Amanda and Daniel Engagement Shoot

  

Amanda and I met in 2008 when we started working for the same photography company.  Even though we didn't work together very long, we stayed in contact over the years.  She recently moved to Israel with her boyfriend at the time(now fiance) so I was not sure when I would see her again.

When I found out she was engaged, I was so happy for her!  To my surprise, I received a message from her that she would be back in NY for a visit and wanted Elegant Edge Photography to shoot her engagement and wedding photos!  Of course, both Anne and I were excited about this!

We setup a meeting with Amanda, Daniel and Amanda's family to meet them and show them our work.    Sitting with all of them was a lot of fun, and we felt welcome right away.  They told us the story of how Amanda and Daniel met,  and how they spent the first portion of their relationship talking through Skype because Daniel was in Israel, and of course they told us about the proposal.  After finishing our discussion with the family, we were scheduled to head out and shoot engagement photos for Amanda and Daniel.

We went to the Westbury Gardens on Long Island for their shoot.  The gardens were filled with so many different textures and environments for us to work with.  There were all different pockets of flowers, trees, and ponds.  There were also many manmade elements to work with from a mansion to bridges to gazebos.  It also helped that Amanda and Daniel were a fun couple to work with!

In October, we will be shooting their wedding and we could not be more excited!

-Stefanie



“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.” – Ansel Adams

Costa Rica

 Recently I traveled to Costa Rica and I have to say it was amazing!  I spent 3 days in the mountains of Monte Verde, 3 days in Arenal near the volcano and 3 days by the beaches in Guanacaste.  When you are there you will notice Costa Rica is known for its coffee, which I have to say was very very strong! I was way more interested in the animals, plants and views I would be able to photograph.      " The country is home to over 9000 species of flowering plants, over 600 species of butterflies, more than 200 different mammals as well as prehistoric looking reptiles and boldly colored amphibians." (Bartley, Glenn.photo Itinerary- Making the most of Costa Rica: Nature Photographers Online Magazine, 2010 http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0706/gb0706-1.html)

Fig tree in rainforest

If you are interested in photographing birds, monkeys and beautiful rainforests, Costa Rica is perfect for you!  While vacationing in Costa Rica I felt a main focus on most tours was the birds!!

They have over 875 different species!

Birds

 My advice for shooting here is to definitely bring a long lens! Either if your shooting with a point and shoot or a DSLR, make sure you have a large enough zoom to catch those small animals that hide in the trees.  I would also recommend bringing along a macro lens, which is my favorite, to get those small details. 

Hummingbird nest with eggs (macro lens)

 Remember Costa Rica has a lot of rainforests, so I would recommend bringing a rain cover for your backpack, since you will most likely encounter rain at some point.

Arenal Volcano

Costa Rica has so many different photo opportunities such as mountains, beaches, volcanoes, tropical rainforests, waterfalls and much more.  Plus the sunsets are amazing!! 

Sunset in Monte Verde

I spent 10 days traveling around this beautiful place and just wanted to share some of my photography as well as some tips with all of you. Enjoy!

Stefanie

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”  ~Albert Einstein

Size Matters.

All jokes aside, yes size really does matter when it comes to lenses.  Lens sizes vary significantly, and they all serve their own purposes.  My go-to lens now is my fixed 50mm.  It allows so much light in and has such a narrow depth of field that I can now shoot handheld indoors with natural light, instead of relying on my flash to fill in the light.  (It also helps that my 5D Mark II has a high ISO allowance.)  My other favorite types of lenses to work with are wide angle pushing towards fisheye.  These ones are around 14mm to 24 mm.  These lenses can help to fit a large group of people into a single image.  Personally, I love the blur and the curves of the lines that are created with these lenses.  But alas I digress, what I really want to talk to you about here are telephoto lenses.  I had the opportunity to "play" with a 400 mm lens the other weekend, and play I did.

I would say that this branch (in the above photo) was at least 20 feet away from me, but with the zoom you get up close and personal.  That is the typical use for a telephoto lens; it cuts out the distance between you and your subject.  But do not let that fool you, just because that is what a telephoto lens is typically used for does not mean you have to use it that way.

With this image, I was definitely not trying to get in close to a subject that I could otherwise not reach.  Instead I was trying to play with the depth of field of this particular zoom lens.  I laid on the ground about 10 feet away, and shot slightly angled up at the flowers.  Because of the angle I chose and the lens that I was using, I produced this image with a very strong focus on the flowers so that they become the absolute focal point of the image.

I like flowers so I figured I may as well throw in another shot! :)

Now with the shot above of the swingset, I was again trying to play with the depth of field.  I have to say that I love the detail in the swing of this image, and that most of the focus is there.  My one issue with this shot is that if I shot it again, I would try and work around the pole crossing the right half of the image.  I am not sure what I would have done with it, but I do find it distracting (clearly not distracting enough that I wouldn't share it though).

For my last image, I used the telephoto lens for it's typical use shooting a bird at the top of a tree at a significant distance.  I changed the feel of this image significantly in post, considering this was shot on a bright sunny day with blue skies.  I love how creepy it turned out!

Anyways, send us any images you had the opportunity to shoot with a telephoto lens!  We would love to take a look and see what other people are up to shooting at lengths!

Anne

"When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear"-  Alfred Eisenstaedt

I Love Love!

Sorry for the delay in posting this... this month has become quite busy

for many reasons, but I knew I could not just skip writing about Caroline and Mike's engagement session.

Engagement sessions are obviously very different from weddings. The focus is on the couple and how much in love they are, which you would think would be the same for weddings but it is much different. Weddings are riddled with distractions for our couples and their guests; engagement sessions let us see who they are as a couple without those distractions.  And during this engagement session, we were definitely in for a treat with two individuals who love to let their personalities shine!

I have known Caroline pretty much since I was born, and I have always known what a fun and wonderful person she is. I have also known Caroline and Mike as a couple for a few years now. Based on my experiences with them previously, I knew we were in for an interesting photo shoot. They are not your typical couple by any means. Both are artistic, visually and musically, and they love to have fun. And my favorite part was how well their love translated to the images. I love love!

Caroline and Mike chose Yale University in New Haven, CT as the location of their shoot. I, of course, was thrilled about this choice because of the architecture of the campus. We used the architecture to frame various poses, usually starting out with simple poses that somehow always became wonderfully hilarious photographs. Caroline and Mike played off each other perfectly, giving us the simple serious moments while also conspiring with one another to surprise us with their goofy personalities. For example, we asked our couple to just walk along the sidewalk casually holding hands and laughing together. Then we see them whisper something to one another, and all of a sudden they jump up in the air and click their heels. And this scenario happened multiple times! Adorable!

Toward the end of the shoot, the images kept getting more and more hysterical! Especially when Mike spied a wagon on the campus... and decided to pull Caroline around for a few shots... and he may or may not have accidentally tipped the wagon over with Caroline still in it leading to even more hilarious images. After we put away our cameras, we went to go grab coffee and found a tiny alley along the way that lead to another hysterical moment and luckily Stef had her point and shoot with her so that we were able to capture this final image!  Now to prepare to shoot their wedding in November... so excited!!

Do you have any images that clearly show how in love a couple is? Or do you have any hysterical moments captured that you would like to share? Send them to us, we would love to laugh with you!

-Anne

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind

Wilson-Bishel Engagement Shoot

Jackie and John will be getting married in December at Woodwinds in Branford CT.  So what better way to celebrate their engagement then to take a few engagement pictures.  I left my little island this past weekend and after a short plane ride, and a two and a half hour drive I finally arrived.  The chosen location for the engagement shoot was at Gillette's Castle in East Haddam, Connecticut.  It was here that I met up with my good friend Jackie and her fiance John.  It was great to see Jackie, because it has been awhile since we have been able to get together.  We went to UCONN together, and I have missed her.  When I arrived at Gillette's Castle, I was quickly enchanted by my surroundings.  There was just something about the feel of the park and the old castle that felt familiar to me.   I have always loved old buildings and abandoned places, so this location was definitely a treat for me.

The park was beautiful, it had lots of stone walls, wooden bridges, and a beautiful patio that overlooks the Connecticut River.  Just getting to spend time with this couple for their engagement session showed me how comfortable and in love they are with each other.  From the way that they look at each other, to the way that they make each other laugh.  It was just beautiful.

We walked all over the outside of the castle and down by the woods, discovering new places along the way. It's a fantastic place to shoot with so many beautiful textures.

Jackie and John, your engagement session was so much fun and I just know your wedding day is going to be even better! We cannot wait to share that special day with you!! 

Stef

"In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." - Emile Zola

Snow Fall

Nantucket finally saw a little bit of winter a few days ago. As photographers, we brave any weather to capture the emotions and seasonal creations for a photograph. I was able to get an up-close and personal view of snow and now you get to experience it without the frostbitten fingers!! 

 

 Charlie even came out with me to photograph the snow.  She was a great helper, even though she spent most of the time running around and eating the snow.  

Stef

"There are two people in every photograph: the photographer and the viewer." - Ansel Adams

For the Love of Instagram!

