Finding My Style

   I apologize if this isn't the most organized post, as I am just taking down my thoughts, as they come. Finding your style involves a realm of aspects that have to be considered, and as I address each one, they are not approached in any given order. This has been quite a challenge.
   The hardest part about becoming a professional photographer, for me anyway, has been trying to settle on my "style". Style, when describing a photographer, can refer to a vast array of characteristics. The way a photographer shoots, the way they might edit, how they brand themselves and interact with clients.
   For me, finding my style has placed me at the transition intersection of who I am, and who I want to be. I have spent some time researching the things I enjoy about my craft, the kinds of end-products I want to deliver, and the types of clients I want to service.
   One step in developing a brand is to choose a few power words. Words that describe your mission, your objective, your clients, any aspect of the business that's important to you. One of the most important things I want to do with my photography is to teach people to embrace themselves. I want them to know that they are beautiful, and I want that to translate across all hair and eye colors, income levels, body types, all walks of life. You don't have to work in Hollywood to feel like you do. Even if just for a day. I also want clients who want to share that feeling with their friends, to empower people around them to feel good about themselves, too. So, I have talked about what I want to do, and what I want from my clients. The next area is the photographs themselves. I want my images to evoke emotions in viewers. I know that each genre of photography won't have the same reactions from all sorts of people, but I hope to someday be able to draw emotions from, at the very least, the majority of my viewing audience. In regards to my relationship with clients, and in turn, their relationship with my work, my power words would be embrace, empower, and evoke.
   Now, to consider the way I want to shoot. This has been a long process, because before I can decide whether I even want to shoot something or not, I really have to actually shoot it. And then I have to practice the different ways to portray a subject. Then I have to decide what I want my work to say, to look like. 
   For example, I do not like photographing babies. I love babies, don't get me wrong. I just don't have the skill or the studio setup to do a great job. I have seen some photographers who have done some pretty impressive images with babies. I am just not one of them. And, I wouldn't know that if I hadn't tried, failed, and embarrassed myself miserably.
   I love weddings, and I am discovering my role as a wedding photographer. I prefer to shoot lifestyle portraits during a wedding, as opposed to the family portraits where everybody stands around and waits to get posed. I like the real, true to life moments that just kinda happen. I can see more personality shining through from clients when I shoot like this.
   I really enjoy doing contemporary glamour shots, and try to carry a little bit of this style over into corporate headshots, as well as engagement sessions, at least with the ladies.
   Another aspect I have found to be of interest is that I like to shoot outdoors. Now, I haven't had much experience with a studio setting, so it is hard to make a comparison, but I love the laid back feeling of a shoot that involves a bit of walking. I have a chance to get to know my client better, and form a deeper connection. This connection then visually translates through the images we create.
   So, in describing my work, I guess I want it to be contemporary, to show connection, and to feel like lifestyle portraiture, or have a photojournalistic approach. And I know you can feel the hesitation there, but, while I am very sure of the relationship I want to have with my clients, I have not yet settled entirely into a style of shooting. Presumably, this will most likely change a bit at a time over several years, if not throughout my entire career, as I learn and develop new techniques.
  

Constantly learning...

  I have always been a big advocate of continuing education, but now I feel as if I am a product of that idea. I  spend most of my days learning through seminars and books, and when I am not doing that, I am trying to practice the techniques and skills I am learning. The best thing is taking on challenges that other professionals in my field have issued. After all, they have been there and learned most things the hard way, and when the work is just not flowing like I wish it would, I take these challenges to heart. Challenges drive me, and push me to learn and master new techniques and ideas. And I find myself in the unusual position of working for myself rather than for a client, which means I have no limits, no boundaries on my creativity.
  I started this post nearly a year ago, and since have learned quite a bit. My posing has improved, as well as my composition, technique, camera knowledge, and most importantly, my confidence. I now possess a greater ability to roll with the punches at most of my shoots. When challenges come up, I often find myself being able to say "Hey, I've done this before, just breathe and make it beautiful." and it helps me maintain the focus I need in order to rely on my training. Whereas, less than a year ago, I was freaking out when all the conditions weren't ideal. Now I am learning to master the art of controlling the situations, and quick alternate routes for the times when I can't control everything.
   I plan to continue updating this post as I learn new things, hope to be revisiting this post often, in fact. And to those of you readers who are now or plan to be engaged in some kind of training or education, never settle for knowing enough. Always push your boundaries, and don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. Constantly surprise yourself by meeting new challenges, and master your craft, whatever it may be. There is no greater feeling than being able to execute a task with expected results over and over again, and to have people view you as a trusted advisor in your field. While I have only had the pleasure of experiencing this on a very small scale, I still hope to someday call some of my favorite photographers my peers.
   If you have been motivated to keep learning, or already appreciate the value in expanding your knowledge base, please comment below and let me know what you desire to learn next, or what it is that you are studying for. Thanks for reading, now to crack another book...

