Spring Mini Sessions- Fredericton Photographer
It is time again. I will be holding mini sessions for those of you who like to have a quick session to get updated images of your little ones. These sessions are ideal for 6 months of age or older. Preferably children able to sit up on their own.
Here are the details. There is a few spots left but since I posted this on Facebook first then some of the spots filled quickly. If you aren’t following us on Facebook it is something you can do by clicking on the facebook tab to the left of the page and liking Rankin Photography. I will often post specials and updates on Facebook first. So go and check us out.
go here to see the full size pdf file for easy on your eyes reading!
http://www.rankinphotography.ca/springmini2012.pdf
If you would like to book a mini session time then email me at srphotos@nb.sympatico.ca to secure your time. The spots are filling fast!
And a fun session with gorgeous Miss J the other night. With 2 more grad sessions coming up this weekend. Hoping the rain holds out!
2013 Grad Rep Models Wanted- Fredericton Teen Photographer
I have been busy on many fronts… wrapping up some newborn sessions, traveling to Newfoundland to see my daughter Mary Jean compete in her first Atlantic’s gymnastics competition. She did amazing… coming 4th all around, with a first on floor. We are so very proud of her and how committed and determined she is.
I am excited to be doing my first grad session of the year tonight. I love these sessions and plan to do more of this type of shoot. It is so fun to photography teens, who are graduating, full of anticipation about the future and what their life has to hold. I can see it in each of them, hope, excitement and usually a bit of healthy fear. It is such an exciting time and I love being part of it.
check out our grad site and video by clicking on the image below.
So I want to photograph more young grads and the way I have grown every other part of my business is word of mouth. Young people love to chat, share. Ummm Facebook! And there is nothing better then you hearing from the horses mouth. What a session is really like with me. I do this by having a grad rep program. I select only a few from each school, each year to have a fun session with me this summer before they head back into their senior year. They get some cool images and cool stuff to share and hand out to their friends. The best part is they also will earn a spring session with me to get updated images at the end of their grade 12 year. Cool!
To spread the word I am looking for my new 2013 Grad Rep spokes models. 
If you are interested in getting a free session, some cool free stuff to hand out and aren’t afraid to share your experience and chat it up with others then you may be a good fit. I am looking for representatives from both schools. I am looking for those who are graduating this upcoming 2013 year and some that are still a year away from their graduation year (going in grade 11) who may want to be a future rep. Contact me so you can find out more about how you can become a Rankin Photography spokes model and representative and more details on the program. You won’t regret it!
Scroll down to see how to contact me.
If you are outgoing, fun, involved, stylish, chatty and not afraid to share your images and experience with others then contact me to find out more on how you can apply as a Rankin Photography Grad Rep.
Here is the application form online to complete and fill out…
http://www.rankinphotography.ca/machform/view.php?id=4
or you can email me to get more information at srphotos@nb.sympatico.ca
There will be a photo session in August with all selected grad reps (Models) who end up being selected as my spokes models and it is going to be so much fun. Hair, makeup a cool location. You don’t want to miss out.
So apply…. now…. go… what are you waiting for? Yes… apply! I can’t wait to hear from you.
out of the office- Fredericton Photographer
I wanted to let those who may still be visiting the blog “knock knock”… that I will be out of the office until Monday of this week returning to work Monday morning. I am flying to Newfoundland to see my daughter compete in the Atlantic gymnastics competition. She is going with the N.B team and I am a bit on edge with her traveling with a group rather then me, her parent, mom and maybe a bit protective overseer. Don’t blame me… she just celebrated her big 10 years last week and to me is still so young and innocent. An innocence I would prefer to protect and watch over just a wee bit longer. I have no doubt she will be fine… it is my nerves that will take the burden.
Just a note about booking. I am filling fast… I have sessions booked even into August and want to be sure I let you all know that if you are even considering booking a time with me you should do it soon. I have a few spots left for the end of April, beginning of May… go and check out my calendar below for openings. I only book a few sessions a week so they fill fast.
