…with a new splash page.

Just one of the exciting changes coming up. Stay tuned!

For our first lesson, I’d like to discuss digital cameras (although film cameras work just as well as digital cameras, and you can use a film camera for most of the upcoming lessons, there is a lot more involved with digital photography, which is what I will focus on). There are so many choices out there that it can get overwhelming to decide which one you should purchase. Here are 5 step guide to purchasing a digital camera.

{photo by fensterbme}

1. Decide what you need
Its very easy to get carried away with wanting the “best” camera. But there is no such thing…there is only a “best for you” camera. You need to think about what your needs are and what your needs aren’t. Here are some questions to think about before you go shopping:

• What type of photography will you be doing? (portraits, landscapes, macro, sports) This will determine what features you need your camera to have.
• What kind of conditions will you be photographing in? (indoors, outdoors, low light, bright light) Again, you will need to be sure that your camera can function in all conditions you will be shooting in.
• Will you mostly stay in auto mode or do you want to learn the art of photography and shoot manually? This is the same as asking if you want a DSLR (removable lenses) or a Point-and-shoot (mostly auto mode). Keep in mind that with DSLR’s there is usually necessary to purchase additional software and accessories.
• How comfortable are you with digital technology? Again this will determine how basic your camera operation is.
• How important is size and portability to you? DSLRs are notorious for being big and clunky. If you want a camera that is small and portable, focus on Point-and-shoots.
• What is your budget? You can find digital cameras in all price points. Set your budget first, and stick to it…its very easy to get carried away.

2. Megapixels aren’t everything!
Don’t get carried away with purchasing a camera with the most megapixels. What you should really ask yourself is “How large do I want to print my images?” If you are mostly going to print regular size images (up to 11×14) then 5 megapixels will be plenty. If you want to enlarge some of your images to large sizes (say larger than 30×40) you might want to consider investing in a camera with more megapixels. For most people, anything much higher than 8 megapixels is just too much. Your file sizes will be unnecessarily huge and cumbersome to work with.

3. Keep in mind the “extras”.
When you purchase a digital camera you need much more than just the camera. Keep in mind that there are many extras that you may need to purchase in order to use the camera most effectively. For example:

• Camera Case
• Memory Cards
• Spare Batteries/Recharger
• Lenses (if you are getting a DSLR)
• Filters (and other lens attachments)
• Tripods/Monopods
• External Flashes
• Reflectors

Sometimes you can purchase “bundles” where the camera comes with various accessories. If you are purchasing a DSLR be sure you also purchase lenses, or have compatible lenses.

4. Read Reviews
Don’t just rely on the helpful sales person to guide your decision. Read as much as you can before hand and educate yourself about your options. Reviews can be found online at places like the Digital Photography Blog and Digital Photography Review. Search for the camera model(s) your thinking about and see what other users have to say. Also, read the product description very carefully and make sure you know what is and what is not included.

5. Hands on Experience
Go to a local camera store and get a feel for the camera. You don’t necessarily need to purchase the camera at the store, but its a good idea to see it in person before purchasing online. Also, ask your friends and family about their cameras and their own experiences.

Next week we’ll get into the real photography part of digital photography. For now, think about your camera and accessories. If you have any questions, feel free to email jlund@images-photo.net or to leave a comment below.

::jules::

I have created a hand selected list of Camera and Accessories Recommendations from Amazon.com. I’ve given you my own reviews on the various items and recommend Amazon.com as a great online vendor.

For our first “Wednesday Wedding Tip” I’d like to introduce you to my favorite new product — Demi Albums!
These albums are perfect for engagement or bridal portrait sessions, and make for a modern photo guestbook. Classic linen covers or thick art paper soft covers are features on this line of albums with many colors to choose from.
I love the idea of using these albums as a guest signature album. Most guest books just have blank or lined pages for guests to sign…ask any of your friends and family where their’s is…most likely its in a box, under a bed, or “disappeared”.By using a coffee table style Demi Album as your guest book, not only will you remember who was there to celebrate the day with you, but you will also have a great photo keepsake.
Demi Albums are also available in “mini” size. These 5×7 soft cover books are perfect gifts for your bridesmaids, siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, and other special guests.


