Eventually we went to letting him use the remote to take photos of us while I played around with settings on the camera.  Here is probably my fave photo of the night.  I love it because not only is it lit in a cool way, but we are both really having fun together!  :)  

Before I was a photographer, I, like many of you, thought a 8×10 was a big photo.  After all 8×10′s are what we should hang on the wall right?  Boy was I wrong.  A 8×10 is like a “postage stamp.”  It’s tiny.  Let me show you.  (just pretend a 4 year old boy I know and love has not totally ruined the loveseat with all his chocolate milk and goldfish)

Here is an 8×10 above the Loveseat.

As you can see, it looks tiny.  Totally the wrong size as a stand alone piece.  If you group it with several other prints then it would be ok.  Lets go up a size, here is the 11×14 above the loveseat.

The photo is still getting swallowed up by the loveseat.  We need to go bigger still.  What about the 16×20 my client had gotten and thought was huge…

This is still small.  I have a confession for you too…this is not a 16×20, it is a 16×24!  In my humble opinion a 16×20 is the SMALLEST size a stand alone  photo (as in not grouped with other photos) should be.  The 16×20 even groups nicely with other photos.  In fact I have a collage of 2 16×20′s and 2 20×24′s hanging on my wall from my recent family session.

So the 16×20 is getting closer, lets go bigger and see what we think.  The next photo I put above the Loveseat was a 20×30.

Now. I like to make a statement, and to me this 20×30 is still a little on the small side, however, I think we are headed in the right direction.  If a less dramatic person wanted to hang this here, I would think it would work for them… I like a little drama on my walls though.  Here is the photo I would chose to put here…

This photo is a 30×40 and, to me, it is the right size for this loveseat.  It does not get lost, you can easily see it and enjoy the art you have invested in.  It makes a statement and I think it looks great.

So what do you  think… is a 16×20 a huge print? Whould you ever hang a 20×30 or bigger in your house?

Each portrait session I do comes with a complimentary viewing and ordering consultation.  If you are confused about print sizes, just ask!  :)  I would be glad to help you get the proper size photos for your wall. If you would like to book a session CONTACT ME!   Be sure to  LIKE US on FACEBOOK to receive updates and discounts, and see more photos!

To order your mothers day gift certificate, call 208.724.0371 or email me at joncee@photographybyjonceemay.com

Lets say you want a 5×7 to give to Grandma.  By ordering the 5×7 you lose a little off the edges.  

Now you want to get an 8×10 for your desk at work.  Sweet!  But here you lose 2 inches off of the sides of the photo.  Some photos this affects the subject matter, so if you are printing yourself at Costco etc, be careful.  This is also the same crop ratio as a 16×20 or a 24×30.  

The 11×14 leaves you with a little more than the 8×10, but not much.

So why do people order a 8×10? Good question.  I think it really comes down to framing.  The 8×10 frame is more readily available than the 8×12.  The same goes for the 16×20 instead of the 16×24.  I try to shoot to allow for either size, but sometimes a photo needs to be showcased at its full crop ratio.  :)  If you need help finding frames to accommodate the 2×3 ratio, ask your photographer, they should have some resources for you, or just splurge for the canvas!  :)

My mom is a HUGE Karen Kingsbury fan, and by huge I mean GINORMOUS!  :)  I would say if she is not the #1 fan, she is definantly in the top 10.  (I like Karen too, but I am not near the fan my mom is.  If you are looking for some good fiction books to read I would defiantly check her out.)  Recently Karen Kingsbury had made her book “Like Dandelion Dust” in to a movie.  My Mom, being the great fan she is, loved the movie and promotes it alot to others.  When I saw these dandelions going to seed it made me think of my mom and “Like Dandelion Dust.”  I decided to take a photo for her.  However, I was not alone and soon the dandelion was picked and blown my her favorite 4 year old grandson!  :)  

Branding and logos are alot like photography.  It is an art form, and if you want it done right, hire a professional.  Up until this point, my logo was one that I had made myself.  It always lacked that professional edge I love.  So I decided to take my own advice and hire a professional.  :)  Enter MadiLu Designs.

Kim from MadiLu was amazing to work with!  She quickly responded to emails and really listened to what I wanted.  I had a vision in my head, and she blew it out of the water!  :)    Here is my new logo.  

I LOVE it!  I got to keep my ducks, (which in case you didn’t know, I am a little obsessed with rubber duckies! In Fact in college I had two rubber duck bed spreads.  I am lucky I had an amazing roommate that put up with my ducks).  It looks fun…like me.  And It is using some fonts I really like!  I defiantly could not have done better.   If you are looking for a logo, MadiLu is the place to go.

Here is some of the products I have already ordered with the new logo.

Also, I want to tell you all I now have an office assistant.  You may never meet this office assistant, as it is not a person, it is a computer program called ShootQ.  I am currently doing a 30 day trial with the program, but I it is really making my live ALOT easier and more organized so I will defiantly be keeping it.  This program makes signing contracts alot easier.  It makes booking me a breeze, and it allows me to keep all my office paperwork in one place, form schedules, to contracts, to questionnaires.  If you have booked with me in the past, I think you are really going to like the improvements!  :)

me getting my shoot on during training!

