UPDATED POST: Perfect for out-of-town friends & family of Ann Arbor senior photography clients, also grandparents of baby picture clients(especially the baby first year in portrait clients!) and far flung families and guests of Ann Arbor wedding clients, the online picture gallery will complement our in studio Big Show. It is in BETA TESTING:Check out this mini test express print boutique: the client or friend may directly purchase not only prints, but also fun stuff like sweatshirts (!), a canvas print, keychain, puzzle & other amazing things. Direct–you have final say on the crop-color or BW or if to get a magnet for the fridge with your portrait art.
With freedom comes responsibility
I have been extremely careful to let loose the freedom of the internet, because, with freedom comes responsibility–free not to just see the images on the web, but now also free to immediately order and pay a third party for the prints, then free to have your images shipped directly to you, but also free to err in the process….
This is an experiment to see you use the ‘Express Photogenerations’
It’s a BETA Test. Check it out and drop a line to me….
Warmly,
Colleen
PS If you would like to have an ‘archived vintage session’ made available online in Your PHOTOGEN Boutique give me a shout.
I am excited about the possibilities for us all.
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
Ready for a night out for a great cause? Saturday March 13, The Dexter Ed Foundation is havng its annual fundraiser auctioning off lots of fun and valuable items. Money funds mini grants to teacher projects. So come on out to downtown Dexter North Point restaurant at 6 pm. The silent auction starts at 6:30 pm the live auction starts at 9 pm. You just might get lucky & win the bid for a gift portrait session, for Class of 2011 or Baby’ First Year in Portraits, or a family portrait session and wall print, or a business photography session–perhaps for your own website. Make the leap, before the clocks spring forward!
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
happiest family portraits place to live: ann arbor?
Would the Ann Arbor area rank high in a national poll of ‘happiest places to live’? Over coffee this am, looking over a slide show pictures of ‘ happiest cities poll’ I strongly felt ‘yes! The random poll asked about physical health, healthy behaviors, emotional health & work experience . I thought: the Ann Arbor area has to rank high- after all-I see it all the time in the family portraits we make. Because:
we live in a pleasant pastoral area- that makes you feel good right away
Many of the mom’s I photograph from Ann Arbor and Chelsea and Dexter and Saline come in wearing workout clothes after jazzercise or yoga or pilates or spinning… (to plan or choose their pictures, ha ha,not during the portrait session)…Sooooo, my point is: the healthy component of ‘happy place to live’ is alive and well here.
lots of water and trees ( we have lots of places for beautiful outdoor portraits!)
The families we photograph have strong ‘emotional health’. I see them at their best when we make the family photographs-the portraits reflect so much love and happiness. I get the impression from the families at the studio that they enjoy living HERE in Ann Arbor, Dexter, Chelsea.
Ann Arbor, as a college town has lots of youth, energy and optimism.
lots of employed college grads who loved Michigan so much they never left-or could not stay away too long. They might not live in Ann Arbor proper, but they choose to live close by -Saline or Dexter or Chelsea or Pinckney
But then I thought, hmm, well maybe it doesn’t matter where you live- because Any family who cares enough to have photographic portraits made is just gonna be happy, and so maybe that explain’s why I see so many mostly ‘emotionally healthy’, with ‘healthy behaviors’ people in front of my camera.
Maybe it’s as simple as: happy families choose to have family pictures made. Period.
So, regardless of if Photo Generations was located in Hawaii or Arkansas (don’t know if Iver ever been there !) or Pittsburg I am positive that I would see mostly happy families in the portraits we make.
So did Ann Arbor (or Dexter, or Chelsea or Saline or Manchester or Milan or South Lyon or Pinckney) show in the national poll???? It’s funny, because Ann Arbor did not directly rank in the poll, but one favorite place we like to go to make family portraits DID rank in the top 10! (And it was listed between Hawaii and Colorado–also, coincidentally wonderful places for family photography!)
And here’s a link to the article that got this ramble about happy families, portraits and places to live started:
Ah summer, here is a special little book made for 3 special little sisters.
We added words to pictures made at their tea party and put painted portraits on the cover.
Love the book–I searched
high and low to find a quality kid-proof finish at a price we can all afford.
This is an exciting portrait option for Baby’s First Year in Portraits bcause you may record your baby’s classic benchmarks, benchmarks like, first night sleeping through, first step, first word.in a classy little package..stay tuned to see newborn portraits in the book…
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
Okay, okay–it is snowing out, it’s Groundhog’s Day today and the groundhog says 6 more weeks till Spring…so what better time to look at pictures from Summer–hmm acutually, these are Autumn’s pictures….and here’s a link to Autumn’s Class of 2010 pix–she loved the soft in-studio look-and the art look we did at her grandpa’ barn too….
Autumn’s pictures made for Class of 2010-includes traditional soft indoor portraits and edgey art look made at her grandpa’s barn–that’s what she preferred.
Though we’re located near Ann Arbor, we can go just about anywhere in Michigan for graduating senior portraits. These choices are part of the No Limits portrait package we offer at Photo Generations in Downtown Dexter.
In Autumn’ case, we went to her home, then she came to the studio for a second traditional session–We used window light and studio light to get different looks. A lot of fun–many portraits for Autumn to choose from.–Colleen
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
For detailed pros and cons and to join in the discussion about go to our facebook discussion page regarding Beta Your PHOTOGEN Boutique.
NOTE: To clarify, the Your PHOTOGEN Boutique is available ONLY for clients of Photo Generations portrait studio, those who have had us make original portraits or business photography. –Colleen
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
‘This is such a cool town, I’ve got to get back to Dexter’, that’s what Jeromy said Thursday,when he picked up portraits and saw the ice rink activity in the park.
