THFC Photographer Critiques :: Busy Backgrounds, Cutting Off Toes, & Sun Spots

My wonderful photography friend, Victoria who shoots for the Happy Film Company, loves when I make feedback videos. It's such an awesome way for us to review her work after a shoot without having to set aside a bunch of time to meet up. I can make it and she can watch in our own time. Plus, we can always go back and re-watch in the future and share the videos online so other photographers can benefit too! Hooray the benefits are abounding! haha

In this "THFC Photographer Critiques" video, I drew attention to Victoria's backgrounds, cropping and lighting. In particular, we are searching for simple, clean and not-distracting backgrounds. We are careful to not crop off toes, hands, and other body parts so things don't like amputated or "missing". This is a fine attention to detail but once it's brought to your attention I dare you to try and forget it. Lastly, she was on a beach where the bright sun is a massive challenge. It's also very challenging when it's shining through trees and giving you lots of dabbled light to work with. Oh the challenges of photography. Enjoy!



xoxo
Chamonix

THFC Photographer Critiques :: Recomposition & Cropping Under Trees

Light glowing through trees — without a doubt this is my new favorite thing about being a Seattle family photographer in the spring/summer time. Trees trees and more trees...give me more trees! 

So I was pumped when Victoria (one of amazing photographers who works for my family photography business, the Happy Film Company) did a shoot together last month under the tall trees at Greenlake Park in Seattle. After I posted the pictures on the blog, Victoria emailed me asking why her pictures from this location were not included in the final collection. 

I made her this little video to explain how to recompose photographs to really show off the beauty of tall trees and make them look amazeballs with people standing/sitting underneath them. The main trick to showing off trees in family portraits is tilting your camera upwards. You can get down low on the ground (yes, even on your belly) and then focus on the family. Hold the focus (don't let it go!) and tilt the camera up until the family is at the bottom of the frame and you can see all the glorious leaves above. #awesome

Did I mention I love trees? haha

Great job Miss. Victoria for taking beautiful pictures and thank you for being my example in this video.

xoxo

Chamonix

Creating my Very First Wedding Video for Layla & Chris

Feet were flying at me from all directions and I was army crawling along the ground. I was in the middle of a wedding reception dance party and I JUST HAD to get that video footage of peoples feet — close up! (See if you can spot the dancing feet in the final video!) haha Rick shouted over to me, "If you're going to get that close to the action, you have to dance." I laughed and almost started to dance (like a happy wedding photographer) but then remembered I was shooting video and I couldn't move (or heaven forbid everything would be shaky as heck!). I was so excited when my good photography buddies, Rick + Anna, asked me to come with them to one of their weddings and be the videographer for their first wedding highlights video. This was my first wedding film and I'm so excited to share it on my blog today. Here is is! Congratulations Layla & Chris! You're both crazy sweet and I loved making this video for you! Enjoy ;) 


Layla & Christopher Wedding | June 7, 2014 from the Happy Film Company on Vimeo.

My Mission: Prowl the wedding for 11 hours. Collect gorgeous candid video & audio footage. Assemble it into a 5minute video within 2 weeks.

My Biggest Challenge: keeping that darn camera still & smooth AND coming up with interesting ways to move the camera while recording (I was trying to avoid just panning ALL the time).

My Biggest Lesson Learned: a tripod would probably work better than a monopod — especially a video tripod that has a ball and socket at the base and a rotating head on top. that's one of my next investments for sure! the monopod is great for moving around quickly but it's kinda wobbly.

My Biggest Reward: just knowing how special this video will be to this family now and in 10 or 20 years — they won't care about any shaky video footage because there are lots of really special moments in there for there

My Favorite Footage to Record: i got most excited when i was recording the bride's dress because I saw on the back of the camera how the crystals on the dress were glimmering and I basically just freaked out with how pretty it was haha

My Favorite Footage to Edit: the dancing! it made me so happy watching people dance and look so joyful — especially when the groom and his dad & brother busted a move

I'm Most Embarrassed Of: the little moments in the video when it shakes or bumps or isn't quite the color or exposure. im not really embarrassed about these things but they do stand out to me as something I definitely want to improve on next time

