Richard Soukup Photography

The Ultimate Winter Baseball Legend!!!! PART 2!

2010-12-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

Another image from the session with Mark, done MAG COVER style!!!

I love this!!!!!

More later!!!!

The Ultimate Winter Baseball Legend!!!!

2010-12-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

From our first ODD PLACES session...Mark in uniform, in the dugout, in the MIDDLE OF WINTER!!!! Our thanks to Jims Sports Centerin Clearfield for the use of the catchers equipment!

A great example of not doing the same old thing!!! Next one scheduled for after the holidays is two girls...at the laundromat!!!! Of course, look at the previous post and if you are interested in the ODD PLACES promotion. get on the horn now!!!!

Santa pics done with a different twist....

2010-12-13T16:28:00.000-05:00

We like doing Santa photos a little differently than most folks..Two examples follow..in this case we have the same Santa, who by the way ROCKS!

I like the first one because it not only showcases him but the infant as well...this is one of those images Mom and Dad will hold onto for a long time. As I recall, this infant was born just four months ago. A great keepsake for the family.

The second image is one from two weeks earlier at a Light Up night event. The young Santa in the image decided he wanted to dress up as Santa for Halloween, so it was a natural for him to wear the costume to the party as well!

I knew about this one in advance, due to the fact that his Mom and Dad were established clients of mine! I think Santa was wowed himself by his one. More great images soon!!!

ODD PLACES PROJECT

2010-12-12T00:19:00.000-05:00

As a lot of you know, I like to take images of people in places where the average person would not even think of. If you have any doubt, just remember the TRASH THE DRESS stuff we've done, or Holli P. with a bikini in the snow!

The most notable TTD image is the one of Steph that serves as one of our business cards...

Here is one from the Holli session.....

I've done images at the junkyard, in a automotive garage...but we can always do work that even cuts harder into the idea that different is good! What I want to do this winter is just a little bit different...here is how the deal will work:

I have a list of some places I want to capture some images over the next 60 days, complete with wardrobe I'd like to see. It's a varied list, as you'll see shortly.
If you are interested in a particular "site", email me at rtsphoto@verizon.net with the site you would like to be captured. First come, first served gets the session done AT NO CHARGE, 20 of your favorites from the session on CD with license to reproduce and the same 20 images in low res format shared to your Facebook account, tagged with the RSP logo.
We need to be in the Clearfield/Centre/Jefferson County area to do this project. Models will have to have someone accompany them for the session.
The idea is to have a lot of fun, and show people that the same old same old doesn't have to be the normal.
And while we are on the subject, don't feel that you aren't "model material" and can't participate in this. Simply put, the best requirement for this is to have fun!!!!!! Nuff said on that subject!!!
I want to wrap up all sessions by March 1...That is not set in stone, but it needs to happen sooner than later!

The list:

Rockstar...under 10 years of age..outdoors
Rockstar...11-17 years of age...outdoors
Rockstar...over 50 years of age..outdoors
Winter scene, in formal wear...
Commercial kitchen....clothing open to suggestion....
Car wash in winter...clothing open to suggestion....
CC Fairground bleachers, outside...clothing open to suggestion
Changing a tire in winter...
Outdoor basketball court, in winter...
Grunge out, in the alley....
Pumping gas...clothing open to suggestion....
Shoveling or snow-blowing snow...prefer "dressed up" look!
Laundromat...THIS SESSION IS ALREADY TAKEN!!!!
Snowmobiling...also "dressed up" look!

If you have an idea not listed here, and you can sell me on it as far as being unique and cutting edge. I'll take that into consideration as well! If you know of anyone that would be interested in the project, please feel free to share this with them as well!!!!

Any questions or ideas, just email me at rtsphoto@verizon.net. DO YOU ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE???

Interview with Jamie Koppi

2010-09-25T10:45:00.000-04:00

Another photographer's work I really enjoy is Jamie Koppi. You can see her work at Koppi Write Photography. Her web site is www.koppiphotos.com and phone number for the studio is 936.537.1961

She does one type of session I find to be an absolute howl...It is highlighted in the first question.....

_____________________

The Cake Smash is a great concept...how did you come up with that?

Oh how I wish it was an original idea. However; a fellow photographer does a cake smash with all of her baby clients on their first birthday. She is in Ohio. I adopted it to cupcakes primarily and I am the only photographer in the area (willing) that does it. It is so much fun! The parents love it, they kids sometimes don't :)

What segment of your business do you like most...weddings, seniors,
portraits...? And why?

I love senior portraits because they are each unique and fun! But my favorite is Boudoir. Women of all shapes, sizes and walks of life all have one thing in common. They want to feel and look beautiful. My approach to boudoir photography is to figure out what they think is their best feature and highlight that. In the end I just want to show my clients images that evoke emotion and show their true personalities.
What got you interested in photography?
I always had cameras (back in my day it was film :) for as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until I took a photojournalism class in high school that I found a true passion for studying and learning photography. From there I have worked hard to make the "cross-over" to digital. Learning new techniques, lighting and processing. I am always trying to evolve my skills. But I have to admit there is just something nostalgic about the smell of the dark room, I miss that some days.

What image are you most proud of and why!

I am my own worst critic (as I think we all are). But my all-time favorite image was a photo that I took my senior year in high school. It was an awesome football shot. You could see dirt flying, the running back was holding on the ball as he was being tackled and you could see the intensity in all of their faces. The best part was that I took that with my Canon Rebel film camera, and developed the negatives and prints myself! I am more proud of the fact that I developed the image than I am of the actual print (although I still have the print 10 years later).
What is your fondest memory while working this thing we call
photography, and why?

I have to laugh at this. I started my business while I was a stay at home mom. I was asked (on more than one occasion) by my oldest daughter when I was going to get a "real" job. All this time later, studio, equipment, lights, clients... she still says I stay home with her brother and sister and take pictures sometimes :)

Have you photographed anyone famous..and what was that experience like?

No I haven't. But I have a list of famous people that I would love to photograph if I ever had the chance. Starting with Paul Walker, Robert Buckley, Kat Von D.... (note to celebrities... you need photos? I am your woman :)

Thanks to Jamie!!!

Chey in front of the lens...

2010-09-15T17:22:00.000-04:00

An image from one of our sessions with Chey, a senior client of Richard Soukup Photography.
We took this image and all of the images from this session at the family farm house and grounds which gave us a lot of great images for the session. We will have more up soon, but wanted to share this one now.

Our work shared with others....

2010-09-11T00:16:00.000-04:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearfield-PA/Richard-Soukup-Photography/155352065314?ref=mf#!/notes/kara-mccrea-poates/what-are-other-photographers-doing/471241984879

Written by Kara of Daystar Photography. We featured her work here in a previous post on this blog! Thanks to Kara!

Interview with Kara Poates, Daystar Photography, Holmesville, OH

2010-09-05T12:36:00.000-04:00

I saw some work while browsing the web looking at other photographers work, as all of us in the business tend to do!  :)  In looking at Kara Poates of Daystar Photography in Holmesville, OH, I saw some interesting images. I felt an interview with Kara was  something I wanted to share with you, because found some parallels in what we both do and was impressed!!!!

