Amanda Johnson Photography: Blog

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Finally Friday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Fri, 08 May 2020 16:29:04 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Finally Friday

A HUGE Thank You to everyone who participated during Senior Week 2020! I am so excited for another great year! I love that Senior Week has grown every single year that I've hosted it and everyone seems to really enjoy participating! I will definitely be having Senior Week again next year so mark your calendar May 1-7th and join in again!

I literally can't wait to start shooting my Seniors this year! It's going to be my best year yet with some great new rustic props added to the Ranch so make sure and follow my Instagram stories as I announce and update you with behind the scenes as I finish some prop projects around here!

Here are the winners for the senior week giveaways:

LuluLemon $50 Gift Card || Lauren Peterson

KooKoo's Nest $50 Gift Card || Emma Owens & Megan Zins

Ulta Beauty $25 Gift Card || Hallie Hause

Pancheros $25 Gift Card || Abigail Hayton

Dunn Brothers Gift Card $25 || Sophia Klee

Lula B. Boutique $50 || Hannah Mayers & Avery Meyhoff

Desirae's Makeup & Beauty Lounge $25 || Hannah Thorlakson & Ella Helm

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Abby

Abby is looking forward to the excitement that her senior year has to offer! She loves her dog, Amber, she's such a cutie! Abby also loves watching all kinds of criminal shows on Netflix.... her favorite is probably Criminal Minds! She plays the alto saxophone and is first chair in one of her band classes. She's in two band classes she loves band so much!

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Thursday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 07 May 2020 13:43:29 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Caffeine Thursday

Joy oh Joy it's Caffeine Thursday!

Now, remember.... I LOVE Coffee! So this year I decided to once again highlight one of my favorite coffee shops! Today we're talking all about Dunn Brothers! Dunn Brothers is one of my TOP choices for a coffee stop when I'm in Bismarck! Not only do they make delicious beverages, but they have a way of making you feel like a friend.

Friendship is important to me. In fact, I would LOVE for you to bring a friend to your Senior Photo Session. Not only will they help you be more at ease and bring lots of laughs, but they will be able to join in on the fun!

My favorite go to coffee anywhere is always a Salted Caramel White Chocolate Turtle Mocha!! And I'll drink that hot, blended, iced... you name it! It's my FAVORITE drink!

What's a better way to spend this chilly day then relaxing and sipping on a yummy coffee!?

You guessed it! Today I'm giving away a $25 gift card to Dunn Brothers! Make sure to fill out the form at the bottom of this post to enter to win one of the prizes I'm giving away this week. I'll be announcing all winners TONIGHT at 8pm live on my Instagram page! Go check out today's Insta post to see how you can get extra entries!

Featured 2020 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Harley

Harley currently spends most of her time being a DSP, caring for disabled adults at HAV-IT. If she isn't seen at work, you can find her watching Grey's Anatomy with her dog Piper Elizabeth or cruising around town with her best friend Abigail. During her Senior year, she is most looking forward to seeing where her last year of high school takes her. After she graduates, Harley is planning on spending every penny in her bank account on Starbucks iced coffee's while pursuing a career in Elementary Education!

LAST CHANCE!

I am currently booking the Class of 2021 Senior Sessions. My summer dates are already almost gone! Don't wait to contact me for more info or to book your date and get it on my calendar. And remember if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! This sale ends tonight at midnight and I won't be offering a discount on my session fees again for 2020.

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Wednesday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Wed, 06 May 2020 03:02:56 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Wardrobe Wednesday

It's Wardrobe Wednesday!

I love it when my girls go shopping for new clothes for their Senior Sessions! And double points if you're going and shopping from a local boutique! They tend to have such unique options that you can't get anywhere else! If you haven't already, you need to go check out Lula B. Boutique in downtown Bismarck! Go let Carly help you pick out some cute outfits or accessorieses that match your personality and style!

One of the things I love about photographing my seniors is seeing them rock their own personal styles...

From light, flowing dresses to cute, stylish jeans, the clothes that you choose for your photo shoot will add to the overall look and feel of your portraits! If you are in need of some inspiration for your next photo shoot, visit my Pinterest board!

Today I'm giving away 2 $50 Gift Cards to Lula B. Boutique! So there's 2 chances to win a Gift Card today! Carly was kind enough to donate an additional $50 Gift Card when I called to purchase the one I was planning on giving away during Senior Week! It has been so amazing and awesome to see the community and small businesses come together to support our Seniors during this pandemic. We all know how hard it is for you all to be missing out on so many big events! We're all trying our best to support and celebrate you Seniors anyway we can!

To enter, fill out the form below and then go to my Instagram post and see how to gain additional entries! You must be following @amandajohnsonphotos AND @Lulab.boutique

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Abby

Abby is currently a part-time cashier at Service Drug & Gift. If she isn't caught at work, you can find her jamming to music in her car, hitting every curb in sight. Abby enjoys driving 17 miles to get coffee in Fessenden and hanging out at her best friend Harley's house. She is most looking forward to making memories with her friends during her senior year at Harvey High School. Abigail is still undecided on a major but hopes her senior year will direct her on the right path.

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT

There's only 2 days left of Senior Week.... which means only 2 more days to book your session for only $100! If you are planning on booking your senior photos with me this summer, now is definitely the time to do it! If you have any questions about my Senior Experience, send me a message and I'd be happy to help!

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Tuesday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Tue, 05 May 2020 05:33:24 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Taco Tuesday

That's right this year we're having Taco Tuesday during Senior Week! I mean come on, everyone LOVES Tacos right!! Pancheros is the BEST fast-food Mexican restaurant around hands down! No one can beat their speedy tacos and burritos! And their flavor is incredible! I actually had a client show up to their ordering session once with a Pancheros burrito for me in hand! ( I may talk about Pancheros too much!? ) Now that's what I call support!! Now maybe you'll all believe me when I say I have the best clients on the planet!!!

So today I'm giving away a $25 Gift Card to Pancheros! Make sure to fill out the form below for your chance to win! I'll be announcing all winners on the 7th!

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Janessa

Janessa is currently looking at going into either music education or interior design for college. She enjoys her extra time painting, drawing and playing her clarinet. She is currently an employee at Michaels and can't stop herself from using her discount! She looks forward to what her senior year has in store for her and the new memories it'll bring!

*DON'T FORGET*

Thursday is the last day you can book your Senior Session for only $100! That's a HUGE savings on your session fee! Message me for a link to more info on my Senior Experience, most popular Senior Products and starting Prices!

Fill out the form below to be entered to win one of the gift cards being given away this evening! We're getting close to the end of Senior Week and I can't wait to see who wins! I'm giving away 10 different Gift Cards!

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Monday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Mon, 04 May 2020 03:54:53 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Makeup Monday

It's time for Makeup Monday!

When you take your senior photos you want to look and feel your very best, so why not have your hair and makeup done by a professional? Professional makeup artists are comfortable contouring any face to make it look the best in all light and in front of the camera. They know how to choose colors that are flattering to your skin tone, and prepare hair so no humidity can kill those coveted curls.

Getting your hair and makeup done for your senior photos will add tons of confidence to your senior session! After being pampered prior to arrival, you’ll be ready to rock your senior session!

If hair and makeup is not in your budget don’t panic! Instead, I encourage applying your makeup a little heavier than normal. This includes fake eyelashes and lipstick that is slightly darker than your lip color. These small details make a big difference in enhancing your senior portraits.

And remember, I offer Professional Hair and Makeup to all my Seniors that book their session out at my Studio! That's right, if you choose to shoot your photos out at my Ranch, you'll have the option of adding on hair and makeup at my studio right before your shoot! I'm working with a great stylist that will visit with you to make sure she matches your style and vision!

If you plan on doing your own hair and makeup for your Senior Session, make sure to enter to win today's prize!! A $25 gift card to Ulta Beauty!! I mean really girls, who doesn't want to win this prize!!?? Think of all the cool products you could buy with this! Fill out the form at the bottom of this post! Want to earn some extra entries.... go to my Instagram and read today's post to see how you can win additional entries!

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Madison

Madison is looking forward to attending college to attain a degree in health science. In her free time, she enjoys being with her friends, running, riding her horse, hunting and fishing. She loves her family, friends and all of the animals on their farm.... especially her two pot-bellied pigs!

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Abby

Abby is super excited to start her senior year with her best friends and enjoy all her school's activities for the last time. She's planning on going into the medical field and intends on going to Minnesota for school. When she's not studying for Science Olympiad ( which is never ) she likes to hang out with her cats and eat ice cream!

DON'T FORGET

I am currently booking Class of 2021 Senior Sessions... and if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100! Fill out the form below to be entered for the gift cards being given away during Senior Week! Today I'm giving away a $25 Ulta Gift Card!

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Sunday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography Bismarck ND

Sun, 03 May 2020 06:20:15 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Skincare Sunday

You know what makes for the BEST most perfect Senior Session..... healthy skin!! The best thing you can do for your skin is drink LOTS of water the weeks leading up to your session and eat a healthy diet! Why not stop on over at Desirae's Maekup and Beauty Lounge and let them help you with all your skincare needs!

The beauty lounge is a beautiful place for all of your makeup and beauty needs. They provide professional makeup applications in a fun atmosphere that's both affordable and convenient. Their makeup artists provide a wide range of services and looks that are just right for your specific needs. They also provide face & body waxing services. In addition to their wide range of services, they also retail some of the best clean products! Bare Minerals, Jane Iredale, Antonym, Wildcraft Care and more. I you want to know what makeup products work best for you, attend one of their makeup classes or schedule a one on one session!

And yep, I'm giving away (2) $25 gift cards to Desirae's Makeup and Beauty Lounge! Desirae was kind enough to match my gift card purchase and throw in an additional $25 gift card to really give back to the Seniors this year! Make sure to fill out the form below and go follow Desirae's Makeup and Beauty Lounge and Amanda Johnson Photography for your chance to win! I'll be announcing all winners on the 7th! Want to earn some extra entries.... go to my Instagram and read today's post to see how you can win additional entries!

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Megan

Megan is currently looking into pursuing something in the medical field. She is hoping to become a veterinarian because she absolutely loves animals! She is involved in 4-H, HOSA and NHS. Megan enjoys playing as well as coaching soccer, loves to listen to music, ANYTHING involving the great outdoors and hanging out with friends and family.

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Cherstin

Cherstin is looking forward to attending UND and pursuing something in the medical field. She loves crafts, sour skittles and any movie involving her celeb crush, Chris Hemsworth! In her free time she plays basketball and softball, babysits, or hangs with her friends.

DON'T FORGET

I am now booking the Class of 2021 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100! If you are planning on booking your senior photos with me anyway, now is definitely the time to do it! If you have any questions about my Senior Experience, send me a message and I'd be happy to help!

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Saturday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Sat, 02 May 2020 13:34:11 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Style Saturday

Happy Style Saturday!

Looking your best is not an option for your senior photos, IT'S A MUST!!! Why not start with your clothing and head on over to KooKoo's Nest for some great clothing ideas. They do a great job at having a good variety of styles and keeping their store stocked with fresh, cute, trendy clothes! Also, Kinzey will help you pick out some super cute outfits and accessories that match your personal style, there's just nothing like a custom shopping experience! And of course don't forget they have a HUGE selection of Prom Dresses for you to choose from!

One of the things I love about photographing my seniors is seeing them rock their own personal styles...

Make sure to fill out the form below and go follow KooKoo's Nest AND Amanda Johnson Photos to enter to win! For you fashionistas, We're giving away ( 2 ) $50 gift cards to KooKoo's Nest today! Kinzey was super excited to join me and matched my gift card purchase with an additional $50 gift card to really give back to the Seniors this year! I will be announcing all winners LIVE May 7th, so follow along to see if you win! Earn an extra entry for every friend you tag in the comments on my Instagram post!

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Rachel

Rachel is excited to start her graphic design class during her senior year! She has a very artistic and creative mind so although she doesn't know exactly what she wants to do after High School, she definitely plans to stick in the design field. She's also looking forward to enjoying the lasts of high school with her best friends! In her free time she loves volunteering, and when able, traveling. And fun fact.... she loves anything birthday cake flavored!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2021 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2020 AJP SENIOR WEEK Friday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Fri, 01 May 2020 12:53:02 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Fitness Friday

It's that time of year again..... SENIOR WEEK has officially started! I have so much fun doing this for you guys each year!! As always I will be featuring the 2021 AJP Field Crew this week as they are getting ready to enter their graduating year! I have 10 girls on my Field Crew this year and we are already planning some super fun shoots for this summer! I'll also be showcasing a few local businesses from Bismarck that you should all really check out!

This year with everything going on in our world and all the things that our Seniors had to miss due to the pandemic we are facing, I decided I needed to up it a notch in terms of the prizes this year! So I have partnered with a few local businesses to be able to offer several more gift cards, giving you all more opportunity to win! I'll be giving away 10 cards total worth over nearly $400!

Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win! You'll also get info on booking your Senior Session at the early bird discount of only $100!!!! That's a 50% savings! This is the LAST time of the year I will offer any type of discount on my Senior Session fee so now is definitely the time to book and get your date on my calendar before all my summer dates are gone!

(1) LuluLemon $50 Gift Card

(2) KooKoo's Nest $50 Gift Cards

(2) Desirae's Beaty Lounge $25 Gift Cards

(2) Lula B Boutique $50 Gift Cards

(1) Dunn Brothers Coffee $25 Gift Card

(1) Ulta Beauty $25 Gift Card

(1) Pancheros $25 Gift Card

Ok, so today we're going to kick it off with Fitness Friday! Summer is just beginning and it's time to get out and get fit! So go ahead and enter to win a $50 gift card to LuluLemon! Fill out the form below to be entered to win! You can also go to my Instagram @amandajohnsonphotos and tag some friends in my Senior Week post for additional entries! You MUST fill out the form below to be officially entered to win, tagging friends are only bonus entries after you've filled out the entry form. All winners for all the gift cards given away throughout the week will be drawn live on May 7th! Good Luck!

Featured 2021 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Shayla

Shayla is looking at going into Interior Design after High School. She currently is a waitress at Tastee Freez in Harvey. Shayla has a love for cheerleading, and the show Parks and Recreation. In her spare time, she enjoys driving around with her friends and sleeping!

DON'T FORGET

I am currently booking the Class of 2021 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100! Contact me today to see the dates I have left available!

Class of 2020 Yard Signs ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 18:47:34 GMT

Class of 2020 Yard Signs

I have been feeling SO bad lately for the Class of 2020! You guys are having to miss out on so, so many things! So I have been trying to think of ways that we can all still celebrate the Class of 2020.... even though we may have to do it in some different ways! I spent the morning designing some Yard Sign designs in photoshop so that I could offer friends and family a great and innovative way to celebrate their Seniors!

Below are the different Yard Sign designs I am currently offering. They are double-sided and come with yard stakes. You can choose between 2 different sizes:

18x24 $49.99

24x36 $79.99

Once you place your order, I will contact you to find out what photo you'd like used. If you would like to order one of these yard signs but didn't have your photos taken by me.... NO PROBLEM! You can send me any photo you'd like to put on the sign. ( If the photo you'd like to use was taken by another professional photographer, I will have to have a print release ) Orders come in 5 business days and can be picked up at my Studio in Tuttle at any time, or I will be coming to Bismarck once a week to make deliveries.

If you have any questions at all, please just send me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Purchase your Yard Sign at the link below!

Purchase your Yard Sign Here

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Final Wednesday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:43:54 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Announcement Wednesday

A HUGE Thank You to everyone who participated during Senior Week! I am so excited for another great year! I literally can't wait to start shooting my Senior this year! Here are the winners for the senior week giveaways:

American Eagle $100 Gift Card || Ericka Hager

KooKoo's Nest $100 Gift Card || Allie Schell

Ulta Beauty $50 Gift Card || Bella Armstrong

The Grand Theater $25 Gift Card || Cassy Flemmer

Dunn Brothers Gift Card $25 || McKenzie Alveshere

Caribou Coffee Gift Card $25 || Callie Stonecipher

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Tuesday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Tue, 07 May 2019 14:25:30 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Finally Tuesday

This is your LAST CHANCE to enter to win one of the amazing gift cards I've been featuring all week long! I will be drawing the winning names live tonight at 8:00 pm. Don't miss it!!! Follow along on Instagram and join my live story to see if you're picked as one of the winners! GOOD LUCK everyone!

