Month: October 2012

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rain, rain, go away. but if you remain obstinate, we shall still play.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

hello, sunday. (i know it’s not sunday, but, i intended to write this last night, so…there ya go.)

it was a long weekend.  a good one, but a long and tiring one.
yet again, i will keep the words here short, as i’m attempting to do many mom things today, and less business things.  i will likely be blogging before sunday comes around again, as i’ve had some photography things on my mind.

in any case, had another wonderful family shoot this week…this time with the dobson family.  their adorable daughter, olive, just turned 1 year old (today, actually…monday, not sunday.  do not be confused.) and they decided to get some family photos done to capture this time period with her.  so glad that they did.  despite washington being washington, and raining throughout the shoot, we still had a great time and got some great photos.  even outside IN. THE. RAIN.  yeah, you don’t scare me, skies.

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you can’t pronounce their name, but you’ll want to be in their family.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

korbuszewski.

yep,  the korbuszewski family.  if one of them was your teacher, you’d call them mr./mrs. k, just because all of those letters are confusing.  i call them joe and rachel.
joe and rachel have some pretty stellar kids, august and henry.

their shoot took place this past weekend, on a day in which we actually got some random hours of non-rain.  i wouldn’t say “sun”…nope…but, non-rain.  we took advantage of that and got out of the house for a walk to auggie’s school, played for a bit, and traipsed on back.  upon arriving back at the house, out came the guns, the music, the hot chocolate, the beer (the adults’ alternative to hot chocolate), and the inevitable dancing.  i’m going to choose to believe this was just another average day in the k house.

shoots like this are the reason i do what i do.  here are some photos for you to enjoy…(at one point, BBD’s “poison” was played…amongst other gems…if you need some music in your brain to go along with your photos of dancing.  you’re welcome.)

p.s. joe is one of the founders, and writers, of a pretty hilarious blog about tacoma, as well…if you live here, you should read it.  if you don’t live here, you should still read it.  you can find it here: http://www.camp666.com/index.htm

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ohhhhhh, to be a kid again.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

here are some more photos from my fall frolicking with the adorable baylee and ryker.  the first few can be found here: https://alanatphotography.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/fall-frolicking-feelgood-phat-fotos/

i have been taking care of business and editing photos all day today (and drinking some beer with baylee and ryker’s mom and dad.  yay!), to the point that my eyeballs sort of hurt.  so, between that and the fact that i am lacking many words at this moment (and we’ve got a dexter tivo’d and waiting for us), i shall cut my speech short…hopefully, i can make up for it in photos.  because i need my eyeballs to last.

on a quick note, i’ll be back sooner than later this week, as i had another super rad shoot with a super rad family yesterday that i’d LOVE to share with you!  until then, enjoy more of these adorable guys…

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fall. frolicking. feelgood. phat fotos.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

current mood: on the way to relaxing.  listening to the sound of my son screaming upstairs from what must be him getting his teeth brushed by dad.  traumatic stuff, you know.  also listening to the amazing talent that is regina spektor.

today kinda fried my brain a bit, i think, which may be obvious. for the record, i never write “phat”.  nor do i write “fotos”, for that matter.  i just got carried away.  phorgive me.  ha.  haha.
see?

{if any of you are over 55 and haven’t heard the term “phat” before, 1) count your blessings, and, 2) it means “cool”.  or it did.  as one urban dictionary definition points out:
“‘It has kind of phased out and is mostly used by wannabes, lowerclassmen in high school, or middle schoolers. It is now considered a slang faux pas. I wouldn’t use it if I was you.”
14 year old: “That’s phat man.”
22 year old: “Um, dude, that word got old in the late ’90s'”
yep.  there’s some education for you today, in any case.}

moving on…
I SHOT A COUPLE OF KIDS YESTERDAY!  in the most awesome usage of the word, of course.
my dear friend, jen, and i have had this shoot (starring her children) in the plans for the last couple of months, i do believe.  somehow, about a month and a half ago, she used her super-smart-mom senses and picked the only dry day in probably the next 5 months of rain here to do this.  it was GORGEOUS.  a bit chilly, but gorgeous.
we met at fort steilacoom park, in lakewood, wa.  about 10 different high schools’ track teams, families, and cheerleaders met there, too.  who knew?  we definitely didn’t.  it did provide some amusement as they would erupt in cheering mid-shoot.  i just told the kids that the cheering was for them.  which, as animated as the kids were, it should have been for them.
anyway, beautiful day.  beautiful, HILARIOUS kids.  baylee is six (going on 13, as jen points out), and ryker is 2…together, they provide some serious entertainment.  you’ll see that in the photos.
(let me just say, as a side note, that i have a special fondness for these guys because they remind me so much of my own little family.  granted, my daughter is 12, but she was JUST like baylee at that age…and jen parents very much the way that i do, which i would like to think is the coolest, best kind of parenting ever.  yeah.  just nod.)
jen also has a pretty hilarious blog about her hilarious children that can be found here:  http://projectmomlife.com/
check it out.  do it.  she writes every night, and she writes well.
so, yeah, here are some of the photos so far.  i am keeping the others under wraps at the moment, so that jen and justin can see them before anyone else.  maybe i will share more later…for now, here are some smiles for you…

