Remembering Bill Currie – As the world moves on

This week I lost a dear friend. Bill Currie passed on Monday, October 26 alone in his home. Currie was my high school journalism professor, but for me and so many of his previous staff members he was so much more. I spent yesterday evening among many of his family members, fellow faculty members and past students and staff members as we gathered to celebrate the magnificent life of this man and to say goodbye to our friend.

It would take me a million pages to sum up the man so anything I write will fall quite short. Currie was a man of legend… rarely did my sixteen-year-old self believe the outlandish stories he would tell on a weekly basis in that journalism workroom, however six years later I would never have second guessed a word he uttered. This is a man who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and yet found some of his greatest moments in a small classroom at a Mid-western high school. At sixteen, when I knew it all, he was a man in the way… he was a speed bump in every day, an obstacle. Being stubborn myself, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was always right, even when his ideas were off the wall. He loved us though, although most of us did not come to realize that until long after graduation.

And I feel the need to stop right now to say he would HATE every other word that I have written. I will never end a sentence with a preposition, misspell a word, use an ellipse, or a conjunction without thinking of this man.

Older and wiser (in the sense that I am now aware of my own ignorance) I have come to know how special Currie was to each student who was lucky enough to know him. He was a man who could have been anyone and could have done anything, yet he was, and lived to be, our teacher, mentor and friend. His purpose was to bring the best out in all of us, and in my case I can say that he was able to do that… and that he still is helping me be the person I am suppose to be.

I will miss him dearly, though knowing him he will never quite be gone. His mark is clearly stamped on my life and each time I set down to write even a thank you note I will think of him.

Now I must pick up my life where I left it 3 days ago and move forward. Though it is often difficult to face the fact that the world is speeding by despite the fact that something so earth shattering has happened, we must… we must pick everything back up as it was before and move forward. So with that I bid farewell to my friend, mentor and greatest teacher Currie. Every ounce of success I hope to find I dedicate to you!

Linn High School Senior – Senior Images

I had a blast photographing my first senior from Linn high school. Quinton was awesome to photograph and we had a great time. I love being able to use locations with meaning to my clients and we  definitely accomplished that on Quinton’s session shooting at both his high school and his church. Here are two of my favorite images!

Great Location Shoot – Stacia

Last weekend was a full weekend for SJP! One of my favorite shoots of the weekend was with Stacia (a friend of mine from elementary school!). We took Stacia out to one of my favorite locations to try out some new areas and got a lot of great shots!

These are just a few of my favorites.

Kansas City Weddings 2009

Here are just a couple images from my most recent wedding in downtown Kansas City. I love photographing in KC, the hotels, churches and reception halls are all so beautiful. I am moving toward making my photographs more than just camera generated images. You will notice overlays like the one in this image in more of my recent work. To me it makes them art not just images. As always I appreciate feedback so let me know what you think of the latest look.

Sarah Jane Photography – Boutique Boudoir

I am but a few months from graduating with my degree in photography and though the company is growing quickly, I wanted to evaluate my identity as a photographer before stepping into the field full time in December. It did not take me long to find who I was as a photographer once I decided to listen to myself and not the others around me. I am excited to announce that SJP will be blossoming into a contemporary wedding and boutique boudoir studio. Though studio location and space are not set in stone as of now, the company (and myself) has found its identity.

It was never my goal to be a jack of all trades. It is my style to be great at something and let others handle the things I cannot do perfectly. So ladies… as of now the focus of SJP is you! Every woman is spectacular, though most do not see themselves as so. My passion is uncovering that hidden beauty and sexuality and my goal is to redefine boudoir photography. For me, boudoir is not about sex – it is about a woman’s beauty.. her strength, her confidence and yes also her sexuality. Watching a woman who is a wife, mother, daughter, career woman and more on a daily basis step in front of my camera and come alive is an amazing sight. I never get over hearing “You made me feel so beautiful and sexy, and it was so much fun!” with a surprised tone. Yes ladies, its fun!

Below are a few images from my most recent boudoir session. Look for more to come as I have multiple booked over the next few months.

***If you are interested in booking your own boudoir session please call, email or TEXT me at 573.690.7427 or mail@sjanephotography.com. (If texting: be sure to include your name and email address).

2010 Senior Models!! – GET AMAZING DEALS

It is time for our 2010 senior model search! SJP is looking for a senior from each high school in the Jefferson City, Columbia and Warrensburg areas! Email me today to see if the model position for your school is still available (mail@sjanephotography.com). 

