Andy's Idea Factory

A lot of people ask me what I like to shoot best.  I'll be first to admit, I'm a super lucky girl when it comes to photography (among many things in my life) - I grew up behind the lens on that super-tough stuff called  film in the darkroom, I studied under an Ansel Adams long-time apprentice, and under several other great teachers, too. I have a degree in Visual Arts, and one more for good measure in Travel Photography. I'm well traveled.  And to me, what this all means the most is practice.   And practice always leads somewhere. I've been published, awarded, and covered.  I'm the volunteer Event Photographer for STARS , and as Marketing Director for YVSC I get to shoot all our events too. And on the side, I shoot for a little extra business here and there... a wedding a year, some headshots, some homes, some pets, some food, and random fun calls for things like engagement shoots or new skis, or an occasional instructional session... and I truly do love all ...

Steamboat's regional population is around 18,000, and in the peak weeks of tourist season, the occupancy is doubled. For those 20-40 thousand people, there are seemingly as many photographers - as any gorgeous natural beauty attracts - who are gunning for your business. Personally, I don't advertise my services; I let word of mouth lead the right people to me. I have a full time job that I adore, and I let photography - a lifelong passion - remain a hobby so it remains a passion. Needless to say, people do find me.  When I search Steamboat Photographers on Google, I don't come up, so I'm not sure how clients do find me, but I'm thankful they do. Whether it's by referral or by synchronicity, it always seems the fun people find me. The quaint  weddings , the surprise engagements at Fish Creek , the happy newborn twins , the large Florida families with matching t-shirts; those are the calls I get, and I love it. I offer my services part time to one small realty ...

Congratulations to Ken and Jaudz of Steamboat Springs, CO on their nuptials this weekend, it was an absolute pleasure shooting their wedding! They were married at the Steamboat Springs Botanical Gardens and scooted down to the Community Center for their reception. Jaudz had family come in all the way from Taiwan, which was an extra special treat! For more of Andy's wedding photography, see Portfolio on Flickr Wedding Photography Package Pricing Wedding Website- Printroom

Congratulations to Kyleigh and Dave who were married this last weekend at the Botanic Gardens with reception at the Community Center. In true Steamboat "Bike Town USA" fashion, they asked their guests to ride in and commute via bike to the dinner. The bride and groom were chauffeured to the center on Big Mountain Pedicab. It was an honor to assist pro Paula Jo Jaconetta for this spectacular wedding! For more of Paula, see www.naturalightimages.net For more wedding photos from Andy's AJDesign and Photography see: Portfolio on Flickr Wedding Photography Package Pricing Wedding Website- Printroom AJDESIGN on Facebook

In preparation for the SuperMoon out this weekend, I thought it apt to share the post I read last year by Peter West Carey from the DPS !  Use low ISOs, long exposures, and definitely a tripod to capture that beauty tomorrow night (or tonight, or Sunday night!) First, remember the moon has its own Golden (or Magical) Hour for optimal effect. The Golden Hour for moon photography has a twist though. Because the moon’s rise and setting each night varies by nearly an hour each day, unlike the suns, you have to do a lot of planning ahead. Or just have dumb luck, look to the East and notice the moon is rising. If you prefer the planning route, this site from the US Navy provides both moon and sun rise and set times for any day or location you’d like, both US and International. And then using the graphical information at Full Moon Calendar.net , it’s easy to calculate the best time for shooting. A full moon rising usually gives the most dramatic shots as the moon is c...

As many of my friends know, I have an addiction to photographing flowers, so when this email came into my inbox last week, I couldn't help but repost it!! It's got some great tips and it reminded me of what to think of when I'm shooting those small beauties. To join Digital Photography 101's list at PEPhoto click here: https://pephoto.lifepics.com Photo Tip #137: Photographing Spring Flowers Greetings Fellow Photographers! The seasons are changing again! Springtime in North America presents some incredible opportunities for taking photos as the snow melts, flowers bloom, and the weather warms up. Whether you step into your backyard for a little fresh air, or arrange a hike with your friends and family, try to spend some time outside in the coming weeks, and don't forget your camera! Close Ups You've probably seen some gorgeous close up photos of flowers and plants. A lot of these pho...

Recently I made the jump to HDR photography because a new real estate job required it.  For a few years now I've been impressed by the HDR results I've seen from my peers but haven't had the reason, other than hobby, to make the leap myself.  But once you do, it's hard to go back. Combining the light and dark exposures of a single image, HDR can capture both sunrise and sunset in the same image, that is if you have the patience for it.  Many pros think it's cheating, but as someone who grew up with the cumbersomeness (and failures) of shooting with film and the darkroom, I wouldn't label any new technology as cheating. High dynamic range imaging (HDRI or HDR ) is a technique that brings together the lightest and darkest exposures of an image into balance with computer processing through special programs.   If Ansel Adams were around, he'd be eating this system up, as it takes the time of burning and dodging images out of your "darkroom" schedule ...

