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Costa Rica workcation

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Tennis revised with Benjamin

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My Girls

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Ava Maternity Photo Shoot

Ava Maternity Photo Shoot

Taking a look at a recent photo shoot with one of my favorite families, The Whimpers.  They are expecting their second child as a couple and we wish them only the best with their new addition to their family. We found an outside location with a bridge that we thought was perfect for taking photos, in addition to how it gave off a country look. The first photo shows an unedited copy along with the…

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We would like to thank everyone who allowed us to make photographs of them these past 12 months; it was fun and we look forward to what 2016 has to offer.

Sharing some unedited behind the scenes photos as well as other services we provide. Thank You!

Samaya and Nicholos

Misha’El and Cheree

Little Lauryn and her beautiful Mom

Wanda

Shermaine and Fred

Mike and Brittney

Rosa, Keithan and Family

Graphic Designs

Photoshop

Silhouettes

Food Art

Baby Abi

Baby Caivon

Looking back at 2015 We would like to thank everyone who allowed us to make photographs of them these past 12 months; it was fun and we look forward to what 2016 has to offer.

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Our Dog Princess (Sad Story)

This post has absolutely nothing to do with photography….actually it does when I think about it but this time it’s personal. You see, I never thought in a million years that having a pet in my life would change it so dramatically and I never knew the effect it would have on my family when she was gone. I am going to post photos of a dog that my entire family loved to pieces and to tell stories…

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Capture Contest Please visit www.facebook.com/gynaffitphotography  to leave your best capture comment about the photo and enter to win a free family photo shoot with GynaffiT Photography…

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How to Know if Your Getting a Good Photographer or NOT!

Everyone is a photographer these days…I get it, DSLR’s are way cheaper than used to be when they first came out so I can see how most people pick up a camera and feel they can take pictures.  But the real truth is that just because you have a camera, does not mean you know how to take great photos and even study or practice the craft. The art of photography is a journey and one that takes time to…

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Tips to Help Clients Prepare for Photo Shoot

Tips to Help Clients Prepare for Photo Shoot

Photo shoots take a ton of preparation and so clients can be at ease during their photo shoots and be assured that everything runs smoothly, here are some things clients can do to prepare in advance for photo shoots and be worry free. HAVE YOUR CLOTHS READY BEFOREHAND Preparing clothing even down to the smallest detail is very important because it helps clients to feel more confident and relaxed…

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Well let’s just say don’t push my buttons by even thinking that photography should be something cheap.  I am thinking that you simply don’t know what goes on during a photo shoot because all you see is a camera in front of you.  Should be easy enough right? Just take the picture, let me go my way and tah dah. Well hopefully I can shed some light on you for only some of the reasons why photographers charge so much and maybe you will see things a little differently, just maybe!

1. My Prices are Not Negotiable

Not sure why I hear so many photographers say that people want to negotiate prices.

When you go shopping at a clothing or food stores do you expect the prices to be different from what the shelves say?  If you wanted organic apples, do you go to the manager and say, “I see these apples are $6.99 a bag but I feel that is too expensive so can you please adjust your price to fit my budget”…NO, that is not happening and you either do four things.

You either purchase the organic apples, because you really want the best kind of apples in the store

You don’t purchase the organic apples and you opt out for other apples that are not organic, sprayed with pesticides, and of less quality, yet a little cheaper

You don’t purchase any apples from that particular store and you go to another store entirely where you may or may not find the same quality apples for that price

Or you just don’t buy apples, which is totally fine but keep in mind “You Get What You Pay For”

2.  The Learning Process

Do you have any idea how many hours are spent on learning about lighting, composition, Photoshop, balancing the correct ISO, Aperture, Speed, and camera techniques to name a few photography topics.  Personally, I am a part of various groups within the Atlanta area where we meet a couple of times out of the month to discuss studio equipment, show off photos for contests, and learn about different techniques in relation to photography.  I also have memberships to quite a few websites where professional photographers who have been in the field for years show off what they know.  The learning curve for photography is never ending and is something that is a world in itself.  Please remember this the next time you believe someone is simply clicking a button, because if it were that easy then you would do it yourself.

3. Value of Photos

Next, let’s break down the actual value of a photo. Take a look at the photo on the left, that is me when I was little baby.  The point of posting this photo is not for cute factors but here are a couple of reasons why I posted it:

This photo is almost 40 years old and

I get the chance to compare my face as a baby to both my daughters…and I believe that is amazing!

