Highlight Photography

Best Friends

2010-06-29T21:56:00.001-04:00

I am extremely lucky when it comes to a best friend. She is the best listener, makes me laugh all the time, gives honest to goodness good advice and understands why I nearly cried in excitement when I got a Dyson vacuum. Who else would understand that?! You can tell when someone is with their best friend...the giggling, smiles, punches in the arm and rolling of the eyes... This is why when I met Kim and Anna I knew I had to do a "Best Friend" session. Had.To. Just watching the two of them makes you smile!

Anna had the brilliant idea to have their photos done in High Falls. We drove down after work and kept our fingers crossed that the rain would hold off. Thankfully the sun came out and we had some beautiful light!!

To start out we did some "nice" photos to get in the groove...

Got some great shots, and the best part...I did it all manually for the first time! These girls were so relaxed and were so busy just having fun that for once I didn't get that rushed feeling...I put it on manual and whala! It finally seemed to click (get it? clicked? hehe).

While I was playing with my shutter speeds the giggling started and I thought to myself "PERFECTO! Bring on the natural shots!" Here are a few that give me that warm best friend feeling.

They even picked out the same color nail polish...and not on purpose!

I had created a collage of Anna and Kim cracking up...it's so funny to watch. Of course my computer is in the middle of a meltdown and has no space to save it...so I lost the entire thing. (Trying not to curse). So lunch time tomorrow will be filled with a trip to Staples to get another hard drive. Next post I'll be featuring collages I've created and asking for your opinions, so be sure to check back!

Anna and Kim - Thank you so much for our outing! I was able to learn a TON in these 2 hours, and had fun with both of you. Thank you <3

PS - A photo session with you and your bestie would be a great birthday gift for her...1 hour session, location of your choice, $60 - CD for ordering is yours! Best to do this while it's decent out - get in touch with me, summer dates are filling up fast! (yippee!!)

~Erica

Hmmm what's my favorite??

2010-06-19T15:19:00.000-04:00

This thought has been running through my head the past few weeks...what's my favorite thing to shoot? I feel like I need to pick one or two specialties for Highlight Photography, but at the same time keep finding myself saying "but why?". Maybe so I can focus on getting better at one or two areas? Maybe so I can figure out who my competitors might be one day down the line? Maybe so I can find my niche and get comfortable?

I know 2 things for sure...I LOVE kids and I LOVE dogs. But I also love doing engagement sessions...and maybe weddings in the near future. I also really enjoyed doing maternity photos and can't wait to photograph the newborns that have just arrived :) (although I think I can get away with grouping them into the kids category). I don't want to limit myself at this point...why not photograph what anyone asks me to? I don't see the harm in that, especially this stage in the game. I really enjoy all of it to be honest. Perhaps in a year or so, once I have even more experience I'll be able to pick and choose what I really want to do...but for now...let's just do it ALL : D

Here are a few photos from the past week's shoots...see what I mean? How can you not love these faces? And of course, being able to hold and cuddle them at the end isn't awful either...ok so I LOVE that as well!

At the end of the day, I say, do what you love and don't think twice about it...no need to rush into areas of expertise when I don't yet have the expertise :)

Hope you enjoy the photos - feel free to leave comments, questions or requests!!

Love the little ones

2010-06-06T12:39:00.002-04:00

The next month is full of photo sessions for newborns and toddlers - I can't wait! It's so much fun to spend an hour or so with the little ones, and be able to capture them in their natural elements. Kids hate being dragged to a studio, so why go through the effort just to get stiff looking photos? Bring them to a park where they can run and play and be themselves. I guarantee you will be much happier when you have photos of them with genuine smiles on their faces.

This past week I met Mya along with her mom and dad, Mollie & Matt. Mya will be turning 3 in the next few weeks, so it was time for her yearly photos to be taken! We met at a park in Penfield for about an hour. Mya brought along some of her favorite toys as well as a few snacks. Here are a few favorite photos from the afternoon.