PRIZES ~

American Eagle $100

KooKoo's Nest $100

Ulta Beauty $50

The Grand Theatre $25

Dunn Brothers $25

Caribou Coffee $25

Featured 2020 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Allie

Allie is currently looking at going into musical theatre after High School, as she has a passion for the performing arts. She enjoys cruising around with her friends, watching scary movies and playing softball. She works at a grocery store to support her Amazon addiction and looks forward to all the memories that her Senior year will bring!

*DON'T FORGET*

Today is the last day you can book your Senior Session for only $100! That's a HUGE savings on your session fee! Message me for a link to more info on my Senior Experience, most popular Senior Products and starting Prices!

Fill out the form below to be entered to win one of the gift cards being given away this evening! This is your last chance to enter to win an amazing prize!!

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Monday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography Bismarck ND

Mon, 06 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Accessorize Monday

Accessorize Monday time!

We've talked about the importance of professional hair and makeup, we've went over clothing choices.... yet another fun layer to consider for your session is accessories! You would be surprised at how much these little details can contribute to the telling of your story. So wear that special necklace, a chunky bracelet, or that hat you love so much. I love those little details, and they make for interesting photos!

DRUM ROLL...... Did you know one of the Senior Week prizes is a $100 Gift Card to American Eagle!!! How sweet is that!! Fill out the form below to enter to win!!! All winners of Senior Week Prizes will be announced tomorrow so stay tuned and GOOD LUCK!

Featured 2020 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Cassy

Cassy is a passionate CNA who spends most of her time in a memory care unit, aspiring to become a nurse. She loves spending her free time surrounded by her best friends. She's an advocate for iced lattes, Jesus and traveling! A soulful person always up for an adventure!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2020 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! That's a 50% SAVINGS!!! Book by tomorrow before this special ends!

Fill out the form below to be entered to win the American Eagle gift card being given away! This is your last chance to enter to win an amazing prize!!

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Sunday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography Bismarck ND

Sun, 05 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Coffee Sunday

Happy Coffee Sunday!

Now, remember.... I LOVE Coffee! So this year I picked two of my favorite coffee shops to highlight! Today we're talking all about Caribou Coffee! Now seriously they make like the BEST Salted Caramel White Chocolate Turtle Mocha there is!! And I'll drink that hot, blended, iced... you name it! It's my FAVORITE drink! And I love the perks that they offer and their phone app! I earn alot of free coffees! ( Probably because I buy alot of coffees in the first place, but getting free ones now and then makes me feel really good! )

What's a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon then relaxing in the sun sipping on a yummy coffee!?

So today I'm giving away a $25 Gift Card to Caribou Coffee! Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win one of the prizes I'm giving away this week. I'll be announcing all winners on the 7th!

Featured 2020 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Hallie

Hallie is currently looking into a profession in teaching. She loves kids, coffee and all things pizza! She works at Caribou Coffee and also babysits on the weekends. She enjoys watching NCIS and loves Romantic Comedy's. In her free time she likes to hand out with her friends and read books. Overall she loves meeting new people and participating in new and exciting things!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2020 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Saturday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Sat, 04 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Style Saturday

Happy Style Saturday!

Looking your best is not an option for your senior photos, IT'S A MUST!!! Why not start with your clothing and head on over to KooKoo's Nest for some great clothing ideas. They do a great job at having a good variety of styles and keeping their store stocked with fresh, cute, trendy clothes! And of course don't forget they have the LARGEST selection of Prom Dresses for you to choose from!

One of the things I love about photographing my seniors is seeing them rock their own personal styles...

Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win! For you fashionistas, We're giving away a $100 gift card to KooKoo's Nest today! I will be announcing all winners LIVE May 7th, so follow along to see if you win! Earn an extra entry for every friend you tag in the comments on my Instagram post!

Featured 2020 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Laura

Laura is looking forward to attending a performing arts school for musical theatre. She loves music, adventures and hanging out with her friends. In her free time she enjoys playing soccer, watching Brooklyn 99 and performing in school and local theatres!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2020 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Friday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography Bismarck

Fri, 03 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Fun Friday

Hello Fun Friday! Ready to get your groove on!?

You know what makes for a FUN relaxing Friday night.... a movie! That's right, going to chill at the Theater and catch a great movie while enjoying popcorn and your favorite treat is the perfect way to spend a Friday night! So today I'm giving away a $25 gift card to The Grand Theater!

Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win!! I'll be announcing all winners on the 7th! So stay tuned and follow along to see if you win!

Featured 2020 AJP Field Crew Senior ~ Rachel

Rachel is currently looking forward to her future career in nursing and making lots of memories during her Senior Year. She's a lifeguard at the Fessenden Pool and a childcare worker at the Fessenden Community Childcare Center. Her hobbies include playing Volleyball & Softball, hanging out with her friends, spending quality time with her family and singing! She also loves kids, food and watching Netflix!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2020 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! That's a 50% SAVINGS!!!! And who doesn't like saving money!!?

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Thursday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 02 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Makeup Thursday

It's time for Makeup Thursday!

When you take your senior photos you want to look and feel your very best, so why not have your hair and makeup done by a professional? Professional makeup artists are comfortable contouring any face to make it look the best in all light in front of the camera. They know how to choose colors that are flattering to your skin tone, and prepare hair so no humidity can kill your curls.

Getting your hair and makeup done for your senior session will add tons of confidence to your senior session! After being pampered prior to arrival you’ll be ready to rock your senior session!

I'm super excited to announce that I'll be offering Professional Hair and Makeup to my 2020 Seniors that book their session out at my Studio! That's right, if you choose to shoot your photos at my place, you'll have the option of adding on hair and makeup at my studio right before your shoot! I'm working with a great stylist that will visit with you to make sure she matches your style and vision!

If you plan on doing your own hair and makeup for your Senior Session, make sure to enter to win todays prize!! A $50 gift card to Ulta Beauty!! I mean really girls, who doesn't want to win this prize!!?? Think of all the cool products you could buy with this! You'll also get an extra entry for sharing this on your social media and tagging me. Or, earn an extra entry for every friend you tag in the comments on my Instagram post! Fill out the form at the bottom of this post!

Introducing the 2020 AJP Field Crew!

Cassy ~ Bismarck High School, Rachel ~ Fessenden High School, Laura ~ Century High School, Hallie ~ Legacy Highschool & Allie ~ Harvey High School ( who wasn't able to make this shoot unfortunately! )

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2020 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! Fill out the form below to be entered for the gift cards being given away during Senior Week! Today I'm giving away a $50 Ulta Gift Card!

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK Wednsday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Wed, 01 May 2019 11:00:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Kick it off Wednesday

I am SO excited that Senior Week is finally here again!! I will be featuring the 2020 AJP Field Crew this week as they are getting ready to enter their graduating year! I'll also be showcasing a few local business from Bismarck that you should all really check out!

Oh, and on a side note... I'll be giving away some FABULOUS prizes all week long!! $300 worth of gift cards to be exact! Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win! You'll also get info on booking your Senior Session at the early bird discount of only $100!!!! That's a 50% savings! This is the ONLY time of the year I offer a special on my Senior Session Fee so don't forget to book your's this week!

Prizes this year are:

Caribou Coffee $25 Gift Card

Ulta Beauty $50 Gift Card

The Grand Theater $25 Gift Card

KooKoo's Nest $100 Gift Card

Dunn Brothers $25 Gift Card

American Eagle $100 Gift Card

Ok, so I LOVE Coffee! And Dunn Brothers is one of my TOP choices for a coffee stop when I'm in Bismarck! Not only do they make delicious beverages, but they have a way of making you feel like a friend. Friendship is important to me. In fact, I would LOVE for you to bring a friend to your Senior Photo Session. Not only will they help you be more at ease and bring lots of laughs, but they will be able to join in on the fun! I love to provide my seniors with a fun portrait of them and their friends!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2020 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2019 AJP SENIOR WEEK ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 15:44:44 GMT

SENIOR WEEK

May 1st-7th

What is Senior Week? It's a time to celebrate graduating Seniors and upcoming Seniors and all their hard work! I'll be giving away some AMAZING prizes, like $300 worth of gift cards, and ANY high school student can enter to win!! I will also be opening up bookings for 2020 graduating Senior Sessions with a HUGE early bird discount that will only be available during Senior Week!! A 50% off discount!!! Sound good? Then make sure to like my facebook page and follow me on Instagram to get notified on how to enter!

Prizes this year are ~

American Eagle $100 Gift Card

KooKoo's Nest $75 Gift Card

Ulta Beauty $50 Gift Card

The Grand Theater $25 Gift Card

Dunn Brothers $25 Gift Card

Caribou Coffee $25 Gift Card

I will be giving away 1 gift card each day during Senior Week. You only have to enter once for your chance to win any of the gift cards!

A Huge Thank you to my 2019 AJP Field Crew Senior Reps for modeling for these photos! I had such a great year with these girls! Watch for the introduction of my 2020 Field Crew Team coming soon!!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Monday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Tue, 08 May 2018 16:40:57 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Finally Monday

A HUGE Thank You to everyone who participated during Senior Week! I am so excited for another great year! Here are the winners for the senior week giveaways:

(2) Plato's Closet $25 Gift Cards ||

Paige Walters

(2) Cafe Aroma $15 Gift Cards ||

Payton Roehrich

(2) Nutrition Ambition $14 Gift Cards ||

Alyca Dinger

(2) Starbucks $15 Gift Cards ||

Rachel Merkel

(2) American Eagle Gift Cards $100 & $50 ||

Cherstin Mitzel

Featured 2019 AJP Field Crew Senior:

I currently plan on going into a profession in the medical field, so I'm hoping to further my medical education to pick a career. In my spare time I play the viola in the school's chamber orchestra, I'm really looking forward to being first chair next year! I also enjoy playing soccer,hanging out with friends and playing with my three dogs! I'm also a pizza fanatic and love watching criminal minds.

*DON'T FORGET*

Today is the last day you can book your Senior Session for only $100! That's a HUGE savings on your session fee! Fill out the form below to get your session booked before it's too late!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Sunday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography Bismarck ND

Sun, 06 May 2018 13:55:02 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Accessorize Sunday

Accessorize Sunday time!

We've talked about the importance of professional makeup and will be going over clothing choices Saturday.... yet another fun layer to consider for your session is accessories! You would be surprised at how much these little details can contribute to the telling of your story. So wear that special necklace, a chunky bracelet, or that hat you love so much. I love those little details, and they make for interesting photos!

DRUM ROLL...... Did you know one of the Senior Week prizes is TWO American Eagle Gift cards!!! One high school student will win BOTH cards! $100 gift card for themselves and $50 for their best friend!!! How sweet is that!! Fill out the form below to enter to win!!!

Featured 2019 AJP Field Crew Senior:

Sydney is such a caring person and always has a beautiful smile to share! Her bubbly personality and fun loving spirit make her a joy to be around!! She enjoys playing softball and hanging out with her friends.

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2019 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! That's a 50% SAVINGS!!! Fill out the form below to be entered for the gift cards being given away during Senior Week and for more information on booking your Senior Session before summer dates are gone!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Saturday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Sat, 05 May 2018 14:37:00 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Style Saturday

Happy Style Saturday!

Looking your best is not an option for your senior photos, IT'S A MUST!!! Why not start with your clothing and head on over to Plato's Closet for some great clothing ideas and deals. They work hard at having a good variety and keeping their store stocked with fresh, cute, trendy styles! Plato's Closet styled my 2019 AJP Field Crew this year and did a wonderful job! Check out the outfits below!

One of the things I love about photographing my seniors is seeing them rock their own personal styles...

Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win one of the Senior Week prizes! For you fashionistas, I am giving away TWO $25 gift cards to Plato's Closet! I will be announcing all winners LIVE May 7th!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2019 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Friday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography Bismarck

Fri, 04 May 2018 14:27:30 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Fitness Friday

Hello Fitness Friday! Ready to get your health on!?

You know what makes for the BEST most perfect Senior Session..... healthy skin!! The best thing you can do for your skin is drink LOTS of water the weeks leading up to your session and eat a healthy diet! Why not stop on over at Nutrition Ambition on Main downtown Bismarck and talk to Nicole about your fitness goals! They have a gazillion different shake flavors and delicious teas!

And yep, I'm giving away (2) $14 gift cards to Nutrition Ambition! Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win one of the prizes I'm giving away this week. One high school student will win BOTH cards... one for you and one for a friend! I'll be announcing all winners on the 7th!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2019 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! That's a 50% SAVINGS!!!! And who doesn't like saving money!!?

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Thursday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 03 May 2018 15:43:19 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Makeup Thursday

It's time for Makeup Thursday!

When you take your senior photos you want to look and feel your very best, so why not have your hair and makeup done by a professional? Professional makeup artists are comfortable contouring any face to make it look the best in all light in front of the camera. They know how to choose colors that are flattering to your skin tone, and prepare hair so no humidity can kill your curls.

Getting your hair and makeup done for your senior session will add tons of confidence to your senior session! After being pampered prior to arrival you’ll be ready to rock your senior session!

If hair and makeup is not in your budget don’t panic! Instead I encourage applying your makeup a little heavier than normal. This includes fake eyelashes and lipstick that is slightly darker than your lip color. These small details make a big difference in enhancing your senior portraits.

Featured 2019 AJP Field Crew Senior

Bella is one petite little fire cracker! She's super fun to be around and hang out with and adorable as they come! She LOVES all things coffee and is looking forward to all the Senior activities and privileges she'll be enjoying during her Senior Year!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2019 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!! Fill out the form below to be entered for the gift cards being given away during Senior Week! Two of the gift cards are from American Eagle for $100 and $50!!!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Wednesday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Wed, 02 May 2018 15:17:13 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Coffee Wednesday

Happy Coffee Wednesday!

I LOVE Coffee! And Caffe Aroma is the cutest little coffee shop you'll find! Not only do they make delicious beverages, but they have a way of making you feel welcome and relaxed. Plus they have some super cute seating and little nooks you can hide away in to sip your coffee and study!

And they cater too!

You guessed it! I'm giving away TWO $15 gift cards to Caffe Aroma! Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win one of the prizes I'm giving away this week. I'll be announcing all winners on the 7th! You'll also get info on booking your Senior Session at the early bird discount of only $100!!!! That's a 50% savings!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2019 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK Tuesday ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Tue, 01 May 2018 13:53:54 GMT

SENIOR WEEK: Kick it off Tuesday

I am SO excited that Senior Week is finally here!! I will be featuring some of the 2019 AJP Field Crew this week as they are getting ready to enter their graduating year! I'll also be showcasing a few local business from Bismarck that you should all really check out!

Oh, and on a side note... I'll be giving away some FABULOUS prizes all week long!! Almost $300 worth of gift cards! Make sure to fill out the form below to enter to win! You'll also get info on booking your Senior Session at the early bird discount of only $100!!!! That's a 50% savings!

(2) Plato's Closet $25 Gift Cards

(2) Cafe Aroma $15 Gift Cards

(2) Nutrition Ambition $14 Gift Cards

(2) Starbucks $15 Gift Cards

(2) American Eagle Gift Cards $100 & $50

Featured 2019 AJP Field Crew Senior

I am currently looking into a profession in the law field. I am hoping to participate in multiple job shadows and internships during my Senior Year. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with friends and family! I also enjoy watching Law and Order - SVU and keeping up to date on the latest episodes of Riverdale. Overall I love spending time with others and participating in opportunities that will further my education!

