Finally took some pictures of my baby boy!

I'm excited to be able to some wonderful portraits of my boys! Dn Gregory and I took Matthias out to a local park today and we were able to photograph our baby boy! It was so wonderful just to be able to get outside for a little while.

Matthias is doing great. He is really learning how to make sounds. He can say "mama" and can also say dada, baba, a-baba, and many other sounds, all ending in -a. He's very cute! Enjoy the photos!

Creating my own wedding album

One of the things my husband and I never did after our own wedding was to create a wedding album. So, I have decided to take on the task (seeing as this is something that I do for clients). Its been a lot of fun going through all of our own photos and picking out the ones we want in the album. And this is exactly the reason that I include an album credit in every single one of my wedding packages: because it has taken me, a photographer, more than 18 months to look through all my pictures and create my album. I don't want any of my clients to have to go through this. Yes, I give the DVD of high resolution images to every couple, but I know from personal experience what happens to that DVD: it gets put away and the couple has nothing to show of their special day. I want to make sure that every couple has a chance to show off their photos in a beautiful album. So...now I am creating my own.

I always knew that the service of the wedding was the most important part of the day for me. This was clear to us even on our wedding day. The reception was great, but the best part for us was the church service. Maybe its because the Orthodox marriage service is so complete and so beautiful and means so much to us. So, in my wedding album, I have close to 25 pages devoted just to the service of the wedding. This is going to be one long album! Once its done, I'll go ahead and post it. My sister, who runs Portraits by Aleks, was our photographer.

Back from Indiana

Matthias and I had a lovely trip to Indiana. The little guy handled the flight incredibly well, even though the plane was just tiny tiny! We got all the registration details handled and I am now a legal resident of the state of Indiana! Yay! We go back out in a couple of weeks and Dn Gregory and I will have a shoot in Indianapolis on Thursday afternoon. And in about 7 weeks, we are moving to Indiana permanently! I can't wait!

Off to Indiana

Well, Matthias and I are headed to Indiana a little earlier than expected. We all planned to go out just after Pascha (Easter) but the state of New York has created a situation where my little boy and I have to fly out early!

See, a couple of months ago, we switched insurance from Geico in NY to State Farm in Indiana. I confirmed with all insurance companies that we wouldn't have a problem with this change, since our car is still registered in NY. Well, turns out, it is a problem. And as of 3/31/07, my car registration will be suspended, and if I don't turn in my state plates or get insurance in NY, my license will be suspended. Its totally stupid to re-insure the car in NY since we are moving in 8 weeks, so Matthias and I are flying to Indiana so that I can register the car in Indiana and get my new drivers license.

The trip is good for a couple of reasons. 1) It really makes our move there that much more official. Yes, its been official since we closed on the house, but it'll be nice to have Indiana license plates and an Indiana driver's license. And 2) it gives Dn Gregory a chance to really sit down and study and read and write papers without distraction for a few days. And 3) Matthias' grandma and grandpa are really looking forward to seeing him!

I'm a photographer who rarely photographs her own child...

I always wonder if other photographers are like this. I love to take photos. I take photos of animals, trees, cookie monster on my son's bouncy toy, and every once in a great while, I'll take a picture of my son. I don't take photos of him everyday. Even when I do take photos of him, I rarely post them online. I wonder if other photographers are the same way. I don't want to lose my love of photography, simply because I get paid to do it. And I haven't lost my love of photography. I love what I do. But sometimes, I really need to remember to pull out my camera more often, put on the lens, put on the flash, and catch my son doing something cute all at the same time. I'm working on it! :-)


Here's one photo from fairly recent times. You have to wonder why I wouldn't want to photograph this adorable face more often!

First slideshow!

I'm super excited. Part of the revamping of the Eighth Day Photography website was to pick up some additional software to bring better products to my customers. So, I am very happy to show the very first "moving pictures" slideshow from Eighth Day Photography.

Sarah and Mircea are a couple who's engagement photos I shot in October, were set to be married in January, and after having to reset the date, are now getting married on April 22nd! I am very excited to be photographing their wedding in just a few short weeks! Keep checking the Eighth Day Photography blog for photos from their wedding!

Eighth Day Photography - new and improved!

Well, just in time for our upcoming move to Fort Wayne in a couple of months, I have upgraded my website! Its new! Its fresh! Its got flash! I'm still working on a few things (like adding galleries) and I need to make sure that the contact form works. But otherwise, its up!