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what’ll they think of next? ’cause i’ll shoot it. or…maybe not.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

i’ve been thinking about something.

there’s a somewhat new craze for birth photography sessions.
my thoughts:  this is right up my alley.

why?

well…

1)  i’m a mom.  i’ve given birth twice – my daughter was a natural birth, my son, cesarean section…i know the goings on of these things.

2)  i’ve been in the room for others giving birth.  even had the awesome privilege of cutting the cord for a friend!  never will forget that experience.  i would be unobtrusive, where you would barely even know i’m there…unless you want to know i’m there…i have been counted on for my sense of humor in these situations as well.  let’s just say that most people find me very comfortable to be around, and know that i like to laugh…a LOT.  i’ll totally cry over the birth of your baby, too.  can’t help myself…it’s the coolest, most awe-inspiring experience in the world.  but, i will see through my tears to get some rad photos.

3)  remember how i love emotion in my photography?  how i love to tell a story?  well, shewwwwwt, what is more storytelling and emotional than the birth of your child???  let me just answer that.  nothing.  absolutely nothing.

4)  i wouldn’t plan on taking any shots that you wouldn’t want to show your friends…if you know what i mean…’cause there are much more crude ways for me to put that.  i think you get the gist.

yeah, i love births.  i love birth stories.  i’d love to help you tell yours.  i just don’t know how many people think this is of importance enough for me to make it something i offer in my photography services…thoughts?

that brings me to the subject of newborn photography.  i don’t think i’m a newborn photographer.  i think i’m a photographer of you WITH your newborn, but, not so much the photographer of your newborn propped in a boot, or a flower, or a pea pod, etcetera, etcetera…
don’t get me wrong…i took SO MANY PICTURES of my son after he was born, and, yes, millions since, in this past year and a half.  it’s not that i don’t like newborn pictures…it’s just that it goes back to that whole storytelling/emotion thing…as adorable as i find your baby, i find it even more adorable how adorable YOU find your baby, and that is what i want to capture.  make sense?

p.s. there is another new craze of wedding night photography sessions…like, not at the wedding.  nope.  just with the bride and groom on their wedding night.  yup.  no, i’m not kidding.  and, no, i’m not interested.

here is one photo from our son’s birth…how i wish i had even THOUGHT about hiring a professional to capture such a time.

no photographer would’ve been allowed in here, but, having one a couple of hours later to capture the sheer amount of love written on our faces would have been priceless.

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eat, drink, drink some more, and be merry.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

here we are in hood river, oregon.
i’m not gonna write much, because this is a VACATION.  vacations don’t look like blogging, do they?  vacations look like holding hands with my boyfriend and hitting all of the local breweries and wineries because we can.  grandma is at home with the kids (THANK GOODNESS FOR GRANDMAS), so, i basically went into pure relaxation mode the second we hit the road.  it’s been perfect.
guess what?  i didn’t bring my camera.  i love my camera and i love photography, but, it can feel a little bit like work if i’m obsessing about it too much, so, these photos come to you courtesy of the iphone 4s, and some with some extra lovin’ from instagram.

okay, enjoy.  today’s adventure:  wine!  lots of wine.

alana  🙂

hittin’ the road.
if you know us, you know that we always do some obligatory dumb photo of whenever we are going anywhere of substance (camping, hiking, vacationing, etc), so, this was to be no different.

my guy, doin’ the hard driving work.

told you, instant relaxation…in my kirkland costco socks, obviously.

scenic.

and scenic some more.

tunnels are cool.

outside our condo vacation rental. who else prefers vacation rentals to hotels? i certainly do.

ready to start our beer tasting (i.e. drinking a bunch) at full sail brewery…half a block from where we’re staying. can i get a “hell yes”???!!!

ready, set, GO.

aaaaaaaaand, yum.

“are you taking a picture of me AGAIN?”
why, yes. yes, i am.

samplin’ some more…this time at double mountain brewery. more yums.

walking from double mountain brewery to pfriem brewery…i am bad at pictures…

on our way to phriem, there was a lone xylophone player off in the fog.
no. i’m not kidding. he’s right there.

sign in the bathroom at pfriem.
i REALLY want this to happen in tacoma…none of our good breweries allow kids. it’s time for a change…

this morning at breakfast. NOT hungover. wheeeeeeeee!

i put makeup on today.

crab benedict at bette’s place.
it was good…except for the shells i ran into occasionally…

necessity.

satisfied.

my guy figuring out some communication problem between my laptop and my iphone.
what a guy. 🙂

sitting here…just before i started writing this for you guys.
and now, signing off…and drinking more.

