Diane Schuller, Your All Occasion Custom Photographer

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive.” ~Gilda Radner

Those of us with dogs, cats, or any pets feel the same as Gilda.

If you have learned your pet is nearing the end of its life, consider a Pet Bereavement Session in which I tastefully and thoughtfully capture the special bond between you and your pet.

Since time can sometimes be compressed when we learn of a terminal diagnosis, I do my best to accommodate an emergency session if it’s deemed necessary. I understand that special place in our hearts we have for our pets so I’m particularly aware of how a pet bereavement session can be comforting for creating a beautiful keepsake of your pet. The session is dealt with compassion and sensitivity. Images from these sessions are not posted publicly unless requested by the family.

Please share this information with your friends and family (the “email a friend” button below to the right will make it convenient). If you would like further information regarding the Pet Bereavement session, please contact Diane (using the contact tab above).

{Available anywhere from Edmonton north for Pet Bereavement, in the Grande Prairie region, and north as far as Grimshaw.}

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Photographs never forget. I can help you keep your memories alive. Contact me at photos @ dianeschuller . com (remove spaces) or use the contact tab above.

Here it is at long last. The pet contest I’ve been writing about but had to delay until today. Since many of you have waited so long, let’s jump right in and get started. Here’s the scoop.

ELIGIBILITY: Everyone, no matter where you are located. For this contest “pet” shall refer to a Dog, Cat, or Horse.

RULES:  Very few but these are the most important aspects …

1. The photo MUST have been taken by YOU. No photos taken by anyone other than you.
2. No photos of pets that are “dressed up” in clothing or accessories (collars or harnesses are allowed). If the article of clothing is for a specific purpose and is a necessity, such as booties on dogs in the snow or ice or a raincoat for a small or thin-haired dog in the rain, those will be allowed. (Reasoning for this rule: I strongly dislike when people dress dogs in clothing and accessories. Dogs do not like it and I consider it bordering on cruelty. It’s my contest and that’s my rule.)
3. One entry per person.
4. By submitting a photo for consideration indicates you certify that you adhere to all the rules and eligibility requirements.

HOW TO ENTER:  Send your photo to me by email [ dianeschuller @ gmail . com  -- remove spaces and please check the spelling before sending ]. You MUST include a subject line with the words, “PET CONTEST”. Any email without that subject header may end up in my spam folder and be deleted. Attach your photo to the email and be sure to include the following information in the body of your email: 1) Your name; 2) Your email; 3) where you are located in the world; 4) The name of your pet; 5) A brief (no more than 50 words) description of why you picked this particular photo or why this pet is so meaningful to you.

DEADLINE:  Send your photos with the required information beginning immediately. The contest closes Wednesday, March 31, 2010 at 12:00 Midnight MDT. No late entries will be accepted.

SELECTION PROCESS: Once all entries have been received, 5 finalists will be selected. The 5 finalists will be posted on this blog within a few days (this will depend upon my workload at the time). Once the 5 finalists are posted, the public voting will commence. Full instructions on how to submit votes will be outlined with the posting of the finalists. So the winner will be selected by public voting process.

PRIZE:  The winning entry will receive their choice of one of two prizes. No cash prizes or cash equivalents.

1. Choice One: A custom on-location photo session with me for you and your pet. This includes a full creative session plus one 8×10 of your choice from the session. The session must be booked and held prior to October 1, 2010 and you must be in my service area (Grande Prairie & area, Peace region of Alberta or BC, Edmonton and area). Value: $ 150.
2. Choice Two:  Two books — Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by Richard H. Pitcairn D.V.M. and Susan Hubble Pitcairn.  PLUS The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller. Value including shipping costs: $ 52.

That’s it. So now I am really excited to see your photos! Start sending them today. Tell your friends, relatives, and co-workers. Use the “email a friend” link (below and to the right). Spread the word. I’m expecting a wide variety of images from all over the cyber world.

Diane’s website ||  Diane’s Facebook photography page

… and a few zzzz’s too.

Then she caught me admiring her.

As you can see from this second photo, I took this through our double-paned living room window.

All photos and text are Copyright © Diane Schuller. Please do not copy, download, or take screenshots. If you’d like Diane to take some great photos of your pretty dogs, just give her a call!

