Potts Studio Blog

Sage, Sage, Sage...

Dear Sage,

it is a real bummer that you have to go down in history for having made this face, but hey-better you than me.

Love and kisses,

Kleo

What a Weekend!

After the flyers went out, the posters were posted, and the emails were sent, I waited. I waited to see you would come to the studio for Families Helping Families Portrait Fundraiser. With the help of a couple of talented writers and blog-keepers like Mark Maynard, people called and families came. For two days the studio was filled with great couples, super-cute kids, and a couple of funny dogs. Here are just a few of my faves...

      Look, somebody showed up!

     

 

 

 

   

   

 

 

 

 

 

I was told she did not like to smile in pictures, that was before she came to me. :)

 

 

  

  

    

  

 

 Thank you to everyone that participated. We raised $320.00 for Share Our Strength Comunity Services in Ypsilanti. Let's do it again! 

SOS Fundraiser Update-Time Slots Still Available

The weekend is looking really good for our fundraiser for SOS Community Services. Saturday and Sunday will be very busy days for me, but I am excited to meet all of the families who chose to participate. There are still some time slots available on Saturday and especially Sunday. Come on out a join us, and help put some food in the pantries of our fellow neighbors.

To make your reservation, call 734-972-2331

Family Portrait Fund Raising Weekend!

Families Helping Families fund raising weekend is almost here and the time slots are booking fast!

This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I am waiving my studio fee ($150-$300) and giving families a 30 minute photo session in the studio for a $40.00 donation to Share Our Strength Community Services.We would like to raise $1000.00 for the food bank right here in Ypsilanti. As we all know, times are though and the charities are really taking a hard blow. This is a way to make a generous contribution and receive a quality portrait session just in time for the holidays.

A password protected web gallery is included with each session for you to view your images and share with friends and family members.

There are still a few time slots left. Call today to book your family session! 734-972-2331

   

 

Alexis Hana, welcome to the world!

 

Alexis Hana came into the world this evening sporting the cutest pair of lips I have ever seen. Weighing in at 6lb 15oz. she was one perfect little package. She cooed softly for a while then added a little gusto to her request for a beverage. Her mum was a champ and made the delivery seem effortless. Cheers to the Kang family!

 

 

Sarah's Senior Session

   

Houston, we have liftoff....

We just wanted to inform the entire world that we successfully raised the noisy meatloaf (newborn) all the way to kindergarten despite the "Vegas Odds". She was was a little baffled about going to school while it was still dark outside, we explained it was global energy cutbacks. We were ready and waiting on the porch for the "Cat" bus at 7:45, only to watch it whiz by, skipping our house. Thanks to Tim's quick feet, we caught the bus. Undaunted, Zoë hopped on board, stopping just long enough for a quick wave.

Now, I am going to go cry my eyes out and look for my former life.

Shooting In The Raw...

So, I have always shot jpeg, and thus always received flack from my RAW file shooting peers. But why fix what isn't broken? Raw files are giant, time-suckers that look curiously identical to their svelte, ether-thin jpeg counterparts. Jpegs are lightening fast when shooting and post-processing.  I am told by my sharp-shooting RAW file friends that there are other great editing possibilities on the other side of the data file rainbow. Nope, I said, can't afford the hours and hours of extra editing time, even if the rumors of RAW file elfin magic were true.

Lightroom is the answer, my uber-talented second shooter, Chris Lee said. Don't worry, Lightroom does it all for you as a batch. Now, I like batches. Photoshop will do lots of things for you as a batch. In fact, it cleans up images so well, I call it the washing machine. You can set it up to work on hundreds of images while you are off doing other things like, well, real laundry.

So I did it in the RAW, files anyway. Lightroom did not disappoint. The post-processing was handled in one big fat batch, I think I even heard my computer cry at one point. The images looked great. However, I had a problem. Something was missing. The images were cleaned up and even converted to petite little jpegs, but that was not enough. Gone were my special touches, the look and style that I give to each individual image, never done in a batch, but always done with what I believe is the quickest editing system on the planet, my dq QuiKeys. My QuiKeys only worked with Photoshop, which brought me back to my first problem with RAW files, they add much more work.  Not only did the QuiKeys do an amazing job on each image, but they helped me work or several hundred images in a day. I missed my QuicKeys. Before, I was a good photographer. QuicKeys made me a rock star. Not only that, but most of all, sitting at my editing station with my QuiKeys and the tablet in front of the two wide screens placed corner to corner, made me feel like an extra on Star Trek. Now I have to run everything through Lightroom, then through Photoshop with my QuicKeys. Welcome back to the stone age.

Then the email arrived. QuiKeys now works with Lightroom and has a RAW file module! Are you kidding me? Don't mess with my emotions just because I am reading the email at 2am and am willing to believe anything! Lightroom and A RAW file module? maybe they heard my whining all the way to Vancouver. Bring it on! Move over, Picard! I am coming home!

As for the Steak Tartare pictured above, while always curious about such a dish, I did not indulge. Since I made this one in my own kitchen from some everyday ground chuck, I simply settled for some kick-ass meatballs.

Summer Update

Wow, summer can really fly by fast. I have many events and portrait sessions to post on the blog. I have been blessed with a very busy schedule and I have been collecting some of my favorite images to share with you.  I have two more days at the Ann Arbor Art Fair. please come visit our booth if you will be out here. We are on Liberty west of Division.

I said I would never do this but.....

I decided to put one of the collage portraits on the blog so that many of you who came by my booth over the last couple of days could see them again. I have appreciated meeting and talking with all of you. Have a great weekend and stay cool!

 

Sunday

Today the bride and groom and I had a fantastic day after session on Boca Grande. Everyone was so exhausted from the wedding, we almost canceled it. I wish I could show you, but you will have to take my word for it, it was time well spent.

The day after session is my favorite part of the wedding photography biz. The bride and groom are so much more relaxed and no one has to worry about a tight time schedule. It really comes through in the pictures. there are also so any more things a bride can do in her dress, that we wouldn't dare try on a wedding day.

Tomorrow- the beach, a book, and a bottle of sunscreen.

Skin report: pink grapefruit