the blog @ www.jenniferjacula.com

March 28, 2008 - Finao samples have arrived!

It was like Christmas again here yesterday! I'm beginning to love getting the mail.

Finao sent me two 40 page 5x5 albums - one in Patent Temptation and the other in Candyland. Gorgeous! These are studio samples and not for resale, so sorry, these ones are alllllll mine! Ha! I can't wait to fill them with photos!

I also got their super cool tin of swatches, so you can check out and feel all the different cover options! I forgot to take a photo of that, though. Sorry! You'll just have to come see it in person!

Pretty packaging!

See? Can't sell it.

Candyland.

Patent Temptation.

March 24, 2008 - it's done! it's done!

The office project is done! Well, except for the little finishing touches. Like finding a chair, hanging the curtains when they arrive and picking up the cool desk I got at Kuhn's Kollectibles in Elk Point - best antique store ever! Tell Gordon I sent you!

Scroll down for the before pictures ... which make me shudder!

And here's my desk!

March 20, 2008 - it's renovation week!

I had no shoots booked this week, so I thought I would use the "free" time (what mother/business owner ever really has free time?) to renovate the house a little ... the dining room is becoming my new office! Yay!

So, how did it start? My unsuspecting but amazingly tolerant husband left me alone on Monday afternoon while he went to do a little shopping. Before he left, the dining room, was, well, a dining room. With some photography stuff in it. The dining room was the only room, besides the bathroom, that I hadn't redecorated yet. Obviously, this room is SO NOT MY STYLE:

(Excuse the camera bag, lightstands, pile of albums, umbrellas and other miscellaneous gear ...)

And 24 hours later, it looked like this:

Moral of the story: Husbands, don't leave your wives at home while you go shopping. They might, like, move furniture, strip wallpaper and create all kinds of havoc.

I picked up paint today - seriously, the Elk Point Rona people are SO NICE and they mix paint beautifully. Also, Rona brand paint is made by SICO, so you can get the great SICO colors for $10 or $15 cheaper than SICO prices by choosing a can that says Rona on it. That's your tip of the day. And I've done a lot of painting over the past few years. A LOT. I can't emphasize that enough. And SICO/Rona paint is head and shoulders above, far beyond, way better than ANY other brand I've worked with. They're not even paying me to say that. Also, CIL paint is total and absolute crap. Beauti tone (Home Hardware) is okay but inconsistent. Co-op brand paint is okay, but the texture is a little bit weird. Glidden paint is nice, but I'm not sure it's worth the money. And for the love of all that's good and holy, don't buy paint at Liquidation World! No good can come of it!

You can get SICO paint at Rona or UFA ... and probably other places, too.

Here's the color I'm going with for the office:

I still have to pick out a new desk, a new light, blinds/curtains and other random bits of office goodness. I love creating new spaces! Remind me someday to tell the story of how my best friend and I completely redecorated my parents' bedroom in 13 hours in our version of "While You Were Out" - and seriously, if two fat chicks can redecorate a room in 13 hours, why does it take a designer, a hot carpenter and two ordinary folks two days to do it on television? Wimps ...

I'm hoping to have this project wrapped up this weekend, so I'll be back shooting in studio next week!

March 17, 2008 - Happy Easter! Well, soon ...

I had the studio stuff out this weekend anyway, so I thought I'd try to get a decent picture of my own kid for her official 2008 Easter picture. She's got a major case of PCS - Photographer's Child Syndrome - and refuses to look at the camera. Unless I trick her into it, that is!

My little girl turned two years old last weekend - I can't believe it! - and she's already mommy's little helper. Yesterday when I was setting up for the boudoir shoot, she brought me the umbrellas I needed to go onto the studio lights and carried my black backdrop rolls and unrolled them for me. I'm counting down the days/years until she's old enough to be an even bigger help! She already knows how to look through the viewfinder, press the button to focus and fire the lights. Now if I could just get her to make coffee for me ...

But enough of my proud-mother blather, here's the shot:

March 16, 2008 - more AWESOMENESS!

I had the most fantastic time yesterday doing a boudoir session! I'm SO happy with the photos - and I wish I could show you! But it's a surprise for the client's husband for their anniversary, so I'm going to keep them under wraps unless I get permission to share a few here. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, though!

Here's a sexy little detail shot, though, that I hope doesn't give too much away!

And - Yay! I got an online ordering system up and running this week - check it out at www.jenniferjacula.com/photocart/ (or by clicking "client" anywhere on our main site) - and I'm so excited about it! It's already making my workflow and my life so much easier.

It's going to be great for you, my lovely and talented clients, as well! With a few clicks of the mouse, you can choose your photos, sizes and options. You can even build your own album using the PhotoCart system! It's sooooo cool!

Another bonus is that you can choose to pay by PayPal or credit card, or print off your order and send it in the old-fashioned way with cheque, cash or money order. I'll still be retouching all images and sending your order to the lab personally, maintaining that high standard of quality that you've come to expect from Jennifer Jacula Photography.

I'm especially excited about using this system for weddings! It means I can get ALL the proofs up quite quickly - within a week, for sure - so that you can see all of your photos online, before your even get your printed proofs! I went ahead and uploaded ALL the proofs from my last four weddings, so you can check them all out, get a really good feel for my wedding work and, well, kill a few hours of time.

I'll keep adding new album options as I get the time, but it's already pretty awesome! For engagement shoots, you can choose your custom guest book size, number of pages, and then add the images. For weddings, you can choose a GraphiStudio, TAP or FINAO album and pick your favorite photos to be includes, then I'll put together a design for you to proof and approve. I could go on and on forever about it, it really is that exciting! Well, for me, anyway. But I'm a self-professed geek.

I'm also working on a bit of a site redesign for Jennifer Jacula Photography - I want my site to reflect how FUN I am to work with, and right now, it's a little bit boring! So keep watching this blog, I'll announce the redesign soon!

I also have some cool new albums from FINAO on the way, and some really awesome little wallet-sized leather accordion albums from TAP in baby pink and baby blue - perfect for those newborn and baby shoots!

March 11, 2008 - choosing a wedding photographer

You might have seen this article in the Vermilion Standard today as part of their wedding section, but for those who aren't local readers, here it is again ...

Choosing a wedding photographer

Jennifer Jacula

Special to the Vermilion Standard

Congratulations! You’re engaged and now involved in the exciting process of planning a wedding. It’s your day – so make it one to remember!

Let’s talk wedding photos. More specifically, how to choose the right wedding photographer.

1. Research. Good photography is worth paying for, but a good photographer can be hard to find! Google local wedding photographers and visit their websites, ask for referrals from your friends and family and scan the local newspaper for ads. Check out photographers’ websites and see what the price range of wedding packages is in your area. You might be surprised at how much good photography can cost!

2. Set your budget. According to Wedding Bells magazine, the average wedding in 2007 in Canada cost a whopping $28,500. You can find a photographer to fit your budget regardless of whether it’s small or large, but remember that like many things, you usually get what you pay for! Spending a little more may prove to be a wise investment in the long run.

3. Set your priorities. As a couple, determine what portion of the wedding is the most important to you – a beautiful dress, rings, flowers, cake, the reception? Regardless of what your priorities are, you will want to hire a photographer to capture it all for you. In the end, the dress is dry cleaned and put away, the tuxes go back to the rental shop, the catered food is eaten, the invitations are thrown out. The only thing that will truly last from your wedding day are the photos, so getting the best photographer you can afford should be close to the top of your priority list and you should budget accordingly.

4. Decide what you want. What products or services do you want your photographer to offer? Engagement photos, bridal sessions, boudoir photos as a gift from the bride to the groom, and do you want to trash the dress? Ceremony and formals only, or full day coverage? Online proofing, printed 4x6 proofs, albums, CD or DVD of high-resolution files – what products will want once your wedding is over? The hottest trends in wedding photography right now are beautiful print-and-bind or flush-mount albums from companies like GraphiStudio, Finao and Asuka – traditional matted or slip-in albums are the way of the past.

5. Determine your style. Comparing one photographer to the next is like comparing apples and oranges, both in terms of style and in terms of price. Find a photographer whose style you like and whose price fits your budget and call or e-mail them to set up a meeting!

6. Ask the right questions. On the phone or at the meeting, ask your photographer about their experience. How long have they been a professional photographer, and how many weddings have they photographed? Also ask about their equipment – a professional photographer should have a back up for each piece of equipment. That means a minimum of two camera bodies, two flashes, multiple lenses, a bag full of batteries and multiple memory cards. Most professional photographers use professional digital equipment from Canon or Nikon; film is an almost-dead technology. The industry standard for photo editing is Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Lightroom; anything less is unacceptable. The digital renaissance is here!

