Studio 412 Imagery

Gray Area

Whitney — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:04:41 +0000

From time to time I like to do a little bit of educating. I think it’s important for people to not just be able to look at a picture and feel that it is visually pleasing, but also have some idea of why their eye likes it. One of the most common misconceptions about photography is that turning a less than stellar image into a black and white will “save” it. Don’t get me wrong, there are some photos that look much better in black and white than they do in color, but simply clicking a button and removing the color from an image does not create a good image.

Typically, when I compose a shot, I already have in my mind how I will process that image. For instance, black and white images I will generally shoot in a white or black background and I will be sure that there is something, whether it be lighting or clothing, to make my subject pop off the background. The image below was shot in my small studio space in front of black seamless paper. The first image is my SOOC (straight out of camera) shot. Next is my color edit. It’s very clean, lots of contrast and as it stands is a good example of a well balanced image. Of course, I knew that I wanted this series to be in black and white from the get go and because I started out with a good color image, my black and white looks better.

See here, this is an example of simply converting my SOOC image into black and white and converting my edited color image, both using the exact same technique.

Very different results. It’s pretty amazing the difference between starting with a good image and not. Another problem I see in the world of black and white conversions is the misconception that you simply “push a button” and turn an image black and white. There are several methods to achieve a black and white image and there are several types of black an white images (high key, moody, newsprint, clean, etc). What you don’t want from a black and white conversion is a muddy image. Below is an example of converting an image to black and white simply by converting it to grayscale and converting an image by converting with the channel mixer and a couple curves adjustments.

As you can see, the image on the left is what we call “muddy”. There are just varying shades of gray, no contrast, gray, dull skin. This is not what you want. On the right the image has good contrast, there is black, white and varying shades of gray. The skin tones are creamy and soft. This is a good conversion.

So there it is, a simple explanation of what makes a good black and white image!

12 | 12 | 12 {Inspire Creativity}

Whitney — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:00:06 +0000

Some of my wonderful “photogafriends” have decided to try out this new image project. I have pretty much tried one of these every year since I was in high school. I’ve tried the 365 challenges, the 52 challenges….you name it, I’ve tried it. It has gone the same way pretty much each time…. I start off strong, but after a couple months it fizzles out. You may ask yourself why I keep trying to do this over and over, knowing I don’t have the discipline or the accountability to keep up with it. Well, I’ll tell you why. I keep trying year after year because I think it is so important, as a professional photographer, to find time to shoot the regular every day life things. It’s important to stretch the limits of my creativity, to step outside of my box and challenge myself and to find ways to be inspired by the mundane simply by finding different ways to look at the world.

So this year when the 12 | 12 | 12 project was suggested, I thought I might be able to pull this one off. Basically the idea is that you take 12 images a month and post them all on your blog on the 12th of each month. 12 images, 12th day of the month, 12 months….you get it. AND it just so happens to be 2012! One major difference for me, this year, is that I am doing this project with my friends…so there is a level of accountability that I haven’t had before. There will also be a link at the end of each post that will take you to one of my friends’ 12 | 12 | 12 posts so you can check out what they are doing to get inspired this year.

I have set an additional goal for myself during this project and that is to step outside of my normal style. Try new things, new angles, new processing, etc. Even if it doesn’t necessarily “work” I’m still going to try some new stuff this year. Who knows, I might even learn a few things. So, here goes…my first 12 images of 2012. As you can clearly see, I am embracing the idea of trying new things

Check out my awesome friend Lindsay and her 12 | 12 | 12 post.

Best of 2011 {WINNER}

Whitney — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:01 +0000

If you read yesterday’s post about the best of 2011 image contest, then you know all about the beautiful families who’s images were up for voting on our facebook page. Well, I am thrilled to announce the winner, by a margin of over 600 votes, is this gorgeous little guy!

Congrats Jack and family! You will be receiving a beautiful mounted 11×14 wall portrait as well as a $75 gift certificate that can be applied to a future session.

Of course I couldn’t let all my amazing 2011 clients go unrewarded, so you all will also be receiving a copy of your image in 8×10 format as well as a $50 gift certificate towards a future session. Happy new year!

Best of 2011

Whitney — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:53:44 +0000

This year I decided to do something a little bit special for my 2011 clients. I wanted to find a way to show off the images of their beautiful little families while somehow giving them the opportunity for free stuff (because let’s face it, we all love freebies). So I put together a collection of my favorite images of 2011 and asked my facebook fans to vote for their favorites. The image with the most votes will be printed in 11×14 format and presented to the family it belongs to. I tell you what…it was a tough one. I know I had a hard enough time choosing the favorites from each session, but to choose a favorite from the whole year, forget about it. Seriously…check out the nominees.

So as you can see, this was a very tough decision……

Goodbye to another year….

Whitney — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:30:15 +0000

I really can’t believe another year has come and gone. Maybe it’s because I now have three children that are transforming right before my eyes, but it seems that as I get older time goes faster. It makes me sad to think that only a year ago I had just welcomed my third son home. The same son that is walking, talking and has completely stolen my heart. Over the past year my life has changed tremendously, my cup overflows with more blessings that I can name. So much has happened and I wish I could go back and relive many of those events, just to make sure I didn’t miss a single detail. As we all know, that isn’t possible, so I simply rely on the photographs that have been captured. I cling to them, knowing that someday my memory will fail me and it will all fade in my mind. It is such a comfort to know that I will always have a way to travel back to these moments that have shaped and molded my life.

