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Modeling Photography
What to do to prepare for a successful Photo session
— 08/22/2016 by Monika Wertman —What to do to prepare for a successful Photo session.
In this post we will focus on some of the things you as the client can do to ensure that your session with us will be successful and productive.
Whether you plan to book us for a family or senior session, a glamor/boudoir or a couple’s session or a newborn session, there are a few things that you as a client can do to prepare for your time with us and to ensure that you will not only have a great time during the session, but that your pictures will turn out great. You will, of course, assume that we will do everything in our power to ensure these things as well, and we do, but you can help make it just a wee bit easier for us.
Here is how:
#1 Schedule a consultation with us prior to the date of your session. We offer consultations with most of our sessions, in fact make them mandatory for some. Even if you have booked a session for which we do not require a consultation, book one anyway. During this time we will plan the where and when, what you should wear etc. For a family session, this can be discussed over the phone if you are super busy, and with children, you are. We understand this. For a senior, boudoir, engagement or couples session, an in person consultation is best and highly recommended!
#2 If you plan on bringing your pet to the session, please inform us ahead of time so we are prepared with water for your pet and by having anything he may bounce into out of the way.
#3 Discuss your wardrobe with us. This can be a simple discussion of color choices or be more involved such as what it is you are planning to wear and if you have questions on what form of clothing photographs better. If you plan to wear formal wear, please let us know so we have the studio set up accordingly if we are shooting inside. If we are planning on outdoors only, and we are dealing with high heels, please let us know, so our plan does not involve you climbing over rocky and potentially muddy surfaces.
#4 If your session includes several clothing changes, organize them before you arrive. Changing time will go more smoothly and take away less time from your session. ( A few months back we had a family of 8 with three clothing changes, the mom was fantastically organized. I have never seen anything go more smoothly! It was impressive)
#5 We will most likely ask you this, but in case we do not, please let us know what ages your children are. This applies to an in studio session as we’ll as an outdoors/lifestyle session. We love working with littles, but want to know ahead of time so we are prepared with props and location choices that are age appropriate.
#6 Women and girls, please wear makeup, even if you generally don’t do anything more than mascara, do a bit more for your session, especially if it is a senior session, a professional headshot session or a glamor session. (we offer professional hair and make-up services starting at $85 if you are not sure what to do, and include these in all of our regular glamor and boudoir session) Wearing make-up ensures an even skin tone and guarantees fantastic results for you. On this note, do not fret if a pimple pops up the day of your session. We remove blemishes in post production.
#7 If it is a hot summer day and we are shooting outside only, please bring some water with you. We always bring some, but it helps if our clients come prepared as well.
#8 Please arrive on time!!!!!!! We set aside your session time plus 15 minutes. If you run late, you eat into your session time, which gives us less time to create the images we want to create for you. If we come to your home, please be ready for us. We generally arrive 5-10 minutes early so we have time to set up.
Wertman Photography has several shooting spaces within the studio, including a private dressing area. When we go on location, we can bring a pop-up tent for clothing changes as well. Together we will create great images that will stand the test of time and will preserve precious moments for you for years to come!
Understanding Dance
— 06/01/2016 by Monika Wertman —Ballet and dance, especially the classical variety has always been my favorite to capture in photos. I danced as a child and teen and my oldest danced seriously through high school and even attended a performing arts high school. We were both trained in the Ceccetti method, and learning to understand the dancer’s body through training stays with you. When I work with dancers, this knowledge really helps and makes it easy to show what I would like to receive from them in photos.
Dancers are wonderful creatures who instinctively know what looks right if they are at least a few years into their training.
It is important to also understand that not every pose looks good in pictures,and that certain poses need to be shot from certain angles. It is equally important for a photographer to see when the dancer is over her pointe, has the correct turnout and is holding her shoulders correctly. All of these nuances can make or break the image.
I have always felt intrigued by the “behind the scenes” aspect of daily training. The element that makes the dancer tick. As an audience we only see the beautiful outcome of countless rehearsals in the studio, but never the stretches, the rituals and the comfort zones that all dancers have.
I have captured a few of those over the years and am sharing a couple of them in this post.
I am also always intrigued by contrasting the softness of dance against something contrary, something hard and unusual. Sometimes, however, it is nice to just capture the pure beauty of a certain gesture in warm light.
If you have a dancer, consider Wertman Photography to capture her or his essence. We understand how to portray it and how to create beautiful images.