Why I didn't bring my camera to the NY Botanical Gardens

I received a couple of posts asking why I didn't bring my camera to the Botanical gardens. The reasons were deliberate and two fold.

1) I wanted to just get out of the house with my baby and didn't have to worry about carrying a camera around. The cameras are big, and I love them, but they take a ton of space. I just wanted to be out and about with my friend and my son and have a nice walk. That, and I knew there wouldn't be a lot to photograph yet.

2) The second reason is more of a personal discipline. Usually, if I go somewhere without my camera, I end up kicking myself for not taking my camera, and I always keep an eye out for a good photo. I don't want to do that. I didn't want to spend my whole day kicking myself for not bringing the camera. So, as a personal discipline, I purposely don't bring my camera and just spend the day trying to relax and breathe fresh air and get exercise. And it worked! Not once did I worry about not having my camera with me. My son was bring cute and I didn't *have* to take a picture of it. Sophia and I had a nice walk, we saw some great animals at the Bronx Zoo, and it is a memory that I have in my memory, not my memory card!

New website is a work in progress

Well, I got a good bit done on the new website. Dn Gregory and I chose new colors. I'm really excited about it, because I really wanted to get from under the typical black webpage. I loved my black website, but I really wanted to "cheer it up" a little, so Dn Gregory and I chose this lovely brown. I really wanted to keep a shade of blue similar to what I had, so these are the new colors. So far, we really love them!

The new splashpage is done for the website. The next thing will be an actual new site, which I am so excited about! I'll be moving to a flash based site, which will be great! I loved my old site, but with the move from Mac to PC, my site was terribly destroyed, and I can't really update it. In fact, this morning I lost my gallery (hence why its not there anymore). I'm hoping to get the new site up and running by the end of the weekend.

And I guess I should sign off, as Dn Gregory just mentioned to me, as he is sitting next to me typing his paper, that I type loudly. And with 2 of us typing at 11pm and the baby trying to sleep in the next room, its probably best to sign off!

New website coming for Eighth Day Photography!

I'm very happy to announce that Eighth Day Photography will be revamping its website! I'm very excited to be moving to a new format! I think that all my current and future clients, including all brides, those being ordained and families will benefit from the new format! It'll be super easy to navigate, clients will easily be able to find their photos and all in all, will have a sleek and modern look! Look for the site to be here really soon!

Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Today, my friend Sophia and I took our kids to the NY Botanical Gardens and to the Bronx Zoo. Not a whole lot was available yet at either place as it is only mid-March, but seeing as it was close to 70 degrees today, we just had to get out and get the kids outside! Not thinking that we would be going to the zoo, as our plan was originally just the Gardens, I didn't bring my camera. Oh well. There weren't that many animals to see anyway. But I think the plan is to go again in a couple of weeks, and trust me, next time, the camera is coming with me!

Updated my website!

I spent a good portion of this afternoon updating my website. I'm excited about some of the elements that I've added to the site, including individual pages for each client, and an FAQ page (which will be coming soon). I'm looking to purchase a web slideshow program, and soon we will have what I like to call "moving pictures". Basically, it'll be an online slideshow for your photos, set to music. I've been playing with the program, and am now just deciding which version to buy. I'm excited about all the new features! Check out all the updates at http://www.eighthdayphotography.com!

A few bridal photos

My sister Aleks and I had a fun bridal shoot with her friend, Heather! We had a blast trying out different poses and playing with lighting. Here are a few of my favorite photos from Saturday!

Bridal #1



















Bridal #2


Bridal #3




Bridal #4



Bridal #5

Ten Tips for Wedding Photographers

I saw this linked from http://dailyphototips.blogspot.com/ which is a blog I enjoy reading for daily tips. This list is from a Tamron (the lens manufacturer) sponsored photographer, Michael Ayers and was found on the Tamron website.