I have found myself going back over old images that I have taken. Session images from time with my lovely clients. While I was reviewing these pictures I was able to see just how much growth has happened over the last year. I’m not one to brag or get a big head about things, but I do admit there is a little bit of pride that comes from seeing how far I have come in just 12 short months. It makes me so hopeful for what the future years have in store.

Quite a growth if I do say so myself. I can only attribute that growth to the amazing, supportive friends and family around me. So 2012….her I come! Ready for anything you have for me and eager to learn and grow.

Baby Alyssa

Whitney — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:45:15 +0000

It’s time to finally play catch up with my blog posts. Things have been a bit crazy around here, but I am committing to make the time to finally catch up on posts and post regularly. I know I can do it!

First up is sweet baby girl Alyssa at just 5 days new. You may remember her mommy and daddy from their maternity session, well Alyssa made her appearance and stole the hearts of her new parents. This beautiful little princess was just amazing to work with and of course, that gorgeous head of hair and sweet cheeks made this session all the more adorable. So here she is, princess Alyssa!

Don’t forget about our new blog comment game! Comment on this blog post to help Alyssa’s parents get a free print from their session. Every session post that has at least 50 comments will receive a free print of their choice from their session.

Ch-ch-changes….

Whitney — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 22:55:00 +0000

This is a pretty big deal, I have been obsessing over how and when to make this announcement for months. In a way I am sad, but more than anything I am overjoyed with the anticipation of what the future has in store. Studio412 Imagery has, since day one, been a photography studio that caters to families, maternity, newborns, seniors, couples and the occasional wedding. When I started out two years ago I knew that I loved creating beautiful works of art from my clients’ lives, experiences and memories. I knew that this is what I was meant to do. In the process of finding myself as a photographer I fell in love with photographing newborns. From the very first newborn session a small part of me knew that this was my favorite subject.

The idea of specializing crept in shortly after my 6 month mark in business and continued to grow with each mommy-to-be or newborn baby I photographed. I can’t explain how it feels to have the power to make a woman who is 36 weeks pregnant feel beautiful, really beautiful. Or what it feels like to document the first days of life, those days that parents try desperately to hold on to but just slip through our fingers like water. I just love it. I love the anticipation and excitement of pregnancy. I love the calmness, the smell, the softness, everything about a brand new baby. It is what I was meant to do.

The final straw was when I decided to add birth photography to my services. Wow. That is all I can really say. Words just can’t express what it feels like to watch a life emerge into the world. It is breathtaking. Right then and there I knew, this was it. I love photographing weddings, I love photographing seniors, but I could live the rest of my life never photographing them again and not have any regrets as long as I was able to continue working with pregnant mommies, newborns and labor & delivery.

So with that said, I’m sure you can guess what the big announcement is going to be. Starting in 2012, Studio412 will cater specifically to expectant families, labor & delivery and newborns. I will also photograph children up to one year of age. This will allow for my Watch Me Grow plans as well as the occasional baby session. Of course, if I have you scheduled for a session already that will remain intact, I just won’t be booking any new weddings, seniors or families with older children. I feel like this move is the best thing for me, as a photographer, and my business as well as my family. This decision means I can give my clients a more specialized and personal experience and it also means that I will be able to spend more time with my husband and three boys. I am very excited to see what the future holds and I am super excited to spend more time with beautiful pregnant mothers and sweet little newborns.

Lives are Being Changed……

Whitney — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:22:35 +0000

Yesterday my wonderful church, Wellspring, baptized several new believers. It was a pretty awesome thing to witness. I was given the task of photographing this event. It is such a privilege to capture these moments for my fellow Christ followers. I know that I treasure the video of my baptism, which also happens to be a video of the day I ment my husband So I am familiar with the emotions that these memories evoke for someone that has given their life to Christ. It was a beautiful day.

I would like to say congratulations to all who were baptized yesterday. I’d also like to give a special mention to my good friends Danielle and Pastor Trey, Emily and Keith and Amanda and Bobby. These three families were blessed by their firstborn children recently accepting Christ and were baptized yesterday. Very exciting!

Home Sweet Home

Whitney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:31:27 +0000

This week I had an opportunity to shoot some photos of the beautiful town in which I reside. My husband, Nick, of Studio412 Design is working on a website for a local real estate company which will launch this week. They needed images of some of the awesome things here in Myrtle Beach so I headed out to Broadway at the Beach, then to the Boardwalk. It is always exciting for me when I get to show off the amazing place that I live. Here is the video that was created using my images.

Sweet Baby Jack

Whitney — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:43:00 +0000

This little baby boy holds such a special place in my heart. I met Jack one day while visiting my friend, Shannon. Shannon is Jack’s caregiver and had mentioned that she referred his mommy to me to get his newborn photos done. During our visit I just fell in love with him, he is the sweetest, happiest little baby and after awhile you don’t even notice that he looks a little different. Jack has Crouzon Syndrome and was scheduled for his first surgery on October 10th. Knowing this, and knowing that after his surgery he will not look the same, I just had to make sure that his family had some great images to document him just the way he was when they first met him. So Shannon and I plotted to surprise his mommy with the images the day before he was scheduled for surgery. I showed up while he was at Shannon’s and spent some time with baby Jack, then on October 19th, I presented her with the images…and it was awesome.

This is why I do what I do, this is it. I do this because I love that I can provide families with evidence of moments past, memories that will exist forever even when the moment is gone. Jack will never look the same again, but years down the road he and his family will be able to look back at these images to see and remember where he came from, his strength and his ability to overcome. They can go back and see how perfect and beautiful he was from the very beginning. It was my honor to take these photos for his family.