#calgarymakeupartist – Page 2 – AdaLilly Photography

May

TIP TUESDAY #11

ALP Client Guide – Spring & Summer Session Wardrobe

Dressing for a Spring & Summer Family Session

Spring

The birds are chirping, the buds are blooming, and the snow has officially melted. That means it’s time for your spring family session. Here are a few wardrobe tips to ensure the whole gang looks smashing:

Play up the fact that it’s spring. Have a necklace with a butterfly pendant? Perfect! An insect-printed tee? Yes, please.
Channel the colors of spring. While pastels are the most popular colour during Spring, other colours will work too. Seriously – look out the window for inspiration for your family’s colour palette or pin our colour client guide image below. Greens, pinks, yellows, beige, khaki, and blues all work exceptionally well.
Layer up! Spring can be both warm and cold at once, so come prepared. We love spring scarves, light cardigans, vests, etc.

Summer

It’s hot outside, but fear not. Here are some cool wardrobe tips to make sure your summer family photo session is a hit:

Wear light fabrics that let you breath, but still look polished. It’s OK to show some skin, too. Shorts are good, as are tank tops.
Really play up the summer accessory factor. I’m talking sun hats for the ladies and big sunglasses for all.
You can even bring summer-appropriate props that complement your outfits. Maybe it’s a beach ball, balloons, giant lollipop or messy ice cream cone.
Choose shoes that are comfortable and summery. Flip flops, loafers, open-toed pumps, even sweet sneakers on your kiddos.

Now that we’ve shared some of our favourite colour schemes and you’re still unsure, keep it simple! You can never go wrong with white cotton/linen blends. All we can say is #swoon

May

ALP STUDIO – WE’RE BACK!

We’re more than dancing over here we’re so excited!

We love our photography family & clientele and want to make sure your safety is first and foremost our priority. So while we’re preparing to re-open the studio on May 14, 2020 we wanted to give you a little sneak peek into our phase one policies. We feel comfortable enough to open during this phase and plan to do so safely providing we all follow these rules together.

A few points:

You’re more than welcome to wear a mask in the studio, however masks will not be supplied by ALP Studios.
We will have ample amounts of soap and warm water in an open washing area for you to utilize to wash your hands as you enter the studio.
We ask that if you should become unwell prior to your session please contact the studio and reschedule.
We don’t have all the answers so if for any reason we can’t answer your questions please refer to the AHS website regarding COVID-19.

Thank you for continuing to support this little local business of ours!

Xo,

AdaLilly Photography

Feb

TIP TUESDAY #8

How much time do I really need for my session?

Here at ALP we offer three different options for your session. To help you choose the one that’s right for you, we have compiled this list to help you understand the amount of time needed for your session.

THE EXCLUSIVE COLLECTION (or the Mini Session) – 20-30 minutes– A mini session is ideal if you just want to document what your child looks like at the age he or she is right For example, doing a session for 7-year-old photos, or 4th grade photos, etc. These sessions are short and are best suited for older children (post-toddler) who are able to follow directions rather quickly. There will be some variation in the photos, but we don’t change locations or outfits, so there’s not a lot of extra creative shots included.

ALP STUDIO COLLECTION – 1 hour– This is our most popular session. This session caters to younger children and allows us to capture more creative photos. We permit two outfit changes for this session. An hour gives us more time to get the younger children to warm up and cooperate, which the mini session doesn’t allow for.

ALP STUDIO/ON LOCATION COLLECTIONS – 1-2 hours– We suggest this session if you are doing a sibling session with three or more children. This amount of time allows us to take photos of your children together, as well as individually. It will also give us more time to pose them together and to get good, genuine smiles. Depending on how many children you have and their ages, this session can allow up to two outfit changes for siblings and three to four for individual children. One location determined during booking consultation.

Thank you for sticking with us!

AdaLilly Photography

Feb

WEDNESDAY WEIGH IN #4

Today we’re back to talk about Comparing Packages & Asking about Your Rights…

Grab a cup of coffee and lets sit down and review those packages!!!

STEP 7: COMPARE THOSE PACKAGES

Knowing the exact dollar amount? You won’t know what the number will be until you decide what type of coverage you want for your day, how many albums you need and where your photographer is from. Packages can range well between $500 – $15,000 + on the higher more experienced end of the spectrum. When you meet with your photographer(s) ask for a general idea of what the investment will be based on the photographer’s standard rate/shooting feee and package. Additionally ask about the rates for their albums you think you’ll want and the amount of coverage you’re hoping to book them for. Do you require their services for the day? or possibly the entire weekend? Are you getting hitched at a destination location? All these factors can greatly effect your investment. Keep in mind the value you seek. Do you care about experience in the art? Is it important to you to have more than one photographer? If so you need to ask how much it is for the additional coverage. Do you want an engagement session or a newlyweds session? Are these additional to the packages or included? Is a second shooter part of the contract? If not ask about the possibility. While it’s nice to have a second shooter they’re not always available, be prepared for the possibility that they may not be if this decision is made later on in the discussions. Depending on the size of your wedding a third shooter may even be beneficial. Enabling all angles to be captured from your event.

STEP 8: WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS? WHAT ARE THE PHOTOGRAPHERS?

READ THOSE CONTRACTS!!!! Most photographers stipulate in their contracts that they own the rights to all the images taken at the wedding. Yes! That includes the ones of you! What does this mean? This means that the photographer has the right to use all images promotionally where they choose. (website, blog, publication submissions, and ads). Knowing this leads us to the next part…digital proofs. Most photographers have a policy that you can only share watermarked images or images with their credit on them. If you want to print the images yourself or order an album from another source, you’ll likely have to buy the rights to the images.

Thank you for coming back! We’ll be wrapping up this section of WWI next week and then head into some more details of wedding photography and planning!!

AdaLilly Photography

Feb

TIP TUESDAY #5

Choosing the perfect location for your session

It’s almost time for your session and we’re trying to decide on a location. Here are some things you’ll want to think about:

Keep in mind the décor of your home. My personal photography style is bright, soft & airy. My home is more modern minimalist themed. I would never have us dressed in bright colors on a canvas on my wall because it doesn’t go with my décor. Make sure you coordinate your outfits and locations to match the décor style of your home. You also will need to coordinate the colours with the walls of your house so they don’t clash.
If you have a more vintage style decor in your home, studio canvas portraits may not look as amazing, and location portraits not as good unless you put them in complimentary vintage type frames to make them fit in more.
If you have a more modern home like mine, studio photos will more than likely be your best option.
You can also choose to have a lifestyle session done inside your home. We will come to your house and take photos of your family in your own natural environment. These are beautiful and will look great in your house because they match perfectly.

AdaLilly Photography

Jan

THE SENTIMENTS PORTRAIT COLLECTION

We know its only January and its still fresh with the new year just beginning, but its time to start planning to get in with us to capture those moments that will captivate your heart forever!

INTRODUCING OUR SENTIMENTS COLLECTION

We thought about calling these just another ‘Mommy & Me Session’ but it didn’t speak to us, we felt we wanted to touch on those incredible memorable moments, the ones that have meaning and will remain with your heart forever. Therefore we thought how sentimental it would be to share these moments with mom, grandma, auntie, etc. After all there are many women in our lives that have likely had an impact on who we are today, why not celebrate with them all!

These are limited and won’t be back until the following year. As these sessions tend to book incredibly fast and due to the unique nature of their design we’ve chosen to book a select few spaces and dates.

Come see us on any of the following dates to capture some unforgettable moments:

April 4th, 5th, 18th or 19th, 2020

Reserve your date today!

AdaLilly Photography

Jan

RAINBOW BABY – NEWBORN STUDIO SESSION – THE SCOTT FAMILY

I’m emotional every time I get to photograph a client’s maternity or newborn session (or both). It takes me back to my pregnancies and newborn stages of life. Remembering kicks and smells that only exist now when I work with my expecting clients. That amazing little piece of heaven only 1-10 days old that is so incredibly pure, they’re flawless.