Weddings and Celebrating Love
— 05/02/2016 by Monika Wertman —There is nothing we enjoy more than capturing love in any shape or form and one of our favorite things to shoot are weddings. I wanted to play around with some ideas that had been hopping around in my head for a while and since during a wedding we are dealing with a time line and locations that are chosen by the bride and groom, we don’t always have time to get everything we want and need to be flexible as nature sometimes throws a kink into our wheels. For that reason and because something new should not be tried out on clients, I organized a stylized wedding shoot with several local vendors and 5 fabulous models.
Maryland has fickle spring weather and we had been watching the weather with baited breath, praying that it would be nice the day of the shoot and it was. In the morning we shot at Ava’s Lounge and the Ballroom at Schindel Rohrer in downtown Hagerstown whose owners Gary and Jennie are wonderful to work with. I wanted to capture an uptown/lounge feel for images for a long time and Ava’s is perfect for that. JB Bridals generously provided us with 6 gowns and 6 tux ensembles for the day and the first two gowns were perfect for what I had in mind for the lounge.
Bella Salon and Spa sent us two of their most talented stylist and make-up artists, Lindsey and Bettina and they stayed with us all day, touching up and re-creating hair and make-up. TG designs added floral arrangements to our adventure and let us play with the bouquets all day.
The second half of the day was shot at Cortland Manor, at the time under management of Hempen Hill Barbecue and Josh is a gem to work with. He had his team at the ready all day and even fed everyone lunch. Being prepared by Hempen Hill, you can imagine that we did not lack a thing and that it was delicious.
Carson jewelers let us play with fabulous bling all day as well. You can imagine that I had a blast shopping for the gowns, tuxes and jewelry prior to the day and appreciate everything that everyone contributed to make our day successful.
We had a blast working with everyone and from the feedback I have gotten so far, the feeling was mutual. I think the images speak for themselves and if you see something here that you would like to do at your wedding, please let us know. The vendors mentioned within this post are our preferred vendors to work with for your special day, and since we had this experience, we know for sure that you will be pleased when you choose them for your next event or special day.
Please vote on your favorite image in this post and you will be entered into a drawing for a 1 hour family session for up to 5 people.
Casting Call
— 03/03/2016 by Monika Wertman —Casting Call for Male and Female Models
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I need two female and two male models for a stylized bridal shoot. Shoot will take place at two venues, 4 clothing changes, hair and make-up services provided. All work is for trade and each vendor is participating to receive images and new promotional material. Trade for models will be fully edited portfolio images from the day of shooting.
Female models need to be 5’8″ to 5’9″ and need to bring heels with them, in either white, cream or silver, evening shoes to match the gowns. size 8-10 wedding gowns need to fit, which translates to regular dress sizes of 6-10. I am looking for hour glass models. We want these images to look real, yet fantastic.
Male models should be a size 40 regular with an inseam of 34.
Please contact us no later than March 18th to be considered for the opportunity.
April 5th will be the fitting day at JB bridal in Chambersburg. the shooting will take place in Hagerstown on April 12. Hair and makeup will likely start at 8 am and shooting will start at 10am. Please plan on a full 8 hour day. Only serious, committed models need apply and we will meet in person before the fitting day.
Please contact the studio directly through email if you are interested: info@wertmanphotography.net
Want to schedule Senior Photos?
— 10/23/2015 by Monika Wertman —Though summer is over and most seniors have had their sessions, some of you may not have had them done yet or are already thinking about them as a junior. No matter who you choose, what size session you commit to, whether you are a boy or a girl, you will want to showcase your interests, whether they are sports related, you have a favorite pet, or are into cars or other big toys. Are you into winter sports and would like to get action shots in the snow? Here at Wertman Photography we will be happy to meet you at your favorite location and incorporate that interest into your session.
Now we all know that you want your senior pictures to look different than last year’s school picture, right? How do you accomplish this, you ask? Here are a few tips on what you should do to insure that you will get some one of a kind images from your high school senior picture session:
- Spend a couple of months researching the kind of imagery you would like to see. Look through sports magazines and browse the web for ideas and styles. Do you like the edgy, grungy look? Do you want to look like the latest gold medal winner in one of her endorsement commercials, or do you want to look like the girl or boy next door, clean and pristine in your gear?
- Once you have determined what look you want, contact us and show us what you are looking for. We will then plan your session and recommend the appropriate length of time we will need to accomplish the look you are after. If you are a football player, chances are you have access to your school’s field, if you are a swimmer, access to a pool may be more difficult. As a skier or snow boarder, we will need to wait for the weather to be cold enough to work in snow. We need to understand exactly what you would like to accomplish in order to give you the session of your dreams.
- Understand that special requests require prior planning and that you are asking your photographer for individualized services. She will invest time in your session and you and your family will invest money in return. This tradeoff will ensure a fantastic session for you and great images for your family and you to share and display.
