Wedding photos are special -- you want to capture this moment forever!

A most special day, to remember forever..

I did a wonderful shoot recently — a quiet, simple wedding in Greenwich. We went to Binney Park — just lovely! and then back to The Delamar, where Alice and Tamara were staying. Their love for each other shines through in every image.  Take a look!

Wedding rings, symbols of love and promise.

Portraits are a great gift for parents

I’m so glad their daughter suggested a photo session, because it gave me the pleasure of meeting the most loving couple I’ve seen in a long time.  Their feelings for each other really shine through, don’t you think?

The Kiss

Portrait of a couple in love

Arm in arm, cheek to cheek

High School teens make fantastic models!

High school and teen photos are hotter than ever now, since teens – even more than the rest of us – live in a social media world.  Whether for Facebook, their i-phones or i-pads, teens love to have The Awesome Photo.  And they know all about presenting face to the world.  They may cast themselves as Woodsy-Rural-Pretty, Urban-Grungy-Grit, or a person of passion — Musician/Actor/Dancer/Sports-star/Skateboarder/Tech Geek, etc.  They are in the process of finding, describing, and inventing themselves, and showing off their self-creation is both empowering and exhilerating.

Teens are all about taking control or their image

Capturing their mood is key to great high school portraits

Teens have many moods. Their photos should reflect this.

Black and white portraits are timeless, and beautiful.

Weimaraners are high fashion models

… Except when they’re being totally goofy…

And then they get all dignified again.

A quiet moment

The best portraits capture authentic emotions and moments, and many shots that people react to most strongly are not the typical smiling faces.  A child — or teen, or adult — caught in a moment of thought, daydreams, or even reacting to obviously unfair parental scolding,  often provokes the reaction, “Oh — I know that face!”

Daydreams

Real life means tired moments, too.

Young James Dean??

"No ball throwing in the house"? -- Not happy with that.

Leaves after the rain

Today I read an article about how how more people are renovating or redecorating their current homes rather than buying new ones, as the housing market struggles to recover.  Michael Juliano, staff writer for the Stamford Advocate, wrote, quoting remodeler Anthony Crisculio: 

A few years ago, about 80 percent of his work stemmed from clients that wanted to modify recently purchased homes to their tastes… “Today, it’s reversed… homeowners are more inclined to stay where they are and renovate what they have…” 

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/default/article/More-homeowners-remodeling-instead-of-selling-1027822.php 

There are many ways to refresh or update your home without spending too much money.  Even more inexpensive than remodeling is re-painting and changing your wall artwork.  It’s amazing the huge difference that painting your walls a new color will make.  Some home lend themselves to using different colors in each room, which can be a lovely way to add interest.  Even contemporary homes with rooms that  flow into one another can use different palettes in different areas.  The key is choosing the right colors. 

One way to guide you in your color choices is to think about how colors evoke emotions.  A book I read suggested picturing your favorite locales, place you go on vacation, or places you dream of going.  If you were told to close your eyes and picture an ideal, peaceful place that brings you joy, where would it be?  The seaside?  The southwestern desert?  A New England woods in autumn?  Marrakesh?  Take a moment to explore the scene in as much detail as you can.  Then, choose colors from that palette, and those colors will evoke the same positive emotions in you.  You can use different colors from the same palette in different rooms or areas. 

Painting is a big job, and you may want to have it professionally done.  Proper painting involves priming, sanding, and putting down at least two layers.  Plus there’s all that work moving furniture and covering everything.  But when it’s finished, you’ll be astounded at what a difference it makes! 

After the painting is completed, you will probably want to think about new wall art for your rooms.  Local fine art outdoor shows can be a good place to start looking.  You may find that photographic art can be a cost-effective alternative to traditional media fine art.

Beth Madison Photography offers an extensive catalog of fine art photography.  Much of it is displayed at the fine art gallery on my website, but for even more, go to www.BethMadisonGallery.com

Red Barn

Trees Japanese

Of course, we also got to some quieter moments.   I’ll post some of those next time.  But whenever I look at these, I just have to grin.  Tell me the truth — don’t these make you smile, too?

It’s a shame to say, but most people who use online dating services only stop to read personal information about someone if they like what they see in the photo.  So it’s crucial to post a photo that shows you at your very best.

Beth Madison Photography is offering a very special Valentine’s Day promotion to all our friends who are in-between sweethearts at the moment.

$100 offer

Come in to the studio and get a professional photo taken, and receive three digital images for your online dating, for only $100.  This would normally cost $350 ($250 for a sitting fee and $100 for web-optimized digital images).

$150 offer

For only $50 more, I will meet you on location, at a park, in your home or backyard, or at a favorite event or activity, and take photos of you doing what you enjoy most.  Again, you will receive three digital images for your social media or online dating.

Because these offers represent such a deep discount, they are limited, and will expire on February 15^th.  So take advantage now, and call me at 203-274-5975 to book your session, or e-mail me at Beth@BethMadisonPhotography.com

Authentic smiles are a cinch while playing in snow

Here in the Northeast, the temperature has been up, the temperature has been down, but the snow just keeps coming and coming! Snow scenes make great photos, if a bit challenging at times.

Many cameras have a “snow” mode setting. That’s a good place to start. If not, you may have to change the white balance from auto to manual. Choose a white patch of snow to let the camera find true white. Otherwise, you may end up with blue-tinted snow. Also, you need to watch your exposure. Snow is very reflective, so you may need to underexpose by a stop.

Take care when bringing your camera back inside, too. Going directly from the cold outside to the warm inside will make the lenses fog up. The best way to avoid this is to allow the camera to adjust gradually to the change in temperature. If you have a camera bag, put your camera in it while you are still outside, then bring it in and leave it in the bag for long enough to allow the temperature to equalize slowly. A zip-lock bag can work, too. Any condensation will form on the bag, not on your camera.

But don’t pass up this time to capture great images! Get out there and have fun!

Is this a happy dog or what?

Playing in the snow = great photos!

Dog loving the deep snow

...just make sure the photog doesn't get into a snowball fight!

Rally-O is a great activity that you can do with your dog that will bring you both more joy than you can imagine. Why should you bother?

1. As I said above, it’s loads of fun for you. It’s exciting, challenging, easy to get started with, and can be done casually or more seriously.
2. It’s loads of fun for your dog. Your dog will get exercise and mental stimulation. This means a happy dog, and a dog that’s ready to return home afterwards and take a nice nap.
3. By working together – scratch that; by playing together in this way, the bond between you and your dog becomes stronger than ever.
4. If you’re a bit neurotic as I am and you ever wonder whether your dog is having a fulfilling life, you can rest easy.

But what exactly is Rally-O? Rally-O, or Rally-Obedience, is a sport that can be done competitively or just for fun. It’s basically a cross between obedience competition and canine agility. (Agility is where dogs negotiate a course, jumping jumps, going through tunnels and walking a balance beam in a timed, competitive event.)

In Rally-O, an owner and dog go through a course where they are prompted at each station to do an action, either take a jump (the dog!) or perform some simple bit of obedience work. Owners are allowed to talk to and encourage their dogs, unlike at Obedience trials. Many people do Rally just for fun, but it is also a competitive event.

Here — take a look:

Call your local doggie-day-care center or training center and ask if they teach Rally-O. Other great activities to do with your dog include agility, canine freestyle (AKA dancing with your dog), and, of course, obedience. I know — we’re all incredibly busy and often stressed out. But doing activities like these with your dog (maybe with your family, too!) is a lot cheaper than therapy, more rewarding than complaining to your friends, and much more fun!