. i have a bit of a lull in the action the beginning of this week….though starting this weekend things are going to get hectic again…for which i am truly thankful for ;). i have tons of images to post here, so i hope to have the time to get some editing done, as well as work on some other projects during this time.

.i posted this pic of my hubs a while ago, but i went end re-edited it as i am having some large prints made up for my studio space.  since the space i am using is in my home, i wanted to be sure to have some great pics of my family up, and this one is my favorite one of my hubs…all the others i have of him are just silly, hence the one in my blog header.   i just can’t get him to keep a stright face when i try to photograph him. it isn’t as technically correct as i would like it to be, but i just adore that expression ;) he has been such a huge supporter of my photography – not only of supporting my artistic side and being there to take care of things when i go off on shoots, but helping me with the business nature of my work.  he is an economics major and works as a profitability analyst for a company here in the Northeast…he definitely has been huge help in pointing me in the right direction when it comes to business decisions.  we make a great team because, like most photographers i think – at least in the beginning, i am more artistically oriented rather than business savvy and he is able to make sure i learn about the aspects of running a business and helping to make sure i stay on track with monitoring and keeping track of all the behind the scenes work. he is also an amazing musician and a fantabulous chef…and just an all around good guy ;)

. i am off to go finish a project i started for my studio space…i can’t wait to show it to you when it is ready!  cheers !

.roxy, pictured above, wants to remind you that Dog Day at Impressions of Saratoga is coming up this Saturday – May 3rd!

.be sure to be there to get photos of your pup as well as some tasty treats! Part of the  proceeds from the event go to a great cause! For more info visit Impressions of Saratoga.

 :)

.i love having pretty friends to photograph ;).  i have a busy weekend ahead of me, but I am looking forward to it.  i can’t believe that April is almost over!  i am just happy that spring is finally here. 

.we just got our house painted, which i am so happy about – it no longer looks like i live in a haunted house – awesome!  i told my husband though that we can’t paint our garage because it is the perfect photo backdrop for portraits – i actually have a portrait session coming up where the client specifically wanted portraits in front of it..he, he…honestly it looks much better in the photographs than it does in person so i have the feeling it is going to get painted eventually.  im still working on getting my small home studio set up and i have to post some pics of it up soon.  i also have so much lawn work to do to get my back yard looking nice and to prepare for another year of organic gardening.  it is always a task to figure out what to plant each year, my husband has become quite the chef and we plant the garden based on what he uses the most in the kitchen.  he planted garlic last fall, so i am interested to see if they have grown well or if he planted them too early (they have pretty tall sprouts already!).

.hope you all have a beautiful weekend and that it is bright and sunny where you are!.

.had you come to me ten years ago and said that eventually i would be taking pictures of beautiful scantily clad women of all sizes and ages, i would have probably laughed at you and sent you on your way.  but today, i am happy to announce that I am going to be doing just that by offering Boudoir Sessions to my fabulous female clients!  i am really excited about this venture because as a female photographer  i know how important it is to have images of yourself that not only capture the beauty and feminity that all of us women carry on the inside, but to have images of yourself that you can look at and really feel amazing about how beautiful you are on the outside too.  That is what Boudoir Photography is all about!

.Boudoir Photography is also a wonderful gift for that special signifigant other in your life…birthdays, anniversaries, valentine’s day…what better way to surprise your special someone with a truly personal gift ;) 

.Sessions start at $500.00 and include a hair and makeup stylist on location, and an 8 x 10 custom edited image of your favorite session photograph.  For the first 5 women who sign up, i will be offering a free black leather bound accordian album filled with 12 custom edited images from your session a perfect gift for yourself or that special recipient!

.to answer some of your questions regarding boudoir check out my site HERE and for further details regarding session pricing and what is included check out my site HERE.

In other news…i am almost completely booked for May, so if you are interested in a session please contact me ASAP before I go on my 2 month picture taking hiatius ;).  I am currently working on my new Senior gallery and will hopefully have that up soon…more details to follow!

Get them HERE!

.i am happy to announce a new product with several others like it on the way! 

6 unique overlays

The Written Word overlays add artistic interest and depth to your images. Each overlay is a fully editable .PSD file, each layer can be edited to work with each image you apply it to. These overlays are perfect when paired with textures to give even more depth or along on a photograph. These are great for custom cards and print press products, canvas wraps or various other portrait products. A tutorial with tips on how to edit and apply your overlays is included in the download.

Below is a sample photograph using just the overlays, but they are also awesome to use over my textures as well!

