You’ve heard it said a million times, “Just be yourself”. It doesn’t matter if you’re walking into a big interview, a first date, a big speech or whatever, just before you got there someone texted you to say “Just be yourself”. It starts to sound cliche after hearing it so much, doesn’t it? You start to think to yourself, “Who is this me that I am supposed to be?” or “How to do I find out who I am?” It’s so easy to walk into a party or a dinner and have a friend introduce you to the person sitting next to them. You strike up a conversation and before you know it you feel like you know a little about who they are. They are laid-back or uptight, out-loud or quiet, funny or introspective or a million other things. But how do you introduce yourself to yourself and find out the same kind of things?
When I started Fyrefly I knew that I wanted to start a photography business. I knew that my ultimate goal was to support my family by building it into a full-time job for me and possibly my wife and/or friends. I knew I wanted to take family, kid and wedding pictures. I envisioned a lot of what I wanted Fyrefly to become down the road. But early on I realized that there was only one thing that could set me apart from hundreds of others in Cincinnati just like me: ME.
There are so many photographers out there that take great pictures and have great websites and know lots of people. There are so many things that I have that you can find in any other photography studio in town. But I am the only Nathan Peel that exists in Cincinnati, or Ohio or the world for that matter. When people hire Fyrefly they are getting great photography laced with my personality. With that in mind, I figured I better get someone to introduce me to me quick!
The easiest way I have learned to infuse myself into my business is to write down words that describe who I am and let those carry over into my photography. So over the last little while I have been whittling down a list of words that describe who Fyrefly is and what kind of pictures I want to produce. It’s important for me to burn these words into everything I do and not stray from them. They will color the experience people have when they interact with Fyrefly. I wanted to share with you guys, the ones who have made it this far in the post, the ones who truly care about where this thing is going and who I really am:
Laid back – We will never be uptight about our photography. I want clients to be relaxed so I am relaxed.
Fun – I want you to remember your session or wedding for all the right reasons. We’ll laugh at each other, the people walking by or just because…but most of all we’ll have fun. We’ll discover new places, try new things and most of all just have a good time.
Believable – This is a word that I need to remind myself of every day. I want pictures I take to be REAL! There are a lot of amazing photographers out there that can do crazy tricks with light and camera. I don’t want to get caught up in that. I want the pictures I take to look like a real kid or family or couple. I want them to look like they enjoy each other. I want the emotions that come across on film to have been there when I took the shot. This puts some pressure on me to lead people to this place, but it is so worth it when you look at the final product.
Love - This is an overflow of the last one but the emotion you are most trying to capture in photography is love. It doesn’t matter if it’s couples or families or brother and sister, you want them to show their love to each other in a visible way on camera. Genuine love is the most beautiful thing on earth and we all want more of it, even in our pictures.
Timeless – This is the hardest one to produce. There is so much competition in photography to keep up with fashion, or lighting tricks, or certain fad poses. Sometimes I wonder if we will look back on our photography 5 years from now, maybe 2 years from now, and think, “What was I thinking?” (i.e. www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com). I want to take the kinds of pictures described in the first 4 words to create timeless shots. These are the shots that no matter how old your album is or what the newest fad is you will always look at them and love them.
Basically if I can stay away from being posey and trying too hard to produce a “fashion” or “rock star” shot then I should be able to be me.
I am still learning what it means to be all of these things consistently. I am constantly trying to overcome envy of all those great photographers out there that have their style and nail it every time out. Sometimes I look at other’s websites and get a little depressed over how much more talented they are than me. But the truth is they are more talented than me at being them…I am more talented at being me.
If for a minute or a week I forget to be myself I pull out this list of words, reintroduce myself to myself and maybe even buy myself a drink and get to know me better:)
*if you want to talk to, hang out with or book Fyrefly visit our website or email us.
I always used to think to myself “I know I am going to get stuck next to THAT kid on this plane ride”. Usually THAT kid was the one running around the waiting area with some sort of strange green junk hanging from his nose while screaming at his mom because he’s out of Cheerios. Yeah, you know…THAT kid. Like I said, I always used to think that. I now have a 2.5 year old and a 6 month old and I finally see the horror and disgust in other’s faces at a restaurant or library or, worst of all, plane rides. Now, I’ve found that should try not to make eye contact and apologize when necessary:)
Well, this kid defies all that…Josh Johnson shot this whole movie with the same STILL camera I use and he did it from one seat on a plane. I was totally sucked in when I saw this. Enjoy!
