November newsletter 2014 by Alice Park

INSPIRED B Y NA P C P

NOVEMBER 2014

Featuring Mandy Blake of Mandy Blake Photography

The

LATEST INSIDE

A look at a few new goodies in the NAPCP store

Industry News & Announcements, Workshops, Updates and much more!

N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N O F P R O F E S S I O N A L C H I L D P H O T O G R A P H E R S

Hello friends!

‘Tis the season for counting our blessings, sharing little moments with loved

ones and giving thanks for goodness aplenty. First up on our list? Each of you, of course! Thank you for being a part of our family and believing in NAPCP. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, when the “thank you” seems to start falling flat and in between the presents and wish lists for Santa, know that we are grateful for each of you and the contributions you make to the NAPCP community!

As a way to show you our appreciation, every NAPCP member will receive

a FREE $25 credit to the NAPCP store! Stocked with new holiday templates, free downloads and goodies galore, we hope you’ll select something that will make your lives easier… Kris Kringle insists, and so do we!

Always on the “nice” list, Mandy Blake of Mandy Blake Photography is this

month’s featured photographer! A firm believer of simplicity and someone drawn to the intimate moments shared between families, Mandy’s goal is to provide clients with beautiful reminders of life’s precious, fleeting moments. As an active member and mentor in the NAPCP community, she aids other photographers in finding their workflow balance and refining their personalized style. Get ready -- she’ll be joining us at the winter retreat, speaking on these topics and offering advice to her peers!

Ah – speaking of, we have only a few slots left for the NAPCP Retreat! Come

join us in fellowship and fun after an eventful holiday season. Register online before it’s too late! We’ll even be serving up hot chocolate with marshmallows – have we convinced you yet?

While you continue to trump through tree trimmings, festive parties and

even Jack Frost’s wrath, don’t forget to take time to sit, be still and reflect on what a beautiful life it is. Give thanks and hug your loved ones just a little bit tighter. Wishing you all the most wonderful time of the year!

Sincerely

The NAPCP Team

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TAB L E O F CON TE N TS Pg. 2 ..........................NAPCP Store: New Products Pg. 4 .....................................NAPCP Retreat 2015

Pg. 5.............Featured Photographer: Mandy Blake

Pg. 21 .................................Camera Bag Essentials Pg. 25............................................Video Resources Pg. 26................................. Apply For Membership NAPCP

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LIMITED S E AT S S T I L L AVA I L A B L E

Images by Mandy Blake of Mandy Blake Photography

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER MANDY BLAKE

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andy Blake of Mandy Blake Photography is our November

featured photographer! Believer in “letting your happy shine,” Mandy has surrounded her life with positivity, laughter and lots of joy. Drawn to moments that are tender, wild, silly and a bit quirky, her photography captures the raw emotion of families and children while they, too, let their happy shine. When she’s not photographing, she’s busy being a mother to her daughters, enjoying the water and refining her trivia skills – challenge her, if you dare! Read on to see Mandy’s happy shining through her clients and to experience a glimpse of her wonderful talent.

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BEHIND UAT aGLAN 1. Started photographing when? I started photographing family and friends in 2010. I started outsource editing in 2012. 2. Officially opened business? November, 2011 3. Favorite camera? Canon 5D Mark III and my iPhone 4. Lens of choice? Canon 35mm 1.4 5. Favorite Editing Tool? Curves!

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7. Favorite place to relax? Our family cottage in Tobermory, Ontario on Georgian Bay

SCENES NCE with

MANDY BLAKE

8. Favorite musician? Sarah McLachlan is my all-time fave, but I listen to just about everything while I am editing all day 9. Favorite movie? Beaches 10. Recent favorite read? I love the Outlander series by Diana Galbadon and re-read it constantly! 11. Favorite client product? Artisan State albums 12. 3 things you can't live without? My iPhone, ginger ale and books

F L I P T H E PAG E F O R OU R

Exclusive interview with Mandy Blake! NAPCP

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Tell us your story. How you started and how your photography, brand, and business transformed over the last few years? Before pursuing photography, I was a registered massage therapist for nearly 10 years, while also teaching massage therapy at a local college. While this career was fulfilling, I was battling repetitive strain injuries which got worse with every massage treatment I gave. I decided to go back to college for photography and started a 3-year program in the fall of 2009. In 2011, I met Hilary Camilleri and she took me under her wing and taught me the ropes. I was so fortunate to have someone who was willing to open up her life and business to me and to show me how to become a stronger photographer and business owner.

