SOOC vs. Final Prints

This is a topic that has been discussed since the dawn of digital photography (and before), but it's one that's worth revisiting because it comes up so often. These days, it's customary for most photographers to provide a disk of images. But much like a proof book from the film days, these images may still need a little refining before they become what I call "Wall-Worthy".

Warming up skin tones and removal of distracting elements are just two of the ways that images taken straight out of the camera (or "SOOC") can be enhanced for a final print. Most of the time the result is subtle, but worth while...

And while any mega mart can take a color image and make it black and white, a professionally printed black and white print will have more depth and contrast...

It's My Birthday, but YOU get the gifts!

I've been meaning to post this since Friday, but a busy weekend kept me from being able to do it until today. Yes, my birthday was Friday (and no, I'm not telling how old)! :) To celebrate, I'm announcing a special offer good through the end of the year... Book any package before 2010 and take advantage of a free upgrade! Choose from any optional upgrade and add it to your wedding package for nothing (zip, zilch, nada)...a $200 value!

Choose from Parent Books, Engagement or Day After Sessions, Slideshow DVD's...any upgrade option on the list!

But the offer's only good through the remainder of '09, so act fast! It's my birthday gift to you!

Courtney and Doug...a German Village Session!

Where do I even begin this post? Well, I met Courtney about a year ago when she was still new to Columbus...and a newlywed! She's a photographer too, and we immediately hit it off! Pretty soon, I was begging her to come and shoot weddings with me! She's got a fantastic personality and a great eye for detail and emotion...all things which make her an exceptional wedding photographer! She asked me to take a few pics of her and her husband, Doug and their "baby" Raisin so we met up at Schiller Park in German Village and had a blast!

Courtney really wanted a shot that featured Raisin...

That was genuine laughter...(I think they were laughing at me, but hey...whatever works! :)

LOVE the fall color in this one...

If you're doing graffiti in German Village, you had better know how to use your umlaut!

...And there were sooooo many more! Courney, Doug (and Raisin)...thank you so much for spending your afternoon with me! I can't wait to share the rest with you!

If you'd like to check out Courtney's website, click here!

Can you can??

I have the greatest in-laws in the world. Period. And for so many reasons...way too many to list here, but one of those reasons is that my mother-in-law has taken the time to show my husband and I (several times) how to can. In the fall, he gets a craving for homemade tomato soup. I love vegetable soup with the tomato-ey base (plus, I hear fresh tomato juice makes for a great Bloody Mary). So every August for the past three years running we get together, buy a few boxes of tomatoes from a local grower, and spend a day or two canning quart after quart of the juicy red stuff! This post serves two purposes, One: it was a fun event to photograph and Two: Maybe if I document the process, I'll remember how to do it next year!

First, start by selecting your tomatoes. In our case, it was 6 boxes...

Wash as many jars as humanly possible. You'll have to sterilize them and the lids...but that's later...

That's my M-I-L coring and cutting the tomatoes before we cook them down a bit...

That's my F-I-L...manning the blender to puree the juice before...

Putting it all through a food mill (here, Emma pretends to help).

Here's my dear husband pouring the juice into the sterilized jars (and adding a teaspoon of salt to each quart). He was also in charge of boiling the lids and rings. Remember, botulism toxin in the brow: good, botulism toxin in the stomach...not so much!

A large canner holds 7 quart jars. Place the jars in the basket and bring to 5 pounds for 5 minutes. For me, this has always been the scary part. I'm always halfway across the room for fear that the lid will blow off the top and splatter hot tomato juice all over me and my kitchen. However, my family assures me that this won't happen if all safety precautions are followed (Note: the wording on the pressure gauge)...

After the pressure has backed off remove the jars, tighten the lids and listen for the little "click" that means each seal has properly taken place! Such a satisfying sound!



Now, repeat the process until all the boxes are empty!

Six boxes took about six hours and made about 60 quarts of juice. Of course, if you just want diced tomatoes...you can save yourself a step or two! If this sounds like fun to you, please feel free to stop by any time next Saturday 'cause we're doing six more boxes!

Emily and Dave..Anytime!

It had been a while since Emily and Dave had photographs taken of just the two of them. Six years, really..since their wedding! So Emily, who I had originally met while photographing her sister's wedding, called me up and we arranged for a shoot at their home.

We took about an hour and shot everywhere we could on their beautiful property, starting out on their porch swing with their pooch, Bentley...



This one, I think is my favorite of the day...

Hmmm..maybe this one was... Sidenote: There aren't many girls out there who would be willing to climb a tree in heels for a shot. Emily rocked it though!

Another favorite...

Dave, Emily...I can't thank you enough for having me capture the two of you on film! Okay, it's not film...but saying "capture you on memory card" just doesn't have the same ring to it)! Thank you...and Bentley too!

Christmas Day...a shoot with Dad!

If you've read my bio page on my website, then you know that had it not been for my Dad, I never would have developed (a little photography humor) a love for photography. Christmas morning 1987, after all the presents had been unwrapped ( I had already gotten an awesome denim purse and a poster of the band Poison, what more could a girl ask for?), one present remained under the tree. There was no tag on it, but my dad said, "Why don't you open it, Heather?". So I did. When I picked it up, it rattled...a lot, but as I opened the box, I realized the sound came from a small Folgers can with a couple nails in it...just to throw me off! Once I saw the grey bag with the black strap, I knew what was inside. After all, I had seen my dad with that same bag slung over his shoulder during our trips to Disney World, Kennywood Park and Storybook Forest! He had given me my first camera (well, aside from that Kodak Disc camera, of course).

That Christmas morning, we both loaded up our gear and headed out to Scioto Park in Dublin to shoot and get to know our new cameras (he with his brand new Nikon and I with my "gently used" Minolta). It was an amazing day, and if I knew where they were, I'd post those photos in a heartbeat!

Dad lives in Florida now, but he was here for Christmas. So this Christmas morning, we reprised the scene from 1987, only this time to shoot in Grove City. It's funny, it's the place where he grew up and the place where my husband and I chose to raise our family. so it's got a lot of meaning..a little emotional pull for both of us!

Check these out...



I think this was one of Dad's outside an old barn just near downtown Grove City. It was so much fun to hear him talk about the things he remembered about growing up here. Things like where he opened his first bank account and where he used to ride his bike...

The man, the myth, the legend...

Dad took this one of my shadow outside the old Farmer's Exchange...

He took this one too, looking up some kind of grain chute...

I took this one of the exterior and it's weathered roof.

A Grove City Landmark...

The mural at Park and Broadway...

A different view of Planks...

Another one of Dad's...

I'm not sure if this is a church or a schoolhouse, but it's apparent that someone is taking measures to restore it somewhat. The bell tower was boarded over last time I was here...

Anyone who's a GC native knows where these are...

Hooray for timer mode!

Dad, thanks so much for wonderful Christmas! Hope you're enjoying warmer weather now! We miss you!