It's always interesting to me to look at the photographic works of others. As a photographer, I obviously enjoy a well-balanced and properly lit picture that has just the right amount of post-production work done to it. I think that it is good to look at my fellow photographers not as competitors but as teachers and students. In fact, many of them have blogs just like this for the sole purpose of helping other photographers. Some of them actually spend a great deal of time and effort making savvy videos and tutorials. (By the way, THANK YOU!!! All of you! I mean it: without your guidance, I might not be where I am today.)
It's important that you know how I feel about other photographers and photographs because I want to discuss what I have observed by watching other photographers on site and in videos; by reading articles, blogs, forums, social networking sites, and e-books; and by my own personal experience.
Primarily, I want to dissect a few aspects of the photography process itself. Before I begin, I want all of you to know that this is not a step-by-step instruction manual. This is not even a recommended way of doing things for every person out there. Instead, this post and the posts following this one are simple observations that I have made along the way.
I am mostly going to talk about wedding photography as there are more aspects involved. However, you can apply many of the observations/suggestions to most types of photography.
If you just shoot pictures of your pets or children or if you are a professional (or aspiring professional) photographer, you may be interested in these posts. It is also good to know what to expect or look-out for at a photo shoot as a photographer and a the person being photographed. If nothing else, you may want to read that post!
To help you, I have made a list of what I will be discussing:
1. Photographic Equipment
2. Meeting the Client(s)
3. Preparing for a Shoot
4. The Day of the Shoot
5. Post Production
6. Sharing with Others
Since I feel like my first blog post may have been a little too long, I will break this one up into sections. In fact, this posts already seems a little long, so I am going to cut it off here and start with the list in the next post.
~XOXO Love Ya!
Monica Bedsole with Fire Fly Photography
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
My First Post
I am very excited to be writing my first blog post for Fire Fly Photography!
I suppose I must start with the basics: who am I and why do I think any of you care enough to read my blogs?
Who am I?
Well, my name is Monica Bedsole.
What is my occupation?
Photographer, Marketer, Writer, Designer, and Creator.
What am I known for?
Being a loving daughter, sister, and girlfriend (3+ years), being a caring friend, and being a darn good photographer. ;)
What kind of Photography do I specialize in?
Wedding and maternity, as well as nature and abstract.
Can and will I take photographs of other subjects?
Of course. To see the full range of my photographic abilities, please visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/Photo.FireFly. Here, you will be able to browse through my photographs. If you like what you see, please feel free to "like" my page and "like" or "comment" on your favorite photos!
How did I get the experience I have?
To be honest, I have had a camera since I was little (8 years old or so). I began photographing anything and everything. Back then, I went through a myriad of inexpensive and moderately priced 35mm film cameras. Before I traveled to China with the People to People Student Ambassador program in 2006, I was able to purchase a Canon Power Shot. This is really where I started getting creative with my photographs. I began to determine what subjects I was better at photographing and which subjects I enjoyed photographing the most. In the Summer of 2009, I was able to photograph my friend LeeAnn's and her husband Chad's wedding. I was a bridesmaid, so there were many things that I was not able to capture. When I graduated from Robertsdale High School in 2008, my wonderful Grampsas (RIP) gave me a Minolta SRT 102, which I had fixed up and cleaned. I later bought extra lenses for this camera. I love taking photos with this old film camera. In fact, I still take it out and use it whenever I can. There was a short time period (about a year) in which I owned and operated a Nikon CoolPix. I did not like its features and functionality, so I gifted it to one of my sister-in-laws (love you Jackie). During the fall of 2010, I bought my first DSLR: a Canon Rebel T2i! I still use this camera now, but I have since gotten different lenses and lens attachments.