DON'T FORGET

I have now opened up bookings for Class of 2019 Senior Sessions. And if you book during Senior Week your session fee is only $100!!!

2018 AJP SENIOR WEEK ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 19 Apr 2018 17:52:06 GMT

SENIOR WEEK

May 1st-7th

What is Senior Week? It's a time to celebrate graduating Seniors and upcoming Seniors and all your hard work! I'll be giving away some AMAZING prizes and ANY high school student can enter to win!! I will also be opening up bookings for 2019 graduating Senior Sessions with a HUGE early bird discount that will only be available during Senior Week!! Like a 50% off discount!!! Sound good? Then make sure to like my facebook page and follow me on Instagram to get notified on how to enter!

Prizes this year are ~

(2) Plato's Closet $25 Gift Cards

(2) Cafe Aroma $15 Gift Cards

(2) Nutrition Ambition $14 Gift Cards

(2) Starbucks $15 Gift Cards

(2) American Eagle Gift Cards $100 & $50

I will be giving away 2 gift cards each day during Senior Week... One high school student will win both cards. One gift card for them and one to give to a friend! How fun is that!!

A Huge Thank you to my 2019 AJP Field Crew Senior Reps for modeling for these photos! All the clothes they are wearing were provided by Plato's Closet! They have some seriously cute clothes over there girls, go check them out!!

Click the link below or fill out the form to get info on booking your Senior Session at the early bird discount of only $100!!!! That's a 50% savings!

$100 SENIOR SESSION FEE INFO

Chelsea & Derek's Wedding at South 40 Events in Lincoln ND ~ Amanda Johnson Photography

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 19:38:47 GMT

Chelsea & Derek were my first wedding couple to kick off my 2016 wedding season! I couldn't have picked a better wedding to start off my season with! I loved all the thoughtful and lovely details there were! Everything turned out simply gorgeous! And they planned this wedding within like a couple months time! I was so impressed with how well they did in the amount of time they had to pull it all together! Where there's a will, there's a way!!

VENUE ~ South 40 Events

DECORATOR ~ Tami Kelsch

FLORIST ~ Robert's Floral

Thank you so much Chelsea and Derek for allowing me to share in this special day with you! Congratulations and I wish you both the very best of everything!

Lydia & Devin's Full Engagement Session ~ Portraits by Amanda Johnson

Wed, 04 May 2016 14:55:08 GMT

Such a windy day we had for Lydia & Devin's Engagement Session, but we managed to pull off some super cute photos! These two are just way to cute and so natural together... especially in front of my camera!

Allison & Dustin Full Engagement Post ~ Portraits by Amanda Johnson Photography

Thu, 28 Apr 2016 18:57:08 GMT

I just wanted to share a quick blog post of Allison & Dustin's Full Engagement Session.... the images are just WAY too cute not to share more! I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking and editing them!

Shayla & Brennan Engagement Session ~ Portraits by Amanda Johnson

Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:05:52 GMT

As promised.... here is Shayla & Brennan's FULL Engagement Session Blog Post! I had such a great time editing all of their photos! We had a great time that day and got some great images! They were so cooperative and willing to try whatever idea I came up with! Shayla had some great pose ideas too! I love it when my couples add their input into their session and come up with some awesome themes and pose ideas! I can't wait till their wedding in October to see all the cool photos we come up with together!!

Allison & Dustin's Engagement Session ~ Portraits by Amanda 2016

Sun, 03 Apr 2016 16:18:11 GMT

Allison & Dustin made their way out to my Ranch yesterday for their engagement session! It was a little chilly and on the breezy side, but we made it work and got some great shots! I had a blast with these two! They are both very relaxed and easy going which works well in front of my camera! : ) I can't wait till their July wedding!

If you want to see their full engagement session, make sure to subscribe to my blog to be notified when their full engagement post goes live! Watch for more great photos from this session coming soon! : )

Sheep Shearing in North Dakota 2016 ~ Portraits by Amanda

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 22:22:34 GMT

Yes it is that time of year again! Sheep shearing! We had our sheep sheared on Wednesday! So for those of you that maybe have never seen thsi done before here's a little taste!

And just to keep the record straight these are not my best photos due to holding a whiny, teething, snot nosed one year old while trying to shoot these! : ) This is how you juggle Mother/Photographer at the same time! ; )

Bringing them up to push up the ramp into the shearing trailer.

Dillon decided to take a rest on his Tempurpedic!! : )

Tarrin trying to help push them up with the pitch fork!

The work going on inside!

Getting kicked back out into the world all naked! Gotta get used to this new look! ; )

Bagging the wool!

And to end with Tarrin's contribution of images he took! He decided to try and help me take some photos! Here are his shots below. He doesn't do too bad for a 5 year old! Teach em' young!! : )

We're now officially ready to start lambing! So be on the look out for cute adorable lamby pictures coming soon! Subscribe to my blog to be notified when new blogs are posted! : ) I hope you enjoyed seeing the process through my lens!

Shayla & Brennan's Engagement Session Out At The Ranch In North Dakota

Mon, 28 Mar 2016 15:37:50 GMT

We had Shayla & Brennan's engagement session scheduled for Monday, however the wind was blowing gale force here! I remembered what beautiful hair Shayla had from our first initial meeting and I was like, she is not going to want to shoot in this wind with her hair going all over the place! So we re scheduled and I am Soooo.... glad we did! Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day and perfect weather for their session!

Enjoy these sneak peek images below to check out how great they looked! And of course watch for their full blog post coming soon!

Wedding Albums Offered by Amanda Johnson Photography

Mon, 18 May 2015 23:46:30 GMT

I have been wanting to write this post for sometime! But as usual have kept letting it slip to the back of my " Things I need to get done " pile! This post is for my wedding couples. I book many couples that are not in the Bismarck area. I have recently been shooting quite a few destination weddings as well. This post will hopefully help you to be able to get a feel for the wedding albums that I offer as well as the engagement guest books. I prefer my couples get to view them in person and actually get to check them out, but since that's not always possible, I'm hoping this will be a good alternative! : )

Here's my 10x10 Leather Wedding Album that is included in my Signature Wedding Collections. These albums come with 30 pages ( more can be added ) and Sooo.... many cover options. Above is a combo cover with a leather spine along with a custom photo cover. You can also choose between several different all leather covers or a complete custom photo cover.

In my Vintage Wedding Collection the same Leather Album is included, but in a 12x12 size!

The pages to these albums are very thick and of a great quality! If finger prints appear, you can literally use a slightly damp cloth to wipe them away.... and good as new! : )

I custom design all of my wedding album layouts for each individual album. I will then email you a link to your album once it's created where you can flip the pages and make comments for any changes that you would like made before it goes to print!

The Leather Wedding Album's do NOT have a gutter between the pages on each spread, it's a continuous lay flat spread. The Classic Wedding Albums which are included in my Classic Wedding Collection do have a small gutter space between pages on each spread, more like a coffee table book. ALL of my albums are lay flat no matter what style you go with.

ALL of my wedding collections include an Engagement Guest Book designed with photos from your engagement session. I usually have 5 pages that are Guest Sign In pages, and then 5 pages that are questions you would like your guests to answer. ( What's the best marriage advice you've ever received? etc. ) We can however design this however you would like. Some of my couples will have only Guest Sign In pages, while others will have no sign in pages at all and just make it into more of an Engagement Photo Album. : ) The Guest Books also have a small gutter between pages and the pages are thinner more like book pages for signing.

Your Wedding Album will come in the burlap Album Sleeve shown in the photos below, this will protect your cover from scratches and dust!

I hope this has helped you get a better understanding of what types of albums I offer!

Sheep Shearing on the Johnson Ranch 2014 ~ Portraits by Amanda

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 20:10:26 GMT

Well it's that time of year again!! Sheep shearing... we got this done a couple of weeks ago and now we've hit peak lambing season! I'll be posting some cute little lamb photos on here soon so keep your eyes open and subscribe to my blog if you want to see cute baby animals! It is spring you know so we'll have lots of baby's coming up on the blog soon!

Waiting in line for their turn! Above is my husband shearing, below is my Brother in law Nathan... I thought about shearing a Ewe this year.... but that thought didn't last long!! I decided to stick to taking photos and packing the wool for them!

Shearing is such a back breaker! All sheared and ready to lamb!

Here's our wool packer that packs the wool into the bags... this was my job when I was down helping. But I had to get some photos of the packer so you could all see how the wool gets packed in the bags.

Watching and waiting!

The clippers tend to get a little gummed up after a few Ewe's and needs to be cleaned or the combs changed.

Keeping everything swept, cleaned and oiled as much as possible! : )

Now Booking 2015 Seniors!

Wed, 02 Apr 2014 22:58:20 GMT

Seniors.... it's time to start thinking about your Senior photo session! I have such a cool new product that my Seniors are LOVING! Drum roll..... Custom Photo Apps! If you inquire about booking your Senior Session with Portraits by Amanda during the month of April, you will receive your own custom photo app for free! That's a $100 savings!

Senior Sessions are only $150 for Unlimited clothing and location changes! We can go to any location of your choice or you can come out to my Ranch where I have lots of country style props! Old barns, fences, horses, tractors, old cars, fields, hay bales and lots lots more! Call or text today to set up your Senior Session or to get more info!! 701-361-4811

Best Stir Fry Recipe

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 23:07:03 GMT

Ok are you ready for the best stir fry recipe EVER!!! You have got to try this out! I totally made it up, but it's so yummy!! Jesse even liked it and we felt like we were eating out at HuHot's! The best part... we were sitting in our own living room chilling!

All right, let's get started... first lot's of chopping! First... your choice of meat. This is pork, but any kind of meat would be good really! I cut the pork into chunks and then sliced the chunks into small slivers so they were thin enough to cook up fast once they hit the hot skillet.

Next all kinds of yummy vegetables! The more the better!!

Onions,

Peppers, I only had yellow peppers, but red and green would be good too.

Carrots and Zucchini,

Mushrooms and Broccoli, Now usually I like pineapple chunks in my stir fry.... but I didn't have any on hand so, I improvised with some Mandarin Oranges and they were REALLY yummy!! I did drain the syrup off before adding them to the stir fry mix.

Gotta have some Chinese Noodles! I had these boiled while I was chopping the veggies and when they were done I rinsed them off with cold water and just let them sit there until I was ready for them.

And now to the good stuff!! Sauce! : ) I did put a little Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce in the bowl with all the chopped veggies and meat while I was chopping everything up. So I just add the sauces first in the bowl, and then just continue to add all the vegetables as I chop them so they get a chance to marinade a little.

Once everything is chopped, I added 1/4 of a cup of Soy sauce, red pepper flakes, a couple heaping teaspoons of chopped garlic, and several drops of the Devil Drops hot sauce. Any hot sauce will do, I've used Tabasco sauce before too. And then the special Thai sweet and sour sauce! That's what is in the canning jar. This I buy from a little Thai lady here in North Dakota that makes the BEST Thai food EVER! She also sells her Sweet and Spicy Thai sauce by the jars.... you could probably find something similar to this if you search. I'm fortunate enough to be able to buy it from her and I swear it's the best sauce ever!! : ) I added probably a 1/3 of a cup of Thai sauce!

Let it all sit in the bowl while you heat a skillet up really hot with some more Sesame Oil and Olive Oil.

Then dump all the veggies and meat in the HOT skillet and add a little water.. maybe a 1/3 cup just to get it steaming to help cook the veggies. Then dump however many noodles you would like on top and fry it all together till your meat is done.

I kept adding a little Soy Sauce and Thai Sauce every once in awhile to keep it moist. Once the meat is done, it's ready to serve!! I usually add it over a bed of white rice. I skipped the rice this time though as I didn't feel I needed it with all the noodles I had added.

Try this out and you won't regret it... it's so easy and yummy!! Seriously.... you have to try this!

Bill & Joanne ~ Bismarck Wedding Photography by Portraits by Amanda

Wed, 26 Feb 2014 21:41:56 GMT

I had the great honor and privilege to photograph this lovely couples wedding!! They are the nicest people you will ever meet and VERY much in love! Joanne made an absolutely stunning bride and I was SO excited when Bill showed up in his cowboy hat!!! : ) I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I have been!!

One of my favorite dress shots of 2013! I LOVED Joanne's beautiful wedding gown.

Another one of my favorites of 2013! I LOVED Joanne's unique wedding ring!

One of my favorite parts of most of the wedding's I shoot is the ' First Look ' It's so emotional and REAL!!

After the first look, we usually go straight into couple portraits! This is my FAVORITE part of the wedding day and my chance to really show some creativity and style!

Wedding party photos went so smoothly and everyone cooperated so well!!

And... we just had to take some pictures of their kids being goofy and having fun!! : )

Off to the ceremony!

We went to the state capitol to take some more fun portraits. The capitol works really well for bridal party photos too as you can stair stack on the steps. Among many other fun things you can do posing wise with stairs or steps!

Joanne wanted some cool pictures with her 'baby' and did we ever get a cool opportunity to take some pictures like Smoky and the Bandit that made Joanne and Bill happy!! : )

The reception was fun and their cake was AWESOME! They had it special designed to look like an old castle ruins in England where Joanne grew up and where Bill proposed to her!! How cool is that!

It was so cute, Bill had a shirt made up for Joanne's daughter that said I am a red headed step child! Everyone got a big kick out of that!

And the first dance... the perfect end to a perfect day!! Congratulations Bill and Joanne, it was my pleasure to be a part of your special day!

2013 Wedding Season Overview ~ Bismarck ND Wedding Photographer ~ Portraits by Amanda

Thu, 13 Feb 2014 16:10:46 GMT

Bridal Tips and Ideas to Help Plan your Wedding!

Thu, 06 Feb 2014 21:51:51 GMT

I thought I'd do a blog post with all my previous posts I've done on several topics to help my brides with tips and ideas to make their wedding FABULOUS!! So below are several links to posts that you may be interested in! Enjoy and happy wedding planning!! : )

What To Wear For For Your Engagement Photos Click Here

Questions Brides should ask Potential Wedding Photographers Click Here

Wedding Day Timeline and Day of Tips Click Here

How Long Should We Plan For Wedding Photos? Click Here

Why Hire a Professional Wedding Photographer Instead of Letting ' Uncle Bob ' Shoot Your Wedding Click Here

Engagement Guest Book Click Here

Wedding Budget Worksheet Click Here

Wedding Planning Check List Click Here

Best Chili and Corn Bread recipe EVER!

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 07:43:27 GMT

It's been SO COLD.... lately I started wanting chili SO bad.... so I made some! I thought some of my internet friends might want to make a pot also and enjoy some yummy chili with piping hot corn bread! So here's the recipe and some photos ( of course ) of my favorite chili and corn bread recipe. The photos aren't the best... I just grabbed my point and shoot for these, but I thought you would all prefer some photos to go with this recipe to really get your taste buds going! ; )

This chili recipe originated from my AWESOME brother in law that enjoys cooking! He started me on this sweet and spicy chili a few years ago and now it's by far my favorite chili EVER! : ) I've tweaked some things and you can too to suit your and your family's taste buds and spicy levels! So without further delay.... here goes!

Fry about a lb or so of hamburger... depending on how much burger you like in your chili. Drain off the burger so there's no water left in the bottom of the BIG pot. : ) Add whatever kind of beans you like. I usually add two cans of chili beans in a hot sauce, two cans of pinto beans, two cans of black beans and a can of white beans. Jesse and I don't like kidney beans so I don't add those, but you sure can instead of the white beans. Also I have found you need to use Bush's beans.... their the best and are nice and soft and not hard! Other brands tend to be yucky hard beans that never soften up.

Next add about a half a bottle of barbecue sauce. Whatever kind you prefer, I usually use Sweet Baby Ray's Chipotle barbecue sauce, but this is what I found at our local grocery store and it worked fine! Add some mustard and then add some ketchup too until the chili is starting to get nice and juicy. This chili isn't supposed to be very soupy it's a pretty thick hearty chili.