A big part of Photography 201 is adding accessories and beefing up your photography inventory... here's the shortlist of what's inside my pack and on my Holiday wish list this year... I currently own a little Canon Rebel Xsi that is lightweight for skiing and hiking with, and have two lenses, 18-55mm and 75-300mm. The first accessories I purchase for a new body are extra memory cards, and then get lens filters, cap keepers , and hoods (I prefer the flexible ones over the rigid version for price and damage control) for all my lenses.  Swapping out one set of each accessory between two or three lenses just gets old, really quick, so stock up.  Lenses also don't always come with lens bags, so finding padded bags or a divided camera bag/backpack is also a must-have.  The next addition to my current setup was an angling external flash/speedlight with a white reflector. The on-camera flashes for any body, DSLR or point-and-shoot, are weak, too close to the lens, and not...

Earlier this month I was blessed to spend an entire weekend with Canon (camera)'s best of the best in Moab, Utah at the Red Cliffs Lodge photographing Arches National Park and cowboys at the ranch. One of Canon's esteemed " Explorers of Light ," Tyler Stableford instructed the class, and four Canon tech representatives and Tyler's #1 man Draper assisted us with trying out high-dollar Canon bodies, lenses of all angles and lengths during the sessions. We were instructed on Tyler's workflow , programs, and editing techniques as well, and went home with three huge prints of our best work after Sunday's critique. All in all in was one the best experiences of my lifetime in terms of photography; having not been in a classroom setting since college, I was able to pack in as much learning as I could in a short two-day workshop. Needless to say the take-away was indescribable; here are some major points for those of you who want to take your photography to the ...

Photographing a wedding is a fun, magical experience for me; I feel like each wedding is its own unique adventure that is propelled by the personalities of the couple and their families. But it can also be a stressful day if the events are hurried, so I have a thorough checklist that I prepare for myself to make sure every shot request gets taken, my equipment is up for the job, and the day flows smoothly for the bride and groom. Having planned my own wedding, that experience now lends its expertise to my day as well. Before the wedding: I always meet with the bride and groom several weeks or months beforehand to discuss their expectations and their package of choice, but then we meet again the week or day before their day to go over the site and day of events. It's often easiest to meet just before their rehearsal to see the location once again. I take these meetings to double check: List of formal and informal shots the bride has requested Wedding colors Number of guests and...

Because the market is always changing, early this summer I logged several weeks of research on the subject of Photobooks for a wedding I'm doing later this month. After reviewing dozens of sites, I only came up with about 6 that stood out above the rest. But I had overlooked one that has turned out to be one of my favorites: www.Mixbook.com Mixbook is similar to several other sites in its ease for beginners, offering dozens of templates and programming that's easy to learn. But where Mixbook excels is in some key areas for me. Their tutorials are quick and extremely helpful, from choosing themes to getting ideas to general help, these short videos are an asset to this website for sure. Mixbook offers a huge variety of packages, many different sizes of books and tons of themes, from weddings to baby books to yearbooks, Mixbook definitely makes the design process more fun than its competitors. Within each design set are dozens of page layouts to choose from, from 1 to 20 pi...

I was lucky enough to dine with Steamboat F&B Director Liz (and our husbands) earlier this month to shoot some of the great dishes at Hazie's on-mountain Restaurant. We had a long sunny evening to work with and some interesting photo results that made me realize this would be a great Photo101 post. From Hazies Food 7.31.10 When photographing food there are some key settings that your digital camera can improve your shots with. If you've been reading the other Photography101 posts , you'll already know I vehemently urge you to take the Auto Setting training wheels off and shoot in manual modes to make the most of your camera's technology and artificial intellect, which IS smarter than you (deal with it). In regards to lighting, I prefer natural lighting to flash, and an attached flash to the standard on-camera flash. The on-camera flash will make your photos look unprofessionally blown out or ill-exposed, so my tips below are focused on NOT using that standard fla...

In starting to look at photobooks as a professional add-on, I'm diving into the options with my researcher's eye. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of photo book printers and photo hosting websites out there, where does one begin? I started with the reviews at the bottom, but shortly began to see that I already had my opinions... AMS If you're an amateur, there is a plethora of choices for family-grade materials. I say family, because with little hands all over photobooks, it's a waste of money to get the super-archival, plush leatherbound versions that are meant for the treasure locker. To start, Shutterfly , Kodak Gallery , and Snapfish are all in the same league, some with more options than others, some with better base designs and help, but all starting at a reasonable price. What you get with these types is photo sharing so families can contribute to the same album. Shop them all to see which format you like the best, which is easiest for you to navigate, and...

While in Las Vegas last week, exploring the Paris casino, my husband and I squeezed into a chair, held the camera out in front of us, and snapped a self portrait. Then a stranger sitting next to us asked to help and took the same shot of us, only it was no where near the same shot. While it was a better shot of us humans, it got nothing of the background of Paris. (Notice this stranger made it into our "self" photo too!) What makes excellent photographers stand out above the rest isn't their equipment, it's their eye for composition. If you took everything I learned in four years studying visual arts and crammed it into one word, it would be "composition." What most people do when shooting photographs is look at the shot, hold up the camera, and snap. But sometimes all it takes is a different point of view and a few reminders to improve your photos results by 100%. The goal is to achieve unique photos that even if they're of something quite familia...