Grads… there is still time to book your session before graduation. I still have a few spots left. I am excited to be continuing on my Rep. program and will be posting some information on that soon as to how to apply. So watch the blog and my facebook page for it.
IF YOU ARE NOT ON FACEBOOK… just know that I often will post things on my facebook page before I do here. So be sure to go to Rankin Photography Facebook and like my page so you get notifications of upcoming specials. Hint… a spring/summer mini session will be offered very soon and I anticipate it filling fast considering I put it on facebook a few days ago and have had emails already about it. I will only have around 8 spots or so and do not anticipate doing another one for a few months.
My sweet girl. All of 10 years old!
A rare occasion to get a photo of my son Keagan. I can’t believe he will be a teenager this summer!
sweet newness- fredericton Photographer
This week has been busy with my husband traveling and working away at editing and booking new clients. Spring is here and with it my busy time. I love it but I always feel like it hits me so suddenly and I am rarely prepared.
Here are just a few images from a recent session. Gorgeous family and Mr. H is so lucky to have such loving parents. It was great meeting you Christina, Brad and Little sweet Mr. H. I hope you are getting some rest and adjusting to your new wonderful life.
And yes, he kept trying to eat her nose! It was sooo cute.
Spring Calendar- Fredericton Photographer
I AM BACK! It has been quite a long hiatus. I can’t explain it but after the fall and being incredibly busy, I felt a huge desire to disconnect and turn inward to my family to spend time nurturing my person life. In order to be fully present with them and not be distracted by my business. So I took a long break following Christmas and have come slowly back to my work this past month. My time away has been a blessing and has filled me up with renewed hope for the future, for my business and for what is to come. I hope you did not totally give up on this blog after so many months. I will be back to posting more and introducing new offerings through Rankin Photography that I believe will be a huge hit. One has to follow their heart, this is something I have come to realize, and when you don’t your life and all that goes with it suffers. If I am not happy then my family is not happy. A mother’s happiness has a direct correlation to the happiness of their family, I truly believe this.
I am hoping to explore new ideas and new opportunities with my business which completely excites me. I foresee a new direction for Rankin Photography and will be sharing more with you soon. Let’s just say that I want to photograph those individuals who rarely take the time to get themselves in front of the camera… mature women, mothers, and sisters. Sharing their beauty with them, inspiring them to see their inner spirit as well as their outerward beauty.
It is also important for me to set a more schedule for myself this year. Going back to ensuring I can do all that I need to with running a household, raising two growing children as well as ensuring I give my business what it deserves. I have decided to post a link to my calendar and embed it here as well for my clients to review and look at for booking availability. With the limited numbers each month (around 8 or so spots), they fill quickly. Do not wait to book your spot as my schedule is firmly set with little wiggle room.
If there is a time that you will be wanting that is listed you will need to email me at srphotos@nb.sympatico.ca to ensure you get this time. I will try and keep the calendar updated here.
here is the calendar
NOTE: this is only updated until the end of June and beyond that I have not confirmed my dates but will within the next month or so. If you are looking for July or beyond please email me to book a time.
newborns are what is on the agenda lately. Here are a few from the past month. I will have another one tomorrow and will share his images soon.
This little girl was a doll and managed to settle in by the end of the session for some sweet basket shots.
but when she was awake she was soooo alert!
and a little peanut who was only 5lbs 6oz. He was tiny but strong!
Fall Frenzy- Fredericton photographer
The fall is always my busiest time and this year is one of my busiest I believe. It is a good thing, keeping busy and being creative with my clients. Providing them wonderful memories. But as you can tell my blog tends to suffer when this happens and this year without exception.
I thought I would post a mix of images from different sessions this fall with the intention of posting more soon. So many great images to choose from. I am hoping to do my “2011 year end” slideshow once I am done shooting here soon.