Call me {Jules} @ 801.391.4812 for details!

::Jules::

Last night we got to spend time with Troy’s Family. We were all there with our spouses. I love hanging with these guys! We got to eat some yummy food, play some fun games (i am not very good at catch phrase), and take a family picture. Aren’t we all good looking?
Here’s our loot: Basket with DVD’s and snacks from Travis and Becky, Cafe Rio + Cash (for skiing) from Midge and Brent…they also added to our emergency supplies with a radio. We got a Cold Stone gift certificate from Angie and Scott, and a Blockbuster card from Matt and Allie. I’m so excited to use all of these gifts!

This morning: Notice what Troy’s wearing! His regular PJ pants have a huge (!!!) tear in them and he refuses to buy new ones. Also, notice how he comes prepared with a garbage bag…what a party pooper!
Slow and meticulous!
Yeah!
Troy actually came shopping with me to pick out both of these sweaters…not a surprise but still happy!
I asked him for this book…I’m so excited. Its about image manipulation, should help me improve my post processing.
Troy also received a rubic’s cube…per request. He’s working away on it as we speak.
He also received some nice gloves. He lost his and (again) refused to go buy some. I think he looks like a goalie in this picture.
Last year I asked for a Kitchenaid Mixer, which I got and LOVE! This year I asked for a deep fryer…now I can make fries, chicken fingers, and doughnuts! yum…

Another mini-gift for Troy…a magic card trick pack. He is an amateur magician and this will give him some more tricks. Also…notice the change in clothing…I got him some PJ pants.
Finally, Pride and Prejudice (with Collin Firth)! I have the new version, and I’ve read the book about 10 times…but I love this looooong version! I can’t wait to watch it…again!
I love the aftermath picture…I refused to let Troy use his garbage bag until we were all finished. What a fun morning!
Tonight, its on to my family’s party. Hope you enjoyed your Christmas!

::Jules::

Here’s a link to my new Amazon recommended list for brides & families! We went through Amazon and picked out some fun & cool stuff. Check the hottest products link too! Everything that’s up there was hand-picked by me opefully either help, amuse or beautify you.

Check it out here!

::Jules::

Pretty self explanitory…Book your 2007 wedding by 2007 and receive 7 - 8×10 prints! Call us today at 801.391.4812 or email us with any questions {jlund@images-photo.net}.

::Jules::

Just to give you an idea of what’s possible, here are a few of the custom cards that I made this year…some are pre-designs that weren’t selected and others made the cut. Enjoy!

This is a 4×8 photo card.
This can be a 5×7 photo card, 5×7 postcard, or 5×7 folding card, with either a message or blank inside.

This is a 4×8 photo card.

i one is meant to be a 4×5.5 folded card. Here’s the outside:

and the inside:
This can be a 5×7 photo card, 5×7 postcard, or 5×7 folding card, with either a message or blank inside. The client chose to have a postcard on art watercolor paper. It turned out really great!

And here’s ours. Not a traditional card…but we’re not traditional folks.

::Jules::

Welcome to our house…the Ghetto House! We bought it in April and have been working hard to make it livable. Some of the young men in the neighborhood call it the “haunted house” because it was vacant for about 4 years. We even found a bird living in the basement!! Yeah, a bird…it came in through the drier vent that wasn’t covered. Here’s some before and after’s so you can really appreciate what we have done.

The front of our house still really looks the same. Next summer I want to get rid of those hideous bushes!

Our living room. You can see the lovely green tile with the even lovelier lime walls. Also, the opening into the kitchen was about 8 feet wide…which meant there wasn’t much wall space in the living room or in the kitchen. We added about 3 1/2 feet to the wall.