Then chop up a can of Chipotle peppers and throw those in... I do a whole can but this will make the chili have a pretty good kick to it. I have also used a can of jalapeno peppers before and that works good too.

The best part.... add LOTS of brown sugar!! : ) And when I say alot.... I mean ALOT! Like half a bag or more... dump and taste, the chili should have a very sweet taste to it.

Then last but not least.. Add a couple tablespoons of coco powder! This will darken the chili up and give it a nice rich flavor! Simmer for an hour or so and it's ready to go! It's always even better the next day, just add a little water and reheat!! You could also put this all into a crock pot and let it cook on low for the day and have a wonderful supper ready when you get home from work!

Ok moving onto the corn bread! This is a really good recipe and it's for a small 8x8 pan so works well for my little family.

1 1/4 cups flour 1 cup milk

3/4 cups cornmeal 1/4 cups oil

1/4 cup sugar 1 egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Now I'm gonna share how I PERSONALLY eat a bowl of chili!! ; ) First put a piece of piping hot, buttered cornbread in your bowl and drizzle some honey on it.

Next... pour some totally YUMMY chili over the cornbread!

Last but not least, sprinkle with some cheddar cheese and a LARGE dollop of sour cream to top it all off for the epitome of deliciousness!! : )

Now my husband Jesse, eats his chili with sour cream, cheese and oyster crackers but eats his cornbread separate. My Dad on the other hand takes a heaping bowl of chili and piece of cornbread on the side and that's it! No fancy stuff added as he would say... this chili can stand on it's own two feet, no need to add anything else!

I hope you all try this and enjoy it as much as we do!! When it's 20 and 30 below zero outside this hits the spot!!

Josh & Brekka ~ Bismarck ND Wedding Photography

Wed, 22 Jan 2014 20:54:41 GMT

First of all I know it's been AGES since I've updated my blog with some new posts!! I'm SO... sorry!! I have been so busy this summer with some awesome weddings, and I just somehow let my blog posting slack!! ( Shame on me I know! ) Well I promise to try and do better from now on! : ) I'm going to go ahead and blog all my weddings from this past summer now to get us through these COLD winter months!!

It only seems fitting to start with one of my weddings that I haven't shared any photos of yet! Josh and Brekka were the most amazing couple... and so easy to get along with! From the engagement session to the wedding photos these two were so much fun to work with! So without further delay, here are some photos from this August wedding!

Brekka had the most GORGEOUS wedding dress!! The details were simply stunning!

Josh and Brekka didn't want to see each other before the ceremony, but did want to be able to pray together before hand.... so this is the only place we could find where they could stand and hold hands next to each other to pray, without seeing one another!!

I was so excited when I walked in and saw this beautiful church!! The light in here was awesome! It's always exciting to me when I see a ceremony location that has good lighting!! Good lighting = Good Photos!

And here comes the bride.....

It was so awesome watching Brekka hike up her dress and drive off on the Harley!!! : )

These bridal couple portraits we got of Josh and Brekka are simply beautiful!! I was so happy with some of the lovely photos that I was able to capture for them!

This is one of my favorite wedding photos I created this year! I've had this in the back of my mind for sometime and just was waiting to get the right lens to try it out. I'll be doing a spin on this shot this next wedding season with another couple, I've got some new ideas floating around in my brain now! And off to party at the reception as Mr and Mrs!

Gotta love a good candy bar!!

And to end the wonderful day with some lovely dance shots....

Congratulations Josh and Brekka!!! : )

Baby Logan Welcome into the World!

Mon, 09 Sep 2013 21:23:18 GMT

I was so blessed to be able to do the birthography for my nephew's entrance into the world!! It was such an awesome experience! I've had one baby myself... but never have watched someone else give birth. It's definitely a different experience being an onlooker instead of the laborer! : ) Please enjoy these photos of the greatest gift God can give to a person in the whole world! The gift of a precious little person, a sign of you and your spouses deep love for each other and a little part of both of you!

Hailee did so good waiting to meet little brother! She was pretty quiet for the most part and then decided to be a pill right about when Maret started really not feeling good! Good thing Auntie Abby was there to take her out and watch her! : )

Seth was so cute helping Maret walk the halls! Pushing her IV around!

So excited and full of vinegar!

Breathing... Breathing, talking to Mom wondering where she's at and if she's gonna make it before Logan was born!

Dr Jan Bury is the best doctor!! I had her for my birth as well! She's delivered so many of our family's baby's!!

Preparations have begun!

Starting to get pretty uncomfortable at this point!

Mom made it just in time to back rub!

And he's here!!!!!

Such a little chunk!!!

8lbs 11oz. : )

Daddy admiring his new little man!

Hailee decided he was cute and that they could keep him!

My little guy meeting his new little cousin! I'm sure they're gonna end up being great buddies!

Little sister lovin....

Tarrin is SO.... in love with Logan!! He talks about him all the time and is addicted to holding and feeding him his bottle!

Daddy time!

Cute little family! : )

How long should we plan for wedding photos?

Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:03:30 GMT

I wanted to write a quick post on some Questions I get asked all the time from wedding couples....

First and foremost I get asked how long will pictures take?? Well... that's a loaded question kinda! : ) I say the longer you give me the more unique and creative your photos will be. Also you will get more great photos over all. I also want my brides to plan a little longer for photos then they think it will take, that way if someones running a little behind it gives us a little wiggle room for photos without making everything and everyone else late.

My suggestion is this... 1 hour for bride and groom shots, and I highly suggest these are done without anyone else present so that the bride and groom can feel completely comfortable. They can focus on each other, the moment and my instructions without getting distracted by well meaning relatives that are excited also! : )

1 hour for entire wedding party photos, like bride and bridesmaids, groom and groomsmen... etc. And then 1 hour for the family formals. This ends up being a total of 3 hours set aside specifically for wedding photography! If you would like more creative photographs of the bride and groom a little more time can always be added.

I also suggest taking most if not all of the photos before the ceremony if possible, if you are not planning on seeing each other before the ceremony, then I would like to get as many taken as we can before and save maybe just the family photos where both bride and groom are in the photos for after the ceremony. So all the bridal portraits, bride with her family and groom with his family etc. would be done before the ceremony. The reason is because the bride and groom will feel more refreshed, makeup is better and everyone isn't feeling rushed to get to the reception so as not to leave guests too long without the wedding party.

Here's an example wedding timeline:

9:00 bridal preparation, 10:00 Bride getting into dress and groom getting ready, 11:00 First Look and Bride and Groom shots, 12:30 Wedding Party photos, 1:30 Family formals, 2:30 Everyone relax, 3:00 Ceremony, 4:00 Creative photos of Bride and Groom at another location, 5:00 Cocktail hour and reception decoration details, 6:00 Meal and Toasts, 7:00 Cake Cutting, 8:00 Dance Starts, 8:30 bouquet Toss, 9:00 Garter Toss and leaving for Honeymoon!

This brings me to the second question I would like to touch bases on, the bouquet and garter toss and the leaving for the honeymoon! Things have changed in the last several years and DJ's are now being put in charge of the bouquet and garter toss. Here's the deal, I only stay for the first hour of the dance to get photos of the first dances unless the couple have added extra coverage to their wedding collection. Therefore it MUST be conveyed to the DJ that the bouquet and garter toss must be done within the first hour of the dance if the bride and groom want photos of those events.

I'm finding more and more that the DJ's are dragging these two events out and I don't end up photographing them. I've asked DJ's to please announce the bouquet and garter toss as the couple would like photos of them and either the DJ agrees and then doesn't do it, or they bluntly say no! They like to wait till 10:00 or even 11:00 for the bouquet and garter toss! So it is up to my bride and groom to make it VERY clear to the DJ or whoever is in charge of these events to have them done within the first hour of the dance if you would like them photographed.

Same thing with the leaving photos whether bird seed throwing, bubble blowing or sparklers.... it must be done at the end of the first hour of the dance to get these awesome shots!! ( unless otherwise agreed upon before the reception ) If you don't want to leave the reception that early a good idea is to fake leaving to get these photos and then come back to party the night away with your guests!!! : )

Kent and Mindi/ Wedding Photographer in Bismarck ND

Mon, 05 Aug 2013 16:54:49 GMT

Kent and Mindi had such a beautiful June wedding! The only hitch was the poor bride was sick almost all day!! She was such a trooper though and managed to get through all the photos with a smile! It was challenging for me as Kent is WELL over six feet tall and I'm only just over five feet in massive height. : ) So I had to drag my little trusty ladder around with me all day! Enjoy their photos below!

Great workers from Bombshell Salon in Bismarck did all the hair and makeup check them out HERE

Poor Mindi taking a rest between hair and makeup while Mom got her makeup done.

Sometimes you just have to put your mascara on yourself! : ) I know I can't have someone else put on my mascara I blink so much, I can't stand to have something coming at my eye like that when I'm not controlling it! : )

This is a three generation ring shot with Mindi's Mother and Grandmother's rings! I loved this idea!

Ok seriously these were the coolest shoes EVER!

I got Kent all set up to see Mindi for the first time in her wedding dress!

First looks are one of my favorite things to shoot. When my Bride and Groom's choose to do a first look I LOVE it!

Their first look was so much fun!

Doesn't she have the most gorgeous eyes!! I couldn't get over how beautiful they are!!

My FAVORITE shot of the whole wedding!! : )

I tired taking alot of photos with Mindi sitting down as she wasn't feeling well at all! We didn't want her throwing up all over her wedding dress! She did so good hiding it for the photos though!

LOVE these ones of Mother and Daughter!

I really wanted to get a few dramatic looking portraits, but didn't want to take Mindi far since she wasn't feeling well... so this is what we got. I think they still turned out pretty good.

I couldn't get enough of this little fellow and his silly antics during the ceremony!! : )

He was really checking out what was going on!

Mr. and Mrs. Kent Schirado

Time to party up the isle!!!

Even the little ones knew how to do it up good! : )

It was so HOT.... as you can see! : ) Someone couldn't take it anymore!

Congratulations Kent and Mindi!!!!!

Working Cows with Horses

Fri, 26 Jul 2013 17:36:36 GMT

Here's some of the very first photos I took with my brand new 5D markIII camera!!! My husband and brother in law were down working cows so I thought I would run down to the corral and try out my new prize!! I've wanted this camera for several years now and it's finally mine! I'm as happy as a peach ( however happy that is! )

Tarrin went down with mommy to watch daddy and the horses! He is addicted to horses and riding!

They were sorting off pairs to load and haul out to our summer pasture. So here's the pickups and trailers ready and waiting.

My husband and his silly M&M shirt!! Yes he loves M&M's and he got that as a Christmas present last year!! : )

Jesse thought he was so funny running his horse at me and then stopping him just short of running into the corral gate! Check out his faces!!

Deciding what to do....

Our cow dog Guess, she's not afraid to go after a cow by any means! She's such a good working dog!

Kevin & Cassandra's June Wedding

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 21:04:53 GMT

It was supposed to be a nasty windy stormy day... it turned out to be beautiful!!! I had so much fun photographing Kevin and Cassandra's wedding!

Kevin and Cassandra took my advice and decided to do a first look, and I'm so very glad they did! It was so sweet and special and the photos we got right after the first look are amazing as you can see below.

We did their personal portraits right after the first look...

Isn't Cassandra a gorgeous bride!!!

Bridal Party fun!

Walking down the isle to meet her groom!

Kevin did the kiss up real good!! : )

Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Carr!!!

Family photos went so well! I couldn't believe how cooperative everyone was! : )

Time to go celebrate with a good meal and a FUN dance!

Congratulations Kevin and Cassandra... I wish you the VERY best in the many happy years to come!! Thank you for allowing me to share with you in this special day!

Grilled Kabobs

Fri, 12 Jul 2013 15:12:57 GMT

Nothing better then a grilled Kabob in July right?? That's what I thought... so got everything ready to then realize that I didn't have any skewers! O what to do now! LOL I decided to improvise since we live 70 miles from town. It's not like I can drop everything just to run to the store to get some skewers for my craving! Then right when we decide to put them on the grill it starts to rain!!!

Despite all the sabotage... we got our kabobs grilled anyway!! : )

Meat used was chicken and pork.

The yummy sauce I made to baste them with while on the grill! Soy Sauce, red pepper flakes, fresh minced garlic, tabasco sauce, liquid smoke and some honey.

I used leftover cubed potatoes I had made the night before with lipton onion soup mix.

Ok so here's how I improvised for the skewers I didn't have! I ran outside and cut off some small branches! LOL

Don't these look yummy even with all the problems I ran into! : )

Here's the grill master trying to stay half way dry!! The rain really started coming down as soon as we put them on the grill!!

They grilled to perfection despite the rain and my sticks didn't catch on fire! Haha : )

I have to say they turned out SO.... yummy!

Brian & Stephanie Engagement

Fri, 28 Jun 2013 18:07:19 GMT

I knew this was gonna be a FUN engagement session as soon as I started emailing Steph about what her vision for their engagement session was! She mentioned silly string, umbrellas, rifles, swords and paint fight!!! I was like heck ya sounds like a ton of fun to me!! : ) So please enjoy the photos below!

We decided to start the session at the capitol grounds in their dressy outfits and then go from there.

Swords came out next!

Off to the railroad tracks with the rifles!

And then down to the river we went for the Umbrella shots and silly string fight!

Next we headed to Steph's Mom's house where she was kind enough to let them paint on the side of her trailer! : )

Congratulations Brian and Stephanie on your engagement and upcoming August wedding! : )

Meet Black Jack

Fri, 21 Jun 2013 15:36:49 GMT

As I promised here's a post to introduce our new baby colt that arrived last week! We named him Black Jack! He's quite the cute little fella and we're all in love with him already! I went out and introduced him to my camera at only a couple hours old! He is such a big guy... very tall, such LONG legs! : )

Isn't he the cutest thing?? I just love the little snipit of white down on the tip of his nose!

Only a couple hours old! It's so cute how they stick so close to mommy! She's such a good mare didn't mind us petting him at all.

Classy kept pinning her ears back and chasing off the other gelding that is in that pasture with her and Black Jack.

One week old, and apparently VERY tired!! Haha

I went and sat with him petting him for quite awhile before he woke up and realized I was encroaching on his space!

Seriously they must not want their pictures taken they take off on me more then anything! : )

But they just won't win! I WILL take their pictures!

Someone decided to stop in the trees for a snack break.

Decided to stick his tongue out at me little stinker! Had to take care of a bunch of itchy's apparently.

Generations Apart

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:00:00 GMT

So this month for my Exhibit Blog Project our theme was 'Apart' let me tell ya that was not an easy one for me to come up with a post about! I had NO idea where to start at first! Then I had a couple random fleeting ideas that just didn't stick. Then one day Jesse and I were driving by a spot where I have wanted to, and talked about shooting some shots for over a year! I envisioned these shots MANY times just never had time to stop and take them!

These new, modern wind generator's were put in a few years ago and every time I passed by this spot where an old fashioned wind mill stood with all the modern advances in the background, I knew there was a story there!

Even though they are era's, generations and years APART... they were created and designed to do the same task.... generate power of some sort! One made to harness the wind and run a well for water, the others to harness the wind for electricity.

Such a stark contrast of the old and the new!

There are so many of these new wind generators going up in North Dakota... yes we have ALOT of wind!

In some ways every time I pass this old wind mill still in such good shape standing the test of time, it makes me kinda sad in a way looking at it against the background of the new modern replacements. I'm sure that old wind mill served it's purpose well in it's time!

I had to go trucking myself and my camera gear out into the field to get the shot I was wanting while Jesse and Tarrin waited patiently in the car along side the highway for probably a good 20 minutes!

If you would like to continue on reading posts on ' Apart' please Click Here to view Vision of Rose Photography's post!

Rhubarb Pie

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 15:11:21 GMT

Well it's that season!! Fresh Rhubarb growing in the garden!! And out in the pasture for that matter! Haha Anyway my husbands favorite pie is Rhubarb.... so I decided to make him a happy man and make him one that other day. I decided some of you may want to see the process... and then I thought maybe after seeing the photo's you may want to make one yourself so the recipe is at the end of the post! : )

I think the hardest part is actually chopping up all the Rhubarb! Yummy look at all that sugary goodness!

Now time to make the pie crust.

Ok now I have to admit I have to give some photo credit here to my husband who was sweet and willing to take some photo's for me since I was obviously covered in flour! : )

Ready for the top crust.

Now it's ready for the oven!

An hour later....

Time for the cutting of the yummy goodness and the devouring with some vanilla ice cream!!

RHUBARB PIE

4 Cups Rhubarb chopped

1 Cup sugar

2 Tablespoons Flour - heaping ( a little more if you do a deep dish pie which requires a little more Rhubarb as well. )

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

PIE CRUST

2 Cups Flour

1 Cup Shortening

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

1/2 Cup cold water ( as cold as you can get it, I usually put a cup in the freezer while I do the Rhubarb filling )

Cut the Shortening into the flour and salt mixture. Add the cold water until soft ball forms, you don't want it too stiff. Divide dough into two balls, one for the bottom crust and one for the top crust.

First Aerial Photograph 1858

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 15:00:56 GMT

The first Aerial photograph ever taken in 1858. Taken by Gaspard Felix Tournachon - or Nadar. Made from a balloon hovering at an altitude of 1600 feet.

" A view of Paris"

Wedding Check List

Wed, 29 May 2013 15:40:36 GMT

Here's a check list that I thought might be helpful to brides trying to keep track of what wedding planning tasks need to be done and when certain vendors should be booked.

12 Months

Set your wedding date: pick a few days in case your first choice is booked
Decide on your wedding style
Begin making your guest list
Determine your budget and how expenses will be shared
Hire a wedding coordinator/consultant
Choose and reserve your wedding ceremony and reception locations
Select your Bridal Party
Select and book you Officiant
Determine your color scheme
Start attending Bridal shows to check out all wedding vendors in your area

9 Months

Meet with and reserve

Photographer
Videographer
Caterer
Wedding Cake Baker
Florist
DJ
Limousine Service
Ceremony Musicians

Have Engagement Photos taken
Send out Save the Dates
Place an Engagement announcement in your local newspaper
Say Yes to the Dress
Choose and purchase all other Bridal attire
Begin shopping for bridesmaids dresses
Start your gift registry
Start an exercise routine to get in great shape and relieve stress

6 Months

Select and book decorator
Finalize wedding guest list
Select and book honeymoon arrangements
Order Bridesmaid dresses
Reserve rental items
Experiment with hair styles
Select and order wedding invitations and other wedding stationary
Start making and reserving hotel accommodations for your guests
Shop for wedding gifts

4 months

Set the date,time and location for the rehearsal dinner
Select and order wedding bands
Finalize catering menu
Select and order ceremony necessities:

Wedding programs
Unity Candle
Aisle runner
Pew bows
Ring bearer pillow
Flower girl basket
Garter
Guest book and pen

Select and order reception necessities:

Place Cards
Napkins
Favors
Toast glasses
Serving pieces
Cake Top
Decorations
Centerpieces

3 Months

Select ceremony readers
Select ushers to seat your guests
Select guest book attendant
Select your MC
Start assembling your wedding invitations
Plan rehearsal dinner
Get confirmation from all wedding vendor
Book your hair and makeup stylist

2 Months

Mail out your wedding invitations
Write your wedding vows
Maintain a record of RSVP's
Finalize ceremony order with officiant
Apply for Marriage license
Schedule all fittings and alteration appointments
Decide on your hair and makeup styles
Write your toast and speeches

1 Month

Confirm duties with all wedding helpers
Finalize floor and seating plans
Get final head count of all attendees
Work with DJ on a list of songs
Have a final dress fitting
Confirm your photographer
Make a timeline for your wedding day to keep everything on schedule
Give a copy of wedding day timeline to all vendors
Pick up wedding rings
Make final payments to all vendors and prepare tips
Pick up and organize all wedding day attire
Assemble a wedding day emergency kit

Wet Plate Photography 1851

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:02:36 GMT

While recognizing the advantages of the negative - positive process, but dissatisfied with the coarse quality of images printed through paper, numerous experiments searched for a transparent medium. Many tried the obvious, glass, but experienced difficulty in bonding the emulsion to the surface. In 1848, however, Abel Nie`pce de Saint Victor succeeded by using albumen as a coating on glass. Although his process produced a storable, dry plate, a great convenience, the required exposures were excessively long and the process never became popular.

Nevertheless, experimentation continued and in 1851, Frederick Scott Archer succeeded in bonding a photographic emulsion to glass. The process employed collodion, a viscous solution of guncotton dissolved in alcohol and ether, as the transparent bonding agent. The sensitized plate had to be exposed and processed before the highly volatile collodion could dry, for when dry, it formed a shield impervious to the developing and fixing solutions. Because it was used in this fashion, the process became known as collodion wet plate photography.

The collodion wet plate process was unbelievably awkward. Imagine toting with you on even the most casual photographic outing a portable darkroom such as a light-tight tent, a supply of 8x10 ( or larger ) glass plates, photosensitive and processing chemicals in their various containers, and a bulky wooden camera tripod. Then imagine setting up a tent, coating each glass plate with a photographic emulsion, loading the plate while still wet into a plate holder and then into the camera, immediately making an exposure, and rushing back into the tent to process the plate before it could dry; then repeating the process for each exposure!

Despite these inconveniences, the collodion wet plate rapidly superseded the daguerreotype in popularity. The materials were less costly. Exposure times were usually less than a minute, and often were as short as ten seconds. Unlike the daguerreotype, which was a single, unreproducible image, the glass collodion wet plate produced a negative from which unlimited prints could be made. The final prints, on paper, were lightweight and flexible. And, happily, the rendering of exquisitely fine detail, uncompromised by printing through paper, was comparable to that of the daguerreotype. Collodion wet plate photography began a wave of popular photography, enticed thousands of new amateurs to the craft, dominated photographic practice worldwide for nearly thirty years, and established the negative-positive process as the standard for photography thereafter.

Two variations of the collodion wet plate, which simulated the appearance of the daguerreotype, also became popular. One, the Ambrotype, patented by James Ambrose Cutting, used underexposure or bleaching to produce a faint negative image on glass. When viewed against a deep black background, the positive image would be seen. A Union Case was used to bind the glass plate permanently with, usually, a piece of deep black velvet. Another variation was the Tintype, introduced in 1856 by Hamilton L. Smith. In this case, the wet collodion emulsion was applied to a metal plate, usually tin, that was lacquered deep black. A faint image was produced on the surface, and when the plate was viewed against the black background, the positive image would be seen. Because Ambrotypes and Tintypes were inexpensive and easy to make, they became very popular in America and supported a virtual army of studio and itinerant photographers. However, these one-of-a-kind techniques would eventually go the way of the daguerreotype, superseded by the more flexible negative-positive process.

If you missed the first History on Photography posts Click Hear to read about the History of photography from the beginning. Or you can Click Here and read the next post in the series!

Wedding Budgeting Worksheet

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:54:31 GMT

Most Bride and Grooms are on a high after their engagement. All they can think about is their love for each other, spending the rest of their lives together, how perfect and gorgeous their wedding is going to be, what a gorgeous wedding dress the bride is going to have, who will be in their wedding.... and the list goes on. Their in this wedding craze so to speak..... and then BANG reality hits them with the big question.... How are we going to pay for all this?? Who is going to pay for this, us or our parents? How do we know how much to spend on what? How do we figure out our budget?

These are all logical questions and sometimes hard to figure out! None the less they must be figured out. You want your wedding planning to go as smoothly and stress free as possible! I mean this is your wedding!! You should have fun and enjoy the planning! The biggest tip I can give you is to have a well planned out budget, and then stay as close to that budget as possible so that you can keep track of where all your money is going so you don't feel lost and stressed and have no idea how much you've spent where and how much you have left! I highly suggest you hire a wedding planner / coordinator and let them do all the budgeting and planning for you! They are of invaluable service and are well worth the money to hire a professional that has planned TONS of weddings and will know how to get everything perfect and within your budget. If you decide you want to plan everything yourself, here are some helpful tips!

Here's a list below that will help you get an idea how to start budgeting according to some of the questions above.

So... who's paying for the wedding?? This is the first thing that must be decided. Traditionally the Bride's family would pay for the entire wedding costs. Most of the time the Groom's family would be responsible for the rehearsal dinner. This however is frequently untrue of couples who marry now days and end up flipping the whole bill themselves. If you can pay for the whole shebang yourselves, you've got it easy! If you want your families to pay for it or at least help out with some of the costs, you should have an up front discussion as soon as possible to make it clear who is paying for what.

Some of the options are, let the parents contribute a certain dollar amount that they are comfortable with. The couple can then make their wedding budget according to that and make up any difference's themselves.

Or the parents may want to pay for specific items, such as the flowers, caterer, photographer and so forth. The couple can then pay for everything else.

The couple could also set a certain budget amount for the entire wedding and then split the costs evenly. So say the wedding budget was $15,000 each set of parents and the couple would pay $5,000.

Next decide what is MOST important to you! For instance you may want gorgeous flowers and don't care about the wedding cake, or you may want the most AMAZING photographer ( wink, wink ) and are willing to bargain shop for your dress. And if your having a small wedding your catering cost won't take up as much of your budget and you can adjust accordingly so you can spend a little more on something else.

Start by looking over your budget and crossing off anything you might not need. For instance if you're having the ceremony and reception at the same location you may not need transportation. Don't be afraid to ask your recently married friends what vendors they used and how much they cost.

CLICK HERE to get a printable wedding budget worksheet to keep track of your budget and spending.

Here's some tips to help cut some wedding costs.... Save postage on your wedding invitations, rather then having a reply card in the invitations, ask guest to reply online or by phone. Not only will that save at the printer, but it'll save on postage as well.

Change your wedding date from a Saturday to a week night or a Sunday. Most wedding vendors are willing to give you a discount on these not so in demand dates.

Don't be afraid to ask your friends and family for help. Do you have a crafty Aunt that could help with some of the decorations or flower arrangements? Is there a friend that is a musician that could play the music for the ceremony? Most people are more then willing to help out with wedding details!!

Throw a pitch in party! Invite your friends over to help assemble favors, invitations, centerpieces and other DIY little touches. Be sure to have some great snacks and fun music so it feels like a party and everyone has FUN helping out!

All photographs used were found on pinterest! : )

Cordella New Baby Filly

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:26:48 GMT

Our neighbors mare just had this adorable little filly a few days ago!! I got to take these pictures of her at only a few hours old!! Such a little cutie pie! They named her Cordella. This made me want our little horsey to get here fast! : ) Our mare should foal in the next few weeks!! I'll of course post pictures of our new baby as soon as it gets here!

She started getting curious as to what in the world I was doing and actually wanted to come up and see what was going on! Isn't she a doll!

Just loved the cuteness of her little tail all black and grey!! : )

Mommy really didn't want her to get that close to me or that far away from her!

Haha look at her silly little antics already! She was very curious and checking out everything!

Someone decided I was wearing her out and wanted to take a nap!

Then Mommy came along and decided to wake her up!

Her cute little mane!

Together

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:00:00 GMT

So for this months project blog, the group decided our theme for a post should be Together... again great subject, but I had the HARDEST time coming up with what I wanted to shoot! I first thought how about me and my wonderful husband?? We've been TOGETHER for three years now and are looking forward to being TOGETHER for many more to come... but then wait, I hate pictures of myself! Haha : )

So on to more brain storming. My next thought was how about a shoot on Canadian Geese? They are amongst the few animals that mate for life and stay TOGETHER forever.

Then I thought well I could do a fun shoot on the weekend of Jesse and I playing cards with our neighbors.... we get TOGETHER almost every weekend to play cards!

I also considered doing a family session.... obvious I know! Haha I mean what is a family all about.... being TOGETHER! : ) To stop from boring you all anymore.... I'll just tell you what I finally decide to do my TOGETHER post on. : ) Our trusty sheep dogs and their flock!!

We have two Great Pyrenees dogs, Buster and Gypsy. : ) They are very faithful at protecting their flock of sheep and making sure everyone stays together where they can keep an eye on them.

They stay with the flock while they go out to pasture during the day to eat and protect them from coyotes. We have a real problem with coyotes the last few years and always end up loosing a bunch of our little lambs to them in the spring.

The dogs lay out in the middle of the flock keeping theirs eyes and ears open for danger and will run any critters off that get near their sheep! I saw Gypsy chasing a poor mother cow away yesterday because she felt she was getting a little too close for comfort! : )

Aren't they just beautiful dogs!!

They are pretty much TOGETHER all the time.... sheep and dogs, one depending on protection the other depending on companionship!

It's so cute watching the little lambs come up to the dogs and bug them, and the dogs just lick them before they move on!

The sheep laying around soaking up the beautiful sunshine we've finally been having!! They look like their all enjoying it, especially the little guy!

They aren't going to far out to pasture yet as their baby's are still pretty young and we still have snow out there as stupid as that is! Haha

If you enjoyed this post on TOGETHER please CLICK HERE to continue over to Part of Life Photography to read more great posts!!

ShyAnne's Senior Session

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:15:00 GMT

ShyAnne was my Senior Rep for Mandan High School, our North Dakota weather was so bad when we booked her session and then on the day we happened to schedule for it was sunny and beautiful with minimal wind!! Which is not that common in North Dakota... the wind blows ALL the time! We decided to start out in a park and then moved on to some railroad tracks, to finish with some downtown shots. The thing that stood out most to me about ShyAnne was her outgoing personality and her contagious smile!!! It was so easy to get a real smile out of her! She took to having her pictures taken like a pro!! : )

I'm telling you.. it was so easy to make her crack up!!!

Ok seriously I was in love with her sneakers!!! Her senior session quickly turned into a session about her awesome shoes... for a little while anyway! And it all made sense after all she does work at the Shoe Carnival!!! : )

Time for downtown!

Her cute little puppy was also very photogenic!!!

First Maternity Shoot!

Fri, 10 May 2013 16:09:29 GMT

So.... here's my first maternity shoot ever! I was so happy to be able to have my first shoot be with my sister in law! It was so special getting to capture some precious memories for her. I can't wait to meet my little nephew whom will be making his appearance sometime next month!

I have been wanting to try out some of these ideas for a maternity shoot I've had rolling around in my head for quite sometime now!

I'm so glad Maret is always so willing to try out my ideas!! Even if some of them do sound crazy to her! Haha

These photos were so spur of the moment! We had gone to visit them for the weekend and I was like hey, wanta go try some maternity pictures out? She was of course like, ok.... we grabbed some clothes, threw them in the car, conned the husbands into watching our little 2 year olds and off we went! LOL

I have been wanting to try this pose out for simply AGES now!!! I LOVE how it turned out! : )

We tried out a few different outfits not knowing if we would like them all. I have to say it was quite entertaining watching an almost 8 month pregnant woman changing outfits on the go in the car, and hiding behind the trees!! Haha We were both cracking up laughing!

Didn't have my trusty ladder along since this session wasn't exactly planned... so found out the back of a trunk works to get some high shots!

Ended at sunset with some railroad track ones!

Maret and Seth's 2 year, my sweet little niece, had just recently found this cute little cow in the store when shopping with mommy and insisted on buying it for baby brother!!! I thought that was so adorable we had to incorporate the little stuffed animal Hailee bug bought for him!!

