The other day I was thinking to myself, can street photography be done on a smart phone? Well I put this theory to the test and I was shockingly surprised at how well it works. I will say, my backstory to this is the one feature to my phone I really dig a lot. I can tell my Samsung galaxy 7S edge to go to pro mode and adjust settings like I would on my DSLR camera.  The image you see below was taken while waiting for my Huber in the rain after a job at Muriel's. While I was in my Huber driving to my destination I adjusted the image a tad in an app called Snapseed and posted it to Instagram.   Can a phone replace a DSL are at the moment… No, but the best camera to have is the one on you. If all you have is your phone on you when you see an image worthy of a photograph then just take the picture man and share your image with the world  

When I started my photography business reason I was excited to Be a photographer! In this day and age, I cannot believe how long the list is of things we do for our business that is totally outside the realm of actually taking pictures.  I have gotten to the point where my sessions are my creative break from being chained to the computer. 

The following is a list of tools for the business in 2018
Website
Blog
Instagram
Facebook
Youtube
Twitter
Linked In
Google plus
Podcast - coming soon
Emails
Lightroom
Photoshop
online hosting of images
online ordering
our labs
packaging & delivery
phone calls
Google Calendar
Business client software
Custom Flash Drives for digital images
Custom Boxes for prints and flash drives

Every single item listed is what I use on a daily basis EVERY SINGLE WEEK!
Did I mention it's all completed by just me, no employees!

Here comes the inspiration:
If you are 20 something years old and you want to create a business for yourself whether it's full time or part time then STOP making excuses and MAKE IT HAPPEN!
I'm 46 and still rocking my dream! All of the things listed can be a super pain in the booty, but seeing results of your hard work truly pays off.

If you are judging yourself by the number of likes posted on Instagram or Facebook, you are missing the point.  All of these social media outlets are FREE!
Do you have any idea how hard it was to start my business and all I had was a small listing in the phone book because I couldn't afford a larger ad. I was literally the small guy in town scratching to get by.  Now I'm a leader in my industry and a Ambassador to my city.

Photography is the knowledge of exposing for light.  These days your business, reputation and branding is all online. The simple fact that these free options can expose you to people all around the world is simply amazing, yet so many business owners aren't using them at all.  

I love my job. 

If you own a business and I hit some nerves because it applies to you, then this was your motivation. In the words of Casey Neistat,...DO MORE!

I have always loved working with just one light source while learning how to get the most out of the quality of light available.  The sun is a very unique source of light to expose for.  It is truly amazing to notice all of the color and quantity values the Earth gets throughout the day depending on the atmosphere.  As a working pro photographer I like to schedule sessions outdoors within the best times of the day for the best quality of light.  The difficult part of scheduling sessions like this is the unknown. Our weather here in New Orleans plays an acting role when we photograph outside.

The time of day is not only important for the sunlight but also the crazy heat and  humidity.  OUCH!!!!!  Today was 96 and the air was  filled with humidity as if you were breathing air inside a hot sauna.  The most important reason why I love working with natural light is for the mood and ambiance of the scene.  The above images are all exposed for the sunlight only.  The 1st image was the end of the day sun entering the room being filtered by the windows. How the shadows are exposed is important here.  If you underexpose the shadows are too dark.  If you overexpose the image looses the mood.
The 2nd image I used the sunlight for my highlights instead of the main light.  My brain sees the options of how to use the light I'm seeing in front of me.  The sunlight is behind the client allowing the sun to shine across them giving highlights in the hair and shoulders.   The best thing to do is walk around your client first and see the options you have for exposing the image.  Doing this one step will also add creativity to your images because you'll see options you didn't see before. The world is in constant motion so move with it.

The last image was actually during the middle of the day which is usually the worst time of the day to shoot.  The building however does a fantastic job of becoming one large soft box depending on where you put your subjects.  I was totally fine overexposing the window light because I wanted to showcase my clients not the trees outside. 

Natural Light to expose for:
direct light
shade
highlights
shadows and where do they fall in your image!

The next time you are outdoors pay attention to the above and you'll start seeing the world in a new light.   no pun intended.  :)

Are you engaged? Do you know someone who is? This video will give you 5 tips on choosing your wedding photographer!

Tyler and Andre had a spectacular wedding reception at the Audubon Tea Room. Tyler had family from all over the world at her reception including Belize!  I always love seeing so many family and friends celebrating the union of 2 people.   OK, the delicious drinks and partying DJ providing the ones and twos helped a tad as well.  :)
​I have to share more images with you so please click  here for the post to continue!

 Well it's a sad truth but yes we a working on this Labor Day holiday. Don't give me wrong, I love the family time yet the laptop is on my lap while I take care of emails and future constant contact advertisements for our business. The kids are in the other room doing homework and studying for upcoming tests.  Labor day used to have more meaning before the blue law was instated.  I remember growing up where department stores and restaurants were closed on Sunday.  When stores had the option of being open or not on a Sunday, we all knew what was going to happen.  Stores saw that extra day as a day of profits.  We all know what happens when money is the objective and greed settles in.