See her work at http://www.daystarphoto.biz/

Questions and Kara's answers follow:

You describe yourself as a "Life and Memories Preservation Specialist"..how did you come to use that moniker to describe yourself?

I came up with the phrase "Life and Memories Preservation Specialist" after
Koa, a fellow Mpixer challenged us to come up with a professional sounding
title that described our specialty or profession. I started thinking about
what I do and why my clients hire me and that is it. They want me to
preserve there memories... their life...  whether it is the once in a
life-time wedding or the newborn who will change so much just in that first
year of life. They want me to help them remember and remember well.

What is your favorite part of this business we call professional photography?

My absolute favorite part of my business is shooting seniors. At that age
they have so much personality. They know what they want, where they want to
go and how they want to get there. They come prepared and every kid is
different. I like the challenge of trying to capture who they are not who I
I imagine they should be. I always encourage them to bring things to the
shoot that say something about their personality and likes. I have had
everything from deer heads, samurai swords, vehicles and 4 Wheelers to pets,
instruments, sheet music, books and a variety of uniforms and sports
equipment including bows, guns and snowboards.

How did you start out in the world of photography?

I became interested in photography at a young age. Two of my Uncles were
very into photography even though they never did it professionally. The one
Uncle also owned a Tshirt shop and one day a tourist left a small 110 pocket
camera while in the store. He/she never came back for it so my Uncle sent it
to me. I soon saved up my money and bought a nicer 110 that had a built in
flash. After about 7 years, my mom still saw how much I loved photography
and bought me a used Canon AE 1 from a neighbor. It had some nice lenses
too!  
Fast forward and after my first child was born we had planned for me to be a
stay-at-home mom but boredom was setting in way too quickly so my husband
and I decided I would start a small business but where I could decide my
hours, work from home and have flexibility in my schedule.

What got you interested in photography?

I thought and prayed a lot about it and while I enjoyed several arts and
crafts, I wanted to choose something I wouldn't get bored with. Photography
was the one thing I had stuck with most of my life and never get tired of.
That was the start of this business that I have run for the past 6 years.

What is your favorite image that you've ever created?
I don't have any one particular image that stands out in my mind but there
is a "type" of image that does. Every so often I capture an image of a child
or adult that is pure joy, amazement, contentment, satisfaction, peace or
some other emotion. An image, that just really brings you into that
un-staged moment. Those are the images I love best. Those are the lives and
memories that make my job so rewarding.

Copyrighting images and why we do it!!!!!

2010-09-04T15:54:00.000-04:00

I wanted to talk about copyrighted images and what the laws entail! We've posted this earlier, but I thought it was worth doing again!

When an image is taken, it is the property of the photographer. When I sell a copy of that image to a customer, the image itself is still the property of the professional photographer, as deemed by the copyright laws of the United States and International law as well. The same thing applies to written word, be it books, magazine articles or newspaper stories. They are the property of the publishing entity.

When an image is copyrighted, you can not copy it or manipulate that copy in any way, shape or form without the consent of the creator. If I sold the copyrights of a set of images to ABC Jackhammer Company, they would then hold the rights to those images.

Furthermore, a one hour photo lab can't copy these kinds of images without a written release from the photographer. Some stores, Walmart being the most notable, have a policy that states if any professional images, regardless of creation date are presented to their photo labs, they may not be copied at all, even if the image is from 1908!! This is their company policy...figuring that if their policy is stricter than the federal law, no one will violate it! There is a workaround for the 1908 situation, but we won't get into it here!

Copyrighted images are identified by several methods:

the standard c within a larger circle on the front or back of the image
printing on the back of the image stating that the image is a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced. Many professionals use photographic paper with this writing on the reverse
name of the photographer or studio business on the front and/or back of the image...when we do images for Facebook posting, we brand them like the one above of Bree!

It should also be noted that copyrighted images DO NOT NEED TO CONTAIN ANY OF THESE ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. The smart copyright holders do take these steps to protect themselves, but they can still be covered without them!

All images that are taken by Richard Soukup Photography are copyrighted to us and can't be used without our permission. What we do when we sell a CD is to allow the client (Senior or wedding clients as two examples) to reproduce them for their own benefit, in what is referred to as a "license to copy". There are some restrictions, such as not allowing them to be used for commercial usage and others, but for the most part, it is not terribly restricted.

If a CD is not a part of the package or order we sell to the client, the client must order all prints from us and can't reproduce, scan or copy the image in any way without our company consent.

So why is this a big deal to us?

Several reasons:

by controlling the printing of the images, the copyright holder controls the quality of those images. Poorly printed images make us look less than professional.
by controlling the use of these images, there is a better possibility that they won't be used to invade the privacy or lives of my clients. I've seen instances of publications using professional images created by a wedding photographer, printing them in their publication and not only using them to embarrass the couple, but also not asking the permission of the photographer...a violation of the law.
usage of the images of clients for the purpose of promoting a cause of point of view that the couple may not support or agree with. There have been instances of this happening to other people.
hurting future income (which is a minor one for me!). I am usually pretty understanding on this point, because of many situations, but my bills have to be paid too!

Our position on copyrighting our images and company policy is coming up in a future blog entry!

Comments are always welcome!!

Portraits At The Winery

2010-09-04T09:52:00.001-04:00

All thru the months of late September and October, we will be scheduling outdoor portrait settings at the Starr Hill Winery in Curwensville. This event will be held at Starr Hill Winery, Bailey Road, Curwensville, PA! We will be scheduling family portraits at the winery, featuring one of the most (if not the best) scenic views in Clearfield County. You and your family will be able to come to the winery and have your family portrait done just in time for the holiday season. October is always a popular time to get portraits done, and with the beautiful setting at Starr Hill, this will be a great opportunity to get them done. We decided to make it the entire month of October, plus the last 10 days of September! To reserve and have any questions answered, call me directly on the hot line at 814-765-9398 or email me at rtsphoto@verizon.net. Session fees are $20.00 and package pricing will start at 39.00, and this year, we will add a Photo Greeting Card Package to the mix! We will be sending out more information to those that sign up relative to directions, clothing suggestions and the like. In addition, Starr Hill Winery will also be open for tours of the facility and wine tasting as well during their normal hours! We encourage you to check out their selection, plus their gift shop! Starr Hill Wines are being served at several restaurants in Clearfield, Curwensville and DuBois. They have also won several awards for their products! I am a paying customer of their products and I know you'll enjoy them as well! Ken and his family are knowledgeable on the subject of wine and can offer some great ideas for holiday gift giving! Check 'em out at www.starrhillwinery.com.
Thanks to the Starr family for their hospitality and generosity in our endeavors! BTW, our personal favorites at the Soukup ranch are Bailey Road Red, Diamond, Niagra and Cranberry Bog!

Black and White...different kinds!

2010-09-03T21:00:00.000-04:00

Some folks in the photo industry are saying that black and white images have been making a comeback over the last few years. I've contended that they have never left in the first place! But there is different degrees of black and white...lets show you!

