Tampa Newborn Photographer

Category: Photography

  • Who Do Our Kids Look Up To? {Tampa Bay Florida Photographer}

    Miley Cyrus before the VMA’s 2013

    (Photo Courtesy of Celebs Wallpaper.net)

    There has been a lot of buzz around the MTV VMA’s show this week. The biggest buzz is Miley Cyrus, her performance and the impression she made on the minds of young children. I was past my years of watching Hannah Montana when it was on TV but I have seen a few episodes and can say that the Miley Cyrus we saw on the VMA’s Award Show is NOT the Miley Cyrus we use to see on Hannah Montana. I’m sure she wants to break away from the popular Disney show and that’s fine, show the world you’re grown up but I think she’s gone too far. Yes, she has the right to be who she wants but I wish she would have had more thought as to what she would do to millions of children around the world that are watching her. Being a celebrity you have so many people watching you, there are responsibilities as a celebrity to be a role model for kids.

    A comforting thought is that even though young children may look up to celebrities and may follow their every move on all the Social Media sites, they aren’t going to try to be exactly like them because hey, they really don’t know these people. So who do they know? Who do they look to for guidance and examples of good behavior?

    I recently read a GREAT article from Verily Magazine and I wanted to share a really few good points.

    “So who are your kids watching the most?  You might convince yourself its a popular boy band, a movie actress, a country singer, or a gold-medal athlete—but don’t be naïve. Kids may seem to follow their favorite celebrities every move, but the one they’re seeing up close and personal is you.”

    “Whether you are an aunt, uncle, grandparent, sister, brother, friend, or teacher, remember that you may be the greatest role model in their lives. Kids are waiting for your approval, your warnings, your reactions,  your guidance, and watching whether you do as you say. You have more influence than any untouchable and unattainable celebrity seen on a screen or heard through a speaker.”

    So even though Miley Cyrus maybe put a few bad thoughts and actions into our children from her performance, we really have the power and influence over our children. Be sure to do what you say and mean what you say because they’re always looking at us, even if we don’t know it.

    Be sure to check out the full article here for some talking points to go over with your children about the performance they saw so maybe you can get through to them about whether this behavior was acceptable or not.

    Ashley Yvonne Photography, a Local Florida Photographer in the Tampa Bay area specializing in Family and Children Photography, Portraits, Water Birth and Newborn Photography.

    Blog Post Author: Ashley Whitehead

  • Professional Albums vs Shutterfly {Tampa Bay Baby Photographer}

    I wanted to expand on my topic of Print Lab Comparisons and talk about Albums. We’ve already discussed the quality of images from  non pro labs which you can view here.

    I know many companies like Shutterfly offer amazing deals on Albums for as little as $60. It seems like a great deal, I know. If you think about any product that is consistently offered at a extreme low price, it could quite possibly mean that the product is of low quality. And when I say quite possibly, I mean, it usually is.

    An example, a very close friend of mine spent thousands on her wedding photographer. They came out absolutely beautiful. She specifically asked for pricing with a DVD of images. She was advised (by a few of us) to get her album designed and printed by her wedding photographer. She decided to design her album, which took her weeks to get the right style she wanted. She thinks she spent about 5 hours adding the photos to the templates she bought. She decided to send her template to Shutterfly because she got a deal on an 10×10 Album. She wanted it to be bigger then that but she didn’t see spending more money on an Album. It arrived, she liked it, just satisfied enough that she gets to see her wedding photos in an album. I specifically remember her not being overly enthusiastic but her words were “Hey, at least I have some of my photos in one place.” Fast forward six months, after family members, friends and her and her husband opening and closing the book, some of the pages are falling out. Fast forward a year, now she’s kept the book on the shelf permanently because three pages fell out completely, five pages are hanging by a strand and one is wrinkled from someone spilling water on it. Now she’s going back to her photographer for a 40 page Album. Her Shutterfly album was only 20 pages and she wants a lot more photos in this one. She’s already spent around $125 and her time, and she feels she’s wasted the money and is slightly embarrassed that she has told people she doesn’t have an album of her wedding photos. Now, she’ll get an Album with double the amount of photos and she doesn’t even have to spend time designing it. Oh, and if someone has an accident, it won’t wrinkle up, because pro albums have water resistant pages! She regrets not spending the extra money in the first place and said she was embarrassed by the quality of the album that represented the most important day of her life.