Tasha

   Last Tuesday, the 26th of March, was the end of a very unproductive weekend-long stretch. After having shoot after shoot get cancelled during my 28 day challenge, I found a girl who was as committed to getting great shots of herself as I was. As part of the 28 day challenge, this post is going to be a bit different than my others. I will be sharing photos of the beautiful Tasha, but I will also be sharing images from behind the scenes, taken by my friend, Jamie Lee. I want to take this opportunity to thank both Tasha and Jamie for their participation, support, and good humor! I had a great time spending the day with both of these amazing women.

   When Tasha first arrived, we sat down for hair and makeup, and partway through her foundation, I remembered to get the before shot. Here it is, along with the afters from last week:

                   After Tasha's makeup was finished, we moved upstairs to style her hair:

 

 

 

After we finished getting Tasha ready, it was time to shoot!

 

 

We had a fabulous time playing with some of the accessories I had on hand, and even used some in Tasha's shoot. This black hat was amazing on her, and she really knew how to work that fringed shawl!

 

Getting some of that diminishing daylight back on Tasha's face.

 

As Tasha was getting ready to leave, she put her first outfit back on, and we were just hanging out on the upstairs balcony. This red scarf caught our eye, and I felt it was too good to pass up. This was one of my favorite series of shots, even if I do need to clean it up a bit. As my mentor says, great expression trumps all, and this is what great expression looks like!

28 Day Challenge

   As some of you may already know, I am a huge advocate of continuing education. No matter what we tell ourselves, we really don't know it all. I love learning new things, and when those things cycle back to growing my business or my brand, it is ten times the benefit! The latest instructor, whom I have been fortunate enough to follow, has recently issued a 28 day challenge. In this, she follows the same criteria she has used in the past to train new photographers to work for her own studio. In 28 days.
   What a jam-packed few weeks I have been experiencing! Each day's challenge has been very specific, and very extensively covered. Each new challenge deals directly with specific issues that many, many photographers have brought to her attention.
   One such issue was posing. Several challenges deal with different aspects of posing, and through them, I am finding myself taking this very seriously. I am learning to see the human form through the shapes and sizes.
   My absolute favorite of the challenges, by far, has been on capturing expression. Not an easy task, especially when you are shy. I am gaining more and more confidence with every shoot that I do. I have decided to incorporate hair and makeup into my contemporary glamour shoots. I have found that this time allows everyone to get past the awkward moments and really begin to connect and relax.
   One of the most difficult challenges for me has been on marketing. I have had a hard time knowing whether or not I was truly ready to put myself out there. As you can see, I am here, pouring it all out there as I grow. Another hurdle I found with this type of challenge was in creating the materials, as I do not own Photoshop at this point in my career.
   As you can tell, I have been quite busy learning so many new things. What is knowledge without practice though? I have been booking as many shoots as I can, but there is always room for more. If you are in the central WV area and are interested in receiving a gift voucher for a photo shoot, or would like one for a friend, please call me (Leona) at (304) 704-1362 for details.
   And just to give you guys a sneak peak at some results of my recent training, here is a before and after of Tasha, whose shoot you will be seeing in next week's blog post:
  

Melissa

  On Saturday, I had the privilege of shooting a wonderful family. This couple

Melissa and Craig

                                          is ushering a new little girl into her life, Kylee was just 2 months old. I love the adorableness of this age.

Next in age, little Alivia. 5 years old, and does that girl ever love pink! It suits her quite well too, don't you think?

            

And next to her, her big brother Zachari, loves to show his edge. Quite a handsome fellow.

 

   I love to see a family that knows how to have fun together, and this bunch definitely has it going on! Some of my favorite shots were the playful moments at the park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Melissa and Craig, for allowing me to spend the day with your family, such a super-fun photo shoot!

Behind the Pens-Professional Portraits of a Writer on WVWC Campus

  This post is extremely overdue, started out to be weeks, now it is months. I am determined to post before it turns a year old. Sharing this experience has been knocked further down the to-do list with every disaster our area has seen recently. Storm damage and financial concerns have taken precedence over doing the things I love for far too long. Time to settle back into routines, and get my nose to the grind.
  A few (now quite a few more) months ago, I had the honor of being commissioned by a writer friend of mine, the amazingly beautiful and ridiculously talented, Marjorie McAtee. She had decided she had reached a point in her career that commanded some new professional portraits. We decided to meet on campus at West Virginia Wesleyan College, right in our hometown, Buckhannon, WV. We nailed it right away.


Marjorie McAtee

                                   
 
  And we even managed to snap off some fun, quirky, and sexy shots as well!