-MYA-

Love that little face :) Stay tuned for updated blogs loaded with the little ones!

Senior Portraits

2010-05-21T18:25:00.001-04:00

This week I had my first session of Senior Portraits. Lucky me, it was my sister Carly! She graduated from college last week and so we thought it would be fun to take some portraits of her (ok so I asked her if I could). We went to Highland Park, which was packed with people for the Lilac Fest, so it was a bit tough, but we found several quiet places to snap some shots. We had a really good time (we always do) and the photos came out great! It's hard not to have good photos when you have such a good looking model (sometimes people mistake her for me, ok that's a lie...) :b Here are my favorites from the evening. Enjoy!

2010-05-18T20:28:00.000-04:00

What a week! I have started to advertise myself as a business...figured I have nothing to lose. I absolutely love photography so why not try to make it a little business on the side of my full time job. I created the below flyer and emailed it to some of my co-workers, family and friends. The first day I scheduled 2 new appointments!

I was excited to get a good response so quickly! Now if I can keep it going, that would be fantastic :) Fingers crossed for me.

The past few weeks I've also been learning more in Photoshop. I've learned how to antique photographs:

How to select certain parts of photographs to be in color/BW:

and my favorite - learning to make collages!

LOVE IT!

Quick blog today...stay tuned for more later this week!

Wedding Planning and Hiking in the ADK's

2010-05-08T12:43:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Jay and I headed to the High Peaks in the ADK's to do some wedding planning and hiking. We stayed at a nice B&B called the Rooster Comb Inn. Very cute and cozy! The owners were very nice and accommodating.

We started off on Saturday by visiting one of our favorite restaurants, just south of the main stretch in Lake Placid called Chair 6. Really good food (best breakfast burrito EVER) and at a good price. Left my camera in the car, of course...

After stuffing ourselves, we headed to the florist: Lake Placid Flower & Gift. We met with the owner who helped us put together ideas and secure our date. Lots of variegated orange/yellow/red mums with green ferns, with a few freesias mixed in my bouquet. I don't have any photos and am unsure I can use others online...sorry. Anyways, she was very helpful and we were able to check one more thing off the wedding to do list!

THEN we hiked! Finally...good to get outside and hiking again. We chose Dial Mountain. In order to get to Dial you have to hike over 2 smaller mountains, both with good views. Here are a few photos from the hike:

Also came across a cool barn...

The trails were wet and muddy, so we were covered by the time we got back to the car. Headed back to the Inn, showered and went out to dinner at the Baxter Mountain Tavern. SO GOOD - love the alfredo!

Sunday, we met with our amazing caterer Green Goddess at The Mountain House. This is where we will be married! Tammy is wonderful to work with. She has great ideas and has gone out of her way to help us with rentals and reception set-up. The food is all organic and local and DELICIOUS. Can't wait!

The Mountain House:

Overall we had a very successful and fun weekend! Looking forward to going back over Memorial Day weekend :)

Photo Outings

2010-04-27T20:14:00.000-04:00

Hello!

There's been news that there may be some new visitors to my blog over the next week or so - Welcome!! Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy some of my previous blogs. Feel free (anyone) to post comments, questions or requests. I LOVE hearing from you!

Just want to point out that to the upper left there are a few links that I've added with information on photo outings. Please take a look and contact me if you are interested. May is booking up fast, only a few days left. June is starting to fill up as well, so please let me know ASAP if you would like to set something up (I would love to!). Any questions or thoughts - please let me know at highlightimages@gmail.com. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Just a few photo samples until I complete my new blog entry on this past weekend's photo shoot (with the Kohlmeiers!). Please take a look at my portfolio if you would like to see more photos Highlight Portfolio

Thanks!!

