WEDDING PROMOTION!

Spring is here...which also means that wedding season is going to be in full BLOOM! So, I am offering a limited time wedding promotion. Here are the details:

*First 10 Wedding Packages for only $500.00 (includes engagement session w/ CD 10 images, 3 hr. wedding day coverage, CD w/ 60 images, (100) 4x6 prints from engagement session for announcements)

Just want an engagement or bridal session?

*First 10 engagement or bridal sessions for $75.00

(includes 30 min.-1 hr. session w/ CD of 10 images)

If you want to take advantage of this limited time promotion or know someone who is getting married (C'mon..we all live in Utah, the wedding capital of the U.S.), shoot me an e-mail at sanaejames@gmail.com or call me at 801.331.8719!

I'm in the mooood for promotions right now. So spread the news and keep posted for future promos for some mini sessions comin' up!!!

Computers...

Let's just say that my computer and I were not friends these last 5 days. How does a photographer live without her most important editing tool...PHOTOSHOP? Five days ago, I opened up photoshop as I normally do and a strange box came up with a prompt that said something to the effect of, "Licensing for this product has stopped working. Uninstall and reinstall the software, or call ADOBE customer help." I was like, "Whaaaat?" So I uninstalled and tried to reinstall. The crappy thing was that my CS3 would not reload!!!! I tried a numerous amount of times, and even checked on adobe's customer help site to try to figure things out. I probably worked on that for like a good 3 hours for 2 days before I just gave up and waited to call Adobe today.

The funny thing was...my goofy daughter came up with her own solution to having her computer while I was having my crisis. We had an extra keyboard lying around so she grabbed it and made her little make shift computer that she could set up anywhere. Her computer consisted of keyboard, a lid to a rubbermaid container supported by her favorite cup. INGENIOUS I say! She was pretty pleased with herself as she set up her office on the kitchen table. At least SOMEONE was having a good computer day!

Last Call Washington Mini-Sessions

Last Call....

Bremerton Mini-Sessions on Saturday, April 18th. Sessions starting at 9:30 A.M. Please e-mail me at sanaejames@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up for a session. There are two spots available.

Oak Harbor area Mini-Sessions on Thursday, April 23rd. Sessions starting at 4:30 P.M. Please e-mail me at sanaejames@gmail.com if you are interested in signing up. There is one spot available.

MASON

He's ONE YEARS OLD! Happy Birthday BUDDY!

All Diva'd Out!

I remember PARTS of my 7th birthday clearly. I had invited three of my good friends to my house. At this time in my life, my family lived in Japan--so one of the things I loved to do was walk to the Japanese grocery store and peruse the section that had all of the nifty mechanical pencils, smelly erasers, cool markers and notebooks. I LOVED to draw and write. I used to write lines and lines of jumbled up squigally lines to mimick my mom's cursive. I had notebooks upon notebooks filled with my writings.

Of course my party had to entail shopping at the local Japanese market so my mom gave each girl at my party some money to buy some cool supplies. I watched as my mom gave each friend 500 yen (which is about $5), and she turned and gave me 300 yen ($3). I was SHOCKED! I quietly complained to my mom that it was simply MY BIRTHDAY and she had it all wrong. I should be the one getting the 500 yen! She then turned to me and said something along the lines of, "Sanae...I know it is your birthday, but these are your guests. And we ALWAYS offer our guests the best we have." I was only 7, so at the time I was so upset with my mom. But I quitely agreed and we all went to the store and got our goods. My mother continues to practice what she preaches and has always treated others with so much respect and love. It's funny how out of all of the birthdays that I have had...this one was one of my most memorable! B.T.W. I did have an awesome party and we had tons of fun.

So Happy 7th Birthday! The theme of the party was "All Diva'd Out"--so naturally they had to work the camera as all Divas do, right?!? These girls were awesome and just so adorable! They totally worked it out don't you think?

Birthday Girl.....

The DIVAS....

When is Spring going to be here?

My little girls have been getting so excited about the weather warming up. Me, too. The last couple of days have been so beautiful out and it has been so great to see all of the kids come out of their homes to run out and play on their bikes. My baby girl likes to watch all the kids out in the neighborhood by opening up the blinds and pointing to all the passerbys. Yay for spring!

