A Joy to Photograph!

This beautiful young lady was such a joy to photograph! Photographing adults can be exciting and different. You have different challenges that you must conquer to get that perfect shot.

But as a photographer I am always up to a good challenge! 

You may ask what kind of challenge I had with this beautiful young lady? Often times in adults the main challenge is getting the real and relaxed smile. We all have those photographs were we are saying "cheese", but what is the fun in that? My goal as a photographer is to make sure that each photo represents who you are as a person, to show your true self and to most importantly show case your beautiful smile! In this young lady's case it was very easy!

Look Who Is Four!!

I had the wonderful honor of photographing four year old Payton. 

Payton was such a doll to work with! And her smile was to die for. Photographing children is always so much fun, not only dose it give you permission to be a little silly, but you can almost get away acting like a child yourself. 

There are many challenges when working with little ones, but I find with great patience  good jokes, and maybe a little bit of bribery the photo session can end in all smiles for all involved!

Thank You Ms. Payton for being such a sweet little girl and allowing me to capture your special day!!

Choosing the right photographer

There are many reason why it is important to choose the right photographer. When having your pictures taken your photographer has only once chance to get it right and there are several factors to keep in mind which include: Portfolio, personality of photographer, and of course price.

First area I would like to touch on is portfolio. With many photographers offering disk I always suggest to check out the coloring of the photos. Do they have a tint to them? Do they look natural? When printing pictures from a CD, chain stores will NOT color correct the pictures and often times there printers are not color calibrated often. Another thing I suggest those looking for a photographer is to browse though several different galleries, many time photographers will use different styles and this will give you a good idea on what type of service you will be receiving.

Second area to look into would be personality of the photographer. Here is a scenario for you, you book a shoot with a photographer, you show up and say you hellos. Once the shoot starts the photographer seems to be in a rush and rather rude. At this point, the last thing you want to do is smile and chances are good that your personality will not be captured. To prevent this I suggest meeting your photographer face to face and possibly see what reviews your photographer has; even if the shoot is for a family portrait, you want to make sure that your photographer is easy going and will give you want you want and need!

Lastly is price. The economy is rough, many are cutting out photography from their budget and chain stores can suck you in with the same boring package with the same boring portrait. Do your research on the average prices of professional photography, look at their work. I have found often times you will get what you pay for. Granite the price may be lower, but the quality we be less than exceptional!


I hope you have found these tips helpful and if you ever have any questions feel free to contact me at info@jlynnprophoto.com.

You can view my work at: www.jlynnprophoto.com
And Like me on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/JB.Photography.Bethalto

"Like" JB Photography Facebook Page Today for a chance to win!!

Wanting updated family pictures? Have a senior in High School that will need pictures taken? Or just want an updated facebook photo?? Well, JB Photography is offering her fans a great opportunity to win a free photo-session! All you have to do is this!

1. Go to http://www.facebook.com/#!/JB.Photography.Bethalto and click "like"

2. Then click on the arrow next to the "message" button on the right hand side and click share!

3. Then post to my wall that you shared JB Photography

Once The fan page has reached 250 likes the drawing will begin!!

So enter today!

Life on a budget is not easy!

In today's day and age it is so hard to take the time or the money to get family pictures done. Times are so tough right now and many are choosing to go to the retail stores, take their own photos, or opt out on pictures all together!

This makes me extremely sad, not only as a photographer, but as wife and mother. Many people wonder why and how do I work with those on a budget, well today I would like to tell you!!

First of all the why; in August of 2007 my family and I relocated to the area so my husband can pursue his education. At this time the economy was still strong and jobs were still out there. At the time of the move he did not have a job and our income consisted of the GI Bill which at the time was $1,126 a month. We are a family of four and as you can imagine this was not a very easy budget to live on. After graduation in 2009 we found that the economy had hit this area very hard, and after countless of interviews he was having no luck in finding a job. So in Jan 2010 my husband decided to go back to school. In 2010 he was unable to find a job, and no with the lack of trying. Thankfully 2011 is starting to look up for us, but the uncertainty of tomorrow we never know what could happen.

Now for the how. My business only gives you what you need. We won't sell you anything you don't want nor try to sell you anything extra. We also offer payment plans and many different options to receive your photos (disks, prints, by the photo and so on). So each session is customized to what you need. The key is to negotiate, if you don't think a price is fair just ask!!

I hope you find this post useful!
Best
Johnna

The Secret in Print Prices!

One of the questions I ask myself, is why do Professional Photographers charge so much for their prints!
The average photographer charges $30 for an 8x10 and often times the same for a 5x7!! But the question is why??
The answer is for profit! Granite, it is our business and our way of living, but at the same time how can people afford this? Don't get me wrong, even as a photographer and a business women I strive to gain profit, but the margin of profit isn't as big!
One of the things most Pro Photographer's will say is that "We use a pro printing company and that cost more!" Well, the secret is it only cost pennies more than what you can get at most chain stores!!
So, then you may ask, "why are you telling me this, aren't you a professional photographer?" Well, in fact I am, but even as a professional photographer I truly find it hard to believe that charging $30 for one picture is worth it, to both myself or the client. I, just like the other photographers out there use the professional printing companies and yes I look to gain a profit from my prints, but the margin of profit isn't nearly has much as others.
With this said, I am not saying to not use professional photographers!! By all means I encourage everyone to hire them! But, What i do suggest to everyone is to not only look at there work, but consider there print prices!!!



FYI: My prints run $12.99 for an 8x10. From what I am told this is even cheaper than Sears or Walmart!