- Ask about cost only after you have determined whether are the right fit for you. It is important to have report with your photographer to get what you want, when you have fun, the images show it. But do ask, you will want to know how much your family will need to invest in the service and what you will receive in return. Ask about products that are offered and be aware that a boutique studio and a boutique service such as you are looking for and we offer, will offer some great print collections for you to choose from.
- Finally, after you book your session and have paid the retainer fee, enter the date in your calendar and arrive 5-10 minutes early at the predetermined meeting point. Your photographer will be there waiting for you and when you are on time all will go smoothly and you will have a wonderful experience which will in turn result in great photos to choose from.
We have worked with some great seniors this year and some great athletes, and are looking forward to working with you. Please feel free to browse our senior and sports gallery for additional images and call us to schedule your session.
Photographing Athletes
— 10/08/2015 by Monika Wertman —When I first started out photographing people on a regular, professional basis, I focused on families, children and individuals. All were portraits either for business use, portfolios, the family living room wall and Christmas presents. I eventually added weddings to my repertoire with the occasional student athlete during senior sessions.
Recently photographing athletes has become a bigger part of my business as I have entered into a fantastic relationship with XL Sports magazine as the primary photographer. I find myself going to games I never thought I would attend, sporting events I ever just heard about and capturing athletes in both the performing state of things and in the resting phase.
Many sessions this summer and early fall have been of the portrait kind, capturing a bit of the essence of the athlete, the strength that is needed to perform well and the physical aspects that created that strength.
In many ways an athlete, starting in High School, becomes aware of his or her body fully, and starts to realize that training and hard work alone will not get them to perform at the highest level. It takes an inner strength, and inner desire to want to succeed that pushes an athlete to win.
Photographing seniors who play a sport and have taken it into college and then revisiting these athletes one or two years later, reveals that characteristic. The inner desire shows in their eyes. They have gained a confidence that was beginning to form in High school, but had not fully blossomed.
It is that confidence that they will carry into adulthood and continue to use in daily life and when they participate in local, regional, and national events such as bike tours, running events, and triathlons to name a few.
I have included a few shots of sports captured in motion and athletes at rest in this blog. Some of them are scattered in the fitness/seniors section of our website, some of these shots are new additions.
If you are interested to find out more about some of the people in these shots, please check out the fall issue of XL Sports Magazine coming out before the end of the month. We will have issues of the magazine at our display at the Prime outlets in Hagerstown as soon as they come out. In the meantime the current issue will be present in a few days, please feel free to take one home.
Are you an athlete or a parent of one? If so, and you would like us to capture what makes you tick, please call today to schedule a session. 301-693-3021
At the Hagerstown Prime Outlets
— 09/28/2015 by Monika Wertman —In this blog post I will switch things up a bit. Usually I tell a story about one of my clients and their session, but we are trying a marketing approach that is new to us and I thought it would be fun to share the set-up.
The idea started when I got a letter in the mail about putting a booth display into the food court area of the outlets in Hagerstown. The cost was very reasonable and they caught me at just the correct time, with money left in the advertising budget and phone calls with crazy requests arriving every day. This opportunity, by far, seemed the most cost effective way to spend my money. Another benefit is the time frame. We installed the display today, September 28 and it will be up through the holiday shopping season until January 1.
The decision about what to show potential clients was not as easy as the decision to give this new-to-us marketing strategy a try. We finally settled on bridal, athlete and seniors. As you can see, the selection shows a nice variety of gestures and poses, while offering a peek into studio lighting and on location use of architectural elements and natural light. The selection can also be found throughout the galleries, so feel free to find the images if you want to see them more clearly, or go by the display to do the same.
Many couples get engaged over the holidays, so the hope is that they remember what they saw while shopping and will come talk to us about their wedding day, while families will see what can be done with just about any activity and book us for various occasions.
We also have informational materials about senior photos, boudoir sessions and wedding coverage, as well as regular business cards at the display area. Gift certificates can be purchased for any amount all throughout the year and make wonderful stocking stuffers. A sign planting that idea is on display as well.
We encourage you to check the display out for yourself, please let us know what you think and remember to check in on Facebook throughout the life of the display for contests and drawings. At some point we will probably add a little information collection box as well. For now, if you can guess where this alcove is at the outlets, or if you want to go and find it, leave the exact location in the comments below and everyone who gets it right, will be entered into a drawing for a free one hour session for up to 5 people, a $150 value. We will draw a winner at the end of this week.
Please browse our galleries, new work is added on a routine basis and you just never know what you may find this time around. Call us today to secure a gift certificate in any amount that can be applied to sessions and as print credit. Gift certificates make the most wonderful stocking stuffers as well!
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