Valimont Photography

Hi everyone!

My Photography is now available for sale at Starbucks in Atlanta on 14th street with all sales going back to the Children Need Love Organization, which helps children in India.

I’m so excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to return to India in August!

There is such a need for help there… I’m just so glad I get to be a very small part of what the country of India  needs.

Someone  asked me- “Why are you selling your photography for India? ”

Well.. a smart man once told me,  “If you want to serve and find a greater purpose… then you must first find a great need… and fill it.”

That has been my journey since returning from India last summer. I’ve wanted to find out how I can help the children I met and still be involved while here. When I could not give my time by personally being there.. I gave my gifts. Which is how the Photography at Starbucks came around.

In December I was with my friend, Jantzen, in downtown Atlanta. We had just seen the Atlanta Opera, which his brother sang in. It was amazing. The most wonderful sound that I’ve ever heard.

We stopped by this Starbucks on the way back home and I saw beautiful photography hanging on the walls.

I was amazed… and  said, “How amazing would that be if we came here one day and my photography was on the walls?”

That was the beginning of this dream.

Jantzen had a little bit more faith in me than I had in myself, and told me it would be on the walls… and soon.

Through a series of events, I was the “artist” chosen for the Month of May. (That sounds so crazy!)

I feel so blessed and honored that I can do this for the children I met this past summer.

Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing the canvases for a donation!

With India being the largest democracy in the world, it is no wonder that even the youth of this growing nation would be involved in the festivities of the next election. Children(pictured above) in Amritsar painted their faces in support of the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Kerala.

However, they are not the only ones who are wanting to show their support. Maps of India has jumped on board with their new program “Indian Elections 2009″ to keep the people of India informed about the political map and election process at all times.

Some features they have included on site are the “election calendar”, the “election forum”,  the “opinion poll” and also an area to “track your constituency.”

Whoever you may vote for, Maps of India will be sure to keep you updated on the process!

*Photo compliments of New Kerala. *

*Map compliments of Maps of India. *

To see more about the election watch the news reel below.

“I love this!,” said Janna Evans as she was posing for a night time photo shoot. “I could do this all the time!,” she said.

As easy as it was for Janna to pose and make lots of quick movements, it was not as easy for me, the photographer, at night.

Nighttime photography is rather difficult, but can produce the most dramatic pictures. There are many elements I had to consider before shooting. One of the elements was the location. Because I wouldn’t be using flash, I had to make sure the location had a good bit of lighting. There were few places in Lakeland, Florida that could provide lighting as well as scenery at 11 o’clock at night, but thankfully we got both when I chose Lake Mirror in the downtown area.

“This is such a beautiful place,” said Janna as I took her to the different locations around Lake Mirror. She wore a black and white strapless Marc and Cleo dress that was trimmed with black lace at the empire waist line. The bottom of the dress flowed freely against the backdrops I chose, with the wind blowing in all directions. It was perfect conditions.

Many of the pictures I took were close to the lake’s lights. I did this because I was not using flash and we needed a good amount of lighting. The lighting from the lights worked well as long as I was not more that five or six feet from Janna.

A recommendation I have with nighttime photography is to bring a tripod! It is a must! Pictures can get blurry if you decide to take them “free hand”, even with a high ISO setting. A tripod helps you balance the camera completely still and allows the exposure to take without movement. This will make the picture clear and concise.

“But…I want the pictures to look different,” said Janna, spring break visitor to Florida and model for the nighttime shoot. Defining the “different” was what I set out to do. The first few shots we did were casual. As I began to learn her style of posing, I learned the type of pictures she was looking for: something dramatic and fierce.

From that point on, I was able to tell her exactly how to pose and where to go to get the effects she was going for. Because she was looking for a dramatic style of photography, nighttime was perfect!

I changed the ISO settings and contrasted the colors immensely, as you can see in the picture directly left. I posed Janna so the light from the lake light would fall directly on her. This caused a black out in the picture and made for a great shot!

“I feel so pretty!,”said Janna as I was letting her review some of the shots we got. “They are all so different! How do you do it?” she said.

We captured many different styles in this nighttime photography shoot. Janna walked away with the type of pictures she was looking for and I walked away with a better understanding of nighttime photography.

One great thing about photography is there are always new techniques and new things to learn, whether it is about a camera, a style of photography, or the time you do photography, which in this case, was nighttime.

Below I have included a list of quick tips!

1. If there is not enough lighting, make your ISO higher. For this shoot I chose 800.

2. Bring a tripod! This allows for the picture to develop completely without you shaking the camera.

3. Know your location. Working at nighttime can be challenging enough, so it is important to pick a  place you have scoped out.

How do you take Portraits that have the ‘Wow’ factor?

Today and tomorrow I want to talk about taking Portraits that are a little out of the box. You see it’s all very well and good to have a portrait that follows all the rules – but it hit me as I was surfing on Flickr today that often the most striking portraits are those that break all the rules.

Read more: 10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits
Photo by PaulBence

“Fashion photography is considered to be the most glamorous and better paid genre of photography. At times this can be true, but it’s important to say that if you’re in it for these reasons you may be in for a bit of a shock.”

Read more: Fashion Photography: 4 Aspects to Work on To Break into the Industry

Experience Level – Has this person photographed other weddings? Does he/she do this for a living or for fun?

Photographic Style – Are the images that you are shown, what you would like to see? There are “buzz” words flying about everywhere about photojournalism, formal, classic candid, and so on. Do you want a mixture of black and white or only colour photos?

Truth in Advertising – Is this the photographer that will be photographing your wedding or will they send in whomever is available. Don’t be shocked, this happens more often than you can imagine. Be certain that you know which photographer is going to be there and that you see HIS/HER work and meet with that individually face to face.

Personality – Is the photographer that you meet someone that you can get along with? Is the “chemistry” there? (more…)

Giraffes at Sunset, Masai Mara Park, Kenya

Photograph by Randy Crossley

Photo by Corey McNabb.

“Wedding photography is one of the fastest-growing areas of the photography industry. But if you’re looking to join this trend or expand an existing business, it’s important to do your research first. Once you have a handle on the job’s technical and creative requirements, you’ll be better equipped to make your clients happy and attract new customers. “

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Chennai Wedding Photographer, KL.Raja Ponsing, has an inspiring story and great tips on photographing India Weddings! Please check out his blog and look at his amazing photos!

**Picture taken by Ponsing**

My next “travel abroad” trip will take me to the beautiful land of Ireland. I’m so excited! Never traveling there before I didn’t know what to expect, so I’ve been looking through photos and have attached a couple of links for you to browse through!

**Walking Sligo Beach, Ireland © atomicpuppy68**

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