville, Tx |
 |
| The quaint little downtown area - Smithville, Tx |
 |
| Wildflowers - Indian Paintbrushes growing along the side of the road - Bastrop, Tx |
21 March 2012
07 March 2012
I ran across an interesting thread today while reading some articles online. Someone had gone to google images and downloaded some photos and used them on their page, without contacting nor giving credit to the copyright owner. This person feels that because the images were online, they were free for the taking.
This is not the case.
When a photographer captures your image, at that exact moment they own a copyright to that photo which defines it as their work and their image. The copyright protects the one who photographed the image from having their work stolen and passed off or even sold as someone else's work. It doesn't matter if the image is of you or your child, it still belongs to the one who took the photo. It is illegal to take a photo from the internet without the permission of the copyright holder.
This includes Facebook.
Many photographers, like me, watermark their images to attempt to protect their copyright, but this doesn't always work out since many people think it's ok to crop the watermark out of the image. It isn't ok! It is actually illegal for anyone other than the copyright owner to copy, print, save, download, share, or alter in any way any image that belongs to them, without express permission. It doesn't matter if the photo is of you or not.
Now you may be thinking that if the photo is on the internet, you probably won't get caught. Well, let me tell you a little secret. :) Photographers have actually begun to implement ways to embed their information in the photo itself. This is something you can't see, but we can! It's actually part of the photo. And we can search for that information with web crawlers to find out if someone is using our images illegally. Unfortunately once the image is posted to the internet, it shows up all over google, and we are unable to control that. This is why watermarking and embedding our copyright information into the photo is so important to us.
Of course there are exceptions to the rule. If you purchase a photo from the internet, or you download a free photo that is royalty free, those are fine to share. Those photos usually specify that they can be downloaded and used to a certain extent. Facebook can be ok as well, if the photographer says to feel free to share or tag yourself in the photo, you can. That does not give you permission to alter the photo though! Something to keep in mind.
So the next time you see a photo on Facebook and you feel like saving it to your pictures without contacting the photographer and being granted permission, you are actually breaking the law. You can be sued and the penalties are quite hefty... up to $150,000 per image. I know I wouldn't want to be sued for stealing!
So if you see a nice picture in the future and you'd like to share it, or tag yourself in it on Facebook, just ask the photographer if you can share their image. Many times they'll say yes. We love for people to see our work, we just want the credit for it!
This is not the case.
When a photographer captures your image, at that exact moment they own a copyright to that photo which defines it as their work and their image. The copyright protects the one who photographed the image from having their work stolen and passed off or even sold as someone else's work. It doesn't matter if the image is of you or your child, it still belongs to the one who took the photo. It is illegal to take a photo from the internet without the permission of the copyright holder.
This includes Facebook.
Many photographers, like me, watermark their images to attempt to protect their copyright, but this doesn't always work out since many people think it's ok to crop the watermark out of the image. It isn't ok! It is actually illegal for anyone other than the copyright owner to copy, print, save, download, share, or alter in any way any image that belongs to them, without express permission. It doesn't matter if the photo is of you or not.
Now you may be thinking that if the photo is on the internet, you probably won't get caught. Well, let me tell you a little secret. :) Photographers have actually begun to implement ways to embed their information in the photo itself. This is something you can't see, but we can! It's actually part of the photo. And we can search for that information with web crawlers to find out if someone is using our images illegally. Unfortunately once the image is posted to the internet, it shows up all over google, and we are unable to control that. This is why watermarking and embedding our copyright information into the photo is so important to us.
Of course there are exceptions to the rule. If you purchase a photo from the internet, or you download a free photo that is royalty free, those are fine to share. Those photos usually specify that they can be downloaded and used to a certain extent. Facebook can be ok as well, if the photographer says to feel free to share or tag yourself in the photo, you can. That does not give you permission to alter the photo though! Something to keep in mind.
So the next time you see a photo on Facebook and you feel like saving it to your pictures without contacting the photographer and being granted permission, you are actually breaking the law. You can be sued and the penalties are quite hefty... up to $150,000 per image. I know I wouldn't want to be sued for stealing!
So if you see a nice picture in the future and you'd like to share it, or tag yourself in it on Facebook, just ask the photographer if you can share their image. Many times they'll say yes. We love for people to see our work, we just want the credit for it!
04 March 2012
18 February 2012
Meet Ashton - 22 days new!
Category: Austin TX Newborn Photographer, Baby Photographer, Cedar Park TX Newborn Photographer, Cedar Park TX Photographer, Children, Leander TX Newborn Photographer, Leander Tx Photographer, Newborn
This adorable little man came to visit me today! He was such a good little boy and we got some very sweet photos. If only they were all this easy! Enjoy!
12 February 2012
"Can I get the original, RAW, or unedited images on disk?"
This is a question I am finding myself being asked quite a bit lately. I do understand the reason that people ask. Maybe they think that if they have the original image, I won't keep it. Maybe they think that they'd like to edit it themselves. Maybe another photographer, or just someone with a nice dSLR camera took some shots for them and handed over the RAW images. I get it.. so let me give you a little analogy as to why my answer is, and will always be "no" when asked for the unedited images. Keep reading!