As a photographer who works with people as well as people and their pets, my focus is on capturing their ’story’ to provide a recording of that time in their life. I just read an important blog post by another photographer that completely blew me away. PhotoDino’s post entitled, “You Get What You Give” set me right back into the crook of my chair with the reminder of why I began taking pictures in the first place.

As a custom photographer, plus because I’m also a people-person, I do try to learn something about my clients/subjects. I do so out of interest but also because I feel knowing more about them helps me capture the genuine aspects that reveal something of them. What PhotoDino brought to the fore was a reminder to slow down, give of myself to make the client/subject feel even more important. Yes, absolutely, I’m going to keep that uppermost in how I conduct business in 2010. I’m going to build upon what I already do and take the time to let clients know they are important enough to remember, whether it’s said or demonstrated. Important – enough – to – remember.

In that blog post PD used an example of taking a photograph of a gentleman in the bar and how it made the gentleman feel — that he was important enough to remember. There have been numerous times I’ve taken photographs of strangers, mostly because I saw a story in what they were doing or perhaps had seen in their eyes. The mistake I’ve been making is taking the photograph and moving on. From now on, I’m going to stop, let the person know why I’m interested in taking their photo, and take the time to find out more about them.

Every morning I make a fresh cup of cappuccino for my  husband and myself. It’s a ritual we’ve been enjoying for at least 15 years. Each morning we sit with our cappuccino and chat for up to an hour before he heads off to work. Then I make my way to my  home office and our work day begins. When I’m out of town as I had been last weekend and will be again this coming weekend, I seek out a suitable purveyor of quality coffee. Recently and coincidentally, in the same building as our Edmonton condo, an amazing business has opened up. Credo is where we find a perfect cappuccino when in Edmonton. I used to head to a nearby Starbucks but, forgive me Starbucks, I’ve found an even better morning coffee. The place was featured on the evening news because of its already-faithful following and because of their practice of buying only quality fair trade beans. Not to mention those great leaf designs on every cup of coffee, whether it’s a cup of cappuccino or a bowl of latte. Art in a cup.

What is your morning ritual?

Or at least one they won’t return?

Custom modern portraiture is the answer. Whatever your story is, Diane Schuller will reveal a chapter in your life through custom images. When you purchase a Diane Schuller photographic session as a gift, the end result will be an invaluable personal work of art for the heart and home of the recipient. Gift certificates for a custom photographic session are easy to give and are thoughtful to receive! Whether the recipient is your spouse, an elderly relative or parent, a newly engaged couple, your brother or sister and their family, your best friend, or perhaps an employee at the office, you can be assured the person you gift this to will declare this as the “perfect gift” — the best one under the tree this year!

For every gift certificate ordered during the month of December 2009, I will include a complimentary 8×10 for your gift recipient as well.  All Gift Certificate orders are available for pickup or shipped within one business day (please note: I am out of town every weekend between now and Christmas).

To up the ante even more, I have a special offer during Double Gift Certificate Week: December 15 – December 21, 2009.  Purchase a Diane Schuller Photographic Session Gift Certificate during Double Gift Certificate Week and receive a second gift certificate of equal value (up to $150). The second Gift Certificate is valid for future sessions to be completed by June 30, 2010.

Use the Contact tab above to order the perfect gift today.

“Photographs may be more memorable than moving images, because they are a neat slice of time, not a flow. Each still photograph is a privileged moment turned into a slim object that one can keep and look at again.” — Susan Sontag

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Photographic session Gift Certificates are also ideal as engagement gifts, wedding gifts, baby shower gifts, birthdays, anniversaries, retirement, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and they’re also great as a gift from staff as a going-away gift for your favourite co-workers.

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AVAILABILITY: I am open to traveling and often do, but prefer if there are two different bookings scheduled (it could even be one of your friends & their family or one of your relatives). I will reduce my session fee if you get one more family/couple/individual to book with me to do their session either before or after yours — contact me for more details.  I often drive to Edmonton and am available at all places in between as well (between Edmonton – Grande Prairie). I live an hour north of Grande Prairie and often service Dawson Creek, BC as well.

When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.~Unknown author.

The year is not over yet and, despite the snow and cold, I still have a few photo shoots scheduled but things are slowing down as winter blows in and people prepare for the holiday season. I’m excited this week. I’ve been contemplating and planning for 2010. There are a number of changes coming up that I’m really quite excited about sharing with everyone. I’m also going to share some images from 2009 in future posts this month — a bit of a wink on the year that will soon slip and slide its way into a fresh new year.