    The more I use it, the more I love it!! I finally switched from my b-berry to my IPhone and I love, love, love it!  Then when I started using Instagram... I knew it was meant to be! (It also helps that the quality of the images on the IPhone are phenomenal compared to my last phone, but that's irrelevant!)  I love the square dimension of the images, and the editing capabilities.  The filters and the blur can make a mundane, everyday image just that much more interesting.  I mean how interesting can images be of snacks for a night in watching movies and of zucchini soup boiling away on the stove?:

Movie Night & Zucchini Soup

   The blur tool gives you so much control.  Not only can you choose how the blur functions in the image after you shoot, but you can also select the blur before you shoot so you already know how the image will look.  And after shooting, you still have the flexibility to change the blur again.  There are two blur shapes that Instagram uses one is a circular blur and the other is more linear.  The circular blur you can change the size of and move around the screen to pinpoint exactly what you want.  The linear blur can also be expanded  so only the edges are blurred or can be reduced so only a thin sliver is in focus.  The angle of the line can be changed, as well as moved anywhere in the image.  If you want a certain element in focus, you can also just tap the screen so that that part is included.  In the images below, you can see the two different types of blur.  The image of the landscape on the left uses the linear blur along the coastline, and the right image uses the circular blur around the skunk:

Old Saybrook & Backyard Visitor

     And on top of how the blur works, the filters work the same way.  They can be added before shooting the image or after, and with or without frame.  I do wish some of the filters were a little more editable, maybe with more contrast controls.  But that really is being picky... I can always re-edit the image in another editing ap, or load it to my computer and edit it in Photoshop.  By loading these into my computer, I found out something else that makes me very happy.  All of these images are at a quality that I can enlarge them and print them!  I sized the image all the way up to a 30 in x 30 in and there really was not too much damage to the image.  I see some new images being printed for my walls soon!  Especially the bridge on the right of the image below, which I snapped while coming home from Nantucket.  The one on the left was on the way to Nantucket because I had to show people that we did get snow in CT this December.

Snowy Drive & Bridge

    So who else out there loves Instagram?!  Send us some of your images, and we will post our favorites!  And follow me on Instagram... my handle is agattphoto!  (Stef's handle is sburnsphoto.)

Anne

"You don't take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

Macro Photography

Its a New Year, and I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Today, I want to discuss one of my favorite types of photography; Macro.  Whether you are using a macro lens on your DSLR, or are setting your point and shoot camera to Macro, it is a different way to shoot the world and the objects around you.  I tend to use it both in my personal and professional work.  While shooting weddings, I use macro to shoot close details of the bride's accessories. This is an image of the bride's necklace laid on her flowers:

Necklace Detail

Limited depth of field is an important consideration in macro photography.  A limited depth of field means that only the parts of an image in a particular focal plane will be in focus, which can make or break a composition.  This makes it essential to focus on the most important part of the subject, as parts of the subject that are even a millimeter closer or farther from the focal plane will be noticeably out of focus.   This can be seen in an image that I shot in college of water dripping out of a faucet, with a pack of highlighters behind it.  The highlighters are entirely out of focus so that they just become a hint of color, while the water is in clear focus:

Rainbow Water

If you are going to try this with your point and shoot or DSLR with a Macro lens here are a few tips to help:

- If you are shooting with a point and shoot, select Macro mode.  This is generally symbolized with a little flower.

- Using a tripod can be useful.  Keeping your camera still not only improves your shots (getting rid of camera shake), but it also allows you to play around with different settings without losing your composition.

- Using a timer can also help reduce camera shake, so that you do not have to touch the camera when triggering the shutter.



I would love to see some of your examples of macro photography! Please email me at Elegantedgephotography@gmail.com with your examples and I will post my favorites!

Stefanie



"I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them." - Diane Arbus

Tilting the Horizon

First of all, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season... Happy Holidays from Elegant Edge Photography to each and every one of you!  During my holiday weekend, I played around with my camera a bit, and I was thinking about my style of shooting.  I shoot many different types of images for many different types of situations, but one thing is prevalent in the images that I shoot: I LOVE to tilt the horizon.  (Do not get this confused with tilt-shifting, another love of mine, which I will discuss at some point for sure!) This can be seen in many of my wedding photos:

LI Wedding

To me, the tilt adds an element of interest because it breaks away from the typical rectangular space that straight horizontal lines create.  Not to say, that images shot straight on lack anything, just that adding the tilt to some images adds variety for our couples to choose from.  I view landscapes in much the same way.  I do appreciate a beautiful landscape that is setup horizontally, and I have shot many successful images that way.  But I have also shot many tilted, and it creates an entirely different feel to the image.  It can add interest to an image that you would otherwise find mundane.  As an example, this weekend I was shooting cattails in Old Saybrook, CT with my friend, who is not a photographer but appreciates a nice photograph.  I shot a bunch as straight images and then I threw in a few tilted options.  As we were looking through them later, her eye was drawn more to the tilted ones than the straight on shots.  Here is my favorite image from the bunch:

Cattails, Old Saybrook CT

So come on, break from traditional landscapes and tilt the horizon.  You never know how it can affect the reception of your image.  Play around with the degree that you tilt the camera, and as always send us what you come back with and we will tell you what we think!