You can also view a larger sample of the overlays HERE

.i had such a fabulous weekend…Friday we offically kicked off the Smith Family Campfire Sessions ;)…since last year nearly every Friday with nice weather we light up a campfire in our back year, invite over friends with instruments and have an all night jam session…oh i am so glad it is warm enough to start them up again…Saturday was just relaxing in the warm weather…Sunday my day was filled with portraits – i took over 2, 000 photos…needless to say there is a lot of editing and a lot of new pics on the way.  i also got the chance to meet up with some other amazing photogs…all in all it was just an awesome day.

. i had been meaning to post some pics I took for my sister Laura a few weeks ago.  i have been a photographer for several years and this is the first time i officially photographed her!  we had a great day, though it was a little rainy and chilly she was a trooper helping me lug my green velvet chair outside!  i have a bunch more from her session to edit so i will be posting them eventually, but here are a few sneak peeks!

.i will be launching a new product tomorrow, officially announcing a new session on Wednesday and posting new pics in between all the chaos.  i love being busy doing what i love!

.back on April 8th my friend Kat and i headed out to Syracuse for this seminar Captivated By The Light hosted by Ed Pierce. It was a very informative seminar regarding both studio lighting and enhancing natural light.  the entire time it made me realize how badly i would love to open a studio of my own….some day ;)

.the seminar started off with a trade show, mostly of vendors that i already go through for my print products, but it was good to see first hand the albums, print press items and such that they offer.  i got to play around a bit with the new Canon 1D Mark III…good lord, that is another one of those “some day” goals :).  the seminar was about 3 hours and was hosted by Ed Pierce himself.  he went over some of his lighting techniques as well as playing some videos regarding lighting on location that were really helpful.  i may be working with some reflectors soon to try out and hiring an assistant for outdoor portrait shoots, but that probably won’t be until next summer.  we also left with an additional 4 hours worth of really helpful material on DVD from some of the nations top portrait and wedding photographers.  I have laready watched both DVD’s and have already put some of the tips to good use. 

.i had heard mixed reviews about the seminar, but i think for the money and for someone fairly new to the business of photography it was a good investment.  i am always up for a roadtrip with freinds and this one was too fun!

. in other news, i am still booking weddings for this year, i just booked another yesterday that I am really excited about.  I will be back in action as of late Septmeber, so if you are getting married later this year I hope that I will have the date open for your wedding :).  I am still shooting portrait sessions through the end of June and have only a few weekend spots left…all good things :) . i will also be launching a new product in my store early next week so stay tuned ;)  i have more news but i’ll save it for another post…

.have a beautiful weekend!

PhotoSmith Photographer Resources

Finally, i have gotten around to posting some new products I have ready for my resources store.  I LOVE these new textures and will be playing around with some photos using these soon :)  I have another product to launch later this week i think is pretty cool and hopefully you will too :)

.i am so happy to be part of another amazing charity project celebrating the joys of childhood -Project Childhood.  Project Childhood, which corresponds with Child Abuse Prevention Month during the month of April, is about creating a unified front among professional photographers in order to accomplish one goal: TO CELEBRATE CHILDHOOD.

.Project Childhood is offering a photo contest to photographers and I have donated some of my actions and textures to the winning photographers who participate! Please view the website for rules on submitting your work and please spread the word about this wonderful project!

.in other news, i had an awesome portrait shoot this weekend (some pics to come soon :)), have been working on updateing a few things on my site and blog, am getting ready for some upcoming weddings and photographer meetups which I am really looking forward to and have been working on some info for new sessions I will be soon officially announcing.  please bear with me as i update things around here abit to streamline the look of my sites…hope all is well with you out there and that you are enjoying the approach of warm yummy weather as much as I am!

 Cheers! 

 *** PS if you are on of my bridal couples awaiting your Wedding Welcome Package, I should have them ready by the end of the week.  Thank you for being so patient, and if you have any questions before or after you receive them do not hesitate to contact me!

I just wanted to announce that I am participating in a local charity event hosted by Impressions of Saratoga on May 3rd, 2008! Impressions is kicking off Pet Appreciation week by hosting Dog Day!…a fun filled family day where i will be available to take pictures of your precious pooch!  These mini sessions will be $10 and you will receive a 5 x 7 image of your beloved canine companion.  I will be dontating a part of the proceeds of this event to the DVRC of Saratoga’s Safe Pet Partnership Program and 10% of any purcahses made at Impressions that day will also be dontated to the Safe Pet Partnership Program.

So be sure to come up and say hello, get some pictures taken of your pooch and please spread the word about this wonderful cause.  Hope to see you there!!!

i have so much to post about it is not even funny. i have become horribly behind in keeping this space updated, but I have a bunch of things to post in the next few days…last night i went with my friend Kat to a photography lighting seminar/workshop/tradeshow.  I learned a lot and had a great time…i’ll be sure to post more about this later in the week, along with some other news and developments…