And The Winner Is…

Mandy Cazalas of Dickinson High School.  Congratulations Mandy!  The voting was close at times, but you did a great job.  All of our contestants did!  We got wonderful compliments about all the great young ladies in the contest.  You all should be proud!

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Our Blog has a new look!

Please read & then vote below

We have had a great response to our Cover Girl Contest!  So much so that the site’s servers were overloaded!!  Unfortunately this is not our local server, it is a our web host’s server that we have no control over.

We feel that the theme (the background template)  we used before might have slowed the response of the system.  In an effort to make the voting go as smooth as possible, we have changed the theme to to this more simple look.  Hope you like it! This is the only thing that was changed on the site, everything else is exactly the same.  Please remember that the contest only allows one vote per computer address. 

Your computer at work may have the same address as all of the other computers, so your co-workers may not be able to vote from work after you vote.   We designed the contest to run over a period of time to assure that everyone will get a chance to participate. 

It might be a good idea to spread the voting out over the next week to allow the server to accommodate everyone.   

Good luck to all of the contestants!

Please scroll down to find the vote page.

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Cover Contest!!!

_________

Choose Your Favorite Cover!!!

  • Mandy Cazalas (28%,)
  • Kourtney Mitchell (19%,)
  • Katherine Hefner (16%,)
  • Caitlyn Ashley (9%,)
  • Brittany Rode (3%,)
  • Nancy Perez (3%,)
  • Tyler Steinback (3%,)
  • Cathy Wheeler (2%,)
  • Bethany Setzkorn (2%,)
  • Anne Scruggs (2%,)
  • Lorna Hirsch (2%,)
  • Brittney Kupferer (2%,)
  • Brooke Towne (2%,)
  • Bailey Boston (1%,)
  • Julie Rutter (1%,)
  • Lesley Lowery (1%,)
  • Meagan Turner (0%,)
  • Megan O'Malley (0%,)
  • Laura Nagala (0%,)
  • Deanna Gonzales (0%,)
  • Cameron Chide (0%,)
  • Maria Vasquez (0%,)
  • Regina Trap (0%,)
  • Jenny Phillips (0%,)
  • Marissa Cantu (4%,)
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Painting With Light

Wow, we have had fun with this new technique!  It’s not really new, more like a new take on an old idea.  Way back when you actually used film in your camera we would paint with light by turning off all the lights and then put the camera on a tripod and put the shutter on B for bulb.  This would keep the camera steady and the shutter open.  But with all the lights off there was nothing for the camera to see.  So then we would take a pen light and essentially draw with it.  The camera would pick up the “drawings” as swirls of light.  We thought it was the coolest thing ever.  Well, here is a really cool new way to do that and to also photograph the person as well.  You follow all the steps above,  have them turn off the light and then while the shutter is still open- you fire  a flash at the person.  This records the light painting separately and then the flash records the person.  And with  the magic of digital, you can see exactly how it turned out so you’ll know  to fix any problems.   Here’s what we got.  Please feel free to post a comment or question.  Or email me at Susan@susanhenryphotography.com.  We would love to know what you think!

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Take Better Pictures!

Take Better Pictures!

Get close to your subject

Really close – fill the entire frame with their face. Or at least their head with no room to spare.
 
Filling the frame with Madison’s face shows off her beautiful eyes. But it could also tone done a busy background.
Madison
 
 
Stop and look for the best background.
I spend alot of time on the Seawall meeting clients.  I cannot tell you how many people are enjoying the beautiful vista of the beach and the water and then stop and arrange their family with a view of the businesses on Seawall for their photo!  Believe it or not I have witnessed this in Belize of all places as well, so it’s not just a Galveston thing! 
 
It’s easy to forget about the background when you are concentrating on getting everyone together. So really take a  look around you. Maybe there is a flower garden or another interesting area that would make a great background.
 
 
Could not resist making these relatives stand in front of this beautiful bush. Since it was so bright and I was already being pushy enough, I let him keep his sun glasses on!!
couple
 
Be a stranger.
Don’t be Mom or Dad, don’t stress out. Have fun, kids can sense this and will relax and have fun too which makes for better smiles!
 
                                                                                                      
The boys were having fun and it shows. I turned this black and white to tame the colors of the shirts down – plus it adds to the nostalgia of the image
Izban Boys
 
 
Be in the picture.
 Make it a close up of just your faces. That way you don’t have to worry about losing 5 lbs before you can be in a photo! Be sure to have someone take the picture from a higher angle looking down a little. 
 
For instance, you can sit on the floor and have the kids put their chins on your shoulders then look up at the camera and smile!  Be sure the camera person gets close enough to include only your faces, you’ll love it!
 
Try a different angle.
Climb up a few stairs and shoot down or have everyone lay down on the ground and shoot down on them or lay down yourself and shoot them while they are laying down in front of you. 
  
Looking up at Cameron for her senior pics.
Cameron Fire truck sky
 
Say adios to your double. 
Think you have a double chin and avoid the camera at all costs?  Here’s a tip that is a double chin buster: simply have the person with the camera stand above you and shoot down on you. 
 
They could stand on stairs, a bench a balcony or anything that would get them a little higher than you. Or you can sit on a lower step with them on the stairs above you. 
 
As you look up at them, you’ll lift and stretch your neck
and no double chin! Try this for yourself and send me the success stories and pics!
 
Hope these tips are helpful! To make them easier to remember, print this out and tape it to your camera strap so you’ll remember the next time you have your camera! 
 
Please eamil me at info@susanhenryphotography.com  and  let me know if you have specific questions about photography, I’ll include them in the next newsletter and everyone can benefit. You can also share your pics with us, we would love to see them!
 
 Until then, happy snapping!
Susan
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Popular new pose!

Check out this new pose on the beach!  Mandy loved this shot. The feedback from the seniors has this being our most popular pose yet!  This was photographed by our new photographer Kenneth as well.

This is Mandy's favorite pic!

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Islander Magazine Cover

What Fun!

 

Wow!  I had a lot of fun photographing the cover of the Islander Magazine for the April 2010 issue!

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Fun With A Fire Truck

senior pictures

Cameron's awesome senior pictures with a fire truck in the alley and at the beach

Turns out that Galveston’s Fire Department has a “retired” fire truck they use in parades.  Cameron’s Dad is a Galveston Fire Fighter and he had just the right idea for his daughters senior pictures!  We had a blast with their Dalmation “Tower” and the truck in the alley behind the studio and on the beach !

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Brianna’s Quinceanera Pictures

We had a great time photographing  Brianna for her Quince pictures!  The weather turned and we were not able to do the beach pictures, but once we get them I’ll post those too.  This dress is going to look great at the beach!  We took a more fashion/modern approach, let us know what you think! 

Brianna's Quinceanera Pictures

 

Brianna's Quinceanera Pictures

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Ally Torres

Alley has so much energy!  She is a Ball High Tornette so that is a good thing!  We had so much fun taking her senior pictures!  Mom, little sister and little brother joined her for some family portraits on the beach.  The sunset was so pretty that night, what an awesome memory they’ll have!

Ally is a 2010 Ball HS Senior

Ally Torres senior pictures at the beach

Ally and family on the beach & looking great!

Also, check out this 30 second video!

Ally Ermes Senior Pictures

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