    I know of many other stories related to this that represent other non- pro labs and I sincerely hope that this hasn’t happened to you. If you’re one of my families, let me know and we will get a FAB album pronto!

    Just as I stated before, after all the time, money and effort you’ve placed into a session or event. Don’t let a non-pro lab’s album degrade the quality of the images that were professionally photographed. Not to mention the work you did to create something for the photos whether it be your wedding details, an outfit, etc.

    Contact us if you’d like to learn more about our Pro-Lab Album options 813.277.6275 or email info@ashleyyvonnephotography.com

    Ashley Yvonne Photography, a Local Florida Photographer in the Tampa Bay area specializing in Family and Children Photography, Portraits, Water Birth and Newborn Photography.

  • Print Lab Comparisons- Why choose a Pro Print Lab {Tampa Bay Baby Photographer}

    All you’ve been able to think about is your amazing, beautiful, caring session with your photographer last week. Your little girl is only three days old once, and you’re so happy and tearful about the photos you’re seeing on the projector. They’re more then you ever expected and you’re so happy you hired a professional photographer. You spent so much time, money and labor decorating her room, wait till its hanging up on her wall! Then you say, “Okay, when can I purchase the DVD so I can run to Target and print these out?”

    As a photographer, my heart sinks a little because I know that after all your hard work to decorate your little girls room, your hard work picking the perfect photographer, your hard work to pack the little one up and come to my studio, you decide Target equals all of this unparalled hard work.

    No ladies. Although Target is great for so many things. Prints of your (only once) newborn little girl, is not one of them. I’m not just going to pick on Target. There’s also Wal-mart, CVS, Walgreens, Sams Club, Costco, etc.

    I know you’d like to print your photos because you think it’ll help save on costs. You’ve already invested on professional services just to get where you are, the final product should also be from a professional lab. It does make a difference and the difference will impress you. Why degrade all of your investment on the one thing that will be displayed for all of your family and friends, and will speak to the beauty of the session you were involved in and the beauty of your newborn little girl? They weren’t there for the session so the photo quality and durability needs to speaks volumes for generations.

    Paint the Moon did a comparison analysis on print labs from those listed above that you can view here. Her blog is directed towards photographers but the photos are great for families to view and see the difference the colors and quality make. The most important part of her blog about this is “The important thing to note is not the comparisons between the chain labs, but the fact that all of the non-pro labs turn out not only mediocre at best quality, but wildly inconsistent prints each time you send something to print, so all the time and effort and money you’ve spent getting your photos just right is wasted by turning over the final product to a lab that is not dedicated to making the absolute highest quality prints possible. A pro labs job is to make your work look AMAZING.”

    In addition to her comment above, photographers have to color calibrate their software to their pro labs color profile which cannot be done at a non-pro lab. Every machine is different, ever technician is different so you leave it all up to chance.

    There’s a lot of work involved to provide you high quality images. After all, you wouldn’t invest all this time, effort and money if you didn’t expect superior images, albums, etc. Obviously, an added bonus is that we do all the work for you, find the best pro lab, pick the highest quality paper, order your prints, and inspect for quality.

    If you have any questions please contact me at 813.277.6275 or email me at info@ashleyyvonnephotography.com

    Up next week, we talk about selection of Albums and the ever so popular Shutterfly.

    Ashley Yvonne Photography, a Local Florida Photographer in the Tampa Bay area specializing in Family and Children Photography, Portraits, Water Birth and Newborn Photography.

  • Styling Guide {Tampa Bay Photographer}

    There are a lot of things on my to do list and a Styling Guide has been one of them. So here we go…

    I am by no means a “fashionista” but I do happen to know what looks good in photos. By all means, if you have any questions please let me know and I’d be happy to help out but always remember, “Rules are meant to be broken” so you can always stray out of the lines if you really love to.

