Solais Photography Blog | Weddings & Portrait Photography | Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, New Orleans

Kara — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:41:33 +0000

I thought I’d introduce y’all to my new addiction: Pinterest!

It’s a site where you can ‘pin’ images that appeal to you. I was skeptical at first, but I’ve started using it for a whole variety of purposes. I pin pretty things, photography inspiration, recipes/foods I want to try, things for my house, projects that look interesting, and just things that make me smile.

You can categorize your pins or just jumble them all together. Plus it’s a lot of fun to see what other people pin! At this point I’m a full fledged addict (and I might need an intervention!).

Come follow my boards there: http://www.pinterest.com/solaisphoto. If you’re not a member, email me and I’ll hook you up with an invite!

self portraits

Kara — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:11:57 +0000

I said back in January that I was going to post more personal stuff … and what’s more personal than self portraits. Only, the problem is that my arms aren’t long enough! (Ok, I could have used a wider lens, but then my nose would have been huge!) I cracked myself up taking these, though. Fewer than half the photos were in focus because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t hold the camera steady!

At any rate, here are the results. I’m thinking next time I need to break out the remote! (Oh, and maybe smile while I’m concentrating!)

puppy! sox – a pet portrait in birmingham

Kara — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:26:05 +0000

Sox is the latest addition to my friend Cathy’s house. She’s an 8 month old Pitt/Lab mix and is the sweetest puppy ever! She’s full of energy and loves to chew and dig – all of which gets her into trouble pretty often. But when she’s not in “time out” for eating Mama’s azaleas or digging up the herbs, she’s just one over-sized, cuddly, lap dog.

Seriously – how can you resist that face?

engaged! katie + joe @ the atlanta history center

Kara — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:11:18 +0000

Katie and Joe met me at the Atlanta History Center for their engagement session a few weeks ago. They are absolutely the nicest couple and I just love watching them together. Joe says he doesn’t have a “good” smile – but then he looks at Katie and his mouth turns up and the corners of his eyes crinkle. Katie gives little sideways looks at Joe and her whole face lights up.

They were so much fun to work with and I’m really looking forward to their wedding at Canoe, later this year!

New Phone Number!

Kara — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:54:25 +0000

Just a quick update for everyone that we’ve got a new phone number! Effective immediately the old phone number will no longer work. You can still reach Solais via email or using the contact form on the blog as always!

The new number is: 404-954-0951

travel | new orleans

Kara — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:04:19 +0000

Anyone who knows me knows that New Orleans is one of my very favorite places in the whole world. I have thought about moving there more times than I can count – even after Katrina, or maybe especially after Katrina when I felt the city needed people moving in rather than out. Unfortunately “photographer” wasn’t a crucial job in the aftermath and recovery … and other personal things kept me close to Atlanta.

Still … I take every opportunity I can to visit my favorite city. I’ve photographed many weddings there and hopefully will photograph more in the future. And I’ve taken a fair number of long weekends and vacations there, which I will absolutely continue to do in the future.

I have so many thousands of images of the city; maybe someday I’ll sit down and put together a book. Until then, have a few of my favorites to enjoy!

advice | image quality + prints

Kara — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:28:25 +0000

Some of the questions I hear the most from potential clients – and read the most on message boards – are the ones about the quality of the images they receive. I think most photographers these days, myself included, are providing high resolution files to their clients. My price list and FAQ specify that my clients receive the color corrected files, adjusted for exposure.

So what do all the terms mean when a photographer says they provide “color corrected” files? Or “retouched” files? Or “exposure adjusted” files?

The first file is the one that photographers refer to as SOOC – which stands for “straight out of camera”. In other words this is the picture as it was was photographed, without any adjustments in the computer. You can see that it’s a good solid image. It’s a hair under-exposed and very warm from the late evening light when the photograph was taken.

The first step in my editing process is to color correct the file. That means to remove any color cast from the light and make the image a little more neutral. A lot of color correction is a matter of personal taste. Some photographers like their images a little cooler, some a little warmer, and some want their images exactly neutral. That’s all part of the photographers style. Me? I like a little warmth to my portraits for the most part. So this is how I color correct:

Once the color looks right to me, I’ll adjust the exposure … just a little brighter. I want to make sure that whites are truly white, but blacks stay black, so I might add a little bit of contrast as well. I like my images to “pop”, so most of my photographs have been adjusted for contrast in this way.

This image is the one that my clients receive. Every image is color corrected and adjusted for exposure to be correct, but also to match my style and the feel of image that I like. Some images will be converted to b&w at my discretion. And when I say every image, I mean EVERY SINGLE IMAGE. All the portraits. All the getting ready shots, all the reception shots. I touch every image before it’s added to my client’s collection.

My clients can take their files anywhere they want to get prints, although there are labs I recommend that they use in order to get the best quality.