If the photographer has a website, you will already have a good idea of what the photographer’s style is – candid, photojournalistic, posed, or a mix of both. If the photographer doesn’t have a website, ask them to describe their style of shooting and look at their portfolio to see if it fits the style you envision for your own wedding photos. In addition, ask to see a complete wedding so you can determine if every shot is what you would expect to receive from a professional – portfolios and studio sample albums tend to only include the photographer’s best photos.

7. Ask yourself: is the photographer someone you will feel comfortable with? Almost as important as the photos is the chemistry between photographer and client; you should like your photographer, because you’ll be hanging out with them for an extended period of time on one of the most memorable days of your lives.

8. Choose and book your photographer. A photographer should be among the first vendors you book – as soon as you have a date and venue for your wedding, go shopping for your photographer! Photographers can book up incredibly quickly, so as soon as you’ve decided which photographer is right for you, book them. This generally means meeting to sign contracts and hand over a cheque for the retainer. The contract should be professional, personalized to the photographer’s packages and services and should cover basics such as a liability, delivery time for proofs, payment schedule, cancellations and a model release.

9. Once you’ve booked your photographer, don’t hesitate to stay in touch with them, ask questions or fill them in on the important details of your wedding day. If great aunt Mildred is flying in from England for your wedding and you want to be sure to get lots of photos – let your photographer know!

10. Sit back, relax and enjoy your wedding, knowing that a professional is handling the precious photos from your special day.

Jennifer Jacula is a professional photographer and freelance writer in the Lakeland region. For more tips on choosing a wedding photographer, visit her website at www.jenniferjacula.com.

March 10, 2008 - nifty little ideas

Kinda like dirty little secrets, only less tawdry.

I've been married for awhile now - over six years (yikes!) - and yet, I always see things that make me think "Wedding!"

Stuff like ... MOO cards. www.moo.com These things are so damn cool that everyone should have some. Just because. You can upload as many images as you want to make up a pack of 100 cards - heck, you could have 100 different images - and they're about $20 for a pack. I made a bunch of mine into bookmarks, but you could incorporate them into your wedding as place cards, favors, thank yous ... SO MANY THINGS! They're freaking awesome. I love MOO cards!

Or how about gifts for the wedding party? Want to do something beyond the usual engraved flask or jewellery? Well, have a look at these Wee Boxes made by Against the Grain. They're absolutely beautiful, hand crafted from grain worn "leg wood" from vanquished country elevators. For more than half a century, countless bushels of wheat and barley have sculpted their own unique tale of prairie history.

Personally, I LOVE the idea of giving a gift that has some history to it. And you could fill the wee boxes with goodies for your bridal party - make up, perfume, jewellery for the girls, small tools, cuff links, golf balls or whatever for the guys. And if you want to do something engraved, you could attach a small engraved tag to the inside of the box with your names and wedding dates. Super cool, yes? I have a couple of wee boxes on hand here, or you can contact Pete Kirk at 780 592 2179 to get your own - wee boxes are $40 each.

But going back to favors ... how about some custom made gourmet chocolates from Serotonin Chocolates? (www.serotoninchocolate.com) I did the product photography for Serotonin and I can attest to the extreme yumminess of their goods. The chocolate-covered pretzels are to die for! Serotonin can help you out with the chocolates and the little boxes they go in - and wouldn't a MOO card just fit perfectly on top of every box?

A photographer I know recently shot a wedding and reception where they turned off the deejay music and broke out the Guitar Hero! Wedding party and guests alike had a great time battling each other on the game to see who was the biggest rock star. The game Rock Band would also work well for a reception, and so would Wii. Who doesn't love the Wii? I love the Wii. I play a mean game of tennis. But I think it would make for a fun and memorable reception, plus all you'd have to do is bring in your big screen t.v. and game system from home. Super cool!

But I'm SO not showing pictures of me playing video games in my jammies. Sorry!

March 6, 2008 - new Finao album!

This new 8x8 FInao album in Lady Danger red just came in! It's gorgeous! Perfect for a boudoir album or a smokin' hot engagement session. First come first serve for this beauty!

March 5, 2008 - around the farm

It's calving season! I always enjoy going out and taking pictures of the new calves and seeing the ladies in waiting, as I call our pregnant girls. Here are a few shots from this afternoon ...

My cow, Star, and her hours-old calf.