Diane Schuller, Your All Occasion Custom Photographer

I can’t help but post just a few more images from the July 17th wedding (located near Bezanson). I really enjoyed myself and being around such warm and fun-loving people must have been part of the reason for that. Sandy & Travis live on a lovely acreage and I love that they also included horses in their ceremony. As all the guests arrived, there was a pair of draught horses hitched to a large and comfy wagon to transport people from the vehicle parking area up to the ceremony location. Once one wagon full of guests was delivered to the ceremony site, the horse drawn wagon headed back to pick up another group of people.

The bride arrived by a lovely horse drawn carriage and, after the ceremony, the bride and groom were taken back to the receiving line area in that same well appointed horse drawn carriage. The Patterson’s horses were beautifully groomed, their tails plaited with flowers coordinating with the wedding colours, and also had hearts (in the wedding colours) applied to their barrels (that’s the side of a horse). Here are a couple images of the bride and groom as they were being driven away from the ceremony site to the receiving line area.

And this one I added a vintage touch, especially because it reminds me of riding off into their new life together as husband and wife (instead of riding off into the sunset ).

If you have followed the previous posts of this wedding, you’ll know that this couple and their friends and family are definitely a fun-loving bunch. See!

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Photographs Never Forget! … keeping memories alive with custom albums and portraits. (I’m looking forward to putting the album together for this fun and loving couple!)

I promised to share some of the wonderful images taken by my second shooter, Kristen Bass, from the July 17th wedding (please check out her website). I am so pleased with them so here are a few teasers. You’ll see that she had a fun group of guys to work with as they got ready before the ceremony. The groom doesn’t appear to be very nervous …

And the groomsmen were having an equal amount of fun …

Look at the great job Kristen did with these ones. Although in this one with the cars, one of the guys has his eyes closed or squinting, I couldn’t resist because of the great stance taken by the groom! She created & captured some unique moments.

I love this one.

I am very confident in recommending Kristen whether as a second shooter or primary photographer. I was quite fortunate to have her work with me for this wedding.

As a writer, I am aware of the tremendous power of words. The right words can make a huge impact. How many of you can recite key phrases from historical speeches (Martin Luther King’s, “I have a dream”) for instance? Or perhaps you have a line or two from a song you can’t get out of your head. How about an advertising line or jingle you remember through the decades (Pepsodent’s, “You’ll wonder where the yellow went, when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent”). Of course, there are many slogans that immediately come to mind such as Nike’s “Just Do It”, Wonderbra’s “We care about the shape you’re in”, Clairol’s, “Only her hairdresser knows for sure.”, or perhaps Avis’, “We try  harder.”

The reason I’ve raised this topic is because, as some of you have likely already noticed, I’ve incorporated a tag line to tie in with my branding. I didn’t make a formal announcement about it for a few reasons plus I wanted to test it out first. I’ve decided that, although the tag line I was thinking of using, “Photographs Never Forget!” projects a message, it wasn’t entirely complete. Tag lines should convey a message to the reader but also should sum up what I am trying to convey about my business. I knew it needed something more. I’ve come up with what I feel is “the more” and I’d love your feedback.

I should share one more wee tidbit before I share with you my proposed, completed tag line for your feedback. I am trying to ensure that people who read it now and in the future understand a couple things that set me apart from some of the other photographers, especially in this digital world. I feel what I’ve come up with works in a single, memorable sentence though I’m struggling with two versions. That’s why I’d love your feedback, even though I do feel one is better than the other — I want to know what YOU think. So, without any more delay, let me introduce you to my tag line:

“Photographs Never Forget!
… keeping memories alive with custom albums & portraits.”

“Photographs Never Forget!
… memories alive in custom albums & portraits.”

Your home or office can and should be a unique expression of who you are, changing and evolving with you, over time. So rather than mass produced prints from the local box store, hang art that is meaningful and representative of you and your lifestyle. Canvas gallery wraps are one way of accomplishing this simple aesthetic.

These are beautiful products and come ready to hang (framing not necessary) – a true work of art.

24 x 36 canvas gallery wrap in darkened room highlighted with picture light

Have one of your images created on canvas or order one of Diane’s fine art images. Canvas wraps are printed directly onto archival canvas, UV protected, then stretched over a wood frame. Please note that part of the image actually wraps around each of the four sides of the wrap. These are made only at a top quality lab using the highest quality materials & workmanship (cannot compare to those sold at retail box stores). The fine canvas gallery wraps begin at 11″ x 14″ and up — the larger they are, the more impressive they are. Custom sizes are also available for special applications.

detail showing the tight corners and properly finished backing on a canvas gallery wrap

What you may not know about purchasing your canvas gallery wrap from Diane … you get a huge BONUS: For each image from your photo session that you order as a canvas gallery wrap, you receive the corresponding high resolution digital file. Since I provide a full print release with this item, you may then print as many copies in any size(s) your heart desires. Imagine how many gifts you can print off with this amazing offer! This bonus does not apply to Diane’s fine art images; it only applies to images from your custom photo shoot.

Here’s an image that I’m going to order in a large canvas gallery wrap for my home. Several things about this appeal to me and express elements about me. This is from a personal experience I had on a particularly sunny day. I love animals and was intrigued by this playful, soft-eyed harbour seal. I’m drawn to many other elements of this image. I have a deep connection to water, especially the sea with it’s ripples and the ebb and flow of the tides. The ripples in the water from the seal popping its head on the surface plus the play of the many reflections provide so much visual interest. The way the seal is nearly camouflaged among all the undulations and reflections gives the overall image an almost abstract quality. How’s that for multiple reasons for wanting this blown up on a canvas?!

