Hello Shootsac® Friends! 

 

Enjoy!

OUR MOST EXCITING COVER LAUNCH YET:  REVERSIBLE COVERS!!

**CLICK HERE TO SHOP REVERSIBLE COVERS NOW**

If there's one thing we know you can never get enough of, it's bright, fun new covers!  So we've made it easy for you by letting you get TWO covers in one!  On one side, you'll find one of Summer's hottest prints, and on the FLIP side, a beautiful microsuede fabric in a COMPLIMENTARY color!  

And the price?  UNBEATABLE at $45--a bargain when you're getting not one cover but TWO!

Special thanks to our cover models, Smita, Kayte, Kathleen, Sarah & Nicole, and our superstar couple Elise & Ryan (you'll see them again in our "Beach Shooting Tips" section).  

The patterns:



The solids (with Nicole in a pattern)



Pick up one of these covers today to give yourself a fresh new look!  Click the image below to start shopping:

 
It's not surprising that many of my clients want to have their engagement, family, or wedding photos near the beach.  In fact, it's the biggest selling feature of the Southern California area--the proximity to the ocean!  Those of you living near any coast can agree that shooting at the beach is a mixed blessing.  On one hand, it's always beautiful and fun, on the other hand, it can be a bit tricky!

Since shooting near the water is a common request this time of year both on the coasts and in the middle of the country near lakes, this is a perfect time to share a few tips with you for this type of shooting!  

There are three basic things to remember to score a perfect shoot at the beach:  Sun, Fun, and Done.  Let me explain:

Sun

The most common question I hear about shooting on the beach relates to getting warm, golden photos with no harsh shadows on the faces.  As a photographer who doesn't prefer the look of flash or reflectors, there are two ways I achieve this result.  The first way is to shoot ONLY during the hour before the actual time of sunset.  The sunset time on any given day is the time that the sun actually slips below the horizon.  There is still plenty of light in the sky, but no more direct sunlight.  The absolute best light at the beach happens the hour prior to the sun disappearing, which is when you get that glowy, golden light.  

This late afternoon/early evening kind of light looks good in every direction.  You can photograph people lit from the front for a warm cast on their faces (only shoot this way when the sun is low enough that they can look directly at it without squinting) such as this:



The other way is to shoot it backlit, with the sun to your clients' back for a look like this:
 

FUN

Now that you've selected the perfect time of day for your shoot, all you need to do is get your clients down there and have some fun!  One of the biggest challenges for me at the beach is dealing with the lack of color or other prop-type items that you'd find at most other locations such as benches, bright walls, trees, etc.  When all you've got is the surf and the sand, it's up to you to create the fun and motion with your clients! 

Before I head to the beach, I always tell my clients to be prepared to end up wet.  I'm not always after a soaked couple, but I want them to expect to splash around a little bit and have some fun!  There's nothing worse than a shoot with people who won't take off their shoes or head down to the water for a bit.

Katherine & Ben brought a ball to kick around:



But they weren't afraid to play a little either:



On a wedding day, a couple may not want to go near the water, but they can still have fun:



Getting your clients to play is easiest when you set expectations from the get go!  Once they know that's what will be happening at the shoot, when it's game-time, they are almost always up for the challenge!

DONE

When shooting on the beach, I find that my sessions are somewhat shorter than the sessions I shoot at other locations.  This is because there's a narrow window of time when the light is good for shooting.  Once the sun slips down and there's no more golden light left, that's my cue that the session is over.  

One thing I always try to do is to make my last shots right after the sun has gone away.  This is the softest light you can find and just perfect for grainy, beautifully lit black and white portraits like this one:



Ending a session like this gives the session a complete variety of photos:  bright color, beautiful backlit, fun and exciting, and calm and serene.  And that's my approach to beach shooting in a nutshell!

When we were selecting a photographer for this month's feature, we wanted someone who really captured the "Summer Fun" theme.  I can't think of anyone who does that better than Brandy Anderson of Fresh Sugar!  Even the name "Fresh Sugar" seems to conjure up thoughts of all things summery and bright.  I'm so excited to introduce you to her work!

MEET BRANDY

Q:  Tell us about you!  Who are you, and what do you love?

Brandy:  I'm a Canadian with the heart of a Floridian. I'm the mom of two little girls and I love bright & cheery, lots of color, flip-flops and HEAT! I love Sprinkles cupcakes, my iPad™ and my family - not in that order, lol!

