Your Photographer: Get To Know Me!

For an express version of this topic for those of you who don't like reading *hands on hips*, check the About Me link at AmkarPhoto.com.

As both the photographer and the photographed, I feel it is significant to know the person capturing one's image. We have progressed long past the Olan Mills Age which gave us cookie-cutter studio portraits by random photographers who awkwardly tried to make comfortable that discomforting one-on-one portrait sitting. Very flat and undynamic. We are now in a wonderful age of heightened expression; so much information is at our fingertips and everything is accessible and customizable. If we are open minded, so many opportunities exist and make it so easy for us to get acquainted and interact with new people. Relationships are easier than ever to create and to maintain.

Simply put, it is valuable to You to know your photographer. By "knowing" I don't mean just attending your initial consultation to discuss the shoot and photo packages. I mean seeking information about this person who will be capturing intimate moments in your life, getting to know what she likes, who she is personally, finding out what you have in common with her. Learn what her creative aspirations are, follow her artistic excursions. Be an informed photo subject. I want to form a friendship with you, and I also want to learn similar things about you too. Doing this allows me to know you, and knowing you allows me to figure how to capture you in your best face. Knowing me makes you feel comfortable with how I'm getting you to show me your best face. It's a symbiotic relationship. People are very important to me. In my mind, selecting and hiring a photographer is not a one-event activity. It's an activity that involves selecting someone you know and trust to capture your life changing moments for any Now and Future events. Ideally, a wedding is just the spring board for a longer lasting relationship.

This being said, I encourage my clients to continue following my creative progress via blog or Facebook. I'd love to keep in touch with you and hear from you at random. If you want to get together just to chat over coffee, I'd love to!

For potential clients who don't yet know me, I've highlighted here some aspects of my personality which translate into my work as a photographer.

I am a hopeless romantic. I think the best wedding photographers have to be. With each different couple I meet, I have an individualized goal to capture them looking the most in love that they can look together. I enjoy the thrill of the romantic magic moment. As a child I believed that Lord of the Rings-like fantasy worlds could actually exist in real life. When I discovered make-believe could never be a true or lasting reality, I rebelled. No! Fantasy is real; it exists through Art. And this is true.

My favorite color is green. Nature is something very dear to me. I'm generally vegetarian (occasionally pescetarian); I eat all-natural ingredients and I love being outdoors. I'm not quite the true neo hippie, but I do enjoy "being green". A twisted tree that you can hang upside down from is far more interesting to me than a studio backdrop. To me, being outdoors feels closer to God; it makes me feel real, boundless and happy. When I take my subjects outdoors, I notice that they always feel more at ease and free to be themselves. Open spaces are pretty grand.

I am a classic art connoisseur. I traveled to Rome recently and have since become overwhelmingly inspired to do a photographic master study on Renaissance art in all it's sculpted glory, serenity, expression and dynamism of shapes and textures. The Renaissance is the quintessential period in history for understanding art. (I also do so enjoy a local Renaissance Faire now and then.) The era was an explosion of heightened artistic expression. Attempting to understand the vision and genious of Bernini, Michelangelo and Da Vinci is simply mind boggling. I occasionally seek inspiration from their ingenuity of art and design. I strive to incorporate the human shapes, colors, hazy-atmosphered sfumato backgrounds or high contrast chiaroscuro techniques into my photographic style. Love it, love it.

I am a writer. Some find it curious that my degree was actually focused on filmmaking and screenwriting at the start. After discovering photography as my calling, I was delighted to realize that everything I learned about directing actors and composing storylines relates directly to photojournalistic photography. It is all about storytelling. Writing has forever been my background passion, and with photography I can write with pictures. It's an amazing thing. My other joy is people watching. I love malls, airports and movie theaters because they are the most diverse places to observe human interactions and learn about societies. I believe that having an interest in humans and their stories makes me a well educated photojournalist, intuned to a pending emotion, and then knowing when to fire my shutter to capture it.

If you'd like to get to know me more, please follow this blog and continue to check out my updates on Facebook!