I'm Most Proud Of: the moment when I uploaded the video to Vimeo and I saw it online for the first time. i'd spent so much time with the video — just the two of us — and I was proud to click publish and put it out there in the world. Just seeing it in the Vimeo player made it look suddenly more professional and for a minute I was really impressed with what i'd created and that I'd actually done it. Mission complete!

xoxo
Chamonix

Tea with Hanna Mazur — Keeping Grounded, Focused & Balanced

It's so good to be back in Seattle. The weather has been beautiful and I have loved working with my photography friends again. On Tuesday, I went and had tea with Hanna Mazur, Seattle Make Up Artist and we talked about all the wonderful possibilities that lie ahead of us - this year and for years to come. We daydreamed about studios, monopolizing the market, getting our work published, and jumping between different genres to keep things interesting. Hanna is such an inspiration to me. She's always so calm and positive and she encourages me constantly. She has so much faith in me, it helps me have faith in myself. She keeps me so grounded and I am SO grateful to have her as a friend and teammate. Thank you Hanna.

If it Ain't Fun, Get it Done - Facing Your Fears

Starting a business is SCARY. You have to do all these things that are way outside your comfort zone and if you don't do them, you don't make progress, you don't achieve your goals, you don't succeed.... you plateau, you stagnate, you worry, you procrastinate, you wither away and get exhausted by dreaming and never accomplishing. Achieving is invigorating. Not achieving is not only disappointing but absolutely draining. To feel like you're striving and striving but never thriving. So the only choice you have is to pull up your bootstraps and face the fear. Feel the fear, embrace the fear, and do it anyway. Not easy but it's your only choice if you want to make it. BUT I think it's totally OK to start slow and take baby steps, gradual progress. I think that jumping into the deep end and swimming in the fear is probably the most powerful to-the-point method. Sometimes 'jumping' is the most efficient way while 'wading' in is the most effective way. Today, I was so intimidated to JUMP that I figured my choice was either A) wade in or B) avoid all together and fail. So I waded into the pool of fear by contacting some people about my business idea. I started small but the key is that I started! I feel invigorated by the tiny insty bit of progress and a surge of new confidence has appeared that will help me contact more people and face bigger fears.

Feel the fear (embrace it) and do it anyway.

Trying So Hard to be Remarkable

When you're running your own photography business, it's up to you to make the decisions that will lead your business succeed or fail a miserable painful death. While in Maui, I've been studying lots of business books and brainstorming ways to apply their lessons to my own photography business. Sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed and my brain is stuffed with endless possibilities. Sometimes my brain feels totally empty and I feel kind of hopeless. I desperately want to come up with something that will take the world by storm and help my business succeed with flying colors. But I wonder if this desperation gets in my way because it creates a sense of urgency and comparison. Urgency that I have to this of it TODAY... before I go to sleep. Pressure doesn't seem to help me think straight. And then comparison with other people. Worried that I don't have that je ne sais quoi that makes people geniuses, leaders, and innovators. I think I'm afraid of wanting to be exceptional but realizing one day that I'm actually just ordinary. Isn't everyone afraid of being ordinary? Is that the whole thing behind why everyone want to be famous or wealthy or super-heros? I just really want to start a business and watch it grow into something that can make money and give me the lifestyle I want. It doesn't feel like a lot to ask but it seems to be asking so much of me in return.

In this video I mention: Purple Cow by Seth Godin

Niching & Pinterest Keeping Me Up at Night

It doesn't seem to matter how tired I am. If I have business on the brain, the nighttime hours just tick by...sleepless. I've been learning about niching recently and I've been inspired to challenge myself to explore deeper and deeper into a niche. How much can I specialize? and how much niching is too much? There seems to be a fine line. Sometimes when I feel frustrated that I can't take action and go out and take pictures, I mozy over to Pinterest and daydream about all the things I could do. Sometimes this is bad because it makes me compare myself to other people and it makes me feel like copying what others are doing. But sometimes it's good and it helps me figure out what I actually want to do. It helps me visualize the ideas in my head. It makes them more concrete and tangible. 

Do you stay up at night thinking about business?

