Monday, April 24, 2017

Meet This Week's Guest Judge: Alexandera Bagley - Photography

This week's guest judge is the talented Alexandra Bagley Photography. Take a seat, grab your coffee and get to know Alex a little better.



1. Tell us about yourself…
I’m a mother right in the thick of young family life. I have two small sons, ages 4 and 1.5, and while my husband and I both work full time, we also chase our vision of the life we want to create for our family. My husband loves Jeeping, our family loves being outdoors (so excited to start camping again this year!), and I love photography.




2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now?
Originally, it was an image from our wedding with a slow shutter speed that had an amazing effect on the lightrail train behind us. I wanted to be able to make images like that, learn how she had made that picture, so I started to learn every way I could. Today, my passion is in documenting family life in the beautiful, authentic moments of ordinary days. There is such meaning and emotion in those routine tasks that you simply can’t see from the inside, and you don’t know that you’ll miss them until they’re gone. My intent is to disrupt the normal way of taking family pictures, and encourage families to make images that capture who they are and how they lived during this season of their life together.




3. What’s in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least?
In my camera bag right now is my Nikon D610 and Sigma Art 35mm, and generally my Nikkor 85mm as well. I carry my card reader and often my laptop as well, since I’m doing my first-ever 365 project this year - it’s easier to keep up with when I can edit more frequently! I used to have a Tamron lens that I looooved and used religiously… until I got the Sigma. So that poor Tamron is least used now. Poor thing.




4. What’s your dream project or shoot?
I would love to capture a full “day in the life” for a client. Be there when the family wakes up, stay with them all day through their normal routines, and also capture that bedtime hustle. (To add one more element to the dream… I’d love to capture a family’s camping trip or unplugged adventure!)




5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?
Doubting myself and/or comparing myself to others, hands down. I’m more confident in my “style” as a photographer within the last 6 months or so, but I am often comparing myself to another photographer and wondering if I should do this or that to be like her… instead of just honoring my strengths and what makes me authentically myself.




6. If you had $500 to spend on photography...

How do you wish you could spend it?
I’d love to fly out to another state for a photography session with a dear friend’s family!

How would you really spend it?
It’s tough to be away from my family right now since the kiddos are so little, so I’d probably reinvest into my education and seek a mentorship to help me learn and grow beyond taking another online class.




7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very
beginning of your photography journey?
Find your community. There are photographers out there in the world (and locally) who love to collaborate and engage with each other, to inspire and encourage you and celebrate your successes and help you weather  your disappointments. I spent the first 5 or so years of my photography career pretty isolated, because I hadn’t come into photography from school or a degree program. I didn’t have anyone to talk to or connect with, so it was pretty lonely. Once I found my community, my sense of isolation dropped away and was replaced with a renewed sense of purpose, creativity and invigoration.



Friday, April 21, 2017

Feature Friday with Adrielle Fotografie!

Adrielle was the winner of last week's 'faceless' challenge, and this week she is sharing all about herself with us!



1. Please tell us about yourself…
Hello everyone! My name is Adriëlle de Voogd and I live in Middelburg (The Netherlands) which is a small city close to the sea. I’ve been married for 10 years now with the man of my dreams and we have two kids: Sem (7) and Noah (5). I think 90% of the pictures you see on my social media are pictures of these two little monsters, and I truly love them!



2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
Black and white: I only took pictures in black and white over the last 2 years, because that way I can express myself the best. Another reason is that in black and white the use of light is very important and so magical. That is why I am addicted to black and white and to the use of natural light.

Clean: The thing I like to do to make an eye catching picture is to keep it clean. So I’ll take care that the image never gets boring. Also a clean picture makes sure that all the attention goes to the important things in the picture and not to the side issues.

Emotive: If you see real emotion in a picture it makes the story in it relatable. You don’t always have to be happy. Sadness and disappointment are also beautiful emotions that make you stronger and therefore they are important to capture.


3. What sparked your passion for photography?
I wasn't really interested in taking pictures until the birth of my son in 2010. After his birth I really started learning all I could about photography. I want to be able to capture all of the memories of him growing up, and it never stops :)




4. What's in your camera bag right now?
Actually, I don’t have a camera bag :) I only have the Fuji XT-1 with the 35mm 1.4 stuck on it. So it fits in my handbag or even inside my pocket and I always carry it with me, ready to take thát picture! I also have a 23mm 2.0, which I only use in small rooms.



