We just wanted to take a moment to let you know that we will resume the normal blog publishing schedule soon (with some ah-ma-zing weddings & adorable family photos) and provide you with some deadlines for when all orders need to be in:

Print Enlargement Orders: December 14th

Disc of Images: Dec 14

Holiday Cards: Dec 9 (these will be drop shipped directly to you)

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New Portrait Bookings: We are booked for all shoots through the end of the year now and will be accepting new session bookings starting in January 2012. Jennifer Bowen has a few limited openings still in January (all 4 weekends are already booked), but is more open in February. Associate Jenny Bishop will have some session slots available that can be reserved in January and February. Plus we will be announcing a new associate who is joining the team as well soon! {For planning purposes, please keep in mind that we typically book sessions 1-3 weeks out in the early part of the year.}

New Wedding Bookings: Yeah for all the Christmas proposals coming! If you are considering us for your wedding photography, we would love to hear from you. Please know that we are mainly accepting fall 2012 weddings. Jennifer Bowen is fairly booked up March-May, however Jenny & Suzanne (stay tuned!) will have available spring dates. Be sure to check with us for your specific date to see who is available. When contacting us, we need to know your city & state, date and venue if you know it, as well as any other pertinent details about your wedding. We share most of information and pricing via consultations, either in person or over the phone, so we do encourage setting up a time to meet so we can hear more about your wedding. For more FAQ about our wedding photography, please click here.

Studio Holiday Hours: Please know the studio will be closed December 18-January 1 for a much needed break with our families. I try to take off 2 weeks every year after our crazy fall season to recharge, rest and spend quality time with my husband and kids so that I am fresh and ready to go for the new year ahead. I will have some access to email during this time, but we do appreciate your patience with our slower response times.

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Happy Holidays!

Jennifer Bowen Photography

Well good news, we still have a few seats left for the beginner and intermediate photography workshops coming up in 2 weeks! Come learn how to use those fancy new cameras or lenses you may have bought or received over the holidays. Workshops are hosted by Kimberly Jarman and Jennifer Bowen, co-owners of Create Better Images® Photography Workshops

BEGINNER PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

What you will learn:
The fundamentals of photography including ISO, aperture and shutter speed
How to apply these fundamentals to the process of shooting your camera manually
Equipment & lens tips: which lenses give you the most bang for your buck
How to turn off your flash and get better results
How to work with natural light for better photos, and where to find it.
How to take more creative photos
Post-processing ideas to make your images really pop
Time for hands-on practice and Q&A

When:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Registration begins at 5:30 PM

Where:
Create Better Images Headquarters
hosted in the Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201

Cost:
$189

How to Register:
Click this link to sign up!

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INTERMEDIATE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

What you will learn:
How to shoot manually and nail your exposure
Several tips for lighting, creative composition, and posing
How to work with subjects (clients!) before, during and after the shoot
How to speed up your digital workflow and post-process more efficiently
Tips to make your images really pop
How to work with off camera flash
And much more!

Plus we will put all of this know-how to work with a 2 hour LIVE MODEL SHOOT!
After the live model shoot, you will have the opportunity to process your images via Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop with Jennifer and Kim and then share them with the class. Both will offer hand-on guidance, and share useful tips for working with these programs. Lastly, we’ll have open Q&A time!

When:
Saturday, January 22, 2011
1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Registration begins at 12:30 PM

Where:
Create Better Images Headquarters
hosted in the Kimberly Jarman Photography Studio
126 W. Main St. Mesa, AZ 85201

Cost:
$379

How to Register:
Click this link to sign up!

Wanna see Kim and Jennifer in action and hear more from attendees? Watch this fun video put together by Serendipty Videography.

A good wedding planner is worth his/her weight in gold. This person who has been entrusted with the secrets of the day also acts as the glue that keeps the event together and running smoothly. For months leading up to the event, wedding coordinators live and breath details. They manage decor, schedules, budgets and expectations. On the day of the event, they are tasked with managing people, timelines and  emotions. They also keep vigilant watch over a multitude of details and even act as a buffer for stressed out brides. They do all this and more while the stars of the show, the bride and groom, work their way through this most important day with ease and grace, just as it should be.

One such wedding planner who has the most lovely way about her is Jennifer Thye of Imoni Events. Jennifer and her team are kind, competent and detail- oriented. Whether you work with Jennifer directly or one of her staff, you always feel confident that they are going to do what they say they are going to do.  

This busy wedding coordinator took time out of her demanding schedule to answer a few questions for us. Here’s the lowdown!

If you could give brides & grooms just one piece of planning advice about their wedding, what would it be?

Be as organized as you can be and plan as much as possible so that you can relax on the day of your wedding.  My mom always taught me that if someone needs to tell you that they are a “nice person”, it might be because they are not a very nice person.  I have found this to be true about people who claim to be organized.  But even if you are “organized” it is important to remember that organizing your cubbards and organizing a wedding day are much different tasks.  Think through everything and come up with a plan!

What are some up and coming trends that we can expect to see in the next year of weddings?

We all realize that a wedding is about celebrating the love between two people.  However, the reception is about celebrating that love with friends and family around you.  That is why couples seem to be making the event less focused on themselves and more about their guests and the relationships they have with their guests. For example, guests are still choosing to create slideshows but instead of incorporating only pictures of the couple, they are including pictures of their guests as well- this makes it fun for the guests to watch too.  Some people are even choosing to use photos of themselves with a particular guests as a place card.  People love to know that they are special enough to be invited to such a wonderful occasion as a wedding.  And it is fun to remind them why they are so special.

To be honest, I don’t really encourage my couples to follow trends because I feel like they should do what they like, regardless of whether it’s trendy or not. For example, I am still seeing couples wanting to have Candy Buffets but instead of color coordinating the candy, they are choosing to add a personal touch- one bride recently had the members of her wedding party choose their favorite candies. It ended up being more personal and fun for all the guests to see which candies are the bridal party’s favorites.

What do you love most about your job?

Seeing the smiles that a wedding day brings.  I love working with people when they are in their happiest moments. It is so fun to be a part of this time of their lives!  It really warms my heart and makes all the hard work worth it!
Sound advice from an expert who continues to make her clients smile!

Thank you Jennifer!

Jennifer’s fabulous team: Kate and Gretchen

For more words of wisdom from Jennifer Thye and to see Imoni Events’ blog, click here!

We are so happy to kick off this series with Imoni Events and we look forward to sharing even more vendors with you soon!

Jen and Kelly

About a year ago, I moved my online marketing newsletters away from Constant Contact to a new service called Mad Mimi. I absolutely love how easy and fast it is to create pretty looking newsletters with Mad Mimi, however I’m not sure that as many people in my distribution list are receiving them.

Can you answer this one quick question so I can find out how effective it is on the back end? Don’t worry, this poll is completely anonymous so your personal info is not requested.

Intern will provide assistance at portrait shoots and weddings with bags, lighting, holding gear and more. Occasional second-shooting opportunities may be possible eventually. Some knowledge of photography is necessary, however I will train you over time on shooting manually, using correct settings for the light, setting up off-camera flash, etc.

If you have any video editing software experience, that is a BIG plus.

Must Haves:

• Responsible, dependable and reliable (you show up when you say you will and on time)
• Motivated to learn and grow skills as a photographer
• General knowledge of fundamentals of photography
• Willing to work hard and do what is needed at weddings and shoots
• Schedule that allow you to work evenings and weekends
• Reliable transportation
• Computer skills (you know how to navigate computer files systems, use general software
• Sense of humor and positive disposition :-)

Skills or Experience that are a big plus:

• Knowledge of Lightroom and/or Photoshop
• Video editing software knowledge (can be as basic as a program such as iMovie on Mac)
• Experience with 5D Mark II video capabilities of similar HD camera

This intern position is initially not paid, however it could grow into a paid position within 6 months depending on performance. However, you will gain knowledge and experience about working at weddings and on photo shoots, working with clients, shooting manually and much more.

Interested applicants can email me here. Please include your skills level of the above and any other information you think would be relevant. I may not be able to respond right away to everyone, but I will get back with qualified individuals to set up a time to meet. Thank you!

I always love photographing weddings there; the venue is beautiful, they have an excellent team who take great care of their couples, the food is exceptional, and the light beautiful. Plus the Four Seasons is right next door for those who need hotel rooms for out-of-town wedding guests. Be sure to definitely check them out if you having a wedding smaller than 170 guests!

Hello blog readers! This is Kelly Gill, Jennifer’s studio assistant, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to her blog. I am going to dive into today’s post with a confession: I have a bit of a totally appropriate and professional crush on Jennifer.  Monday mornings are always better because I know I get to head over to her office, share some coffee talk with her, commiserate about the perils of motherhood (as well as share the joys, of course!) and then delve into her world as a photographer. The joy, sweetness and poignancy of her photographs always take me on a journey that I look forward to and if you are reading this blog, we already have something in common- we adore this gal and her images!

Since Jennifer is offering mini- portrait sessions on April 24th, I thought I would pass on some portrait planning tips:

Tip #1: Don’t forget about wardrobe for the adults. I know many parents (and let’s face it, I’m really talking to the moms on this one) who spend hours agonizing over the outfits for the kids and then are left with what for themselves? A faded black shirt? The not-so-perfect necklace? You are going to scrutinize yourself in these pictures so make sure you are wearing something that gives you that little spring in your step, but something that moves easily and that you feel good in. You will be much happier with the end result. (I’ll be sharing some fun ideas for clothing here next week, so stay tuned…)

Tip #2: Shed the stress. I know how it goes the day of a shoot: the clothes need to be ironed AGAIN, your hair won’t cooperate, child #1 is feeling ornery, you get into a spat with significant other, and then you almost run out of gas on the way to the photo shoot. Photo shoots are stressful for parents, simply put. But try, try, try to forget all that and start the session with a deep breath. Look at your beautiful family and try appreciate the moment. Your pictures will show your happiness and love for your family — or your stress and tension. And remember that you won’t have to really think about any of this again for another year or so :-)

Tip #3: Be prepared, but manage your expectations (for your kids). I actually went to a shoot once at 9AM without feeding my children breakfast and without a snack stash. Hello catastrophe! Here is what I must pass on to you: bring water for everyone, snacks to bribe your kids (yes, we all do it, stop beating yourself up about it), and toys or lovies to comfort the kiddos. Jennifer is fully aware that a child’s threshold for “behaving” in photo shoots is roughly 15 minutes and she is an expert at going with the flow. Lower your expectations and go with the flow too. Logically, we know that firmly demanding (i.e., yelling through clinched teeth) that your child sit still, smile and be charming doesn’t work, yet our emotions get in the way and we just want it all to be perfect. If you let the kids do their thing, Jennifer will do hers, and you will see the genuinely charming side of your family reflected in the images. Promise!

JB fans, thanks for reading my debut post! I will be back at it next week with some clothing ideas for spring and summer portrait shoots.

Spring happiness to all!

Kelly

The lovely ladies at Outstanding Occasions, who make up a team of  fantastic wedding & event planners, are hosting a picnic next week and I am just completely excited to attend. I mean, when is the last time I went to a picnic?! (At least not one that involved the train park, some impromptu Subway sandwiches, and chasing a toddler?)

I’m very excited for this grown up picnic and to spend time with some awesome local vendors…especially in this gorgeous weather we have been having. Thank you for the invite Heather & Jennifer, I can’t wait! I might even need something new and yellow for the occasion. :-)

P.S. To see some of Outstanding Occasions’ work, be sure to check out their website. I had the chance to work with Heather Crabtree, Jennifer Thinnes and their entire team on Ashley & Kyle’s wedding last summer, and not only were they on top of every detail and making sure the event came together flawlessly (and as stress free as possible for the bride & groom and their families), it was also absolutely beautiful. If you are considering a wedding planner for your own wedding, I cannot recommend them enough.

I wanted to share my thoughts on the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I recently purchased it, but almost feel it was out of necessity, rather than a purely desired purchase. Let me explain.

I have always been a Canon shooter. But as some of my photographer friends know, this past year I have contemplated moving to Nikon. I’m not one of those who has loved the 5D Mark II because I’ve had some issues with mine, specifically  the focus system. After many frustrations this past year shooting with the Mark II (and the focus system already being replaced once by Canon) I’ve put my faith in them that this new 1D Mark IV, with its brand-spanking-new 45-point focusing system, will respond consistently well and be a suitable replacement for my Mark II.

Let me give you a little background as to the equipment I’ve used and my progression through different bodies so it has some context. When I first started in photography about 10 years ago, purely as a hobby then, I learned with film. I bought a Canon Rebel film body, an entry level lens or two, and basically shot it on automatic until I started to learn a little more about shooting manually. Digital SLR cameras really starting taking off shortly after that, and being one who was never intimated by technology, I made that jump pretty early on. I bought the newest “entry level” digital SLR body at the time (Canon Rebel), a better lens, and my relationship with Canon digital SLR’s began…

That first Rebel camera worked well for me until I started shooting weddings and quickly realized I needed something that responded much faster and was more ergonomically laid out control-wise. I bought the newly released Canon 20D and found it worked great for the next year, and when the Canon 30D came out, I bought that one and sold the old Rebel. I shot with those two cameras for about a year until I could afford to buy the lovely full-frame Canon EOS 5D. And I fell in love instantly. Moving from a cropped sensor, like all the previous models were, into a full frame quite frankly took my photography to another level. The colors popped more, and the images out of the camera were just seemed to have more depth and dimension.  Not to mention my lenses, by this time mostly pro “L” series lenses worked as they should, meaning I had the full focal distance out of them. I knew that since I had gone to a full-frame sensor, I could never go back. I sold the old 20D and used the 30D as my primary backup, but mostly shot with that 5D for the next 2 1/2 years.