Ok I saved the best for last!!! As we were taking the above photo I heard a train whistle!! I told Maret just stay there and look as natural as you possibly can knowing a train is barreling up behind you! So I had the camera set and ready... it was way more nerve racking then I thought waiting for that train to come around the bend!! As soon as it barely appeared I snapped a picture and told her ok.. run! Haha It was coming way faster then I thought! I mean we had plenty of time, but when it's blowing that shrieking whistle so stinkin loud right in your ear, you can't keep your heart from pounding! This shot could have never been planned out, we were just in the right place at the right time. If it had been planned I could have set it up a littel better, but hey.... I'm totally happy with it!!! : )

There was a pickup with two young cowboys sitting in it watching us thinking we were totally insane I'm sure!!! LOL

Engagement Guest Book

Mon, 06 May 2013 16:13:20 GMT

One of the newest products I have added to my business for my wedding couples is the Engagement Guest book! I think this is the coolest idea yet! The days of the enlargement of one of the couples favorite engagement photos with a huge matte around it for guest to sign is being replaced with the Engagement Guest book. I have to say I MUCH prefer the Engagement Guest book! It's sort of like a little Engagement album where you can view several of your favorite engagement photos and all your guest well wishes in the same place to cherish and remember for years to come. It's such an awesome keep sake and I'm so happy to announce I'll be designing and offering these to all my wedding couples! Some of my wedding collections will have them included! : )

To all my couples that have already booked their weddings with me, but would now like to have an Engagement Guest book made, there is still time! Let me know as soon as possible and I'll design one for you before your big day!

They come in a 8.5x11 landscape format, so they're a little longer and more like a traditional guest book would be. This little coffee table book comes with a nice hard cover with your photos on the front and back covers.

I have several different designs to choose from. Country Cutie, Modern Flare and Simple Pleasures are my most favorite designs!

Here's the front and back cover.

The standard Engagement Guest Book comes with 20 pages. Typically five of those pages are guest sign in pages and five are pages with unique questions for guest to answer about the couple. The rest of the pages are filled with engagement photos of the couple!

If you would like to view a sample of an entire Engagement Guest Book CLICK HERE to view the Country Cutie design!!

A 20 page Guest book starts at $100 and a 30 page Guest book is $150.

New Beginnings PART 2

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 22:47:39 GMT

Ok here's my New Beginnings part 2!! We've been lambing for a few weeks now and it's coming to a close... so here's a few snap shots of lamby cuteness before it's all over. These aren't the best pictures as I just grabbed a few snap shots in the barn... but they're still cute!

Tarrin was having so much fun petting the little lambs, bending down talking to them and harassing them! LOL : )

These twins were the cutest things!! We've had a few sets of triplets this year, lots of twins and one set of quads!!!

Our jugs ( pens ) set up in the barn... each side of the barn gets lined with these make shift pens for lambing.

Time for a snack!

Aren't they the cutest little things?? : )

If you would like to see the first post in the series of New Beginnings on our baby calves... Click here

Why Hire a Professional Wedding Photographer Instead of letting Uncle Bob shoot your Wedding!

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:49:42 GMT

This is a topic that I thought could use some discussion. I've heard so many brides say they're not sure if they need to hire a photographer or not because ' Uncle Bob ' has a nice camera and he may take my wedding photo's for free! Or I'm thinking of hiring a wedding photographer, but I do have a cousin that has a really GOOD camera and she's wanting to get into photography!! I'm not kidding I hear this ALL the time. So I wanted to actually write a post on why this is not a good idea, and why every bride and groom deserve a professional wedding photographer! Also why I think bride and grooms should get a wedding album instead of JUST a disk with all the images.

First of all let's think back to your parents wedding.... do you remember any of their wedding photos? I remember ALL of my parents wedding photos.... why? Because they actually have a wedding album!! And they had their favorite wedding photo blown up and framed and hung on the walls of our home! I can describe in detail their wedding... Mom wore a big white hat that she absolutely hates now!! Lol... their colors were pink, Dad was very handsome, the best man ( my Uncle ) Wore an old pair of shoes instead of the ones Mom bought for him and they stick out like a sore thumb in all the photographs!! Haha Now how do I know these details so well?? Because I've seen them a hundred times! I've seen them a hundred times because they were on display.

Wedding couples back then almost ALWAYS got a professional wedding album from their photographer. Albums made by a professional, filled with prints made through a professional lab on professional paper, and bound in a book only available to professionals. Yes it's an outdated, old, aged album.... but I've enjoyed going through it SO many times!!

Now let's talk about couples that marry today. What if they choose to skip the wedding album. What if they think it's to expensive through their wedding photographer, or worse yet since Uncle Bob is taking the photos.... just think they'll create one themselves later on? I can tell you right now that 80% of the time that photo album never gets made! I think the bride fully intended to make one.... time just has a way of creeping up on us all and then 10 years later, they realize they still don't have a wedding album made or even enlargements hanging on their walls. How many pictures will their children remember? This is so sad! I want my little ones to grow up like I did.... getting a huge kick out of looking at how young my parents looked, how silly Mom's hat was and how horrible my Uncle's shoes were! : )

Today alot of couples think it's ' good enough ' to just let Uncle Bob shoot the wedding and get all the images on a disk. Here's the problem with this thinking... it's NOT true! It's simply NOT good enough! First of all a good camera does not make a good photographer, anymore then a good Scalpel makes a good surgeon or a good oven makes a good cook! You have to know how to use your tools, and when to use which tools and settings to get the right results. And I have heard story's from my brides sisters at the time of booking saying they decided to hire a professional photographer for the younger sisters wedding because they had a friend take hers and they were terrible! They missed shots that ' no one ' ( in her words ) would miss, they were blurry, none of them were edited and so forth. This is a day you can't redo!! Do you really want to risk not getting good photos, or possibly not getting some pictures at all to save a little money?

Now as far as getting your images on a disk, don't get me wrong... I think it's great to get the digital negatives, I sell them myself to my clients. Today couples probably get up to 1,000 images taken on their big day compared to a couple hundred at most when my parents were married. So I think it's wonderful for couples to get ALL their digital negatives from their day, after all they won't all fit into an album. I myself wouldn't hire a photographer that wouldn't sell me a disk with all the digital negatives of my wedding day. But what worries me is that with that option, alot of couples feel that's all they need and don't consider the consequences of ONLY getting a disk of all the images. I'm afraid they will actually end up with LESS then what my parents got.

Let's think about this... will computers still have disk drives in 2050? We all know with all the technological advances that are being made every year it's very doubtful. What if my parents had gotten their images all on the equivalent of an eight track tape.... how in the world would I see those images now? You know what never will become obsolete? Photographs! And I would like to say... not just any photographs! Not photos printed at a drug store. I'm talking about professional photographs, printed by a professional lab, on professional paper! Those are the kind of photo's you will find in the attic, it could be a hundred year old photo, but it'll still look good. And it'll still bring back the joy and memories it was made to preserve for a lifetime and more. Back in the day, photographs were printed on high quality paper and developing was a form of art. There were no machines that spit out pictures onto cheap paper with inexpensive ink. And they're even worse if the photo was made by Uncle Bob who didn't have the exposure right to begin with! I actually have to control myself to not go running from machine to machine in Walmart trying to stop the people getting ready to print their cherished memories there! : ) Lol that might be a little exaggeration, but seriously those machines create such crapy photos!!! Whatever they're charging, is too much, because those prints aren't worth the paper they're printed on! They will fade, they will curl, they will not stand the test of time, not even close!

Your memories are worth more then that! And what about your wedding photos?? They are worth a million times more then that! These aren't just snap shots from a vacation! These photo's are some of the most important photo's that will ever be taken in the history of your life! These images should be captured by a true professional, and then printed likewise by a professional and archived in a professional wedding album! You should trust no one but a professional to the task of printing you enlargements to hang on your walls for you, and your family to cherish for decades to come.

I know hiring a professional wedding photographer can be expensive. I know a professional wedding album is expensive. I know enlargements and canvases are expensive. Here's the thing they are expensive for a reason. A professional has had years of experience, schooling, training, and loads of different gear and equipment invested in. A professional wedding album is custom designed and printed on quality paper, and only the best products are used. Wedding albums are usually hand stitched, leather or suede bound and made just for YOU.

But of all the things you spend money on for your wedding, your wedding photographs are the ONLY thing that will increase with value over time. As the years go by, you'll be more then glad that you have them, I guarantee it! Especially, if you can have the experience of looking through them by flipping through a gorgeous custom designed wedding album, instead of sitting in front of a computer clicking through them.

So that's why it is SO important to hire a professional wedding photographer, and why I feel you should have a wedding album made by your wedding photographer. Don't do it just for you, do it for your children, do it for your grandchildren! It's a gift that will keep giving years and years to come to several different generations!

Again I know a professional wedding photographer can be expensive, and I know wedding albums are costly. Most photographers are willing to come up with a payment plan, and alot of photographers are now offering credit card transactions to make it possible for all bride and grooms to have the necessity of a professional wedding photographer. Instead of settling for Uncle Bob, and regretting it when it's too late!

I know wedding budgeting is hard! : ) I'm sure you've sat at the kitchen table crunching numbers WAY too many times. No matter your budget, I urge you to look at what matters most to you. Is it your wedding dress? Throwing the best reception party EVER? The meal for your guest? Flowers? Or is it remembering all those wonderful things for the rest of your life with beautiful, professionally captured photos? Flowers will fade and die, cake will be all eaten, your dress will only be worn once, the guests will leave.... and all you will have left is your wedding photos. Is it ok with you to NOT know for sure that Uncle Bob captured all those memories so you can relive your day over and over again?

I encourage you to not pick your photographer solely on cost..... but on what you feel when you see their work. On what style you would like your memories captured. On how much you trust them to capture everything that's important to you! And on how you get along with them, they are after all the one person other then your significant other that you will spend the most time with on that fabulous day! : )

Sheep Shearing 2013

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:22:23 GMT

Well it's that time of year again on the Johnson Ranch! Sheep Shearing!!! This year my husband decided that we should shear our own sheep instead of hiring out sheep shearers. I was a little leery at first thinking it would take us forever to do them all ourselves, but in the end it sure is saving us some serious cash! : ) Jesse and his younger brother Nathan have dabbled in sheep shearing before, just haven't taken on the task of shearing our whole flock before! Here's how it's done.....

My brother-in-law Nathan working on a Ewe.

The next Ewe waiting in line.... or I should say waiting in the chute!

Bundling up the wool. Finished getting her hair cut, now ready to wait it out in the barn till she lambs.

And " Like a good neighbor Dillon Hoffman is there. " Dillon came down to try his hand at sheep shearing!

Looking on hoping their not picked to go next!

Time to run some more up into the chute to be sheared.

Now time for my man to shear a few! There is nothing better then a grubby, dirty, good looking man working hard! : ) Especially when you know he's yours!!

Some close up shots of the shears.

Jesse gathering up all the wool to put into the wool packer to be packed into a burlap bag and hauled to a wool buyer.

Double shearing!!

Done!! : ) Our poor little sheep dog laying there wondering what in the world we're doing to his sheep!! Haha

The First negative process 1841 Calotype

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:50:55 GMT

In the early 1830's while Nie`pce and Daguerre were struggling to capture images on metal plates, others were also at work. One of these was England's Sir John Herschel, who by 1839 had succeeded in capturing images on paper that had been sensitized with carbonate of silver, and who was the first to make them permanent by fixing in hyposulfite of soda.

The noted English scientist William Henry Fox Talbot had also taken a different direction. Talbot first captured images on paper coated with silver chloride. By 1835 he had learned to make these images permanent by washing them in a strong salt solution. To speed up exposure, he worked with very small images some only an inch or so square. These little negative images - curiosities at best - were of little compelling interest, even to Talbot. Between 1835 and the time of Daguerre's dramatic announcements in 1839, Talbot had all but abandoned his line of work. However, when he heard of the news from France, Talbot rushed to claim prior discovery by sending letters to members of the French Academy of Science and a report of his own work with " photographic drawings " to the Royal Society in England. Although his report was widely circulated in the press, his coarse little negative images could not compete for public favor with the larger, brighter, positive dagauerreotype images.

Daguerreotype of Cincinnati 1840's

Embedded in Talbot's report to the Royal Society was the following observation, offered almost casually: " If the picture so obtained is first preserved so as to bear sunshine, it may be afterwards itself employed as an object to be copied, and by means of this second process the lights and shadows are brought back to their original disposition. "

Daguerreotype of One of America's BEST Presidents Abraham Lincoln!

With this statement. Talbot advanced the negative-positive that was to become the basis for nearly all photography after that time. Eclipsed by the popularity of the Daguerreotype and frustrated by the lukewarm interest of the Royal Society, Talbot worked on alone, continuing his experiments with larger cameras and improved lenses. He began using hyposulfite of soda as a fixing agent, as Sir John Herschel had suggested. The following year, he discovered that latent, unseen images resided in the sensitized paper after only a brief exposure, and that they could be made visible by resensitizing the paper. Talbot was thus able to reduce exposure time from many hours to less then a minute. To produce a positive image, Talbot resurrected his negative-positive idea and invented contact printing. He waxed his paper negatives so that they would better transmit light and exposed them to sunlight in contact with photosensitive paper produced positive prints. In 1841 he secured a patent for his process, which he first called the Calotype - beautiful image - but which he was later persuaded to call it the Talbotype.

Calotype

Talbot set up a studio in Reading, outside of London, where he and his employees operated what was probably the world's first photofinishing company! From 1844 to 1846 he produced, probably from this studio, his landmark, six-volume work, " The Pencil of Nature" the first photo illustrated book, each volume containing twenty-four pasted-in calotypes.

Henry Fox Talbot " The Broom " 1844. Calotype from Pencil of Nature, the first book illustrated with photographs!

Talbot's vigorous enforcement of his patent rights discouraged wide spread adoption of his process i England. However, Calotype studios opened elsewhere in Europe without his license. In 1843 David Octavius Hill, a noted landscape painter, and Robert Adamson, a Calotypist, opened a studio in Edinburgh, Scotland. In their four year association they produced more than two thousand calotype portraits, genre and architectural views, and landscapes that remain classics of the Victorian era.

Calotype

The Calotype became more popular in France than elsewhere in Europe. Hippolyte Bayard, an experimenter and noted Daguerreotypist, invented the method of printing in cloud formations and produced memorable calotype landscapes. Gustave Le Gray, whose seascapes were ahead of their time, developed a process for waxing the Calotype paper first to reduce dramatically the paper grain and to give the sensitized paper longer storing properties. In 1851 Louis Desire` Blanquart-Evrard opened a studio in Lille primarily to produce Calotype prints for book illustrations. The 125 pasted-in Calotypes he produced for Maxime Du Camp's " Egypte, Nubie, Palestine et Syrie " in 1851 were a remarkable achievement for the time. He also developed a faster , sharper, glossy-surfaced printing paper using photo salts suspended i the whites of eggs, which enabled him to increase print productions more then 300 percent. This Albumen Paper dominated photographic printing for more then forty years!

Although the Calotype never achieved the popularity of the Daguerreotype, some photographers recognize the aesthetic qualities of the process. Because of it's method of printing through a paper negative, the Calotype was soft and lacked the fine, etched detail of the Daguerreotype. Yet these same qualities produced a soft charcoal like impression that was better suited to the representation of shapes and masses of tone with soft edges - characteristics that appealed to the more interpretive of the early photographers. Further, unlike Daguerreotype , which produced single, unique, unreproducible images, the Calotype process could be used to produce any number of identical prints!

Thus, by the mid 1840's, more than one technology of photography existed. This period of early photography, including both the popular Daguerreotype and the Calotype, was relatively short. It lasted only until the early 1850's. It served, however, to establish photography as an art and craft accessible to the common people like you and I! : )

If you missed the first post on in the series of photography history and would like to start from the beginning Click Here Or if you would like to continue in this series Click Here for the next post on the history of photography!

CourtneyJoe & Marty All Country!

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:09:02 GMT

When I first met CourtneyJoe and Marty I knew they were gonna be a fun couple! They're both all country which is SO easy for me to relate with as I'm a country girl myself!! : ) So I asked CourtneyJoe if she would share they're love story with me......

They met at a mutual friends birthday party. They really didn't talk much during the party but definitely noticed each other! After the birthday party was over a group of friends all got together to hang out a little longer. Marty was playing pool and CourtneyJoe was just sitting in a chair next to the pool table watching. In the event of Marty trying to take a shot.... he ended up sticking his butt in CourtneyJoe's face, he then proceeded to say to her " My butt looks good right? " : ) Which CourtneyJoe in turn replied " yes! "

A couple of nights later CourtneyJoe got a text simply reading " lol " She waited till the next morning to answer the text and find out who it was.... it was Marty, they proceeded to make plans to get together that weekend and totally hit it off!

A couple of weeks later Marty invited CourtneyJoe to go to a friends wedding dance with him. While at the dance he told CourtneyJoe " If it's gonna be us, it's gonna be me and you only! " : ) Two weeks later he told her he loved her. CourtneyJoe was shocked and dumbfounded!! Could he really love me?? She didn't say anything in return as she was so shocked... she knew she felt the same way about him, but was scared. ( I think everyone that has found true love knows that feeling! )

A week later CourtneyJoe decided to share her heart with Marty and told him she loved him too! After dating for about two months... Marty proposed to her in the Ruby Tuesdays parking lot! : ) CourtneyJoe loved the ring Marty gave her... it wasn't a typical engagement ring, Marty let his country side show with his ring choice and she loved it! She said yes to his proposal and was on cloud 9!!!

One of my Favorites from their session!!

Another one that I absolutely LOVE!!!

They had me cracking up laughing with the fun ideas they had for photos! They are so easy going!

The third one from they're session that I adore!! : )

Their wedding is set for November 15th 2013 and I can't wait to photograph it! They were an absolute blast during the engagement session and are so photogenic!! : )

New Beginnings

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:02:42 GMT

I'm part of a group of photographers that have committed to doing a themed blog post every month. This is to help us progress with our photography and blogging skills! This month the theme chosen was 'Beginnings' there are so many things I could do a post on with this topic... At first I though well, how about blogging a maternity session, then it crossed my mind, what about spring? I finally decided to do a series of posts with new beginnings in mind! : ) They'll all be about the new beginning of LIFE!! : ) This is my first post on New Beginnings and will be the post I use for my Photography group post! For those of you that follow my blog, watch for the next 3 post to the series of 'New Beginnings'

I live on a ranch with my husband and son. We raise Cattle and sheep. Yes.... I'm a ranchers wife, which works out perfectly for me to run my photography business! I help Jesse with the ranch and he helps me with my photography! We're both very supportive of each others work and ambitions! ( O and I think I benefit a little more then Jesse as I like working outside with the livestock a bit better then he does the photography side of things I think! LOL ) So we're coming into calving and lambing season right now!! Our ranch is just spilling over with new beginnings! Here are some pictures of a new baby calf that we had this morning!

Momma was still licking baby off!

Isn't he just adorable!

Momma wasn't sure of my and my big lens! She got him up and tried getting him away from me. : )

His ears were still wet!

Time to get a snack since Mom got him up!

Jesse unsaddling his horse Brewster after using him to separate some cows off that are getting close to calving

Tarrin out watching daddy ride horse waiting for a ride! : )

I just had to add a picture of his little boot! Aren't they the cutest things ever!! ; )

It was such a cold day today! You can see the cows breath! That's what happens when you live in North Dakota

If you want to continue reading my posts on New Beginnings Click here for the next post on baby lambs!!

If you would like to continue reading posts from other photographers 'Beginnings' Click here

Wedding Day Timeline and Day of Tips

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:24:03 GMT

I've had so many brides ask me the same questions relating to wedding day timelines... I usually go over the wedding timeline with my brides a couple weeks before the wedding date to ensure we're on the same page and nothing has changed. Here's a run down on what I like to know from MY Brides about wedding day plans and times...

1. What time do you want your photographer to arrive, and where are they to meet you at? It is a good idea to have the bride and groom preparation locations close together. If you will be getting ready in a hotel, it's a good idea to book two rooms at the same hotel, one for the bride and another for the groom. This makes it easier for me to run back and forth getting preparation shots of both parties, without having to travel long distances and run the risk of missing something important or getting behind.

2. Another tip is to talk to everyone that will be involved in the getting ready process and ask them to help you keep the room clean and tidy. The photo's look so much nicer if there's not pop cans and girls purses, clothing, shoes, luggage and so forth laying all around. This will help you move around easier also when clutter is limited. If you're getting ready in a hotel... designate the closet for everyone's random necessities to be stored.

3. The key to bright, sharp preparation photos is lots of light! If you're getting ready at home, it's best to plan the putting on of your dress and getting ready shots near a window. Your hair or makeup artist will probably suggest the same thing. If you're getting ready at a hotel , ask for rooms that are facing east or south so we'll have lots of morning light streaming in!

4. It's a good idea to have someone delegated to be in charge of both the wedding rings, a wedding invitation, bridal bouquet and so forth as I like to arrive a little earlier then planned to be able to get some nice creative shots of these details. It's easier to not have to bug the bride or groom every time I need to ask where a relevant wedding item is at.

5. What time do you plan on taking the formal and family photos? How much time are you allowing for these shots to be accomplished? How long this will take depends on how many different groupings you have requested. It usually takes about 5 minutes to set up and shoot each different grouping, depending on how large the group is.

6. I highly suggest planning at least an hour for the bride and groom shots. This is best if planned to do right after you are dressed and before the formal family portrait session is to take place, or right after the first look! If you are wanting some unique and romantic images that may take a little more time.... it's best to plan for two hours of shooting for the bride and groom shots.

7. What time is the ceremony starting? About how long is it planned to last?

8. What time does the cocktail hour start? This is sometimes when my couples decide to sneak away and get their bride and groom shots done if they didn't want to see each other before the ceremony.

9. What time does the reception start? What time will the toasts take place? This is usually a good time for me to take a short break to grab something to eat and recollect myself! : ) I usually stay for the first few minutes of the reception... and then will be back in time for the toasts and cake cutting etc.

10. What time is the reception scheduled to end? When will the bouquet and garter toss take place?

11. What time is the dance supposed to start? Is there any important dance you want me to stay for? Usually I make sure and capture all the first dances... Father/Daughter Mother/Son your first dance etc. and then I'm on my way!! : ) Unless otherwise requested before hand.

First photograph showing a human being 1839

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:36:16 GMT

Here's the next post in the series on Photography history!!

In about 1827, Nie`pce met Louis Jacques Mande` Daguerre, who became interested in Nie`pce's work because of his uses of the camera obscura for painting and theatrical designing. The two men entered into a partnership to perfect Nie`pces process, a collaboration that continued without practical results until after Nie`pce's death in 1831. Daguerre continued to work on experiments with Nie`pce's son. After working with Nie`pce and his son Isidore for ten years, Daguerre developed a method of producing extremely fine, luminous, and permanent images on sheets of copper plated with silver, fumed with Iodine vapor and processed in mercury vapor.

Daguerre was a flamboyant theatrical entrepreneur and showman whose Diorama productions had thrilled audiences in London and Paris for many years. Now, sensing a hit, he moved to promote his photographic invention. In 1839, he arranged for the French Academy of Science to announce the process that he named the Daguerreotype. He persuaded the French government into buying the rights and making them public in France, and awarding him and Isidore Nie`pce lifetime pensions.

Fascination with the Daguerreotype swept Paris. Upon seeing the process for the first time, painter Paul Delaroche pronounced, "From today, painting is dead!" Daguerreotypomania, as it was dubbed in the press, seemed to take over every phase of life. Nothing like it had ever been seen before. The perfect perspectives, the exquisitely etched details of cobblestone streets and subtle shadings on facial features evoked comparisons with the great artists.

The Daguerreotype spread rapidly throughout Europe. Daguerreotypists appeared everywhere, offering convenient portrait services to celebrities and common folk alike. Enterprising publishers dispatched Daguerreotypists to foreign lands and began illustrating their travel books with illustrations and drawings that were hand copied from Daguerreotype views. Daguerreotypes also appeared as miniature works of art and as documentations of events. It seems certain that by 1843, only four years after Daguerre's announcement, every European town of consequence had at least one Daguerreotype studio!

Daguerre's patent restrictions made Daguerreotypy costly in England, but the process spread unfettered to America. The American inventor Samuel F. B. Morse, who had also tried unsuccessfully to fix camera obscura images, learned of Daguerre's work during a visit to Paris and, by mid 1840, he and John William Draper had become partners in a portraits studio atop New York University. The craft spread rapidly in America. By 1853 New York City alone boasted an estimated 100 or more studios!

Daguerre may not have been the inventor of photography, but he probably did more then any other person to make photography a matter of public interest. People from London to st. Petersburg and even in America reacted with wild enthusiasm. Before long the Daguerreotypomania had captured the public's imagination! Studio's sprung up everywhere and excited amateurs clamored to buy a Daguerreotype apparatus! Popular photography had been BORN!!!

Below is a Daguerreotype, made in 1839 by Louis Jacques Mande` Daguerre. It is generally regarded as the first photograph showing the image of a human being! Early Daguerreotypes required lengthy exposures. Daguerre was fortunate that for this shot, his human subject remained in a relatively stationary position while having his boots shined, allowing his image to be captured! Meanwhile, pedestrian and carriage traffic that may have passed along the street while the image was being slowly recorded were never stationary long enough to become fixed in this memorable scene!

Can you find the person?? : )

Paris Boulevard 1839

If you missed the first post on the History of Photography and would like to catch up Click here to read about the first photograph ever taken!

If you would like to continue reading about the history of photography Click here

Best Fresh Baked Bread Recipe!

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:50:57 GMT

What to do today..... Well I had so much house cleaning to do, I just decided I might as well add to my to do list and bake some fresh bread!! So out came my grain mill and wheat berries! Nothing like fresh ground wheat for some fresh baked bread! Here's my Mom's recipe for the best homemade bread EVER! : )

Simple Bread

3 cups water 1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 cup sugar 7-9 cups white bread flour

2 Tablespoons yeast ( instant ) 2/3 cup oil

Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl. Beat on low until mixed, then on medium until well kneaded, adding flour as necessary, until dough leaves the side of the bowl. Place in greased bowl and let rise till double. Divide into 3 loaves and let rise in bread pans until double. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. This dough can be used for dinner rolls too!

So I didn't think about taking pictures until I was mostly done grinding my wheat!! But here's my dusty grain mill pail and my zip lock bag full of freshly ground wheat flour! A tip to keep your freshly ground wheat fresh if you don't use it all right away is to keep it in the freezer!

Ok I can't do a post on baking bread without saying how much I LOVE my Kitchen Aid mixer!!! I use it for literally everything I cook almost! My Mom has a Bosch and swears by that for bread.... I just never cared for it and prefer my Kitchen Aid to her Bosch even for mixing a batch of bread dough! It is a personal preference thing I'm sure! : )

Pulling away from the sides of the bowl... so guess it's time to take it out and need it a little more and form my loaves and dinner rolls! I did half wheat and half white flour for this batch.

In the loaf pans ready to rise! I did only two loaves of bread as I wanted to do some dinner rolls too, and this dough works great for that too!

Out of the oven..... nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread!! Jesse came in from working on the tractor just to get a slice of warm bread!

Nothing like fresh, warm bread with a thick layer of Nutella while I sit and edit some awesome Senior pictures!!

First Photogaph ever recorded in 1826!

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:41:42 GMT

Ok so I thought it might be interesting to do a series of posts on the history of Photography! I remember how interesting I found it when I first study the history of Photography when I started school. Basically my first week of lessons was all on how, where, and why photography came about! I was AMAZED!!! I had no idea how long photographs had been around and how someone could be as smart as these guys that created the first photo's were!! So here's the first in the series, the very first recorder photograph! Enjoy!

Aristotle and Leonardo Da Vinci had experimented with the camera obscura idea. The term 'Camera Obscura' however was first used by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler in the early 17th century. He used it for astronomical applications and had a portable tent camera for surveying in Upper Austria.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, in Britain several scientists and artists were working to capture camera obscura images. Humphrey Davy and Thomas Wedgwood found that objects placed directly on materials that had been sensitized with silver chloride and exposed to sunlight would leave momentary impressions that would later fade.

In 1816 the French Inventor Joseph Nice'phore Nie'pce was experimenting with silver salts and the camera obscura and succeeded to create a paper negative but he could not prevent it from fading. He then turned to plates of pewter coated with bitumen of Judea, a type of varnish that hardened when exposed to sunlight. After his first experiment placing a drawing in contact with this plate, he exposed it to sunlight for several hours. After exposure he removed the unexposed areas with a mixture of turpentine and lavendar oil to reveal a barely visible image of the original drawing. He called this process ' Heliography ' meaning - sun drawing. He then started to experiment with Heliography and a camera obscura. He apparently enjoyed some success, though only one of these plates is known to survive. Made in about 1826, the photo below shows a view of from Nie'pce's attic workroom and is generally regarded as the world's earliest surviving photograph!

1826

If you want to continue reading the history of photography click here to read the next in this series!

What to Wear for your Engagement Pictures

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:32:15 GMT

What should we wear for our Engagement Pictures?

I often get asked this question... what should we wear for our engagement photo's? So I decided to write a post with some great tips and ideas to keep in mind when picking out those perfect outfits! Your engagement session is a great time for us all to get to know one another! It helps alot on your wedding day if you already know me and my style of shooting and the way I interact with my clients. It also helps me to get to know you and your fiance and the style of photography you both love. It will help you both be more comfortable and relaxed in front of my camera so that on your special day I can get images that better show your personality's! With the invention of web sites like Pinterest, it is becoming easier and easier for people to figure out what to wear for their sessions. You can get some great ideas and inspiration on outfits you like by searching these sites!

1. Bring more then one outfit! Two different outfits at least.... three would be great! I suggest you bring one or two casual everyday outfits and at least one dressy outfit.

2. Wear clothing that is comfortable! If your clothes are not comfortable... it will show in the pictures. It's best not to wear to tight of clothing that will restrict movement or show curves you don't want shown. Wear something you LOVE, something that is YOU and depicts your style!

3. Coordinate DON'T match!! Pick color's from your fiance's shirt pattern or colors that compliment each other. One of the great things about men's dress shirts is that they are relatively simple in color scheme which makes it easier to coordinate with. I highly suggest not wearing the same color but rather clothing that is complimentary in style and color. Don't be too matchy!

4. Think about layering clothing!! Layers tend to photograph well and is very stylish! Avoid being too trendy though and normally stay away from small prints and patterns as this tends to be too busy and draws away from your face. Also wear the same level of dressiness. If your dressed up for a night on the town.... don't have your fiance wear everyday street clothes.

5. Stay away from pastel colors and stick with darker or bolder colors. Most skins don't handle pastels well, it tends to wash them out. Bold colors are best, not necessarily always dark, but colors that are obvious. For instance, mustard yellow isn't really dark, but very noticeable! : ) If you want to incorporate a pastel color, use it as an accessory, such as a scarf or jewelery.

6. Try to wear clothing that is in line with your style normally. Don't buy and wear something you will never wear again! If you're a country girl... a sundress and cowboy boots would look adorable next to a barn or out in a field, but would look silly for a down town city shot. And if you're a city girl, a short black or leopard print dress with bright colored pumps would look rad down town New York City but would be totally out of place next to a barn! : ) So try and stick with clothes that say something about your personality!

7. Add accessories!!! Accessories can make or break and outfit! Add a pair of heels and a chunky necklace to an otherwise simple outfit and now you've just pumped up the volume and have a picture worthy outfit! Scarves, sunglasses, chunky jewlery, fun shoes and brightly colored blazers or vests add interest to the photograph without stealing the focus away from the subject. Bright colored pumps in contrast with your outfit also works really well to add a little color without being to much.

