Wendy VonSosen Photography » Middleton Idaho portrait photographer

20 on Tuesday: Amii Wroblewski

wenderful — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:38:38 +0000

When this crazy passion for photography first started, I joined a few forums. Among these was a fabulous site called, Clickinmoms. If you have even the slightest interest in photography and want to join up with other passionate camera fiends, you must check it out! It has been some of the best money I’ve invested in photography so far. Among learning a ton, I have met and befriended many other photographers from all over the world.

Among these was a photographer with a name even more difficult to spell than mine, if you can believe it. Amii Wroblewski and I joined Clickinmoms at around the same time. We’ve enjoyed bouncing business ideas off each other and well as sharing our latest sessions and favorite shots. I admire her for her affinity for marketing as well as her amazing portrait work. I’ve watched her photography grow and her business flourish. Her passion for people and photography is obvious when you see the beauty and truth in her work with seniors.

Hi Amii,

Where are you from?

Kind of all over but I was born and raised in Arkansas until I was 7 or 8.

Where is home now?

About 30 minutes north of Dallas….I’ve been here for almost 20 years.

Are you formally educated or self-taught in photography?

Self-taught but I would LOVE to take some film classes.

What is your favorite kind of session to shoot and why?

Definitely seniors! They are so full of life, want their pictures taken and they are just starting to come into their own skin and learning to be comfortable in it. Their’s something really beautiful in watching them hover somewhere between adolescence and adulthood.

When shooting seniors, how do you form the kind of relationship them that results in such stunning images?

I spend a LOT of time getting to know my clients before the session. I usually meet them in person before they book a session so they understand my style and what I’m about. I ask them what their plans are for their future, how their family/friends would describe them, what their favorite music is, etc. Asking both the senior and the parents what their expectations are from the shoot helps me create images that everyone will love too!

Talk to me about personal projects. Are they important and what have you done lately?

Personal photography projects? Um, I wish I had the time! I have dabbled with film lately and working with film is so rewarding. I’ve tried to work with a homemade pinhole camera but I have yet to get any decent results yet!

How do you stay motivated and your photography current?

I have a vision for what I want the outcome to be with a session way before I have the session and that alone is motivation enough. I think the fun thing with senior photography is that you have to be ever-evolving and constantly pushing the limit because seniors love to see previous sessions and say “I want that”. Of course, I don’t want each session to be the same and that’s both challenging and freeing at the same time.

If you could be invisible for one day with your camera…

Oh I would LOVE to hang out with my son at school…just to see how he interacts with others and to see how he works.

Name a photographer you would like to take a portrait of?

Chelsey Mach of MachC Photography….hands down. She has been my business mentor even before I was officially in business and I believe that Chelsey has helped me learn to make smart business decisions that many seasoned professionals are just learning to do. Plus she is a 4th generation Alaskan and there is something so mysterious and charming about that to me, especially since I’ve never met her and I’ve never been to Alaska!

What’s your best advice for balancing work and family?

Make sure to have the world’s most supportive and understanding spouse! I seriously could not do what I do without my husband’s help. I also get a ton of help and support from my parents who live down the street from us.

What’s in your camera bag?

I’m a “keep it simple” kind of girl and I have my 5D Mark II, a new 50mm 1.4, an 85mm 1.8 (LOVE) and a grey card. That’s it!

When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?

Sad to say but usually at my computer. I’m constantly trying to make things better for my business and my clients and that translates into lots of computer time. Other than that, I love to be out by the pool with my family.

If not a photographer what would you have been?

I’ve always been involved with creative things. I used to teach piano while I was in college, I had a catering business in my late teens/early 20′s and I do a lot of graphic design for my full-time job. There is just no telling what I would be if I wasn’t a photographer! A painter? A circus juggler? I was always told that the sky is the limit so I’ve always been pushed to follow my dreams…no matter how crazy they have been.

If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home?

Definitely not any more north than the Dallas area but I would say somewhere with land (where you can’t see your neighbors)…and near the beach would be pretty cool!

What talent would you most like to have?

Is “super mom” a talent? If so, that’s the talent I want! I would love to be fluent in a few languages. I’ve been dreaming of the day where I get to visit France for the first time and I can carry on conversations with the locals in French.

What are the three words your spouse would use to describe you?

Polite, Classy, Confident

Something that is over rated…

Oh gosh…I don’t know. Schedules? I’m not a scheduled person at all and find it really restricting to have to be on a schedule, which is why I don’t limit how long my photography sessions run. I’m so blessed to be able to work at my own pace/schedule.

Your favorite movie of all time?

I don’t know if I have a favorite (I don’t watch many movies or a lot of tv) but I usually love children’s movies. Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland is pretty inspiring to me as a photographer….I would love to do a really theatrical session like that for a senior…over the top, glam/costume make-up, etc.

If you could correct one mistake you made while starting your photography business, what would it be?

You know, I don’t know if I have made any Earth-shattering mistakes. I’ve definitely made small changes along the way based on things that weren’t working but having a business mentor, wonderful support with family/friends, and just taking some risks really made opening a business a no-brainer for me.

Name one blog you stalk regularly

Michelle Moore…I love her fashion editorial-style senior sessions.

Can you share with us some of your favorite images that best represent your work?

See, I told you she was amazing!

Amii’s work can be found HERE.

Thank you, Amii!

wenderful — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:47:32 +0000

Look out, Kindergarten! Here he comes!

Will graduated from preschool last night. I have mixed feelings. I’ve been counting down the years for all of my kids to finally be in school. It’s kind of a right of passage for a mom. I’m looking forward to having a little more time to pursue the things that I love. But on the other hand, I’m a little sad because the thing I most love, as a mother, is my kids. And I’ll have less time to pursue them than I once did. It’s bittersweet. But I won’t be sad until school starts again in August. For now, I’ll enjoy our summer together.

I put together a slideshow for my fellow preschool parents. I attempted to get at least one picture of each child, but I apologize for anyone I missed. Enjoy!

COUNTRY COTTAGE GRADUATION 2010

New Product: 411 Cards | Boise Portrait Photographer

wenderful — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:09:41 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I never have a pen in my purse when I need one. I’ve been caught off guard too many times when I’ve met someone new and needed to write down my contact info and I haven’t had a pen or a scrap piece of paper to write it down on. What I really needed was a 411 card I could hand to them.

These are the 411 cards I designed for my Senior Reps this year. They have an image from our session on each side as well as their phone number, email, and facebook information. The cards are 2×3.5 inches, small enough to stick in a wallet or a back pocket.

And seniors aren’t the only ones smitten these cards. Moms, Dads, and little brothers and sisters love sharing them with friends too. The sky’s the limit on what info you could include on them. Address, blogsite info, ages of your sweet kids, birthdays, and even a list of your hobbies! Anything you’d like to pass along to friends and family. Consider them your own unique business cards!

Since I love them so much, I’m offering 50 free custom designed 411 cards to every paid session booked during the month of June. Your session does not have to take place in June, but it does have to be booked in June. I will include these sweet cards when your paid order is delivered!

Email or call me to schedule your session!

The face of a middle schooler | Middleton, Idaho child photographer

wenderful — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:31:46 +0000

I get this look often.

And I love it!

Sneak Peek: S & J

wenderful — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:24:34 +0000

After keeping my eye on the fickle weather today as it rained on and off with gusts of wind here and there, I wasn’t so sure this shoot was going to happen.

Luckily, we ventured out and managed to avoid getting wet.

These two were awesome! I only had to mention McSteamy and gorgeous Miss S would swoon just a little. And the mention of Mr. J’s fine punting skills elicited some great smiles.

Thanks for trekking through dirt and cornfields and sand with me this afternoon.

Enjoy your sneak peek!!!

fix-it friday

wenderful — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:06:56 +0000

Before:

My workflow in CS4:

1. Duplicated the image

2. Color corrected using curves

3. Levels adjustment to add contrast

4. Using the patch tool to remove spot on cheek

5. Bumped up the exposure using a curves layer

6. Bumped up saturation and masked back the face

7. hi-passed the eyes

8. Added Blue Lily’s sweet water action masking back here and there for variety

9. Brightened eyes with an inverted curves layer just on the eyes

10. Rotated 90% and flipped vertically

11. Cropped to 5×7

12. Noiseware at 40%

13. Sharpened for web

A great picture to begin with if just a little under exposed.

My edit:

And my black and white conversion with a touch of pink:

Head on over to iheartfaces to see more editing magic.

Happy Friday!

Sneak Peek: Josh

wenderful — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:24:49 +0000

I had my first senior shoot this afternoon and, holy cow, was it ever fun!

Josh was so easy going and laid back. He was a natural at posing and was “super” easy to shoot.

I think I could get used to seniors.

Josh, enjoy your sneak peek. I’ll have your gallery up and ready soon.

fix-it friday

wenderful — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:31:46 +0000

I love fix-it fridays because editing is one of my favorite parts of of photography.

And since I started Phaunt U last week, I’ve learned a few things I didn’t know before about Photoshop. Fix-it Fridays gives me yet another photo to try out what I’ve learned.

Original:

My workflow:

1. Duplicate image

2. Curves adjustment and color balance to correct skin tones.

3. Ran Secret’s basic colr

4. Patch tool to get rid of bruises, paint, and under eye circles

5. Bumped up the saturation

6. High pass over eyes and lips at 50%

7. Added Kaleidoscope’s flare texture hard light layer at 50%

8. Added a flare brush.

9. Noiseware to smooth skin

10. Sharpened for web

My edit:

If the weather holds out I’m taking the kids to attempt our Christmas card pics. Considering it snowed yesterday, that may or may not happen. I’ve also got a senior and a family to shoot this weekend. And let’s not forget Halloween! Think good weather thoughts!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

it’s the great pumpkin(s)!

wenderful — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:54:40 +0000

Apparently we have a little green in our thumbs after all.

Our garden yielded 24 pumpkins this year!!!

We harvested yesterday. It was downright cold. I had to put a coat on for the first time this year!

And this is the first time I did not have to BUY cornstalks to decorate the front porch.

I made homemade breadsticks and corn chowder and we watched General Conference all day. The only time I set foot outside was to take these pictures.

I LOVE fall!

Last Call For October Special

wenderful — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:15:50 +0000

The response from my October Special has been fantastic! I have two more slots available for free sessions before I close the promotion. Email me if you are interested.

Happy Weekending!