I Don't Believe My Photography Business Will Ever Succeed

I wouldn't say I have 'self-doubt'. It's more of a heavy dose of reality. I'm feeling all the confidence and enthusiasm in the world as I start my business up again (after taking a 6 month sabbatical in Hawaii) BUT I'm also full of disbelief that it will ever take off and really succeed. I struggle to really imagine and believe any business I start really reaching the level of success I dream about. I worry that I'll spend my entire life striving after a successful business. I don't mind failures along the way but I worry that I'll never hit gold. At the same time, I'm not content to stay in a desk job and work for someone else. My entrepreneurial itch is too annoying to let me do anything other than pursue my own dreams but man this is hard and sometimes discouraging.

Watch me rambling on and on and on about this.... (ha!)

Stop Hating on Other Photographers & Start Being Self-Centered

Last week, I sat at Starbucks in Kihei, Maui with my friend Naomi Levit and for two hours we moaned and complained about all of the mental problems that come with the territory of being a photographer. Both of us have been working on our business for a couple years now and we're both feeling dragged down by self-doubt, jealousy of other photographers who seem like they've got it all together, bitterness at photographers who haven't treated us so nicely, constant stress over our logo and website designs, blah blah blah. The cycle of negativity never stops. After hours of spilling our guts, we were feelin' downer than when we started. 

We hopped in our cars and drove down the town to the Thai food restaurant. As we sat outside waiting for our takeout order to be prepared, our conversation switched direction. We realized that sometime the complaining is a healthy exercise, purging all that crap from our systems BUT afterwards, you've got to lace up your boots and start running towards exciting things again. 

You've got to look at your goals, your fun projects, what awesome things you can contribute. The more you focus on yourself and what you're doing, the less time & energy you have left over to focus on other photographers. By the end of the night, we were both pumped up and feeling empowered. We couldn't care less what other photographers were doing because we had our own stuff going' on. When you find yourself in the nasty cycle of comparison & judgement, try redirecting that energy, be totally self-centered for a moment and start planning your own awesome adventures!!

When I got home, I recorded a little video explaining everything that was running through my head. (What an attractive screen shot, not! haha)

What do you think? How do you deal with all those nasty feelings?

The Best Thing About Being a Woman's Portrait Photographer

What I love most about being a portrait photographer for women is that the pictures I take have the power to help women realize how beautiful they are. I don't think women need to be transformed or have makeovers to be beautiful. I think the beauty is already there naturally - yes, even in those women that don't look beautiful at first glance. During my photo shoots with women, we use makeup and hairspray and fluffy ballgowns because most women enjoy playing dress up. This experience of getting all dolled-up magically seems to boost our confidence and we can't help but strut across the room. The same women who arrived hunched over like a little mouse with her pink tail between her legs, leaves with a little bounce in her step or sway in her hips. The confidence is beautiful. The photo shoot creates a safe-space where women are invited to explore how they feel about themselves. It's a full hour or two during which she is the center of attention and all the women around her are in awe of her beauty. She hears us repeatedly saying over and over... "You're so beautiful." "Oh my gosh, you look so pretty." "Wow, that pose is gorgeous." At first she shrugs it off but by the end of the photo shoot our words start to sink in and she starts to believe in her own beauty. Even if it's not obvious to her yet, she's now aware that it must exist because someone can see it. The best bit is that when we are telling her that she is beautiful, we mean it because our sole purpose and mission during that hour of OUR lives is to appreciate HER beauty. It's a way to honor other women and I love it. 

Maile's Maui Mini-Movie — My First Family Film

Happy Thanksgiving! In honor of this family holiday, I'm publishing my very first family film!! After three weeks of waiting and 7.5 hours of work, I am so excited to publish Maile's Maui Mini-Movie!! We recorded it at Waihee Beach Park in Maui, Hawaii. We filmed for 1.5hrs and I was totally worried that I hadn't captured enough video footage and that I'd spent too much time recording little feet running in the sand and not enough smiley faces at the camera. I was all stressed about so many little things. But in the end, I'm a happy camper. I've already learned a bundle of useful lessons that I can use for my next family film! Woohoo for lessons learned the hardway! Before her shoot, Maile shared with me that her family is going through a rough time at the moment and she wanted the film and the pictures to capture the 'happy times' with her children so they can have something to remind them that everything is going to be OK. Thank you so much Maile for trusting me with this wonderful project. I'm so excited to share it with all of you. I hope you are flooded with happy memories when you look at your images and watch your film!

