I don’t need questions answered. I love your work. How do I contact you?

Contact information:

Rochester NY/Available Worldwide Photographer

email: tammy@lightcrayon.com
website: www.lightcrayon.com
For high school seniors:  www.lightcrayonseniors.com

phone: 585.797.3384

(note: I’m bad about the phone. Email is better — but if you do call me — leave me a detailed message and I’ll call you back. But, truly, you’ll get a quicker response by email….because mostly I can’t FIND my phone. ::grin::)

How much does your photography cost?

There’s a two part answer to this question — the first — is the creative fee.

I come to you or to a location of mutual agreement with all my equipment and we play for as long as it takes for us to get great photos (note: usually a typical session runs between one and three hours. The length depends on a lot of things…weather…how you or your kids are doing…the “vibe”…). My time and creativity (hence the name) costs $175.  If you are a Junior or Senior graduating in 08/09 there is a separate pricing structure — email me and I will send it to you.  And visit my senior site:  www.lightcrayonseniors.com.

Once I process your photos and you see them, you can order all kinds of things — that’s part two. If you pay for a collection — you save significant dollars. But you can also buy prints ala carte, canvases, mounted prints, holiday cards and more. I like adding things that are cool.

My full list of pricing can be obtained by emailing me directly and I’ll send you a PDF.

Creative fee must be paid when you schedule your appointment with me — or when I arrive to take the photos. And orders must be paid up front at the time the order is placed. The exception to this is if you are booking a wedding with me — and in that case payment options are available. Again, feel free to ask for more information. My wedding pricing starts at $2,700.

What about weddings and engagement sessions?

I take a limited number of sessions each year. I encourage you to inquire to see if I’m available as soon as you can.

Do you offer digital files?

Yes. This includes every file in your gallery. Prices vary depending on package.

How soon will I be able to see my pictures?

In order to better explain the answer to this question you probably should know what it takes to show you a photograph from me…

Here’s the cycle for one photograph:

1. Tammy shows up at the location of your choice with her equipment and sets up.

2. Full session of taking photographs (and I take a lot during that time) — directing, playing, trying things, etc.

3. Upload photos into “digital darkroom”. This also includes backing up the images in case of technical difficulties.

4. Choose/Select the best of the best — which means the ones in which you are not blinking, have a weird look on your face, or something else gone awry.

5. Edit EVERY picture you see in your gallery — I use Photoshop CS3 — the most up-to-date image enhancing software available. Enhancing could mean (but is not by any means limited to) — sharpening, adjusting colors, adding texture, making your skin look beautiful, removing any blemishes, generally making every photo of you the BEST it can possibly be.

A lot of photographers won’t do this — they’ll show you the images and photoshop after — or not at all — but I think it’s a much more amazing experience for you to see how beautiful each photo is in its final state. So I invest a lot of time in making sure they are perfect. It’s what makes me different, I think.

6. Number each photo for ease of identification

7. Crop and resize each image for the web.

8. Upload each of those photos into an online gallery for your viewing pleasure.

9. Meet with you to decide which photographs speak to you the most and to help you decide what to order that best meets your needs and budget. I’m not a high pressure person — I care more about whether or not you’re HAPPY with what you want and that your expectations are met without question. I appreciate that from people I’m spending money with — and I offer the same to you.

Typically, depending on how big your session was, how many images there are, you’ll be looking at your images in 2-3 weeks. Engagements/weddings usually a bit longer (2-4 weeks).

What’s a session like?

Oh — sessions are FUN! But, they are also work. We meet at an agreed upon location and time — you’ll probably have at least two changes of clothing (more on that in the next question) — and I get set up with equipment, scope out the location, talk to you about what you have as ideas and what I have as ideas. Then…we play! Laugh, talk, move around…sessions with me aren’t boring.

If we are photographing your kids — depending on them — I may ask for you to give me a little space with them so they can focus on ME while I’m taking the pictures. Sometimes it just works better that way — other times — I might ask you to stand behind me and make goofy faces at your children to get those big goofy laughs you love.

If you want really traditional poses and everyone saying “cheese” and smiling at the camera — then I am probably not the right photographer for your images. And that’s okay. There’s lots of other choices and I’d be happy to refer you to other photographers if you need help deciding.

But if you want playful, fun, dynamic, energetic, REAL photographs — then please, contact me. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

What should I wear?

If you send me an email — I can give you a list of clothing ideas for your unique family…boys…girls…maternity…engagements…seniors…each has it’s own list of unique choices that will make your session more beautiful and satisfying.

If you just want a quick answer — wear textures…layers…little coats/jackets…ripped denim looks really cool…scarves…and funky hats. Most important — no matchy matchy! The more mis-matched and interesting the clothing — the more interesting and gorgeous the images will be. If you need me to make recommendations on what to wear — I can do that too.

Can you fix my face?

Yes. That’s included in my creative fee. You never have to worry about pimples or dark circles under your eyes. It’s my goal to make you look wonderful.

What kind of camera do you have? Nikon or Canon?

The big debate. I shoot exclusively with Canon and use Canon lenses. Here’s a list of my current equipment — but it changes all the time - so if this is interesting to you — check back once in a while!

Camera bodies:

Canon EOS 1D Mark III

Canon 5D

What kinds of lenses do you have and why?

Camera lenses:

24-70 2.8L — my favorite lens! This buttery professional lens has many moods — and the one I use most often. If I only had one lens — this would be it.

70-200 2.8L IS USM — great for when I want there to be a little distance between me and my subjects. Crystal clear and gorgeous.

15 mm Fisheye — my play lens. I love love love using this lens with kids. The fisheye effect combined with funny kid faces make this the lens to “break the ice” with the kids who just won’t smile.

100 mm Macro –detail detail detail. The colors are amazing and I can get detail in a bee’s wings. Amazing!

My newest love:  24 1.4L.  Oh man.  This lens is yummy.

What’s your “style”?

If you haven’t noticed already — I like to be creative and playful when I’m working. People have described my images as fun, funky, silly, real, beautiful, stunning and unique. I look at every image as a potential piece of art that you’d be proud to have on your wall. So you’ll see me climbing on things or laying down on the ground — looking for the angle and light that will make the images stunning.

Where does the name “light crayon” come from?

A quotation that always gives me a little chill when I read it. I think it’s a powerful statement:

Remember… light is your crayon, and there’s always another color in the box. -Tedric A. Garrison

It’s something that’s always stayed with me — and because I’m always looking for light and how it looks — it’s a very meaningful business name.  And the coolest thing that happened is that Tedric Garrison emailed me about the name of my site and asked me to post pictures on HIS site!  How cool is that?!!

How many photos will you take? How many will I see?

I shoot digital — so you probably know that means I can shoot a lot of images. But — you will see somewhere around 40 fully edited images per session. Weddings are a whole other story and I’ll outline that during our initial meeting.

Can I just print photos from your website?

I’m actually glad to address this.

I want you to think about a photographer’s business generally and my business specifically for just a second. You are paying for me to come and take pictures of you and/or your family. You like the work I have done for other people and you want the same for yourself. That’s fantastic and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

But what you have to remember is that even though you are paying me to take photographs of you — the images do not belong to you — until you either buy a print or buy the digital files and the copyright for personal use from me. If I took a photograph of a tree — the tree wouldn’t own my images would it? That would be silly.

Taking photographs is my business. It is how I earn money to support my family. As much as I LOVE it and the people who become both my clients and friends — it is still a business. And if you print photos from my website without buying them or asking for my permission — that is stealing. It just is. It may seem like a not so big deal — but to me — it’s a very big deal.

I will send you links to view your own password protected images — and you can send that link and password and share it with whomever you want. I’d be thrilled if you did that!

But please, please be respectful of the time and energy and effort that I put into my work. That’s why you hired me, right?