This image of Lexy was shot in color and converted to regular black and white..just taking the entire color palette and turning it black and white.

This is quite typical of a sharp focused b&w image, but there are many things you can do with a simple black and white image that give it a different feel. The idea is to give that image a different look that still is a black and white, but with marked differences that give it a little punch (or less, as you'll see in examples below!

This image of Haley was "grained out" a bit to give it a rougher look to it...a great b&w, but punched for a little bit of a different look!

This image with Katie was changed with a "high key" application, that literally has the white in the image pumped to the point that it is the dominant part of the images. Lots of older photogs used this trick to really make a normal B&W very different, but classy. It is a look I really like, done in the right image of course!!!

More on Black and White in a future post!!!

Where do we get ideas?

2010-08-29T10:14:00.000-04:00

I had a very good question from a photography buff who has taken my beginners class in Digital Photography and is looking to take my advanced class and it is worth delving into here. The question Debbie asked is "..you always have the neatest ideas for pictures..how do you do it?"

Thanks for the compliment! It comes from two things:

Know your client...by talking to them. Try to find out what is important to them and see what makes them tick.
Look at everything..there is an image in every single view of life you see, The challenge is to capture it in the camera so that everyone else shares your perspective as well as that of your subject!

Let's take an image I captured recently as an example:

Katie is one of my senior clients. She is creative and is open to ideas..this was one of hers!!

Four cans of silly string and a lot of thought...this is what you can get!

The important thing is that it fits her sense of humor and would be right in line with her personality.

It is important that what you take as a photographer reflect what the subject is like and what their personality is like. Otherwise, it's just somebody doing what the photographer tells them to do. It just doesn't make something that is treasured..that is the goal of a great photographer!!!!!

Thanks! More soon!

Haley in the woods

2010-08-28T21:35:00.000-04:00

Our senior Haley is in the woods, in camo....

We took this image with the idea of mixing two things that didn't belong together. After all, when was the last time you wore high heels out to go hunting!!!

It is one of the fun things to do when working with a client.

By the way, we sized this image and added the graphic in the corner to make it more like a poster image! Very easy to do and posters are a product we offer!

More seniors in images down the road here!!!

Engagement sessions...guidelines!

2010-08-28T21:07:00.001-04:00

When we do engagement sessions, we have some suggestions that you should follow to make the image a keeper!!!

Engagement sitting Tips to consider.....

1. Chose outfits that fit your personality and make you feel attractive. Make sure you both create a sense of unity..it is truly best if both of you coordinate each other..after all, you are portraying yourselves as a unit! Avoid heavy patterns or strips. Solid, neutral colors like earth tones look great, as do denim and white!. Please avoid wearing short skirts or shorts. This makes posing more difficult. Instead long flowing dresses, jeans or khakis make better selections.

2. Start thinking about props! This can make your photograph unique. Consider a picnic basket, wine glasses, a musical instrument or even pets. We can also work with larger objects such as: boats, sport cars, planes, or motorcycles.

3. Don't worry about the location! Choose your wardrobe and props and we will discuss location and times with you. We have access to many places..just tell us what you’re thinking and we will create the rest!

4. Become alert to interesting photographs. Look out for romantic post cards or magazine advertisements!

5. Keep in mind, many couples chose to utilize their portrait to display at their reception.

6. Finally, consider bringing a sister, brother, or friend along. We can just as easily do 2 or 3 sittings at the same time as one! Give Mom the family portrait she has been wanting.

7. Have fun! It may be suggestion seven, but it's rule #1

Neat image from a reception....

2009-10-27T11:30:00.004-04:00

More from receptions..more ideas for the bride and groom. Great shot from after the reception, don't ya think!!!!!

Welcome to the reception!!!

2009-10-26T11:15:00.003-04:00

This was set up as a welcome to the reception of Heather and Chris. The theme of the reception and wedding was "the beach"...

It was a great way to greet the guests nad set a mood for the reception.

More from receptions soon!!!

Images and ideas from Chris and Heather's wedding!

2009-10-24T09:47:00.008-04:00

Lets share some images and ideas!!! I love the above image. The textured Black and White adds a sense of dynamic to the image!!!

The plan for the wedding was to do this ceremony outside, but as you may know, the weather in Western PA has been nothing short of a monsoon this fall, or so it seems. The actual ceremony was moved to the Justice Of The Peace offices in Ford City. In an adjoining room, there are benches with cuffs for those who are arrested to wait for the magistrate....so we used them!!!!

Understand the following:

I asked before the ceremony if it was OK to do this. Different officiants have different rules on how weddings are to be done that they handle. They are marrying you....it's their rules!

It has to be you! You shoudn't do things with your images that don't fit your style just for the shot....you will regret it later!!!

There is also an image of the groom in the "chair" as well that is in the images we did.

This is a matter of using the surroundings to your advantage. I saw this setup and just had to work it in somehow!!!

More decorating ideas soon!!!

Wedding ideas!

2009-10-14T18:20:00.003-04:00

The wedding I did this last weekend had some good ideas to pass on to you all if you're planing a wedding!

The ceremony had a sand pour, which is getting to be a big deal with brides, and in many cases, is replacing the unity candle of a number of years ago. Where this gets interesting is that the groom has three boys and they all form a great family! The boys each had their own vial of sand and actually even picked the color they wanted to add to the main jar! A sweet way to include them and to have them understand they are a part of the new family! Love this idea!

More ideas from weddings we've done soon!!!!

Sale time!!!! But only if you are a FB or My Space fan or friend....

2009-10-08T10:43:00.002-04:00

The sale...exclusive to FB'ers and My Space...15% discount on print orders and bookings to FB and My Space fans only...but only till Sunday at 12 midnight!!!! If you arent a FB fan or My Space friend, become one and then buzz the hotline at 814-290-3251!!!!

More Haley

2009-10-06T22:16:00.001-04:00

Another one from Haley's session at Parker Dam...her favorite, EVER!!!

We applies a sepia tone to this image..we are starting to see a rise in the number of clients that like sepia!!!!

More soon!

Haley at Parker Dam

2009-10-02T23:13:00.004-04:00

These images were taken of Haley, one of our spokesmodels for our Senior photography work.

The above image has a dreamy type look to it, applied with a little post production work in the digital darkroom!

We'll post more from this session soon, including an image Haley says is the best one ever taken of her!

TTD on the tube

2009-06-08T14:43:00.001-04:00

Good afternoon,

I wanted to let you know that the TV cameras of WTAJ, Altoona-Johnstown, PA were at our final Trash The Dress session with Steph and her daughter Aspen this morning! They shot some footage as we did the final deed to the wedding gown we've used for Steph's TTD session. We won't tell you what we did, but you'll see it on WTAJ News tonight! They couldn't be specific, but they do plan to air it sometime during the evening news from 5-6:30pm. If you would like a sneak peak, we'll have some images on Facebook, My SPACE and on our web site later today or this evening!