Models will receive 50% off the session of your choice and 24 wallets (pose for the free wallets is photographer’s choice). Plus, get 24 rep cards featuring 10 poses from your session. Each rep card is yours to give away to your friends and each card is worth 30% off your friend’s session and 4 free wallets for you (free wallets must be from already purchased pose). 

 

New Photo Products – Jewelry!

This year we have added a new line of photographic jewelry to our product line. I am excited about these contemporary designs and for the opportunity to get creative with my imagery by giving clients a great way to have their images with them anywhere.

 

NOTE: Images shown on the jewelry are not images take by Sarah or SJP.

Happy Birthday Sarah Jane Photography, LLC

Last week SJP celebrated 1 year in business on September 3rd. Though work continued as usual it was an exciting milestone and I honestly cannot believe it has been an entire year. Thank you to all my first year clients, we had a great year and I love each of the clients we added to the SJP family. This next year I look forward to some major expansion including the addition of new equipment (beginning with a new computer which should arrive next week) and as always I hope to grow my client base to serve more Kansas City/Columbia/Mid-Missouri brides, seniors and families.

 

August Give Aways!

As I wrap up wedding season and things start to slow down, I am looking to schedule a couple FUN shoots just for me. So what does this mean for YOU? — FREE SESSION!

To start my new line “Pretty in PJs” I am giving away 2 boudoir sessions. My inspiration is a new type of boudoir that captures the confidence and sweet sexiness of modern women. Call me to book one of these two FREE sessions!

Keep in mind these are not your traditional “pin up” images these will focus on your subtle sexiness in your PJs!

Red Wing Quick Stand is back! Cheetahstand.com

Every wedding photographer MUST HAVE a Cheetahstand! The Red Wing Quick stand WAS the amazing quick stand of the past and has now been off the market for far too long. I have been searching for over a year now for one on ebay, and just about every where else possible.

 

I found a new solution in the Cheetahstand! They have only been on the market for a few weeks, but I got mine delivered today (ordered just two days ago) and after initial inspection I am thrilled!

This is definitely a must have!

VISIT WWW.CHEETAHSTAND.COM!

Rene & Andrew Wedding

July 4th Wedding in Fulton, MO with an amazing couple. These are a few of my favorite images. See more on the SJP facebook page: CLICK HERE!!!!

To book your wedding date today contact me at 573.690.7427 or mail@sjanephotography.com! Book before August 1, 2009 and get $75 print credit bonus!!!

Ashley & Darren

Here are a few images from my most recent engagement session in Columbia, Missouri. We had a great time in the nice weather in downtown Columbia and in the beautiful greenery at Shelter Gardens.

To book you own session visit www.sjanephotography.com or contact me today (573.690.7427 – mail@sjanephotography.com).

Summer Bonus from SJP

Brides, book your wedding date in July and get a bonus $75 print credit! Book in August to get $50 print credit! That is $50-$75 in FREE prints!!!
The SJP wedding catalog (and prices) will be updated in September so lock in your date now to get the best deal before prices increase.

CURRENT CLIENTS: Refer a friend and get a $10 print credit when you friend mentions you when they book ANY session!!!

Maud & Josh Thompson

Thompson Wedding

Rene & Andrew – Engagement

I recently spent the afternoon in Fulton, Missouri with this beautiful couple and we had a blast! These are some of my favorite images and I can’t wait to photograph this Rene & Andrew’s wedding day!

Check out a slideshow of their shoot HERE

Fine Art “Designer Image” Gallery

View Slideshow

My instaproofs gallery will now feature a fine art “Designer Image” gallery! This gallery will contain an ever-growing selection of my fine art images including still life (flowers & glass especially), landscapes and much more!

So if you are looking for some original artwork to liven up your home or office this is a great place to look! Visit the gallery HERE!!!

Instaproofs! Online Proofing

My online proofing just got better! I have been experimenting with Instaproofs recently for my online proofing and from what I have seen in just a couple weeks I would have to say that instaproofs is a superior alternative to photoreflect.

I encourage all of you who utilize online proofing or ordering to check into instaproofs. Plus: Include my name (Sarah Gaughan) and e-mail address (sarahjanephotos@aol.com) in your registration information (there is a section dedicated to referals)! So get started proofing and sharing with other photographers!

I will have to point out two drawbacks to the system. 1) Their slideshow feature showcases images in a great slideshow, however the images are blurry despite any resolution changes. 2) Their black & white/ sepia display options to not allow the client to togle through the options on one large image, instead they showcase three smaller images in the three options.

Overall I have to say I’m happy with the switch.

