Quit Saying No to the Camera and Just Do It!

As the photographer in my family, I was always the one behind the camera and hardly ever in front of it.  It wasn't until a few years ago when I joined facebook that I realized I didn't have any pictures of myself.  I started looking for a decent picture to use as my profile picture and there just weren't that many to choose from.  That's when I decided that I needed to be in front of the camera at least some of the time too.  Don't get me wrong, behind the camera is a more pleasant place for me to be.  So, I started putting the camera on auto and handing it to one of my family members to snap off a few shots of me.  The idea that someday my great, great grandkids might know what I looked like, makes me happy.

On to you....

I know all of the excuses.  I've used most of them.  I'm fat.  I'm not dressed right.  My hair is a mess.  I don't have on any make-up.  Blah, blah, blah...  I guarantee you, no matter what you look like now, in ten years you will look back and think, "hey, I didn't look that bad".  Growing up, I had those Paparazzi uncles that always had a camera and were snapping off candid shots at every family gathering.  It kind of made me feel weird.  Guess who is the Paparazzi now?  Ha!  It's me.  I beg you to go ahead and get in front of the camera.  Don't take yourself too seriously.  Have fun with it.  You will have wonderful memories on paper or maybe even your walls!

I'm about to start a new project that I call 30 Days of People.  I want to photograph a different person every day for 30 days.  I imagine that I won't have a problem getting people in the 20 - 30 year old age range, it's the people that are my age that I'm worried about.  Just remember, you don't have to be perfect to look good in a photo.  Most of the people that I meet are beautiful in one way or another.  I hope to show that to the world.  Flaws be damned!  I'm doing this!

Now, go get in front of that camera!  Better yet, call me.  :)

Vicki~

Open Shade is Your Friend!

Have you ever heard of open shade?  Well, let me tell you that it is your friend!  Our family photos are usually dictated by the time of day that an event happens.  Have you ever taken pictures at you child's soccer game at noon or 2 o'clock in the afternoon and they were less than impressive?  The harsh light and strong shadows are more than likely to blame.  

Open Shade

Open shade is the sweet spot between dark shade and harsh light.  Try this:  Go outside in mid afternoon, take a picture in full sun.  Now, step just inside of your garage, porch or even the shade of a building.  Step just behind the line on the ground between shade and sun.  Now take a picture.  Yep, you've found the sweet spot.  Be careful when standing your subject in the shade of a tree, because there can be mottled shade there.  You don't want a picture with bright spots on your subject's face.

I see this all the time.  How many photos do you have that look like the first example below?  Well, with a little planning they are easy to avoid.  Look for open shade and use it!

These two photos were taken within minutes of each other.  See the difference?  They were taken in the afternoon when the light from the sun was still pretty harsh.  The picture below was taken when I moved my subjects into open shade.  They are well lit with less distracting shadows. 

Try it and let me know how it works out for you.  I think you'll find that your family photos will be very much improved.

Vicki~

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Vicki Tate Photography

Our Tennessee trip...

Two weeks ago, my daughter and I drove to KY and surprised my mom with a weekend visit.  In return, she surprised me by coming home with us for a week.  We made plans to reupholster a winged back chair that I'd wanted to recover for a while.  My mom knows how to do so many things.  She has reupholstered furniture, boat seats and car seats.  She can sew, knit, crochet and paint.  She has recently taken up photography too.  We spent a few days driving around, searching for the perfect fabric, but to my dismay, it was not to be found.  So we moved on to plan B.

Lynchburg, TN

Whiskey barrel planters on the square in Lynchburg, TN.

We drove to Lynchburg, TN, home of the Jack Daniels Distillery.  It's a quaint little place with a town square and a population of 6000+.  On the square you'll find leather shops, restaurants and fudge made with Jack Daniels whiskey.  There's a lot of history there and the people are very friendly.

We stopped in a few of the shops and talked to the locals, then I headed to Nina's candy shop.  I can't go to Lynchburg without bringing home some Jack Daniel's fudge.  Yum!




Falls Mill
We made our way to Fall's Mill through the backroads.  We actually didn't know that's where we were going until we stopped at Tim's Ford Lake and I picked up a few flyers.  We saw this beautiful place on one of the flyers and I remembered seeing a post on facebook about it.  I was sure that this place would be right up our alley.  I was right.