How I take "jumping shots"

This is for the loyal blogger Cindy :) who asked about how I take my jumping shots....so here is what I do. I'm no expert, but here it is....And please note that I'm really no good with words. I so wish I could just tell you in person, I could probably do a better job at explaining it....

First things first.... Practice. I think that's the best way to get it right. I have my kids jumping off of stuff all the time so I can practice. It's a little harder to get things in motion to not be blurry (especially if you are not trying to get that effect). So practice many times. I still get blurry shots here and there, so the key is to take more than one shot. Something that looks clear in your viewfinder may not be clear when you upload it to your computer. (Make sure to zoom in to see the details when you check to make sure on your camera).

I shoot all of my pics on Manual mode. I think it is the best way to get the image just right as far as lighting, shutter speed, and depth of field. You have total control. When I take action shots (like jumping) I like to have my shutter speed at least around 350. I also use spot metering and I focus my AF point (the little red blinking light) right on the person's eyes. I tuck my arms in tight against my sides, or rest my elbows securely on something so I am as still as possible. When I take the pic, I usually try to pan and go with the motion of the person. Does that make sense? You can also get them at the highest point and take one shot, and usually you can get a nice, sharp pic. This is of course if you want the jumping to look like it is frozen in motion. If you want the blurring effect, you will need to slow down your shutter speed.

If you don't shoot on Manual or are quite not ready to take that plunge, I would say to set your camera to Shutter Priority mode or (Tv mode) on your camera. This will allow you to adjust your shutter speed (remember you want to keep your shutter speed pretty high so you can get that freezing motion). The camera will set your aperture/exposure for you so all you have to essentially worry about is your shutter speed.

You'll want to practice in a well-lit area for sure...That will make it a lot easier, too. I hope this somewhat answers your question. There really isn't too much to it if you are just looking to get a nice crisp clear picture. There's so much to learn about photography isn't there? I love photography. My love for it continues to grow everyday. Let me know if this works out for you...And if you work it out, send me a pic, and I'll post it here on the blog for everyone to check out! If anyone has any jumping shots that they've taken, let us know how you do it!

Can't forget this!

Here's a pic for the girls!

When I was younger...

I gotta hand it to this BEAUTY...for real. She knew exactly how to work the camera. I really didn't have to say much. I don't ever remember being able to be so comfortable in front of the camera when I was her age. But then again, I'm not too comfortable in front of the camera now...I know...the irony.

I remember sporting a "Kool Kidz" shirt (yes, that's with a snazzy ZZZZZZ) EVERY OTHER DAY--with bright yellow capris and those slouch socks we used to wear in the 80's and early 90's. I shudder at the thought that I used to think I looked so cool. Geez....I guess kids these days are way cooler! This shoot reminded me how ridiculous we used to look when we were in the 5th & 6th grade. Well, at least I never wore Hammer pants....

Anyway, thanks for a fun shoot! You rocked it out girl!

Can I Get a What What?

I remember that's what my friends and I used to say back in the day when I was cool. Anytime we said something that we wanted people to agree with, we'd say, "Can I Get a What What?" and then we'd all in unison yell back, "what what...." as if we were in agreement. Ya, we were cool. We were ghetto... I am laughing to myself as I'm recalling some those "what what!" memories....

So, can I get a what what on Miss "M" for her outrageous long lashes and beautiful face!?! Come on now...let's say it all together...what...what....

P.S. Hats in pics are from Ariri Shop (click on their shop banner on my sidebar to go to their store).

WOWZA! This is my fav...so fierce!

Oh...the weather....

How many of you living in Utah are sick of the cold weather!?! If you ask me, I think it's high time for the sun to come out and STAY OUT! Especially when it comes to photography, it's pretty difficult to get out and shoot pictures in the miserable weather. I am so ready for spring. It's almost the middle of March for goodness sake! But enough venting for now...I have a few things coming up (weather permitting) so sit tight all three of you that read this blog!!! :)

Coming up:

*TwigsBoutique Photo Shoot

*Diva B-Day Party

*Group Shoot with Omi Photography

And because a post wouldn't be a post without a pic, here is a BW pic...since I love BW!

Senior | Announcements

Here are samples of the 2009 senior grad announcements. They are 5x7 flat cards that come with envelopes and super stylin' if I do say so myself! Colors & info on cards can be customized to whatever you want. Makes me want to go back to high school all over again...ur...uh...on second thought, maybe not.