Sarah Jane Photography – Now on MySpace & Twitter

You can now find us on Twitter and MySpace as well as here on wordpress, facebook and at our home site!!! This is truly a world based in technology as we now have 5 web presences!

I am also excited about being on google maps and in their business directory where you can write a review of our products and services! You can also find special offers and coupons here throughout the year! Keep checking back as the coupons will change.

Through these online resources I intend to connect with my clients in a new way. Photography is a very personal field and I hope to build a relationship with each and every client! PLUS our online pages contain special offers and announcements to keep you up to date on studio updates, new promotions and SAVINGS!!!

Portrait Retouching Class – Imaginomic Portraiture Plug-In

Imaginomic Portraiture Plug-In = The most amazing tool since the healing brush for portrait retouchers!

I was excited to have the opportunity to be the guest speaker in Professor Tom Mitchell’s Digital Imaging class a few weeks ago. During my time with his two classes I had the opportunity to teach them a little bit of traditional portrait retouching, but I really wanted to take that chance to introduce them to the tools that make in-house retouching profitable and that of course meant introducing them to the Imaginomic Portraiture Plug-In.

This program runs a little under $200 and cuts my total retouching time from about 7 minutes to under two minutes for each image. I am sure there are photoshop masters out there that will laugh at even my 2 minute retouch time, and I do not claim to be an expert retoucher (I am quite far from that). I do, however, like most of you do anything that I can to increase the profit of my young business and this tool has been my retouching answer.

I got this plug-in when I was at the point that I could no longer retouch my own images. It was taking me too long to finish each image and I did not want to impliment pose limits in my collections (I do not like to limit my clients and thus my sales). I was already in negotiations with another student who was attempting to make some extra income through retouching. She was going to charge a very reasonable $1.50-$2.00 per image file which was a competitively priced option. However, I received quite a shock when I looked at the first order I was set to give her and since it contained an album I was looking at retouching a little over 50 images! For that order $200 of my profit would have been eaten away at for retouching alone. That same $200 instead could cover the cost of the plug-in which will idealy retouch hundreds of thousands of images!!! What a savings! I could not ignore that fact.

I am not going to attempt to explain the tool here or tell you how to use it, Imaginomic does a great job of that on their site which I have provided links to above. I just wanted to take the chance to introduce you to the plug-in to get you started.

Also, if you are interested here is the powerpoint presentation I used to introduce this product to Professor Mitchell’s class. Educators please feel free to use this powerpoint in your own classes. Please recognize however that all the images used in the powerpoint are copyrighted by Sarah Jane Photography.

Portrait Retouching PowerPoint

THANKS FOR READING!

2009 UCM Photography Expo Print Competition – 5 WINS

This year’s UCM Photography Expo Print Competition turned out great. There were a record number of print entries into 19 total categories including a few new categories like Album Design, Film and High School Seniors.

I am happy to say that I came home with 5 total wins, adding to my two 1st in the 2008 competition and one 2nd and one 1st from the 2007 competition.

This year I took:

- 1st place in the Commercial category with “Extreme”

-1st place in Film category with “Cherry Chrome”

-2nd place in the Wedding category with “Waiting”

-2nd place in the Album category with “Carrie and Michael”

- 3rd place in the Fashion category with “Urban Fruit”

I will post these images very soon! 

I am excited to have won even a single award. Photographing for competition is extremely difficult, and it is my goal to hold a class next semester in how to shoot and select images for competition. I am honored to have these awards and I want to congratulate all the other wonderful photographers that took home ribbons this year as well. I also want to wish next year’s contestants the best of luck!

Congratulations to all those who participated. This year’s competition was full of truly amazing work by some young and very talented photographers!

I’m Back … Business is Booming :)

Hello Hello Hello!!!

My New Year’s Resolutions have officially crumbled. Though I planned to post every week I have failed to even get every month covered! Things are winding down now as the Spring semester ends and I am finally able to breath (well after next week anyway).

Though this semester, I have proved that my life can get busier and crazier than it was last semester I have had some amazing opportunities in the past few months, and I hope to share my experiences with you all! For one, I had the opportunity to teach a couple classes this semester for one of my favorite professors, Tom Mitchell. My next post will showcase the information that I shared with his class and you can view it on my “For Photographers” page HERE.

I also had the opportunity to work with an amazing woman, Jan MacLaughlin, to get a start on my “Beautiful Strength” breast cancer project. I will post a few images from this shoot VERY soon. Jan was amazing to work with and her story touched my heart as I am sure it will touch yours. She has two beautiful boys and a loving husband and the family is quite a force to be reckoned with and with them fighting together, her cancer has no chance.