With this camera, I have done several portraits sessions, including one maternity session; one group portrait session, which included several individual portraits; two baby sessions; one engagement session; and several individual, adult sessions. I have also had the opportunity to photograph my brother Johnny's (and his wife Cassandra's) wedding and my friend David's wedding. I was actually a bridesmaid for both of those weddings. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph the ceremony and some of the group pictures because of that. (My wonderful boyfriend took them instead.) I was also able to co-photograph an entire wedding (minus the formals) on Cinco de Mayo! The photographs turned out GORGEOUS! The aforementioned engagement session was of the Cinco de Mayo wedding couple. I am scheduled to co-photograph another wedding on July 27, 2013. My co-photographer is a sweet lady, who has a darling baby girl and another one on the way. It will be a pleasure working with her. The young couple that I will be photographing are both ambitious and lively people, who are sure to make this day even more enjoyable and special than it is planned to be. I am looking forward to working with them on their wedding day!
What classes and certification do I have?
The nice thing about photography is that anyone can become a professional with the right eye and the right mindset at any point in their life. I strive to learn anything and everything I can about photography, lighting equipment, and my camera. This means that I have participated in and/or watched a myriad of online classes, tutorials, and webinars throughout my many years of aspiring to be a professional photographer. I have also participated in a few in-person classes. During the Summer of 2002, I took a basic photography course for kids at (now) Pensacola State College. Within the last three years, I've have taken both the Creative Composition and the Low Lighting classes offered through Pensacola Photography School. I have also read numerous hardback books and e-books about photography, lighting, and the Canon T2i.
In addition to my photography related classes, please know that I have a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations and Marketing that I earned from Ashford University after taking two years worth of classes in the International Studies department at the University of West Florida.
Do you offer FREE sessions?
At this time, only FAMILY members receive free sessions. Free sessions will be available at a later date through contests. However, portraits and engagement sessions will be the ONLY sessions included.
What about discounts?
Currently, friends and all of those on my Facebook fanpage will receive 10% off the full price of my prices (email for inquiries). If a couple books both an engagement and a wedding session with me, I will give them a 15+% total discount.
Tell me more about this blog...
Now that I have all of the introductions out of the way, I think that it is very important for everyone who may be interested in this blog to have a full understanding of what I will be discussing on here.
I will, of course, post my photographs and my experiences with each session. I will offer advice and tips on upcoming photo-shoots to clients, prospective clients, and others wanting photographs. I will also post information that I find helpful to anyone with a business, especially a photography business.
In addition to all of the wonderful topics listed above, I will talk about what is going on in my life, whether it is photography/business related or not. Many of these posts will include cell phone pictures (don't judge) and a short blurb about what I am doing,which will most likely be written from my phone.
I want this blog to be fun and personal, so feel free to comment and make suggestions.
Please be courteous to others. No "hating" or "trolling" on my blog!
Please refrain from using foul language on this blog. Any comments that are deemed "spam" or that contain foul language will be removed (there are exceptions, of course).
I hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend!
~Monica Bedsole
Fire Fly Photography
Pensacola, FL
I suppose I must start with the basics: who am I and why do I think any of you care enough to read my blogs?
Who am I?
Well, my name is Monica Bedsole.
What is my occupation?
Photographer, Marketer, Writer, Designer, and Creator.
What am I known for?
Being a loving daughter, sister, and girlfriend (3+ years), being a caring friend, and being a darn good photographer. ;)
What kind of Photography do I specialize in?
Wedding and maternity, as well as nature and abstract.
Can and will I take photographs of other subjects?
Of course. To see the full range of my photographic abilities, please visit my facebook page: www.facebook.com/Photo.FireFly. Here, you will be able to browse through my photographs. If you like what you see, please feel free to "like" my page and "like" or "comment" on your favorite photos!
How did I get the experience I have?