Quiet Week

2010-04-18T11:05:00.001-04:00

This past week has been pretty quiet, so I thought a quiet blog might fit the mood. Keeping busy buying props for upcoming newborn photo shoot, preparing for a photo shoot with my Dad's band and figuring out a better way to display my photos online. Not happy with my photoshop portfolio - not user friendly! If you have any ideas, please let me know! Working on a website over the next month as well!

For now here are a few photos from the past few weeks...

Outdoors

The Pups

Food

Maternity/Family Photo session

Foodie

2010-04-08T19:56:00.001-04:00

LOVE food...buying it, cooking it, most of all eating it - it's all good stuff. This week Jay's decided that he wanted to make a roasted chicken (YES!) so I thought, let's document this deliciousness. First up, our chef Jay:

So handsome!

I helped this project by making a trip to Wegmans...if you haven't been there, make sure you visit on your next trip to Rochester - it's heaven.

Though it's a bit more expensive, I try to eat as much organic/free range food. It's worth it - read Jane Goodall's book Harvest for Hope, it'll change your views I promise.

I wasn't thrilled with the outcome of my photos, but through all the boiling, chopping, seasoning and cursing came these photos:

Needless to say this was an awesome meal! We made chicken broth with the bones for upcoming meals next week. Y-U-M. I'm going to order a tripod that might help me out with food shots...so hopefully we'll see some improvements in over the next few months.

Bye!

Sassin' with Graffiti

2010-04-03T09:49:00.002-04:00

First off, I just want to say that I'm a bit disappointed with myself for not keeping up with this blog lately...I haven't done my Project Sunday or Walking Wednesday since the first week I started. Instead of doing a Project Sunday tomorrow, since it's Easter, I'm doing it today. So here we go!

GRAFFITI! I LOVE it - I don't care if some people say it's garbage on a wall, if it's done tastefully I think it's a form of art. I mean, look at it! It's amazing! I've been doing a lot of research on places in Rochester that have good graffiti and although most seem unsafe, the water tanks at Cobbs Hill are covered in graffiti and completely safe. People walk their dogs around them and there's a path that leads you there so it's legal. There is also a spot in Fairport that I'll be checking out in the next few weeks with amazing graffiti on the sides of trains...can't wait!

I've wanted to try graffiti photos for a long time and finally this past weekend everything came together. A couple of friends from work agreed to be my Sassy models, and they were great! We had a blast looking at the art and taking fun photos. Can't wait to get back out there to shoot some different angles. Here are a few of my favorites:

These photos were taken at about 11 (by the time we made it to the tanks!). VERY bright and sunny so some of the photos had a lot of shine on them. Every time I try something new there's always something I learn, and every time I review my photos I get more ideas for the next shoot and always come up with a few things I should watch out for (like glare from the sun). Jillian and Pat were so much fun, perfect duo for this outing. I initially wanted the photos to be edgy and have attitude, but after looking through them, my favorites were the photos with the biggest smiles...I guess graffiti backgrounds are good for achieving both feelings - edgy and playful!

Thanks to you both for being my models! Miss Sass you are my official Sass Master :) Can't wait to set up another shoot.

Walking Wednesdays

2010-03-16T21:09:00.002-04:00

Ok so obviously today is not Wednesday...I got a bit antsy and am doing this entry a day ahead of schedule. Since I'm starting theme days (Project Sunday) I decided to add Walking Wednesday to the week. Every Wednesday I am going to walk through Highland Park and report on new things that are in bloom (very exciting for me, the park is so beautiful!). I figure this will be easy enough since March-Spetmeber there is always something new blooming.

So to be honest, today my goal was to run outside for an hour. I thought that this wouldn't be too difficult since I've reached my goal of running for an hour on the treadmill at the gym. Not the case, my friends. I ran for 20 (ok 10-15) minutes and was in more pain then I have ever been on the treadmill. AND I got my new sneaks all muddy b/c I had to take the shortcut home (pathetic)! This didn't put me in the best mood...so I grabbed my Nikon and walked to the park.