 

                                                     

  She seemed pretty impressed with the post-processing, but she gives me too much credit. As a subject, she made my job very easy and so much fun! Her blog is amazing, and if you want a totally candid, to- the-point perspective on almost anything, check her out. http://www.dontcallmemarge.com/
And you can read more about her experience during our shoot on her post here:  http://www.dontcallmemarge.com/2012/08/photo-shoot-at-wvwc.html
  During the couple afternoons I spent with her, we were able to get some knockout shots, and spend time delving into the depths of memories of High School days gone by. The best part was a healthy corruption of my son's vocabulary (we have taught him worse!), and the gab-sessions on family and careers. It's nice to know that I am not alone in feeling my way through dealing with both. I think I will leave the writing to her, though, as it has taken me forever to figure out how to get a blog going, and adding links and photos...so not the game I started out to play! Slow and steady wins the race though, and here I am, still chugging away at a slow pace.
  If you are looking for ideas on what to do for a professional portrait, I would suggest that women go light and natural on makeup. Don't go overboard on accesories, keep it simple. The same goes for choosing what you will wear. People connect with people, and your future clients want to see you. Loud or flashy clothes can compete with you for their attention. And above all, show some personality. People want to know that you can be relatable. To check out more of Marjorie's photo shoot, or for information on booking one of your own, visit http://wvglitter.wix.com/ldimagery and check out the corporate gallery.

 
  

What type of music do you like?

  This post is kind of off topic for photography, but is as relevant as genre is to any art. 
  "What type of music do you like?" I love hearing this question. The answer you get is usually along the lines of "Oh, I really like this type and that type. Stuff by so-and-so. Anything except type X." We just watched a movie about this, and it got me thinking. This is what I came up with.
  Music, like any art form, is an expression of the soul. Why would you limit that to a genre? Whether you are the artist, or the one who just enjoys the art, there is a deep emotion there that should never have limits placed on it. Music, photographs, paintings, sculptures, even the written word are all instruments used to convey emotion in the form of something beautiful.
  Many of you are thinking "But, I just hate X type of music!" I realize that there is a style issue at stake here. What is that type of music saying about me when I listen to it? Nothing. It wasn't written about you. It was written for your enjoyment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that every song written is to be enjoyed by every person out there, but you can't tell me that out of the multitude of choices within a particular genre that not even a handful of songs strike a chord with you.
  When I was a teenager, I had the same mindset. "Oh, I like any kind of music except country." Then I realized that I didn't even know what opera was, or why classical music was so technical, or why country musicians always seemed to have a tear in their beer. Then, as I developed as an adult a little more, I realized that all types of music speak to different parts of me.
  Hip-hop and pop speak to the dancer I never became, country and R&B speak to the romantic in me, Jazz and Classical speak to the educated musician within, 80s hairbands speak to wild child in my closet, lullabies speak to the mother I became, Bluegrass and gospel speak to my roots, and opera, though a tough one, speaks to the Queen Elizabeth that would have been.
  So while most people have a general music category that sums up who they are for the most part, limiting ourselves to just that also limits our opportunities for expression of our souls.

New backdrops!

   I received my backdrops and a new reflector in the mail the other day, and I am so excited! I can't wait for an opportunity to test them out. I knew I was going to need a reason to play with them, so I set up a random drawing for the folks on my Facebook page. The lady who won the free mini-session is looking forward to her shoot as much as I am.
  The backdrops are really fun. I chose five, and all of them have a marbled mix of colors. The reflector, I was so happy to see arrive. I have been needing one in the worst way. The best part about it is that it folds up neat and small so I can always have it with me.
  I have never used a backdrop, or a reflector, before, so I am looking forward to the learning process. I can't wait to see my images move to the next level. I love to experiment with new things, especially in my photography, and this is going to be a great experience!

Hi, my name is...

  I am Leona Davis, and I am a photographer. I am trying to go pro. Today is my first official day as a blogger. I have decided to start a blog as a way to document and reference my beginnings as an artist. I am located in central West Virginia, so I hope to expand my destination shoots to include places like Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. I am trying to get my photography business off the ground, and it has already been such an experience! A long, hard road, for sure.
  I am very technically challenged in my craft, so I have also decided to go to school so I can learn the technical garble much faster. I have been self-teaching for a while, but let's face it...if I want to start making money, and I do, I have to be faster. And smarter. So, I am now college bound. It should prove to be interesting, anyway.
  Along the technical lines, my gear list is growing at about half the rate of my wish list. For every item that I can finally afford, I find two more things I HAVE to have. How does that happen? The biggest, or most important thing anyway, on my wish list right now is off-camera lighting. I would like to get some speed lights. At least two would be perfect. Until that happens, I am using reflectors most of the time.
  On the business end, I have met several goals recently that I am proud of, and such a load off my mind now! First, I have finally decided on a name. Very big deal. This has been holding me back for weeks, and after studying vocabulary, fonts, and sounds, I finally found one that works. I will be announcing this name as soon as it becomes official. Second, I have learned how to build a business model, and not a moment too soon! The hardest thing about this business has been figuring how how to sell it. Now, I know. Third, I have discovered branding. This one will be an ongoing part of my venture for some time, until I figure out who I want to serve, and how. I'm on it, but I have some things I need to put into practice. Fourth, I am looking for a mentor. You can't buy experience, wisdom, and generosity. And finally, again with constantly learning. There are many aspects outside my craft that I didn't realize I needed to hone some skills.
  To wrap things up, thanks for following my progress as I grow, and I will keep posting updates as I change things, add things, and learn new things.