Say NO To Retail Portrait Studios

If you're the parent of a young'un, you know the effort it takes to get your child cleaned up, suited up, bundled up, buckled in, re-cleaned, tantrum released, strollered through the mall (oops, another spit up... good thing those extra two outfits are squashed under your arm - wrinkles!), and plopped down at a bustling portrait studio where a load of other kids are already whining for having been dragged there and made to wait in a line to get their pictures taken, because it's a Saturday and everyone else and their kid is in line for portraits! Even the run-on sentence is exhausting! I'm so glad my child will never know a retail portrait studio. See ya, Olan Mills! Your time is up! It was nice while the superimposed cameo portraits lasted. *not*

Getting memorable shots of your baby as he grows should not be such a hassling task. Really. You are a busy parent and you don't need this stress. Thus why Amkar Photography is enthusiastic about its brand of portrait photography. I like to think of it as the Naturalistic In-Home Hassle-Free Mentally Non-Taxing portrait session. There are quite a few perks to adopting this trend in professional portraiture and ditching the retail portrait studio altogether.

Firstly, the convenience is clear. In most cases I simply go to clients' homes to photograph their child in his/her natural and comfortable environment. You can't take your bathroom, your kitchen, child's playroom AND wardrobe closet to the mall with you. It's so much easier to clean spills or change outfits on a whim when you're at home. This practice is 10,000 times more convenient, especially for parents of newborns. You've got your arsenal of pacifiers, bottles, cleaning towels and outfit changes right behind your back. And don't tell me your house doesn't look photogenic, because that is what portable backdrops, close up shots, and maybe an outdoor excursion are for.

Secondly and most importantly, your child - the central focus and subject of this photographic event - is comfortable. Some parents don't realize that children can perceive such things, but there is a very significant aesthetic/mental connection that your child has with his own home. If you take him to a loud, busy studio with scary black curtains and huge spider-like tripods and that frightening squeaky clown some stranger is shoving into his face commanding him to smile, then you've got a few things to learn about the way a child's mind processes unfamiliarity. It's simply because he feels insecure in this space and has no idea what else to think. Your home is familiar and safe to him. If he doesn't feel right, he can toddle back to his room and play with his favorite toys... and I can get some authentic child-in-his-play-world shots. The retail portrait studios got nothing on childhood authenticity.

Thirdly, your client satisfaction experience. When everyone and their mother goes to the retail portrait studio, you get a photographer who is there working an hourly shift during which she has to satisfy a fairly large client base daily. She oftentimes doesn't have time to give you and your child the attention and direction you really deserve because she knows she has to fit you in before her next customer (and get you out quick cuz she's tired of your crabby kid). She may be a semi-seasoned photographer, but all she really has to work with in her time frame is pre-determined poses that look the same for every child. It's like a factory: come in, sit down, look here, face there, chin up, hand here *flash!* you're done. Come buy some prints and products. (Do you even want all those prints?)

This is all fine if you want the wham bam stereotype pose experience. But if you're the person I envision you to be... the cherishing mother who simply wants a memory of her child shaking hands with his invisible friend, or the fun loving father who will cry when he's 50 to stumble upon a photo of him and his 3 year old daughter having a tea party together... then you'll need to look somewhere else for someone who can read you as a being of emotion, not just a formulaic "family shape" sitting on the carpet hump in a retail studio. (Ever wonder if they clean those carpets?)

Lastly, don't shop for portraits based on price. Remember that what you pay for is what you get. Good photographers will not be super cheap, but you don't want them to be either. They know the value they can provide to you, and truly, that value is priceless. It comes down to Memories. Covering the growth of your child is in the same league as covering your wedding day. It only happens once and it happens quickly. Afterward, what will you have to remember it?

Also of note, most retail portrait studios offer you a low-resolution disc of your images which they disclaim is "for web use only". Ok... once you've slathered them all over your Facebook wall, then your newer updates keep pushing them down further and further into the "old post abyss", where do they go? They get sucked into Internet Oblivion, that's where they go. No sir! When you want memories, you want to be able to print them out and give them to people who will frame them and put them in books or on walls. You cannot print low-resolution images yourself. They will be a blurry, pixelated mess if you enlarge them. Sorry! And have you tried going back to a retail portrait studio years later to get a re-print of something? Umm, no. Sorry, they will not keep your stuff that long. And what if your child stands on top of your disc and pivots around on it with the data side facing down on a concrete floor? That is tough luck for you. Your Family on the Floor in the Mall Portrait Studio images are gone forever. Good thing I back up all my client photos indefinitely... specifically for those "My son boiled my disc to see how it would melt" moments. You know kids, they're scientists. Every one of them.