When I began upon this photographic journey year before last, I had no idea it would grow and evolve the way it has. I’m so fortunate. I’ve met some wonderful people, shared special moments and milestones, and have grown along the way. When I began, my focus was on capturing special moments between people while avoiding the cheesy or posed shots. Somewhere along the path this year, I shifted to more of those posed shots though I still managed to keep the cheesy ones at bay. In recent weeks as I’ve been putting together my plans and goals for next year and the future, this is one thing that needs to be addressed. Although I fully realize some people do want posed images, I plan to coax those from my repertoire in 2010. Sure, I’ll continue to accommodate those clients who want the occasional posed image, but I plan to focus far more on my original love and talent at capturing the emotions and unique relationships of my clients. I plan to tell their story through images. This is quite different from what many people think of in terms of portraits. I want to capture those special looks on people’s faces, or a certain body language that only those close to them really know, a certain stage in a child’s life, or the unique way a person looks or react to their loved ones. Those are the moments I’m after. It really is a type of storytelling, which isn’t a complete surprise when you consider how many years I’ve spent writing about people. This is nothing to be fearful of; quite the contrary. What it means with me going back to my original focus is that my clients will have portraits that are more of a treasure — these will be heirloom images capturing a chapter in their life. Capturing these chapters through images excites me. I can hardly wait to get back to my original journey — it’s much like having gone on a hike and taking a different path than originally planned — taking the well worn path rather than that special one where fewer travel. No harm done, saw some great sights, and still ended up at the same destination. I simply plan to take that special path where fewer have travelled. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.”

Wherever you go, go with all your heart.  ~Confucius

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Diane captures special moments and emotions of people as well as their connection with their pets. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

I’m so far behind that I haven’t posted some of the beautiful client products for a while. Here is one more sample of the custom Christmas cards that recently arrived. The back of their card is all red but I didn’t think it was necessary to include a visual of that. I am so pleased with these and so are my happy clients, right L & M? with a wink.

I’m still anxiously awaiting the gorgeous 24×36 canvas of these two beautiful girls. I’ll make a point of taking pictures of the canvas when it arrives. I have two more sets of cards I haven’t posted yet. I’ll try and slip those in shortly.

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Diane is an on-location lifestyle photographer serving Grande Prairie and Edmonton, Alberta and uses natural light to illuminate her happy clients. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

So glad you asked about that. I do have specific policies about that included in my “Client Info” tab under “Policies and FAQ” posted above and on my website, as well as in my “Welcome” package that I send to all my clients. I’ll respond with more clarification in this open letter. What I share here pertains to most photographers, not just me.

I love it when clients want to show off their images. That’s why I encourage displaying beautiful prints in your home and office. In this electronic world, the unfortunate thing is that some people assume the moment an image is online, it’s ‘free for the taking’. This confuses me because we don’t think that when farmers display their produce at the market; or clothing retailers hang their designer items on racks; or the local restaurant puts out their lunchtime buffet, that we can simply help ourselves and not pay for what we take. Yet when an artist or photographer displays photos online, some people feel it’s okay to take it.

I sure don’t want to be a big boob here but since you’ve asked the question, I’ll publicly respond with some important considerations. Pull up a chair and your favourite beverage while I begin to unravel the maze of considerations. Just as Maya Angelou says, “If we know better, we do better.” So I’m offering this so everyone will know better and be able to do the right thing.

Here are a few things to know about photographers in general plus my personal policies:

1. Please DO ask your photographer what their policy is regarding taking photographs from their website or blog, if they don’t already have that information posted. Most photographers don’t allow it – I definitely do not allow it. Most photographers use our blogs to promote our work and, as a courtesy to our clients, we also like to share a sneak peek from the recent photo session.

2. Please always remember that © is for copyright (the originator of the work owns the rights to the work whether it is words, images, or music).

3. If your photographer does allow you to use photos from their website or blog, please DO include the full name of your photographer (or the business name), including a link to his/her website – or at the very least to include the url so others can find them. Plain and simple that is a polite courtesy. In essence, the photographer has provided you with a sample to use.