Here you can see the new living room. The hideous green tile is still there but at least it looks more cohesive with the new wall color. We got some new chairs recently…not the camping chairs…
Here you can really see the opening into the kitchen. We extended the wall…it used to open all the way over to about the middle of the piano! You can also see the new laminate wood floors we put down in the kitchen. I love it! I can’t wait until we do it in the living room.
I love this shot…It shows the wall color, the gorgeous floors and the 5 inch baseboards. For so long we were walking on sub floor…I so appreciate a finished floor!

Kitchen Before…Gross!
…and awkward. that peninsula wasn’t helping at all!
here’s my manly hubby, Troy, ripping up the tile. It was actually alot easier than we expected. The cabinets took us about 45 minutes total!
there were two different…and ugly…layers of linoleum under the tile.
And now…My Beautiful Kitchen! I absolutely love it! As you can see this is an old picture, without the “above the stove” microwave. We did finally get that up…I’ll have to post a picture later.
adding that extra 3 1/2 feet to this wall made it so we could have a pantry. Oh, and the island is so much more functional than a peninsula. We also purchased some barstools that aren’t pictured.
The bathroom before. It’s a bit hard to tell but the tub surround tile is baby blue , the walls are lavendar, the floor is that aweful green tile, and the cabinet is gross!
We re-tiled the floor, painted the walls a sage green, replaced the toilet and the vanity. We still need to add baseboards and re-tile around the tub…that’s why the shower curtain is closed


We also got new vinyl windows and blinds…and what a difference they make! I love our shutters.
Well there it is…later I’ll show you some pictures of the basement and our conversion into a studio space!

::Jules::

I love my “baby” Christmas tree! Its allegedly 6 feet tall but that’s including the top stem which was about a foot tall, so really its only about 5 feet tall. I guess that makes it easy to decorate. I bought these ornaments about 5 years ago (before I was married or had a tree) because they were on some crazy sale after Christmas. I didn’t want the traditional red&green colors, so I went with blue, gold and silver. I love this shot…all I did was boost the contrast a bit, it almost looks metalic…maybe I’ll print it on metallic paper.

Here’s a cute little close up. You can see my “homemade” ornament on the left. Its just a cheap glass ball with gold tinsel inside.
I stood up on the couch to get this shot…my “baby” tree is too skinny to really get the effect I was going for, but its still a cool perspective. Besides, I’m in the picture, so that makes it a great shot! Here’s our loot this year…I love to shake my presents and try to guess what’s in them.
Here’s my self portrait…notice that you can see my whole living room in this shot. I’ll break it down for you…

1. My favorite mirror…by dear hubby bought it for me for our first anniversary!
2. My hubby Troy, reading a book on our couch.
3. Our piano with the nativity set on top. I purchased this set about five years ago (too!) and since it was at a thrift store for a total of about $10 I couldn’t resist…even though it was missing the baby Jesus. Troy makes fun of me all the time. I just say…”The baby Jesus doesn’t arrive until Christmas…” One day I’ll track down a replacement piece.
4. A collection of our photos from images photography. Starting this next year, we will be offering “Wall galleries” which will include all the images, framed and ready to hang, along with a template so you hang it right the first time.
5. Our new comfy chairs…for a while we just had camping chairs…these look much better!
6. Our bookshelf with some books (of course) and sample albums and storyboards.
7. Pictures from our trip to Brazil last year. Oh, how the cold weather makes me want to go back and lay on the beach all day!
8. Our Christmas tree.
And of course…I’m at the center of it all!

::Jules::

I first met Monica and Hai at the Gateway Wedding Show in October. They signed up for a free engagement session, and on Saturday we met in SLC for a super fun session! We started at the Gateway… these two are absolutely gorgeous!

I love couples that have been together for a while, they are always so comfortable with each other… and are so in love. These guys have been together for 8 years!
We hopped on Trax and went to the “Boston Exchange” Building. Here’s their slideshow. Enjoy!

::Jules::