Dawn B. Fab

One of my clients has started a fashion blog with some AWESOME clothing ideas for you!  Stay up to date with what is in style for your photo shoots - follow here here:  Dawn B. Fab

Spring/Summer 2013 What to Wear Guides

I love the tan & melon!  

Stacy & Clinton say melon looks great on EVERYONE!

The blues & purples are great together, too!

(click to view larger)

Spring 2013 What to Wear Guides

Some really fun colors!

I love these things!

(Click to view larger)

And click here for some fun tips on picking outfits!

  

Winter 2012-2013 What to Wear Guides

I was so busy this winter season that I forgot to post these!  

They'll be great for this coming fall/winter 2013!!!

(Click to view larger)

 

Greyhound Coats

I have had several people ask me for instructions on how to make the coats & jammies I made for my greyhound babies this past Christmas.  I wish I had taken photos as I made them! 

Here's a place that sells these coats and donates the profits - http://www.kriskoats.com/
And another place that sells greyhound coats - http://dogedesigns.com/greyhound.htm#SWEATSHIRT 

Here's where we got our Martingale collars & matching leashes - http://www.talktothepawcollars.com/martingale-order

Here are patterns for coats - (toward the bottom) http://www.squidoo.com/retired-racing-greyhounds 

http://www.greyhoundsinneed.f9.co.uk/bulletinboard2002/BulletinBoardFrame2002.htm?http&&&www.greyhoundsinneed.f9.co.uk/bulletinboard2002/BulletinCoatInstructions.htm 

I made my dogs' coats out of fleece.  To know how much, measure from just behind your dog's ears to as long as you'd like the coat to be - one of my dogs is usually hot, so her's goes just to the top of her tail.  The other dog is cold, so hers goes about 4 inches past that.  You don't want it too long, or they accidentally pee on it!!  (The width is standard, and will be enough for the width of a normal grey.)

The great thing about fleece is that it doesn't fray, so the edges don't *need* to be sewn. 

Here are some images of the coat that came with Gorgeous - 

Don't forget to leave extra fabric for the belly flap (bottom middle).

Inside view of the neck - elastic inside.

I'd actually make the slit for the collar a little bit higher up.

 Here are some images of the pajamas I made for the girls -

I used two fabrics, but it can easily be done with one.

Inside view of the 2nd fabric attachment.  No elastic on the jammies for comfort.

 

I also used snaps instead of velcro on the belly flap, because velcro gets fuzz stuck in it and eventually stops working. 

I hope this helps a bit!  Without having taken photos as I went, it's hard to put together a tutorial.  Hopefully between these, the patterns, and the ordering sites, you'll be able to make some cute doggie wear of your own!! 

October 2012 What to Wear Guide

Some neat colors for the October What to Wear!

Lots of options for the Fall Mini Sessions!!

September 2012 What to Wear Guide

These outfits are awesome for the Pumpkin Patch!  

Now we just need these leaves to start turning!!!!

August 2012 What to Wear Guide

Temperatures are *hopefully* getting cooler, and the color palette is starting to get warmer!  Love the fashion ideas in this month's What to Wear Guide!  Remember to check out the many other blog posts with other ideas!  

It doesn't have to be August's idea to be awesome!!! :)

July 2012 What to Wear Guide

LOVING the pinks in the July What to Wear Guide!!

I hope all of these clothing ideas are helpful 

in planning your family photo sessions!

Make sure you run through the rest of the blog 

to see all of the different ideas!

June 2012 What to Wear Guide!

New What to Wear Guide for those summer sessions!  

I really do love coordinating, instead of matching outfits!  

It's so fun!!!  And all of the accessory options now!  Gotta love it! :)

Death of a Tickle Stick

I know you've all seen my funny photos of kids tickling me and their parents with my tickle stick...tonight, we mourn the loss of the first tickle stick I bought when I struck out on my own in January 2010. 

Our new adopted greyhound, Gorgeous, likes to "steal" things and take them to her "nest" in the living room.  Tonight, she disappeared and RAN back in with my tickler!  Like the good "mom" that I am, I got out my phone video camera, followed by my D7000 to document her fun! 

