NEW Blog Location!

new_and_improved First, Stephanie and I want to thank the almost 15,000 readers over the past 4 months!  We love you guys and appreciate all of you.

Second, as of this post, this will be the final entry on this blog.  All new entries will be at the link below.

Just a quick explanation:  We have completed the content migration of our blog (every entry, picture, comment, and video are now on the new blog) to integrate with our site better.  The new blog is built on a more robust platform for our blog to grow with additional features for you to share and collaborate with us.   Please bookmark us now at the following address: www.smoorephoto.com/blog 

Thanks everyone! 

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www.smoorephoto.com

Colby’s Senior Portraits – Sneak Peek!

We have been spending a lot of time shooting senior portrait sessions recently and I must say, I LOVE them! Every time Tim, Jana and I (along with Lilly now) do one we have such a blast and get so inspired.

Colby Teeman’s shots came out incredible! (It doesn’t hurt when you look like Colby – I mean, this guy could be a model.)  The weather cooperated and the sun stayed out for the most part (filtered by clouds – my favorite lighting!) ..Here is a sneak peek at a few of my favorite images from Colby’s senior session. ….

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Here is a little video teaser for you Colby, enjoy bud!  Tim put in here a special note to your brother Nicholas [ who is serving in Iraq]  see if you notice it.  (… and thanks again for the privilege of taking your senior portraits.  Tim and I had a great time!)

If any of you would like to book your fall senior portrait session, call 660.679.6791 so we can get you scheduled in!

Talk to you soon.

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Lilly’s First Week On The Job

Typically, it takes a little time to orient new employees to our crazy work environment in the office, the studio, and out on location, as well as to their positions in the business.  This is critical to establishing successful, productive working relationships.

Well, glad to say, Lilly’s first week went great.  As expected, as any new employee, she was a little anxious about getting started with her new “job”. Everyone welcomed here on her first day, and she fit right into our team.  We reviewed her “job description”, our written policies on telephone, fax, e-mail, Internet use, and organizational charts (which she promptly ate), and finally, we went over her Benefits Packet.

As you can see, things are working out great with her!

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Lilly in the car "brainstorming ideas" while scouting locations in Westport

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Here Lilly is trying to soak up Tim's Photoshop knowledge by osmosis.

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Lilly uses her two 15 minute breaks to "chill out" in the hammock, then it's back to the grindstone!

Look for Lilly the next time you are by our studio, you won’t regret stopping in to say “hi” to her! :-)

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World – Meet Erica Green!

Tim and I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Erica and taking her senior portraits this past Saturday, August 2nd! We had a blast, the best of all are these great shots of Erica! Here is a preview of this beautiful young lady…

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Eat your heart out guys!

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The next American Idol? Why not!

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Erica is an Absolutely Beautiful Young Lady.

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Edgy Boot Shot - A must!

We will be posting a video here later today, keep an eye out for it, Tim’s working on it and it’s gonna be HOT!

WORLD PREMIERE!

 

Thanks again Erica, you’re the best girl!

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Make Your Camera Batteries Last Longer

For the professional photographer, carrying a handful of new batteries everywhere is a must.  But, do you find that your personal camera batteries seem to run out of power awfully quick, too? I used to have that same problem too but I’ve discovered some tricks you can use to save your battery power!

Here are the three main features of digital cameras that suck up your battery life in no time:

      LCD Screen: This is by far the most power draining feature in digital cameras. You can turn the screen off to conserve power.

      Flash: Another big power drain. Try not to use your flash so often.

      Zooming: On your smaller digital cameras zooming in and out also uses battery power as the motor in your camera is driven. Refrain from ‘zooming’ too much. I recommend staying close to full optical zoom.

Making Your Batteries Last Longer

Given that the two biggest power users on your camera are the LCD screen and Flash, there are indeed ways to reduce the usage of these 2 functions and save your camera power.

If your camera allows you to, reduce the brightness of the screen. This will still allow you to view your photo on your LCD, while using minimal amount of power.

Try to disable your flash when you’re in low light by increasing the light around you. Or increase the “ISO Speed”. Remember, the higher the ISO setting, the less light is needed to record the image.

More Tips for Making Your Batteries Last Longer:

  • Most smaller digital cameras have a Power Saving mode. This ’shuts down’ the camera – not switch off – after a period of time without use. Make sure Power Saving mode is on, or simply switch off your camera when you’re not using it.
  • In cold weather, keep your camera and batteries warm in your jacket until you are ready to use them. Cold weather to batteries is like RAID is to bugs!
  • Store batteries in a cool, dry location away from sunlight and other heat sources.
  • Avoid unnecessary playback of your already taken images.
  • If you haven’t used your camera for a while, your rechargeable batteries will have lost some of their charge. Ensure you charge them fully before leaving the house.  I have found though that most rechargeables aren’t as powerful as regular batteries

Always have a Spare!

You can get double the time from of your camera before needing to recharge by using two batteries. (We have multiples so that we are never caught with any one low – if you are a professional, this is required)

If you don’t need an extra battery all the time, you can have one charging at home when you’re using the other. Then when you get home, swap them.