First let me ask you:
Would you go into a restaurant and ask for a piece of raw chicken? Highly doubtful!
Would you go into a restaurant and ask to cook your own piece of raw chicken? Of course not.
If you did ask either of those questions, do you think any chef worth his salt would agree to either scenario? Absolutely not.
You go to a restaurant to get a certain style of food, cooked a certain way. No chef would be willing to hand over raw chicken or let you cook it. It's his/her kitchen, in his/her restaurant and people go there for a reason.. because they like the food the way it's cooked! Believe it or not.. photography is similar to this scenario!
An unedited image is much like raw chicken.
Editing can be something as simple as going through the images and deleting all of the ones with soft focus, awkward expressions, closed eyes, snotty noses, etc. This is a basic edit. Then once that is completed, a photographer could correct exposure, levels, curves, color saturation, crop, sharpen, remove blemishes, add artistic touches, and other little things that can make an image stand out. Personally, I do both. I start with basic throw aways, then onto advance editing to make sure your image is to my liking before you ever see a preview.
I do this to all photos, even my own. This is my style.. this is what I portray in each image, and what I hope brings back my repeat clients.
When you pay a photographer to take your photos, you aren't just paying for the click of the camera. You are paying for that photographer's vision, their trained eye, their artistic talent, and their personal style.
The Copyright Act protects photographers by giving them the exclusive right to copy, edit, and distribute their images for resale or transfer. This means only your photographer is legally allowed to make any copies, implement any edits (even changing the photo to black and white or cropping), or sell any of the photos they take.. including the ones of you or your children.
These rights also make it illegal to copy, scan, download, or share digital media without the express permission of your photographer! Even if a photographer puts your image on their blog or on Facebook, it is illegal for you to copy, share, download, print, edit, or scan that photo because the photographer still owns the copyright! However, if there is a note that you can tag yourself, or use the photo as your profile picture, then that is fine. You still cannot download, print, remove any watermark, crop, or alter the image in any way. Violators are subject to civil and criminal penalties by Federal Law! Who knew Facebook could get you into so much trouble.. right?
If this is worrisome to you, don't let it be. Just ASK the photographer what you can do. Most photographers, like myself, simply just want to be compensated for their work, or at the very least, make sure they get credit for it. We are reasonable people and all in all we want to make you happy! :)
So.... I will never be that photographer who gives you 1000 hi-resolution images on disk, nor will I be the one who is willing to relinquish all copyrights to your photos.. no matter how many times you ask me to.
I will also never be willing to give you raw chicken.. or raw, unedited images either. :)
 |
| The difference between SOOC (straight out of camera) and the edit is like night and day. |
10 February 2012
Meet Little "M"
Category: Austin TX Newborn Photographer, Baby Photographer, Birth Photographer, Cedar Park TX Newborn Photographer, Children, Leander TX Newborn Photographer, Newborn
Austin, Tx | Newborn Photographer
What a sweet little man I had the pleasure of working with today! Here is a quick sneak peek because I'm quite sure his mom and dad are anxious to see how the photos turned out. Enjoy!
29 January 2012
25 January 2012
24 January 2012
22 January 2012
I'm sure you've heard it before - professional prints are better than ones you'd get at a retail/drugstore. But- I'm probably one of the few photographers to admit that a few years ago, I didn't believe this statement either. I'm sure most of you are thinking, "It's just a photographer's way of getting more money"; so, I think it helps to see the difference. Seeing how different each photo lab is, and sometimes how much they mess up your photos was a real eye opener for me. Now, please don't think that I'm telling you this to only get you to buy prints. That's not the idea here. When you get a CD from me, you have the release to the photos, which means it is your decision how and where you print them. I just think that sometimes having a little more information on a subject can open up new opportunities. And as always, I do offer very good prices on print packages and I'll even put together a package to fit your needs if you just ask me!
So just take a look, and use the information here to make a better informed decision on how you'd like your memories preserved for years to come.
 |
| photo by fotoflare.ca |
 |
| photo by Jayne Peterson Photography |
 |
| photo by Erin Noie Photography |
 |
| Photo by Sylvia Cook Photography |
 |
| Photo by Sylvia Cook Photography |
 |
| Photo by Jessica Pearson Photography |
28 December 2011
Please contact me to set up your daycare photo session. Any size daycare, commercial or home-based is eligible to participate and sessions will be held on site, during regular business hours. There will be limited available slots so book as soon as possible to be sure your business is included. $25 fee is due in advance on the day of the session, and is per child (or 2 siblings). Once your business is booked and confirmed, there will be leaflets available to hand out to interested parents.
Additional Valentine Mini Sessions will be available on Sunday January 29th for the general public.
22 December 2011
Arcanum, Ohio | Senior Photographer .
I must admit, I was a little nervous before shooting this session! I had never met Jen, and it had been many, many years since I'd seen her mom. But we quickly warmed up to each other and I had so much fun with this one! Jen has a great, whimsical personality and quickly began tossing ideas around. There is much more to come, but here is a tiny little peek of her session yesterday...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
rss
twitter
pinterest
facebook