But what’s after that? If I’m including all these color corrected and adjusted files to my clients, why should they come to me for reprints or enlargements? For the most part, believe it or not, I tell my clients it’s not cost effective for them to come to me for reprints. If they’re going to print up 100 4×6 prints from their wedding to include with holiday cards or thank-you cards, I can’t meet the inexpensive price that they can get from having bulk prints made at Costco (which actually does have a pretty good quality lab, believe it or not).

When I do recommend clients coming to me for prints? If they want one or two or three special prints for their house or their desks at work. If they want something particular like one of my fine art paper images (printed on recycled watercolor stock), or a canvas wrap print, or a collage. Or if they want press printed cards or postcards. Or .. any images that go into an album. In those cases, the print that they get will be completely retouched, in addition to the color correction and exposure adjustment above.

But what does that mean? What is doesn’t mean is plastic skin, weirdly white eyes, or funky effects. It means that for those images that my client wants printed by my studio, I’ll take the time to individually retouch the details. For images going into an album or candid images, it might mean removing an “exit” sign from a reception hall, or an electrical outlet from the wall, or a little creative cropping to make the image fit in a layout or design. For a portrait it’s going to mean smoothing skin (a little more for women, a little less for men), lightening skin under the eyes, removing blemishes and stray hairs, lightening the eyes a little, and probably adding a little bit of a vignette. Like so:

When you look at the series together as a progression, you can see that the overall effect is very subtle. It’s not about creating something unnatural or overly processed. Nor is it about “fixing” photographs that didn’t come out in the camera. As a photographer I believe first and foremost that it’s my job to get it right the first time – with my camera. After all, that’s why you hired me as a professional. The post production work done in Photoshop is only meant to “sweeten” the image … to add the finishing touches that perfect an already good image.

So this was kind of a long, wordy, and a little bit technical post, but I hope it’s helped to explain some of the terms that photographers use, and to give you a better understanding of what you’ll get when you hire me as your wedding photographer!

meet phoebe

Kara — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:42:34 +0000

Meet Phoebe – one of the two hooligans who share my house. She’s the climber, the inquisitive one, the one who likes high places. At least someone in the house is getting use out of the exercise equipment!

save the date cards

Kara — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:33:58 +0000

I’ll just say it right out … for a photographer, I’m graphically challenged. I dithered over what color to pain my livingroom walls for months. I agonize over how to match fabrics for my bedroom. And for my business, when it comes to designing cards and albums, I stick with single images on crisp white backgrounds and fine black keylines. Mostly that works for me and my clients but every now and then I get jealous of those photographers who whip out amazing cards without a second thought.

That’s why I was thrilled to find a fantastic resource for card templates that not only aren’t too frou-frou, but that I can offer to my clients w/out having to spend hours and hours agonizing over various design elements.

This is the first set of cards I found that I love – clean, crisp, slightly retro lines and completely customizable for color, size, and content.

Pricing on these cards is the same as for any standard press printed card – there is no graphic design charge for cards from templates!

……….

advice | engagement sessions

Kara — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:04:25 +0000

I love engagement sessions for so many reasons!

Engagement sessions give me a chance to get to know a couple before their wedding day. Together we all get a feel for what works and what doesn’t – if you’re the types of people who’ll climb trees and splash barefoot in puddles, or if you’re more the type of people who would rather just relax with each other quietly. And that gives me the knowledge I need to create images of you on your wedding day that really reflect who YOU are – individually and as a couple.

More importantly, though, an engagement session lets you get to know me. Being on the business end of a camera can be kind of intimidating, and especially for someone who has never worked with a professional photographer before. (And let’s be honest – getting your mug shot in the yearbook or for a passport photo doesn’t really count!) You don’t know what you might be asked to do or how the photographer acts when she is working. Everyone has heard horror stories about grumpy photographers, so an engagement session is a perfect opportunity to see exactly how I relate to you (and by extension, will relate to your family and friends).

Once we’ve worked together, you can relax and look forward to your wedding day portraits knowing more of what to expect, instead of being edgy about them (in addition to all the other nervous-making things you’ll deal with on your wedding day). You’ll know how I’m going to pose you (or not pose you). You’ll have a better idea of what I mean if I give you direction. And you won’t be nearly as uncomfortable if I want to straighten a boutonniere or fix a loose strand of hair if I’m not a complete stranger touching your hair or clothing.

An engagement session is also a good opportunity to get photos of each of you individually as well, not just for each other, but for your parents and relatives who might want a more casual photo in addition to a wedding day portrait. Besides, there are some pretty awesome things you can do with engagement photos – everything from save-the-date cards, to signature books, to online cards for your guests.

For that reason I include an engagement session with every coverage I do. They’re my gift to you; I don’t charge extra for them and I include the high resolution images with your wedding files as well. I’d much rather take the extra time to do an engagement session and get to know you.