That is why I urge parents to get photos of their children taken, especially for newborns and infants during their first year because you CANNOT get that time back. Is it going to cost you…yes…is it worth it down the line…absolutely!

I mean when you really think about it, what other items in your home have such an extended life where it can be passed on to generations to show your future grandchildren, great grandchildren, family members and friends who you actually were and what you actually looked like? If you ever were involved in a fire and you knew everyone in your house escaped safely, yet you saw that you had a few more moments to grab something, what items do you think you would go back for?

Money…maybe if you had a safe

Cell phone…probably not

Photos…absolutely! These treasures cannot be replaced

Furthermore, in this line of business, I often hear people say how they do not have any photos of themselves while they were a child, therefore they have no idea how they used to look.  The sad part is when those grown-ups begin to have children they don’t have the proof to say ” My child looks just like me when I was a baby, see look!” The result of not having photographs can happen as a result of:

Not taking enough photos while growing up

Moving around from place-to-place resulting in misplacing or leaving photos behind

Growing-up in foster care or being adopted

Or some kind of natural disaster that caused those photos to be destroyed

Also, don’t think that because we are now in a digital age that your photos are completely safe too because I have had it where my photos of my daughters were lost in one of my old phones because it got wet, so backing-up photos as well as printing them is also of extreme importance to preserve your photos.

So what is the cost and value of photographs?  They are priceless in my opinion.

3. My Time

When preparing for a photo shoot, there are so many things that happen prior to shooting that all relate to a photographers time, and time relates to money in business so here are a couple of things you probably didn’t realize:

I need to know the location of where you are shooting so I can preview the location beforehand to see what type of lighting I am going to need, what type of lenses to bring, or measure the places I need to stand based on having proper room and space

I need to know if you have an itinerary or schedule of events in advance so that you won’t say “why didn’t you capture my son when he first walked in”…we’ll that is because I didn’t know your son was coming in during that time”…and people don’t want to hear that; so I make it my business to find these things out in advance which is…yes, you guessed it, based on using my time.

I also take time to make sure clients know what to wear based on color schemes, themes, and textures for photo shoots beforehand

For shoots that require make-up artists I have to schedule the artist according to their time, mines and yours

During the photo shoots I may have to drive to locations which is using gas, then shoot people for a number of hours depending on if we move to a different location or wait for outfit changes

During in-studio shoots, lights have to be set-up which include stands and using a lot of equipment

5. Photography Equipment

(The equipment shown below is barely touching the surface to some of the equipment used for photography and the cost involved)

Camera Bodies

Have you ever looked at the prices for a Digtial Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera lately and wonder how much they actually cost?  Do you know anything about DSLR’s? Could you operate one if one were handed to you and use it quickly and efficiently to take quality photos? Do you feel that using your camera phone is going to yield the same quality photos as DSLR’s or other high-tech digital cameras?

There’s a reason why DSLR’s and other professional cameras cost so much and why people hire professionals with these types of cameras and skills to take photos for them.

Here are some price ranges for DSLR Cameras. I typically use Canon products, yet know many photographers who use Nikon, either way you can’t go wrong. Check out the prices below the photos.

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Canon T5i $649.00 (Starter Camera)

Canon 5D Mark III $3,099

Canon 1D $4,599

So yes, the camera that is being used to take your photos is not cheap, so you should expect various levels of photos that are going to produce higher quality photos than what your normally used to which is only ONE of the reasons why photographers charge so much.

Lenses

Many cameras come with “Kit” lens which is a basic lens for the camera to start out with but a Kit lens is not a lens you want to continue using for the duration.  The kit lens may seem like a great lens if you are starting off with your first DSLR camera but trust me you will soon realize this lens was not as good as you thought once you start to invest in other lenses.  Here are some examples of other lenses, some more affordable than others.

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Canon EF 85 mm f/1.8 $369

Canon 24-70 mm f/2.8 $1.799

Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 $1,999

Memory Cards:

When you purchase a new camera many times if the camera wasn’t purchased as a bundle deal, you are going to have to obtain the accessories separately. A major accessory is a memory card. A memory card is used to save photos from your camera and without a memory cards no digital photos would ever be produced.  Personally, I own 3 memory cards that I re-use over and over again for the sake that I ever run out of space while in a photo shoot or if one of the memory cards were damaged or even lost.  Preparation is of extreme importance and the cost of a memory card can start at $20.00 or more depending on brand and memory size.