Finding it was an adventure in itself.  I'd never been before and had no idea how to get there.  I stopped at a gas station and got directions from a man that said he was going to "keep me out of town".  Ha!  So off on our journey we went.  Looking for roads that we had never heard of out in the middle of nowhere.  Found it!  I'm usually good at that.  I supposedly have some native american heritage, I guess that's where I get my sense of direction.

The mill was built in 1873 and has been used as a cotton and woolen factory, a cotton gin and a woodworking shop.  Today the wheel still works and is used to power millstones to grind cornmeal, flour and grits.

The second floor of the mill is used as a museum and that's where I found myself lost in photography.  I thought all of these dust covered relics lent themselves well to an antique photo treatment.

Game of checkers, anyone?

Ball jars from days gone by.

I'm really glad that I never had to sew on this.  :)

I just couldn't resist these.  :)

One ringy, dingy, two ringy, dingy....I can see Lilly Tomlin with this phone in her hand.

As a graphic designer, I had to get some shots of this old printing press.  They are still using it today.

This is a gear from one of the weaving machine.

These are old record and ledger books.

Needless to say, my mom and I had a great time on this trip.  Sometimes, the best trips are the one's that are close to home.  We wished that we had more time at the mill but we had to get back home to start dinner.  As we were leaving, these two beauties posed for us.

I'm so glad that we had this time together.  I love my mom.  <3

Why I love The World's Longest Yard Sale - 675 miles of treasure

Last weekend, I made my annual trek to The World's Longest Yard Sale.  My friend Annette and I have been doing this for quite some time.  We can't really remember exactly how long we've been doing it, but we're pretty sure it's been 8 to 10 years.

The World's Longest Yard Sale is 675 miles long.  It starts on US 127 in Hudson, Michigan and travels all the way to Gadsden, Alabama.  When we first started going, it was a week long event.  It has since been cut down to a 4 day weekend.  In the past, we got up early, met at Publix and headed to Mentone, Alabama.  We've always started in Mentone and gone south to Gadsden where the yard sale ends.  From there we would usually head to Ft. Payne to eat at the Cracker Barrel and then back home.

Winston Place Bed & Breakfast in Mentone (Valley Head), AL

This year we did things a little different.  We drove to Valley Head Alabama on Thursday night and stayed at a Bed & Breakfast.  I must admit that this felt a little awkward for me.  I'd never stayed at a B&B and thought it odd that my first time was with my friend and our daughters.  I LOVED IT!  When we arrived, we found ourselves sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs talking to complete strangers and enjoying the conversations.  Everyone that was staying there, was there for the yard sale.  The second floor, the floor that we stayed on, was all people from our hometown of Huntsville.  Small world.  There was even a couple there from California!  She was an amateur antiques dealer and was so excited about the treasures that she might find.  At breakfast, she was telling us that her husband was so happy because the night before, he caught his first firefly ever!  I thought wow, I've been doing that since I was a wee tyke.  If you've never stayed at a B&B, you should definitely try it.  Breakfast was served like a big family meal.  We all sat and ate at a big table in the dining room.  Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs with cheese, french toast casserole, hash brown casserole, grits, bacon, sausage, coffee, juice and fruit.  Sound like enough food to you?

The couple that own Winston Place are so very nice.  She is a teacher and he runs the B&B.  Yep, you heard that right, he cooked all that breakfast for us.  I asked if I could send my hubby up there for training and he said "Sure!  I've trained quite a few husbands".  :)  He played football for the University of Alabama and has the rings to prove it.  I plan on going back with my husband soon.





Annette and her daughter are so very organized.  They bring lists of things that they are looking to find.  This year it was things for the wedding in September.  I, on the other hand, fly by the seat of my pants.  I might have something in mind to look for but for the most part, I'm just looking for things that are different or out of the ordinary.  I have a flattened Coke bottle wind chime that I bought from a man that lives on the mountain last year.  I paid $12 for it and I just love it.  He melts the bottles flat in a kiln in his backyard.  A couple of years ago, I found a huge decorative plastic ladle, the kind that you would hang on the wall.  I paid a whopping $1 for it.  It was painted brass or bronze and pretty old.  It has since faded to black and that just adds to it's beauty.  I drilled a small hole in it and hung it on my back porch.  Sometimes, I fill it with flowers, other times I fill it with bird seed.  I have been asked many times where I found it.  People seem to really like it.

I also have to mention that this year three of the four of us were injured.  My daughter, Heather was stung by a yellow jacket.  She cried out and when I looked around to see her, the stinger was still in her thigh.  I used my Jeep key to scrape it off.  It was huge!  Annette and I were stung too but we're not sure what got us.  That wasn't a good way to start the day.  I'm just glad that none of us had an allergic reaction because we were in the middle of nowhere.

