Today I came home and found box near our door. I love “Box-days”

As I post earlier, I use Loktah for my DVD presentation since last year. I adore their products!!!

When I saw their new Super  Sampler Kit  with boxes, cases and photo folios I make an order immediately! Each item looks  sooooo cute and stylish and organic… I am excited to send my photographs and DVD packed in Loktah to my lovely clients this year.

Just look at these: 

If you are not “easy-to-work-with-action” person, I will show you how to create dark corners on your photograph….I just love this effect…it make you focused on main object on the picture.
I know, I know, most of you are photoshop-monsters and can create own actions or have ready actions on DVD, but if not, I think my example can be useful for you
Here are step by step lesson:
1- Open photograph in Photoshop.

I picked one of my fav from last season:

2- Create new layer . Go to “Layer” > “New Layer”

2- Pick “Rectangular Marquee tool” and make selection.

3- Go to “Select” > “Inverse”

3-  Pick “Paint Bucket tool” and fill this selection by black color

4- Go to “Select” > “Deselect”
5- Go to “Filter “ > “Blur ” > “Gaussian Blur” . Play with “Radius”

6- Go to “Layer” > “Flatten Image” 
We’re done! Enjoy!

If you have more questions, please let me know!!!

~Yuka

Branding.. I love this word ….and it’s meaning…
For the first time I heard about branding when I was a Student of European University of Management and Business…But theory is nothing in comparing with reality. Now having my own business I can ‘feel it, touch it and create it’. For me branding is “all about you, your service and your personality”
As I remember myself I always loved boxes, packaging paper, bows, ribbons….I discovered that sometimes I admire packing even if it is an empty box…Really! (This is not transfer on people…..here inside side is more important….)

Once, Lyosha sent me a book which provides lessons how to pack up gifts.. Literally I could sleep with this book! In Ukraine we never saw such things…Yes,  my husband always knows what makes me happy
Anyway back to branding:  Clients are the most important in our business and I love my clients. They inspire me to do what I do.
I always aspire to provide to my clients great service, unique product and present it in a high end packing.  And they love it!
My readers know how I obsessed with coffee and chocolate from “Chow chocolat” place. I am so excited to present to my clients cute chocolates with my logo. 
Wow!  and another news I am rushing to deliver  – I have got my business cards! I am a happy owner of new business cards from creative team of mother and daughter http://invitedink.com/ . Please , let me know what do you think?

 My yuka/chocolates

I adore these cards!!!!!! Thank you, Sally!

Today I will show you how I make my photographs  more sharp. Maybe it can be helpful for some of my readers…..At least I hope…….

This is may second finished photograph from last photo shoot with Yulya:

See how this  photo looks with out sharp step (a) and with sharp (b)

Below I will  try to  describe  how I did it.

1. Open your ready photograph.

2. Create copy of this image. Make it active in a tool bar.

3. Go to Filter-other-High Pass

4.  Ok. then you go to Layers effects  and choose “Overlay” 

5. Last step- you play with “Opacity” and decide which sharp level is perfect for your image .

It it is very simple lesson and it works for me

If you have any questions, I will be glad to help you!

I opened my new category on my Blog- “My Inspirations”.

So, today I inspired by these photographs from magazines:

Today
- Spring is in the air! I can see it, small it and feel it!
- I and Anna started with our first shoot for our new project (coming soon on my blog!)
- I realized AGAIN- I cannot cook fish….In our family this privilege just for Lyosha.
- I ‘v got my Canon 50 mm, 1.2 lens! It was my dream for a looong time and now I finally have it! I love this lens because it gives greatest sharp, wide aperture, soft light and it fit to my hands (what I cannot say it about my favorite Canon 70-200) !
- I have got one surprising e-mail… I cross the fingers and wait for the great news!

*Today I simply happy because I live, I love and I do what I love to do!

     Testing…My first shot with new lense:

New Year, new Home, new Clients, new ideas, new hair cut (coming this Saturday!) ….New Branding.

I love refreshing and moving things to a new level in my life! The same thing I incorporate in my photography business. Today my goal #1 is branding. Branding is a one of the most important parts in my business and I always try to invest in it.
Not too long ago, I started to think about my NEW LOGO!  My first logo for my company I draw by myself. It was not a finest idea, but for that period of time it was the best.
My new logo was made by very-very-very talented designer Sergey. And I just in love with it!
Sergey, THANK YOU SO MUCH for your creativeness and kindness. You are so artistic and I absolutely love all what you designed! It was soooo hard to choose only one logo design! Maybe I should think about my new project for blog “new logo for every day of week” Really!

For those, who just started to think about new logo below some ideas which helped me in my challenge:   how to prepare “instructions” for a designer:

1- Company name
2- Concept description
3- Define how many words  should be in logo and if it is important to make logo readable
4- Describe the style you like and include example of logos of the different companies which you really love (scans or links). And make a notice –what exactly you like in every logo.
{I spent hours in Barnes and Noble researching books about logo and design}
5- Provide colors for logo
6- At the end, when your logo is designed and approved  ask designer to send you  color and b/w  files, preferably in vector
7- Be a happy owner of your lovely logo!
*Special thank you to my friend Elena for the exclusive reference!
* Thank you to my friends and Lyosha for patience…All this time you helping me to be sure I on the right way.

I am VERY excited to share with you my new studio sample from Leather Craftsmen (a copy of client’s wedding album). I have got it a few days ago and I adore it–the color of the cover, the size, the colors and quality! Love it!

Sometimes I am not sure what I love more- to capture wedding day or to design wedding album…… 

 Question!!!

I will appreciate if you help me with this question- which bag do you use for portfolio presentation? This question is for photographers, who  do not have their own studio

 I love my  JILL-E CAMERA BAG but right now it became too small to keep all my portfolios.

 Album 10×15

Color- Euro Terra Cotta

I hope it can be interesting for some of you….
I am always  excited when other professionals  show their tricks. It can be anything from receipt of favorite salad to instruction how to make client to feel more comfortable before the camera…..If I like the result I like to see backstage… 

When I started my photography career my thought process was:  “It is about my ideas + camera +people+ Photoshop and happiness from mixing it all.” Yes, I was right, but in reality, everything I mentioned above cannot be successful enough without everyday’s routine – ton of e-mails, paper work (contracts, invoices…etc) postproduction, branding and MARKETING. I studied marketing in university, but now it is completely different…I have my own company and I should market myself and my brand in order to be competitive in this world. I always think about what makes my client happy. Sometimes having a beautiful portfolio is not enough to get the clients to sign up for services…  I want to share with you what other steps I make in order to attract my clients.  I want to show my “Christmas cards” and “Promo cards” which I design for my clients and partners… By the way, here is the small secret – My “Valentines cards” are almost ready and I will show you ehhhh… you know when  …
This year I am planning to offer a lot of new widgets for my brides and grooms. My most important marketing tool – “give more then you offer!” 
It is always interesting for me, what other little tricks photographers do to make their business successful. So please share with me your thoughts tricks and ideas.  

Have a wonderful weekend everyone …

~Yuka