Sometimes TV stations will link an on air story to the web. I don't know if they will do that for this story, but if they do, we'll send out the link to view it on the internet, so do not fret (at least yet) if you aren't in the Altoona-Johnstown TV market. Thanks to WTAJ for stopping by and sharing with their viewers!

Richard

Newsletter, May, 2009

2009-05-27T23:18:00.001-04:00

Here, for your dining and dancing pleasure, is the Richard Soukup Photography newsletter dated May 26, 2009!

As always, we welcome your input and comments!!! Just in case you were wondering, I will never rent, sell or spam your email address. I will only use it to send you useful information about our company! And at any time you can remove your name from the list.

Lots of news with the class of 2009! Graduation is just around the corner, and we want to thank all the seniors and their families who trusted and honored us with capturing great images for the second most important images ever taken of an individual (we assume weddings being the first)! To Heidi, Lexy, Shannon, Shiann, Nate, Dan, and Emily, we wish the best for you in the future and congratulations on reaching an important milestone!!

Two of our Senior Spokesmodels for the Class of 2010 have been named. Gabrielle from Clearfield Area High School and Dante from DuBois Central High School will be featured on our web site and various other places in order to show off what we can do with great senior images. Gabrielle has already had her first session with us and those images are online now at www.richardsoukupphotography.com. . Dante will have a first set of images created soon! In addition, we have Haley on board with us...while she is only a junior at DCC this coming year, we are working with her to show some of the different sides of what we can do. Look for her images at our web site as well!!! We plan on adding one to two more spokesmodels shortly!

Our senior pricing is always available if you request it by email at rtsphoto@verizon.net. Share it, copy it, refer to it!! If you use the promo code "2010" when booking us, you get two sheets of wallets at NO EXTRA CHARGE!!!! And who can't use wallet prints?

IT'S WEDDING TIME THIS WEEKEND! Jessica and Jim will be tying the knot in Clearfield this Saturday. We are honored to be their photographer and judging by the lineup of professionals they have assembled, we are looking at a great time! We will be posting images from their wedding overnight in their gallery and some will make it onto the web site as well! Their gallery is already created on line but nothing is in it as of yet! That will be taken care of Saturday night into Sunday morning! When guests at the wedding give us their email addresses at the reception, we will email them when images are up and ready to view!!!! We will also have cards printed up with the gallery location and password for Jessica and Jim's guests! Their guests can also order images from the event online!!! Just one of the ways we make working with us easy!!!!

We will be doing the digital photography classes again at the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center this September. Added to the list is an advanced Digital Photography class for those with a DSLR camera. Details will be announced by the school in August for the fall term!! I can't divulge the dates and times because they have not been totally set as of this time, and the school only takes reservations and fills classes after they are announced to the general public. Watch the Clearfield Progress for the ad from the center. Be aware that the beginner class sold out very quickly in March of this year, and from the feedback I'm hearing and the questions I've been getting, I am assuming the same will happen this time around as well!

Richard Soukup Photography is also partnering with fetcho.com! We will have a presence on their web site and we are also working on being able to do a forum where your digital camera/photography questions can be answered on line in an open forum! Fetcho.com is a new portal web site that will have specific sites for different areas of the region! In addition to classifieds, links to entertainment venues, weather links, and other information, it is laid out in a nice neat format, unlike a lot of portal sites that resemble a hodgepodge! It's a great site to make a home page for your browser! The Clearfield site is at www.fetchoclearfieldpa.info. Other ares that have specific sites include Centre County, Jefferson County, Elk and Clinton Counties to name a few! We'll have more news on our partnership with Fetcho as time goes on!!

WE HAVE A HUGE PRESENCE ON FACEBOOK AND MY SPACE..and are doing more on Facebook each day! In addition to being on personally, I have set up a group for Clients of Richard Soukup Photography, and also have a separate business page on Facebook! If you are on Facebook, please consider adding us to your circle of friends and be a fan of the Richard Soukup Photography page. We will have specific offers that will only be for our FB customers!!!!

I am also in the middle of a great project on Facebook! It is called The Photography Throwdown and it is a group on FB that I contribute to! The story is that the three of us that "run" the group are friends from high school back in Seaford, Delaware. Doug and Mark (our other two participants, and by the way TWINS) are two of the very most creative people I've known and both have a good eye and a sense of what makes good photography. The artwork these guys have produced over the years is fantastic! The idea of the group is that we take a challenge weekly and create an image following the theme of the week, post it and let everyone take a look and comment on it! The "winner" gets to name the next assignment! So far we've done "Self Portrait" and Doug took that one! This weeks subject that Doug chose is "afterlife"! I LOVE THIS PROJECT, NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT TESTS AND WORKS MY CREATIVE JUICES, BUT I GET TO INTRODUCE YOU GUYS TO TWO VERY TALENTED INDIVIDUALS! I will learn a lot from this exercise and I hope you will gain some insights as well, not to mention a motivational kick!

See ya in June!!!!

Richard

Richard Soukup Photography
814-290-3251
rtsphoto@verizon.net
"When the image matters, and it always does!"
Visit the new web site at www.richardsoukupphotography.com
We're on MySpace at www.myspace.com/richardsoukupphotography
facebook us at www.facebook.com/richardsoukup
Twitter us at www.twitter.com/richardsoukup

Digital camera classes

2009-04-12T13:33:00.003-04:00

We will be doing the Digital Camera classes that were so popluar in April again in the fall, in cooperation with the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center. Dates for the classes wil be announced, but the actual dtaes and times are not set and will be announced by the CCCTC in the month of August.

We've already had some interest and can only take 10 people per class..so time will be of the essence!

More in August!

One session for May taken!

2009-04-12T12:58:00.000-04:00

Heidi and her parents will have me taking images for their prom group on May 1st, for the Brockway prom!

That date is now locked out and saved for Heidi!

More information and booked dates as they happen!!!

He who hesitates.....

2009-03-07T14:02:00.001-05:00

Hello...the newest edition of the Richard Soukup Photography newsletter is on your computer screen!

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With Easter being later this year, we have had a couple of inquiries on my availability that weekend for a family session! Not a problem, but the earlier you book, the better time you get!!!

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The long awaited engagement session for Janessa and Jim is due to take place next weekend! After being delayed due to weather, we are looking forward to getting this one in the camera!!!

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We have posted a lot of different images on our Facebook page...check those out and post on our wall if you like!

We'd love to have you as a friend as well.

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WALLETS...we have decided on the pricing for them. You may recall we have wanted to adjust them to a better deal for you and we have done so:

8 wallets for 10.00

96 wallets of the same image are 90.00...30.00 savings!!!

192 wallets of the same image are 170.00.....60.00 savings!!!

These prices will be good for the rest of 2009 and will be updated into the pricing schedule soon!

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SENIORS.....CLASS OF 2010, we are looking for you! IT'S TIME TO START BOOKING SESSIONS FOR THE YEAR!!! Yes, we like to do things early if we can!!! Our blog fans can get the following information pieces just by emailing us at rtsphoto@verizon.net:

Pricing guide for Senior Sessions
Senior Shoot Sheet (the document we use to set poses and scenes....use it to help organize thoughts and ideas!!)