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$44.99

$22.50

Speed Lights:

Speed Lights are very handy and useful to have to help with poor lighting conditions.  The great thing about speed lights is that they are small and easy to tote around when compared to other lights sources, yet these little bad boys can run up to a couple of hundred dollars or more, not to mention that you typically need to purchase pocket wizards along with speed lights for them to work, which can start at around $80.00 and up to a few hundred dollars.

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Currently $249 Brand New

Currently $600 Brand New

$79.99 Each

Professional Photo Printers

These printers are not something you are going to see in stores so no need to attempt to look for them.  Professional printers usually come from the same people who make the cameras and print magnificent photos. The printers also require certain paper that is specialty formatted to match their printer based on weight and certain types of technology that makes the quality of the print come out superb, rather than just average when printing.  Here is a Canon Pro-1 which runs at about $999.00 and is marked up at this price for good reasons.

Canon Pro 1 Currently $999

6. Editing Process

Once your photos are taken they have to be viewed which can sometimes include looking at 400 or more photos for one photo shoot. This editing process includes going through each and every photo to find the best photos for editing.  The editing process can take hours due to switching to various software tools, knowing exactly which tool to use in addition to sometimes removing objects from photos and changing photo sizes.

Here is an example of a raw uncut photo on the left, when compared to the edited photo on the right. This photo was straightened slightly, with a border added, then the pine cones were removed, in addition to changing the filter to a black and white which took some time to figure out which one looked best.

Before being Edited

After Edit

In Conclusion:

I hope that this shed a little light on the cost of photography, in addition to learning to treat the art of  photography like a real business that it is. I know some photographers who charge about up to $10,000 or more for a wedding to capture your moments and give you memories to last a lifetime.  You get what you pay for and photos are priceless, so the next time you inquire about getting quality photos made, be prepared to spend money because they are expensive.

Why Do Photographers Charge so Much, Your Only Pushing a Button…(Right)??? Well let's just say don't push my buttons by even thinking that photography should be something cheap. 

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Let's look at some of my favorite photo editing tools

Let’s look at some of my favorite photo editing tools

I think we all know what Photoshop is by now, I mean they advertise their product as “The Worlds Best Digital Imaging Software” and I cannot agree more, the product is amazing!!! Every time I use Photoshop I learn something new and am absolutely blown away by its capabilities and how it can transform photos.  BUT Photoshop can take some time to learn and for those of you who are not interested in…

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Great! Let’s compare some photos using my camera phone (I will not say the name brand) and my Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR).  Take a look for yourself at some of the differences if you are interested in purchasing a DSLR camera which is the reason why I switched over to this type of camera after viewing the differences in photos.

So Let’s Explore….First Picture: Outside during the day without flash

There are no edits in this these photos at all, except for cropping to make the photos the same size. Both photos were taken at the exact same time, one using a camera phone and the other used with a DSLR.

Canon 6D

Camera Phone

There are a few things that I notice when comparing both photos.  One photo has more of a vibrant color than the other…see the deep green verses the duller shades of greens; the grass almost looks dead when it obviously is not.  Also, look at the background with the DSLR photo and how it is slightly blurred, showing depth of field and is something that a camera phone just isn’t going to deliver due to having very small sensors.

Let explore…Second Picture: Outside at Night with Flash

Here is another example, taken outside, yet using an external flash for the DSLR and a built-in flash for the camera phone.

Of course, the power of the external flash is going to be much brighter and cover a larger range than the smaller built-in flash on the camera phone giving you the results you see above and showing the tree in greater detail.

Let explore…Third Picture: Outside at Night with Flash

Here is our final photo of my daughter while inside, once again using an external flash for the DSLR and the built-in flash within the camera phone.

What do you think?

My reasons for wanting a DSLR camera was because of the quality that I saw in the photos while I witnessed a friend taking photos using their DSLR and I was instantly sold.  If you would like to use your photos for the Internet or on places like Pinterest (where only quality photos are allowed) then think about a DSLR or hire a professional if your not interested in learning all of its features.

Take care of yourself, because no one else is going to….

Differences between Camera Phones and DSLR Pictures Great! Let's compare some photos using my camera phone (I will not say the name brand) and my Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR). 

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Great! Let’s compare some photos using my camera phone (I will not say the name brand) and my Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR).  Take a look for yourself at some of the differences if you are interested in purchasing a DSLR camera which is the reason why I switched over to this type of camera after viewing the differences in photos.