5. What is your dream shoot or project?
I don’t really have a dreamshoot or project. The only thing I want is to show the world how beautiful we are. Sometimes I think people only see beauty in big, expensive or in what it seems are ‘important’ events, but I want to show that real beauty is just in the little things of life. I will do every shoot or project that supports this idea.

Oh, for sure I have a dream. I would love to cross the world with my family so we can focus on each other and capture that with my camera.




6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?
That the more expensive the camera and lens the better the image. Now I know it’s the person behind the camera who sees and handles the light, the composition etc. (or not :p)



7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
Follow your heart! I believe a good photographer is someone who takes a picture by following his heart and uses his own creativity. Don’t do the things you think other people expect from you, because then you ignore your own feelings and I’m sure that is visible in a picture.






Find more of Adrielle's beautiful work here:

Feature Friday with Hannah Nielsen Photography!

Hannah Nielsen Photography was the winner of our 'best friends' challenge a couple of weeks back, and today she is sharing all about herself!




1. Please tell us about yourself...
 I'm completely in my element being mama to Bennett (3), and can't wait for "Baby Sister" (due on the 4th of July). We, along with my supportive husband, recently moved back to Portland, OR to be close to family after 11 years in Seattle. I consider both places home. I'm primarily a documentary family photographer (though I still do more posed work a few times a year) and looove spending good quality time with families. I'm obsessed with lists, any body of water, Fall, and I've been known to do a very slow triathlon here and there.



2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
 "Love made visible." That's my tagline. It's a portion of a quote by Khalil Gibran, "Work is love made visible". When I first read it, it spoke to me instantly. My main goal is to capture connection and the little moments between people who love each other. I want to make their love visible to them. To hold in their own hands. An image doesn't speak to me if it doesn't highlight a connection between subjects, a connection between my subject and their environment, or a connection between my subject and my camera.




3. What sparked your passion for photography?
 I wanted to be a photographer when I was 12, but I sort of forgot. After college I was a nanny and I lost my job when the mom lost hers. I still wanted to hang out with my nanny friends, but felt weird showing up without a kid. So I showed up with my camera instead. As soon as I got those kiddos in front of my camera, it was all over. I was obsessed.




4. What's in your camera bag right now?
 Canon 5d MarkIII, Sigma Art 35mm 1.4, Sigma Art 85mm 1.4, Tamron 24-70mm 2.8, and on the way in the mail is the Sigma Art 24mm 1.4(!!!)



5. What is your dream shoot or project?
I changed completely when I had my son. I'd love to do a documentary project with first-time moms in the throes of the newborn stage. The healing, bonding, sleep-deprivation and re-emerging...so amazing.



6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?
 I thought I had to go to photography school to ever work at the level of some of the photographers I admired. Truly, it's all about putting in the time and the effort to always keep learning. Getting my work critiqued, taking a class, reading reading reading, even teaching have helped me develop my skill and voice SO much. I'd still like to go to photography school, but mostly just for fun at this point (though I'm sure I'd still learn a ton!)



7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
 Take your time. I know it's super tempting to jump in face first, but learning and building a business take not only effort, but a lot of time. It's also tempting to follow the advice of every single article you read about pricing or the way to shoot or how to market...but you have to put in the effort to find what will work for your photographic heart and your business. Because what works for someone else may not suit you at all.

I wish someone had told me that eventually it wouldn't feel so hard. I'm still learning every day (and plan on always being that way), but not everything is a struggle anymore. And that it's completely normal to feel frustrated and like you're moving slower than everyone else. Oh, and that quote, "Nothing in nature blooms all year. Be patient with yourself."



Find more of Hannah's gorgeous work here:

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Meet This Week's Guest Judge: Tricia Satorius - Photographer

Meet this week's super talented guest judge, Tricia Satorius!



1. Tell us about yourself…
Hey fellow photogs! My name is Tricia Satorius and I am a stay at home mom to two busy  little toddlers: Grayson (3.5) and Kinslee (2). They are the perfect combination of crazy and sweet, and life with them never holds a dull moment.  I am a Wisconsin girl, recently moved to South Suburban Chicagoland for my husband’s work. Photography has been a creative outlet of mine for about 5 years. I recently made the decision to start my own LLC, about which I would have to say I’m equal parts excited and nervous about. Lord help me.



2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now? 
I have always been a creative at heart. But it has taken me a really long time to find a way to express myself. When I got married my husband owned a Canon Rebel. I started playing with that, fell in love and never looked back. As I’ve developed my art, I’d have to say my biggest inspirations are light and shadow, beauty in the everyday moments, and laughter. I love the play of shadows and light and how they work together to create depth and emotion in images. The fuel behind my work as a creative is just that something in my heart that tells me I need to create. It’s in us all, isn’t it?