One of my goals for this year is to do photography full time.  It is my passion and it is what I want to do.  My family, however, has to have a steady income of $600.00 a month more than what my husband makes to survive.  $600.00 may or may not sound like alot to you, but for us, it is life or death literally.  The $600.00 allows us to buy insulin for my Type I diabetic sweetheart (which for matters I wont go into here is not covered by insurance. )  We have to have it.  End of story.  I know $600.00 dollars should be very obtainable, but until my clientele is built up and more people know I exist…which I am working on, I need a way to have a somewhat steady income coming in.  Enter Bella Baby.

I am now Taking photos at the Boise St Al’s and at the Nampa St Al’s hospitals of the newborns. What we do is offer a complementary photo session in hospital for the baby.  These photos are not at all like what Elijah’s hospital photos are like.  His photos were like a  baby mug shot.  They are not the supper posed baby photos we all ohh and ahh over.  They are more lifestyle photos showing the babies first day.  We capture baby’s feet, little hair swirls, baby.  Clean and Simple.  So far I love it.  It is helping provide that extra money my family needs.

I cant show baby photos on my blog due to hospital security reasons that I absolutely respect, but I can show you photos of the training doll!  ;)  Nothing exciting, just a doll, but it will give you an idea of what I am doing.

SO what does this mean for my Business and my availability to you?

It is actually a really good thing.  Someone is at the hospital every morning, but I will only be there abour 2-4 days a week.  From my current schedule this gives me alot more time to devote to my clients!  Also, the babies at the hospital have their photos taken in the mornings and mid-afternoons.  I rarely schedule shoots during this time anyway because of school and work.  :)  I am still able to respond to emails and phone calls if needed while at the hospital.

I no longer will be working at my “day” job (which was really a night job).  This means my schedule will be more open!  I will have more times available to do families, seniors, and engagements!  :)

Also, I get to take photos of cute babies.  Not only do cute babies make me happy, but taking photos makes me really happy.  Thus I am a much more plesant person to be around…just ask my Hubbs!  :)

When I decided I was doing the wedding in Haiti, it took alot of  courage for me.  The only time I had left the comforts of the US were to go to Canada, which being from Montana, was basically in my backyard, and to Mexico, but that was with a van full of my friends, and most of them I had known all my life.  Also, The first time I ever flew I was in College (well technically, according to my mom, I flew when I as 6 months, but I totally don’t remember that and don’t count it).  Because this was a new experience for me, I decided to take my sister (who is an amazing Basketball player and did a tour of Europe with a B-ball team, so had much more travel experience than I did.)  Im glad I took her too, or else I would still be standing in The Dallas/Fort Worth Airport wondering how to get on the subway that takes me to the next gate.  :)

me and my sis hanging out in an airport. We are a little silly, but that's what makes us cool...Right!?!

Because this post is going to be alittle long, please click view full post if you want to continue reading about my adventures.  

When we arrived in Haiti I was soaking everything in the best I could.  Beth, the bride, had warned us about people trying to “help” us and then demand $$ for it.  I was thinking, “Oh, I can handle this!  I am a tough girl and have always stood my own.”  Well, Let me tell you that it is a little different when you are in a place where you can not understand everything being said to you and people are literally ripping the bag off of your back to try to make a dollar.  Luckily, Beth and ZiZou were there waiting for us and rescued us from the airport madness.  That day we spent the day relaxing, worshiping at church, and getting to know the other Americans that came for the wedding as well.

The Next day we went out and about to see a little of Port-au-prince.  It was really eye opening to see everything and really made me appreciate what I had at home.  We drove around in what is called a tap-tap.  I was told it is called that because you tap the side of it to let them know you are getting off or that you are on and ready for it to start going again.  A tap-tap is basically a truck with a lifted canopy so you can stand up in the covered bed of the truck.  The tap tap we were on was really nice compared to some of  the ones we saw while driving around.  some even had a metal hand cutout welded to the hubcaps so the driver would know if they were to close to someone!  :)  Seriously…driving there is a whole other ball game!  :)  

Now, all of us thought that we were crowded.  There was no sitting room and we were already sitting on top of each other.  The Nationals, however, thought we  were crazy.  They told us that we were only about half full!  Because I really wanted to take some photos of everything, I chose to stand.  I was literally hanging out of the back of the taptap with one hand on the camera (which was also strapped around my neck…I wasn’t going to let my baby fall) and one hand wrapped around a rope running form the front to the back for people to hold onto.  Here is a little of what I saw.   (please keep in mind, all of these photos were taken form a moving vehicle.  and when I mean moving, I mean driving trhough potholes and dodging other cars and people.)

As you all know, Haiti was devastated by an earthquake in January of 2010.  What many of you may not know, is that Haiti has still not recovered from this natural disaster.  After the tsunami in Japan and the happenings of life went on, Haiti took a back seat.    I am here to tell you, they still need our help and support.  Take a look at these photos, showing were people still live to this day, still using the same tarp and or tent they got after the earthquake.  The tarps are warn and tearing after 2+ years of daily use.  Yet, life goes on, people continue to live like this, have babies in these conditions, and fight for $$ and food just to survive.  

If these images touch your heart, please contact me.  I would love to get you in touch with Beth and the team of medical professionals she works with (without pay).  They are dedicating their time, heart and talents to helping this country and these people.  If you feel so driven to help in any way, I know they would appreciate it, and let you know how you can best help.

That is all for today, next week I will share my experiences with the orphanages I got to see.  Here is a little preview of a cutie-patutie I got to meet: