I started shooting in 2006. That seems like eons ago when I compare my style back then to how I shoot today. I've learned SO much since that time, mostly through trial and error. But boy, it sure would have been nice if I had had a little more personal help along the way.
I decided to dig up what used to be one of my most favorite images of my middle bear cub. I loved his look...I loved how grown up he looked...lost in thought, but ohhhhh, if I had a do-over with this shot, I would have done so many things differently. The version on the left shows my editing style back in the old days ;-); the one on the right shows you how I would have edited the image a little differently (wish I still had the RAW file, actually, so I could edit effectively in Lightroom). I do think I chose a great moment to capture and a great focal length, but if I had the time to do so, I should have strolled him to a place where the background wasn't quite so blown and more even to help him stand out a little better. Also, in the new version, I cropped out the bottom part of the stroller where the sticker was showing ;-).
This is the kind of critique participants in the Chic Critique Celebrity Critique can expect from me. I have another 4-week session coming up next month and we have a few openings left if you want to give it a try. It has been such a privilege to be on the outside, seeing images from a different perspective, and by giving just a few quick pointers, helping to turn images that seemed like coal into diamonds.
By the way, even with his overly-processed, neon blue eyes, I still love this image and always will.
Last Wednesday, we got a call that Pop (my husband's father) was taken to the hospital for a suspected septic infection and our whole family rushed down there to be by his side. Please read up as anyone can get sepsis and it is an extremely dangerous condition where early diagnosis and treatment are critical to surviving. Without going into too many details, it was bad. It was really, really bad. Pop is a very loved and vibrant personality in our family and seeing him suffer like that pained and panicked us like nothing before.
By some miracle, he turned the corner a few days ago. Having been one of the few who pulled through this, he still has a very, very long road of recovery ahead of him. This has been an extremely difficult week full of the lowest lows and the strangest highs (hearing him talk again!) and I've been out of the loop work-wise. I just returned home last night to be with the kids and to catch up on work, and believe me, I have a lot of catching up to do. Thank you so much to my clients for being so understanding and allowing me to reschedule sessions. Thank you to everyone in advance for their patience as I begin returning phone calls and e-mails. Thank you to those of you who are waiting on proofs from me. Thank you most of all to everyone who prayed for our Pop...I truly believe he would not be alive right now were it not for his own will to live, the love and care of his family and doctors, and all of the positive energy you sent his way.
Congrats to this cutie pie and her family for a long and well-fought contest and let's be in touch to schedule your winning session!
And we have two runners up, who will be receiving an additional $100 session credit:
and
Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote (there were more than 2,300 votes in the final round) and congrats one more time to the 12 finalists and the winners. It just gets better and better every year!!!!
See them all large HERE. In no particular order. Vote below (if poll is not showing properly, you can vote HERE):
Narrowed down from 40 entries, the finalists were selected as follows:
- The top 4 from last week's poll.
- 4 more chosen by a panel of professional photographers (who, by the way, said they had a *very* hard time making this decision)
- And 4 selected by me (some new favs added in!)
You have until midnight central on Tuesday, January 31st to make your final choice and on Feb 1st, we'll announce the winner on here! Again, you'll be able to choose more than one favorite, but you can only vote one time. If you want to "campaign" for your favorite image on Facebook, I've created several "buttons" to use as your profile and/or timeline pic to show your support for friends/family in the running.
Thanks again to everyone who helped choose the finalists and congratulations to EVERYONE on a very tough race!
[While "likes" and positive comments on Facebook are welcome, they will not count toward the final vote. ONLY votes on this poll will count. Pinkle Toes Photography reserves the right to modify contest or prizes as necessary. Anyone tampering with the contest or results will be immediately disqualified. No purchase necessary to win.View past winners HERE.]
If you:
- had a baby or are due to have a baby anytime between TODAY 1/10/12 and 1/31/12 AND
- you live in Austin, TX AND
- you might be willing to let 10 photographers invade your home and practice photographing you and your significant other and your new baby
then PLEASE, fill this out. You MUST meet all of the requirements above, so please do not fill this out if you don't.
If you look like an ideal candidate, I may contact you to schedule an in-home interview. Your home does not need to be professionally decorated...it just has to be large enough so that we can all walk around in there or squeeze into a room during the session ;-).
Thank you!!!
