Kids are so enjoyable to photograph. Even the sweet shy ones always come around in no time at all! Even if you haven’t met this delightful young fellow, you still get a sense of his personality. Isn’t this better to capture real personalities rather than placing family members in awkward poses and asking them to say “cheese”? Simple. Natural. Genuine.

~~~
Diane is a freelance photographer serving all points north & south of Grande Prairie, Alberta. Visit Diane Schuller’s portfolio. As she did for this client, she accepts assignments for editorial and environmental projects.

In Edmonton, I didn’t have to look far to locate a tree-climbing princess.

[caption id="attachment_903" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="tree climbing princess"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_907" align="aligncenter" width="598" caption="serendipity ... or could that have been a dream?"][/caption]

~~
Diane is an on-location lifestyle photographer based near Grande Prairie but serving all of Alberta. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

PLEASE NOTE: This was the original reward program. It has now been updated so there is more fairness to both the referral and the person referring. This one is now discontinued for the “new and improved version”!

Announcing the launch of my Referral Reward Program

As you may or may not know, almost all of my marketing is done by word of mouth. To keep prices down for my clients, I seldom spend money on advertisements. Instead, I would rather reward my clients for spreading my name around.

Diane Schuller Photography referral program is my gift to you!  The greatest compliment is to see my clients again; just as much a compliment is a referral to friends, family, and co-workers.  Each time a new client books an appointment with your recommendation, it is accepted with my deepest appreciation so I’ll send a $25 gift card for you to enjoy during your next visit.  Gift cards are unlimited and transferrable; use them toward session fees, gifts for friends, and/or additional prints.

• Returning Clients Receive 25% off your portrait sessions.
• Your referral rewards will be credited after the person you referred has paid for and completed their session.

Book with a Friend and Save! (split the session fee). Plus receive a complimentary 5×7 each!!

Thank you for your support!

~~~
Diane is an on-location lifestyle photographer capturing honest moments of you, your family, or your pets. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

There was a time I would never have considered photographing something from a garden or nature, or anything for that matter, that I felt was less-than-perfect in presentation — like this delightful, blousy oriental poppy. Although strongly drawn to its colour, texture, and beauty I would have given it a pass simply because the quack grass has grown and intertwined among it’s slender stem and frilly bloom. Yet now I feel that is what gives this so much more appeal. The ordinary becoming sweet in its position in life (not to mention in this overgrown garden).

Here is another of life’s sweet ordinary. Although today I’ve chosen to use nature’s sweet ordinary, it applies to people as well. Perhaps that is why I’m so drawn to lifestyle photography more than any other. It’s all about life and seeing the beauty from within rather than focusing on perceived perfection or striving to manipulate people into uncomfortable positions and poses.

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it” ~Confucius

I have a busy day ahead preparing for my upcoming trip to Edmonton. I have some writing to be completed, phone calls to be made, paperwork, dogs to walk, laundry & ironing, then tomorrow it’s pack, dogwalk, and get ready for the six-hour drive to the city. Have a great weekend  and may you see the beauty beneath the surface!

