Welcome Baby Andrew // Yakima Newborn Photographer

Take a look at our recent newborn session! Thank you mommy Paige and Grandma Paula for bringing this little guy to our studio!

Yakima photography classes were a hit!

Yay! Tavis and I had a blast teaching and interacting with other photographers today at our photo 101 & 102 classes at Cascade Garden! We had about 20 people in each class and we seemed to get a really good response from everyone. Our hope is that they walked away feeling inspired about photography.... cuz we sure did!

The class consisted of some teaching inside, some shooting outside, and some hanging out with new friends! I was so excited that so many out-of-towners drove through the snow to come to our classes! I had two people from the west side, two from Wenatchee and two from Spokane! They were rockstars!

Overall I feel very encouraged after the classes. We're looking forward to the next one in April! Spread the word for anyone who is interested! You can view more about our photography workshops here.

Yakima Newborn Photographer: Welcome baby Analiese!

Today was our first newborn session in our new studio! I had no idea what to expect but it all went really well. I was sweating my buns off during the shoot but oh well, the baby stayed pretty happy with everything being so warm! Her mom and dad were there helping, then I had Mica helping me with posing and such and Tavis was in control of lighting. It seemed like quite the production but it was great having the help! Enough chatter, let's get to the pics:

You can view more of our Yakima Photography on our portfolio site

BIG NEWS!!!! + 50% off portrait sessions!

We're now offering indoor styled studio sessions for babies and kiddos! In the past we've only been able to shoot outdoors and our sessions have been based around weather and daylight... now we can shoot in our studio any time of day and all year round! I've always had the itch to set up a studio space and now the time has come. I brought this idea up to Tavis last month and then we spontaneously starting remodeling an area in our home and BAM - now we're open for business!

To celebrate our new studio, we're offering 50% off of sessions and digital collections for the first 20 people to purchase a styled studio session. Here are the details:

$50 for a 1 hour session

$100 for a 1 hour session + 5x7 disc of all edited digital images

$150 for a 1 hour + 8x12 disc of all edited digital images

(ideally for one child per session, must schedule the session before June 30, 2012)

Click here to claim your deal!

You can view more of our Yakima Portrait Photography on our portfolio site

Get Inspired and Stay Inspired

One of the hardest parts of being a professional photographer is making sure to stay fresh and inspired. Its easy to get bogged down, doing the same thing shooting at the same venues. When your work becomes uninspired, you business struggles and so do YOU. 

It is so important to find inspiration and keep it!

When Tavis and I began our career as photographers we found so much of our inspiration from going to photography classes.

So many things inspire us, but the biggest inspiration to our work is wanting to please our clients. We want them to be happy and excited about their images. We feed off their excitement, and the opportunity to create something unique.

 

What else inspires us? Well...

Pinterest - A place to gather and share ideas and see beautiful photography.

Photography Blogs - find a photographer you like and follow their blog, comment on their posts, and appreciate the information they share.

Wedding Magazines - go to a book store, order a coffee and look through wedding magazines

Entering Contests - Enter your pictures into contests and hear what others think of your work, very inspiring.

Work with other Photographers - Working with other photographers gives you a chance to see how they work and think. You see through their perspective and have fun at the same time.

Here is YOUR opportunity to get inspired by US... sign up for our photography 101 and 102 classes we are offering this Saturday...

click here to learn more & sign up!!

Thornewood Castle Wedding Photos:: EJ & Lori

 click play to watch the slideshow...

{w/a special song chosen by the couple}

click here to see more wedding pictures...

This Couple's Wedding Vendors:
Ceremony Venue: Thornewood Castle
Reception Venue: Thornewood Castle
Photographer: Memory Montage Photography
Flowers: Seattle Floral
Wedding Planner: Stefanie at Forever Events Planning
You can view more of our Tacoma Wedding Photography on our Portfolio Site

Tuesday Tips for Photographers:: "Which Camera Should I Buy??"

Welcome to Tuesday Tips! - Free weekly advice and HOW TOs for photographers. Be sure and stop by our blog on Tuesdays & please share this resource with your photographer friends as well!

Two questions we get asked a LOT are, 

1) "What camera and lenses do you use?"
2) "I'm just starting out, what camera do you reccomend?"

Here are the answers!


1) Among other equipment, our 6 main items are:
Canon 5D mk ii camera
Canon 50mm 1.2L lens
Canon 16-35mm 2.8L lens
Canon 70-200 2.8L IS II lens
Canon 100mm 2.8L macro lens
Canon 15mm 2.8 Fisheye lens


Here's a breakdown of when we use what at a wedding: 

Getting Ready:
Tavis - 70-200mm for hair/makeup
Amy - 50mm & 100mm for detail shots  

Couple pics, bridal party & family pictures before ceremony:
Tavis - 50mm or 16-35mm for full body shots
Amy - 70-200mm for closeups & candids

The Ceremony:
Tavis - 70-200mm for non-intrusive shots at a distance
Amy - 50mm or 16-35mm for a few wide shots 

The Reception:
Tavis and I switch off between the 70-200mm & 50mm for candids. Also we'll do a few wide shots of the whole reception with the 16-35mm or the fisheye. The 16-35mm is also great for shots of the whole dance floor! 

For senior & family pictures:
Tavis - 50mm or 16-30mm for full body shots
Amy - 100mm or 70-200mm for closeups & candids



2) Here's what we recommend for those wanting to upgrade from their point & shoot cameras:

Choose either Canon or Nikon and stick with it. They're very similar, but once you start with one brand you'll want to continue with it so that all of your gear is compatible. We shoot Canon and will recommend Canon gear, but with everything we use and recommend you can find the Nikon equivalent.  There are a couple of beginner cameras to choose from. The more you spend = the nicer the camera = the more limitations that are lifted from getting the pictures you want. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to photography gear.

This first option is the Canon Rebel series

• Canon T2i (There are also other versions of the Rebel that you could choose from)
• It's around $600 from B&H online or on Amazon 
• It comes with the camera body & lens so you're set to go.

The second one we would recommend is more expensive, but is hands down a better camera then the T2i

• Canon 60d (This is the most current one. Newer versions of the this series will come out in the future)
• The camera body is around $900 from B&H online or on Amazon
• If you buy only the camera body you'll need to purchase lenses separately.

(Both of these cameras are for the hobbyist wanting to take better pictures. If you're wanting to do photography on a professional level, our recommendations would be completely different.)

Do you have a question that you'd like answered in a future Tuesday Tips post? Email your questions to Amy: info@memorymp.com - Thanks!