Beyond honoured to capture some memories from one of my favourite families recently, and they did not disappoint. From a Glamour Fine Art Maternity Session to a Simplistic & Pure Newborn Family Session the Scott family absolutely nailed every shot!

Thank you for trusting me in creating some of life’s most precious memories.

CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT FAMILY!

Gallery Slide Show | Swaddles & Bucket Props: Tiny Tot Prop Shop

Jan

EMPOWERING GLAM FINE ART MATERNITY SESSION

Lets talk maternity sessions. I am all about simplicity, but lighting, I LOVE Bright whites, so lighting is everything!!! I love that dramatic LA style. Give me that any day of the week and I’m in heaven. While this style is only suited for certain sessions I love the simplistic soft whites just the same. But, when the opportunity arose to capture some maternity shots of this gorgeous mama, who was pregnant with her second, and rainbow baby, I had the vision of just that, Glamorous, LA, whites!!! The goal: to showcase the beautiful developing body that houses those precious little ones. Lets face it, not all of us feel glamorous like the biggest lie told in hollywood when we’re pregnant, so to make a mama feel empowered and glamorous, that is always a win!

White Kimono by Lost in Layers

Jacalyn was first pampered by the lovely Miss Aprille Lu of Makeup by Miss Lu. Once finished HAMU Jacalyn then posed like a #queen helping me in producing the most beautiful portraits that she can look back on and see how beautiful her body is, and what it was able to do in growing one of God’s greatest gifts, life.

Blush Pink Maternity Scarf by Bugz & Moodles

Moral of the Story: Don’t be afraid to go all out, get your hair and makeup done, buy that maternity gown, and invest in that portrait session. You won’t regret it. That’s a promise.

AdaLilly Photography

Jan

WEDNESDAY WEIGH IN

As photographers we know and understand completely just how hard this decision is for your big day. Believe me it’s not easy for us either. While there are numerous photographers out there and some may think the market is over saturated, the key to finding the one to fit you and your vision is really very simple. But with all that wedding planning we understand just how hard it can be to try and make these decisions. You’re likely asking yourself where do we start?

ALP WEDDINGS – Wednesday Weigh In is here to help. We’re strictly keeping Wednesdays dedicated to weddings…and not just about wedding photography even though that is our passion!

HOW TO FIND YOUR PERFECT WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

STEP 1: WHATS YOUR STYLE

While research is important, how do you begin to research someone or something you’re not even sure you know what/who’s style you love?

We recommend choosing the style of photography you fall in love with first. Seek out styles that taylor to how you want to feel overtime as you look back on your day as you flip through your heirloom album specified to fit you and your vision. So while you’re heading on over to Pinterest to start looking, make sure to create your board and fill it full of images that make your heart flutter. Images that inspire you. They may be from a fashion blogger, a real wedding or staged shoot, it could be as simple as a flat lay image. Regardless of inspiration its a great place to start to seek out that perfect match for your photography needs. I’d be lying if I said you won’t go down the worm holes because you will but the fun about creating these boards is you’ll have a pristine idea of what you want your memories to reflect on your big day.

STEP 2: DO THE DIGGING

This is so important. While one couple may not have been completely happy with their wedding photographer, they may not have clicked well enough to have a more than reasonable outcome. Whereas another couple may love and boast about the exact same photographer. We’re all human after all and therefore we won’t always click well with each other. So its very important that you dig into the ones with the styles you favour. This is just a start. Start reading their about me pages and get a small sense of getting to know who you’ll be meeting for coffee in the next step. Personally we offer all inquiring clients our free guide to wedding photography. (We’ll attach the form below to request our guide) It’s a small token of our appreciation for just looking us up!

A photographers portfolio will tell you a lot about how they capture ones wedding day. We all have a different eye. I may see one angle and another may see a complete opposite. But, that doesn’t mean one is more right over the other, it may just mean difference in perspective. However a portfolio will not tell you how you will get along. This brings us to the next step, of which we will touch more on next week. But we did promise you a little freebie!!! Scroll to the bottom and fill out the request form for your ALP WEDDINGS – A COMPLETE GUIDE TO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY.