Q:  Tell us about your business--how did you get started?

Brandy: I'm an original MWAC (mom with a camera). I started out scrapbooking 7 years ago when my first daughter was born, and it grew into a love of photography. This fall I will be going into my 6th year in business and the ball keeps rolling and rolling.  

My passion is all things baby. I love maternity sessions that capture that excitement and glow, newborn sessions that showcase the tiny perfectness of a new baby, and kid sessions that are all about running around all crazy and acting silly!

Q:  Your brand is simply amazing and so, well, FRESH!  What was your inspiration and how did you come up with it?

Brandy:  My brand was a 3 year work in progress. I needed to have something that was fun and colorful, and I wanted it to have an element of fresh and sweet. I kept hiring logo designers and while they came up with great text logos, something about them just wasn't right. I knew I wanted some sort of icon, and originally I thought grass, cupcakes, lollipops, candy, etc. but those just seemed too obvious. I actually went to www.designoutpost.com on a whim, and one of the designers there came up with the cherry, and I just knew! I literally got goosebumps and I could barely sleep that night. I'm glad I love it so much because I actually got a tiny cherry tattoo on my foot last summer, so I don't want to regret that!

Q:  What has worked for you in terms of getting clients who suit your style?  

Brandy:  It's been fairly easy to get clients that suit my style, mostly because I am consistent with the images that I show on my website. I've only ever had one client whose personal style was very different from mine. She still wanted bright and colorful but her home was darkly decorated. We ended up shooting in her bathroom, I actually had to get in the shower to shoot because space was so limited!

Before my sessions, I send all my clients a link to a session information booklet which spells out everything we might possibly do. I give suggestions about clothing, what kind of props they might want to use (cupcakes, ice cream, colorful blankets, etc). I really try to guide them every step of the way. I also have every client fill out a "getting to know you" form that helps me tailor the session to them.

Q:  What challenges have you faced in your business?

Brandy:  At first, the biggest challenge was my own confidence. Being self-taught, I always had issues thinking that I didn't really deserve to be calling myself a professional photographer. No matter how hard I studied and trained, I still had a little voice in my head yelling "fraud!". Time and experience helped with that, and winning some awards from WPPI didn't hurt either! Now my challenge is how many photographers pop up each month. I can't really say anything bad about that because that's where I started, but 5 years ago I was one of the first natural light "lifestyle" portrait photographers here in Calgary, now I am just one of a hundred. So it's important that I really nurture my client relationships and keep on top of my marketing efforts.

Q:  What tips can you give on working with children?

Brandy:  For me, the MOST important thing is to create a connection with each child. That usually involves one on one time a little bit away from the parents. I am also incredibly goofy and don't have much of a filter, so I have no problem talking about farts, boogers and stinky butts. Kids usually love it. A great tip with a hard to crack kid - tell them NOT to smile. Make sure you do it while smiling and laughing and 9 times out of 10 you'll get a little one with a genuine smile!

Q:  You know we have to ask it:  What's in your bag?

Brandy:  My go-to lenses are my Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8 and 85mm 1.4 . I have a D3 and the high ISO capabilities have helped me tremendously in the cold, dark Canadian months. I also always bring breath mints, lip gloss and wet wipes.

BRANDY'S FAVES

Here are a few of Brandy's favorite shots and her thoughts about them:



#1:  I love this image because it was one of those things where everything fell into place. The mom had such a great red top, apple trees in the backyard and two little babies in her belly.



#2:  Love this shot because it was just a matter of good timing. I do a lot of quick shooting because kids move fast and I never want to miss the shot. It was a dark winter day inside, so I was very happy to find a little patch of good light in their living room.



#3:  Being an on-location natural light photographer, I am constantly looking for great locations. This was a great find because the city where I live doesn't have a ton of greenery nor does it have many historic looking spots.  I love this because it makes me think of a little secret garden and the little cutie was delighted to be there.

Since summer is so hot, this month, here's a little special feature section to cool you down!  Nothing makes me think of summer like sipping Mojito's, and when I came across The Cocktail Deeva, I knew I just had to share!  Dee brings us this month's cocktail, the Raspberry Cucumber Mojito:

Thanks for tuning in with us this month, and stay cool!

CLICK the little button below to send this to someone who loves the beach, children, the summer, or a nice strong drink.  Sharing is a good thing :)  See you in August!