These shots are from the garden lady's house.  She is the sweetest thing, my idea of a perfect southern grandmother.

We have met some very interesting people on the yard sale.  Some of them are in the same spot every year.  We took a side road a few years ago and came across an older couple at their home.  He sells used/repaired lawnmowers and yard equipment and she sells odds and ends and flowers that she grows in her garden.  I think we've been to their house for the past three years now.  She remembered us this year.  Her garden is so big.  They have cows, chickens and dogs.  She always tries to give us something.  She saves the seeds from some of her flowers in envelopes and sells them.  I have some of her seeds myself.

Lirpa-Anad-Nitsud
April - Dana - Dustin?  my guess

This year I came across this larger than life, really cool robotic sculpture.  I had to take a pic of it.  After taking the picture, I noticed that it had a paper in a plastic cover attached to it.  When I got close enough, I realized that this man had created this art for his grandchildren who have Cystic Fibrosis.  The note tells a little bit about the children and then asks, if you enjoyed seeing this sculpture, please donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Notice the red box by the base.  It has a slit for the money to go in and is chained to the sculpture.  This is literally in the middle of nowhere on the mountain.  I found this very interesting and touching.

Herbie the Love Bug - all decked out and pulling a trailer.  Gotta love that!

This is why I love The World's Longest Yard Sale.  You never know who or what you're going to come across.  For me, it's more about the interaction with other people and the thought of finding something really cool and out of the ordinary.  That's why I go and that's why I'll keep on going.

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young lady who fell in love with a handsome young man. They got married on a warm sunny day in May. I had the pleasure of shooting Heather and Ryan's wedding and what a beautiful wedding it was. It was set at the Botanical Gardens, which made a wonderful backdrop.

I know photographers that say the very thought of shooting a wedding makes them cringe. I love weddings. I love that the bride has asked me to document the most important day of her life. I love all of the beautiful things about a wedding, the excitement of the bride, the somberness, pride and love that you see from the parents. I love to see the look on the groom's face the first time he sees his beautiful bride all decked out for the day. I wonder how many times I can say the word love in one paragraph? :)

I didn't set out to become a wedding photographer, it just kind of happened. A family member asked me to assist her at the wedding of a friend of hers. Since then, I've shot five more weddings. At first I wasn't sure this was what I wanted to do, but now, I love it. I don't get nervous, I just get focused. There is a certain flow to weddings and it helps if you know when and where things will happen. That's the key to being in the right place, at the right time, for the right shot.

Here are some of my favorite shots from Heather and Ryan's wedding and engagement shoot.

Please, shoot me on the beach!

A couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call from my sister in law. She said that they wanted to get some of my nieces senior pics done while they were at the beach. She had already called around and priced photographers in the area. So she calls me and asks if I would like to come down to the beach and do the job. She said she would pay me the going rate and I could stay with them in their condo for FREE! It didn't take me long to decide to say YES!

This was my first beach shoot. It was fun but had it's challenges too. We were a little late getting down to take the photos, so light was a little bit of an issue. Lucky for us the sun peeked it's shiny little head around a tall building of condos just long enough to get some nice shots. These were shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and a Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens. Some have fill light added with a Canon 430EX II flash.

I'm pretty happy with these images and more importantly, so is she.  :)

I talked my hubby into going with me .  We booked a condo at The Breakers in Ft. Walton.  It was a quick trip and has left me wanting more beach time.  On my last morning there, I woke up early.  Five o'clock early.  So I decided to grab my gear and head over to the bay for some sunrise photo goodness.  There's just something about being up at sunrise and shooting the freshness and start of a new day.

These images were shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon 24-105 f/4L lens.  That lens is awesome.  I underexposed these shots in camera to get the effect that I was looking for.  I wanted to silhouette most of them being that I was shooting into the sun.

If you've never gotten up and shot the sunrise, especially while at the beach, I highly recommend it. ~Vicki

A new baby is on it's way!

I recently had the opportunity to photograph a friend's pregnancy. She's having her second child and she looks beautiful. I met Delila a couple of years ago when I was hired as a seasonal employee for Costco. We went through training together. After Christmas I was given a position in the photo lab and stayed there for a few more months. I decided that retail hours weren't for me and I was going to try my hand at my own business.

This session was lots of fun. I not only wanted to document her pregnancy but also show the love that they obviously have for each other. They are so cute together, they made my job easy.