sneak peek | ella bean

my baby just turned 5. where does the time go? ella has always been my favorite subject and she is always so good to me when i say "ella, can i just try one thing?" she runs off and gets all dressed up and ready for her photographs. this time, i had a hard time convincing her that she should not wear the hot pink fluffy, feathery tiara she came out in. we compromised that a pink head band would match better. and yes, she did let me try a few new things!

i asked her if she would be brave enough to stand in the cutout window of our lounge room wall. of course she was and we had a lot of fun. this is sized to fit a 9x20 inch frame.

when i was in canada i saw a tall, narrow, framed close-up that i thought was fantastic. i have been wanting to try it out, so i cropped this one to fit a 9x20 frame as well. can't wait to see how it looks!

i recently moved my studio space into our front lounge that has this fantastic chocolate feature wall. i have been wanting to see how this looks as a backdrop for portraits. i think it will be nicest in colour, lovely and warm.

happy birthday to my big girl. and thanks for always being such a beautiful and willing subject =)

christmas cards | old favorites

here are a few of my favorite christmas card designs from last year. again - they can each be rotated or adjusted to include more or less photos, your favorite quote, a personal message, or a different colour scheme. and they can be printed as 4x6 or 5x7 photo cards, or as traditional 1/2 fold cardstock cards. you have about 6 weeks until you will need to post your cards, will you be ready? let me help =)

christmas cards | quotes & sayings

yes, i am still trying to get you thinking about your christmas cards for 2009! it won't be long and you will be needing to get them in the post. here are some ideas for quotes or sayings that you can include on your christmas card. any of my card designs can be changed to include the quote of your choice. and if you have a favorite quote or saying for christmas, please add a comment! i am always looking for new ideas =)

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Author: Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas night, stars shine bright, and all the angels are singing. "The Son of God is Born! Little child, holy child, how I want to be near you, this blessed Christmas night.

Author: Garry Gamble

But not alone at Christmastime comes holiday and cheer, for one who loves a little child has Christmas all the year."

Author: Florence Evelyn Dratt

There is no greater gift at Christmas than to have everything you want before you open the gifts.

Author: Flavia

In the eyes of children we find the joy of Christmas. In their hearts we find its meaning.

Author: Leland Thomas

The best of all gifts around any tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

Author: Burton Hillis

Because last year she believed that gifts come from the North Pole. And this year she knows that they really come from the heart.

Author: Lenox

Love's the thing. The rest is tinsel.

Author: Pam Brown

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

Author: Richard Wagner

I bring you news of great joy…

Luke 2:10

Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:14

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

~ Charles Dickens, 'A Christmas Carol'.

“Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more."

~ Dr. Seuss

Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone.

~ Deborah Whip

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,

The gladness of Christmas give you hope,

The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

Family and friends are the true gifts of Christmas.

Being together… the best gift of all.

The love of a family… the best gift of all.

The joy of our children… the best gift of all.

Holiday magic starts from within…

I believe in Santa

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

These are a few of our favorite things…

It’s a wonderful life!

…and I think to myself, what a wonderful world!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Christmas Star

…and there was a new little star who seemed to light up this whole world

Your very first Christmas

Your very first tree

And the people who love you just can’t wait to see

The look on your face

In the midst of the fun

Of this wonderful Christmas, your very first one

christmas cards | new designs for 2009

here are the new designs i have been working on for christmas cards this year. they can all be printed as 4x6 photo cards, 5x7 photo cards, or standard 1/2 fold cardstock cards with room for a message on the inside. each of these cards can be adapted to change the colour schemes, quotes and personal messages to suit your taste. thanks to these families for sharing their kids for my examples =)

special prices for christmas:

25 4x6 photo cards = $40

25 5x7 photo cards = $60

25 1/2 fold cardstock cards = $50

(cards include white envelopes)

purchase jpeg file for printing out yourself = $25

photo call | christmas cards

yes, i know it is "only october". but i promise, it is time to start thinking about christmas cards. by the time you choose a photo, choose a card design, decide what you want your card to say, and wait for them to get printed... it will be time to for you put them in the post!

the good news is that i do all of the hard work for you - i can even include a message on the inside of the card so all you have to do is write an address on envelope! and YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE IN AUSTRALIA to order your christmas cards from me. i will post them to you where ever you are in the world. all you need to do is email the photo(s) you would like to be used for your christmas card.

