When kids need to get shot, so to speak...

OK, so that title is a bit questionable. But it should read; "When kids need to get shot for portraiture, head shots, or family photos or... basically anything else that requires their attention for more than 10 minutes.." But that title would have been too long and not as attention grabbing.

The point here is that I have some very interesting information from various sources about those things in our foods called dyes.

Blue Dye, Red Dye, will someday make us all Die! Dr. Seuss I am not, but pay attention now because if you are involved with kids in any way shape or form, this will probably be the most important thing you will read this year.

Every once in a while I surf the web and visit other interesting photographer's sites. And as expected, I find some pretty interesting information. About 2 months ago I visited a site titled "Headshots 101" - interesting place. But then I stumbled on a really interesting little factoid - When shooting kids, NO SUGAR BEFORE A SHOOT. Pretty obvious. But then the author goes on to mention; "Also, no foods or drinks with Blue 1 food coloring within 24 hours. That creates mood swings in kids. I know this sounds a bit hippie, but trust me, there is something to it because I see the difference in my photo shoots very dramatically. " Hmmmm?

I let yet another group that I am involved with know about this and after a short while, they discovered an interesting report recently issued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest - CSPI Urges FDA to Ban Artificial Food Dyes Linked to Behavior Problems. They have found that not only is Blue #1 on the hit list, but also Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B, Red 3, and Yellow 6. "Synthetic food dyes have been suspected of disrupting children's behavior since the 1970s."

So do your kids and yourself a favor. Get rid of all that garbage and teach them why and how to not only live a healthier life, but also look better in photographs.

Foods with artificial food dyes on display at a Washington, DC news conference. Photo credit: Moira Donahue.

Sometimes you just need to get out and shoot!

Every once in a while a thought crosses one's mind when you prepare to go out and shoot something. This time I knew I was going to shoot some July 4th fireworks.

Of course one asks, "what's so special about fireworks?" Well, nothing really. I suppose they are pretty when they go off. They make nice explosive sounds. They go boom! But that about covers it. So how can a guy like me make this more exhilarating? More interesting? More...

Understanding that the possibility exists that I might get real lucky due to the monsoon season being in full swing, I thought; "Wouldn't it be cool if I could do a little segment on Man vs. GOD?"

You know, man's little firecrackers vs. the lightning of GOD? Now that would be cool! So off I went with camera (HDV) and camera (Canon XTi) and family in tow. Zoom lenses ready. Tripods ready. Tape loaded. SD chip loaded. Focus all setup - fixed at that, shooting up to 10 miles away! Tricky for sure.

Well, this time I did get lucky, but only after being patient for about 2 hours. Patience is a virtue and the payoff is great! Enjoy.

Why we rarely shoot weddings and such**...

Well simply , I think it is against the law. I mean shooting a wedding for no apparent reason. Unthinkable.

But all jokes aside, there are a few reasons we don't like to shoot weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs or divorce parties. People just seem to get too emotional, don't follow instructions very well and most of all, are not themselves!

It's one thing to shoot the bride, then the groom and then both together. But have you ever noticed how "posed" such pictures are? First off, the bride is usually so frantic about being too perfect that her face, smile and demeanor are surreal. The groom on the other hand either has blood shot eyes from the prior night out with the guys, or simply looks stiff because he rarely if ever has worn such clothing. In the back of his mind are the thoughts about returning this darn uncomfortable tux in tact so as to not incur additional charges.

So what is a new couple "to be" to do? Well, there are plenty of photags out there that thrive at doing weddings. We don't recommend anyone specifically, but here are a few pointers on how to find a potential that will meet your needs:

1. Ask for references! - Most photag's have a portfolio and should be able to provide at least someone that they shot within the last 12 months, preferably a wedding or two. If they can't provide this, then ask them straight out if they are new to this. If they say yes, don't discard them, simply ask them what makes them think that they can handle the job. If you feel comfortable, let them come and shoot your rehearsal (at no charge) and then let them show you their stuff. Even if it is just for half an hour or so. This is not unheard of as there is only a bit of time cost on the photag's end to do this. Digitally he/she should be able to show you right away if they:

• Have a knack at catching people in a natural state.


• Know the process and procedure of a wedding.


