What does a Tampa portrait photographer offer?

Every once in a while I meet that rare individual who simply cannot understand why anyone would pay a portrait photographer's price when they can go down to the mall and get 200 prints for a dollar (at least that's the way it seems). I've given up on trying to rationalize with these people because they tend to think of photography as simply a recording of someones image. These are the same people who couldn't understand what all the fuss was about with those new-fangled DVD thingys...

Besides the obvious advantage of superior talent, quality, attention and all around charm and good-looks (well, some of those are true) that I offer over the retail operations, you also get significant choices after the session. With the digital age upon us, it's no longer enough to be able to just take a good picture. You need to be able to manipulate it after-the-fact.

Yesterday, I had a portrait session with the lovely and charming Marissa. She was just wonderful the whole time and a natural in front of the camera. Here are a few shots from her session with different effects:

I call this the Colorblast Effect. It's deeply saturated with color and very vibrant.

Good old fashioned black and white. Some people think that converting a picture to black and white means simply clicking a button in Photoshop (or any other photo program). While that will get you a black and white image, it won't get you very good one. This particular shot has four different adjustments on it to make it stand out.

This effect is very popular with scrapbookers (my wife is a big scrapbooker). It's actually based on an old Japanese camera that never quite got the color saturation right. It also has some vignetting, which is the darkness you see around the edges.

Finally, there's good old fashioned standard (with a little vignette).

A good portrait photographer will be able to look at your images and recommend which direction to go when choosing custom effects.

Booray perry is a portrait photographer in Tampa Bay

Tampa portrait photographers ... artists?

Yesterday I had a portrait session with Julie and her family. They called because it was a rare opportunity to get four generations of women in one picture. The session went well and everyone was pleased with the portraits.

Except me.

When you book a session with a portrait photographer (or a children's photographer, baby photographer, wedding photographer, etc...) you should be photographed by someone who considers themselves (on some level) an artist. I remember talking to my Dad one day about how people perceive photographers and he said, "The U.S. Government considers it "art," so it's "art." (Dad sometimes has a very easy answer to things..) Sometimes I feel a little self-conscious calling myself an "artist" but the fact is that taking a standard portrait involves very little artistic vision at all. It's mostly just technical knowledge about lighting and posing. It's what I do after I take the portrait that's art.

So, yesterday after we were finished with the standard portrait poses, I asked the four women if they would indulge me for a few minutes, "I want to take a picture of your hands."

This picture is, to me, much more interesting than a portrait. Four generations of women, each holding the arm of her daughter until eventually the circle is complete with the 14-year-old reaching back in time to hold on to her 98-year-old great-grandmother. I shot several different setups, some with jewelry and some without but I think the one with the jewelry is my favorite. Not only can you see the ages in their hands but the jewelry tells a story as well. The great-grandmother and grandmother wearing gold chains as has been the custom with Latino women for centuries, the mom a little more modern with her stylish watch and finally the daughter with her string friendship bracelets.

I also like this one because the bright friendship bracelets stand out. The daughter's hand is front and center, the future of the family, but you see where she comes from.... the strong women who have come before her to make her who she is today.

I don't know if I'm an artist or not but, sometimes, I think I take good pictures. :)

Booray Perry is a portrait and family photographer in Tampa Bay.

Tampa children's photographer seeks giant pencil

Bobbi and I were talking about props today. We don't have a lot of props, mostly small things like hats and toys. You would be surprised at the stuff you can buy. We have prop catalogs that will break your foot if you drop them.

We've all seen these pictures. The ones where the little boy is sitting in front of a fake pond on a fake dock with a fake bush and a fake tree and fake sky. When done wrong, these photographs are hideous... really cheesy and fake. However, when done right they can be wonderful. There is at least one children's photographer that I know of right here in Tampa that just does incredible work. Really beautiful with fantastic lighting.

So why don't I do it? Well, there's several reasons (and I won't lie, "storage" is one of them). But the main reason is that I think I would feel constricted by that sort of children's photography. I mean, once you go to all the trouble of setting up this elaborate scene, wouldn't you feel like you needed to photograph the entire scene? I work without a tripod, I move around a lot, I zoom in and out. I'm not sure that style would work well with an elaborate set up. Also, I think I would rather just go out to an actual pond and photograph.

Let me just say once again that there are some children's photographers right here in Tampa Bay that do incredible work with elaborate set staging. If by chance one of them were to come across this post I would hate for them to think that I was being critical of their work. There's nothing more idiotic than a photographer who thinks that the way he works is the only way to work. Personally, I like faces more than anything else, especially with children. So I try to keep everything else to a minimum.

One things for sure in this business, if you think that everyone else will always like what you like you're in trouble. Most of my clients come to me because they want something more "natural" then they get from the school portrait or department store portrait studio. You can bet that if the day ever comes when they start asking for elaborate staged scenes... I'll be buying my first styrofoam rock.

Booray Perry is a children's photographer in Tampa Bay

Photographing children is easier when they aren't yours...