Here's a link to watch some of the fun:  Gorgeous Kills the Tickler

And here are some of the highlights:

"What, mom?"

"I love this stick!"

Hacking up feathers?  (Not really - I watched her the whole time.  No feathers eaten!)

Reveling in her work!

"And I'm spent!"

May 2012 What to Wear Guide!

I love that we no longer HAVE to all wear the same color 

matchy-matchy outfits for photos!  

(Although there's nothing wrong with that!)  

I'll be posting a new What to Wear guide every month 

to give you some new inspiration!  

Subscribe using the toolbar on the right 

to be notified each month when I post!  

View general tips & some older guides here.

Click on the image to view it larger.

How to Fix Your Facebook!

I haven't had time to post anything in a while, but this is a very user friendly, photo filled example of how to "fix" your Facebook feed!  Great way to ensure you keep seeing all of those important posts from www.Facebook.com/KellyELambertPhotography !

http://photographersbling.com/?p=2130

Your Baby is SAFE with me!!

Recently, I've had a few requests for, what I call, the "Heads Up" pose, pictured here:

Each time the parent says, "If we can get him/her to do it."  My response, "Oh trust me, we can!"  Here's why!  It's called Photoshop Composites.  Here are the ACTUAL images that I took of Mr. Lucas!

So, as you can see - there is no risk of your baby's head toppling over.  I've been thinking about doing a hammock photo lately, and just found this little article about it.  Another fun safety one with "pull backs" if you're interested!

http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/consumers/about-pricing/

So, yet another reason to choose Kelly E Lambert Photography?  Kelly keeps your baby safe!  :)   Oh, and she's got MAD Photoshop skills!  :)

What to wear, what to wear?!

I know everyone wonders what to wear for their photo shoot!  You want everyone to coordinate, and you don't want your clothes to distract from the main focus - YOUR FAMILY!  (And you don't want your clothes to >>gulp<< make you look bigger than you are!)  Here are some links and images to help you prepare for your photo session!!!

A GREAT blog post on how to build your outfits!  MUST READ! 

And another FUN blog post on how to choose outfits!  

Be Photogenic!
 (Notice that there is a Google AD in step 1 - no additional tips if you click it.)

What to Wear with Examples

A Little Bit Rock & Roll What to Wear Guide 

Spring 2012 What to Wear Guide

February 2012 What to Wear Guide

January 2012 What to Wear Guide

New What to Wear Guide for the End of Summer!

What to Wear Guides

July 2011 Guide

 Fall 2010 Guide

This is last year's fall guide, so you may not be able to find these exact fashions.

Rock the Shot's August Photo Challenge: Silhouettes

I've been trying to do some more silhouettes recently, with evening light being GREAT for these (and evening being the only bearable time to shoot in this heat!)  This one is from last summer.  It was Lauren & Steve's engagement session.  There is this spot at Homestead Park in Hilliard, Ohio that I have great luck at getting nice silhouettes.  I processed this one with Gypsy by Florabella.

 

www.rocktheshotforum.com

The Teter Twins Turn One!!!

I was very privileged to photograph Kennedy & Carter for their first birthday! 

I met their dad, Chris, in Kindergarten.  We used to peek in my pink school box every morning to see if my "rubbed on" Barney Rubble was still in there! 

I met their lovely mother, Nicole, our freshman year of high school when she moved into my neighborhood.  I remember watching The Crow and Benny & Joon while "wrapping" each others' hair (with thread).

I took their first child, Conner's first professional photos in my first months as a photographer at a retail studio (8.5 years ago???!!!).  Being able to head home to Canton, Ohio and take their 3rd and 4th child's first birthday photos was really special to me. 

We spent most of our time trying to get Carter to stop being so serious, but we got some AWESOME photos that really show each of their personalities!  Then, just before their bed-time, at sunset, we busted out the birthday cakes to smash!!!  Here's some of the first-birthday cake-smash goodness!!!