3. What’s in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least? 
In my camera bag is a Canon 6D and a 50mm 1.4. I have played around with other lenses before investing in more and I have found that I am a prime lens lover. So in the very near future, there will be a 24mm and probably an 35mm as well. I am obsessed with the wide angle look and I can hardly wait to start incorporating it into my work. I also keep with me a large, 5 sided reflector and a back up SD card.




4. What’s your dream project or shoot?
My dream project would probably be a third world project, or any type of project that helps people better understand the struggles of others. I envision homeless projects, depression and mental illness projects and cancer projects. Things that don’t often get talked about or photographed. There are stigmas surrounding topics like homelessness and mental or terminal illnesses and I think it’s time we stop separating ourselves, and start embracing each other.



5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?
My biggest challenge would probably be marketing and the business end of things. I have so much passion and creativity, but I’m terrible at marketing and client acquisition. 99% of my clients come to me by word of mouth. Which for now I’m fine with but I do need to learn how to get myself out there.



6. If you had $500 to spend on photography…

How do you wish you could spend it? 
MORE GLASS! Give. Me. All. The. Primes. :) I know $500 wouldn’t make it very far in the prime world but that’s definitely where I’d spend it if I could.

How would you really spend it?
Well seeing as I’ve been saving up for my 24mm for a year and could have probably bought it 3 times now, my money usually ends up going towards bills, things for the kids, groceries, gifts, birthday parties, ect. #momlife



7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very beginning of your photography journey? 
Find the style you love most, get good at it and stick to it. I wasted a lot of time trying to do things that were not in my niche, but I tried them anyways because I thought they were pretty. But in the end, all it did was distract me from my gift and confuse my client base.  I think it’s really important to find out what makes the artist in you come alive and run after it.




Find more of Tricia's gorgeous work here:



Tuesday, April 18, 2017

The Maven Flyer For the week of April 17th, 2017

Welcome to 
 The Maven Flyer
For the week of April 17th, 2017


Here we will offer suggestions for places for you to submit your images
for sharing and competition.
If you have or know of a sharing community or theme, please let us know
by emailing the name, link, and specifics to 
snapmaven.info @gmail.com
Include "Please Add This Page to the Flyer"
in the subject line so we won't miss it.

At this time you will need to visit each page to learn the specifics of the pages 
rules and deadlines for sharing images.

Happy Sharing Everyone!

Snap Maven ~ {rim light}
Art of Storytelling ~ {the adventure in the story}
Clickin Moms~ {Weekly Favourite}
The Dark Room{Weekly Faves}
Snap Love Grow{Freedom}
 Fantastically Flawed ~ {"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, Rage against the dying of the light."}
Picture Me Project~{Self Portrait}
Lemonade and Lenses~{Weekly Favourite each week}
Mozi Magazine~{Weekly Favourite each week}
Seniorologie~ {Weekly (Senior) Favourite each week}
Photo Artistry~  {March theme: Together}
Little Bellows {Weekly favorite each week}
Life's Experience p52~{Week 16 | showers}
The Monochromatic Lens~{Weekly Favourite each week}
Minimalist Mondays ~ {Weekly Favourite}
The Snap Society ~ {Weekly Favourite each week}
Life Unscripted {Easter}
Dear Photographer{}
Sham of the Perfect~ {Family Documentary Favourite each week}
Fearless and Framed~ {Honestly Documented each week}
Soul Focus -   {Break Free}
Dads in the wild - {Weekly Faves each week}
Share Six- {connection}
Photography By Heart- {themeless - all month}

Monday, April 17, 2017

Faceless


This past week  Laney | Photography was our guest judge and she chose the theme {Faceless}.  There were so many awesome submissions, I'm sure it was super hard to narrow down a top ten and a winner.  Here are the favorites in no particular order:















Winner:

 no surprise here. this was incredible!

______________________________________________________________________

Guest Judge:   Laney | Photography

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Best Friends

Last week we had the pleasure of having Vera Frances Photography as our guest judge.  There were so many entries for her theme "Best Friends" and I know it was hard to narrow down the favorites.  Thank you to everyone who participated.  Here are Vera's top picks in no particular order"



Susan Hall








And the winner is:



_____________________________________________________________________________
Snap Maven
Guest judge:  Vera Frances Photography
Theme:  Best Friends


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