So on with the images…
a quick review on apetures- Fredericton Photographer
It is difficult to find time during this very busy season to update my blog or post images. But I wrote this out to a client the other day who was going back to review some course notes on photography she took a few years ago from Noel Chenier who teaches some great photography courses here in New Brunswick.
I was just discussing how she may want to try a semi automatic mode first to really engrain what each function of the camera does such as aperture, shutter and iso. To really play with how aperture affects the photo when you adjust it. So by choosing AV mode (Canon) or TV mode for Nikon you are getting a chance to just play with your aperture settings and letting the camera choose the shutter. Play, see what shooting at f4 vs say f8.0 aperture will do to the image when you take it.
here is what I wrote to her so if you have any questions about this let me know. I would love to help out and engage people in photography discussions. I really enjoy helping to teach people to better learn their camera and how it functions. Get out of AUTO mode!
here is a cool chart I found and will post here so you can visualize what it means when we talk about Aperture, Shutter or ISO’s. I love the breakout of Nikon and Canon as well and the visual!
“Glad to hear that you are working on manual. Even begin with AV mode so you can begin to really register in your mind how the different apertures (hole that opens up to allow light in) varies with the number you dial in. If you choose an aperture number of say f5.6, then the hole is smaller then had you chosen f2.0 . Smaller hole means less light will enter the camera and more things will be in focus. So larger F number more things in focus, smaller F number less things in focus. Think of it like this… when more light enters through a wider hole like f2.0 the light goes through and hits your sensor and goes “splat” making more of the scene out of focus. Narrow the hole, making it smaller by increasing your f stop number and less light will then hit the sensor, less splat but MORE of the scene will be in focus because you narrowed down the hole and allowed for less light to hit the sensor.
So 2.0… wide hole… 5.6 smaller hole… smaller hole lets in less light. If you have less light then the camera needs to find light… how? It will slow down your shutters to compensate. Watch when you change your aperture number how your shutter number changes. The number will go from a higher shutter ie 1/100th (fast shutter) to a slower shutter and lower number like 1/60th because it needs to find light to balance you adjusting the “hole” aperture you made smaller. So how to get more light… open the hole (aperture) wider or slow down your shutters( will allow the shutter to be open longer to allow more light in)
It ALL correlates.
(she is going to look at buying my 50mm 1.8 lens so why I then said…)
The 50mm 1.8 (1.8 being the lowest number and widest aperture opening available on this lens) allows you to get more light into your lens when shooting inside as you can open up your aperture (hole) to allow more light to hit your sensor vs. The lens you have now may not go below 4.5 aperture.
So if you can put it at 1.8 then the hole is bigger and allows more light to come in BUT… it also means less of the subject is in focus. So when you see those nice blurry backgrounds…they were shot with a very low aperture (or possibly a zoom but standing close to the subject to still make it blurry). But just start with one thing… put it in AV mode and play with your dial. This setting will allow you to ONLY move your aperture number. It will select the shutter for you. So it is like semi automatic and a good way to start and really learn your apertures.
You will see as you move the number to a larger number more and more things become in focus! So the idea of how aperture works begins to sink in. I think learning one thing and then moving to understanding shutters after is a good way to engrain the idea of how you are controlling the light entering your camera.
Shutters affect it as well and then ISO. Three things… they call it the exposure triangle.”
Just as a note I tend to shoot really “wide open” during my shoots meaning I often will go as low as the aperture on my lens will allow as I do like beautiful “blurry” background. The real term if you were wondering is a shallow depth of field. I just recently purchased the 50mm 1.4 for this reason. I have had the 50mm 1.8 for years (great lens by the way if you happen to be wanting a good “fixed” lens) but that two stop difference is huge when you shoot indoors like I do or if you are doing on location. Here is an example of when I tend to go low with my aperture or (wide open).
My sisters puppy… the cutest dog ever. I think I probably shot this around f1.8 or f2. Love the blurry background.
There is very few images I take that aren’t using this technique accept for a group shot if I need all people in focus or if I am using a zoom lens I can go higher but still get the shallow depth of field. I could post a ton of images to show this but for now a few from a recent session.
Hope the information here helped! Take a minute to comment and let me know.
Right Light- Fredericton Photographer
Loved this quote.
In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary- — Aaron Rose
Sharing some images here… and how I love to use the light to make images that much more special.
Fall Fashion & preparing for your shoot- Fredericton Photographer
I get alot of questions regarding clothing choices for sessions. And fall is one of my busiest times of year so I wanted to put a few links here to some examples of good clothing choices.
These fashion boards are courtesy of Polvore.com
The main things I always say is if you were to lay out each family members outfit then would it work as one outfit. If something is glaring then it will also stand out during the photo. I love Robin’s tip (see below for her whole post) select one pattern for one child then from that pattern use the colors in it to build off of for each members outfit. It makes a lot of sense because when you do this then you will coordinate.
I said coordinate not “match”! Coordinating works, matching is not flattering. So don’t bring everyone in plaid.
Ok for some helpful blog posts from fellow photographers. These are great to read to get the scoop on how to dress for pictures.
Robbie Gleason a Tulsa photographer recently posted a great blog post regarding what to wear and some visuals. Check it out here.
http://robbiegphotography.com/blog/2009/09/04/what-to-wear-what-to-wear-tulsa-family-photographer/
My friend Robin who is a fantastic photographer posted a great blog post on how to choose outfits for your family pictures and gives lots of “do not do’s” as well as how to mix and match things. Check out her blog for some wonderful ideas.
http://www.photosbyrobin.com/blog/what-to-wear-for-fall-photos/
and I will post a few links that I have also found on pinterest that I have pinned onto my board…
http://pinterest.com/shelleyrankin/fashion/
and I also found this link on pinterest that also has “family looks”!
http://pinterest.com/annbeckphoto/family-looks/
Check it out people and you will look amazing for your fall photos when the time comes.
Just Breath- Fredericton Photographer
I am telling myself that each day when I wake up and see how much I have to accomplish that day. I have not had a lot of time to update my blog… it is just too busy a time right now. I will try and post a few more session images as it has been straight out lately and I have a ton to share.
A note about booking for fall… at the moment I am fully booked until late October. This time is pretty much my cut off to ensure I get through all the session proofing and make sure people get their orders in and back for Christmas. Plus outdoor sessions tend to get a bit chilly any later than this. I have done it in past years and have found it hard on the little ones as it gets cold up here in Canada that time of year. However it could also be unnaturally warm so don’t rule out contacting me as that time approaches to see what I may or may not have. I am putting people on a waiting list at this time.
I do not work the months of December and January and have had tell this to some recent inquiries from people wanting to book those months. Did I mention I HATE SAYING NO! I am a people pleaser at heart… it is one of my biggest weaknesses.
IF YOU HAVE BOOKED WITH ME and I have not yet received your booking information, agreement forms or payment then you are at risk of losing your time slot. I can not hold spots this time of year due to the demand for those times. I do limited times slots a week and really do need to have confirmation in order to hold your spot. Remember I want to please and would hate to have people mad at me.
A few from recent sessions. I have more to share soon!
Remember all images on this site are copyright to Rankin Photography and therefore no duplication or copying of any kind is allowed. Sorry but it just is not cool to take without asking. Your mom must have told you that.
Seriously gorgeous sisters. Wow. Mom you need to lock the doors and keep them that way until they are 20!
sweet newborn
Not sure how I manage to get all the beautiful mom’s!
love love the one of baby and dog. I have a feeling they will be great friends growing up!
And look it’s me. A dad at a recent session took my backup camera and took some shots of me. Love this! I seriously love my job and my clients!