Amkar Photography offers maternity, baby, family and senior portraits for just $200 per session. That includes a 1 hour session, an in-home visit or outdoor location, no image limit, online gallery and high-resolution rights-released high quality DVD in a keepsake case. I also offer albums and canvas gallery wrap wall decor.

Check out my availability and schedule your session today!

Amkar's Red Carpet Coverage

In 2011, I was very privileged to have won a contest hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which landed me a seat in the fan bleachers between the iconic Red Carpet and the prestigious Kodak Theater at the 83rd annual Oscar Awards. What an experience!

Given the restrictions of my seat assignment and security instructions which prohibited standing or removing myself from my seat, I was nevertheless greatly stoked about the opportunity! Arriving at 8am, star-studded red carpet activity not to begin until 2pm, I had many hours to sit and wait for things to happen. Waiting went faster than anticipated. Looking out over all the press, watching them set up their tripods and light diffuses, uncovering Oscar statues from their plastic protectors... it was exhilarating simply to see what happens in preparation for such an event..

I watched a crew setting up in front of my bleacher section, preparing to shoot a reporter there. Ryan Seacrest emerged and gosh those bleacher fans can yell. Ryan gave a shout out to us. I thought it amusing that he required cards cuing him to say: "Welcome to the Academy Awards, the world is watching". Duh. How do you need a cue for a line like that?

By about 2pm, Wolfgang Puck and a moving table of chef hands were bringing out a grand hors d'œuvres display for the stars. From that point, it was one thing right after another. Ann Hathaway and Cate Blanchett seemed to have very tight interviewing schedules as I could barely catch a shot of them as they bolted across the carpet. Many bolting celebrities were difficult to catch (Gwenyth Paltrow, Matthew McConaughey). I much respected the stars who made particular note to recognize and wave to the fans: Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Hillary Swank, Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Sandra Bullock, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman. Thanks guys! Everyone loves a celebrity who loves us back.

Searching for celebs was less like a monstrous 'Where's Waldo' than I thought it would be, especially when every notable celeb was heralded by the hundred voices of bleacher fans shouting "Saannnnnnnndra!!!"... "Milaaaaaaa!" just to get them to look over and wave to us. Pretty surreal to get some star attention, I have to admit.

Hollywood IS surreal. It's easy to see why, and it's simply because the magic of Hollywood is mostly fabricated. What it takes to make a magical movie is one part smoke and mirrors, one part digital effects and one part actor talent. Behind that curtain, Hollywood is an average, congested, smoggy town filled with gaffs, key grips, street blockages and gift shops. But it is also filled with talented people, and they are what plug the power into Hollywood. The realism of the magic comes out at these ceremonies, where the stars are not bound to keeping in character, and where the charm and talent of an actor can be wholly seen and recognized without green screens or digital effects.

Oh yeah and NO thanks, Academy, for illogically blocking off simple egress back to my car after the event, even though the ingress was simple enough. But thanks for the breakfast, lunch and dinner, and free viewing party in the El Capitan theater across the street!

Master Study: Renaissance Techniques In Photography

Are you all ready for an art history lesson? Great! Because it's refreshing to contemplate art and sit down to a good Master Study every once in a while. The greatest master artists who ever were came out of the Renaissance with many breakthrough methods of portraying life in their paintings.

I delightfully realized lately that I had been incorporating Renaissance art techniques in my photography, and I hadn't a clue I'd been doing so! Therefore, I have to reflect upon it and why it works so well. This article  reflects on the Master techniques of chiaroscuro, foreshortening, sfumato and contrapposto.

CHIAROSCURO

This technique is one which, in Italian, literally means "light/dark". It's a technique utilized most famously by Rembrandt, in whose paintings very dramatic moods can be achieved by allowing certain subjects to be in light, and other areas to be obscured in darkness. The artist can be kind of a tease with this technique, choosing what to show you in light, and what secret crazy things - up to your own imagination! - might be happening in the darkness.

