We just got back from documenting Julie & Derek’s wedding in Geraldton Ontario.  Where is Geraldton you ask?  Well it’s about 9 hours North of Sudbury past Hearst Ontario that’s where.     Like all my wedding days I start it off with a normal enough routine.  I wake up, have a coffee, relax a bit and watch the weather network.  This past Saturday I decided to do something different.  Normally I have my coffee first THEN I brush my teeth but Saturday I decided to brush my teeth first so I feel fresh and minty.  Now I know why I don’t do this.  After brushing for a few seconds I noticed that my toothpaste had a very menthol taste to it, and it was very very “Cinnamon” like taste.  Very cinnamon.  A few seconds more I notice that it’s a little hot and spicy as well.  As I am walking around the hotel room I am thinking, “I don’t remember my colgate tasting like this”.  After about 1 minute my mouth is burning so hot I just can’t take it anymore and I rush into the bathroom to see what I have just put in my mouth.  Well, turns out my “Icy Hot” Muscle Rub cream looks just like a toothpaste tube from the back.  I am now AWAKE.

Now that I started the morning off right, I check the weather to confirm the very hot and sunny day they forcasted…………yesterday.  Still says sunny on the WN channel, but of course, they have mislead me again, as it starts to downpour, and I don’t’ mean any downpour I mean let’s get the rods out and start fishing in the parking lot downpour.  Dang (well I didn’t use that terminology).  We head out to the resort wear the guys are staying and it’s still raining walley and pike.  We wait about 45 minutes and catch a quick break in the sky to get some cool shots of the guys and about 1 hr after that the skies opened up and we had the most gorgeous day for a wedding.  When we were just finishing up the last of the photos, the clouds came in, the thunder rolled and the rain started just as I was snapping off the last shot of the rings.  Talk about perfect timing.  Below is one image we captured taking advantage of the dark clouds in the background.

Jocelyne and myself would like to personally  thank the Poulin and Wilkins family along with all your relatives, friends and bridal party.    EVERYONE was in such great spirits, full of smiles and very helpful and accommodating. THIS, in my opinion makes a wonderful event SPECTACULAR!  Gaetan  thank you very much for offering up your property for some of the photos it is very much appreciated.  Julie & Derek, thanks again for a great day, for a wedding like that, we would have traveled across the globe to do it all over again.

Here are a few natural light B&W images we captured during our Event last month.  A shootthru and white reflector were used to isolate shadows and and spotted sun. We really wanted to “highlight” the kids eyes.

Later this summer Vanja & Anthony will become husband & wife but today they were just as happy being engaged for their engagement session with us.  Now we hear this a lot…….”We don’t really photograph that well” and it always makes Joce and I laugh.  Let’s be honest, how many of you have gone and had Professional Portraits done before?  As a couple?  Not to many I am sure.  Most of your couple pics would be from family snapshots on special occasions or friends snapshot while partying.   In the end however our couples quickly realize that they DO photograph amazingly.   Especially when it’s with someone you love.  When your in love, you are always at your best, and the camera captures it exactly how we see it.  Thanks again you two, it was  great time with an amazing location.  Looking forward to posting more.

Halfway through the session Anthony mentions that he has his guitar, and it really means a lot to him and is a big part of his life.  Vanja has a good laugh while I roll my eyes and say “you tell me this NOW?  Why not say something before, OF COURSE we will do images with the guitar!!”  hahaha.  And of course we did.

Well the feedback so far is unanimous.  Those that took part in our Fathers Day Event “Fathers Favorites” are telling us that Dad’s LOVED their fathers day presents, and why wouldn’t they?  We must tell you that it was a lot of fun photographing your kids again, it’s amazing how big some of the have gotten.  We are THRILLED that the dads enjoyed their images.  We also had to laugh at some of the excuses you had to tell dad to get your kids away without being overly noticeable hahaha, covert ops and Hodgins photography LOL

I thought I would show off your kids to everyone else since they are all beautiful and handsome.  Thanks again everyone.