PS: For everyone who is participating in Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk on Saturday, have a fantastic time! (many communities still have some openings available, believe it or not!)

~~~

Diane is an award winning short story writer and a photographer serving Grande Prairie & northern Alberta. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

Above: I’ll likely Photoshop that dark circle from under her one eye.

Sisters. Children can be so wonderful to work with and sometimes you catch the magic in their eyes (and the photographer too!). Notice that cute bit of attitude with the younger sister I’m so looking forward to another family booking very soon!

“We sat side by side in the morning light & looked out at the future together.” from Story People by Brian Andreas

:::

Diane is an on-location lifestyle family photographer serving Grande Prairie, Alberta & points north and south. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

Kelly and Victoria at Design Ties are beginning a concept called Rewind Wednesday. The idea is to spend more time enjoying summer (away from the computer) therefore replaying a post from the archives on this day. I’ve decided to participate with their inaugural Rewind Wednesday.

TAKING PICTURES OF YOUR DOG / PET (from April 7, 2009)

Taking pictures of your dog, cat, or other pets are often similar to taking photos of your children. As promised here are a few simple, yet basic, aspects to keep in mind when taking pictures of your family dog(s). If there is interest, in future I can provide information to address more advanced approaches. These six tips will form a good base to get you started taking better snapshots of your family pet.

1. Have an assistant, whenever possible. If you have a friend or family member you can put them to work in playing with the dog or pup or by acting as a distraction with a toy, for instance. Squeaky toys are good for getting dogs to perk their ears at attention and for directing which direction the dog faces.
2. Turn off the flash and turn the beep feature off on your camera. Take your photos in a brightly lit room or outdoors so the flash is not necessary. Many animals become leary of cameras when the beep goes off every time the shutter is released. You don’t want your pet worried about the camera — you want him/her relaxed.
3. Forget about posing! Attempting to pose a dog, especially with the dog looking straight at the camera, most times is so lifeless and lacks personality. The best photos are those where you capture your dog (or your kids) at play, concentrating or showing curiosity over something, or even relaxing after a long run or playtime. As mentioned, if you have some toys or treats with you, you can toss it out to get the dog moving or playing. When you forget about posing and simply allow your pet to be itself, not only will you capture personality but you’ll also find you enjoy these the most because the real essence of your dog/pet is captured.
4. Turn your camera’s setting to continuous mode. Whether you have a point-and-shoot, a DSLR or a 35mm film camera, you will have that capability. This allows the camera to take a continuous stream of photos while keeping the shutter pressed, hopefully so you don’t miss some unexpected shots especially if your pet is moving.
5. Take lots and lots of pictures! Don’t worry so much about perfection. Be more concerned about capturing special moments. If you have a digital camera, you have the luxury of taking all kinds of shots without having to pay for developing/processing. Simply delete the rejects after downloading them to your computer and hang on to the good ones (be sure to get them printed).
6. Get down! This one is key. When you get down to the pet’s level (again, this is important for photos of children too) and preferably the closer the better, your images will immediately improve. If you have a DSLR, you can get even better results by attaching your zoom lens. This will allow you to be further away (out of their face), less intimidating, and to still capture those close up shots. Ideally, you want to nearly (or fully) fill the frame with your subject. You don’t want your subject to be a blob or dot in the frame.

The dog’s face fills the frame, concentrating on his eyes. He’s not looking directly at the camera (distracted) and the camera is not in his face because a zoom lens was used. The only thing done to this was to sharpen it slightly after downloading to the computer.

It doesn’t matter that this dog is not facing the camera — the image tells a story: she is hanging back while the other two are off hunting (typical of this dog). Taken down at the dog’s level and she nearly fills the frame.

Here the dog is captured playing in the snow (with snow flying). It doesn’t matter that the other dog’s head snuck in — it shows curiosity. Again, the dog mostly fills the frame.

Here’s a shot taken after the dog had sufficient time to play and wear off energy. He’s keeping still yet his attention is elsewhere (a distraction) and has that ‘posed’ look.

PhoDOGraphy: How to Get Great Pictures of Your Dog

How to Take Great Pet Pictures: Recipes for Outstanding Results with Any Camera

Copyright © 2009 Diane Schuller. All Rights Reserved. It is illegal to copy any part of this post or the photos without the written permission of the author. You may link to this page from your blog or website.

Diane is an on-location lifestyle photographer (dogs, pets, families, children) serving Grande Prairie & Northern Alberta/BC. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

I’m finally re-doing my business cards to reflect more of the lifestyle and portrait photography that I’m doing. I’m also going to be producing a 5 x 7 postcard with multiple images on the face of the card. For now though I’m trying to narrow down suitable images to use for my new business cards. The portraits here are in contention because they will allow me to add my logo off to one side plus my website & contact information. (With the father/child image, if I use that one, I’ll be removing ‘dad’ from the image so I have a spot for the logo, etc.). For a tip on self-promotion for photographers, read on.

