Alice Park Photography » Blog

I was so thrilled to be asked to chat with Fox 5’s Good Day Atlanta about the emerging trend of iphone-ography.  Have you noticed how increasingly powerful and robust our mobile devices have become?  It’s replaced point&shoots for me, and with all of the apps and social media platforms available on our phones, it was really a decision I didn’t have to think twice on.

This clip aired the Monday after we returned from the Retreat.  I was nervous and a bit timid in the beginning, could you tell?

Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

But overall, I thought the interview went really well.  For those of you who have been following my blog, you know of my personal project:  Project Lyon.

This project was inspired by my own clients – moms who care deeply about preserving this very fleeting time in our little one’s life and journaling all of their “firsts” and what we’re experiencing as mothers through this all.  It has been such a therapeutic and rewarding project, and probably the one thing I cherish the most.  I have hundreds of square photos documenting Lyon’s life…


For those of you who want to learn a little more about what I discussed on the segment (and a bit more!), here are my tips & recommendations:

1.  Look for great light.  The absolute best time of the day to shoot outdoors is sunrise and sunset.  The light isn’t too harsh, and it casts this warm, glowy look on our skin tones.  But really, shooting anytime when natural lighting is abundant indoors or out, you’ll achieve great photos.


2.  Utilize some great free apps that are available.  Some of my favorites are:

a)  Instagram:  this is the perfect social community for the photo enthusiast.  And the best part?  It takes seconds to upload a photo that you love, apply a preset filter, and share it with the world.  Almost all of my favorite iphone captures were shared within my Instagram account.

b)  Photoshop Express: Sometimes when I’m shooting with my iphone, I don’t quite have time to adjust the exposure correctly on my phone.  Fortunately, I can correct this in my “post processing.”  I use PSExpress primarily to bump up the exposure and crop if needed.  Then, I’ll take the image through Instagram.

c)  VSCO CAM: For those of you who are a little more technically savvy with your images and enjoy control over almost all aspects of post production work, this is a great app for you.  The creators of this app did a stellar job in creating simple, one touch solutions for taking your images from blah to professional quality.

These days, it’s hard to tell whether an image was taken with a mobile device vs a professional DSLR!

3.  Think about Composition and Cropping:  Many times when we’re shooting with our phones to get “the” shot, we’re shooting haphazardly.  Think about what story you’re trying to tell in these still images.  Is it an expression?  A reaction to really bad food?  Or just some really awesome baby rolls that you don’t ever want to forget…  Zoom into your subject and eliminate distracting background elements to capture your subject and their story.

4.  Keep taking photos!  Even the tantrums, the glorious bed hair, when the house is a mess, and even when the lighting is horrible.  The best photos are the ones that are actually taken.

5.  Build something beautiful with your images:  Too many times, I hear from friends that they have thousands upon thousands of digital photos on their computers with nothing tangible to show for.  That makes me so sad….  We’ve become lazy in this digital age, and we blame the arduous process of “scrapbooking” to not having enough time.  Well, lucky for you, I’ve found 5 really cool companies that specialize in making unique products that are beautiful and best of all – FAST & EASY!

Stickygram – Stickers & magnets!

Casetagram – custom iphone cases

Calendagram – cool calendars

Prinstagram – your photographic prints on quality paper

And lastly, one of my favorite companies that I just discovered – Artifact Uprising.  This company was created by a group of talented photographers who understand our need to preserve.  They don’t just create the most beautifully rich products, I just feel they “get” us.  If you haven’t discovered this group yet, please be sure to follow them.  Their lineup of quality products are, in my opinion, the finest on the market, and I know they have more things they’re working on!

 

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It seems as if the only thing that consumes my life these days is this little kid of mine.  I have hundreds of session shares I have queued to post, but here we are again…. Another entry about Lyon.  I hope you don’t mind… 🙂

Our family recently returned from a much-needed vacation in Rosemary Beach.  I’ve spent weekends here with girlfriends, watching sunsets and sipping mojitos by the beach, but those trips didn’t quite compare to the quality time we spent as a family there.  It’s difficult for Kyu and I to both take a step away from our work to enjoy one another, so this trip was very special to us.