Anne

"Composition is the strongest way of seeing."- Edward Weston

Meteor Shower

The Geminids meteor shower was going to be visible in my area Tuesday, December 13th, and I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was.  I layered up on clothes, packed up my camera equipment, and headed to the beach to take a look for myself.  Living in an area with very low light pollution,  I was in a perfect situation to be able to view the shower from the beach.  If you live near a brightly lit city you will have difficulty viewing the stars, so I recommend driving as far away from the glow of city lights as you can.

For those of you who would like to photograph the stars, here are a few helpful tips if you are using a DSLR:

• Set your camera up on a tripod, compose the shot, and set the focus to “infinity” (looks like the number 8, lying sideways).
• The longer the exposure time, the longer the star “trails” will be.  Use your camera’s “bulb” setting, this gives you complete control over the length of exposure.
• Using a remote or timer will help to keep your images from being blurry because you will not have to touch the camera when the shutter opens.
• Experiment with the ISO – start with 100 or 200, but if you’re having a hard time finding the right exposure, keep bumping it up until you’re satisfied with the quality of the shot vs. the level of noise produced by the higher ISO.

Shooting stars will be easiest if you are using a DSLR because you have so much more control, but decent shots with a point and shoot are still possible using some of the previous tips, like using a tripod.  Most point and shoots are equipped with a night setting that will be helpful when trying to shoot the stars.  Also make sure that your flash is turned off.

Experiment with different settings to find exactly what you are looking for, but most of all remember to have fun with it!

Below is an example of an image I took on 12.13.11. Enjoy!
-Stefanie

“ Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph." – Matt Hardy

Flight Home

As sad as I was to leave the island, the flight back to Hyannis was amazing.  Since I recently purchased a new camera (Canon 5D Mark II), I was playing with all the new settings, shooting both video and still images.  I assume the other people on the plane thought I was just some crazy tourist filming the flight, when really I was a crazy tourist that was taking an opportunity to take some great shots.  I was impressed with how my camera handled the lighting situation and the shakiness of the flight, for both photo and video.  Take a look of one of the images that I shot:

Flight from Nantucket to Hyannis

Anybody else have any great images to share from the air?  The sky is the limit!

-Anne

"There are three phases to awareness: to look, to see, and to perceive.  A camera looks.  A mind sees.  A heart perceives. - Anonymous

Sunset in Nantucket

Greetings everyone!  It's Stefanie blogging to you from my little Nantucket island.  I was feeling inspired today, and decided to go out and photograph the sunset here on Nantucket.  Anytime I am feeling down or just need some inspiration, I go and watch the sunset.  It is an amazing thing to watch, and just makes you feel all warm inside.  If you have never experienced this I highly recommend taking time out to watch a sunset.  Anyone who wants to share a sunset picture they took, please share!

  
"At sunset nature is painting for us... day after day... pictures of infinite beauty."

John Ruskiin

Our First Adventure: Guns & Tattoos

So today was a very exciting day for us!  Since we normally "shoot" pictures with our cameras professionally,  we found it only fitting to test out our skills at the shooting range.  We quickly learned the difference between shooting a gun and a camera.  Holy kickback!  We are just getting our hearing back now.  After the initial shock we both hit the target (which happened to be a poor Pepsi bottle)!  Who else has been shooting Pepsi bottles lately?

Poor Pepsi bottle

 Next we got inked!  It was Anne's third but Stefanie's first tattoo.  We both agreed it did not hurt, it just tickled a lot.  Anyone who says different is a wuss! :)  Stefanie got a small, simple heart on her foot, and Anne tattooed "C'est la vie." on her wrist.  Take a look and let us know what you think! 

Anyone else want to share pictures of their tattoos?




“It’s one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it’s another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” – Paul Caponigro

Welcome! Bienvenue! Willkommen! Benvenuto! Bienvenido!

Welcome to the first posting on our blog!  Stefanie and Anne here live from Nantucket!  We decided to start this blog mainly to share with you our love for photography.  Through each of our postings, you can expect to see our work from Elegant Edge Photography, and also images from our personal adventures.  We want to open up a window into our lives and allow you to see who we are as professionals, as well as individuals. 

We will be posting about our favorite photographers, most used equipment, tips for new photographers (and those who just need help with point and shoots), announcements about our business, and much much more!  Leave us a comment about what you would like to see discussed on our blog!  Send us your images to Elegantedgephotography@gmail.com and we will choose some of the best to post and review!


Stefanie & Anne


"You don't take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams