New Website

Hello! Looking to schedule a photo session but not sure what to expect? 

Please visit my new website at katereali.com where you can find many answers to frequently asked questions and my pricing guide. Also feel free to contact me at any time and I will respond back within 24 hours. 

 

Photography Cheat Sheet

via HERE

News to me

Sadly but true the end of the daily paper maybe coming to a newspaper near you and after 16 wonderful and fulfilling years the uncertainty of my beloved job and co-workers has left a whole in my heart. I never imaged this day would come, that I could wake up to an empty doorstep and drink my coffee infront of the computer instead of our daily paper, like a friend said to me today "what will my dog do if there's no paper to fetch me in the mornings?, though for some of us the death of the daily newspaper will go unnoticed and other's won't realized what exactly they'll miss until it's gone, as for me it will be more than just the folded piece of newsprint it will be the decades of memories and the friends I've made along the way.

Sunday Best

So sweet, my little girl wearing the same dress her big sister wore at the same age 6 years ago, how fast they grow.

So Sweet

I came across this photo today, it must of been when we first move in our current home and I was testing out the little barn in the backyard to see if it would work as my studio.

Little E looks so sweet I'm glad it didn't get lost in to the digital photo oblivion like so many other snap shots of my kids have.

Banner Year!

This is what I was doing when my Camera hit 10,000.
Then I had some fun adding the banner in Photoshop.

I labeled 2012 our banner year, it's definitely been full of milestones and banners so far and today is no exception, my camera hit 10,000 actuations! In only 13 months that's good and bad, the good is that Canon says that their 5D mkII is good for about 150k okay it will last me 14 more years (if I continue to shoot at the same rate) the bad news is I will most likely break it before then   my archiving is backed up or well not backed up! 10,000 images has to be stored somewhere! If you're familiar with Actuations (or shutter count) it's the amount of photos your camera has taken. And this is an important number because your camera has a life expectancy and if it's 100K or 150K that's important! Archiving is important too! and apparently using exclamation marks in this post.

Read more on Actuations: HERE

If you want to know more exciting thing about Photography join me on March 3 for my Hot Shoe Mommas Workshop! Just email me to sign up: katerealiphotography@gmail.com

Hot Shoe Mommas: Photography Workshop

Kate Reali Photography will be hosting a Hot Shoe Mommas Photography Workshop
on Saturday March 3, 2012.

Space is limited

What kind of workshop is it?
The workshop is intended to help move you past using the automatic point and shoot mode of photography so many of us Moms use and gain a level of understanding of basic photography terms, lighting, and techniques. You will have a two week access to online material 24/7 for the course, complete with instructions and examples to help you. The course will include a full day of hands on learning complete with models. So if you'd like to get familiar with aperture, shutter speed and ISO and move past shooting in "automatic mode" as we turn our cameras on manual, learn to use a flash and how to take advantage of natural light, this course is designed to help you get more comfortable with your camera.

Click on this blog's Photography Workshop Page Bar for more info!

Holiday Wrap Up

I took this photo after wrapping up my latest holiday photoshoot over the weekend and I just can't get enough of it! I adore all things bicycle and throw in Christmas I might have printed this for our card if it wasn't so smitten over my 4 kids and wanted to show everyone how awesome they are! Go here if you missed it.

 Happy Holidays!

~ Kate

Our 2011 Christmas Card Revealed

front of card

Every year I kind of make a big deal over our Christmas Card,  I consider it like a mini present to all our friends and family, so the planning starts months in advance before the big photo shoot. This year we wanted to have fun with it so I had to get a little crafty along with the usual taking of photos and they turned out great if I do say so myself. 

Special thanks to the kiddos on another fabulous job!

Inside of card

back of card

middle photo on the back

Hope you enjoyed!

-Kate

You can check out some of out past years Christmas cards here.

It's the Real Thing!

Here's some more images from our stop+hop shoot where we're driving down the road and the van comes to a screeching halt followed by me saying "Okay, I need you to jump out and look pretty." usually they're hot and sweaty or covered in chocolate, nothing a few clicks in photoshop can't fix. I'm loving the new location but to bad it's an hours drive out in no man's land.

Windy Weather Weekend

I was so disappointed when Tropical Storm Lee cancelled all my scheduled photo shoots this weekend but to salvage what was left of our holiday the kids and I spent some time at the beach enjoying the much cooler weather. I love long hair blowing in the wind and remembering to use my new logo,aren't they both so pretty.

Using Free Photoshop Action Downloads

Before

After

It's really easy to find hundreds of free Photoshop actions on the web these days. I took a combination of Lux from Totally Rad Actions and Cool Effects Action by Numizmat along with some cropping and a little dodging and burning to get the final look. Photoshop actions are preset so with one quick click your photo can be transformed. Photography is becoming more of an art in the digital age and there is so much to discover.

                 Before                                           After

Here is another photo using the same actions with a little yellow color added to the final image.

You've got Mail.