Keeneland Race Track | Lexington, Kentucky It’s always fun to do a senior portrait session! It’s a right of passage for most students. You pull out 2 or 3 outfits that you like and go spend an hour or so getting pictures taken that mom will cherish forever and ever. This past weekend I got to take senior pictures with my cousin Andrew. I can’t believe he is already a senior in high school…it definitely makes me not want to think about how old I am:) He was funny because he totally knew he was there for his mom. One of the first things he said was “I’ll probably smile in most of these because that’s what she’ll want”. Sure enough, when I showed her a couple shots she immediately said “oohh, I like that one”…he was smiling.
Here are some of my favorites from his senior photography session:
Thanks for letting me be a part of the end of your high school career Andrew! Good luck with landing on a school and good luck with getting that full ride!!!!
*if you want to book us for a Senior Photography Session or any other session please visit our website or email us for more info.
Devou Park | Covington, Kentucky As a family photographer I am so blessed to meet great families that I would have never had the chance to meet otherwise, as is the case with Matt, Anna and Miles. A few days ago we met at the overlook behind Drees Pavilion in Devou Park and had a family portrait session. The weather was amazing…around 70 for most of the morning and some well placed clouds in the sky.
I knew we were going to have fun when Miles jumped out of the car and grabbed my hand to lead me around the park. He is such a cute kid who is very fun to be around. Matt and Anna were so great to get to know as well. Matt is a journalism professor at NKU (please don’t be too harsh about my writing Matt) and Anna is a stay at home mom. Both of them were so genuine and easy to talk to. It was very cool to talk to them about their upcoming adoption and be a part of the process in taking their family picture to include with their paperwork. All in all it was a really engaging and fun day.
Some of my favorites from the family picture session:
This is before he changed into his “picture shirt”. So funny!
The wagon is always a hit! He loved riding in it and pulling it.
Matt and Anna: you guys are great parents with an amazing son who’s funny and super fun to be around! Thanks for sharing a little of your lives with me. Good luck with the adoption and I can’t wait to show you the rest of the pictures from your family photography session.
*if you want to book us for a Family Photography Session or any other session please visit our website or email us for more info.
Devou Park | Covington, Kentucky I absolutely love engagement photography sessions! For a couple of hours I get a chance to hang out with couples who love each other enough to want to spend the rest of their life together. Devou Park is an amazing Cincinnati icon (even though its in Northern Kentucky) and it was a beautiful night for pictures.
Here are some of my favorites:
Great couple + great light = great pictures! Thanks for letting me be a part of your engagement and marriage. Can’t wait to capture your amazing wedding in pictures.
*if you want to book us for a Engagement Photography Session or any other session please visit our website or email us for more info.
I absolutely love children’s photography sessions. I especially love them when I get to take pictures of some of my best friend’s kids! Brandt and Jessica are dear friends that we don’t get to see as often as we used to (if no one has told you yet: “having a baby changes everything!”) but I still love watching Campbell grow up from afar. It’s even better when I can take some pictures to help add to their albums and walls.
This kids portrait session took me back to Old Loveland…my family used to live right down the road so it’s always great to drive through the neighborhood and see the old sights:) It was a beautiful day filled with beautiful smiles and some funny faces by Campbell! She is such a cutie.
I love these painted butterflies at the Loveland Bike Trail. I always thought they’d make for a cute backdrop…turns out I was right!
Some people will disagree but, in my opinion, there is no better picture than a classic black and white portrait.
Those bubbles make this pictures:)
Baby photography is super fun when they are as cute as this little one. Thanks Brandt and Jess for letting me hang out with Campbell for a couple hours. I can’t wait to show you the rest!
*if you want to book us for a Children’s Portrait Session or any other session please visit our website or email us for more info.
It’s true, there is something special and unique about professional photographs. The light, the editing, the framing of the shot…if you find the right photographer they can create a moment that you didn’t even know was there.
But what about everyday photography? Can it be special too? People often say things to me like “I could never get the same kind of shot you get” or “I’m lucky to get a shot that doesn’t have my finger in it!”. Are you one of those people who thinks they have the shot nailed when they are taking it, then you look at the back of the camera and it just didn’t turn out that way? You aren’t alone.
