Interview with Jamie Koppi

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.....

 

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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...

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....

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

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. 

copyright held by Daystar photography..may not be reproduced with out permission of copyright holder!!!!!!

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!!!!!

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:

1. the standard c within a larger circle on the front or back of the image
2. 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
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

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!

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!!!