over the next few days i will be sharing some of the cards i made last year so that you can see how wonderful they look and get some ideas for your own card. in the mean time, i want to try out a few new designs as well as show everyone how i can take any one of your favorite digital photos and turn it into a wonderful christmas keepsake.

so this is a PHOTO CALL! send me a favorite digital photo of your family/kids/pets/vacation/child's artwork/view from your window etc. etc. - really, any photo you like! i will choose a few of them to use in my christmas card examples and post them here for everyone to admire.

send your photos to karen.zoomdesigns@gmail.com

and stay tuned for some fantastic christmas card ideas =)

invite

having a party? have a special occasion coming up? here are 2 invitations that i have made recently that just might give you some new ideas. these cards are beautifully printed and make wonderful keepsakes for your guests.

this invitation is perfect for a first birthday. with 12 spots for photos you can use one photo from each month of your little one's first year!

this particular card is an invitation to a christening but this layout can work for any purpose. i think it would make a beautiful christmas card - yes it is that time of year again to think about christmas cards! stay tuned this week for a chance to see what your favorite photo looks like in a custom made card such as this one! =)

sneak peek | bellies

i had the great pleasure of doing a 'belly' session last weekend, for such a lovely couple. maternity photographs are a very cool keepsake of a really unique and momentous time in life. i wish this sweet family and their little one all the best! perhaps some newborn photographs will be in our future =)

...all because two people fell in love

home is where your story begins

before | after

the amazing jody at mcp actions has a new action set coming out and she has used one of my photos on her site!! am ridiculously excited!

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/09/30/win-mcps-bag-of-tricks/

this is perfect timing, as my next blog posts are going to be about processing your images and using programs like photoshop. many people don't realize this, but the work you do to your image after you take it is extremely important. if you have photoshop and/or are intersted in turning your great images into professional looking fantastic images, you must follow the mcp actions blog. the tips and tricks you learn there will change your life!

http://mcpactions.com/blog

tips & tricks | favorite websites for post processing

sooc

edited

i have been talking about the importance of post processing. if you have an interest in photography or are looking to create more professional looking shots, then this is a must. now you might be thinking "i don't have photoshop! i don't know how to do any processing!" here is some help to get you started:

you need to have photo editing software. the newest professional version of photoshop CS4, at upwards of $1500, will probably be out of your reach. the good news is you don't need it! photoshop has a very user friendly 'home version' called elements which you can often find for around $100. here is the site if you want to download a free trial:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/

another option is the google program picasa. i have heard good things about picasa and it is free!

http://picasa.google.com/

another option is to check to see if your printer or camera came with any editing software - you might be surprised!

now that you have some software, the next step is learning what to do with it. here are some great websites to help you get going:

mcp:

http://mcpactions.com/blog/

jodi at mcp has the best advice around! she also sells amazing actions and tutorials for using photoshop once you reach that point. here is an extrememly useful post full of tips and tricks to get you started...

http://mcpactions.com/blog/2009/04/23/40-top-photoshop-tips/

ilp:

http://ilovephotography.com/forums/index.php

i have posted the link for 'i love photography' before. not only will you find some great advice about taking photographs but you will also find heaps of advice for post processing, both with photoshop and other programs. it is free to join!

youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/

type the name of your editing software (photoshop elements, picasa, etc.) into the search box and see a list of a number of free and very useful video tutorials. i use this option all of the time!

coffeeshop:

http://coffeeteaphotography.blogspot.com/

if you have photoshop elements and you would like to try out some actions - you will find some great free ones here, along with some great tutorials and advice. (actions are preset steps you load into photoshop - with a click of the button you can create amazing black and whites, colour portraits etc.)

if you do have an interest in learning some post processing techniques and would like some more specific information or have questions you would like answered, please send me a message! i would love to help, and i guarantee that your question will help others as well =)

tips & tricks | post processing

post processing (or pp'ing) refers to the steps you take once you uploaded your photos onto your computer. you might be thinking "what steps? i just print my photos!" if you would like to kick your photos up to the level of professional shots, or make them look more like portraits and less like snap shots, then post processing is a must.

i have included a couple of sets of shots here as an example of the importance of post processing. the first shot is what we call 'straight out of camera' (or 'sooc'). the second shot has been processed (by me!) in photoshop CS4. you can see quite clearly the difference that post processing makes.

sooc

edited

sooc

edited

if you have had a professional photo session with a photographer (me or someone else) you may wonder why the cost of prints is so much more than what you would pay if you went to your local walmart/big w. the reason is that you are paying for the expertise of that photographer to process the sooc shots and have them printed by reputable professional printer. if you take your sooc shots down to the local walmart/big w, the computers there will do some basic pp'ing, and they will be printed on photo paper, but i guarantee you that they will not look as fantastic as they would if you ordered your prints from your photographer!