 

Senior Portraits Photography Promo Video 2013 — "A Letter to My Future Self"

This summer, I made a promo video for my photography business targeted at high school girls (and their moms). I wanted to show the significance capturing this moment in a girl's life and offer girls an alternative, more glamorous, type of senior portraits. So I invited my beautiful neighbor & summertime intern, Madi, to be my model/actress. I asked Madi to write a letter to her future self - typed on her sweet vintage type writer. On the way to post the letter (into the future), Madi enjoys the delights and simple pleasures of being young — riding her bike through the woods, stopping to have a picnic of tea and cookies, reading novels under the trees, blowing dandelions, and daydreaming about skipping through the fields in a flowing dress. During her daydream sequence, Madi has a photo shoot with me. She later includes these photos inside her letter and drops the envelop into a mail box. In her letter she writes, "Be excited for the future....I hope these pictures showcase who I am now...." 

Thank you sooo much Camera Woman #2: Cheryl Ford Photography

& Behind the Scenes support from: Rick + Anna Photography

& Madi for giving us an entire day of her summer break for this project

& Madi's mom for letting us storm into her house with photography equipment ;)

My First Green Smoothie

Yesterday I visited my old blog, the one I started when I was 18 as a journal that my family & friends could read while I was at university. I was sitting in Starbucks with Cheryl & literally laughing out loud. Not at my hilarious writing but rather at the all the fun memories that I found buried there. It reminded me how much fun I had in Scotland with Miggy & our friends. It made me realize that although I share a lot of personal feelings on this blog, I don't publish enough of my life — just the day-to-day pass-times & fun. I feel like I've been so focused on diving deep into my psyche I've totally neglected the light-hearted simple pleasure of life that I also want to share with you. So from now on, I'm throwing that into the mix too. Let's start with breakfast...

Kris' Go-To Green Smoothie
-1 avocado
-fresh mint
-1 cucumber
-a bit of kale
-coconut water (or purified)
-stevia to taste


Blend ingredients in a high-powered blender. If you can’t get mint, try adding lime – awesome!

Dancing Around the House at Midnight

For the next three weeks it's just me, a farm full of animals, a very loud radio with Coffee House Music, a kitchen full of green smoothies, no consequences for leaving my clothes on the dining room table or hanging bath towels on railings & freedom to dance around the house naked at midnight.

My brother (Ian) is at university. My parents are on holiday in Europe. My husband (Miggy) is STILL in Scotland waiting for his green-card (finges crossed he'll be here in July). But grandma literally lives through the woods and over the bridge so we'll hang out a lot this month.

Miggy is headed down to London today for his interview with the embassy. I'm so curious to hear questions they ask him. I can hardly believe we're been apart for almost 9 months! Crazy. We've both adjusted to living life on our own and I can't wait to see if it feels funny when he gets here and I can hold someone else's hand in public or hug him at a party. I've gotten so used to walking around in my own little bubble that nobody breaks - keep your hands to yourself and all that jazz. Anyway, I'm so excited for him to arrive to a sunny summer day in Seattle and join me in this new chapter of our lives. Plus, I'm just fascinated to see what he ends up doing with him time — he graduated from St. Andrews last year with a degree in Philosophy & Theological Studies. What's he going to get up to? No idea...so intrigued.

30 Days with Chamonix - Day 15 :: Rambling on about my studio reflectors. :P

As you know, I'm a total flunky when it comes to my "30 Days with Chamonix" video project. The goal was a video everyday. It's turned into a video every other week. lol Thanks for putting up with me. I'm thinking I'm just going to keep video diares forever and ever, embrace the fact that I have lost track of the days but keep calling it "30 Days with Chamonix" (as an inside joke with myself). ha! Enjoy lol!

101 Years of Beauty — Lexie 1 yr

We were celebrating firsts this weekend. 

Lexie's first year of life and being beautiful.

My first time photographing someone who couldn't wait to get out of my studio!

She screamed her way through our photo shoot (we found out later that she had a fever ..poor thing). She wanted mommy to hold her the WHOLE time and she was content as long as she had a lollipop in one hand and a piece of bread in the other. One minute she wanted to wear a hat...the next minute she threw the hat to the floor. One minute she wanted to wear pretty shoes; the next minute shoes were abandoned all together. But of course, like any woman, she was temporarily mesmerized by the jewelry department. ;) 

Not my typical behind-the-scenes images. haha!