Here are 3 simple tips you can use to make your photographs a little better each time you are out:
Eliminate distractions. One mistake people make is trying to get all the action in the picture. Photography is more about eliminating distractions in a scene than it is about getting as much as you can in one shot. Find a point of interest and try to set up the shot to compliment that one thing.
Be ready. This one especially applies to children. You have to have the camera ready to go when you want to get the shot. Make sure you are on the mode you want and that you are zoomed appropriately before the moment happens. I try to show up 15-30 minutes early for shoots just to get all my settings and equipment exactly how I want them BEFORE the client shows up. Obviously you won’t do this with your family but it illustrates the importance of being ready for the shot. There have been times when the sweetest moment of the shoot is when the family is getting out of the car and getting ready to get their picture taken. If I wasn’t prepared I would miss those all together.
Be a composer. I know this sounds weird when talking about photography, but it is so important. In photography there is a rule that works pretty well…it’s called the “Rule of Thirds”. Envision that your photograph is broken up into three sections from left to right and three sections from top to bottom. All in all, there are 9 squares that are created when you do this. Most of the time your point interest should come at or close to the cross section of two of these lines. Don’t worry, there’s a picture below for the visual learners like me:)
Here is a couple of examples that illustrate all three of these tips. Both pictures are from a trip I took with some friends to Africa. Both were taken with a point and shoot. I chose these shots because one is an “in the moment” shot and one is a scenic shot and both were taken with an inexpensive camera. Basically, I chose them to show you that YOU CAN DO IT TOO!
The photograph above was taken while on safari. There was tons of stuff in that area that I could have included in this shot but I thought the simplicity of the bird and the dead tree was plenty. Also, the point of interest (the bird) is in the vicinity of the crossing of the far right “third line” and the top “third line”.
This photograph was taken on the way to the safari. We were in the middle of the African plains when we got not 1 but 2 flat tires (and then another 2 on the way back!). As you can see, while everyone else was working I was snapping away…I didn’t say being a photographer was going to make you any friends:) The point of interest is at the bottom left of the photograph near the crossing of the left third line and the bottom third line. If you look at the photograph, 6-7 “squares” are without any interesting content but they allow you eye to move right to the point of interest.
There are plenty of other little tips and rules to help make you a better photographer but these are pretty easy to pick up and implement. Maybe next week we’ll explore 3 more.
*If you really want to learn how to a better amateur photographer I have a friend and brilliant photographer who leads an online workshop for just such a thing. I’m sure she would love to have you in her next open seat! Check out 503 Photography‘s “Wannabe Workshop” (I don’t know if that’s really the name, just sounded good).
**If you want to book Fyrefly Photography for a Wedding, Engagement, Family Portrait, Senior Portrait, Kids Portrait or anything else you can visit our website at Fyrefly.com or email us here.
Who knows what the future holds for this adventure? Not me. If you had of told me when it started that this thing called Fyrefly would be where it is in such a short time I would have quickly told you that you were on an illegal substance. Sometimes when you dream you think “but that’s just a dream, it could never happen”. What a dumb thing to think…if you are dreaming with no belief that it might be possible, then what’s the point? Self-torture?
I am learning to dream and then sit down and figure out what it would take to make my dreams a reality. There is so much more in store for this adventure…for now let’s call my mood “pleased, not satisfied”. I am still chasing my dreams because I’m afraid if I stop something else will catch me from behind.
In honor of my nostalgic mood I went through and picked my favorite photo from every one of my shoots over the last 6 months, 22 in all. I exported these in small files so they wouldn’t take long to upload. So if you watch them on full screen they will be insanely pixelated. I thought about telling you why each one is a favorite but that would have made this post longer than any human would ever read, even my mom:)
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*If you want to book Fyrefly for Newborn Photography, Kids Photography, Family Photography, Senior Portrait Photography Engagement Photography, Wedding Photography or anything else you can think of visit our website at Fyrefly.com or email us here.
If you are here for the first time then you don’t notice any difference (obviously). But if you have ever been to our blog before you will notice that we changed the look completely! The basic structure is the same and everything functions in pretty much the same way…everything is just cleaned up and a little more sophisticated:)