If you feel so motivated, we would love to have you share this with friends, family and folks you know that have current high school juniors!!! We would appreciate it!!

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PROM SESSIONS.....we have done them in the past and this year is no exception! We would love to do a session with you and your friends before you go to the prom as a way to get better, more unique memories of the big day! We are doing the sessions differently than we have in the past:

Participants will get an 8x10, 2 5x7 and 8 wallet prints for just 10.00.
You will also get the image emailed to you that night, so you can use it on MY SPACE, FACEBOOK or email to others!
ALL BOOKINGS IN ADVANCE OF PROM DAY!!!! Money is due at the session!!!
Current Richard Soukup Photography customers get first priority with scheduling! First booked, first served!!!
Sessions will take place at a mutually agreed to site between clients and myself!
Creativity is encouraged!!!

Any questions, or to book...LMK!!!

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Also, we are doing something this year we call "FRIENDS" sessions.

The idea is that you get a group of your high school friends together, and we'll get one great group image of all of you! The cool thing is that each of you will get an 8x10 print of the group and an 11x17 poster of the group as well! The cost will only be 12.50 for each member of the group, with extra posters being 6.00 each!

Be creative..we'll take it almost anywhere!
It's a great way to remember the gang, and a real unique one as well!
There is a minimum of 6 friends for this program....if you get more, we'll include them as well!
Payment is due before the session, dates for session are, as always, subject to available dates and times!

You could even do this instead of the prom session above and schedule it for prom night! Any questions, or to book, call us ASAP!

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We have done a little sprucing up of the web site and added JazzKatt Productions to our "links" section! Al Lockwood, a good friend of mine, is the owner and we recommend him highly! More great vendors will be added soon! If you have a vendor that you have worked well with, we will consider adding them. Just email us at rtsphoto@verizon.net, and we'll take it from there. They must have a web presence for us to add them to the list!

Just a word on the "Links" section...we consider it a good resource to help you with your planning for weddings and other events. The folks listed there do not pay to be there! If they did, it would (in my opinion) compromise the endorsement! Our site is not built on advertising, so we feel comfortable listing those we feel do a great job. There may be more than one listing per specialty, but anyone that makes our page is someone we've worked with or know of their great reputation.

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This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of my wife Vicki's successful battle against esophageal cancer! When she was first diagnosed with the "beast", it was considered a long shot for survival. here, 10 years later, she is alive, well and kicking! What a personal blessing!

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To conclude, one of our RSP customers is going thru a tough time right now. Some of you may know the story of Brooke Haney, the daughter of one of my clients. We've done senior images for her two step brothers, Brandon and Kyle.

Brooke lives just outside of Clearfield. She had a heart transplant at age 5 or 6 years old. She has now been diagnosed with coronary artery disease at age 14 and will need to go the transplant route again! She is on the transplant list at Childrens Hospital in Pittsburgh as we speak. She has had to stay there a couple of times for visits since the first of the year, and is currently a patient there to iron out some issues!

In addition to being one of the toughest kids I've met, she is one of the most positive kids I've met. When I do the Clearfield County Fair parade the first week in August, she always just comes right up on stage if she's there, just to say hello! With all this young lady has been through, you never see her frown or feel sorry for herself.

Keep Brooke and her family in your thoughts and prayers. More news as we get it!!!

Richard Soukup

Copyright... Part 2

2009-02-22T15:46:00.003-05:00

Last part of this subject..

When approached on the subject of use of our images, we take into account several things:
is the subject of the image going to approve? We'll contact them and secure their permission, in writing for the specific use!
is the subject or the photographer given credit somewhere in the presentation?
what and where is the end result?

Sounds tough, but I'll give you examples where we gladly cough up usage of our images, and in some cases, have done so:

death in the family and use of an image at the funeral or viewing! Most photographers with any sense of caring, compassion and feeling will even go ahead and secure that copy for the customer..some without any cost!!!!
request by a media outlet to use WHEN THE CUSTOMER OR SUBJECT IS IN FULL 100 PERCENT APPROVAL!
when the customer has a photo giftware item made up that I don't offer in my regular product line! Matter of fact, we OK usage to a local vendor on a routine basis that does unique stuff! It's called helping the customer and supporting LOCAL businesses!
Facebook and My Space usage!!! This is always a concern and we'll get into this in a future RSP newsletter, mostly when it comes to My Space!!!!!

Bottom line....ask before you use an image...you may find that we can help you use it better!!!

More soon!!!!

A word (or many) about copyrighted images...

2009-02-17T19:54:00.002-05:00

I wanted to talk about copyrighted images and what the laws entail!

When an image is taken, it is the property of the photographer. When I sell a copy of that image to a customer, the image itself is still the property of the professional photographer, as deemed by the copyright laws of the United States and International law as well. The same thing applies to written word, be it books, magazine articles or newspaper stories. They are the property of the publishing entity.

When an image is copyrighted, you can not copy it or manipulate that copy in any way, shape or form without the consent of the creator. If I sold the copyrights of a set of images to ABC Jackhammer Company, they would then hold the rights to those images.

Furthermore, a one hour photo lab can't copy these kinds of images without a written release from the photographer. Some stores, Walmart being the most notable, have a policy that states if any professional images, regardless of creation date are presented to their photo labs, they may not be copied at all, even if the image is from 1908!! This is their company policy...figuring that if their policy is stricter than the federal law, no one will violate it! There is a workaround for the 1908 situation, but we won't get into it here!

Copyrighted images are identified by several methods:

the standard c within a larger circle on the front or back of the image
printing on the back of the image stating that the image is a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced. Many professionals use photographic paper with this writing on the reverse
name of the photographer or studio business on the front and/or back of the image

by controlling the printing of the images, the copyright holder controls the quality of those images. Poorly printed images make us look less than professional.
by controlling the use of these images, there is a better posibility that they won't be used to invade the privacy or lives of my clients. I've seen instances of publications using professional images created by a wedding photographer, printing them in their publication and not only using them to embarass the couple, but also not asking the permission of the photographer...a violation of the law.
usage of the images of clients for the purpose of promoting a cause of point of view that the couple may not support or agree with. There have been instances of this happening to other people.
hurting future income (which is a minor one for me!). I am usually pretty understanding on this point, because of many situations, but my bills have to be paid too!

Our position on copyrighting our images and company policy is coming up in a future blog entry!

Comments are always welcome!!

Richard Soukup Photography Newsletter for February

2009-02-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

Thanks for taking time out to read what we are up to! Lots to share with you, so lets get to it!!!

First of all, the Groundhog Wine Trail Fest 09 was a great time. We were able, thanks to your help, to put some extra money into the account of the Curwensville Rotary Club, to help them finance some of their local programs to help the community. Special thanks go to the Bedford County Wine Club. Some of their members put a bus trip together to come up to Clearfield and partake of the great food and wine. Plus we got to see a former co-worker from my Sam's Club days! I have to apologize to Diane...I didn't even realize who you were till you reminded me! This will happen at 51 years of age!!! Enjoyed having all of you up and hope to see ya back next year. Details on the 2010 Wine and Food Fest are upcoming!