Mom told dad that she was helping in  the kids classroom that day, so if he needed her to call the school. Of course the teacher would tell him that she was busy and would call him back later.  Nice!

Mom was taking yearly pictures in the backyard (in case the kids said something)

These 2 boys had a dentist appointment.

Dad saw the charge on the Credit Card, but mom quickly said that we were having a great deal on family portraits and she couldn’t pass it up.  Hmmmm maybe we will.

These girls were off to an impromptu dance lesson.

This dad is just clueless all the time hahaha, just kidding Jamie.

Who says photographers don’t get their exercise?  Not only do you get to burn some calories but you also can come across some great shooting spots at the  Lake Laurentian Conservation Area.  That is where we just finished Krista & Jeff’s Engagement hike and nature walk.  We had the whole place to ourselves except for a few mosquitoes and deer flies (minus two now).  Every 20 or so feet I would stop them to capture a few more images where the light was spread out through the trees, or grass was high and the trail wide.  Some of the best images from this shoot is when I wasn’t really shooting at all.  I would be changing lenses and they would be snuggling up together or kissing and I would quickly grab the shot before they knew I was photographing them.  So many times I would tell them to stop as they just had that fleeting moment in a perfect capture.  These to “mold” together very well.  What does that mean?  It means when they are wrapped in each others arm, they are like one.  It’s soooooo easy to photograph couples like  this, you just can’t go wrong.

I get asked this all the time from photographers via email and facebook.   They want to know how I make my images “POP” in photoshop.  Well, I will let you in on a few little secrets.  It really has nothing to do with photoshop.  There, I said it.  So what is the big secret?  Lighting, composition and lens choice.  A lot of new photographers think that OCF (Off Camera Flash) is something relative new when photographing outdoors, but really it’s been around for longer than I have been alive.    It is the exact same thing as lighting inside your studio.  Nothing changed.  So why do I see a lot of photographers still not getting it right?  Getting your flash off camera is simple, but it’s not the only thing you need to do.  Placement of your lights is KEY, using different ratios of output is KEY, and placing your subjects in their environment so that they compliment it (not blend into it) is KEY.  Note:  Placing your lights at different angles to your subject will create shadow, shadow equals depth and dimension.  Take note of that, it’s very important.  Anyone can place their flash off camera beside the camera, yes it’s OCF but you really are not doing yourself any favors.  You want your subject to POP out of the image, away from the background, not blend in it.

This is unacceptable. My mom can do this.

I always try to light my subjects faces so that they have some dimension to them, I also like to rim-light them so that they are separated from the background (hair and clothing), and then I will try to light the background so that it is not distracting, but compliments my subject completing the image.

Take the time and “build” the image.

Lens choice is another big factor in having your subject pop out of the frame along with what Fstop you want to work with, but another easy trick is to just have your subject as far away from the background as possible.   When you bring all these elements into the “picture”  there is very little to do in post processing.  Like the above.  All I did was a little contrast boost, sharpen and some slite burning of the bottom of the image.  That’s it.

Well we recently finished photographing our Fathers Favorites Event for fathers day.  We would like to thank all the moms out their that lied to the dads to bring their kids out to be photographed (there was some good lies too, I will post them after fathers day haha).  Unfortunately I cannot post any of the photos just yet as that would ruin the surprise for the dads who’s kids we photographed, but I can show you the simple setup we used.  I photographed everything in B&W (in camera) as that was how we  promoted the final product.  This brings all your attention to the childs face and removes some of the distracting elements that might be in the background.  We photographed in open shade, a large reflector and a shoot through reflector to minimize shadows and smooth out the lighting.  You REALLY do not get much better than this as demonstrated by my beautiful wife Jocelyne.

Don’t miss out on this amazing event.  Fathers day is not until next month but why not get a jump on it now and get the dads something that will last a lifetime.  Photographers across the world are catching on to our James Hodgins Photography “Fathers Favorites” Event (we are getting many many emails)  and the response is unanimous.  Fathers Favorites IS the ultimate fathers day event.