We don’t want to overwhelm you as we know the process of planning a wedding is somewhat stressful and oh so busy. So we’re going to leave this right here and reconvene on the topic next Wednesday where we will discuss the next steps of setting up interviews with photographers and seeing a full album in person of a wedding.

Jan

PASSION FOR PRINT

THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED GENERATION OF ALL TIME COULD WIND UP BEING THE NEXT LOST GENERATION

Printing photographs is something I am extremely passionate about and with good reason.

We are taking photos more than ever, but almost all are digital files. Very few tangible prints are being produced today.

Digital files are not safe with technology always changing and failing. Yet we entrust our most precious memories to clouds, cd’s, & usb drives. Apple computers don’t even include usb or disk drives anymore. If you’ve ever lost the photos on your phone, you know the heartbreak.

An entire generation is growing up without a printed photographic record of their lives to pass on as our grandparents once did. Thus our stories will soon disappear. Our own history will disappear.

There is a great value and importance in printed photographs for our lives and for the generations after us. The history of where we came from, our legacy will continue on for generations all thanks to the power of print.

This is why we print.

THE PUZZLING QUESTIONS

For the last year or more I kept asking myself why is the desire on having only the digital copies of images? Is it because Social media has made it easy to share images with others around the world (at the risk of them being drowned in a pool of digital saturation)? Is it that they just couldn’t afford the prints? Maybe, but what really puzzled me is the ability to invest in a $1000 or more on a vacation and while it is an experience, in the end what is left to show of it… Maybe it’s that I appreciate having Fine Art hanging on the walls of my home. Captures so elegant that when I look at them they take my breath away. They remind of the moment my child made her quirky smile because she was genuinely annoyed at me for saying ‘okay just one more baby’ because I couldn’t handle the chance of missing a moment of her little personality that melts me. So overtime I look back at those moments hanging on my walls and they melt me over and over and over again. The best part, I don’t have to dive into a pool of digital saturation trying to find images on Facebook or IG to remember those moments. Whatever the answer is for others, I want the art that I create for my clients to be enjoyed for a lifetime.

PROFESSIONAL LAB VS. THE OTHER GUYS

The truth is, my art isn’t accurately reflected through ‘The Other Guys’. I was frustrated and inconsolable seeing my images as a complete inaccurate reflection of my work. It wasn’t me, that wasn’t what I had created. It was quite frankly an insult to my vision.

Below you’ll see some examples of comparisons and they’ll be quite shocking.

In use with permission from Amanda Jackson Photography

So…we made a decision to keep all the print rights with AdaLilly Photography. I know this may seem scary for some but its truly in everyones best interest and here’s why:

See example above and below
We’ve partnered with a professional lab right here in Calgary, and another lab in Eastern Canada therefore you’re supporting not only local business but Canadian businesses.
We’ve made sure their printing standards meet ours (nothing but the best for our clients)
Your prints will in fact imitate my art, being an accurate reflection of my final edits
By keeping the rights with the photographer, you’ll have more of a colour gaurantee when receiving your final prints. (see examples above and below)

These are the most commonly heard reasons why clients don’t print through a photographer and their professional lab:

Too Expensive
Retail chains are just as good as pro labs (clearly they’re not; see examples above and below)
I don’t want to wait two or more weeks for my products
We just spent a ton of money on a vacation…

What I can tell you is you won’t be disappointed when printing with our professional labs. Our packages exceed the retail chains cheap inclusive packages but hey we offer payment plans and the guarantee you’ll end up with beautiful timeless archival quality prints that are worthy of hanging in the Louvre!

Our Pro Lab Services include Wall Design

We offer wall design when you print with us. What could be better than that. We take the guess work right out!

In use with permission from Amanda Jackson Photography

So with all that being said, your session fee is just that. But I will elaborate on that in another post this week. For now if you have questions please send us a note.

AdaLilly Photography

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