Here are a collection of my favorite instagrams from the trip.  I didn’t even bring my DSLR because I was too busy enjoying the moment.  It felt really, really good…. And you know what? I love these images just the same.

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My Dearest Son,

How is it that another year has come and gone?  I remember holding you so tightly in my arms at 3 months – rocking you to sleep and vowing to never let the world harm you or taint your innocence.  Now, I can barely keep up with you and your incredible sense of wonder!

Your dad and I are so proud of our little boy and his joyful spirt.  We are enamored at your energy and sheer joy – it is such an inspiration to us and a very good reminder of how we need to slow down every chance we get and just find delight in what is in front of us.

April was a monster of a month for us.  We committed to way too many projects and events, we were traveling so much, and I almost let myself get away with not celebrating your 2nd birthday.  About a week before your birthday, I pulled my act together, took out my notebook and drafted a layout of a cars-themed birthday party.  Then, I pulled out my address book and started calling and emailing your friends to attend a last-minute get together.  Invitations were even designed and mailed out just a couple of days before your birthday…..

Well, the weather was just perfect, our close family & friends surrounded you, and you ran around the party yelling, “Car, Car, Caaaaarrrr!”  Your dad and I had the biggest grin on our faces the entire day.

In the spare moments I had, I ran around capturing as many small details I could to remember the celebration that almost didn’t happen.  I missed some moments on film, some details were never executed, and I just ran out of time in getting what I wanted to accomplish done.  But, just as we knew it would – you had an AMAZING time, and dad and I could not have been more thrilled celebrating TWO with you!

We love you to the moon and back….flying there in race cars, of course.

Mom & Dad
April 21st, 2013

The ‘day before setting up marathon.’ Building 20 boxes for 20 kids!

The decor and decorations were literally thrown together that week.  Simple but fun!

And the Caaarrrrrrrs!!

A fun Burger Bar, inspired by my friend Joy, but not executed quite as beautifully as hers!

Cars-theme birthday cake by the lovely Kathi of My Sweet Things.

And one of our favorite moments of the day!

Blessed that so many friends could make it on such short notice…

Your favorite aunt even put together a fun video of the car race we hosted with all of the kids!  SO adorable!

 

And your dad’s brilliant idea – a big bouncy house for all of the kids!

It’s so wonderful to have these memories of your very special day.  May you look back someday and know just how much joy you give all of us and how deeply you are loved, little Lyon.

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We just returned from an inspiring week with our members in Charleston for our annual NAPCP Retreat. A heartfelt THANK YOU to each and everyone of our speakers, attendees and sponsors for making this Retreat the best one yet. We walked away with so much encouragement that NAPCP is truly making a difference in peoples’ lives…And more than that, in our own lives and hearts. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by such positive spirits, and these Retreats are a reminder of our incredible industry. We’ll do a complete recap of the event soon, but I just wanted to say thank you again to all who were there. You all amaze us.

– Alice & Kyu

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In 2009, Kyu and I founded the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP – http://www.napcp.com/) in hopes of providing more resources to photographers specializing in child and family photography. What started off as the pair of us jotting down our ideas into the wee hours of the night has blossomed into an amazing community of like-minded, supportive, and passionate artists around the world. We are truly humbled to be part of such an inspiring and talented group.

Over the last 6 months, we have dedicated countless hours in planning our annual Retreat this month in Charleston. Like all projects, we approached this event with every ounce of love and soul we had – not overlooking any detail of the planning.  It will be difficult to top past Retreats held in Napa Valley and Vail, but this is one we are super excited about!

We promise our attendees a week of rejuvenation, rediscovering their passion for this craft, elevating their business to the next level, and forging friendships that will last a lifetime.  This is truly unlike any other convention or workshop.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram this week (@alicepark and @napcp) as our team travels to Charleston for one of my favorite events of the year.  We are looking forward to an incredible week!

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