So there you have it … my advice and thoughts on engagement photos is – quite simply – don’t skip them. They’re very much worth the time!

being on the other side of the camera

Kara — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:23:01 +0000

I think a lot of photographers feel much more comfortable behind the camera instead of in front of it. I know I do and I’ve heard other photographers express the same sentiments – ranging from “oh I’d rather not” to “I HATE having my photograph taken”. I used to be one of the “HATE” crew until I started working with another photographer who took me to task for the attitude. His comments to me were eye-opening, quite frankly.

How, he asked, are you supposed to help a client relax and be comfortable with you taking a photograph of them if you can’t do it yourself? If you HATE being a subject, then how can you expect your clients to love it? If you aren’t comfortable cutting up and being silly in front of the camera, how can you demand that your clients do so?

*ding ding ding* Bells and light bulbs went off in my mind.

So as one of my personal goals for this year, I’m going to push myself in front of the camera – on the “wrong” end as it were – as much as possible this year. I’m not going to be afraid of acting silly, making goofy faces, or vamping it up. I’m going to let others take photos of me (heck, I’m going to encourage it). I’m going to throw myself in front of my webcam. I’m going to set up self portraits. And … I’m going to make myself into a client and hire someone for a full portrait session! *gulp*

As a preview of that, here’s an image from last summer. The groom tossed my camera rig to the bride (*ack*) and pulled me onto the dance floor with him. Hey .. when the groom asks you to dance, you don’t say no! (And I gotta say the bride did a pretty great job of taking a few photos, too!)

So stay tuned and watch me push myself out of my comfort zone. Don’t laugh too much, ok?

free photography – for real!

Kara — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:01:42 +0000

Our first promotion for 2011 is a pretty big one. Solais Photography is offering 2 hours of free photography to 5 randomly chosen people. What’s the catch? Well .. you gotta come visit me on Facebook to be entered!

I posted earlier about the Solais page on Facebook … now it’s time to show your love!

Visit the Solais Photography page on Facebook, click the “like” button, and you’ll automatically be entered to receive free photography. You have to visit before January 31st. We’ll draw names on Feb 1st and announce the winners then on the Solais Blog and Facebook page.

Here are the nitty-gritty details:

2 hours of photography time can be used for any kind of portrait session: engagement, family, boudoir, pet, headshots, etc.
The session cannot be used for wedding photography on the day of your wedding (as we already offer all-day coverage, it’s kinda hard to add 2 hours to that!)
Not only will you get 2 hours of photography, you’ll get 2 high resolution files (color corrected and retouched) of your choice from your session. All other files and prints are available for purchase at our regular published prices.
Sessions must be booked in 2011. Any sessions not booked in 2011 will be forfeit.
Saturdays are not always available, especially from April – October when wedding season is at it’s peak, so keep that in mind when considering when to schedule your session.
Sessions must take place within the Atlanta Metro area (approx 20-25 miles around Atlanta as defined by Google Maps) or you’ll need to pay a travel fee (it’s reasonable .. based on the number of miles I have to drive to get to you).

advice | a new series of posts

Kara — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:37:25 +0000

Most people who come to the blog here wind up checking out thefull FAQ about my wedding photography services. It’s got a ton of info about what I do and how I do it and what my clients can expect from me … and I hope it’s helpful!

What it doesn’t have, though, is an in depth discussion of some of the more common questions. There are a lot of things aren’t so much about what I want to do as a photographer, but about what my clients – the bride and groom – want, and how to achieve them. So I thought it would be kind of cool to start an ongoing series of posts about some of these things. Plus it gives me an opportunity to pull out some of my favorite photographs and share them again!

Some of the topics I’m thinking about discussing include the whys and wherefores of engagement sessions, thinking about a boudoir session for a wedding gift, when do to portraits on your wedding day, the importance of details, planning your family photos, and any other subject that I think of as this series goes along.

I hope these posts will be useful and informative. And please do ask if there’s any subject you’d like to see me express an opinion on. ‘Cause you all know I’m not shy about expressing my opinion!

engaged! abbey + kyle at piedmont park in atlanta

Kara — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:36:37 +0000

I told Abbey when they met me to talk about wedding photography that they may have been the easiest consult I’ve ever had in my entire career. Abbey knew exactly what she wanted from her photography, had a handful of very targeted questions that I was able to answer, and was ready to make a decision! So nice to work with people like her and Kyle who just know.

We met a week later at Piedmont Park for their engagement session. They brought Archie with them – who is the cutest, sweetest little puppy. We walked all over the park and I think he was pretty exhausted by the time we were done!

Next up … their wedding at Canoe … THIS year!

facebook!

Kara — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:22:17 +0000

Not a lot of people realize that Solais Photography has a Facebook page! Obviously I haven’t been great about promoting it and I think the beginning of 2011 is time to fix that!

Come be a friend on Facebook and get regular updates about whats going on with Solais Photography by clicking the “like” link below!