HOW TO USE YOUR CAMERA is back! And this one's a freebie.*

Saturday, January 19th 1:00 - 2:00 PM Lake Highlands North Rec Center 9940 White Rock Trail in Dallas

Contact the center for more info and to RSVP. Space is very limited. (214) 670-7794 LakeHighlandsRC@dallascityhall.com

*There may be an annual City of Dallas membership fee. I'm not the expert on that.

What Kind of Camera Should I Get?

"Oh, you're a photographer? Let me ask you a question. I'm looking to buy a camera. What do you recommend I get?"

If I had a dollar for every time I'm asked that question, I wouldn't need to charge for photography.

I never know how to answer this question, either. Because to be completely honest, the answer is: It depends.

Are you serious about photography? Do you want to learn about f-stops and shutter speeds and light balance?

Or do you just want to take photos at holiday parties? Or are you snapping your children at sporting events?

Because truth be told, no camera is going to work if the person holding it doesn't truly know how to use it.

Besides, I don't work for any camera manufacturer. I can't tell you the ins and outs of every point-and-shoot, DSLR, and SLT on the market. There are hundreds of them out there and they're constantly getting updated.

But I can tell you basic photography and I can steer you in a direction.

So, what kind of camera should you buy?

If you want to learn more about photography, truly learn about it, buy a camera that scares you.

If that's a point and shoot with interchangeable lenses, get it. If you're comfortable with a small camera but the thought of learning what an ISO does starts to blur your vision in fear, go for that.

And then use it. Take hundreds of photos of the same thing but change one tiny setting each time. Actually see in real time what your camera is doing.

That's the beauty of digital photography. Instant gratification. Learning while doing. Being up to your eyeballs in the process.

Get a camera that scares you, tame it, and then become a real photographer.

 

The Joys of a Zoom Lens

When Sony followed me around (wow, I still can't believe that happened) I got to play with the alpha 55-300 lens. And man oh man is that thing fun! Of course, Sony couldn't possibly show all of the photos I took, but here's one of my favorites.

 

And yes, I shot that from the ground. Cool, right?

Anyway, see more by watching the video below (if it embeds properly).

Mama Barrett and Her Boys

I like to shoot little bitty kids at their own homes. I always have (after all, you never know when a baby is going to destroy his/her outfit). So for the Barrett's holiday photo, we went as far as their front porch. It was quick, no one was (too) squirmy, and from what I hear the holiday cards are now in the mail.

 

Another Rollins on the Horizon

 

The Rollins family appears on this site quite a bit. And I'm happy to announce that even though Wyatt Rollins hasn't been born yet, he's already made his camera debut! Well, sort of.

It was a Holiday/Maternity session with Mama Rollins and Company. After all, it's greeting card season.

 

Cami Class of '13

First of, wow, class of 2013. It's been way to long since I was class of something.

 

Secondly, how fun is Cami? She wanted natural photos that reflected who she is every single day.* And I applaud that. Call me old school, but when it comes to senior portraitsI'm a big advocate of keeping it casual and close to how you are on an everyday basis.

 

Not that there's anything wrong with getting super glammed up. I applaud that, too. But I think it's really important to have at least one senior portrait where the 17/18 year old looks like a 17/18 year old. Right?

 

*We did get a little nutty with the T. Rex and pizza photos. I mean sometimes you just have to give into the PhotoShop urges.

One city seen through seven different Sony lenses.

Well, I can officially talk about it now. Sony (you know, SONY!) picked me to play around with two of their awesome cameras and seven of their must-have lenses. A crew flew out to Dallas and followed me around for a few days, took over my house, and dragged me out of bed at horrific hours. But it was SO MUCH FUN.

I had a great time making these videos and taking photos all around my city. And I really hope that you, yes YOU, can learn a little bit about how lenses can help you see a whole new world.

Visit the site and learn about the lenses.

 

Surprise, Julie and Greg!

 

Julie and Greg were married over a year ago, and it was such a sweet, private affair that I never really shared the photos.

That and they didn't know they were going to have a wedding photographer. Because I was a surprise.

They planned on a small, family-only ceremony with a Justice of the Peace, but not all of the family could be there. In particular, Julie's big brother AK who happens to be one of my best friends.

I can't remember if he asked or if I offered, but I went to their wedding and they had no idea.

When Julie walked into the room to see me there with the camera, I simply said, "Hi, I'm your present."

She looked confused. "Veronica?" Then she saw my camera. Then I held up my phone, where I was U-streaming the whole thing so absent family members could watch and said, "Say hi to AK!"