Chase & Jenna's Deployment Session

I first met Chase & Jenna last November, when I took their engagement photos.  After their gorgeous wedding in December, they moved the next week to California (Chase is a Marine.)  We stayed in contact, and I would say, became friends. 

When they came back to Ohio for Chase's pre-leave visit, I insisted I had to see them, whether they wanted photos or not!  Now Jenna ALWAYS wants photos, and Chase is the best husband ever, so we did photos.  :) 

We took these in Downtown Columbus, Ohio.  Some in the Ohio Statehouse, and in the courtyards there.  Some between Columbus Commons and the Statehouse.  Simply beautiful!  Can you tell how in love they are?  ::sigh::  Enjoy!!

What do you see?

What do you see when you look at the photos hanging on your wall or sitting on your mantle or your end table?

It's more than a photo or a smile.

There are memories attached to those photos.  Look around.  What do you think of?

When I look at the largest photo on my wall - a 14x18 of me and my fiance, BJ - I think of us trying to get the remote to my camera working and how he didn't want to wear the shirt I picked out.  I think of how he didn't want to do photos (never wants to do photos), but he came and smiled because he loves me.  :) 

When I was at a clients' home last week, I saw photos I'd taken at my previous job.  I remembered how shy their son had been, and how we had to have him watch a session, walk around the store, get a snack, and try again.

I was photographing a newborn today for a first-time client.  This was her second baby - she also has a 21-month-old.  She has these beautiful photos on her wall from a popular chain studio (of course I had to try to identify it myself - 1st guess was right).  When I complimented her photos - saying how lucky she was to get good ones - she let out an exasperated sigh and remarked on how horrible it was each time. 

She looks at her photos, and OF COURSE, 1st sees her beautiful first son.  But the 2nd thing she sees is her memory of how awful it was to wait past your appointment time, have a luck-of-the-draw photographer, and a 10 minute session that ends right when your child starts to warm up to the photographer.

Look at your photos.  Is that what you remember? 

Here's what that first-time client had to say, not an hour after I left her home - NOTE:  She has not seen a single photo that I took:

"We were sooooo happy with you and your work, we can't wait for October. Oh and if I can schedule something with you now then that would be great."

What kind of warm memories do you think she'll have looking at the photos of her sons together this time?

Have you scheduled your first session with Kelly E. Lambert Photography yet?  I <3 your kids, and I haven't even met them yet!  :) 
 - I can warm them up for 10 minutes, then have 50 more to get AMAZING photos for you!  (AND I know how to make their serious faces look cute in that first 10 minutes.)
 - I can reschedule at no extra cost if they just aren't having it!  (Hasn't happened yet, by the way.  The most common reaction I get is, "I didn't think any of them turned out, but they are all so cute!  I didn't even see you take some of those!")

Seriously - I WANT to take your photos.  Actually ENJOY it!  Think about the memories you want when you look at your photos.  :)

Why the Cost?

A very informative, well written article by Caught on Film Photography, about why you pay what you do for professional photographers.

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners, and home “photo printers”, when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time – How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $45 for an 8×10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here’s why.

Simply put, you’re not just paying for the actual photograph, you’re paying for time and expertise.  First, let’s look at the actual time involved.  If you don’t read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from session

- two hours of shooting

- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc..

- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2-4 Gb of data)

- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive

- 4-6 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print, internet, and backing up the edited photographs

- 2-3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions/emails, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at PO that have to be sent.

- 1-2 hr in-person ordering session

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than 12 hours of work from start to finish.  So when you see a Photographer charge a $200 session fee for a 2 hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100/hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience.  Even though a quality camera now costs under $3,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography.  In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc.

And let’s not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera – and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way – the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50.  But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don’t compare us to the chain store studios.  But if you must, consider all the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do.  Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store.  Not to mention they won’t come to the beach, the lake, your home, or downtown!  And of course, look at our work compared to theirs.  You truly get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money.  In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company.  What the chain stores bet on is that you’ll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you’re there, you’ll also spend $200 on other things.  They don’t have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion.

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

a note from Robin:

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I realize some people are not financially able to pay for custom photography, and that’s ok.  Custom photography is an investment that should be planned for.