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Photographs Never Forget!

I was working in my office and could see a deepening orange glow through my window. Finally, I couldn’t continue working and had to grab my camera to head outside to capture what I was seeing. Here is a sample of the results.

I clicked the shutter at 10:47 pm for this one:

And no, absolutely NO photoshopping. This is as it came out of my camera. The one below I did tap the brightness slider a touch in Lightroom, but nothing else except to add the border. This next one was taken at 10:51 pm:

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~ Aaron Rose

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Photographs Never Forget!

It’s been a very stressful week and it really didn’t need to be.

So I’m taking some of my backyard sunshine and sharing it with you.

How does that feel? I hope your weekend is light as this butterfly’s wings, as colourful as the clothes hanging on my line, and as sweet as the market honey.

Thank you to all you wonderful people who stop by and visit, leave your notes, and for my colourful and loyal clients. I am so grateful for each of you.

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Photographs Never Forget!

There are advantages to living in a small rural community — it gives people like me a chance to start small. I’m pleased to announce my first photographic gallery show & sale. And, there is a second one planned (which was booked before this upcoming show) at our local library in August. I’ll give details on that one later. Here’s the 411 for those who may be interested:

The Beaverlodge Area Cultural Society is one of the major attractions in Beaverlodge. They support a very active arts community and conduct a variety of workshops in many different art forms. My gallery show opens on June 27th and continues through to July 23rd, 2010. If you are in the Grande Prairie / Beaverlodge area during that time, I hope you’ll stop by. You’ll find the building quite interesting as well, not to mention their lovely gift shop and tea room.

Oh, you’re probably curious about what the theme is for my first gallery show: “life’s sweet ordinary”.

“Photographs Never Forget!”

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” ~Chief Seattle, 1855

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” ~John Muir

Last evening while cleaning up in the kitchen, I was keeping a close eye on the encroaching evening light. The light was calling to me. Soon I succumbed to the seduction, heading out with my camera. This is all that came between me and the setting sun. There is a reason my logo is a dandelion seedhead.

What calls out to you?

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“Photographs Never Forget!”

If you’re new to visiting my photo journal or website, welcome! If you are not familiar with custom on-location photography, I welcome you to click on the “Client Info” tab above to learn more. One of the other bonuses with a custom photographer is the level of quality of your finished boutique products. I’m including the condensed version below of what you can expect from me when you order beautiful boutique products from your custom photo session.

All prints, portraits, canvas gallery wraps, and custom albums are colour corrected, appropriately edited, and are then finished at a Professional lab specifically for professional photographers. All wall portraits are mounted on 2 mm styrene, as they should be, to protect your valuable portrait from creases, folds, or damage and is also intended for long life. I will not compromise quality for a cheaper and inferior final product. My Portrait Collections (in 2010) start from $300, Weddings from $1600 (with a mini-option for small weddings at $500), and an average Portrait Session investment is usually $550 (2010 pricing). Please visit my website for more information on the creative sessions.

{Caveat Emptor: Beware of amateurs masquerading as professional photographers — frequently found advertising on Kijiji or Craigslist.}

“Photographs never forget!”

What can I do for YOU? If you’ve been following me for a while, you are aware that I try my best to keep this photo journal focused on my business, with a few personal tidbits tossed in from time to time. In addition to announcing news and promotions, posting client sneak peeks, and showing some of my boutique products, I’ve been trying to share some advice or information about photographs, photography in general, plus some everyday environmental tips (my other passion). I try to give information that will help you organize or display your own photos or those you get from a pro photographer. Some topics are more helpful for those with a small business as well. We all have photographs around the home whether we took them ourselves or hired a custom photographer so I would love to know if there are other topics and tips you might like me to share? I do plan to have a post very soon on how to display your photos in your home or office and have another one planned discussing how not to get burned by hiring an amateur photographer (the ones who tend to hang around Kijiji for instance or who ‘pretend’ to be professionals). But I’m sure there are other topics that would interest you. Do you have a burning question? If you do, I want to hear from you.

For those who don’t follow my Facebook business page, I’m going to take advantage and share some of the tips and helpful information I’ve been sharing over there in the past week or so. It’s a potpourri of information but helpful none-the-less.

• My environment column from last week’s newspaper is now online for the general public. If you have children/grandchildren who are creative, read about this great opportunity! “Show Robert Bateman the Talent of our Canadian Children.”
• TIP: Your home snapshots are safest when printed out; don’t leave them on discs or your computer hard drive! Get them printed and, even if they are in photo boxes, you will still have them. For home printing try www.kodakgallery.ca (or www.kodakgallery.com for those in the USA). Fair prices, many specials, prompt service, easy to do, very reasonable shipping, and good quality for home prints.
• TIP: Selecting a Photographer (don’t be fooled by the cheap prices of amateurs — you get what you pay for).
• From another of my previous environment columns, “Heritage Seeds are A Green Choice this Spring”.
• Never use the sticky type of photo albums. Your photos will eventually adhere and will be damaged (not to mention impossible to remove). Pay the small amount more for acid-free photo albums and you will have your snapshots for generations.

I told you this one was a real potpourri of items. So please, I truly would appreciate if you would take a moment to answer the question, “How may I help you?” Let me know what information I can share that will help YOU.