(as an aside, i recently had some of my edited shots printed at one of those quick & cheap stores and i was not impressed with the quality at all - it is worth finding a professional printer in your town that you trust with your images!)

to give you an idea of some of the steps involved in pp'ing; this is what i do to every shot i edit:

-defog digital image & apply noiseware filter

-check/adjust white balance

-check/adjust exposure

-check/adjust highlights, midtones & shadows

-touch up skin, eyes, and and any clothing/background that isn't quite perfect

-convert photo to black & white or enhance/'pop' colour

-sharpen and crop for printing, keeping in mind rule-of-thirds and other compositional elements

so, you can rely on those computers at walmart/big w to do this all for you, or you can take your photographs to the next level and learn to do these steps yourself! stay tuned for some great tips to get you started.

of course, you always have the option of ordering your prints from me. remember, i can take your favorite digital photographs and turn them into something really special... =)

sneak peek | craig family

while i was in my hometown of kelowna, canada, i had the great honour and pleasure of photographing my very best friend and her family. thank you to the craigs for sharing a morning outside with me and to sweet little peyton and ashlyn, especially, for being such good girls =)

thank you

we recently had a very special day in our family; my daughter and her sweet little cousin were baptized together and many of our friends and family were able to be there for the occasion (no small feat considering we live in australia, they live in england and the baptism was in canada!). as you may know, i love to make photo cards to commemorate special events. i think a photo thank you card is so perfect as it gives the recipient something special to remember the day by. these cards were printed as 5x7 photos. thanks to taylor and olivia for sharing - i thought they might give you all some inspiration for the next time you have a special occasion =)

award winner

i have just received the wonderful news that my photo has has been awarded 3rd place in the novice photo competition at the royal adelaide show and will be on display september 4-12 at the showgrounds. thanks to everyone for your support, words of encouragement and help in choosing the entries! and thanks to ella rose for being such a great subject =)

your favorite photos | my play as a mini-collage

here is another example of a mini-collage made using some of the favorite snapshots i know you all have sitting on your camera or computer! i actually 'borrowed' these photos from my friends' camera so that i could make them this collage of their sweet grandson. i just touched up the photos a tiny bit and turned them into 'mocha' black & whites, then placed them in the collage - this one is printed as an 8x12. isn't it a fabulous way to showcase some of your favorite photos? thanks b & g, two of my favorite people in the world =)

sneak peek | the miller family

i wanted to post a sneak peek for my dear friends, the miller's. i had the honour of taking some family photos for them while i was visiting my old stomping grounds and they were kind enough to let me practice on them with my first ever outdoor 'location shoot' (vs an indoor, studio shoot). i had the nicest time with them and wanted to share some of my favorites so they wouldn't have to wait for their photo cd to arrive in the post. thanks, my friends, and enjoy =)

tips & tricks | just say NO to flash

one of the easiest things you can do to take more beautiful photographs is to turn off your flash. obviously, there are times when you will need to use your flash, indoors at night for instance. but if you really want to take a special shot, take a moment to find a spot indoors close to a window.

the indirect light filtering in through a window is bright enough that you can take a shot without using flash and it is really lovely and flattering to skin. flash is often quite harsh and flat on the skin, while window light is soft, gives more natural skin tones and creates lovely shadows and higlights. these two shots were taken at the same time of day, and processed the same way. the first one was in a darker area of the house with flash, the other was taken about 2m away from a big window.

the best part of window light is that it gives you the most gorgeous catch-lights in the eyes. catch-lights are those pretty reflections of light on the eye that just make the eyes sparkle. you can see from the examples below that flash does not give a pretty catch-light at all; it gives a little pinprick of light, usually right on the pupil that is not very flattering. in addition, when there is plenty of window light the pupils are smaller and you can see the beautiful eye colour more clearly.

so turn off that flash, hang out by a window, and capture those gorgeous catch-lights =)