Now I have to narrow down to one so I can get busy and prepare the image and create the business card mock-up. With each of these I’ll be able to nicely add my logo (watermark won’t appear) with all the contact information. The alternative is to buy 2-sided business cards but I like having one-side business cards since often I can scribble some information for people on the reverse or even use it as an on-the-spot discount card.

SELF PROMOTION TIP:  I always, always have business cards with me. I have them in my purse; in my vehicle; in my camera bag; and in my laptop briefcase. Here’s a self promotion tip that I do all the time: as long as you always have business cards with you, hand them out like candy. Anytime someone asks for your name, or your phone number snap them a smile and a business card — and leave the business card there with them. Whether you’re at the dry cleaners (they always ask your phone number), creating an account somewhere, paying bills, at the dentist or the vet’s office, use those cards. For the immediate purpose, whether they wanted the correct spelling of your name, or need your phone number, they have it right there in print. They are much more apt to remember you as well. Since you’re leaving it with them, they’ll either hang on to it (and you’re likely going to be the first one they check on when they need a photographer) or they may even pass it on to someone else. Either way, it’s a win-win. A lot of people are so curious they’re also quite likely going to check out your website so, when they see your online portfolio, you’ve just made another great connection. Great tip, eh?

What tips do you have in using business cards for self promotion?

~ ~ ~

Diane is an on-location lifestyle photographer serving Grande Prairie & Edmonton areas in Alberta. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

The other day I was in the yard, camera-in-hand (surprise surprise) when my dogs began to bark like crazy. Moments later three horses and riders showed up from behind our garage. It was our nephew, his wife and daughter. It was midday (the worst kind of light) and they wondered if I’d take a few photos. Naturally, I was delighted to oblige!

These are two of the images from that day though I took scads. The midday light causes such bad shadows and/or blowouts as you can see. I’m going to play around with a few of the images and hope they like the ones I show them. The second one below could have been a dandy despite that harsh light but he sure was handsome. I’ll need to lighten up the shadows on this one for sure to show more of his beautifully structured head.

Diane is an on-location lifestyle photographer based in the Grande Prairie, Alberta area. This includes horse & livestock photography. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

May 13, 2009

Hythe, Alberta

Hythe Area Photographer Captures Animal-Human Bond

Some clients slobber; some kick; some have bad breath, pass gas, or want to hide in a corner.

That’s all part of the job for Diane Schuller who specializes in pet and livestock photography. “It’s important to understand how animals behave and react, and to have a solid knowledge of animals’ body language,” says Schuller.

Schuller who lives NW of Hythe is an on-location lifestyle photographer serving all of Alberta and Northern B.C. Her forte in photographing animals does not exclude their human counterparts, though Schuller admits her lifetime being around animals adds to her suitability for photographing animals – everything from domestic pets to livestock and farmyard animals. She prides herself on providing quality images from a session that never includes placing pets or people in unnatural, uncomfortable poses and no saying, “cheese!”

In 2008 Schuller took on her first paying photography assignments although prior to then she had her photographs published in national magazines, primarily accompanying articles she wrote for the publications. This spring Schuller began the process of building her photography business and on May 11, 2009 launched her official photography website, Diane Schuller Photography [www.dianeschuller.com].

Schuller’s website has a clean, modern, user-friendly design. The website includes Diane’s portfolio presented in large format in a series of galleries, together with information about the photography sessions, her involvement with animals, and what to expect in an on-location creative session.

During 2009 Schuller is offering a special introductory rate in Grande Prairie and surrounding areas to build her client base and portfolio. Schuller plans some recession buster specials over the summer and offers her services to animal-related non-profit organizations for their fund-raising endeavours, with details on her website.

- 30 -

Contact: Diane Schuller

Phone: 780-3 5 6 – 2 3 5 5

Email: dianeschuller @ gmail.com

Website: www.dianeschuller.com

Drum roll!  Announcing the re-launch of my website, Diane Schuller Photography!  There are a few minor issues that I need to work out and a couple additions but, for the most part, I am pleased with the final result. I’m delighted to have a professional space where I can proudly display my work. I also have a question to ask: my improved site has capability to play MP3 tunes but I’m not sure that everyone would be keen on music (though it can easily be turned off by the viewer). Let me know your general feeling about music on websites.

Since I plan on doing more of a push in obtaining photo shoots this year, I will be using my blog to announce specials and talk more about photography-related topics. I’ll still chat and share tidbits of life up here but the biz will be more evident in this space.

Next task: I need to make some improvements to my blog. I’m so technically-challenged (which is why it took so long to re-do my website) so fortunately for me, Jennifer has offered to guide me through the blog changes. It was thanks to a discussion at the Shutter Sisters Flickr group that I hooked up with her (if you’re looking for a lifestyle photographer in the Greater Toronto, Ontario area — check her out!). What a great group of helpful and sharing women.

I invite you to visit my re-launched website! I would love to know what you think about it.

PS: Fair warning — an official press release will be posted here later today.

Diane is a lifestyle photographer serving Grande Prairie & Northern Alberta. Visit Diane Schuller Photography.