So Let’s Explore….First Picture: Outside during the day without flash

There are no edits in this these photos at all, except for cropping to make the photos the same size. Both photos were taken at the exact same time, one using a camera phone and the other used with a DSLR.

Canon 6D

Camera Phone

There are a few things that I notice when comparing both photos.  One photo has more of a vibrant color than the other…see the deep green verses the duller shades of greens; the grass almost looks dead when it obviously is not.  Also, look at the background with the DSLR photo and how it is slightly blurred, showing depth of field and is something that a camera phone just isn’t going to deliver due to having very small sensors.

Let explore…Second Picture: Outside at Night with Flash

Here is another example, taken outside, yet using an external flash for the DSLR and a built-in flash for the camera phone.

Of course, the power of the external flash is going to be much brighter and cover a larger range than the smaller built-in flash on the camera phone giving you the results you see above and showing the tree in greater detail.

Let explore…Third Picture: Outside at Night with Flash

Here is our final photo of my daughter while inside, once again using an external flash for the DSLR and the built-in flash within the camera phone.

What do you think?

My reasons for wanting a DSLR camera was because of the quality that I saw in the photos while I witnessed a friend taking photos using their DSLR and I was instantly sold.  If you would like to use your photos for the Internet or on places like Pinterest (where only quality photos are allowed) then think about a DSLR or hire a professional if your not interested in learning all of its features.

Take care of yourself, because no one else is going to….

Differences between Camera Phones and DSLR Pictures Great! Let's compare some photos using my camera phone (I will not say the name brand) and my Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR). 

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This post is coming from a person who hardly ever wears make-up and if I do, it’s only eyeliner or lip gloss due to not growing up around women who regularly wore make-up, I don’t care for the amount of time it takes to apply it, and because I am a perfectionist I’d rather just not do it at all, rather than put it on wrong are my reasons.  You’ll be surprised by the number of people I speak with who feel the same way about make-up too.

When preparing for photo shoots, I often ask my clients if they would prefer make-up and what I often hear is that many people either don’t wear make-up at all, have sensitive skin, think the make-up won’t match their skin color, or would rather not pay someone else to put on their make-up and here are my suggestions.

Because the camera picks up every single detail such as a hair out of place, or wrinkled clothing during photo shoots, the camera will also catch dark under eye circles, pimples, or scars which may stand out which is one reason to think about getting a professional make-up session for shoots.

When it comes to wearing make-up people may think that you need to over do it, but you simply can still have a natural look without overdoing it in photos.  Here is an example of one of my clients who is already naturally beautiful, yet enhanced her beauty without overdoing it by applying make-up by a professional artist.

Make-up by Dominique @https://instagram.com/_lifemorebeautiful/

More reasons why I strongly suggest wearing make-up by a professional for photo shoots includes how make-up artist know exactly what to apply to your face to stop your face from showing a glare or shine which will make your face look oily which is something you do not want to show in photos and may require additional photo editing at your cost.

Here is another make-up photo session of me showing how make-up can cover up dark under eye circles and spots when comparing wearing make-up or not.

This is me without make-up

This is me with make-up

When you need to get your hair done, you go to a hair stylist.  When you need to get your tooth pulled, you go to a Dentist.  When you need your car fixed, you go to a mechanic so when you need to get your make-up done, spurge a little and go to a professional because your friend is not going to give you the same experience and you will look AMAZING in your photos that should last you a lifetime.

Why You Need A Professional Make-Up Artist for Your Photo Shoot This post is coming from a person who hardly ever wears make-up and if I do, it's only eyeliner or lip gloss due to not growing up around women who regularly wore make-up, I don't care for the amount of time it takes to apply it, and because I am a perfectionist I'd rather just not do it at all, rather than put it on wrong are my reasons. 

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Why Complaints are GOOD for your business...

When people hear people complaining about their business the first thing that may come to mind is that the person is being negative or working to destroy something but here are some reasons why it is always good to get feedback from clients even when that feedback is negative and why complaining may actual be a good thing for your business and mine “if you decide to listen”…. Never reject…

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What you may not know about professional photographers in less than 500 words

What you may not know about professional photographers

If you think that being a Photographer is NOT considered to be a real career, think again, you have been lied to.  As the idea of snapping a picture can seem mundane to some, there is actually an ART and entire world to taking photos.  Most photographers I know take their ART very seriously and can break down the dynamics of using a camera better than you could ever imagine or explain the world…