To be honest, I have had a camera since I was little (8 years old or so). I began photographing anything and everything. Back then, I went through a myriad of inexpensive and moderately priced 35mm film cameras. Before I traveled to China with the People to People Student Ambassador program in 2006, I was able to purchase a Canon Power Shot. This is really where I started getting creative with my photographs. I began to determine what subjects I was better at photographing and which subjects I enjoyed photographing the most. In the Summer of 2009, I was able to photograph my friend LeeAnn's and her husband Chad's wedding. I was a bridesmaid, so there were many things that I was not able to capture. When I graduated from Robertsdale High School in 2008, my wonderful Grampsas (RIP) gave me a Minolta SRT 102, which I had fixed up and cleaned. I later bought extra lenses for this camera. I love taking photos with this old film camera. In fact, I still take it out and use it whenever I can. There was a short time period (about a year) in which I owned and operated a Nikon CoolPix. I did not like its features and functionality, so I gifted it to one of my sister-in-laws (love you Jackie). During the fall of 2010, I bought my first DSLR: a Canon Rebel T2i! I still use this camera now, but I have since gotten different lenses and lens attachments.
With this camera, I have done several portraits sessions, including one maternity session; one group portrait session, which included several individual portraits; two baby sessions; one engagement session; and several individual, adult sessions. I have also had the opportunity to photograph my brother Johnny's (and his wife Cassandra's) wedding and my friend David's wedding. I was actually a bridesmaid for both of those weddings. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph the ceremony and some of the group pictures because of that. (My wonderful boyfriend took them instead.) I was also able to co-photograph an entire wedding (minus the formals) on Cinco de Mayo! The photographs turned out GORGEOUS! The aforementioned engagement session was of the Cinco de Mayo wedding couple. I am scheduled to co-photograph another wedding on July 27, 2013. My co-photographer is a sweet lady, who has a darling baby girl and another one on the way. It will be a pleasure working with her. The young couple that I will be photographing are both ambitious and lively people, who are sure to make this day even more enjoyable and special than it is planned to be. I am looking forward to working with them on their wedding day!
What classes and certification do I have?
The nice thing about photography is that anyone can become a professional with the right eye and the right mindset at any point in their life. I strive to learn anything and everything I can about photography, lighting equipment, and my camera. This means that I have participated in and/or watched a myriad of online classes, tutorials, and webinars throughout my many years of aspiring to be a professional photographer. I have also participated in a few in-person classes. During the Summer of 2002, I took a basic photography course for kids at (now) Pensacola State College. Within the last three years, I've have taken both the Creative Composition and the Low Lighting classes offered through Pensacola Photography School. I have also read numerous hardback books and e-books about photography, lighting, and the Canon T2i.
In addition to my photography related classes, please know that I have a Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations and Marketing that I earned from Ashford University after taking two years worth of classes in the International Studies department at the University of West Florida.
Do you offer FREE sessions?
At this time, only FAMILY members receive free sessions. Free sessions will be available at a later date through contests. However, portraits and engagement sessions will be the ONLY sessions included.
What about discounts?
Currently, friends and all of those on my Facebook fanpage will receive 10% off the full price of my prices (email for inquiries). If a couple books both an engagement and a wedding session with me, I will give them a 15+% total discount.
Tell me more about this blog...
Now that I have all of the introductions out of the way, I think that it is very important for everyone who may be interested in this blog to have a full understanding of what I will be discussing on here.
I will, of course, post my photographs and my experiences with each session. I will offer advice and tips on upcoming photo-shoots to clients, prospective clients, and others wanting photographs. I will also post information that I find helpful to anyone with a business, especially a photography business.
In addition to all of the wonderful topics listed above, I will talk about what is going on in my life, whether it is photography/business related or not. Many of these posts will include cell phone pictures (don't judge) and a short blurb about what I am doing,which will most likely be written from my phone.
I want this blog to be fun and personal, so feel free to comment and make suggestions.
Please be courteous to others. No "hating" or "trolling" on my blog!
Please refrain from using foul language on this blog. Any comments that are deemed "spam" or that contain foul language will be removed (there are exceptions, of course).
I hope everyone has a happy and healthy weekend!
~Monica Bedsole
Fire Fly Photography
Pensacola, FL
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