4. I have recently implemented a new policy, specifically to accommodate clients who may want to share images with friends & family in online venues such as Facebook, a private blog, or other social media. With my new policy, for every image that a client orders a beautiful print, I will email a low resolution, watermarked version of that photo suitable for sharing in any social networking site, at no additional fee.

5. When a photographer does provide you with an image(s) for sharing in this way, DO NOT crop out their logo/watermark! In my policies, and with most photographers, it is clearly stated not to manipulate the photos. Removing a logo/watermark is definitely manipulating the photo.

6. Please DO NOT edit the picture. An important part of a photographer’s work is also involved in the darkroom or the digital darkroom. If you are a digital scrap booker or someone who loves to learn and use digital software, that’s great, just don’t experiment with the photographer’s photos. You may think you can do a better job or maybe you are experimenting with things like selective colour, please don’t alter the photographer’s image. Not only is it insulting but, for those who know the photographer took the picture, they will assume the photographer did the digital editing and I can guarantee none of us want our work altered in any way. Alter your own images please.

7. Please DO NOT take scans of a photographer’s photos and then try to print them. Not only is this illegal but the resulting quality is drastically lost and reflects very poorly on the photographer. If you are trying to save money, perhaps you should consider getting a neighbour or relative to take your photos and have them printed at a retail establishment. With custom photography not only are you paying for the considerable amount of time the photographer puts into every session (and editing process) but you’re also paying for expertise, packaging, one-on-one customer service, a higher quality print product, and the costs of doing business.

8. Don’t forget, a professional photographer whether s/he works full time or part time, as I do, is a business person. We have all the costs of doing business that other entrepreneurs have including office supplies, product samples, office equipment, photography supplies and equipment, marketing, insurance, shipping costs, professional development, and a wide range of other expenses. When someone helps themselves to photos we have displayed online, it is no different than shoplifting from our store.

“If we know better, we do better.” ~ Maya Angelou

I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of positive experiences this past year with my clients. I know some photographers are not as fortunate as I have been with some of the experiences they’ve had with their clients, in terms of photo shoplifting. Unfortunately over at Flickr I’m no longer posting photos because of the high incidence of theft.  I’m so glad you asked this of me because it gives me the opportunity to openly share my thoughts and policies with you. Even if you have hired someone else this past year to take your visual keepsakes, I hope you will adhere to the photographer’s policies with respect to the images they display in their online store/gallery. We can’t sell our products and services if we can’t safely display our wares.

That nicely segues into the ideal opportunity for me to thank each and every one of my clients particularly this past year – THANK YOU! My business has grown by leaps and bounds considering I have chosen to keep it as a part time business. I have new and exciting things to offer my clients coming in 2010 and I look forward to capturing more of your special moments through my lens!

This post and all photographs on this blog are Copyright © Diane Schuller. All Rights Reserved. That means it is illegal to copy any part of this or to copy and use any of the photographs for any purpose whatsoever. If you wish to reprint this information, you must contact Diane Schuller to make a request. You are welcome to create a link in your blog or website to this page, however. Thank you for respecting my copyright.

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MORE INFORMATION:

Protect Your Online Images plus  Posting Photos Online (especially of children).

Diane is an on-location natural light photographer serving Edmonton & Grande Prairie, Alberta. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

Another photographer shared a photograph on Flickr of the first standout portrait she ordered which reminded me that I have never posted photos of the Standouts I’ve ordered for clients. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of one of them, but here is one from a fairly recent order. I’ll explain more about what a Standout actually is below these two images.

The image on the left simply shows the Standout straight on but the right side image demonstrates what it looks like from the side. Standouts are portraits mounted on a 3/4″ black substrate with a sleek edge and ready to hang or lean on a shelf or mantle. The back is solid with four holes for mounting to the wall whether it is intended to be hung either landscape or portrait orientation. They are lightweight even in the very large sizes and fit very well particularly in a modern or contemporary decor. They’re also ideal for offices. The beauty of these is their sleek appearance and that they don’t require a frame.

I’ve also made some additions to my website if anyone cares to check it out. In the “Portfolio” section, if you click on the “Samples” I now have a brief explanation about some of the photography products I offer with accompanying photos showing details of those products. There are a few more items I’ve yet to include in that Sample area such as albums, lay flat books, and so on but there is a range of items for you to check out if you have a few moments.