At left shows a groomsman waiting for the wedding to begin. Modern photography allows me to achieve a chiaroscuro effect by affecting contrasts, highlighting the bright significant area (his face) and darkening the background lesser significant areas. If this had been a Rembrandt, maybe some gargoyles or creepy angels could have been playing around in the dark corners. Who knows what they're up to!

FORESHORTENING

This technique most famously used by Botticelli in "Mourning Over the Dead Christ" is a consideration of perspective, which allows the artist to enhance subjects by portraying foreground items closer and larger to the viewer than background items.

One of my engagement couples. While they are both significant in the composition, what is more significantly being portrayed is particularly her engagement ring. Foreshortening also works wonders for those iffy about having their photo taken due to body size. Shot from above looking down, everyone looks slimmer in photos because the body is more distant and becomes minimized. Regardless if subjects are larger or not, from-above shots always flatter (and never produce the double chin effect!).

SFUMATO

This is my favorite, not only because it's a fun word to [try to] say, but because the technique always lends a surrealistic dreamy quality. Most famously exemplified in Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa", the sfumato technique basically blurs areas of the painting into indefinite regions, or creates a misty atmosphere around subjects. Learning about art history back in the day, I was most impressed by usage of sfumato in religious paintings which implied Godly qualities emanating from Christ, affecting the very nature of His atmosphere. How remarkable is that? I'm sure you'd love to "affect your own atmosphere" in your bridal portrait.

Digital photo editing is wonderful when it comes to replicating sfumato. By means of blurring certain corner and background details to look misty and dreamlike, often the subjects come to stand out in fabulous ways that make them appear to "pop" off the page. Love it.

CONTRAPPOSTO

Contrapposto is not so much a painting technique as it is a compositional one. It is a way of positioning a human subject to balance his weight in a pleasing and harmonious manner which makes his purpose dynamic. Most famous is Michelangelo's "David", doesn't he look ever so awesome?

My sister's husband will be alight to know he's my example alongside "David" for contrapposto composure. I love this shot. Additionally, the fun story behind this image is that these two actually wanted to pose this way specifically to mimic the posing of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the staircase shot from Roman Holiday. Nothing more refreshing than creative photo subjects :) .

Here's to Master Artists and their timeless artistic techniques which still are fabulously being used even in our digital art world today.

Go Indie for Wedding Vendors

Here's a short little "two bits" from an independent wedding vendor who had once gone for bigger name vendors at her own wedding (and who regrets the inattention and too-high prices).

Perhaps you have a preference for the "tried and true" big names, and that is fine. But hear me out on some advice which may save you both headaches and moolah. Often, going with the independently owned and operated vendors can turn you out a much more pleasant and personal experience while planning your wedding and dealing with everything pre- and post- wedding.

The big name providers, the ones everyone seems to book because of their market saturation, cannot always provide you with the personalized attention you want when planning your event. It's a simple matter of over-saturation to make profit, and therefore each individual client gets less personalized attention to make way for the next flood of profit making clients. It's like you're on an assembly line. Big name photography companies (including the one I call "The Walmart of Wedding Photographers") have a system which is simply to make a sale to a client by a salesperson, and to be handed a photographer from a "call list" of contracted people who are the ones actually showing up at your wedding.

This raises your package prices, and more if the company has a retail studio space with that overhead they must figure into their prices. That big name company has to pay someone else to do the work, and you are picking up the tab in the package you are offered. Sometimes that's a BIG TAB! And you can get the same quality (if not better, for more personalized focus) by choosing an independent service provider.

If you go with an independent provider who has been offering quality services for many years, and who is the actual person who shows up at your event, you will be getting a much better deal. You will also be getting much more personalized attention too, because your photographs are handled, packaged and designed by one person, who responds aptly to your inquiries, and has full focus on you as an individual.

I stress this mainly with regard to photographers, not only because I am an independent provider myself, but because photography is the one thing following your wedding that you will be following up on (albums, prints, etc.), and you want good communication from a reliable entity who doesn't send you through a system of other people before your request gets processed.

It's just more personal. Personal and simple make it better! And more bang for your buck! Because we don't have to pay contractors to do things for us! We do them ourselves, because we know we do it right.