You know who I respect the most right now out of all the fast food places...Chic Filet.  They are closed on Sunday giving there employees time with their families.  I LOVE IT!
I love businesses that stick to some wholesome values when in todays world it is far and few! I know this world is fast paced but slow down and enjoy your time with the people in your life.  Make the best with your day off, if you have one, while clearing your own head of all negative thoughts.   Most of my thoughts that are negative are usually about making money.  How am I going to make the next dollar?  It plays in my head over and over again.

Today I'm not going to worry about anything because the kids are all home in the next room.  Yes we may be doing some work but it's so we can clear the rest of our day and get our grillin on!!!   Time to put some beers in the ice and get that chicken on the grill!  

Life as an adult can be very busy, eventful and lack of time for yourself.  I have always told my groom at a wedding to never stop dating your wife.  Well sometimes you need the take the dates when you have time for them.  Elizabeth and I found ourselves dating at the grocery store twice last weekend.  Our kids were with friends or family when we had to make a grocery run and we were like,...well this is our date this weekend.   We held hands and giggled in the aisles remembering the times we didn't have the limitations we do now.  

We smiled at each other as we grabbed some hormone free chicken, a stalk of parsley or the many other items we needed from our list.  We would see other people in the store doing the same but they were freshly dating or newly married.  We were smiling because life is meant to be shared no matter where we are. I remember telling this beautiful woman at the altar that I will love her through sickness, health etc.  I can tell you all of these things get experienced at one point or another.  We still remember how fast time flew by to get us here in this grocery store but I guess you can say we are fulfilling our promise to each other.

I wouldn't say time in Whole Foods is romantic by any means but having the time to make my bride laugh and she still looks me in the eyes as if we were new to dating...well that is her gift to me.  This world is insanely crazy and extremely difficult to navigate so link your arms together like a game of "Red Rover" and plow through this thing called life TOGETHER!

just saying   :)

When I tell you this beautiful little girl gave us this smile and it only lasted a second or so, I prayed it was in focus when I quickly snapped the picture! YAY!   It was in focus and what a memory captured!  Newborn babies are so fun for ELizabeth and I to photograph for a few reasons. 

1) Elizabeth gets to scratch her itch for those beautiful little bundles of joy
2) We get to work side by side and remember the days when are children were this age.
3) We love being your family photographer.  My job does not end after the wedding you know?  :)

​You really have to click this link to see the rest of my favs because Leila was a rockstar! 

  I used to love looking forward to all the "Next Chapters" in my life when I was young.  I hate how those chapters get fewer and fewer when you are older.  Life just seems like bl;ah and we get older.  I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHING SENIORS because I get to celebrate their next chapter with them by memorializing the NOW
Right now if you are a high school senior the world is changing right under your nose.  The simple fact that you are becoming an adult is a HUGE DEAL!  I mean cmon....you can't drink at 18 but hey you can fight for your country!  :)


I created an experience for my high school seniors that I am truly proud of.  I have always been tired of the "same old same old" way of taking pictures, so creating anything uniquely mine is impressive.  Today I have a senior driving in town from Baton Rouge and we are going to have a blast.  I like to experience my city from all angles and we will be doing just that.  It's fun for me to bring parents to locations they have never been to before, yet they have lived in New Orleans their entire lives. 
One thing is for certain, your senior casuals will not look anything like your friends images because they went to the school photographer.  I have friends in the industry that are school photographers and I have no disrespect for them, but our demands are very different.  They have contract obligations to meet and I do not.  They need to schedule a tight time frame to fit all of the senior classmates in their schedule before the deadline of the yearbook arrives.

My experience is WAAAAY MORE CHILL! 

I can take a couple of hours with you and your parents to drive around downtown because I don't have the same demands.  We can create awesome fashionable imagery that showcases the best version of YOU because you are relaxed and laughing with me the entire time.   I dig how downtown New Orleans offers us so many colors and textures for us to create images with.  Your outfits will have no problems working with a building, back street or waterway as your background.  A big portion of your background will be the weather.  You will always remember that awesome sunset we caught in the background or the rain that came down right at the end and you danced in the street!

*** Side Note
I have a studio as well so, if you did take your cap & gown or Tux images with your school photographer and you are not happy with them.....I'll redo them in my studio absolutely FREE!  Just schedule your casuals with me and lets create better looking images of  you in my studio and you'll have the perfect wallets for your friends and family.


Your next chapter is here so why not have the best senior casual experience in New Orleans for your going away party!  OK, maybe not going away...but you get the point.


See you soon!  Let's Do This!
 
#NotTheSchoolPhotographer
Want to see images click here!