Never leave your camera behind again because you don’t have a charged battery.

Purchase the Right Batteries

You will need to purchase a battery that is compatible with your camera, so I recommend taking your camera’s battery to the shop with you when purchasing so the staff can find another compatible battery.

You don’t need to purchase a battery from the same manufacturer as your camera, although be aware that choosing another brand may void your warranty – check your manual. (You can by a compatible brand that will not void your warranty, but we always by Canon factory parts – “buy the best, expect the best, get the best”)

Go for a rechargeable Lithium ion battery if possible. These battery types have a greater capacity and longer life than the rechargeable ni-cad batteries and will pay for themselves in a short period of time.

Use an AC Adapter

Some cameras have an adapter to allow you to plug directly into a power source, especially through some adapter.  Invest in a good one, we use this power source all the time in the car to recharge batteries and our Mac as well…

Have a good one.

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Summer Snakes

With summer comes sunny weather, BBQs, swimming and . . . snake bites.  It’s no secret that these reptiles, like some humans, hibernate in colder weather and emerge when it’s warm.  Just this past Saturday night, when we were on a photo shoot, we nearly stepped on this 4 foot black snake…

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SSSsssssssssssssss!

 And this morning, Tullah, had this baby Garter snake playing with it outside our house. 

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Mmm . . . taste just like chicken!

 I have to admit, I am not a big fan of snakes, come on fall!  These things give me the willies. :-(

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Spelling’s Overrated

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.   Amzanig huh?

Spelling

Meassgae cmae thrgouh luod adn claer!

Hvae a gerat wekened evreyone!  :-)

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Text Messaging Could Kill You

This morning, I was reading a very interesting article entitled; “If UR txting, plz watch where UR going”, published today by the Associated Press, that was on the front page of the Kansas City Star.  It details an alert issued this week, the American College of Emergency Physicians warns of the danger of more serious accidents involving oblivious texters. The ER doctors cite rising reports from doctors around the country of injuries involving text-messaging pedestrians, bicyclists, Rollerbladers, even motorists.

Most involve scrapes, cuts and sprains from texters who walked into lampposts or walls or tripped over curbs.

Still, ER doctors who responded to a recent informal query from the organization reported two deaths, both in  California. A San Francisco woman was killed by a pickup truck earlier this year when she stepped off a curb while texting, and a Bakersfield man was killed last year by a car while crossing the street and texting.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has no national estimate on how common texting-related injuries are. But among the reports it has received: A 15-year-old girl fell off her horse while texting, suffering head and back injuries, and a 13-year-old girl suffered belly, leg and arm burns after texting her boyfriend while cooking noodles.

James Adams, chairman of emergency medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said he has treated minor injuries in several texters.

“Common sense isn’t always common,” Adams said.

Sometimes even among doctors.

“I have to admit that I started a text while I was driving, and then I said, ‘This is so stupid,’ so I stopped,” Adams said.

Patrick Walsh, an emergency physician in Bakersfield, Calif., said he is a texter, too, but tries to remind himself to do it intelligently.

“We think we’re multitasking, but we’re not,” he said. “You’re focusing on one task for a split second, then focusing on another one, and with something moving 40 miles an hour like a car, it just takes a couple of seconds to be hit.”

Walsh, a native of Ireland, said that on a recent visit there he noticed an effective government TV ad campaign against texting and walking, aimed at teenagers.

The message echoes the new advice from U.S. emergency doctors.

You can read the entire article on this subject (and controversial perspective) here.

Scary Earthquake Rocks “Judge” Judy

The ground shook this past Tuesday, when an earthquake that measured 5.4 on the Richter scale struck metropolitan Los Angeles.  Proceedings in the Judge Judy courtroom “show” were interrupted by the sudden seismic event, sending trial observers — and Judge” Judy herself — scrambling for a doorway.  If you have ever been in one of these, you know how eery and helpless you can feel…

 

Hopefully, none of you or any of your friends or family were adversely affected by this.

"Hot Shots" from Jim Garner’s Workshop

Here are some “behind the scenes” photos, taken by our friend D.J. Ellis, one of hottest photographers in the nation, of Stephanie and the group in Seattle this past week.  D.J., you are the bomb dude!

All the gang hanging out after a long day of shooting.  The next crop of "World's Best"?

All the gang hanging out after a long day of shooting. The next crop of "World's Best"?

Learning from Master Yoda himself, Jim Garner.  "Best Photographer World's Best He Is"

Learning from Master Yoda himself, Jim Garner. "Wedding Photographer World's Best He Is"

The group being tutored on night shots

The group being tutored on night shots

Stephanie "chillin" her gnomies after a long day on the beautiful beach

Stephanie "chillin" with her gnomies after a long day on the beautiful beach

Nuff said.  "Watch out world, here they come!"

Nuff said. "Watch out world, here they come!" (This almost looks like a promo for 'Survivor - Wedding Photographer'.)

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