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wine. the family. not the beverage.

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guess what day it iiiiiiiiiiis…
that’s right. sunday blogday.
i’ve decided that i can blog to my heart’s content any day of the week i want, or NOT blog, but i must blog on sunday.  why sunday?  hellifiknow.  i guess i just started this on a sunday.  consistency.  i lack it in so many things, may as well have it in this.

anyway, yesterday was fun.  i had a family shoot with the wine family.  you know how i love to have fun on my shoots?  so do these guys.  my kind of people.  🙂  they have had the more “traditional” type of family shots done each year in the past, but were looking forward to getting out of the box a little bit and having some fun…so, that we did.  it became a “no rules day” for little ava, which ended up meaning that she could go jumping into lake sammamish with her clothes on and have a naked car ride home.  think she’s gonna remember that?  i think so.  🙂

so, i’ll share a few shots here…not too many, for the sake of not spoiling the rest of the images for the wine family and friends…after they have seen the rest, i shall share more with you.

i’m also posting a “review” of sorts that mona (mrs. wine) posted on my facebook page before we had even done their family photo shoot.  it makes my heart smile.  she’s a super awesome lady and i appreciate every word she said.  (also, she sent me home with snacks after the shoot.  yeah, snacks.  how sweet is that??)

review…

“From me, your customer: Why you are going to raise your prices and we are going to love you anyway.

One shot. It took one shot, one photo of my beautiful daughter, to steer me to alana t photography. And it was unexpected. We have been using the same photographer for our candid and natural family photos since my daughter was born. They are terrific photos. I have been happy with them. Have referred folks to this photographer. We also have sat for the obligatory studio photos and they were just ok, but we did them.Then I took my daughter to her friend’s birthday party that alana t. was shooting. In one shot, one camera click, she captured my daughter. Her joy for life, her spirit, her love of fun and her inner happiness. One shot.

I actually have paid more for ok studio photos, and more for the more natural and artistic photos that I have loved. But, they have never come close to “That shot”.Before I looked at the rest of the sample photos on the site, I had booked our families’ annual photo shoot with alana t. photography. I could just tell.My daughter and her spirit and our love for her is priceless. If alana t. photography can capture some of that spirit and love, to me, there is no other choice.”
so. nice.
and then the pressure was on for their family photos…  🙂

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why i’m going to raise my prices and you are going to love me anyway. maybe even more.

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

money.
i have such a hard time discussing money.  i think most people in any sort of creative industry have a hard time discussing money.
here is why i must, however:  i LOVE what i do. if i continue to do what i do at the prices that i have been doing it, though, not only will i not be making any money, it will actually be costing me money.  which is essentially where i’m at right now.  and then, guess what?  there is a danger of me not loving it anymore.  and once i don’t love it anymore, i think that will show.  i don’t know if there is anything i would like less than that.

so, let’s talk money.

here is what you see when i do a photo shoot with you:  me, in my element, taking photos of you (and/or your family, etc) for 1-2 hours, totally enjoying myself, laughing my butt off, loving what i do.

a common misconception about photographers…that we just “hang out snapping some photos” and that the rate that you’re paying us is what we’re making for merely two hours.  as in, if i charge you $400 for a shoot and i shoot for two hours, i’m making $200/hr.  let’s clear up why this is definitely not the case…

the rest of this is what you don’t see…

i’m not just a photographer.  i am also a small business owner (which i do alone).
this means i:

– pay taxes on said small business.

– i do my own…

  • post-production
  • marketing
  • scouting
  • researching
  • sales
  • accounting (besides the stuff that i also have to hire someone for)
  • art directing
  • designing
  • office managing

–   i have a canon 7D camera that cost me about $1400. i have a backup camera, also (not nearly the quality of the 7D), but will need to be upgrading to another backup 7D (or more expensive 5D Mark II)  in the near future, so that, just in case anything goes wrong on your shoot, all is not lost.

–  i have quality lenses that enable me to capture the quality images that i do…

  • canon 24-70 ƒ2.8 – $1200
  • canon 50mm ƒ1.4 – $500
  • canon 10-22mm ƒ3.5 – $800

–  i have a lighting setup (soft box, umbrella, light stands, etc), external battery packs, memory cards, etc. – $1500.

–  all of the above equipment occasionally needs serviced – $200-300/year

–  i have to pay for insurance in case this expensive equipment i use is broken somehow during our shoot.

after spending an awesome time with you on your shoot or at your wedding, i then come home to my home office (which ends up most often being my livingroom) and spend about 12-20 hours (much more if it is a wedding) editing your images, creating your album, blogging about your shoot, posting pictures on facebook, ordering you prints, burning your dvd’s, picking up your prints, packaging your order in my handmade packaging, and sending it out to you.

– i edit your photographs using a macbook pro laptop = $1500 (plan to eventually upgrade to an imac – $2500)
– i edit your photographs on adobe cs5.5 = $900
– i buy the dvd’s, dvd cases, and other packaging materials =$300/year
– i archive all of your photographs on 2 external hard drives = $400
– i also back up all of my photographs online so if there was ever some accident or natural disaster, you would never lose your photographs = $200/year
– i also have office expenses as far as buying paper, staples, envelopes, etc.
– i also spend time and money ordering your prints and albums, paying for shipping, running to ship it, etc.

–  i have a vehicle that i use to get to your shoots.  vehicles take upkeep and  i need my vehicle to run this business.

–  driving that vehicle to your shoot costs gas money.

–  i pay for web-hosting so that you and your family can view and be able to order your images online.  (my site is not publicly up yet, but, rest assured that i have already paid for it and any shoots i do now can be viewed and prints ordered via it.)

–  i pay for materials to market my business and promote myself at small business events.  i’m just getting started doing this at the moment, and it is not cheap.

–  if i am shooting a wedding for you, i will most likely have a second shooter.  i must pay them as well.

–  i have high speed internet so that i can upload your images and share them with you online and a cellphone that must be paid for in order to communicate with you.

–  did i mention that accountant that i have to pay for in order to make sure i’m doing things legit?

–  i attend expos and seminars in order to better my business, stay up-to-date on the industry, and keep you, my customers, super happy and taken care of.  these also lend to learning new tricks and techniques that just enable me to make your photos better and better.

EDIT NOTE: student loans!!!  HOW COULD I FORGET THE DREADED STUDENT LOANS FOR  PHOTOGRAPHY SCHOOL?!?!?!  yeah, those too.

i should also mention that i don’t have the luxury of “office hours”, either.  remember those kids i mentioned in my first blog post?  yeah.  those kids.  12 years old and 16 MONTHS old.  a toddler.  a demanding little toddler i must take care of first and foremost, while still making time to get your photos edited and off to you so that you can love them as much as i loved making them.  🙂  often, i find myself editing/packaging/blogging/marketing when the kids have finally gone to bed at night…editing while attempting to watch Breaking Bad with my boyfriend, packaging while we relate to what’s happening in the latest Parenthood and maybe (always) i cry a little bit, marketing while trying to pay attention to how Dexter is going to pull this one off…
not the best quality time with my guy, but, thank goodness he understands.  still trying to polish how to run a small business efficiently, and be a super stay-at-home mom and awesome girlfriend at the same time.

so, yeah, i LOVE what i do.  i cannot say that enough.  it is my passion, but it is also EXPENSIVE.  it may seem like a lot of money to spend for a couple of hours or for a day, but you are having moments in your life captured and documented for you so that you can remember them for the rest of your lives.

hopefully, you understand now where photographers are coming from.  maybe you understood all along, and i appreciate if you have.  this was somewhat difficult for me to have to put out there, albeit necessary.

that said, i am now going to build a tower of blocks with my son and maybe clean something in this house…don’t even get me started on how much that gets neglected…

(this kid…)

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his slogan is better than your slogan. and mine. (damn him.)

Image | Posted on by alanatphotography

so, i’ve been really obsessed with branding lately.  as in, branding myself.  not like a cow, but like a business.
attempting to get my website ready for launch, doing this, coming up with packaging ideas, and thinking about logos and such.

anyway, in my “off time” (there is never “off time” for my brain when it comes to my business), my guy and i went out for a beer or three.  suddenly, he says to me, “i thought of a slogan for you…(big pause)…i really can’t believe you haven’t thought of it yourself…”
now, i ask, what sort of response am i supposed to have to THAT?  instantly, i thought, ‘don’t get ahead of yourself, dude, just ’cause you thought of something doesn’t mean i’m gonna like it’.  (’cause i’m stubborn like that.)
how wrong i was.
i ask him what it is.
he says, “pictures of you.”
yeah.  that’s it.  pictures of you.  or, if i need to be a little more specific, pictures of you.
why is this brilliant?  a few reasons.
1) it’s simple.  i’m simple.  perfect.
2) that’s what i love!  pictures of YOU!!!  you being YOU!  not you being posed.  not you being glamourous.  you being the awesome, quirky, hilarious, sentimental, nurturing, whateveryouare YOU.  my photography is about YOU.
3) “pictures of you” (by the cure) is my favorite song in the whole entire world.  if you know me at all, you know that.

yeah, not only do i love it, but, WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?!?!

i love that guy. even if he doesn’t like my lowercase writing.

p.s. now you shall be prepared to see this on all branding of mine.  there ya go.