I had the pleasure of photographing the Ryder Family on Saturday.  They were such a fun and laid back family and Jamie and Shauna’s girls are so, so, so adorable!  Thank you for choosing me to photograph your family - I had a great time!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I know I posted this photo in the First Fieldtrip Post, but I just had to share that I came in second place with this photo!  And a cash prize to boot!  The theme was “Fall Happenings” and what better way to celebrate the Fall months than with a warm and sugary cider mill donut!  Mmmmm. 

I am excited to announce that my application to participate in the Littlest Heroes Project was recently approved.  The Littlest Heroes Project, started in January of 2008, is a non-profit organization of professional photographers nationwide who provide free photo sessions to our Littlest Heroes - children who are suffering from a serious illness or life altering disability.  The Littlest Heroes Project is an effort to open the eyes of the world to a part of it that so many ignore or pretend (or maybe do not even realize!) exists.  It is my hope that I can record precious moments for families - moments that can be cherished for years to come.

I am honored to be a part of this organization and plan to put forth my greatest effort to this cause.  For more information, please visit: www.littlestheroesproject.org

In addition to the cards previously posted, I am now offering a whole new set of cards!  I’m all about offering choices for ya!  These are a bit different than the other style.  These cards are one-sided and are printed on 5×7 photo paper or linen paper.  Anywhere you see red can be changed to PINK for a fun and funky look.

Pricing for a set of 25 with envelopes:

Photo Paper: $45.00

Linen Paper: $55.00

And, just for reference, here are the other cards I’m offering.  Everywhere you see green can be changed to RED!

Pricing for a set with 25 envelopes:

One sided, printed on photo paper: $45.00

One sided, printed on linen paper: $55

Two sided, printed on linen paper: $70.00

Halloween is near and that means I get to torture my poor boy behind studio lights.  Isn’t he so sweet in his elephant costume?!?!?  I figured I had one more year of dressing him as something cutesy before he starts begging to be a superhero.

I feel all grown up.  Kind of like when you move out of your parents house and you’re responsible for paying your own electric bill and making sure you pick up a gallon of milk on the way home from your brand spanking new 9-5 job at the office.  I’ve taken the plunge!  Starting in the November issue of Metro Parent, you will see an advertisement for Mishka Photography.  Special thanks to those of you who allowed me to use your child’s photo for advertising purposes! 

My photography business relies heavily on word of mouth referrals.  I cannot thank my clients enough for sending their friends, family, co-workers and neighbors my way for portraits and, most recently, wedding photography.  During the time I have been in the photography field, I have received such positive feedback and encouragement from my clients, friends and family.  I want to be able to share my creative vision with all of Metro Detroit (wow, did that sound cliche or what?!?!).  Which is why I have decided to take on the advertising beast and put myself out there with the hope of attracting  people who are looking for an alternative to the hum-drum photos obtained from the chain store photography market (I’m thinking that was a huge run on sentence - kudos to you if you can comprehend my ramblings).  And, on that topic, my next post will be about custom photography, whether its right for your family and how it differs from photographs taken at your local photography chain stores.  Check back soon!

The beauty of photographing with digital technology is that the photographer has complete control in editing programs (in my case, Photoshop CS3) to enhance photos.  Now, I’m not saying that you can make an image “better” by using Photoshop.  It is essential to start with a good, properly exposed image.  The Photoshop debate is a hot one amongst photographers - love it, hate it, too much technology, too much control over photos, what happened to the dark room, etc.  I, personally, love the digital darkroom - no wasted film, slides, chemicals - and, I get to sit at a perfectly comfortable location to do my editing and not in a stuffy dark room.  But that’s just me.  To each his own.

When I take a landscape photo, I generally have a vision of what I want the final photo to look like.  In this case, I knew that I wanted a vintage feel to this photo.  The use of freighters hauling materials has been used for a very, very long time.  I knew I could make this photo look as though it were timeless - like it had been taken 15, 20, even 50 years ago.  I played around with 5 different edits of this photo and still prefer the edit I had in mind when I initially took the photo - the top right photo is what I was aiming for.

So what is the purpose of all this nonsense jibberish?  A photo can be manipulated so many different ways with the use of today’s advanced editing programs.  Give one photo to 50 different photographers and you’ll get 50 different visions of what they believe it should look like.  Its the beauty of digital!

When did my boy get SO BIG???  I cannot believe we’re already going on field trips.  On Friday, we made a trip out to Erwin Orchards in South Lyon with Luke’s preschool class - picked apples (Luke is a Pro!), enjoyed cider and donuts, picked pumpkins that now adorn our front porch and enjoyed the company of Luke’s new preschool friends and their families.  Although it was quite cold and wet from the rain the night before, he had an absolute blast!