Movie filmed in my hometown

Movie about brave female Shindler
filmed in my home town Riga
more info and Schedule here

paper dress 5

kids photos

paper dress 3

cost of photography

One of my fellow photographers wrote great article and would love to repost it here

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?


In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 (actually more then what I charge) for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Original post

Last minute discounts for Senior Pictures...

Last minute discounts for Senior Pictures...
your graduation is next door but you still do not have your senior pictures taken
Do not worry .....from April 24 till May 1st i'm offering BIG discount.
Just 100 USD per 2 hour session
(unlimited outfit changes).
Let me know if you are interested!!!!

new album

got my work sample album today.

Dreaming of sunny Florida weddings? Whether on the beach or at a resort .

Dreaming of sunny Florida weddings? Whether on the beach or at a resort .

Formal or barefoot beach wedding…..?
You can really make a destination wedding anything you want, from a simple ceremony between the two of you, to a small ceremony in a romantic destination with family and a few friends, to a more elaborate, large destination wedding with extended family and many friends or just two of you on the cruise.

A destination wedding may be just the way to get away from tradition. While formal weddings hold meaning for many couples, others want the experience to be unique, with a ceremony and location that reflect their true colors. Without the restrictions of a traditional wedding in a traditional location, like your hometown or the place where you grew up, you will feel freer to make your own rules. You can even set up ceremony place in the middle of nowhere….. jungle or top of the mountain or even in oasis in the middle of desert….this is your very special day and let the location be the place were you can return on your anniversary over and over in years.


But even when you plan your wedding to be far way from hometown don't underestimate the importance of fashion. Your wedding gown should say a lot about you -- and your wedding's -- style.


If you’re planning to have your ceremony out in the sun, you’ll want to consider fabrics such as chiffon, silk, and charmeuse as well as shapes that will help keep you cool. Make sure your fabrics are natural and breathable. And you’ll definitely want to opt for flats or sandals, unless you create a firm walkway over the sand. If your aisle is sand, stay away from gowns with heavy trains, so you don’t carve a wake as you walk down the aisle.
With beach weddings and honeymoons becoming so popular, so are the "Just Married" flip flops which leave "Just Married" impressions in the sand and Sunglasses with our "Just Married" print are a great gift for anyone in the wedding party. A beach wedding wouldn't be the same without something to keep the sun out of your eyes!
Enjoy your very special day and Florida’s sun!



Weddings on the Florida beaches are among the most popular destination weddings in US.

"Best Places to Get Married" according to an MSN "best of" series:

Central Park - New York, N.Y.
Chapel of Love - Bloomington, Minn.
Columbia Gorge Hotel - Hood River Oregon
Disneyland - Anaheim, Calif.
Empire State Building - New York, N.Y.
Graceland Wedding Chapel - Las Vegas
Little Church of the West Wedding Chapel - Las Vegas, Nev.
Palace of Fine Arts - San Francisco.
Philadelphia Zoo - Philadelphia, Pa.
Westin Beach Resort - Key Largo Fla.

20 days

just 20 days and i'm back in Florida!
I LOVE it!

Adobe stocks are in danger today

as a graphic designer i'm very interested in the new product what looked as a real trouble for adobe corporation ...take a look - they really are good ...i think Adobe stocks are in danger today.

http://aviary.com/blog/posts/aviary-launches-crane-paper-editor

first time....

one of my clients asked for favor...to make logo for photo booth pictures ... i DID it :)


this is my 3rd logo what client likes and accepts.

If you are interested in my design services ...just let me know

How to plan wedding under 10 K

i was searching web for ideas and inspiration and found this article "how to plan wedding under 10K" about budget weddings. My be some your girls will find it useful.

at least i saw there couple intersting ideas what does not cost leg and arm
love you all
Inta

test

Thank You Old Mean Lady and all your Entourage! I love my job and life!

once upon a time there was a girl ...she loved ballet, she loved to paint and draw and she had a dream to be ...............................
dream was always a heartbeat away ...but there was so many things and obstacles what kept her away to catch the dream and fulfill it....
University....family...kids...job...job..house...job
she grove up and without noticing traded dreams for busy life and lived happily, ha ha ha - not ever after...it was just illusions about happiness
......until one day Mean Old Lady "kicked" her out from "glamorous busy corporate world's palace"
Girl was hurt and upset, but there wasn’t time to think of the past, pride and pain. A great challenge was before her. She realized that old lady made a good turn for her...girl became photographer. Now she is doing what she loves...she is capturing moments. Like a colorful butterflies in the field.

Thank You Old Mean Lady and all your Entourage!
I love my job and life!

Enjoy my Butterflies !!!!

some details from friday 13 wedding

scott kelby....photoshop guru :)

my honored guest

I love her ...she is the best :)

M&J

season has been opened

Milwaukee engagement session

i had great engagement session yesterday...can not wait to put my hands on pictures today.
I'm running to the gym and then i will work on this..see you later

Day at Johns Studio

Day at John's Studio

When Edgar Degas sculpted Little Dancer, Age Fourteen, he meant to change the way people viewed beauty. When the sculpture was shown to the public during the 6th Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1881, many thought it was ugly, though some understood that Degas was trying to show beauty in truth. Today, the sculpture is loved my many.

In his "MY paper dress" session we tried to brake lighting and photography rules to make his pictures as art and beauty.
I'm glad i participated in this project, even sometimes i went my way in settings and steeped away from initial idea getting different results.
But I should agree with John...you have to know to rules to brake them. Looking forward to next session next week

Alone

not alone

i miss you my Florida's friends

If somebody is still wondering why i do not like Chicagoland in Winter....there is proof. View from my office window.....
It is March 3 and weather should be like in the Spring....what we are getting? Snow...
i fed my squirrels yesterday and watched some racoons fighting for food in snow ...it is not spring. I miss YOU Florida and i'm glad that i "skipped this winter" :)

Mak wedding...

I would never imagine celebrate wedding at McDonald's campus ...but if your last name is Mak...may be it is only proper place for it :)