We also want to welcome to the group those of you that signed up to receive our newsletter while at the Fest. Your information will be kept confidential and NEVER SPAMMED OR SOLD OR DISTRIBUTED TO ANYONE ELSE! If you wish to opt out, email your request to me at rtsphoto@verizon.net.

Wedding clients are getting their own individual page at www.RichardSoukupPhotography.com . Two of our couples already have the space allocated to them. Janessa and Jim were to have some images taken in January, but the cold weather kind of put the kibosh on that. You can use those pages to post photos, information, whatever you would like!.

Senior clients are starting to get images together for yearbook and ordering prints and products for graduation. Any questions on orders, please call. We are also starting to look at images for the class of 2010. We can answer any questions on those as well!

As far as Digital Photography Class at the Clearfield County Career And Technology Center is concerned, we have 6 signed up so far! There is space for a few more students, but you gotta, in the words of Van McCoy, "do the hustle"!!!! Classes are set for March 12, 19, and 26 from 6-8pm. Information on costs and sign-ups can be obtained by calling the CCCTC at 814-765-5308 and ask for Jenna Witherite or any of the Adult Ed staff!!! The class will have it's own on-line blog to use as well. Of course you'll be able to drop in, subscribe and read what the class is up to!!!! We'll post that address when it is created!!!

Lots of things upcoming:

*****We will be capturing images at the Clearfield Hospital Chili Bowl. The date is set for Thursday, September 17th. The theme for this year will be The Wild West and we will be snapping some images with you all in western gear, much like we did at the Wine Fest. Proceeds for this event will benefit the Clearfield Hospital Hospice department, helping bring their programs to those in need. This is always a great time, and we've been a part of this event for at least the last 7 or 8 years that I can recall!!!

*****Once again, we will be doing the MC duties at the Clearfield County Fair Fireman's Parade the opening night of the Clearfield County Fair. The parade will be at 6pm on Monday, August 3rd. More details on the fair as we find out!!! We've been a part of this event as MC for the last (as far as we can recall) 15 years!

We will also be taking some of our vacation time away from our other workload during that week. This means that we will be able to get lots of images for family reunions, senior sessions and the like during that time

*******We've also decided to do our "Prom Prints Promotion" again this year, with a little twist. Senior portrait clients are going to get a real treat with this one, as we will change the program with quite a few differences this year. More on that soon, but that will take some weekends in May to accomplish! We are also looking at, but have not confirmed an idea that will be the "One Last Pic" session! We are in the development stage on this one, so details are not finalized yet...but they will soon!

We will also be announcing a great offer for customers of....... got to wait for this one, but we'll announce it soon!

You may even hear about this later in the week or the first part of the weekend!

Till then.....thanks!

RSP NEWSLETTER STEELER SPECIAL EVENT AT GROUNDHOG WINE TRAIL FEST!!!!!!! JANUARY 31, 2009

2009-01-18T22:08:00.001-05:00

Hello!

Doggone it, that was close!!! First of all, congrads to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They beat the Baltimore Ravens 23-14 moments ago to punch a ticket to Super Bowl 43, where WILL take on, and WILL beat, the Arizona Cardinals on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Florida!!!!

With the Groundhog Wine Trail Fest set for the day before the Super Bowl, and Groundhog Day the Monday after the Super Bowl, we want the Wine Trail Fest event to be the start to a great weekend. Richard Soukup Photography will have part of our booth at the Wine Trail Fest set up to take images of all of you in your Steelers garb! We'll keep the pricing reasonable and the proceeds will all go to the sponsoring entity for the Fest, the Curwensville Rotary Club, to help them in the valuable work in both the community and the world wide Rotary programs the local club supports! We will even email you the image directly to your email the night of the fest as an additional option, so that you can print it, post it on MySpace or Facebook, share it with your friends...however you want to use it!!! This is a great opportunity for everyone that is a part of "Steeler Nation" to show your support of the Steelers and to send the image to your friends and family!

In addition, Punsxy Phil's handler, Ben Hughes, will be on hand with all sorts of goodies from 3-4pm during the first session and 5 to 7pm of the nightcap session during the Fest! We'll even take your pic with Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania's version of "Big Ben"!

This event is always a wonderful time and in addition to our booth, you'll be able to taste wines from vineyards all over the Groundhog Wine Trail, plus see food and art vendors from all over the area!!! We will have an image of Heinz Field, shot from the top of Mount Washington, as a prize for one lucky attendee, plus we'll have other prizes for you to register for at our booth! This image was the same one we donated during the Anne Thacik Auction for the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging in October, 2008.

We are stoked about the idea of our Steeler Photo event at the Fest, and want you to show up festooned in Black and Gold! This event is held at the Expo 1 building at the Clearfield Driving Park, site of the Clearfield County Fair!!! Tickets for the event are 20 bucks at the door the day of the Fest, with a special ticket price (10 dollars) for those designated drivers. Tickets get you admission to the event, a GWT tasting glass and wine tastings from each of the vineyards that make up the Groundhog Wine Trail. Wines will be available for purchase from each of the wineries! If you would like more info on the Steelers Photo Event, you can call me directly at 814-290-3251. Tickets are available from any Curwensville Rotarian, Hembold and Stewart Insurance in Clearfield, or any of the participating wineries. You can also find out more information at the GWT web site, www.groundhogwinetrail.com.

If you feel so motivated, please direct your friends and family to this posting! Our goal is to make as much money as possible for the Curwensville Rotary Club and at the same time, get you cranked up for the Super Bowl!

It's a party, a wine tasting event and a great time for all.....get the Steeler stuff ready, charge up the Terrible Towels,and we'll see ya there!!!! In the words of the late great Steeler broadcaster Myron Cope..."YOI and double YOI !"

Richard

Teaching Digital Photography Basics..any takers?

2009-01-14T13:25:00.002-05:00

One of the things I have always believed in is that education never stops! My family is a big part of this belief. My father had a B.S. degree in chemistry, a masters +30 in mathematics, tutored high school students in math out of our house and taught class at Delaware Tech, all from his wheelchair! My mother taught math and psychology at a high school in Delaware, was named Delaware Teacher Of The Year in 1981 and was later a guidance counselor near Wilmington, DE before retirement. My sister is a top notch social studies teacher and department head at her school in Frederick, MD, and has been honored for her work by The Washington Post newspaper! So I've been surrounded by teachers all my life!

Well, the bug bit. Not to the extent that it has with the rest of my family, but it did bite me.

I am going to be teaching Digital Photography Basics classes for the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center in Clearfield, PA as a part of their Adult Education department offerings starting in March. This course is going to deal with the basics of Digital Photography. We've already started working on the plans for the course and we are looking forward to helping you make better images you will be proud of!

I am hopeful that (based on this course and the wishes of the students) we could offer a more accelerated course in the future, geting into more detail and advanced practices.

If you are interested in the course, please call the Adult Education department at CCTC at 814-765-5308. Any questions for me in specific can be answered by email at rtsphoto@verizon.net. Class sessions will start on March 12 and run for three weeks, 2 hours each Thursday night.