• Know the process and procedure of your wedding. (Hey, did they ask for any specifics? If not, beware!)


• Know that people are not the only thing that needs to be shot. (How about those rings, the cake, the flowers and those nicely set tables at the reception. Then the order of things, you know, the first dance and so on.)


• And any other thing that YOU find to be important. (Back to, did they even ask?)

Why let a newbie in for a first try? To be frank, they will most likely perform at their best and not be "jaded" about the whole thing. Sometimes we have to kick ourselves off of our pedestals and remember that we all had to start at some point or another.

2. Is the potential photag organized? Simply put, when you first meet and discuss the whole deal, is he or she taking notes? Many times a photag will come across as if they know everything. But this is exactly when you run into that problem of them missing the thing the is important to YOU. It may be a simple thing of wanting a shot of you and your other half with the moon rising or the sun setting in silhouette style. Or it could be some favorite tshatshki (pronounced cha-ch-ski) that you both cherish and simply want a picture of you with it while slumped over with nasty grins on your faces and special hand signs to boot. Hey, did he take notes?

Other than those two things, one can only hope that "Murphy" is on all of your sides. That at least one good shot comes out, and that it doesn't rain and ruin those wonderfully planned outdoor shots. Oh, by the way, did the photag take notes and ask about an alternative should the weather not cooperate?

With economics being what they are, there are some other cool things you can do for yourselves that yield some pretty nifty results. Here are just a few:

• Get uncle Larry to shoot some pics for you. OK, his name may not be "Larry" but you get the idea.


• Put one of those Instamatic's on every table at the reception and let your party people do some of the work. Not only will they have fun, but you will get pictures of things you never would have thought of in a million years.


• Don't count on the photographer for hire to get every little event that happens, that would take a crew. You can of course use your own crew. (See above. You know, those Instamatic's on the tables.)

We state it clearly on our cards (see where the red arrows in the image point to? That's where.):

Here is what it says:

"**We really don't do weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs and any other overly emotional events unless you can convince us otherwise, pay us an "arm and a leg", medicate us properly and make us believe it's a party! In all honesty, such events are really not our forte."

Remember, many times and no matter what, it may end up being a crap shoot. Not literally, but it does happen that you just won't get that special shot YOU were looking for. That's where people like us come in. We can stage it after the fact, and all with no time pressure, no emotional pressure and most importantly when you are relaxed. Now that's portraiture!

Mascots are cool. They also make for great models.

In our ventures of business, I always believed it to be good idea to have a mascot. Of course sometimes you might get lucky in getting one as they are not always readily available.



We got lucky just a couple of days ago when this little fellow entered our lives.

Here are some of his stats;

Favorite things or likes:

Loves to sleep on my desk while listening to the "hum" of the computer equipment.

Loves to wake up once in a while and prance around on my keyboaafsdadjasdf afalajwwad purrrrrrfectly.

Loves to stick head in my drinking glass to see how deep down it goes.

Likes to play hide and go seek.

Likes to attack inanimate objects while pretending his is on a mission.

His Favorite Movie(s): Garfield, Ratatouille, Stuart Little

His Resume: Although he has not yet made it onto the imdb, he is working hard at learning how to be a model and pose properly. Of course he is now just in training. He is available with his buddy for movie roles and/or modeling for some finer magazines such as "Love your Kitty" or "Cats are cool" - His dream is to someday star in "Cats" the movie while meowing some of Andrew Lloyd Webber's tunes.

Fees: 1 million cat toys and a free online shopping account at his favorite store, "Toys for Cats". Oh yeah, he wants a laptop too so that he place online orders there.

So what's the moral of the story here?

We like mascots. But really they are the wonderful pets in our lives. Pets are a very wonderful treat in life, and deserve to be treated as part of the family. So the next time you decide to get yourself some nice family photos, you simply must consider your pet a part of the family.

We specialize in just that, fun , happy, and sometimes outright hilarious Memory Capturization of you, your family and of course your pets! After all they are family too.

Feel free to drop us a line and get a free no-obligation information packet. (Restrictions apply to geographical areas - currently we are serving the greater Tucson, AZ area but have been known to travel. Contact us for further information.)

Thanks for visiting!

Charmagne & Andreas