But like all things do, that camera aged with time and the technology had by then outpaced the current features. Like many other photographers out there, I was itching for Canon for release its successor since it had been 3 years since they rolled out a replacement full frame. I followed many of the technical blogs out there, checked in with Canon and other technology sites and forums, and waited impatiently for the replacement. Finally they announced it – the 5D Mark II! – and I quickly added my name to the waiting list at Samy’s, B&H and Crutchfield for the thing. It finally arrived right before Christmas 2008, and I felt like I did the year I got the Cabbage Patch Kid doll from Santa. I was so excited to get my new toy and play with the features and functions, see how high I could push the ISO, and use the movie function to record home videos of Jordan on Christmas morning and of her seeing her new baby brother for the first time a month later.  (Ironically — and quite sadly for me — I accidentally reformatted the CF card of Jordan seeing Alex for the first time in the hospital before I pulled off the video. I pulled all the images but forgot to move the video over since those files were newer to me. Big, big bummer.)

So since that time, I’ve been shooting weddings with the Mark II and the original 5D. There are many things that I do like/love about the 5D Mark II, namely the high ISO and the ability to shoot rather cleanly in very dark scenes with no flash, the larger LCD screen, some of the new functions and  generally the feel of it my hands. I also obviously love the HD video capability for personal use and ergonomically, I find it’s a little ‘sturdier’ than the old 5D. And while the huge jump in megapixles was nice (if they are needed, say for shooting the cover of a magazine) I found I usually shot in SRAW 1 so that the files were 10-11 megapixels and not 21. Mainly because a 10 mpx RAW file produces a beautiful image, and working with those massive 21 mpx files requires an inordinate amount of space, both on CF cards and on the computer hard drive and virtual memory.

But what I did not like is that I noticed pretty quickly that this camera’s focusing system was extremely inconsistent. It had a difficult time locking in on a subject in low light conditions, such as receptions or darker ceremony spots, and would often “hunt” for too long, even with very fast prime lenses and all “L” series professional ones. What good is that high ISO for low lighting if the camera can’t focus on anything when you need it to? Many images came out very soft or slightly off focus. My Mark II also had a hard time locking focus in conditions that it should not have – such as high contrast or perfect outdoor light. On several occasions it would hunt between the groom’s tux and the bride’s dress and never focus lock on anything – as if it didn’t know if it should lock on black or white. Many times at weddings this past year, I had to flip my lens to manual focus and just override the whole system so I didn’t miss moments. And for someone who does not have 20/20 vision, that can be a little risky at times. But I usually did better than the AF system did! (Side note: I have used the “back-focus” button approach for a few years now; where you can lock in on your subject with the center focal point and then reposition the camera as needed by switching the functions between your exposure lock button on the back with the shutter button. This always worked brilliantly with the first 5D, but my Mark II would lose its focus on the recomposition half the time. It’s like the thing was on crack and so happy to keep bouncing around every second.  So, I sent it back to Canon and they replaced the entire AF system, saying it did have some malfunction issues. It came back better, but still did not focus as consistently well as my older 5D focuses.)

This past year, I had to increase the number of shots I take at any given portrait session or wedding just so that *something* came out in tack-sharp focus. I could take 3 shots of the same scene where I have changed absolutely nothing focus-lock wise and 2 would be SO soft and blurry and one tack-sharp. As a wedding photographer paid to capture moments, I cannot afford to miss any moments due to a poor internal focus system that is so inconsistent. After a little googling of “focus issues with the 5D Mark II”, I found LOTS of people were having the same issue I was. Turns out there are several blogs and forums burning up with less-than-kind-words for Canon, and specifically this camera and the focus system they should have updated when they released this camera. I wont share those links here only because my intention with this post is certainly not to bash Canon, and you can easily google the issues. As I said earlier, I have always been a Canon shooter, and my goal is to stick with them, because I think by and large they do make great products.