I don't think I really have any photos of these two alone together so when I saw the opportunity I grab it literally I snag my camera back from their sisters as they were taking photos for an up coming 4-H project. How can you resist mailboxes and kids it's such a bizarre yet it works. I just love my two littlest buddies and I hope they grow to appreciate having each other especially since they share a room.

Cool Photo Lens Mugs!

 This has to be the best photo mugs EVER! they come in Canon or Nikon there's even a thermos version check it out all the other fun stuff over at Photojojo.

to buy go to: PHOTOJOJO.com
 

 

 

She's ONE!

Despite the heavy rains the photo shoot was a success and Baby E has grow beautifully in to an amazing one year old.

All About Photo Sessions

Frequently asked questions:

How long is a session?

A normal session takes about an hour.

Mini-sessions are 30 minutes

Newborn sessions tend to run about 2-3 hours because of feedings and crying.  :)

how much does it cost?

a photo session investment is:  


$50 for a 30 minute mini-session

$100 one child (3months and older)

$150  for 3-6 children of one family

$175 for families

$1200 for extended or large families or groups.

$250 Newborn session (up to 1 month old)


**add $35 for beach sessions and session in Bay Minette, the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area and West of I-65 in Mobile County,  

What is included in the price?
 
1-2 hour picture session, free upload to an online gallery to order professional print and share with family and friends and for $65  you can order a DVD of the best edited photos from your session usually 15-40 images and varies per shoot. (second DVD can be ordered for an additional $35)

Where do we take the pictures?

On location any where in Baldwin and  Mobile county or at my rustic studio in Fairhope.


I can offer ideas or you can tell me a place you have in mind.


For beach locations there is  an addition $35 fee.

How long does it take to get our pictures to us after the session?


The photos are usually ready with 7 day a DVD can take up to 3 weeks to arrive at your home.

What if it rains....or we get sick...or you get sick?

Please call as soon as you can for illnesses and I will for weather related cancellations then we will reschedule for the next possible day.


When do you schedule sessions?


Sessions are schedules on Wednesday evenings, Monday or Thursday mornings and Saturday and Sundays.
  

What should we wear?

I recommend not wearing all white or all black...details get lost with those two colors.


I love to see the personality of the kids or family come out in the photos so wearing
whatever your style is really the best.You want your pictures to reflect as much YOU as possible.


Do you take pictures indoors?

No, most of my sessions take place outdoors in natural light...early morning or dusk is the ideal time.

Newborns sessions can be done at your home or mine and I have a rustic studio on my property for indoor shoots.

Do you do weddings?

Not often but if ask I will consider and the cost usually runs from $500-$2000.


How do I contact you?
I can be reach through email at katerealiphotography@gmail.com where I will then follow up by phone.

Space Command

Don't you just love this old school Zenith Space Command sitting alongside the newspaper boxes I could just see myself pulling up a beanbag to watch Silver Spoons better yet it was the perfect opportunity to make a really cool photo with my subject reflected in the TV. I wonder if the space phone feature still works on it… can you hear me , major Tom?

Exposure cheat sheet

I set my camera on manual 75% of the time, I find the auto exposure to be inaccurate and artistically bland, I have more creative ability knowing and using exposure to my advantage when taking photos. My Grandfather passed along to me his 1950's Rolleiflex and on the back is a perfect guide or cheat sheet to getting a great exposure.

A.P. is always near by watching me when it comes to cameras and gadgets, can you spot him in the pic above.

ISO/ASA/BS -  the American Standards Association (ASA), and British Standards (BS); the newest term, ISO, all standardized way of measuring the light sensitivity of a certain film but in the digital camera world it's most commonly the ISO setting. 

*DIN is too confusing and not used anymore, thank goodness.

Inspiration

 Loretta Lux

I love her work but I haven't been able to find much written about the artist other than this: Loretta Lux was born and raised in Dresden, Germany and currently resides in Monaco. Lux started experimenting with photography in 1999, beginning with a series of self-portraits that led quickly into her current focus on children.

In a very short amount of time, Lux has been showered with attention from collectors and critics alike. Her work has been reviewed in such publications as Aperture, ArtForum, The New York Times, Village Voice, The New Yorker, frieze and PDN. Many editions from her first American solo exhibition at the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York sold out before the exhibition opened.

Her creative process draws heavily from her studies as a painter, as well her early exposure to paintings by Old Masters in the museums of her hometown. Her portrait subjects, usually children of friends and family, are combined digitally with a palette of painted backgrounds, vintage costume, and various props, to suit her exacting vision through the use of photo editing software. These perfectly posed children are coyly manipulated to please the eye at first glance, with their subdued pastel hues and perfect porcelain skin. On closer inspection, however, Lux’s portrait subjects, who have been likened to aliens, robots, and changelings, take on a slightly sinister and otherworldly air.

Her photographs are included in the permanent collections of major museums including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston,Musée de l'Elysée in Switzerland, Photo Museum Munich, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Israel Museum, Jerusalem.