Richard Soukup Photography Newsletter for January 2009

2009-01-09T11:25:00.001-05:00

Lots of material for the new year! If you wish to opt out of the newsletter, please email me at rtsphoto@verizon.net and we will honor that request!

Updating the ways to contact us and where we are on the World Wide Web:

Web Site: www.richardsoukupphotography.com

MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/richardsoukupphotography

Email: rtsphoto@verizon.net

ONLINE BLOG: www.richardsoukup.blogspot.com

NEW: Yahoo Messenger: rtsphotography

Phone Number: 814-290-3251

We just recently added the online blog...check it out and comment if you would like!

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EVENT: JANUARY 31, 2009

GROUNDHOG WINE TRAIL WINE, ART AND FOOD FEST

CLEARFIELD DRIVING PARK, CLEARFIELD, PA

We'll have a booth set up at this great event and will be taking pics of you and Punsxy Phil, just 48 hours before the worlds most accurate weather predicting groundhog makes his prediction on Groundhog Day.

Tickets are required to get in. Pricing is 15 bucks in advance and 20 dollars at the door, with a special ticket price for designated drivers! There are two sessions set, one in the afternoon and one for the early evening. Tickets can be secured by calling Starr Hill Winery at 814-236-0913, or from any member of the Curwensville Rotary Club. Proceeds from the event go to the Curwensville Rotary Club to enable them to do the fine work they do to help the community, as well as Rotary projects all over the world!

This will be a busy weekend, as the Fest is Saturday, Super Bowl on Sunday and Groundhog Day on Monday. If the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the Super Bowl, we have a special twist on photos we'll be taking at the Fest....you die hard, Black and Gold bleeding, towel waving Steeler fans are going to love it! Details (if the Steelers get into the big game) on this special addition to the event will be announced here and at the web site.

The web site for the Groundhog Wine trail has a lot of details on the trail members, plus the event itself. Point that browser to www.groundhogwinetrail.com!

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New senior shots are up on the web site, MY SPACE and the blog!! Lexy from D.C.C. has some great stuff posted, including her session on a fire truck! Let us know what you think!!!

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A great idea for a wedding is an inflatable arch. Saw one at the Christian bookstore "My Fathers House" and found it kinda neat!. The store is run by a good friend of mine, Jim Whited, and they just added a new store in St.Marys, in addition to the Clearfield store in the Carns Equipment building out near Exit 120 of I-80!! I'm going to get a pic of this soon and I'll post it when I do!

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We will be dropping the price of wallet prints! That determination is still in the process as to what they will go down to!

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I recently accepted a part time teaching position, teaching digital photography classes at the Clearfield County Career and Technology Center in Clearfield as a part of their Adult Education program. The class is an entry level Digital Photography course that will be offered for three weeks on March 12, 19 and 26 from 6-8pm. Cost of enrollment is 59.00 and you need to have both a digital camera and the instruction manual with that camera with you for each class. If you are interested, please call the Clearfield County Career And Technology Center in Clearfield at 765-5308 and ask for the Adult Education department!

More Lexy...

2008-12-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

...at the firehall. She is a junior member of the Treasure Lake Fire Company, so we got her in gear at the fire hall for some images...

LMK what ya think!!!!

Images from today with Lexy!

2008-12-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

We captured these with Lexy today. The weather was overcast and rainy and these turned out fantastic!

We go back to it on Sunday, as we capture her at the.......

...you'll just have to wait!

Bridal Special Reports for Brides and Grooms...FREE!!!!!

2008-12-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

Planning a wedding is a big deal and involves lots of help. We at Richard Soukup Photography would like to help you make the day the magical one you’ve always wanted!
Our experience as both a wedding DJ and now a photographer, has given us an insight that can help your wedding planning. We wanted to help brides and grooms get better results in planning the big day, not waste their money and create the magic that is a part of getting married!
We set out to put together a series of our SPECIAL REPORTS that would make the day go better for those that took the time to read them. We wanted to make them factual, no baloney tools that any bride can use! The first one talks about the ten things you need to know about weddings and wedding photography. The second one talks about resources you can use to access ideas for the big day, and whch ones work best for most brides!
When writing these, I pulled from a lot of experience to help make the day better for any bride or groom. I have also run these reports by my two current brides and both found them to be useful (which BTW is the best source to review these reports).
I’d like to offer them to you AT NO CHARGE!!!!! Just email me at rtsphoto@verizon.net! Put SPECIAL REPORTS in the subject line of your email and I’ll send them to you quickly! We’ll also have a special gift for you and put you on our company email list. When we update the reports (our third one is in the works) we’ll send you that one as well!
If you can’t use this free offer, make your friends that might be able to use it aware of what we’re doing by having them email us as well! If you have any ideas for issues to consider in future SPECIAL REPORTS, we’d love to hear those as well!
Thanks in advance and have a great wedding day!

CHANGES ON THE WEB SITE!

2008-12-07T17:04:00.001-05:00

The new website is up and running! To briefly review, we had a problem with our "former" web partner not renewing the domain name for the site, allowing it to expire and thus not allow access to the site. Calls to the "company" resulted in no return calls and emails sent were not returned. It forced us to make some changes in our web site and its location, which were completed Sunday morning.

The new site is www.richardsoukupphotography.com Any promotional material out there is in the proces of being changed if it links to the old site. If you as a customer ahve any of those materials, they should be discarded. We will work at getting your replacements ASAP! We are working to make those changes, and there are plenty of things that need to reflect the change!!!

The email address has not changed!!!! It is still rtsphoto@verizon.net.

Our sincere thanks to Shawn Lesky of Lesky Computer Everything and www.duboislive.com, our new internet partner. Shawn took a lot of time on a Saturday to make this possible and cut our down time immensly. You should check out their sites at www.duboislive.com and www.lesky.org.

We are also looking at a major overhaul of the site after the first of the year. Our goals are to:

make the site the most informative site of any photographer in the area.
make the experience of dealing with our business even better and easier
have the site keep you up to date with hapenings at Richard Soukup Photography
make the web site, our blog site details later in this email) and our My Space page work together to help our customers and potential customers.

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We ahve also set up a blog independent of the site and My Space! It won't take the place of either one, but it will contain items and news you may not see ont he web site. Thsi newsletter is up there, as well as other items to view. You can reach it at www.richardsoukup.blogspot.com. Visit, read, comment and enjoy!!!

We are also working on IM capability. Once we set that up, you'll hear it from us!

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The concert that our friend Jerry Schickling does each Christmas season has been set!

From Jerry's update:
"Saturday December 20 will be my annual Christmas concert at the CAST
Theatre in Clearfield. Once again this year we'll be collecting
non-perishable food items for the Clearfield/Curwensville Ministerium
Food Bank.
Bring some items to donate to the food bank and we'll give you a
ticket to win some cool stuff. I'll have the autographed mid-size
guitar to give away again this year (it's been a BIG hit in the past),
as well as other items. Show time is 8:00 PM, the ticket price is
$6.00/person, and I'm donating ALL of the ticket money to the CAST
Theatre to help them through some challenging times.
You can call CAST at (814)765-4474 for advance tickets."