The first thing I noticed were the smells! It smelled like spring - fresh air, warm sunshine and some delicious smelling flower was somewhere...Down the path a ways I came across my first sign of spring

Squirrels are everywhere!! So are the robins, unfortunately my camera doesn't have a great zoom so the photos weren't great. I also saw a chipmunk but he was too quick for me! As I mosied down the path I came across the second sign of spring

The tulips and some other little white flowers are popping up! And they are everywhere - can't wait for them to bloom. Next I passed the Japanese Maples, nothing much going on there until fall; and then came to my favorite section - the magnolias. Right now the new fuzzy buds are hanging out just waiting to bloom in a few months. The lighting was beautiful the way it lit up the fuzz - here are a few shots

SO beautiful...I think I was mesmerized by the light for 15 mins or so before I pulled myself away. I can't wait until these bloom, I'll be sure to post photos. As I dragged myself away from the magnolias I noticed this weird smell...and I mean STINK-Y. I couldn't put my finger on it until all of a sudden I remembered "Which Hazel!" I turned to my left and there it was...the Which Hazel tree was in bloom! PHEW what a smell for such a beautiful tree. The funny thing is that Which Hazel blooms in yellow, orange and red. The yellow tree reeks (rotting garbage) while the orange and red smell really goood (sweet)!

I can't get enough of those colors! Then I came across something that made me a bit sad, as well as thankful in the same though...

Such a thoughtful thing to do. This was off the normal path and one of the few benches that haven't been graffitied on (don't get me started).

I think it's safe to say Goodbye Winter!!

Project Sunday

2010-03-14T14:45:00.001-04:00

So I have dedicated Sunday's to be my "Project Sunday". It's perfect - I spend all day focusing on 1 or 2 photography projects, whether it's just getting to know more about the camera, coming up and working on a new project I have in mind, or updating my blog/portolio...the day is mine to experiment with!

Today I decided that I needed to do all of the above (because focusing on 1 thing is too difficult!). I have really wanted to play around with water and fire. (To be honest I had forgotten that I had wanted to do these types of shots until I heard the "drip, drip, drop" coming from the kitchen. Once again I hadn't switched off the water all the way!) Another goal of mine was to do this without having my camera on Auto - it needed to be in Shutter or Manual Priority modes. This way I could really see how the camera works and get the practice I needed.

First Project - Water drops from the faucet (Shutter Priority).

I started out by setting my camera up on Shutter Priority. I've been waiting for spring so I can catch runners, kids and dogs running around in the parks, but though hey! water works just fine for the time being. The first several shots I swore I was hitting the shutter button at the exact moment the water drops were falling...not so much. I had to first focus on the actual facuet, shift my lens down so that it would catch the drop mid-fall, and then snap the photo just before the drop was released from the faucet head. Also a factor - I had the shutter speed set at 1/200 ...too quick! I slowed it down to 1/100...still not getting what I was looking for...finally after about 30 mins I found the perfect speed - 1/60. I realize I have no sense of how quick tenths and hundreths of seconds actually are...I'll have to keep a notebook for subjects and their best shutter speeds.

It took me several shots but here's what I ended up with:

Not the best, but better then I was expecting - great shutter experience too! As I was taking the first few photos I noticed they were coming out blue...I played around in the camera trying figure it out until I realized that the White Balance was set incorrectly. I snapped a few shots on the different settings and became more familiar with whole new set of setting options. A quick switch and I was back in business! So in this project I was able to learn more about shutter speed as well as timing (drops) and White Balance!