It was all so cute, like something out of a movie. And to this day, being a surprise wedding gift is still one of my favorite things I've ever done.

So here are a few photos of their perfectly lovely ceremony a year later.

Bun in the Oven

A few weeks ago, Courtney, who was one of my engagement sessions once upon a time, called me asking about a pregnancy announcement session. The first thing I asked was who it was for. And when she said it was for her, I about dropped my phone! I might have even screamed in joy; can't really remember.

It's so cool that Court and Ry are going to be parents. And they had a really fun idea for their pregnancy announcement, a literal interpretation of them having  a bun in the oven.

We shot it, got the colors to their liking, and laid it out surprisingly quick. And here it is.

Congrats, you two. Can't wait to meet the little doughboy or girl.

On the Other Side of the Camera

 

So it's no secret that I love teaching photography and cameras just as much (if not more) than I love taking photos.

And I'm sort of getting to do that on a HUGE scale very soon.

Rather, I already did.

You see, some company that I can't really name yet, chose little old me to be on a new website all about lenses and why it's important to have a few handy.

It was so much fun and so much work. But I'm over-the-moon honored and anxious. I mean, me? And then ... how did I do?

A film crew followed me around for a few days, interviewed me, took over my house, played with my dog. I took them to some of my favorite spots in Dallas and had an absolute blast.

The site launches in a month or so, and I'll be sharing the link (unless I look like a total oddball, but hopefully not) as soon as it's up.

 

Retouching

I get asked about retouching quite a bit. After all, we all want to look our very best in photos (especially after paying for them). Which is why I offer retouching services. But what exactly is retouching?

Most everyone knows it involves Adobe PhotoShop or some other fancy (and expensive) program. But not many people actually know how to use it.

Well, fortunately for my clients, I do know how to use it. Professionally, even.

Below is one example of photo retouching that I performed. I like to keep photos looking realistic by preserving some wrinkles and most freckles (I love freckles). Otherwise, it's obvious that a photo has been 'shopped (that's fancy talk for PhotoShopped). I also brightened the eyes and removed the hair which was obstructing the face.

Can I be more extreme, like shrink body parts and swap out eyes? Definitely. But I promised my other subjects that I would never in a million  years post their before photos.

So if you have an existing photo that you want retouched, or I've taken a photo of you and you would like something altered, ask me about my retouching services.

Henz Kids

I was so tempted to type "Henz Kidz," but I kept the spelling proper ... except for in this sentence.

Anyway, spelling rules aside, we probably broke a few rules while taking these photos at the Lake Highlands Town Center. The Henz family was jumping off of things, clobbering one another, and acting like loving siblings do.

It was a great way to spend a few hours.

Philip & Greg & Harry

One of the reasons I love Dallas has to be the weather (at least when it's not over 100). This January has had a few spring-like days, which means that shooting Greg and Philip and Harry was almost too easy. We didn't have to carry around tons of coats, my fingers weren't freezing, and we could all focus on Harry (that's the cuddly Corgi in the photo). Not to mention we had the most gorgeous sunset which gave us fantastic light. Who needs to alter tones in PhotoShop? Not this photographer.

Hanging with these guys was too much fun. And my doggie and Harry got along famously. I see pup play dates in the future!

 

Dog Days of ... December?

I'm a dog lover. There's no hiding that fact. Amanda and Nathan just so happens to be a dog lovers, too. So when it was time for a family portrait, we all met at the White Rock Lake Dog Park. After letting Jager (the big guy) and Dolly (the precious little pup that looks like a toy) get good and worn down, it was time to start snapping photos.

Ugh. They're so cute, my heart melts.

Sisters with Sisters

Wow, it's been far too long since I've added anything to the blog. Blame the holidays and my really cute puppy for taking up all of my time! But I'm back and slowly adding stuff to the site and blog. Like the Hopes' sisters portraits. Alyssa (the stunner in blue) always coordinates the annual Sister Photo. Andrea (the looker in purple) always styles the shoot. And Ashley (the teen) always provides entertainment.

It was so much fun. We went to a park of of the White Rock Trail and took 300-plus photos in ... drumroll please ... under an hour.

Click on any photo and then you can scroll through with your arrow keys. Enjoy!

My Puppy

This is our puppy, Dillinger. We've had him for nine or so weeks now. And he's a constant joy.

He's also extremely photogenic (I only admit a tiny bit of bias).

Anyway, puppies grow fast and as you can see, he's changed quite a bit.