Just for Fun: Time Lapse Chicks!

I had a fun opportunity to do my very first time-lapse photo project recently with my son's kindergarten class. To learn about a life cycle, the class was hatching some baby chicks in an incubator. My son's teacher (who is absolutely the best kindergarten teacher on the planet -- we love you, Mrs. P.!) sent out an email announcing that the class was "expecting" some babies. Because an egg can take anywhere from 2 - 12 hours to hatch, this was a perfect opportunity to use the time-lapse function. I arranged to come and set up my camera and photograph some of the hatchings.

It was somewhat difficult to shoot, as the eggs needed to be kept warm and the incubator had only a small window through which I could shoot. But it was still so great to share this experience with my son and all his friends! Here is the final video, assembled from over 900 images shot over several hours. I think it's cool how you can see the chick pecking a straight line across its shell from the inside before it bursts out!

This was so fun, I hope to do some more time-lapse photography soon!

The Sweet Smell of Success: Lawson Lavender

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

This is the lesson learned from a recent shoot I did for a great local company called Lawson Lavender. Lawson makes and sells the best-smelling lavender products my nose has ever encountered, from candles and soaps to natural household care products like glass and countertop cleaners. Run by the ever-vivacious and awesomely spikey haired Stacey, she and her family actually grow their own lavender on a farm in rural Missouri, harvest it, dry it and then use it to create the Lawson Lavender products. So Stacey approached me and asked if I could do some product shots for them, as they were launching a brand new etsy.com site.

Dirt...



She showed me some examples of photos she liked, and given the adorable gnome that is part of the Lawson Lavender logo, I suggested we play off that and have a "magical forest" theme to the images. Ya know - red spotted mushrooms, 

plus plants...

lots of ferns, perhaps a friendly snail or two? Imagine where a gnome might live, and you'll get the idea. Based on this first concept, I built a set in my studio, beginning with stacking bricks on a table, covering them with a painter's drop cloth and dumping a bunch of potting soil on top. I began adding in greenery

...equals a gnome-y wonderland.

(my son "helped" by trying to add in some fake plastic bugs which I vetoed), sprinking moss and rocks. In the end, it looked like this:

Loved the shot. Got the whole magical fairy land thing going, the light slanting in as if shining through the forest trees. Add in a cute little mushroom and call me the Fairy Godmother. I can see the gnomes capering about as we speak...

Only one problem: it completely did NOT jive with Stacey's new etsy.com site.

When you hire Striking Photography, be it as your wedding photographer or senior pictures, or for a commerical photography shoot such as this one, my number one priority is to produce images that are an appropriate and real reflection of the subject. It may be a technically perfect shot, but if it doesn't work for my client's objectives, then my job is not complete.

So, I came up with two completely different concepts and went in a whole new direction with the shoot. Voila!

Much cleaner,

more modern take on the products. What makes the first image awesome was that the colors worked with the product labeling, whereas the second concept played off of the actual usage of the products (cleaning products shown in a kitchen or bathroom, a candle by a bedside, etc.).

In the end, Stacey was pleased with all the ideas but chose to go with the last image, showing the products in the environments where they would actually be used.

And I got to play in the dirt with my kid, which was pretty fun too. 

The BAD news about the Flashbus Tour with David Hobby and Joe McNally

Just got back around midnight last night from the Flashbus Tour in St. Louis, featuring David Hobby and Joe McNally, two photographers I greatly admire. The BAD news about the Flashbus Tour is that as I was speeding along the freeway back to Kansas City, my entire box of dark chocolate Raisinets upended themselves and spilled all over my lap and onto the floor, where they were squished into a chocolately mess by my feet as I was driving. And I had only finished less than half the box, people. *sigh* Thankfully I was driving my husband's car ;-)

 The GOOD news about the Flashbus Tour was... pretty much everything else! For those who don't know what this "Flashbus thing-y" is (was?), check it out here. Alas, it is fini, kaput, done, and St. Louis was the final stop. But I am very thankful I was lucky enough to attend and learn a whole lot from these two accomplished photographers. Between the two of them, they have quite the client list including numerous years working at the Baltimore Sun, Sports Illustrated, Life, Time, Fortune, National Geographic, photographing many national celebrities... you get the idea. This ain't their first rodeo, iykwim.



by keepon



The first half of the day was conducted by Mr. Hobby, who did an excellent presentation of how to build lighting schemes from the ground up. The second half was more of a live demonstration of Mr. McNally shooting tethered and using a slightly different technique. I enjoyed both of them and learned a lot. They also gave away a lot of swag, and I won a pretty sweet Manfrotto photo vest for being the first person to present an uneaten banana from my bag! Yessss!!!!! LOL


 However, although I definitely squirreled away many a technical nugget to incorporate into my own shooting style, what I really appreciated most was the inspiration I received. Here were two incredibly successful photographers, and while undoubtedly savvy businessmen, they were also amazingly generous with sharing their knowledge and experience. Photography can be a very cutthroat industry sometimes, so that was cool and inspiring to see. And if I may venture briefly into slightly political territory (I promise not to make it a habit), as a woman and thereby definitely a minority in the crowd, I felt very comfortable and welcome at the event. I was not talked down to, nor did I feel I received special treatment. It was simply a non-issue.