Second Project - Flames (Shutter and Manual)

Well, unfortunately this project didn't go over as well. I had lit a candle and wanted to catch the flame so that it was sharp and clear...I must have played around with the shutter speed for ages. No matter what I did I got a somewhat blurry shot. Nothing came out like I wanted. To be honest, I got pretty frustrated after about 45 mins and started playing around with the Manual Mode. I still wasn't able to get the flame to be crisp but I was able to get some good shots by adjusting the Shutter and Aperature levels. I played around for about an hour and I'm sad to say that this is the only decent flame photo I came out with (only looks cool b/c of the effect)

After I gave up on my flame dream I decided to play around with a few other items in the apartment:

I also took some time to update my portfolio (www.EricaHansford.photoshop.com) and do some planning for future Sunday Projects. Not bad at all...only 6 more days until my next experiment...DUN DUN DUN! Any suggestions??

Nature Quest

2010-03-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

When I first became interested in photography, it was nature that drew me in. Just taking a walk in a local park, you can see several little "photographs" as you go...naturally I usually feel the need to snap a shot of everything I see. All the little details that stand out might look like nothing as you walk, but take a photo and it suddenly becomes an important part of the forest (in my eyes at least). This week and next I'm going be on a quest to find local shops that I can try to sell (TRY being the keyword) my photos in. I'm not expecting any sales...but it will be fun to give it a shot - can't hurt right? The nerve wracking part is finding places that will accept my photographs. I get extremely nervous when showing my photos to others. It shouldn't matter what others think - if I like it and learned something from taking it, that's all that matters. Easier said then done. My hands sweat and my heart races. I'll work on it : )

If you know of any places that display local art, please let me know! HighlightImages@gmail.com

2010-03-03T21:49:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday!
This week I decided to try something new that I've always thought about - photographing foods! I LOVE cooking and am always in awe of the beautiful photos in cooking magazines...but any time I've taken a few shots here and there I've been dissapointed.

The perfect opportunity came up at work - Butler/Till is participating in creating a gift basket to the Hunter's Hope Silent Auction. The theme is "Healthy Living", so I offered to create note cards with photos of healthy foods on them. The pressure was on! I've never liked any of my food photos, so this was going to be a challenge.

Saturday morning I headed to Wegmans to pick out some photograph worthy vegetables. I ended up buying enough to last me 2 weeks! I took several photos and didn't like what I was seeing - the light was awful! In my little kitchen, on a cloudy day with 1 light the flash demanded to pop up causing a washed out look. On non-flash mode the shots came out fuzzy due to a longer open shutter time (need to find my tri-pod). I ended up closing the blinds and adding a few additional spotlights on the veggies. We worked together for 2 hours rearranging the veggies in several "poses". Below are the photos that made it to the cards:

Cilantro

Tomatoes

Peas

Peppers

Finally a few photos (out of 100) that satisfied me for the first real attempt. I ordered the 5x7 cards from Snapfish and they were delivered a few days later - printed beautifully! I should have taken photos of the actual cards. People have been showing an interested in purchasing cards with different themes, so I'm pondering creating more and selling them in my Etsy shop.

Also new - HighlightImages@gmail.com. Contact me to set up a photo shoot or to buy photo-cards. Each 5x7 card will be $4, photoshoots vary (Engagements, Senior Photos, Kids (portraits or sports portraits), Family, Prenatal shots, Pets, you name it, I'll do it!).

~FuNkY eFfEcTs~

2010-02-23T19:33:00.010-05:00

I've been waiting to do this post! I'm so curious as to what people think of different effects that I use on their photographs. Some people hate the funky stuff, others love it. I guess it's a case-by-case kind of thing, but please leave a comment at the bottom of this post! (feel free to include other types of effects that you do like if not seen below).

So I've got two few that I really love to use - spot coloring & the "painting" like effect. Here's a favorite of mine (and yes it's partly because he's my fiance!):
I think that's my favorite effect...although I'm always for the "dreamy" look as well:

The effect that I would really love feedback on is the below styles. I am a bit torn on these. I
love them because they look artsy and have a totally different feel to them...especially the painting look. In the same breath, I feel like that defeats the purpose of taking a photograph because it's not capturing what the eye sees. Thoughts? I used to think that the less work done in an editing program, the better - and I still think this to a point, however there are some really great things you can do to a photo to give it a little more style or just an extra touch. I've learned that it will take YEARS before I can go on a photo shoot and come back with photos that don't need re-touching in any way. Patience is key...constantly reminding myself to be patient with my growth and that it'll come with practice and time. I love the process of taking photos, reviewing them and seeing where to improve and then learning how to improve. It's nice to be in control of my growth.