Which brings me back to hinging my relationship on this new 1D Mark IV. When Canon announced it, and the completely redesigned new 45-point focus system, I took a very hard look. I read as many things as I could about the camera, but I was afraid to spend that kind of money on a relatively untested body since I’d had so many problems the last time. And Canon definitely keeps things under wraps as far as all their selected-photographer-testers go; meaning those testers are not allowed to even look at their images on a computer or post them online; they can only view what’s on the LCD, which as we all know can sometimes look perfect there but when you open it up in the computer, sharpness can be off. (Which begs the question: why so much secrecy Canon? From what I understand, Nikon does not have this same approach with their testers.)

But what sealed the deal for me on deciding to move forward with this camera was this review by England-based photographer Jeff Ascough.  It wasn’t so much the {great} images that he did post from the wedding taken with this camera, it was that like me, his big hesitation was the fact that this was not a full-frame camera and therefore, its hard to imagine the files could be as pretty as the files that come out of the full frame Mark II. But as he put it after looking at them – the Mark IV blew the Mark II out of the water quality wise and he loved the focus system. Okay, done.

I will say, so far I am loving this camera. The focus system is much better, hands down. It doesn’t not have a problem locking in really low light, low contrast light or even nearly dark rooms. The files straight out of the camera are beautiful. It is a new body and system for me, since the 1 series cameras are a little different button wise than the 5D’s, and that is taking a little getting used to, but it has a ton of custom functions that the Mark II does not have. I also love that it has a dual card slot. It takes a CF card and a SD card. Battery life remains to be seen as far as shooting a wedding and if it will last all day. (Addendum: The battery does last all day.)

I did a comparison shoot the other day, where I set the two cameras on the exact same settings and took the same image to compare the output. In all cases, the Mark IV focused faster and quieter. I too thought I would notice the fact that it was a cropped sensor more than I am. When you compare the files with the Mark II, you do certainly see the crop, but when its up to your eye, Im not noticing it too much. Im a fairly “intimate” wedding shooter anyway, meaning I like to get up close to capture emotion, so I think this balanced with the full frame Mark II, will work beautifully for 2010 weddings. I can’t wait to put it to use starting March 6 with my first wedding back.

These images are of nothing special; I just wanted to show the color fidelity and quality of RAW images straight out of the camera for comparison sake. Nothing has been done to these except for converting them to JPEG via Adobe Lightroom. All images were taken with the exact same settings: same lens, aperture, and ISO. The shutter speed did vary a little since the sensors are different size. I’ve noted the settings below.

(I would have taken face & eyes shots of Jordan if I could have convinced to her sit still for more than 5 minutes for this, but alas, my almost 5-year-old had more important things to do, like climb the tree. And my client sessions of late have been little kids so its impossible to do a ‘test shoot” on toddlers – so instead you get kids toys! ;-)

This is the Canon 5D Mark II image (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/2500 second). Used center focal point on the mouse and recomposed. Partially cloudy day; overcast at time of shot.

And the Canon 1D Mark IV image. (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/4000 second). Same lighting conditions as above. Same focus approach; appears more in focus to me overall.

Canon 5D Mark II image (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/6400 second)

Canon 1D Mark IV image. (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/6400 second). This image would be brighter like above if I had backed up a bit, but I wanted to show the crop factor by staying in same place.

Canon 5D Mark II image (ISO 100, 50mm f/1.2 L lens, shot at f/2.0 @ 1/200 second)

Canon 1D Mark IV image (ISO 100, 50mm f/1.2 L lens, shot at f/2.0 @ 1/250 second). Again, appears to capture more detail.

Finally, here are the cameras side by side. My 5DMKII has the battery grip on it, which is nice at weddings because I never need to change the battery. The battery in the IDMKIV is bigger and different, so the “battery grip” is already part of the camera. I’m interested to know if it will last the entire day. Between the two cameras I’ll never run out of juice (and I always carry backup batteries even if I did), but it will be interesting to see how they perform side by side at the weddings this year.

5DMKII on the left. I will say I do like all the main buttons (menu, trash, review) to the left of the LCD like on the 5D, but I am getting used to the other body. Camera/live view function makes much more sense on the 5D also. Not sure why they named it “fel” on the 1D and put it on the front, right by the shutter button.

If you are one of those photographers who has had issues with your 5DMarkII, I’d love to know — or even if you haven’t and want to share your experience with it, please do! I have read some “rumors” that suggest Canon will issue a replacement for the 5D Mark II at some point in the next year or so – with the new focus system – and ideally I would have like to have waited, but in case it takes another year to come out, I didn’t want to wait that long. I also debated buying another original model 5D since I know a few places are still selling them, but after getting so used to the high ISO and bigger LCD, I didn’t know if I could go back to the other model ;-).

Anyway, hope this post helps if anyone else is on the fence about buying this new camera.