cyndi farRare Images

We've Moved!

2010-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

We've moved! Here is a link to the new and improved cyndi farRare Images blog:

www.cyndifarrareimages.com/blog

Baby L Part 1 ~ Syracuse Newborn Photographer

2010-02-08T13:38:00.000-08:00

Here is part one of my session with Baby L. I swear he is just absolutely perfect. Enjoy!

Even Big Sis M got in on the action! ;-)

W Family Sneak Peek ~ Syracuse Family Photographer

2010-02-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the W Family! Here is a sneak peek from their session. Stay tuned for more!

S Family Part 2 ~ Syracuse Family Photographer

2010-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

This was such a hard session for me to edit down! I swear I could photograph this family all day long! Thanks S Family for allowing me to come to your home to capture your Rare Images!

Baby L Sneak Peek ~ Syracuse Newborn Photographer

2010-02-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing Baby L. He is just three weeks old, and was an absolute dream to work with! Here are just a few of my favorites. Stay tuned for more!

S Family Part 1 ~ Syracuse Family Photographer

2010-02-02T21:59:00.001-08:00

Here is Part 1 of the S Family Photo Session. I swear these two little ones could be models!

I seriously found myself saying "oh they are so yummy" several times. Hope you enjoy just some of their Rare Images!

Q&A ~ Image Selection and Histograms

2010-02-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

It's that time again to answer a few questions I've gotten in the last week. Thanks for sending me your questions, btw! I love to help out in any way I can, so keep those questions coming. Once I get a few, I'll post another Q&A post.

1. How do you select which image to use?

I don't think there is any real science to this for me, but here is my workflow. First, I load all my pictures onto my computer, and import them into a software program called Lightroom. Lightroom has a rating system, so you can quickly run through all your images and rate them on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars. I typically rate 1-3. 1- maybe, 2- like, 3 love. Some may ask, why have a maybe? Well, I have a hoarding problem...I kid (maybe). Seriously though, I have been able to make some fun artistic images out of those maybes.

After I rate them, I'll immediately start to edit my 3 star images. By the time I've fully edited those in both Lightroom and Photoshop, I've been away from the initial emotional connection I may have with some of the images, and I can be a bit more objective and critical of the shot. Try it for yourself. If you take a ton of pictures of your kids, only pick 3 to edit. Don't look at the remaining images for 24 hours or so, then come back and see if you still love all of those images. The question I ALWAYS ASK myself is "Would I hang this picture on my wall? Is this art?" Try to be really honest with yourself.

2. What is a histogram?

A histogram is a great way of evaluating whether the lighting in your image is balanced, and if you are utilizing your camera's full dynamic range of highlights and shadows. Too much? Hm...simply put, it tells you if your shadows and highlights are over or underexposed. Does your image have detail in the shadows? Is there any detail being shown in a black shirt, for instance? Or for highlights (think your whites), can you see definition in the lights areas of your image? Can you see a clear definition in a white shirt?

Most digital camera's give you the ability to see your histogram. There are four columns on a histogram (Blacks, Fill Light, Recovery, Highlights) Think of it as the color range from black to white. (Black, Grey, Light Grey, White). After you take a picture, check your histogram for that image. If you can see spikes in all four columns, then you have a nice dynamic image. Good job! If not, take the shot again, but try to improve your shot based on what your histogram told you. If there is no evidence of blacks, then try lowering your exposure to improve your shot, or change your angle of your shot to ensure you have both shadows and highlights in your image. It really does make a HUGE difference in the quality of your image.

As promised, I never blog without a photo. Here is another one of my favorites from yesterday's session with the S Family. How freaking adorable is this family?

(photoshop geeks, does anyone have a suggestion on getting your web quality images sharper? they look great in photoshop, but then when i upload it to the web they get blurry. it's driving me crazy!)

S Family Sneak Peek ~ Syracuse Area Family Photographer

2010-01-31T14:11:00.000-08:00

How lucky am I to have friends with such cute kids? I have known the S family since their oldest was just a few months old, so it was a real joy to capture their little spirits today! Here is a sneak peek of their session. More images to come later this week!

