Be Striking. Be Happy!

I found the coolest site a few days ago which uses facial recognition technology to analyze the emotions captured in photographs. Naturally, I wanted to see how my own portfolio of photographs stacked up, so I ran the emotional breakdown on this very blog.

Here's what I got:

As you can tell from the colors (sorry it's a little blurry, it's just a screen grab), my work is happy almost 3/4 of the time! And people wonder why I love my job! LOL

Sneak Peek: Laurie Sittin' on the Dock of a Bay...

Love that golden oldie of the same name by Otis Redding, don't you? :)

Another sunny shoot from this summer...

 

While shooting with Laurie, an up-and-coming model, we ran into the nicest group of guys who were returning to the dock house from an obviously long hike. Their big backpacks and hiking boots were so perfect for the outdoors-y feel of the shoot, I just had to ask if they would mind shooting with us. One doesn't really become a photographer unless one is comfortable interacting with many different people from all walks of life!

Even though it was hot and they were sweaty and probably tired, they were great sports to play along with all my silliness and posing. Thank you so much, guys!!!

Sneak Peek: Joan's Business Portrait

Had an excellent opportunity recently to shoot with Joan, who is the Executive Director of the Kansas City Chapter of the CPCU and also happens to be a neighbor as well.

While the headshot itself is fairly straight-forward (a close view of the head and shoulders with direct eye contact is standard in most industries), what was particularly fun and challenging for me from a photographer's perspective was that this headshot was going to be displayed alongside some already existing headshots that had been taken a few years earlier. So I needed to create a seamless integration of Joan's new headshot with the existing photos by leveraging the existing color scheme and settings of the old images.

When Joan first called me, I initially thought of shooting an image with a much darker brown and tan backdrop, which conveys a very traditional and rich feel. Think tapestries, libraries, Harvard. However, upon talking with her and checking out where the photo was going to be used, I realized that this would look completely awkward and out of sync with the rest of the website. It was too dark and serious! The color scheme of blues, greens and whites called for a much higher key portrait, with a casual business office background.

Joan had this to say about her portrait: "Thank you for the photos. Dang, you make me look good!"

And I can't think of a better endorsement than that! =)

If you would like to schedule a business portrait for yourself or your entire team with Striking Photography, please give Debra a call at 913/602-8061 or email at debra(at)strikingphotography.org. We can shoot in the studio or on-location, and I am happy to work with you to create an image that conveys all the values your business stands for.

Sneak Peek: A Gentleman in an English Garden?

There was something about these images that made me imagine a dapper young English gentleman strolling around the grounds of his mansion and garden in the 1960s... However, this was shot right here in the heart of  Kansas City!

There was a bit of a vintage feel to it all, hence my unusual (for me) choice of a retro look in post-processing. It's a little bit Polaroid, little bit Hipstamatic... I love using interesting filters when the image calls for it! If this is a preferred style of yours, call me -- I'm game! 

My personal favorite, though, is the shot below where the gentleman is relaxing on the bench, looking off into space and dreaming of... what? It just feels like summer to me. And the sun is creating the perfect flare to suffuse the entire scene with light. 

Dream on, dear readers... we've but a few days of summer left and soon trees will be turning...

And if you are dreaming of a photo shoot, please contact me soon! I will be traveling to Hawai'i in December and January, so let's get something scheduled!

Sneak Peek: Jill and Kyle's Wedding!

This wedding was held at the Overland Park Arboretum and was absolutely the epitome of what an amazing summer wedding should be. The lushness of the garden, the sunny warmth of the images, and a gorgeous and madly-in-love couple... so wonderful and so beautiful!

I am truly blessed to have played a part in capturing the memories of Jill and Kyle's incredible day.

Every wedding has its own unique feel, and this one was simply radiant !

Sneak Peek: Stacie!

Had fun with so many different moods in the lighting! Strong and graphic, soft and dreamy, warm and glowing...

Sneak Peek: Danielle and Aaron's Engagement Session!

Had a great time strolling around downtown with Aaron and Danielle, capturing some portraits, dramatic shots and some sweet and romantic images. Engagement sessions are such a blast because it's a little more low-key, and a wonderful chance to chat and really get to know a couple a little better prior to their wedding day. Aaron and Danielle were so open and easy-going, and so much in love, and we were even serenaded by a band that was playing al fresco that evening that we were shooting. Congratulations, Aaron and Danielle!