This is an event worth going to! My wife and I have attended for several years and we've enjoyed it every year. Call the number, reserve the tickets, attend, bring some food..you will enjoy!!!

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We won't be in touch with you via newsletter till after Christmas, so on behalf of the Soukup family, we thank all of you for your confidence in us and wish you the best Christmas ever. We will chat before 2008 ends, so hang in there!!!

Richard Soukup

WEB SITE UPDATE

2008-12-02T19:40:00.000-05:00

Hello to all!

We have been forced to change the location of the web site on the internet!

To make a long story short, our "former" web site hosting company let the subscription to our domain name (richardsoukup.com) expire!!! As is the case so often, when a domain name is held for a period of time and then expires, a company can buy it in the hopes that I'll sit there and want it back and then charge an arm and a leg. In this case, some firm from the UK did get that domain,l because our "former" hosting company let it expire. Attempts to reach that company have been unsuccessful, and phone calls have not been returned to me for over a week. The "takeover" happened on 12-1, to the best of my knowledge!

We are going to move our site and hosting services to another URL and hosting company. This is being worked on as we type this to you. When the changes are made (we are shooting for the weekend), we will let you know! After the change is made, you'll be notified. Also, we have to change all the printed material we have, all the promotional material we have, links to there sites......AAAARGH!

We are still in business, still to meet your needs and give you the service you deserve, even if we didn't get it from this other company ourselves!

I'm looking at this not as a problem, but as a first step towards working even better with current and prospective customers.

We'll update you shortly. We thank you in advance for your understanding!

News soon!!!

Richard

Soukup Photography
814-290-3251
rtsphoto@verizon.net
"When the image matters, and it always does!"
We're on My at www.myspace.com/richardsoukupphotography

2008-11-25T08:32:00.001-05:00

As you get ready to stuff yourself silly at the Thanksgiving table, we present a short, but fun Richard Soukup Photography newsletter.

Holiday deadline has been established!!! December 13th is the last day we can take orders to get them to you by Christmas!! The earlier, the better!!! Any questions, please call!

We will be having a Black Friday sale! You will not have to fight the crowds, rude people and lack of sleep to take advantage of this one! Details will be posted on our web site Friday morning!!! HINT: Black and White!!!!

BTW, check our MySpace page out...we have some images in the photo gallery of Daniel at the piano. We are tickled with these and we hope you'll take a look and comment as well!

We will be on somewhat limited availability on Wednesday and Thursday (Thanksgiving), but please feel free to call and leave a message, should you need any questions answered. We may not be able to return a call as quickly as normal, but we will return it! Friday will be a busy day for image creation, as will Saturday with consultations and image creation! The crunch is a coming!!!

Once we know of the date for the annual Jerry Schickling Christmas Concert, we'll let you know. It's a highlight of our holiday season and it's always a good time.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!!!

Daniel, the "piano man"!

2008-11-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

These are some senior images we created with Daniel, an accomplished pianist who is a senior at Dubois Central Catholic. We wanted to celebrate his love of the keyboard and this is what we came up with. We used the DCC auditorium and lit it to highlight their baby grand piano in the center of the stage!!!

We spent an entire hour capturing images in the auditorium, and we still have some more to go!!!

Comments and questions welcomed!!!

"Trash The Dress"

2008-11-01T16:52:00.001-04:00

This project is commonly known as “Trash The Dress”. The concept is highlighted at a website called www.trashthedress.com. I am going to be very up front and tell you that the reactions I have had so far have been on one side or the other, NOBODY IN THE MIDDLE. The first shoot we did with a prom gown, which does fit the concept, shows that you don’t have to ruin the dress to make the concept work. In some cases, the term “trash” in trash the dress is a little harsh and can be misleading, as you’ll discover!

You should click on the tab at the top of the TTD site “Why trash the dress!” or click here to see it directly!. It offers an explanation of the concept and some comments, both pro and con, on the idea!
I showed this site to several brides to be, couples who used us for their special day and other customers in our area, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s generated quite a stir.

Several clients HATED, LOATHED AND DESPISED the concept! Comments included:
“My dress represents too much to have it abused like that!”
“Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you have to!”
“Who in their right mind would put a burning wedding dress in an album to remember their special day?” (one example on the site has a gown that actually looks like it’s on fire..a little radical for even little old me!)

Others said:
“Love this idea…it’s different!”
“It turns my event into true art!”
“You don’t have to kill it, just mess it up a little!”

The ones that like this idea, REALLY like it!

It’s even amazing to me that there are some people in the photography/modeling business that don’t understand the concept and blast it! It doesn’t have to be your cup of tea. The reason we use the models we do for this project is because they have bought into the concept and have even helped with ideas to make it great.

We do this project for four reasons:

First, we are having a blast doing it. So many people don’t do the things they enjoy for many reasons. We made a pledge long ago to avoid that kind of thinking.

Second, because it’s different. We have prided ourselves on doing things different than other photographers, and so we will!

Third, I found the right people to get the job done. we just didn’t pick anybody for this project! Lots of factors went into choosing who we have captured for this project. In all candor, we salute them, because the concept is so different from anything shot in our area...thanks go to them for buying into the concept and making the project a real howl! Also, while they came up with some of the ideas you see, you need to remember that the models we used follow my direction. In short, any criticism of the project should be directed to me, rather than to the ladies, and our Trash The Tux model as well!!

Fourth, you may not like the idea, BUT IF IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA FOR SOMETHING THAT IS DIFFERENT, SOMETHING YOU DIDN’T THINK ABOUT BEFORE AND THAT FITS YOU AND YOUR SITUATION, THEN WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED OUR GOAL!!!

When we started this set of sessions, we decided that just putting the gown in a situation that it wouldn’t be in normally and not mess it up was an option (one we did rather nicely BTW with Melissa), but that we would also push the envelope and actually mess the gown up physically.

While we are on the subject of cleaning the gown up, Mike Toto at Chubbys Cleaners took our gown after one very messy shoot that involved mud caked thru the train, motor oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid and axle grease. He cleaned all of that junk out of it!!!! Thanks to Mike and the staff! You can actually see the before and after shots in the front window by the dor at Chubbys Cleaners at the corner of Third and Locust Streets, in Clearfield!!!

The bottom line is, it’s not for everybody, but the ones that is right for, IT’S SO RIGHT FOR! Our position is we work for the client and their needs, so if this doesn’t appeal to you…not a problem. We understand and respect that!!!

Our thanks to Murray Lilley Trucking for helping us out with some of the logistics!!!

Also thanks to our wonderful models, Clearfield and Dubois Fire Companies, Glen Richey Vol. Fire Company, Glen Richey, PA, Hyde Vol. Fire Company, Hyde, PA and Curwensville Rescue Hose and Ladder Company out of Curwensville, PA for allowing us to be apart of their hands on fire safety training!.

I’d love to hear your comments, good and bad, on this issue. Our hope is that even if you hate it, you’ll think outside the traditional for your photography....something we’ve always embraced!