My 5-year-old, Samantha, started Pre-K this week. Our pediatrician says that Sam has "good leadership skills," which is fancy doctor talk for, "bossy." This particular attribute paid off in spades this week because there was no drama at all when the time came to go to school for the first time ever. Sam couldn't wait for Bobbi to leave after the drop-off, "Thanks for the ride babe, see ya after school!"

One of the things that Sam was supposed to bring to school was a family photo. (Let me just sidetrack here for a second and point out that my daughter's backpack was so big and full it looked like she was getting set to hike Yellowstone. I think she actually had bear repellent in there...) Anyway, Dad's a photographer so a family photograph is easy, right? We're bound to have a ton of those, right?

Nope. Not one.

I'm always taking the pictures, I'm rarely in them. So, after dinner tonight we went up to the studio and took a quick picture so that Sam wouldn't forget what we look like during her three hours of school a day. Of course we weren't able to get a good shot because the kids were going crazy playing and it's hard to set the lighting right on yourself (sit still Booray while Booray adjusts the lighting...) but we got something that will do for now. Most of the pictures turned out like this:



As you can see, Bobbi and Sam are trying to pose for daddy while Mac runs in circles around them...


Ooops! Almost got a picture that time!

Children are like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get (and they attract ants). As it turned out, we didn't get exactly what we came for but we did get some stuff we weren't expecting...



Booray Perry is a children's photographer in Tampa who's children won't sit still long enough to take a family portrait

Wedding photographer Tampa will work for food

It's a tough market out there for a wedding photographer in Tampa and St. Petersburg. One of the things I've noticed is that people seem to break down into two types when it comes to picking a wedding photographer. Some want a wedding photographer and some want an event photographer. The problem occurs when a person thinks they want a wedding photographer but wants to pay an event photographer rate.

Confused yet? Allow me to explain...

First, lets help you figure out what you really want for your wedding. Are you getting married in a big ceremony with reception? Are you sending out announcement cards? Do you want a wedding album? Would you like professional level prints with retouching? Do you need to sit down with your photographer and discuss in detail what you want on the day of the wedding? Would you like engagement pictures or bridal pictures? If these things sound right for you than you need a wedding photographer.

Are you getting married in a small ceremony on the beach and you want a photographer to come take pictures for a few hours and give you a CD or DVD with all the images (no prints, no retouching)? When you think of your wedding photographer, do you think, "I just need someone to come take good pictures and document the event." You want an event photographer.

In Tampa and St. Petersburg you get a lot of small, beach weddings. Many times these weddings are on a tight budget and can't imagine spending $1000 or more on a wedding photographer. That's when it's good to know that you can hire an event photographer and save money. In my case, I do both event photography and wedding photography but when someone pays for a wedding package, they get much more. If you hire me at my event rate you may never meet me until the day of the wedding. I show up on time, stay as long as you are paying me for, shoot hundreds of pictures, burn them to CD for you and we're done. Because I am a professional portrait and wedding photographer, I'll naturally do whatever I can to get you good pictures.

However, if you hire me at my wedding photographer rate I'll bring you in for a consultation before you ever sign the contract and show you everything I can do for you. I'll help you figure out what you really want from the day. I may show up at the rehearsal dinner and snap some casual pics, scout the wedding venue to determine the best places to shoot and how the light falls. I'll do an engagement session or bridal session with you. If you are purchasing a wedding album I'll have that in mind as I work so that I'm sure to get pictures that will make great backgrounds and decorations. Your book and any portraits will be retouched by hand so that they are magazine quality. The list goes on...

The point is, there's something for everyone. With a wedding package you get so much more in terms of time and commitment from your photographer that you naturally have to pay more for it. With an event photographer you get a bargain price but your photographer probably won't be thinking about your wedding until he's on his way to it.

Booray Perry is a wedding photographer in Tampa St. Petersburg

There's something in my eye

I was doing fine.

I mean, it was sad and all.... Julie Roberts has just died and Sally Fields was in the waiting room giving instructions to her family about the funeral home and clothes... but I was okay with it.

Then, Sally Fields said, "Where's Jack Jr?" ... and someone said, "He's with his aunt.." and she took off running.

......and it hit me in the chest like a sledgehammer. I literally caught my breath. That's never happened to me before. But then, I didn't have children the last time I watched it...

Booray Perry is a photographer in Tampa who cries like a baby while watching "Steel Magnolias" with his wife.

Portrait session with a future MVP

I had a photo shoot yesterday with a Dad who was looking for a little bit more than he was getting from his Little League photographer. I do Little League pictures as well but when you are shooting hundreds of kids in one day it's pretty much an assembly line process with everyone getting the same pose, etc. With a custom session you get so much more time with the player and of course the pictures are retouched individually. This is a good example of an area that parents don't always think about when it comes to pictures.

If your child is into sports or cheerleading, at some point during their childhood try to have them shot by a pro. Some parents will spring for professional senior portraits but I think it pays to do it a little more often. Imagine having a pro photograph your little baseball player every year and then, when they graduate high school, presenting them with a flush-mount, custom designed photo book that documents their life in sports. That's a gift they'll keep forever and pass down to their kids!

Booray Perry is a children's and sports photographer in Tampa Bay