    When I was getting my outfits together for my own photography session, the one thing I realized I didn’t have was a guide as to what to wear. I’m not a fan of matchy, matchy. I like some contrast but not too busy. I like elegant but edgy. I like bold and I like simple. So I knew I needed a few different options. I created this guide to help others choose their outfits and props as well. Yes, I said props because I know as a lover of Pinterest I’ve seen ideas I love and want to incorporate. I also know photographers don’t have every single prop to fit my personality or wants. So I got prepared to bring my own props based upon my own inspirations and ideas. It’s okay to bring your own ideas to the table because these ideas are yours and that means your photos will scream with your personality. I love it when my clients do this! And sometimes my creativity comes to life even more and I can bounce even more ideas off of yours.
    Things to Keep in Mind

    Your body type. There is no shortage of information about general body shapes and clothes that will be the most flattering for all body shapes. Do the research, and dress accordingly.
    Coordinate colors. An outfit doesn’t have to be the exact same color. The same color family would work well too (example: Royal Blue and Light Blue).

    Coordinate styles. If she’s wearing a dress, the guy should dress up a little nicer, maybe a button up shirt and tie. If it’s more relaxed, then both wear shorts and nice shirt.

    Wear solids or simple patterns. Don’t over do it with the patterns. Solid dark colors are the most flattering. Don’t wear anything with words or shapes, it takes away the focus of your photo.

    Stick to more fitted clothing. One thing I like to tell most people, wear clothing that hugs your body more than falls off of it. Bigger clothing can make you appear bigger in photographs.

    Accessorize your outfit with a stylish pair of heels, a chunky necklace, a clutch, cowboy boots, a tie, etc.. (Remember, Pinterest has great ideas!)

    It’s always best to keep it comfortable though, bring flip flops if you are wearing heels and make sure your outfit reflects you, most importantly. I personally love the dark Jeans, high heels, funky jewelry for girls and dark jeans, button up shirt, loose tie and blazer for guys. Splashes of color here and there can spice it up too.

     

    Props
    A fun way to make your session unique and fun is to bring props.

    – Sunglasses
    – Hobby items (guitar, hockey sticks, etc)
    – Umbrella

    – Picnic Basket

    – Tricycle
    – Balloons
    – Hats
    – Your favorite cool couch or chair
    – Anything else that makes your relationship unique or that is special to you.

     

     

    Dress nice, but don’t get so “dressed up” that you are uncomfortable. Interact with each other the way you normally would. Goof off, make faces, cuddle, laugh, play. In short, have fun and be yourself! Again, if you have any other questions, please be sure to let me know and I would love to help!

  • Best Time of Day for Outdoor Sessions

     

    I tend to get questions about shooting at 12 noon on a Saturday or other day of the week. Our spots tend to fill up quickly for outdoor sessions and here’s why…

    If you see photos that are completely washed out, meaning the face of the subject if VERY white and most, if not all the detail is lost, it’s because the sun was too bright and too harsh for the subject. If we can find a completely shaded area we can get around shooting at this time of the day but unfortunately this is not always possible. Any time between 10 am and 4 pm, the sun is at its brightest. Since we live on the West Coast of Florida, many families enjoy beach scenery in their photos and rightly so, they’re beautiful! When scheduling a session at the beach, usually you’ll want to have photos taken 1 to 2 hours before sunset. The sun casts a beautiful glow on the subjects and area. During bright sunlight, you’ll lose these details we want to capure.

    Sometimes I’ll get calls before a session with worried families that are concerned with the overcast. Not to worry! These are some of the best conditions to shoot under. The clouds diffuse the brightness of the sun and allows us to shoot in a better lighting situation, which means we don’t have to be confined to the shadows and under trees.

    Of course, the beach isn’t the only option for scenic photos. Florida has many beautiful parks and towns to take photos.

    Be sure to book with us as soon as possible if you have a specific date or time in mind for your photos. Call 813.277.6275 or visit us at www.ashleyyvonnephotography.com . I would be happy to discuss timing and location options for you and your family.

    There is always a possibility of taking photos in our studio as well, in which we aren’t limited as much. Please see Studio Sessions can be Creative! to learn more about the advantages of studio sessions.

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