So expect to see some of this new and exciting knowledge informing my work at Striking Photography over the next few months! A whole bunch of seniors should be rolling through here soon, as well as some business headshots, wedding work and more...

And may you, dear reader, continue to grow and learn, whatever your field of work may be!

Killer new blog look coming soon!

So I am crazy excited about the new look that is going to be available thanks to blogger! It will be so much more interactive and really showcase my images! Keep checking back here over the next few weeks to see it... and let me know what you think in the comments section!

Shedding Light on "Natural Light Photography"

As a photographer, I live or die by the light in my images. The word photography, in fact, derives from the Latin words for light ("photo") and writing ("graph") -- so literally, I am "writing with light" when I take a photograph.

Natural light photography almost always means exclusively using light from the sun. The sun is the most incredible light source photographers have at our disposal, and it is critical to know how to work with it when creating outstanding images outdoors.

However, I have to admit that I balk a little when I hear the words "natural light photography." Because...

What do you do if the sun doesn't show up?
The client has taken time out of their schedule, has probably gotten their clothing, makeup, hair and nails done, perhaps had to coordinate several other people's attendance... not to mention as the photographer I have set aside time to prep and shoot --- and the sun is a no-show.

What do you do if you can't shoot outside?

Even if the weather is nice, some people just don't want to go outside to shoot. The wind can really mess up someone's hair at times. Perhaps they have allergies or other health conditions. In one case of mine, a woman (the eldest daughter) wanted to have a family portrait taken. Her siblings were visiting from out of town, and it was the first time her family had been in the same place, all together, for twelve years. The only concern was that their father was ill, needed oxygen, and was in a wheelchair. In this case, the client specifically needed to be indoors, so the sun was not a realistic option.

As a professional, I believe it's important to be more than just a one-trick pony when it comes to getting great photos. If the sun doesn't show up for a shoot, it's critical to be able to create something awesome regardless through the use of strobes (aka "flash") and other light modifiers. For example, where would a model be if she could only successfully pull off one style? The most successful models can look sexy, glamourous, professional, avant-garde, natural and wholesome, romantic, older, younger -- because that is their job. I feel the same applies to me in terms of a photographer -- I definitely use natural light, but I can also create many many other looks and styles with supplemental lighting should the natural lighting be flat.

As a photography client, it is to your benefit to be sure that your photographer is well-versed in all aspects of the craft. A few things to look for:

Pay attention to a photographer's portfolio. Are all the photos taken under similar lighting conditions? Or is there a variety that demonstrates mastery of the craft under many conditions?

Check whether or not the photographer belongs to any professional photography organizations. Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Wedding Photojournalist Assocation (WPJA), and Wedding and Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) are all excellent and well-known professional organizations of photographers.

Has the photographer been published? Magazine photo editors know what's current, demand the highest quality photos, and they don't like to work with flakes. (They are working under a publishing deadline, after all.) If your photographer has had their work published or used publicly, it not only suggests that they take good images, but that they are a decent and reliable businessperson as well.

Has the photographer won any awards/recognition for their work? Winning recognition from other professional photographers is also a great indicator of high quality work. Who better to judge a photographer's work than other experts in the same field?

For more information about my qualifications, please feel free to contact me via my website, http://www.strikingphotography.org/, email Debra@StrikingPhotography.org or call the studio at 913-602-8061.

Received a Special Mention for Best Wedding Photo 2009!

I am sooo honored to have received a Special Mention in the Best Wedding Photo of 2009 competition held at photo.net last week!

Photo.net is an online photographer's forum with over 800,000 registered members and spans the globe. It's a great honor to get recognition from other professionals within the photography business -- and it was a little nerve-wracking to even submit for this competition, since I knew I'd be judged by people who really KNOW photography iykwim!

This is the award-winning shot, which I call "Kiss of Color".

Vote for Me on the Kansas City A*List!!!

Hey everybody! I am SOOO excited because Striking Photography is competing for the BEST Kansas City wedding photographer... please vote for me by clicking on the tag below:



It would be a great honor to win this award, so I hope you will go and vote for me today! Please spread the word... thanks!!! :-)

Striking Photography is an official member of the Professional Photographers of America!

Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is the world’s largest nonprofit association for professional photographers, with more than 20,000 members in 54 countries.

Part of PPA's mission and vision statements is to "...define and maintain the industry’s standards of excellence", as well as "...to create a global perspective that promotes... creativity foremost and excellence always."

How cool is that?!?

Seriously though, PPA membership means a lot to me, and hopefully means a lot to you as a potential or returning client. It's an indication of commitment and expertise on my part that many other photographers simply have not made, for whatever reason.

If you are considering hiring me as your photographer for your wedding, family portrait, headshot, whatever... rest assured that Striking Photography is a professional studio that takes photography seriously, not simply as a hobby.

Now let's take some awesome photos!!!! :-)

Ten Minutes From Home

As a professional photographer, I am continually challenging my eye through both formal and informal means. I am a member of several photography groups, one of which holds an Assignment of the Month.

This month's assignment was called Ten Minutes From Home:

This assignment is called Ten Minutes from Home. Not 9 minutes, not 11 minutes, 10 minutes. Get on your favorite mode of transportation, whether it’s feet, a bicycle, a car, a bus, a plane, a Segway, whatever, and head 10 minutes from home. When you get there, stop and take some pictures.

Here are some of my favorites I took for this assignment...

Who knew ordinary things could look so cool?