Last week I published portraits of Four Generations and the great-grandma was 101. 

It dawned on me this morning that Marie is 100 years older than little Lexi! How incredible is that?! 

Just look at these beautiful women...a whole century between them.

Rick + Anna Photography :: 2013 Promo

So there's this new thing called VIDEO and apparently it's changing the world...and my life AND my business. I love it. Cheryl Ford & I decided to dive into video at the beginning of April. Kinda scary because we thought YouTube had such high-standards (which newsflash.... it doesn't — have you seen the crap people are willing to watch?!). For quality control we gave ourselves a rigorous video training schedule and nearly two months later we've both been hired to make videos for people - insane! I'm no Spielberg but apparently I'm not completely terrible, which is a relief. ha!

I met Anna (of R+A Photography) at a ReStart networking event in West Seattle. One month later (literally to the date) we were in a lush green field in Snohomish, WA filming a promo video for their business. Their promo is a love story; a voiceover poem sharing their beautiful relationship with the world; a day in the beautiful life of R+A Photography. The sweet connection that Rick and Anna share is so genuine and I hope it comes across in their video. I just love how when we were in our consultation meeting, brainstorming plotlines and music options, Rick would rest his hand on Anna's knee as she spoke, listening with such care. There is a softness between them that I think appears quite naturally in the photographs they take. Being around them reminds me of how special a relationship can be when you care for it. Rick + Anna inspire me to treat my husband with greater love, understanding and respect. It truly was a delight creating this mini film for them and I'm honoured that they trusted me with this task (still in disbelief that this all actually happened lol).

So without further delay, I give you the great and miraculous 2013 Promo Video for R+A Photography!!!

Tips for Creating a Sameday Slideshow at a Wedding

The wedding guests have all sat down to dinner and you've got 30 minutes to make a same-day wedding slideshow. You've taken 3000 images already and you're only going to show 30 in this sneak peak. Don't stress! These handy tips will help you survive with flying colours!

Here's the basic strategy....

Run away from the busy wedding. Plug in your card reader. Open up your pre-made "Sameday Slideshow Folder." You're going to zoom through your images and drag over your 25 quick-picks! Then those images will be imported to Lightroom. Run your fav. preset on the images OR stay safe and turn them all black and white! Run back to wedding, plop your slideshow in the corner and prepare yourself for lots of praise & joyful faces :D

Let's break it down....

1) Find a quiet corner or room. Calm the nerves and focus. Don't worry about rushing back or missing a moment. Rushing will only slow you down by making your hands shaky and your decision sloppy. I was so panicked at my first wedding while making the slideshow — I think I actually had a panic attack — like a real legit one. Oh, and do this during dinner — when everyone is stuffing their faces a.k.a not wanting their photos taking.

2) PREpare As Much As Possible

Make your life easy. Have a pre-made slideshow folder on your computer. Have your slideshow Lightroom Catalogue made & the slideshow settings chosen. Also have your logo slide uploaded beforehand. All you have to do at the wedding is import your chosen images and you're good to go!

3) When picking images quickly, DON'T OBSESS! 

Open up your images in a folder and make the image icons BIG so you can see the photos without having to open the files. Scroll through and when you see an image you like, preview it big — if it looks good, take it and move on! Don't worry about culling THE BEST image from a series of 5 similar images. This will save you so much time! Culling perfectionism didn't receive an invite to this wedding!

4) WHICH PICTURES TO SHOW....Emotion, Emotion, Emotion + Groups!! 

We are all in LURV with detail pictures BUT nobody is going to melt over that gorgeous picture of the shoes. (sadly). You want to tug at their heart strings and make them say "This photographer is AMAZING. HOW DID THEY CATCH THAT MOMENT!!" So throw in a couple pretty detail shots BUT overload the show with tears, tight embraces, kisses and cute glances. ALSO, pick images of moments that the guests witnessed in person because it will bring back their memories and make them feel involved. A couple images from before the wedding or from the first look are also fun because it's a part of the day they didn't get to see and now you're sharing it with them. FINALLY....include as many people as possible. We're all vain, let's face it. More people in the photos = more people watching the show = more people talking about the show. AND MAKE SURE IF YOU SHOW ONE SET OF PARENTS THAT YOU ALSO SHOW THE OTHER SET! I've made that mistake before :/ 

5) Show your images on your laptop. 