Looks like a painting

Looks like a drawing

I'm always drawn to these styles, but am always looking for something new to try. I'd love to know what you're drawn to - new ideas are always fun. LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS!! :)

Next Blog: Nature fanatic

Working with the Little Ones

2010-02-17T20:21:00.007-05:00

Helloooo!

This has been an exciting photo week! I have been asked by friends to take photos of their kids as well as do "belly shots" before birth and photos of the baby after birth for a pregnant friend of mine. I'm really looking forward to the challenge of both. As I mentioned in the previous post, kids move so fast and are extremely unpredictable. I like that you can't make them do what you want...it's a good challenge to make something out of a "difficult" situation. I've never done belly shots before so I need to do some research on angles, poses etc...let me know if you have suggestions. This is why I love photography - there's always something new and different to keep the creative wheels turning. And you'll never come up with the same result twice - the possibilities of how to take one shot is so huge that it keeps the need to learn fresh.

I'm looking to do more photos of kids, so if you're interested let me know. I'm thinking spring might be a bigger hit with the little ones :) I'm finding the more on their level I get, the better the photograph - it's a whole different world when you're only 3 feet high! I find that I get a lot of satisfaction taking portraits of children because it's something their parents will always keep and look back on - something they themselves will look at as well when they're all grown up. Something nice about that...

I am working on a "portfolio" of photos that I've taken - stay tuned!

Next blog: Funky Effects...definitely looking for feedback on this one so limber up those typing fingers!

Let's give it a whirl shall we?

2010-02-08T21:17:00.001-05:00

Hello!

Thanks for following my blog...I've just started to figure this whole blog-deal out, and think it might be a good way to get my thoughts out, watch my growth and hopefully get some feedback from you! The only way for me to grow is to keep practicing, find my niche and learn from critiques...so please feel free to post your thoughts as well. Let's give it a whirl shall we ; )

The basics - I LOVE photography - I have a Nikon D60 that I absolutely love and try to take photos whenever possible. I'm trying to find my niche but am finding it to be difficult...nature? people? pets? still life? There are so many possibilities and cool things to photograph I get wrapped up in the choices (not a bad problem to have!). So I guess I am experimenting with all sorts of things, including editing and seeing where it takes me...

Lately I have been photographing people and nature. This blog I'll stick to people. My friends and family have been kind enough to let me photograph their kids, pets and take engagement photographs - thank you!! I have a BLAST doing this and get sucked into the editing just as much (Picasa/Photoshop). Anyone who wants to be a guinea pig...just let me know!

I am really getting into portrait photography. I have done 3 Engagement sessions, and 1 kiddie session so far. The energy you get from each couple is different and brings different creative ideas to mind. I like the spontaneity of it as well as the energy you get from looking at the final photographs. That being said, I also find it difficult not to get over-excited and take my time with each shot...I tend to "panic" and usually forget several poses I had in mind. Take it easy...take it easy :) Maybe I should write them down!! It all works out in the end though...and usually the natural feel is what works best.

Kids are also fun...never know what they're going to do so it keeps me on my toes! They move so fast - which I need lots of practice with. It's a good challenge and teaches me to really use the features my camera has to offer.

Well...this is a good start...stay tuned for more blogging and photographs. Future blogs will be more detailed on portraits, nature, pets, kids, still life and funky editing tools.

Oh! Visit my Etsy shop if you have time - www.highlightphotography.etsy.com

Sara & Mark

My Dad, Colin & sister Abi

Shawn & Andrea

Brittany & DanJulianne