Personally, this semester has been one to remember as well. After a year out of eachother’s lives my best friend and I found our way back to each other. As I am sure most ladies will agree, no relationship parallels that between you and your best girl friend. We are and forever will be sisters at heart and I am happy to have my  back! Recently, we came to the conclusion that at graduation we would have to decide on future plans together because we are not sure we can live in separate houses again let alone separate cities or states. God truly does give you the people you need when you need them.

My business has found success this year as well. The artist in me still struggles to tap into the accountant in me as I trudge through taxes, bookkeeping and filing but I will keep on keeping-on as always. I am happy to have almost ten new brides in the SJP family and am excited to be working on some great new products and programs.

Thank you for stoping by, and hang with me there is more to come!!!

Recent Photo Shoot – Megan Snow

This is one image from a recent photoshoot with the beautiful Megan Snow (whom you may recognize as Ms. December from last year’s “Undergrads” swimsuit calendar). This is one image I took some time to play with. Though I have way to much work to do, I needed some photographic time to myself, and it manifested itself in the following image:

Assistants Needed!!!

Hello All!!

UPDATE: This session is now ONLY going to be outdoor portraits. So you will only be reflecting/lighting the subjects (Brooke & Rich) outside, there will be no studio portion so no setup/tear down!

I am in need of a non-shooting assisnant for a couple’s session I have on Tuesday, February 10th at 12:15.  This session will include an indoor/studio portion as well as an outdoor porttion. Your duties will consist of helping to setup/tear down the studio setup and mostly helping to reflect and light the couple outside.

What’s the benifit for you? I will teach you anything I can in that time period as you get the chance to watch photography in a real-life situation during a real session.

This will be a very quick session as we will be fitting it all into the couple’s lunch break, so your help will be very important!

I would appreciate your help!!

Thanks!

“Beauty Survives” Breast Cancer Project – The Beginnings

My newest undertaking is one that I hope becomes on of my most powerful accomplishments. Inspired by Marry Ann’s photography in the book Fearless Women: Midlife Portraits and the unique and unforgettable experiences of an unexpected summer job, I have decided to create a tribute to the beauty and strength of women touched by breast cancer.

I am just now setting out on this journey, hoping to have a completed product by May 2009, and for this to blossom from my idea to a concrete reality I need your help! I will need the help of many so I am starting here to attempt to reach my clients as well as some stray blog readers. I intend to explain my inspiration and reasoning behind why I have choosen to begin this project as well as to share with you what I intend to create.

So I will start with the INSPIRATION… the WHY?

This past summer, home from college and without a job, I grew quite bored and approached my mother with the plea to find me a job, any job, for the summer. (She works in the human resources department at the local hospital, and I had worn out the classified ads and grown tired of hearing “We don’t hire for temporary summer positions”).

The answer to my boredom and job need came in an unexpected way? I would be driving a golf cart around the parking lot of the cancer center at the local hospital while they did construction. Not really the next career move I saw myself making, but I though “Hey, I’ll be outside (which was great until it rained), it will be low stress and it will get me out of the house for a bit.”

So I accepted the job, and began shuttling cancer patients to and from their cars in a nearby lot for six hours a day. Needless to say I did not foresee this job having much of an impact on me, but you never guess where you will find the greatest inspiration or who will touch your life at the most unexpected time.

I didn’t know what to expect having never been around many sick people, let alone anyone with cancer. Over the first couple days, I wrestled with how to act and treat the patients. Do I help them in the cart? Do I carry their things? I didn’t want my actions to come across offensive, whether that offence came from me assuming they could not do it themselves or from me being rude and not offering my help. This internal struggle all stemed from the fact that I had not interacted with ill patients before now.

It didn’t take long for me to look past the “patient” and see the person. And these were wonderful people. Some regulars whom I knew by name and even car in just a week or so and some one timers whom I may have seen only once. The “regulars” touched my life the most. As I said, I had never known anyone with cancer, so I expected to see sick, defeated patients who were going through the motions of maintaining life with this death sentence. This is not what I encountered. Cancer was not a death sentence to these people, to some it was just a minor speedbump that meant pausing from their normal retien to receive treatment, and then returning to the rutein a few hours later. These people were full of life and love and happiness, and I had the privilege to brighten their day for just a moment with a fun and unexpected ride and more importantly a loving human interaction.

