Senior portraits

Spring is here, and now is the time to start thinking about senior portraits for the teens and Easter photos for the younger ones.

This year I am introducing some new packages for seniors. All of these packages include our basic print package which includes 1 5x7, 6 4x6, and 8 die-cut wallets from each session, or a credit for prints. Other print sizes are available a la cart from our web site.

Senior Package 1 - $150*
• One studio session (one outfit)
• One location session
• Basic Print Package from all sessions or $50 voucher for prints

Senior Package 2 - $225*
• One studio sessions (two outfits)
• Two location sessions
• Basic Print Package from all sessions or $75 voucher for prints

Senior Package 3 - $350*
• One studio sessions (two outfits)
• Three location sessions
• Basic Print Package from all sessions or $100 voucher for prints

Senior portraits are a great way to commemorate this special season in the life of your teen. You can mix and match these sessions to include a formal look, a casual look or a glamour shot. Capture your senior in a team uniform, with a musical instrument, engaging in a favorite activity, or with a favorite pet. The possibilities are endless.

I am also available for standard sessions at our regular rates of $50 in studio and $75 on location. Please visit our web site for more pricing details.
Http://www.stevewsealphotography.com

*Payment is required when the sessions are booked.
Satisfaction guaranteed.

Gear Bag

I often get asked about the equipment and software that I use and this got me to thinking about the importance of using professional grade equipment and knowing how to use it. I also read a thought provoking post over at Digital Pro Talk on the subject of photographic professionalism and its relationship to the gear we use.

The post included a youtube video from an episode of Judge Joe Brown where a really lousy wedding photographer gets sued by a disappointed bride. It’s pretty funny to see the unprofessional professional get her comeuppance, but also very sad to see how upsetting this was to the bride. The photographer in this case was shooting the wedding with a Canon Rebel and a consumer grade lens. Questioning by the judge, who was very knowledgeable by the way, revealed that she was not very competent regarding the proper use of her gear. Furthermore, She delivered the prints to the bride in the Wal-Mart parking lot where she had them processed. Sheese.

The tools that we use as photographers are very important. We must be able to rely on our equipment to perform, and we must have backups in the event something fails. Many photographers out there who are advertising themselves as pros are working with an amateur camera like a Canon Rebel or Nikon D3000 and with no backup. They often don’t fully understand the capabilities and limitations of their gear, and often shoot in P-for-Professional mode.

Don’t get me wrong, these entry level amateur cameras are capable of producing stunning images. I myself have a Nikon D50 which I use as a second body, and as a go to in some situations. But relying on this equipment as your primary is risky and therefore unprofessional.
After thinking about this for a while I decided to post a Gear Bag section on my web site, not to be a show-off or to brag, but to demonstrate that the equipment that I use is up to the job. Is my gear the best available? Certainly not, but it is high quality, dependable, and capable of producing excellent results in the right hands.

Finally, I am always looking to improve the quality of my cameras, lenses, and lighting equipment, in fact, most of the profits that I am making go right into purchasing more and better equipment. I will keep my site up to date as I make major additions to my bag.

--Steve

Pirates of the Gulf of Mexico

I had a great weekend in Venice Florida with my old school mate Keith. He celebrated his 50th birthday with a pirate theme party. It was great fun, and I met a bunch of cool people. Before making the trip I asked Keith what he thought about setting up a photo booth and taking shots of the party guest in their costumes. Needless to say, he was all in.

Keith and I set up a back drop on the back porch away from the high traffic areas. We used a bed sheet, an old hammock, and some party decorations. We also placed a couple of potted plants on either side to frame the scene. Once most of the guests had arrived, we started sending them to the booth.

For the set up I used the Alien Bees B800 with the large octo-box as the main, and an SB800 with a shoot through umbrella as fill. The AB was fired via cyber sync radio trigger and the SB800 via SU-4 slave mode.

This was a really fun little project, and a great way to save memories from a special event. I'd love to try this for Halloween!

--Steve