It’s time for another installment of one of our favorite blog series, a peek inside.  Today, we have new CMmentor to feature, Celeste Pavlik.  Celeste is a brilliant hobbyist photographer who with a particularly appealing approach to lighting with some of the most beautiful black and white conversions out there.  We are so excited to have her on the CMblog today and know you will be too!
a peek inside | celeste pavlik
I upgraded from the Canon 7D (which I used(…)

You love hearing how other photographers got to where they are today and this week we have another inspirational ‘my photography journey’ here for you from one of our CMpros, the incredibly talented Liz Labianca!
my photography journey | liz labianca
As I sit here thinking about the last 19 months as a photographer, I am hard pressed to say that there isn’t one thing that I would do differently—and  that is a BIG statement since I pretty much did everything that(…)

by Jennifer Dell

Burnout. We all face it at some point in our life. In photography, it can ebb and flow until you don’t want to pick up your camera. Ever. I can only speak from experience, but I know that every December, after the craziness of fall, the last thing I want to do is take another picture. I struggle with this at other times during the year, but I think that the winter is by far the worst. Not(…)

by Celeste Pavlik

It wasn’t too long ago that I would seek out perfectly even, perfectly bright and perfectly direct light.  I quickly realized how much this style of shooting, while it isn’t wrong in any way, just wasn’t me.  I love capturing my subjects in pockets of light and indirect light, especially indoors.  What this means to me is finding light that gently meets the shadows on my subject.  Give me that and I’m a happy girl!

I think most of(…)

by Leah Cook
Recently a friend asked me for tips on shooting maternity sessions.  I started rattling off some ideas and decided to put them all in one spot.  Belly shots are some of my favorites for a lot of reasons.  They have definitely gotten a bad rap over the years and we’ve all seen the ‘what not to do’ images on those funny websites, but really they can be so beautiful.  It’s a time of anticipation, change and excitement…all of(…)

February is here and that means it’s time for another CMpro of the Month.  This month, we are thrilled to have Texas photographer Jennifer Dell as the CMpro of the Month!  Jennifer is a wildly talented, natural light children’s photographer.  We love that we got to see inside her head a bit with this interview and, of course, to see all her gorgeous work here!
february cmpro of the month | jennifer dell
interview by Melissa Koehler

You’ve always had an interest in(…)

by Leah Cook
As the New Year approaches many of us start to think about resolutions, goals and areas we’d like to make changes to in our personal lives.  Let’s take that one step further and relate them to our photography!  The key (or so I’m told) to keeping resolutions is to be as specific as possible and pin point the exact spots you’re looking to improve.  This list is expansive and even a bit overwhelming.  At some point we have(…)

by Jennifer Dell

Sometimes liquifying an image in a subtle way can make a big difference and may help if you accidentally catch the wrong angle when photographing your subject.  The secret to liquifying successfully is to use it in moderation and not to alter how a person looks.  Here’s a quick look on how to use this powerful Photoshop tool!

Thank you Jennifer for this great tutorial!  What a great trick to have on hand!

Jennifer Dell, Texas
CM Mentor
Website | Blog |(…)

by Ann Westerman
Lately I have been loving to shoot images specifically for processing in black and white.  I love my black and whites to have good tonal range and a lot of contrast.  What I mean by good tonal range is I want my image to have deep shadows, a range of mid-tones and some bright highlights and I usually want those bright highlights to fall on my subject.  I love for my subject’s face to have shadows, mid-tones and(…)

by Sara Seeton

When you’re a photographer, sometimes the last thing you want to do is pull out the camera and take photos for YOU. It’s sad, but very true. You spend the entire weekend shooting sessions, then all week sitting at the computer editing. The thought of pulling out the gear, wrangling up the kids and wrestling with them trying to get them to cooperate does not sound overly exciting. And then because you overshoot like me (for every great(…)

“What lens should I use for ‘x’ shoot”? is a common question on the CM photography forum.  What’s the difference? Our super fabulous new CMmentor Leah Cook is blogging for us today to help you through the decision process.  Thank you, Leah!
choosing your lens | what’s the difference?
by Leah Cook
It’s a big question. With so many choices out there, what lens should you choose and when? This isn’t intended to add to the Canon vs. Nikon debate or even persuade you(…)

We will be interviewing a different CMPro member every month so we can all get to know them better – so exciting!  First up for the month of March is the lovely and talented Amii Wroblewski.  Amii is a longtime CM member and has always been so sweet,  helpful and willing to share – we love that about her!
march cmpro of the month | amii wroblewski
What gear do you shoot with?
I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II.
What is(…)