Even working their for only the few weeks I did, I was overjoyed to notice an improvement in the health of many of my “regulars.” These were not dying patients, they were living people who were fighting for their lives and winning. Sadly I also watched some of my “regulars” get worse, as those who originally declined my rides, perfectly capable of walking the 100 feet to the door,  now relied on my cart to make the treck to the distant entrance.

Two of my most memorable riders were Nancy and Joe, two of the sweetest individuals God has placed on this planet, and the couple to whom I had the most instant connection, as my aunt and uncle are also named Nancy and Joe. Nancy was the most grateful to see me arrive outside her car on the first day. And she inspired me on my last day of work when she came in for what I thought was her weekly radiation therapy. (I never asked many questions about why the patients were here, many told me, but I never probed beyond what they offered, so for most I was unsure what type of cancer they had or even how bad it was).

On Nancy’s ride back to the lot, I informed her that that day would be my last, as I would be going back to college the next week and they would be discontinuing the service now that the parking lot had reopened. We exchanged the expected, “it was nice to meet you” and she informed me that she had been in for a checkup since she was leaving on a cruse to Alaska next week. I told her to have a great time and hung my keys up, putting an end to my career as a golf cart driver.

It was Nancy’s trip that touched me that day. Her strength and the strength of all those I met in my time there was something miraculous and beautiful and something I felt I needed to share with others. She was doing more with cancer than I had every done without it. I would be lucky to see the beauty of Alaska in my lifetime.

Photography is my passion and my gift and thus I knew that I could have the most powerful impact by utilizing that skill to show, not tell, the world of the beautiful strength of those touched by cancer. And thus, the Beautiful Strength project was born.  

 

So now you are probably curious about the WHAT? (At least I hope you are)

It is my goal to create a book that illustrates the beauty and strength of women touched by breast cancer, those fighting it now and those who have already won the battle. This book will contain a beautiful and illustrative individual portrait of each women. The image will showcase both her beauty and strength and hopefully capture a bit of what she wants you to see, the story she wants to tell. Along with this I will let these women do just that, tell their story.

So now I need your HELP.

I NEED:

Dress Designers/Boutique/Department Stores: My goal is to fit these women with beautifully eligant evening gowns for their images. Giving them the chance to shine in a beautiful gown that makes them feel like a movie star.

Make-up / Hair Stylists: Again to showcase each woman’s natural beauty and give her an experience she will not forget and the pampering she deserves.

Studio Locations: My resourses limit me to the Warrensburg area, and I would love to give more women the opportunity to be involved and share their story in this book, so if you are a studio owner willing to open up your studio for this project to come to your area for a shoot I will travel anywhere!

Breast Cancer Patients! Most importantly I need women willing to take part in this project and share their story.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF THE “BEAUTIFUL STRENGTH” PROJECT PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT SARAHJANEPHOTOS@AOL.COM.

I am still working out all the details of the project, but I hope to donate a percentage of the proceeds made from the sale of the book to the Susan G. Koman breast cancer foundation, and I also hope to be able to provide each participant with a free copy of the finished book as well.

I can’t wait to get started and I thank you all in advance for your help and support.

SJP 2009 Resolutions – Imaging USA (Coming back home)

Hello ALL!!! It has been quite a long time since my last post due to many factors. One of my many New Year’s Resolutions for Sarah Jane Photography (SJP) is for me to remain more connected to my clients by posting more often to my blog, and including a bit more of myself in the posts. My hope is that in 2009 my blog will become a real connector between my clients and myself.

I spend the last week in Phoenix, AZ at Imaging USA with 10,000 other photographers. I have done my best to soak up as much information and new ideas to be implemented into the SJP experience in 2009. I hope you all enjoy the changes to come and appreciate the atmosphere and ideals of SJP that I pledge not to change. While looking at the great ideas and practices of the hundreds of photographers I had the chance to speak with, I came to the conclusion that while their great ideas are wonderful for them, I can only take the bits of their advice that fit with my vision and my company. I am committed to giving my clients a one of a kind experience. I am not Anne Geddes, Sandy Puc’ or DeEtte Salle nor to I even intend to be. These are great photographers and that I do plan to be though I intend to find this greatness along a unique path.

This rant is essentially my pledge to my past and future customers that I am me and that is what they will continue to get in 2009, hopefully I will continue to grow and change in 2009 and I intend to bring my company along that route of change. I have some great ideas for 2009 including new products (like jewelery), new sessions (pets!!), and a renewed focus! I hope you all continue to enjoy your experience with SJP and I look forward to seeing the SJP client FAMILY grow in leaps and bounds over the next year!

God bless you all in 2009! May all your dreams come true.