THE FATHERS FAVORITE EVENT PAGE

THE FATHERS FAVORITE EVENT PAGE

ALSO

Sharing the Fathers Favorites Event page to your family and friends via email or facebook can  work in your favor as well.  Anyone who books a FF session and mentions that they heard about if via your email or facebook, we will give you some extra bonus’s on your next session (how would you know?  Joce will call right after your family or friends book and tell you about it)

Use this share button to EASILY share this with anyone.

We expect the rest of the slots to book in the next few days so don’t wait until the last minute to book.  Once the slots are filled, they are filled.  We will not be adding another day, more slots, or squeeze an extra session in here or there.

“Don’t disappoint the fathers this fathers day and get them some useless present that they never asked for in the first place.”

Use this SHARE button to share this with your facebook friends

Shameless Plug

- Past and future clients, Joce and I would really appreciate it if you used the below share links and shared this event with your email and facebook friends. If someone books and mentions your facebook link, we will throw in an extra gift for you on your Fathers Favorite Session.  If you are not involved with the FF then we will give you an extra gift on your next session with us.

Jocelyne and myself were thinking on what we could do to give the fathers the best fathers day present they have ever had.  We also (of course) wanted to use our photography as the key ingredient, but just capturing photos of your loved ones wasn’t good enough for this special day.  We wanted something that the dad’s could cherish, something they could show off to their family and friends,  and something that brings a smile to his face EVERY time he looks at it.  So we have come up with the “Fathers Favorite Frame.”

CLICK HERE FOR FATHERS FAVORITES INFO

CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING ONE OF KIND FATHERS DAY EVENT

CLICK HERE FOR FATHERS FAVORITES INFO

There are only 10 openings so you need to call and book your slots.FF Day is Tuesday June 1st (by appointment)

VIEWING day is Tuesday June 2nd (by appointment).

Use this SHARE button to share this with your facebook friends

If someone books and mentions your facebook link, we will throw in an extra gift for you.

“As a Real Estate Salesperson in this tech-savvy era of buyers, your pictures can make or break your listing.  Professional pictures will put the homes you are listing in the best possible light, and  will open the door to more potential buyers who will want to see the home.  It’s an affordable option and one that your Sellers deserve!”

-Melissa Fuller, Remax Sudbury Inc., Brokerage

I am always looking at the real estate listings via online or in the Real Estate Book checking to see what is coming and what is going.  I notice a lot of the online listings that have photos of the homes really don’t do the home justice.  You are probably using a point and shoot camera or even a DSLR to capture the rooms but really, you are not doing yourself OR your clients any favors.   It really is amazing what happens when you hire a “photographer” to take the interior photos for you and you might be amazed at the cost as well.  Most “professional” photographers have the equipment to get the images you need, and most of us KNOW how to use it…………not all of us………but most of us.   Using the ambient lighting and mixing in lighting of our own to open up the shadowed corners can make a huge difference from that Point & Shoot look.  I might also add that we can get MORE of the room in the frame with our wide angle lenses (more than a 28mm).    Now I am not saying because some of our equipment might be better that we get better results, what I am saying is that we KNOW how to use it, we understand lighting, composition and exposure and how to incorporate all of these elements in a photograph.

Some of you might not want to spend the extra $ (at least not for all your listings), some of you might do it yourselves and save the extra $.  Some people will not hire a real estate agent and do it all themselves.  In the end, we all know that a professional with a  good product will come out on top and everyone wins.

I have been told  from several agents that I have photographed for that their homes sell faster when they had great images to use in the portfolio.  Compare the images below from a recent listing I photographed.

Some thought put into it.

snapshot with a standard camera

Snapshot

Some thought put into it

Snapshot

When you spend a little $

El Cheapo

El knows what they are doing’0

Save money

Make more $

Amature

Not amature

It’s something to think about.  Sometimes the old saying “you need to spend money to make money” is something worth remembering.   GIVE US A CALL AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOUR LISTINGS.