Photographers Prayer { BLOG }...

Oh God, as I bring my subject into focus and prepare to make each portrait, never let me forget that I'm creating treasures for some family, a keepsake for loved ones. Make me sensitive to the qualities and virtues of others, that I may draw out into the light the beautiful radiant belongings of their hearts.

Help me to be an artist, collecting the beauty of every soul, the glow of youth, the gentleness, the laughter or tears of each life that is precious in Thy sight. Deeper than a means of livelihood, give me the perspective to see my photographer's art as a service to others, making life richer and more memorable.

And, dear Lord, between the lights and shadows, the ups and downs and the rolling years, keep me from getting out of focus or off center, so that my life and work may be framed with dignity and colored with contentment ...

AMEN

Found this today and thought it was perfect!

Urban Holiday Sessions....

For the month of November ONLY.

1 hour Urban Holiday Sessions on location in downtown Syracuse, up to 4 people. Perfect for family or even a group of friends.

$125 Includes:

1 hour Urban Session, downtown Syracuse
Private on-line gallery
Option to purchase prints and products
4 high resolution, retouched images of your choice on CD with print release.

Bonus: 1 - 5x5 or 5x7 holiday card design to print on your own. I can even recommend a professional lab to order your cards from. And because I custom design all of my cards, you will be the only one with the holiday card you choose. I can make it as simple or unique as your family.

Be fresh, modern and unique this year! Give them a holiday card to remember. Call or email me to book your session. These sessions will fill up fast so book soon.

Get out of the studio and onto the streets! Let's have some fun.

Urban Kidz - Jaidah {BLOG}

Where do I begin with this spunky little 4 year old! She's the cutest little red haired, freckle-faced kid I know. And smart too. She even told me I didn't know how to count because I always say "one more" and take ten more pictures, lol.

This was for my new Urban Kidz sessions and we shot on location in downtown Syracuse. It's all about fashion for these custom portrait sessions. More details and pricing on my website.

If you like Jaidah she is a local model for AMS Models and Talent. Check out her portfolio on their website.

MacKenna { newborn }...

Sweet, sweet baby MacKenna, just 12 days old. Can you get any cuter than this? I photographed MacKenna on location in her home. Here are a few of my favorites.

Oh, and they had the BIGGEST cat named Bailey that I've ever seen! Really this cat was huge. I should have taken a few pictures of the cat too.

If you guys are reading this send me a picture of your cat so I can post it.

Portrait Professional...

Retouch of a headshot for model Christina using Portrait Professional software. This software is amazing, softens skin, reduces imperfections and makes the eyes pop. The best part is it's easy to use and relatively inexpensive.

I usually only use this software for my model headshots and boudoir portraits. And occassionally for Senior Portraits as well.

Before & After Tutorial...

A little tutorial if you will.

The first image is straight out of camera (SOCC), no retouching, color correction or anything done to this image. Just downloaded to my computer.

It's pretty flat and boring don't you agree? I would never present this to a client. It needs some help first to make it look the way I envision. Part of the creative process if you will. There's so much more to photography than just taking the picture. The countless hours spent retouching and processing after the shoot is very time consuming. But it needs to be done to each and every image. Kind of like the Digital Darkroom.



SOCC

SOCC

The final result below! Much better. It pops off the page now. The eyes just sparkle.

Here's what I did:

Cropped and straightened the image
Color corrected and levels adjustment

Saturation and Contrast boost
Sharpened (just a tad)
Added Gausian Blur (leaving eyes and mouth sharp)
Adjustment layer soft light at around 40%
Adjustment layer hard light at around 50%

That's it. Now it's ready! Of course I don't do all of these to every image but always do at minimum, color correction, saturation boost, contrast boost, levels adjustment and cropping if needed. Occasionally, I'll also run Portrait Professional for extra creamy, perfect skin. It's great for headshots and boudoir portraits.

Final Image,

Model: Christina

Back to School Portraits...

Tired of those boring, uninspiring school portraits? Looking for something different this year? I know I am. The school photographers don't care if your child is happy and smiling in their pictures or if they have dirt on their face. They just want to get them done and over with. There is no attention to details. You never know what they will look like until they bring them home a few weeks later. I refused to purchase my daughters school portraits last year. She looked miserable in them and had the strangest expression on her face.

Bring your children to my comfortable home studio for a fun experience and one on one attention. Your child will be the star! And I'll guarantee you'll love your photos. No waiting and no worries. Mini sessions available for the whole month of September.

Mini "Back to School" Sessions Include: $50 per child

1/2 hour studio session
Private on-line gallery
8x10 print
16 wallets

Bonus: 3 low-resolution digital files for sharing on the web and social networking sites.

Call or email (glory2045@twcny.rr.com) to book your session now. Space is limited. Offer valid for school aged children ages 5-12 only. Mention the "Back to School" promotion to receive special pricing. Refer a friend (after your session) and receive a FREE 5x7 print from your childs session.

Hope to see you soon!

Trash the Dress...

I've been wanting to do a Trash the Dress shoot for the last two years. Seriously. I finally found a model and we went to my favorite location in Oswego on the shore of Lake Ontario.

I was lucky to have such a beautiful model and perfect weather for the shoot. And some really good waves too.

Much thanks to Jenn for braving the cold water and a few spectators too.

Copyright Notice:

All images appearing on this website are the exclusive property of Kelly Kane. Any usage of these images is strictly prohibited without the written consent of the photographer.

New Studio Props...

Some new props! Most of these are for my newborn sessions. I found some great stuff.

Round Wood Platter...

Tweed Blanket with Fringe (I've had my eye on this for a while)...

Soft Baby Blanket...

Wire Basket (the Zebra is my daughters)...




Cute Teddy Bear in Wire Basket...

Beautiful Bamboo Floor from The Lakeside Collection (and it rolls up)...

Gold and White Sheer Fabric and Basket...

Baby Cradle (I had this in storage)...

Cowbow Hat (not for newborns, lol)...

I also picked up a great Fedora hat at Target on clearance (not shown)

Operation Love ReUnited...

My way of supporting our troops and paying it forward. I am proud to be a participating photographer for the Operation Love ReUnited organization here in Central New York. I am hoping to help as many military families as I can by capturing their pre-deployment, deployment and/or homecoming memories. These courageous men and women make me proud to be an American. Thank you!

Each qualified military family will receive from Images By Kelly, a portrait session, 4x6 proof book, DVD slideshow and private on-line gallery free of charge. For more information about Operation Love ReUnited please check out their website.