The ice isn’t frozen yet, (maybe Sunday) but lots of people in town are excited about the new ice rink just put up Wednesday and filled on Thursday.
There will be NO Charge to skate. BYO skates. Area service groups are eager to provide hot chocolate for skaters. Hours will be Fridays & Saturdays 8am-10 pm and Sunday thru Thursdays 8am-9pm.
“We are so lucky to live in a great town like Dexter”, a mom said the night before. at the Athletic Boosters Club of Dexter. Plans were being made by ABCD members to provide hot chocolate for the skaters sure to be attracted to the new rink, constructed in the park where the beer tent is during Dexter Daze.
Julie, a mom picking up her picture from Photo Generations was also very excited. The Ice Rink was a surprise for her and adds to good news. At a Wed. parks meeting she learned we’re going to get a bike path and bridge over the creek from the West Ridge neighborhood that will hook up eventually to a path to Hudson Mills, the Dexter schools and Ann Arbor. Best part is it is a safe way to get into town from her neighborhood.
Hats off to all in the village involved in making this happen!
dexter fire men test water as they begin to fill the new ice rink in downtown Dexter Thursday afernoon.
Filling the ice rink. (the old Stebbins house in background) 12/17/2009
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
Whew! seems it has been Christmas around here since Halloween! Happily, we have delivered oodles of family portraits to families in the Dexter area. Thank you Ann Arbor, Dexter, Pinckney, Milan, Saline and families beyond ! for choosing Photo Generations as your portrait studio of choice! sincerely,
Colleen
With merely seven days till Christmas Eve, I would like to suggest a last minute holiday gift that is sooo appreciated by the women (and men, too) in your life: A PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT GIFT CERTIFICATE.
Benefits:
Unique. Your gift portrait is a one and only masterpiece-as unique as your loved ones.
Thoughtful. We custom plan your portrait together–not slap dash, but special.
Valuable. What could mean more 10 years from now than a special piece of family art? An outdated netbook? Slippers? … or a beautiful framed ‘moment in time’?
Affordable. Want to spend a little or a lot? No problem. Purchase in lots of $50.
Extra incentive: From December 16th through Dec 24 noon We will double your certificate value up to $100! We will add web session proofing for you, too!
Timeless. The certificate does not expire. And the image will be a classic.
Wishes do come true. Because this time will not be again, make your loved one’s wish for a heartwarming image come true.
No Rush. Well, you may feel rushed now, but once you get the gift certificate your loved one can take their time planning the session–this spring, summer or next fall, it’s all good!
Stocking Stuffer this week, gorgeous wall art next year!
Gift Wrappingand Overnight Shipping available. : )
Email or phone now. Get it rolling. Ho ho ho
Note: Yes, we always meet by appointment only, so please plan accordingly. CONTACT COLLEEN HERE
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
At the district soccer game yesterday (go dreads) a mom asked me why her inside pictures of volleyball are always blurry–while her outdoor soccer pix turn out good. This will also help those trying to make water polo pictures!
These 4 steps, done in concert, will reduce and prevent blur in indoor sports pix:
1. Faster shutter speed– Stop the action! 1/125 , 1/180, 1/200 or faster, (1/60 is too slow !)
2. Higher ISO–800, 1600 or higher. Set your camera film sensitivitly higher so you can get images in low light better–it may be grainier but that’s the tradeoff. (Remember to set it back to normal ISO when your done.)
3. Use ‘fast glass’ & shoot ‘wide open at f/2 ish’. Your lens should have a f/2.8 minimum aperture or a smaller # like f/2 or f/1.8. Better to shoot with a normal (not zoom) f/1.8 lens and get sharp action, than a ’slow’ f/4 or f/5.6 zoom and everything blurry. With the normal ‘faster’ lens you’ll have to get closer to the action, and crop in closer before you print the picture.
4. Use the ’sports’ setting on your camera. It will bias your exposures toward the fastest shutter speed wide open aperture combination needed to stop the action. [Your other choice is to use the 'M' for manual setting on the camera and make sure the shutter is set faster AND the aperture is set to 'wide open' (hopefully f/2 or f/1.8 the smaller number the better here)]
Stop the action with a higher shutter speed. It's easier outdoors where there's more light.
EGADS, I SHOOT AMAZINGLY !
Just remember:
‘ Egads I Shoot Amazingly ! ‘ and you’ll get it right
because
Exposure= ISO + Shutter speed + Aperture of lens
WHY YOU NEED TO ADJUST ALL ITEMS ABOVE:
Inside there’s less light. Since photography is ‘writing with light’-the lower light requires a longer shutter speed to properly expose your ‘film’– digital or old fashioned film. A slower shutter speed always allows blur to happen–blur of the subject running and jumping, and blur from you moving while holding the camera during the exposure.
Exposure in photography is the light ‘exposing’ the sensitive film or CCD. If you don’t get the right exposure your images will either be too dark or too light. Your goal is to get exposure just right, but to also have a sharp image. It is possible to have the technically ‘correct’ exposure but have a blurring image due to a long shutter speed.
What controls the exposure is a combination of ISO , lens aperture, camera body shutter speed. Because exposure is a mix of these things you need to adjust all items in concert so they together get it right.
–I learned all this stuff from years of working as a staffer at a daily newspaper doing Friday night football, baseball games, and swim meets, you name it. I now enjoy being a meek soccer mom taking pictures from a vantage point much closer to the stands than the bench. : ) Colleen
downtown dexter, michigan | 734.426.0700 | hours by appointment
Thanks to all who came out for pictures in the park! We had some fun moments–even with the frosts! Lots of kayakers, dogs and nature lovers. Another peak experience for color. Looks like we’ll have another week of color..still have time week day evenings for you who wish to create special images for holiday gift giving…..