Putting a Price on Your Time

2010-01-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

I debated talking about this to the Internet world; however, the blogs I love the most are the ones that are real. And as I set up my business this is a real issue I am working through. While this is not about photography, it is concerning starting a business, so hopefully someone will relate! If not, I do apologize for what you are about to read... ;-)

So I ask the question:

What is the price you would put on your time?

I have actually had to struggle with this, because while I adore my new found passion, it is taking me away from my family and other fun activities. (like cleaning my house! LOL. Bet you could hear my laughter from your house!) But seriously, while I want to keep my prices affordable, I have to also take into account how much my hourly rate is, and is that worth taking me away from spending time with my kids, hubby or Private Practice! (I'm kidding Taye, I will always find a way to make time for you!) Oh...sorry bout that, back to business...

Before I was a "serious" photographer I didn't quite grasp how much time it takes to produce top quality pictures. I always laughed at how much photographers wanted to charge, until I was in their shoes. Taking into account what I charge divided by just the time it takes me to do a session and edit all the shots...I am making.....wait for it...$4 a hour! Ugh. My babysitter gets paid more than that even when my kids are sleeping!

Now hopefully as I improve my skills, my time to shoot and edit photos will become more efficient, and I can at least make what my babysitter makes. haha. Agh. So, this is what this newly small business owner is struggling with...all I have to say is it's a good thing this is my passion! haha

Now back to the photography side (you know the fun side), here is a new contrasting editing method I learned today.

Hand Painting Technique - Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-29T12:04:00.000-08:00

So today I learned a new technique called hand painting. It's cute technique that you do in Photoshop that can take some possible throw away shots into yummy little images!

Here is the original image. Make your retouches to taste. Then set your history brush to your last change in your history tab.

Next step is to run a Channel Mixer, and select a setting to taste. The image below is a BW with a Red adjustment. Then run a Levels filter, and adjust your levels to taste. Then flatten your image.

Next step is then to select the history brush and run your brush over the area you want to color in.

Once you are done coloring in the area, then run a hue/saturation filter and lower your hue so your colors come out faded.

After you have set your hue, run a color adjustment. Add a little red and yellow to give it a slight sepia shade to the image. Finally crop to taste.

Here is the result:

B Family ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am absolutely overwhelmed by the support from all of you! I have had a ton of requests to do sessions, and I am absolutely excited about each and every one.

The B Family was so awesome to take the risk of being my first session. We had SO MUCH FUN, and I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as I have enjoyed working on them.

I have another session for this Sunday, so stayed tuned for more rare images!

B Family ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-27T05:07:00.000-08:00

New Reads ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-25T11:53:00.000-08:00

So I've noticed it has been a bit hard on the hubby having a wife move from stay at home mom to photography business owner. Truthfully, I have let the house go. I'm so excited about the business that when the kids nap, I'm working rather than cleaning the house. I was beginning to think Anthony was regretting giving his backing of cyndi farRare Images, until he came home from the grocery store with a few new reads. It actually made my day. Perhaps he is a little excited too. ;-)

Q&A ~ Where Do I Start?

2010-01-24T22:08:00.000-08:00

I find this rather funny that I'm doing a Q&A post on my blog already, but I've been asked the same questions by several people in the last 24 hours. So here it goes:

1. What camera do you use?

I have a Nikon D90 right now. (yes, right now. plan on making a pro purchase this year!) I am a Nikon girl for no other reason but that this is the camera my husband bought me for my birthday last year. If I had to go back and start fresh I'd probably go Canon. Hate me if you must. ;-)

2. Are you using any filters or special lenses?

I don't use filters (other than the one's in Photoshop!). Since Christmas I have been solely shooting with my new 50mm 1.4 lens, and man is there a difference! Seriously, if you have never shot with a good prime lens, do it! I'm able to get great depth of field with it, and it allows me to get those crisp shots. Truthfully, my lens and I are still getting to know one another, but I can tell we will be forever friends!

3. I want to become a better photographer. Where should I start?

This is a huge question, but what has helped me most is turning my camera's settings to manual and forcing myself to really understand how aperture, shutter speed and the ISO setting have an impact on my pictures. Then practice every day! I seriously am behind the lens every day capturing something. Then I study it and figure out how to improve on it. If you're a lunatic, like myself, you can't stop till the shot is perfect, and will read everything you can get your hands on to fix the shot.