8. If there is something you want e to avoid photographing... be open about it and let me know from the start! There's no need to be embarrassed! If you have a tattoo, scar, or birth mark that you would rather avoid showing, just let me know. That way I can work with you to keep whatever it is you want out of the photo's out! : )

Lastly.... plan to have FUN!!! Think of your engagement session as more of a good time and less of just a step in the process of wedding planning that has to be done. I want this to be not so much of just a boring get this over with, smiling at my camera type of thing and more of having a good time together while I photograph you two being fun, fancy free and in LOVE!!! : ) This is a special time in your life you will never get back.... enjoy it and let me capture some of those memories for you both to cherish in the years to come!

How to prepare for your High School Senior Portrait Session!

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 03:20:44 GMT

First let's talk about grooming... if you're wanting a fresh hair cut before your session try to have it done two to three weeks before your session as you don't want that brand new hair cut look. Also for girls this gives you time to play around with your new style and find what you like best!

Next important on the list is, DON'T get sun burnt! : ) This is very hard to nearly impossible to try and take care of with editing after your session. There is alot I can do with retouching, remove blemishes, brighten eyes, smooth skin, whiten teeth..... but replacing entire sections of red or peeling skin is not one of them.

A pedicure and manicure are very important as your hands, and most likely your feet will be showing at some point in your photo's and you want them to look nice. The day before your shoot is probably best so it's new and not chipped but removes stress from trying to get it done the day of your shoot. Think about all your outfits when picking the color for you nail polish.... make sure it will match everything you're planning on wearing.

Guys should shave the morning of the shoot to make sure your nice and clean shaven. If you're wanting to keep your facial hair and Mom is wanting it gone... here's a simple solution, bring a razor and shaving cream to your session and we'll take some photo's with your facial hair, and then you can shave for the last half of your session so everyone's happy!!

Makeup: You will want to wear makeup for sure even if you don't usually! It makes a big difference in your photographs. If you don't usually wear makeup, get your Mom to help you or hire a professional for an outstanding job! If you do wear makeup normally, then just do your regular routine, but add a little extra. Especially your eye shadow, a little darker is good so it'll show up on camera, but of course within reason! : )

Senior Photographer Bismarck ND PROPS: Bring anything you're interested in and enjoy doing as a hobby! This can be anything from your sports equipment, vehicle, musical instrument, or pet to your favorite books and everything in between. Just think of what comes to your mind first... that's probably what is most important to you and would describe your personality the best. :)

Bring a variety of footwear as well, to make sure and have shoes and the proper socks to match each outfit you have picked out! Flip flops and sandals photograph really well.

Ok now let's talk clothes!!! : ) Your choice of clothing is very important to your Senior Session. Clothing can make or break you shoot. Clothing is an important part of the person that you are, in one way or another, they're an expression of your style and how you see yourself. I recommend 3 to 4 outfits that reflect your personality. I want your clothes to represent you and who you are, I want you to express yourself with what you wear! Your style and personality should come shining through your clothing choices!

What do you feel good in, what do you LOOK good in, what are you comfortable in?? That's what you should choose for your outfits! Whatever you bring, think about it in advance! Don't get up the morning of your session and just grab whatever catches your eye first when opening your closet. A week or more before your session, start to plan the outfits you want to wear during your shoot. You may want to include one dressy outfit, several casual outfits, and a sports uniform if you're involved in sports, dance, cheerleading... etc. Try each outfit on in its entirety so you know what shoes and/or accessories you will need for each to complete the look you want. Be sure there are no loose buttons, torn hemlines or seams, stains, or holes on your clothing.

Here's a guideline in good clothing choices, which you can start with and then feel free to creatively stray and break these guidelines when it makes sense to do so.

1: Solid colors photograph better then busy patterns. Patterns tend to take the viewers eye away from the face and to the clothing.

2: Generally, shirts with large writing on them don't work as well as a plain shirt or a shirt with a small logo perhaps.

3: Also think in terms of the colors in the environment we're going to be photographing you in. For example if we're doing a fall session outdoors, don't wear pink as it's not a color you'd see in the fall and it will clash with the colors in the background.

4: Sleeves are generally better than no sleeves, and longer sleeves are better than short sleeves. This is simply because they eye goes to the lightest, largest item in the picture and if this is your shoulders and arms, it will take the viewers gaze away from your face, which is generally the center of attention. The larger the arms and shoulders, the more the distractions. So if you want to wear a spaghetti strap dress, a wrap over it might be a great choice. But long sleeves in the summer might look out of place, so just keep this overall guideline in mind when you’re putting together your outfits.

Clothing accessory's: Bring lot's of accessory's!! Necklaces, Bracelets, hats and scarves are awesome and photograph well! Try and stay away from to gaudy of accessory's and make sure and bring accessory's that match each outfit.

Senior Photographer Bismarck ND Start to look through fashion magazines and surf the web for posing ideas. As you come across styles you like, tear them out of magazines, or print them off your computer and save them in a folder. You'll want to bring them with you to your session to show me, so I will get an idea of what your preferred style is and the look you're going for.

On the day of your shoot, get up a little early so you have plenty of time to get ready. Shower, apply makeup and style your hair. Dress in one of the outfits we are going to photograph you in. Put all your other outfits, accessory's, makeup bag, shoes, hair styling products ( as we made need to do touch up's along the way ) props and your example photo file in your vehicle.

Eat something before you leave for your session, there's nothing worse then feeling faint and hungry on top of being nervous! Bring a bottle of water along with you as you will get thirsty and water is better then soda in case of spills. : )

Before you walk out the door, check yourself in the mirror. Be sure your make-up isn't smudged, hair isn't frizzing or sticking out in odd places, and things that should be tucked in ARE tucked in and those that shouldn't be AREN'T! : ) Check again for stains or holes in clothing, and SMILE! Take a deep breath and RELAX! Senior portrait sessions should be FUN and they will be, I promise!! Be yourself, And we'll get some AMAZING shots! : )

Canon Vs. Nikon

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 02:28:11 GMT

Ok I first want to start with saying... this is not a post to start the age old Canon vs Nikon war!! : ) I'm writing this post because I have SO... many begging photographers, family and friends ask why I shoot Canon, or if they should buy Canon or Nikon. I will be putting the pro's and con's of both camera's. I have read tons of review's, statistic's and survey's on the two camera's and I have used both brands, though I've never owned a Nikon.

That being said... I only shoot Canon and wouldn't ever use anything else!!! I LOVE my Canon camera and equipment so that will probably seep into this post somewhat, but I will try to keep it to the facts! : ) I do have friends though that would say the same thing about their Nikon's that I do about my Canon's! Both Canon and Nikon camera's are superb and will create stunning and beautiful images if used correctly. Loyalty's are naturally developed depending on what camera is purchased first much like a loyalty to certain brands of clothing or food products. For instance, I grew up eating Campbell's soups, I have heard and seen commercial's about Progresso's soups and how healthy and tasty they are, but I have never bought a can of Progresso soup!! : ) I am a loyal Campbell's soup fan and just naturally buy what I am familiar with. I know what I'm getting when I buy a can of Campbell's soup and it would be a mystery to me to buy a can of Progresso and I would most likely not like it as much because I have already put my trust in another camp! : ) That being said Progresso may be an awesome tasting soup and may be better then Campbell's in some ways! Ok so this was supposed to be about Camera's and not soup, haha I kinda strayed there a little I think, but you get the point. It's the same type of thing with Canon vs. Nikon.

So let's start out with survey results done by an electronic company on both Canon and Nikon users. This survey was done on consumers that owned their camera's for 3 years or more. When asked who had problems or malfunctions with their camera's in the past 3 years, Canon users responded with a low 5.4 rating compared to Nikon users with a 6.5, also I have personally know more people to have problems with their Nikon's then Canon users. Canon was rated 89.5% for 'Extremely Satisfied' while Nikon was in the lowest percentage of all camera's surveyed. Canon also rated 'Better then Average' on reliability while Nikon only rated 'Average'. Users also said they felt Canon lens were more reliable then Nikon's, whose shutter's tended to stick.

Now Nikon is know to perform better in low light situations hands down, no questions there. Nikon is also said to produce better color out of camera when shooting in Jpeg format, while both Canon and Nikon produce gorgeous photo's when shot in Raw.

Canon however seems to have a much sharper focusing system especially in the new Canon 5D mark III offering an amazing 61 Autofocus points. Also Canon's LCD screens do have higher resolutions then the Nikon's normally, so viewing images on the back screen when shooting is much clearer with Canon then Nikon.

Now Canon has a much wider variety in lenses then Nikon and are a little cheaper then their counter part Nikon lenses. Nikon however does have superb optical glass quality and their kit lenses are better then Canon's kit lenses. Canon lens's, while somewhat larger, have all internal elements — meaning nothing on the outside moves except the switches and rings. The Nikon, on the other hand, has a telescoping front element that moves in and out with both focus and zoom, and manual focusing spins the whole barrel. It feels a bit chintzy, like it couldn’t handle a good ding on a door frame, and it’s poking out of the front all day long.

When viewing Canon and Nikon images shot with the same settings side by side on my computer Canon tends to retain fine detail without as much noise better when zoomed in at a 2:1 ratio. Canon has also tested to shoot more images per battery life then it's counter part Nikon camera.

Another thing I would like to mention, and this is strictly personal preference is that Canon's shutter sounds are quieter and not quite as disturbing as Nikon's. ( Which is actually the mirror inside of the camera flipping up to expose the photo that makes the noise and not the actual shutter. ) I personally think the Nikon's shutter noise is loud and sounds like cheap plastic or something. This again is just preference but I thought I should mention it as it is one of the reasons I prefer Canon for weddings. The Canon's 5D mark III has especially quiet shutter noise! : )

Engagement Photo

Personally, I find on entry level DSLR's, Canon places all the main settings and knobs around the LCD screen where they are easily found. Whereas Nikon requires photographers to take a couple more steps when changing settings. However, when it comes to settings, it really comes down to what you get used to. It's up to you, to know your camera!

Nikon has put the ISO button in a "fiddly" position, where it can't be changed while the camera is at eye-level which is annoying to me. I feel Canon is much more user friendly over all. That being said, in terms of features, it's often so close to a tie it doesn't matter! They tend to keep up with each other very well. One will out do the other, then next you hear, the company behind will bring out a new SLR to counteract it. This competition is always great for photographers :)

So who should buy a Nikon camera generally speaking? Those wanting a starter kit that includes a camera body plus 1 or 2 good lenses that they won't need to upgrade any time soon. Photographers after great general purpose lenses. ( quality vs. value )

Who should buy a Canon.... EVERYONE!, no just kidding! LOL Canon's are great for professional's or serious amateur's. Canon offers a wide range of lenses down the track to suit a variety of budgets. At the professional level, they are generally cheaper then Nikon lenses. That's not to say that will always be the case.

To wrap up this post I'd like to put a huge emphasis on what REALLY matters in the debate on Canon vs. Nikon..... It's simply this... it doesn't really matter which one you have, Canon or Nikon. What truly matters is that you fully know and understand all the features and functions of your specific camera and how to use them to create great images. It's not a camera that creates a GREAT and STUNNING image, it's the person behind that camera that makes a perfect photograph! You as a photographer must put your heart and soul into your photographs to create meaningful and beautiful imagery that will leave your viewers in awe of your talent, and not your camera. Your camera is but a mere tool for you to use in conveying what you feel when looking through that view finder, wether it be Canon or Nikon.... and you must know how to use your tools properly to be able to transfer your feelings through your image to the viewers. : )

Questions Brides should ask potential wedding photographers!

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 00:38:50 GMT

I decided to do a post on Questions a Bride should be asking wedding photographers she's considering hiring for her BIG day after realizing that at alot of my bridal consultations, the brides really didn't have a clue what they should be looking for in hiring a potential photographer to shoot their wedding. I don't know how many times I've brought up a simple standard something or other that I do at every wedding, to only have the bride say something along the lines of, " O gosh I never thought of that,good idea! The other photographers I've talked to didn't mention anything about that! " Now to be clear on this I feel a good photographer should be bringing these questions up to the bride and answering them before she ever has to ask, but if that isn't the case, here is a list of some of the most important things a bride should ask before booking her wedding photographer.

1. How long have you been in business?

2. What style of Wedding Photography do you shoot?

3. How would you describe your shooting style on the wedding day? ( Are they a photographer that try's to blend into the background and just capture naturally what's going on, or do they like to be more present and take charge and create more controlled, posed photographs.

4. Can I create a shot list of the photo's we want taken, or do you have your own shot list you work off of?

5. Do you require a down payment to book our date, and when is the remaining balance due?

6. Are you the only photographer that will be at my wedding or will there be a second shooter or assistant?

7. Do you charge mileage to my wedding location on top of the wedding package price or is that included?

8. Do you ever photograph more then one event on the same day?

9. Will all my wedding photographs be edited, and how would you describe your editing techniques?

10. How long after the wedding will I get my photographs, or album?

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1. Do I feel a connection with this photographer and do I feel comfortable communicating with him/her?

2. Do I like their photography style?

3. Has this photographer listened well and addressed all my concerns?

PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE GLOSSARY

Traditional, or Classic:

The main idea behind this timeless style is
to produce posed photographs for display in a portrait album.
The photographer works from a “shot list,” ensuring he or she
covers all the elements the bride and groom have requested. To
make sure every detail of the shots is perfect, the photographer
and her assistants not only adjust their equipment, but
also the background, the subject’s body alignment, and even
the attire.

Photojournalism:

Originally favored by the news media, this informal,
reality-based approach is the current rage in wedding
photography. Rather than posing your pictures, the photographer
follows you and your guests throughout the wedding
day, capturing events as they unfold in order to tell the story
of your wedding. The photographer has to be able to fade into
the background and become “invisible” to the crowd in order to
get these candid, or unposed, shots. Since the photojournalist
does not give direction, he’ll need a keen eye and a willingness
to “do what it takes to get the shot.”

Natural Light:

Rather than making use of a camera flash, photographers
use the natural light found in a setting, usually
daylight. The look is warm and, well, natural—yet the photographer
must be skilled to deal with shadows and other lighting
challenges.

Looking for Senior Reps!!

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:53:18 GMT

So I'm looking for some Juniors that will be needing Senior pictures done this spring/summer to be Representatives. What does this involve?? Basically the Senior will get a FREE Senior session and will only have to buy whatever products or prints they would like from their session! Also I will then print off free of charge some Rep cards with your images on the front and my photography info on the back for you to hand out to all your high school class and friends!! This is great for both of us, as you get some cool little cards to hand out to your class mates for free and I get my business advertised at the same time! : )

If you are interested in taking advantage of this promotion, please contact me via the contact button at the top of the page or feel free to text or call me at 701-361-4811 to get more info and go over details of what kind of Senior session you're wanting. I will be taking one Senior from all High schools within my shooting are. Such as Bismarck/Manda, Carrington, Harvey, Steele, Jamestown, Fargo and many more.

I will only be offering this promotion through April so you have to have contacted me by then to book your session to take advantage of the free session. Your session can be anytime this year but must be booked by April. Also I will only be offering this to one student form each school.

My First Shot At A Blog Post!!

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:12:39 GMT

Well here's my first try at a Blog post!! I will be trying to keep this updated every week. I know I have a facebook page, but I try to keep that mostly on the business side of things. What's going on with my business, new Products I'm offering, specials and so forth. I probably will post some of that on here too, but will actually be posting more about my personal life goings on as well! So if anyone is interested in hearing what's going on in my home when I'm not out shooting a session please follow my new blog! : ) I'm not a very good writer, but I do enjoy connecting with all my family, friends and clients! This is the most recent family picture of my sweet little fam!! That I'm so blessed and yes... proud of! : )

The next BIG thing on my list as far as my photography experiences goes will be February 10th. I'll be showcasing my work at the I Do Bridal Show at the civic center in Bismarck!!! : ) SO, SO, SO, did I say SO...... excited!! : ) I will definitely be posting pictures of my booth space there! Trying a new set up this time!