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After graduating from photography college in 2012, I started to take on some outsource editing for Hilary and others and quickly learned that I really enjoyed and had an eye for retouching. By the following year, I had launched Flow for Photographers to offer training, actions and presets and started teaching Photoshop and Lightroom to fellow photographers. I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t looked back since! You are a fantastic iPhoneographer, can you share some of your tricks? I think that biggest tip I could share is to look for fantastic light and then use it in an interesting way. The people I tend to follow on Instagram who are amazing iPhoneographers are those who really play with light and shadow. Also, using editing apps like VSCOcam and Afterlight can be really useful for

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taking what otherwise might be a snapshot and turning it into something kinda cool. Play around with editing your phone images and see what you can come up with! Would you rather be photographing subjects or editing images? Why? Well, it really depends. I love being out photographing families and weddings and even boudoir, which feeds my need to chat and laugh with people. But I also love the quiet, steady pace of editing, where I can listen to my favorite tunes or a great history documentary while making people look their very best. It is too close to call. Can I say both? You are so passionate about teaching people how to find their own style, and then helping them create an editing process to match. Â Tell us more about that. I am really passionate about helping people finding their own style because when a photographer can find his/her own unique voice, it can really help to set him/her apart in an industry that can sometimes lean towards homogeny and trends. And

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while editing alone cannot define or create that voice, it can play a huge part in helping to mold the final image. And any chance to play with Photoshop or Lightroom to find a new way of doing something is a good day in my books. What does your typical work day and work week look like? From sunrise to sunset…. After working until 1:00 am on editing images, I get out of bed at 7:30 am to get my girls ready and off to school. Sometimes, I get home from dropping them off and catch a quick nap, but usually I grab breakfast to eat at my desk and settle in for a day of editing. Pick up my girls 3:20 pm and then work for an hour or so afterwards before heading off to whatever activity they have on that particular night of the week. My hubby takes over for bedtime duties and I head back down to my computer at 8:00 pm until around 1:00 am again…

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Hit repeat 5-6 days a week, throw in a couple of photography sessions per week and that’s my life! Where do you see your life 5 years from now? I hope that in five years I will be travelling the US and Canada (and maybe beyond) teaching Photoshop/Lightroom, as well as continuing to photograph families and small weddings. Or maybe writing a book in a cabin in the forest. I will keep you posted… What are you most grateful for? I am most grateful for both a supportive family and a wonderful group of photography friends. My husband is infinitely patient and hardly ever rolls his eyes at my crazy work schedule. My girls put up with me asking them to jump in the lake

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over and over to get just the right iPhone underwater shot and my parents step up often to help out when I need a babysitter or a hot meal after a long day of shoots. I am pretty darn fortunate to have them all. I have an amazing circle of photography friends who are there to give me honest opinions on my work, celebrate my shining moments and console me in the low moments. Hilary has been an unceasingly kind, generous, supportive and inspiring mentor and best friend who teaches me something new nearly every day. She is the Oprah to my Gayle. Dana, Michelle B., Martina, Sandra, Kate, Lisa, Michelle S. and Elisabeth are also people whom I trust to help guide me through the highs and lows of the photography world. Love my peeps. To see more of Mandy's work, please visit her site here!

Thank you so much Mandy!

Camera Bag

KELLY MO ORE 2S UES IN MUSTARD

50 MM 1 .4 LENS

Camera Body

C ANON 5D MARK III WITH MY G O -TO LEN S , THE 3 5 MM 1.4

Business Cards

CAMERA BAG ESSENTIALS WI T H MAN DY B L AK E

SOFTLIPS CHAP STICK

MY BELOVED IPHONE

1 0 0 MM 2 .8 LENS

C AN DY FOR BRIBES

Not Shown • TI S S UE FOR RUN N Y NO S ES OR T E A R S • S H ARP I E P EN • RAN D OM RO CKS M Y G I RL S FI ND ON OUR ADVEN T URES

BEHIND

We asked Mandy to give us a peak into her busy day to day life with a few of her favorite

SCENES

WITH MANDY BLAKE

Instagram captures. Enjoy a behind the scenes look at some of her favorite moments!

WORK SH O PS Start Submitting Now! NAPCP’s July 2012 International Image Competition opened on Monday! The purpose of NAPCP’s Image Competitions is to recognize the accomplishments and creative excellence of our members, rewarding their talent with medallions, priority listing on our directory, vendor endorsements, member points, titles and professional recognition. Members each receive a total of 2 Competition Credits per Competition with their Membership. Details are online! They say a picture is worth a thousand words … and yours November be featured in our next press release. For the past two International Image Competitions, the winners announcement highlighted the names of the competition winners and received great exposure – collecting thousands of views, postings to other websites, and search index hits. Wouldn’t you like to see your name and photo sent over the wire too? Members, you can start submitting your best images here!

( C ) H I L A RY C A M I L L A R I - O N E F O R T H E W A L L

Membership