My daily reading typically consists of about 30 photography blogs (don't be impressed. they are like picture books. not a ton of content, with very pretty pictures.) Getting ideas through other photographers is key. The angle's they use, lighting they suggest, or even tutorials in photoshop. I've learned the most from other photographers! Here are my top 5 blogs:

http://www.jasminestarblog.com/
http://www.ashleymcnamara.com/articles/
http://betsykingphoto.com/blog/
http://www.bethjansenphotography.com/blog/
http://www.fausetphotography.blogspot.com/

I am taking a course through the Photography Inst., but it's an online course w/o video instruction. So I don't know if I'd start there. It's heavy on the technical aspect. I've learned a ton, but I'm not sure how much it's impacted my pictures.

Lastly if you can, find yourself a mentor. I have an amazing friend, who has been mentoring me through building my photography business. She's been great at answering both my photography questions, as well as marketing strategies. Love her! Here is her blog:
http://www.jenniferburnsphotographyblog.com/

And sense no post is complete without a shot, here is another sneak peak from yesterday. Oh, and keep emailing me those questions. Once I get a few, I'll do another Q&A post!

B Family ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today I had my first session ever! HOORAY!! I'm looking at just these few pics (more to come) and I am shedding tears. Why? Because I am so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and really following my passion! God has blessed me once again!

Okay, so on to the business at hand. The B Family are wonderful friends of ours. I adore these two crazy little men. I had so much fun today trying to keep up with them. Thanks B Family for being my first!

Kitty Love - Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I grabbed the kids to have some fun jumping on Mommy's bed. It turned out to be more about cuddling with the cat.

Sad and Beautiful at the Same Time, Right? ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

So with all the snow we got after the New Year, we are a little late on getting the outdoor Christmas stuff down. Yes, central NYers we aren't from here, and don't have that cold sense you do!

According to my late Aunt Joyce you shouldn't take down your holiday decorations till the Super Bowl anyways, so in my mind I'm way ahead of the game! ;-) Sad, I know. With all the snow the holiday decorations look so pretty. Perhaps it's due to the fact I didn't grow up where you had snow for the holidays, or maybe it's my secret inner Cindy Loo Who not giving up on the Christmas spirit. I don't know, but I promise my inner good neighbor will take over this weekend and get everything put away. ;-)

When the Cat's Away the Mice Will Play! ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

So despite my best efforts I came down with the dreaded flu. My husband was amazing! Even though he caught the same bug, he pretty much was a single parent these past few days. So today was the first day I could open my eyes without falling ill, and well looks like the kids had FUN! Note too all mothers, don't get sick. You'll have a mess to pick up when you come back around!

Avoiding the Flu - Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

The flu has taken up resident in our household the past few days. And can I tell you I have had enough of it. Both my children have had it, and I'm just waiting for Momma to get it now. I know you should load up on Vitamin C for colds, but what can you take to avoid the flu? My husband says alcohol kills everything. Hm.... So if you should see me around town a little tipsy, no worries I'm just fighting off the flu. ;-)

{Snowy Morning Fun} ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

This morning lil man was happy enjoy to join me outside for my daily shoot. He's not so found of getting his picture taken these days, but Momma does the best she can to capture his adventurous spirit.

Photographers: These shots were edited primarily using Photoshop Actions from Totally Rad Actions. Check them out! http://www.gettotallyrad.com

{Kitty C} - Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Photo Tip of the Day - If you have the ability to view your histogram on your camera, take a picture then check out your histogram. Ensure you have utilized the full dynamic spectrum your camera offers. Trust me, your post edits will be a ton easier!

Kitty C is our first baby, and has had to handle the addition of our two children. Very tough for this little kitty. She sees me taking a ton of pics of the kids, and fully enjoyed having her own

private session.

Getting ready for her close up!

Serious gal

She even got silly towards the end!

{Daily Shoot} ~ Syracuse Area Photographer

2010-01-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

Photo Tip: Make sure you have bold colors that make your photos pop. Red is my personal favorite.

First B&H Package!!

2010-01-13T12:56:00.001-08:00

OMG! It came, it came! My first package from B&H! For those who don't know, B&H is the absolute best place to buy anything related to photography! Every photography book or blog I have read said get your stuff here. So you can imagine how official I feel as a photographer to get a delivery from them. Here is their site: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

So what came in that wonderful package? Actually two things that are very affordable. A soft box and a soft screen. Now let me preface this by saying my photography style is to completely use natural light and only use flash as an absolute last resort. Unfortunately I don't live in LA, where there is wonderful sun more days than not. No, I live in snowy Syracuse where a grey sky is just the way of life. So you can imagine how wonderful indoor natural light is here. Yeah...so, I decided to try out these two products to soften the light I would get from using a flash. So of course as soon as the kids went to bed, Momma went a shootin to try out these new toys. Here is what I got.

To all photographers, these images are uneditted (gasp!) to best illustrate what these flash tools can do.

1st Shot: I wanted to take a shot w/o a flash using the settings I was planning on using to best illustrate how much a flash helps. This picture was taken with the following settings: 800 ISO, f/4, 1/200 sec

2nd Shot: This was taken with my pop up flash using the same settings as the picture above.

3rd shot: I popped the soft screen right overtop of my pop up flash and kept the same settings as the shots above.

First B&H Package Cont.

2010-01-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

4th Shot: I attached my Nikon SB-400 flash to compare the difference between a pop up flash and an external flash attachment.

5th Shot: I put the soft box over the flash attachment.

6th Shot: For this last shot, I wanted to see how much better a natural photo would look compared to one that is lit by flash. This shot was taken using these settings: 800 ISO, f/2.8, 1/20 shutter speed.

I like #6 better, because it looks more natural. However, the colors are a bit washed out, and with a shutter speed of 1/20 I couldn't shoot anything that wasn't moving. Keeping in mind that most of my subjects are wiggling to the max #5 is probably the way I'd go.

But let's put it this up for a vote. Readers, what do you think? Which shot do you like best?

Exposure Delay Mode

2010-01-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today's practice session subject: My new outlet find! ;-)

This was taken in natural light on one snowy day. My front hall does not get much light, so I was playing around with increasing my ISO (film speed for all you old film folks...Mom) to increase the light sensitivity of my sensor. This allows you to take pictures in low light situations without using a flash. The trick here is that you don't want to go too high on your ISO settings, because your photo will show too much grain (photographers call this noise). My camera settings were ISO 1600, f/2.5, and a shutter speed of 1/100 of a second. The camera still wasn't giving the tack sharp photo that I was looking for, so I changed my camera settings to Exposure delay mode.

Exposure delay mode (or Mirror Lockup for you Canon folks) locks your camera's mirror in the up position until after the shot is made. This limits the movement inside your camera when you are taking the shot, and therefore it gives you a sharper shot. Camera shake is your enemy for sharp photos! Exposure delay mode does slow down your shutter speed though, so you still have to keep a pretty steady hand. But since it keeps the mirror open, allowing more light onto the sensor, you can shoot at a lower ISO!

Welcome to cyndi farRare Images Blog!

2010-01-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

Yes, another blog! For those who don't know me, I have a blog for family and friends to keep up with my kids. Since we don't live close to family, the kids blog has been critical for keeping our family up to date on all the crazy antics of my kids! It is through this blog that I started to rediscover my passion for photography.

This year the hubby got me a Nikon D-90, which ignited my creativity and drive for that perfect shot. After posting a few pictures a girlfriend, who owns a photography business in DC, encouraged me to start my own business. (Btw, go check out her blog. Love her work! http://w

ww.jenniferburnsphotographyblog.com/ ) So being the insecure girl that I am, I entered into photography school before taking on building the business. Cause you know you have to be a photography master before you can build a business, NOT!

So now I'm taking photography classes through the Photography Institute, reading about 30 photography blogs a day, watching as many Photoshop & Lightroom tutorials as I can, reading through Digital Photography books, and shooting every day. Oh yeah, and being a stay at home mom too! ;-)

This blog will be a place where you can keep up with what I've learned on my journey to building my photography business. I've challenged myself to shoot every day to help master my technique, and this blog will capture it all.

Since a photography blog wouldn't be the same without a picture, here is a photo of Miss J from a practice session last week.

Check back tomorrow to see what I've learned!