Pro Learning Center Michael Ayers

Top Ten Do's & Don'ts for Wedding photography

Do use the power of your zoom lenses! If you are across a room at an event, such as a wedding, a zoom lens can get you in closer to the action without having to run in and possibly miss the shot. Do use a telephoto lens for portraits! A wide angle lens is often the worst choice for a portrait style photograph of a person or small group of people. It is much better to get a telephoto lens or use a zoom lens with telephoto capabilities. A wide angle lens will enlarge the nose of a subject and often stretch the proportions of a face or body to make the people look unflattering. A telephoto lens compresses the face. Do use a macro lens for extreme close-up portraits! Sometimes just a photograph of the bride's earring, or grandpa's beard and smile, or a baby's nose, or even a child's eyes can make a memorable and spectacular portrait. Consider that the very best optics to accomplish this with extreme detail and controlled depth of field is a macro lens. Do use a super wide angle lens to photograph large groups. At a wedding or family reunion, it is often necessary to get a large number of family members into one picture. Just be careful to compress all the attendees into just a few rows of people because those in the back may look smaller than those in the front row. Do bounce the flash off the ceiling for a natural look. When taking people photographs, strong shadows and red-eye are constant problems. If your flash adjusts and can bounce off the ceiling, try it the next time the ceiling is a shade of white and is 8 to 10 feet. Do eliminate red-eye by taking a second picture! A great trick for getting rid of red-eye is to quickly make a second exposure right after the first picture was taken! This gives the first flash a chance to make the subject's pupils dilate making the second portrait perfect. And with today's digital cameras, there's no waste in exposing another image! Don't get caught without "fast" lenses in low light. A lens with a maximum aperture of around 2.8 is great to use in low light situations, like photographing during a wedding in a church where on-camera flash is prohibited. It's important to find a lens for this purpose that has a "fixed" maximum aperture and NOT one that varies (for instance, a zoom lens that is labeled f/1:2.8 would be preferable over a lens that says f/1:3.5-6.3). Do use compact zoom lenses for vacations. A wide angle to telephoto zoom is ideal for traveling light on trips because it is possible to just bring one lens. My favorites are 18-200mm and 28-300 mm. These lenses both have a maximum aperture that varies as the lens is zoomed from wide to telephoto, but their small size and weight are great advantages. Don't get caught without batteries! Use NiMH rechargeable batteries for uninterrupted power. Today's NiMH batteries are more powerful than ever in digital cameras which require AA batteries. They are inexpensive, long lasting, and charge quickly. And it is a good idea to carry a backup set of batteries and a small charger in your camera case. Don't shoot without a lens shade! Many use clear glass UV or haze filters to protect their lenses in case of bumping them into something, but shooting through a clear filter can often be like photographing through a window. Instead, use the supplied hood or shade that was manufactured for the lens; it will eliminate flare in many cases and acts as a barrier against damage.

New computer!

Well, after yesterday's debate of Mac vs. PC, we did in fact decide to go with PC and Windows! I picked up my new computer today. Its an HP with tons of memory and tons of hard drive space. And because of all the money I saved on the computer itself, I'm really looking forward to picking up all sorts of software that I've been wanting and can now afford!

I'll soon be upgrading from Photoshop CS to CS2! This isn't going to be a huge move, as most of the photoshop work that I do will not change. But it is always fun to have a new tool! I'm also looking forward to getting the newly released full version of Adobe Lightroom. This is a wonderful program and I would say is a must for any serious photographer!

Our next step is to get a new quick laptop that you will be seeing at weddings in your area as we set up slideshows at your receptions! A new laptop is definitely the way to go!

the PC vs. Mac debate

There is, in the world of photographer, a debate over just about every piece of equipment out there. PC vs. Mac. Canon vs. Nikon. Flash vs. Natural light. You name it and there will be people on both sides of the issue. My internal debate has been Mac vs. PC.

And you know what? I think the PC has won! I never thought I would say it. I absolutely love my Mac. It does everything I would ever want a computer to do! Its super easy to use, looks sleek, works beautifully, etc. So why, then, if I love my Mac so much, did PC win the debate? Well, it all comes down to cost. And efficiency. We need additional computers for the business. We were at the Palisades mall yesterday and stopped by the Apple Store. And I knew how much Macs cost, but I think I was still shocked a little by the sticker. But they are splendid computers. Then we stopped by Best Buy and the Dell kiosk. And for the same speed, same graphics, same memory, same hard drive, I'll spend less than half the price. So, as much as I love my mac, I think I'm headed back to the world of Windows!

Introducing my second shooter!

I'd like to introduce my new second shooter and the latest addition to Eighth Day Photography (he also happens to be my husband) Dn Gregory (Charles) Bruner! I'm so excited that he'll be shooting with me when possible (he tends to be busy on weekends as he does serve as a deacon in the Orthodox Church, but when available and we can find a babysitter for our young son, he'll be joining me!

So, keep an eye out for him at a wedding coming soon!