Joy of Music School - Annie Sing-along

What fun! Last Sunday I had the privilege to photograph patrons at the Joy of Music School's 2nd annual Sing-along fund-raiser. They show a classic musical film at Knoxville's beautifully renovated Tennessee Theater and invite patrons to attend and sing-along during the movie. What a novel idea! The venue is superb as well, with the grand lobby entrance in the old style of great movie theaters. Last year the film was "The Sound of Music", certainly a superb opener for a new event. This year they chose "Annie" and what a great choice! One reason it was a great choice is because they had "characters" from the movie on-hand for photographs in the lobby. That's where I had my fun....taking the pictures of "Annie", "Daddy Warbucks" and of course, the loveable "Sandy" with the many patrons who attended...most being children with their parents. The event was organized in part by CenterCityEvents, Inc. (who invited me) and of course the Joy of Music School. I had a wonderful time and hope they'll invite me back again next year. It was a terrific event for a great cause.

Moving - Bleh!

Today is Sunday. I moved on Friday. Bleh! I HATE moving! However, I'm excited about the new digs! It's very quiet, out in the country with huge fields behind the house. Birds are everywhere, so I'm looking forward to photographing more nature images as warm weather arrives and Spring unfolds. Yes, moving is not fun, but when you can improve from one place to another, its worth the effort. I also have a whole new office setup, which will be great for my work. I've already created a cool client viewing area with nice soft easy chairs and a coffee table to display albums. The walls will soon be covered with prints on display. I'm excited! Oooh, got to get back to finishing the Daddy Daughter Dance images. I promised delivery on or before March 1, so I've got to be sure to meet that commitment. More on the new place as we get settled in.

Knoxville's 1st Annual Daddy Daughter Dance

Wow! What a fun event I was privileged to help with last night. http://centercityevents.org/ hosted Knoxville's first Daddy Daughter Dance at the Knoxville Hilton Hotel. They really weren't sure how it would go and ticket sales were only at 13 as of the week before.

So how was it? Really awesome! I was so busy start to finish! I photographed 155 dads with their beautiful daughters! Some were blessed with several daughters, including at least one set of triplets. Most were early teen to toddlers and CUTE! OH MY GOODNESS!!! The dresses were beautiful. The hairdressers and moms must have been busy all day Saturday. There were several with tiaras and they truly looked like little princesses. I honestly felt like I was in the presence of royalty!

I have to mention one couple though. The father was there with his daughter and she was just beaming with an ear-to-ear grin. I don't know their ages to be sure, but she was closer to my age than being a toddler. Dad was using a cane. They would have won an award for being the "most mature duo" but I could tell, they were having a great time and that's what it was for. Just a good, family fun time between a father and his daughter. My only regret was that my own two daughters couldn't join me. Maybe next year!

I haven't started processing photos yet, so I have none to post right now, but you'll see some on my next posting. Accolades go out to everyone who had a hand in making this a first class event and thanks for allowing me to participate! Great fun!

The Magic of Photoshop!

I wasn't a photographer in the film age, at least not one who earned income from my photography. My father had a darkroom, enlarger, the chemicals etc. but for me it was just the joy of shooting then. Post-production work? What was that? In fact, I have no idea how editing was done then, if it was done, the way it can be done today. The digital age of photography is absolutely amazing! All the various software products available to a professional photographer can stagger your mind very quickly.

As a wedding photographer, I have learned to work very hard to anticipate the action and compose the shot in a manner that will allow the least amount of post-production work. Even still, the image may need some editing to create what the client wants to see in the final print, rather than what really happened. The two images shown illustrate that point. They also illustrate the magic of Photoshop. The client wanted the minister out of the final print. They also wanted the print to show the actual emotion of their first kiss as husband and wife, not a posed shot after the ceremony. SO, first you see him....then you don't.

Click on each image to enlarge and you will see the difference in the details of the edit. The print lab complimented me on the edited version. That made me smile and want to share!

Children are fun to photograph!

Beyond the terrible twos, in my opinion is the terrific three-year old. Inquisitive, alert, bright, fun-loving, gullible...it's all there! A three year old child is like a lump of clay. You can mold it anyway you want to. Tell a three year old that if they stick their finger in a bowl of water a magic fish will appear and SWISH, in goes the finger! Then down goes the head to take a look see. "Where is the fish?" is the immediate reply from the inquisitive one. As a children's portrait photographer, we sometimes have to use a bit of subterfuge to capture that golden moment. High-key photography (all white background) is popular with parents because it illustrates so well the purity and innocence of the child. I love it! And yes, through the magic of Photoshop, the fish does indeed appear, albeit not in the eye of the child at the expected moment, but in the finished photograph that will soon be hanging framed on a famly room wall or standing on an easel on the fireplace mantel. Family portraits are priceless, especially those that capture our innocence.

Happy New Year!

Receiving a thank you note.....nothing makes your chest puff out more than a great compliment from a happy customer. I received an email today from the mother-of-the-groom from a wedding I photographed during 2008. It reads....

"Hi Ambler, Tom and Susanne brought the album at Christmas and I am so pleased. I'm so glad I asked for help in laying it out, as I could have never been half so artistic. A friend just sent proofs of her daughter's wedding album, and you win, hands down! I appreciate your work. Judy"

I really enjoy creating wedding albums! This mother's email just made my day and has set the tone for what I believe will be a great 2009! Happy New Year!

Dolphin Days of Summer!

It's been awhile since my last post. Summer can be a busy time for a photographer and that is an understatement. But you also have to take time out for family and the first week of August was incredible! A week at Corolla Beach, NC with 25 family and friends all in the same house! WOW!! I was up most days before the sun crested the horizon and was on the beach with my camera(s). The image I posted here I call "Dolphin Days of Summer" because it was the one day I saw dolphins from the beach at sunrise. All total I took over 2,000 images and yes, I'm still going through them trying to pick the best. A lot were family, some were posed, some were candid, many were sunrises or sunsets. Corolla is on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, just south of the Virginia border. The Atlantic Ocean is on the east side and Currituck Sound is on the west side, in places only a few hundred yards apart. Currituck Beach Lighthouse was also a subject in many of my images. Corolla is unique because the road was only paved in 1985, so much of the area is relatively newly developed. The beach was clean, the water clear, the patrons well behaved and all in all it was a wonderful vacation.