This will cause a little hub of excitement in the corner that people will find and pull other guests over to see. If you project it big on the wall then everyone will sit it easily and the buzz of a secret surprise will be lost. You want to make people talk!!

6) Have cards beside your computer that people can pick up.

Your business card can look tacky (like you're advertising at their wedding). So don't do that. Instead, have a card that says...

"Want to see more images from Sarah & Mike's wedding? 

Visit their wedding photography website

www.sarah+mike.chamonixthurstonrattue.com

Thanks so much!

Enjoy the party :)

xoxo

Chamonix"

This way you get to advertise but it's tasteful and helpful. People probably won't pick up your business card (unless you wooed them with your charming personality) but they WILL pick up this card because you're really offering something they want...PICTURES! 

I design my slideshow cards in PhotoShop using a photo from their engagement shoot. I print them as 4x6 floppy prints from a pharmacy. I print off enough for about 40% of the guests. 100 guests = 40 prints. 

7) Not everyone will see the slideshow...

THAT's OK. Deal with it. Accept it. Make sure the bride & groom + their familes + wedding party see it. Everyone else is bonus. Your MAIN goal here is to make sure that your clients and their closest loved ones know what an amazing job you did so they'll talk about you the next day and rave about this awesome slideshow and feel good about the money they spend on you!

So good luck my friend! Have fun showing off your gorgeous pictures at your next wedding. You're going to blow off their socks!

101 Years of Beauty — Four Generations (29, 57, 79, 101)

I had just launched my "100 Years of Beauty Project" when my friend Cheryl Ford asked me... "What are you going to do if you find a woman who is 101?" Well, then I would change the project to "101 Years of Beauty" (duh!) Little did I know what was waiting for me less than 24hrs around the corner. 
The next day, Cheryl & I were in Seattle at a ChickChat networking. We moseyed over to the staircase and listened to the speeches from behind the crowd. As the applause faded away we bumped into a couple women and a little small talk dug up a golden sentence....
"My great-grandmother is 101."
SERIOUSLY! Are you kidding me? When Marisa told me that she was the 4th of FOUR living generations we practically booked her photo shoot on the spot! One month later, all four women (Marisa, Barbara, Carolin, & Marie) were sitting in my studio enjoying make-overs, nibbling on chocolate shortbread, and telling stories. There is a soft spot in my heart for each of these beautiful women and I am so excited to finally share their portraits with the world. You will see them all together in my "101 Years of Beauty" Project representing ages: 29, 57, 79 and 101.

After the shoot, we all sat together - the video camera rolling - and they reflected on their lives & ages. I was so excited to surprise them with this video when they came to pick up their prints and as I watched the happy tears flowing I couldn't have felt more grateful for that spontaneous decision I'd made to attend that networking event and for that impulse I'd had to waddle over to the women sitting on the staircase.

Huge THANK YOU to Hanna Mazur for Hair & Make-up!

30 Days with Chamonix :: Day 14

I, Chamonix Thurston-Rattue, am overcoming my fear of publishing videos on YouTube & Vimeo by recording & uploading a new short video everyday for 30 Days!

Day 14 :: We're in the car on the way to my mom's birthday party! Woohoo!

How to Arrange a Series of Dancing Portraits

Dancing is the perfect way to create a series of images that flow together and can be presented as one unit of artwork. Sometimes, I hold down the shutter and shoot like crazy...fingers crossed that I'll catch something worth keeping. Somedays, I get really picky and aim for a particular movement/shot. Either way, the images can be put together like a short stop-motion film OR they can be arranged in a way that makes them "suggest" movement. 

You can arrange the images randomly BUT it's really fun and much more powerful to intentionally present them in a chronological order. It works like a flip book....as your eyes zoom across the images, you can almost see the motion.

Read the images Left to Right, Top to Bottom. It looks like she starts standing still, reaches down to grab the fabric, pulls it back, turns and then throws it back across her body and she finishes with a curtsy ;) Fun, right! 

To help these images come to life, I created a wee stop-motion film for you! Check it out ;)

Shelby Dancing — Chamonix Thurston-Rattue from Chamonix Thurston-Rattue on Vimeo.