The value of a photograph - Saskatoon photographers

I saw a quote a month or two ago and it said...

"You never really know the value of a photograph until long after it's taken."

This sits with me on so many levels. Not only do I think about this all the time with my sessions, it hits so close to home with my personal photos.  This is the reason I get my family photos done every year.  This is a shot of my girl and I, a few years ago, at our annual family session.  I love the wrinkle in her nose, and me looking adoringly at her.  I know when she gets to my age, she is going to cherish this photo even more than I do today.  She's not going to see my double chin, or my wrinkles, or my crooked nose.  She's going to see the connection between her and I, and how stinkin' adorable she is.  She might even see her own kids in her squinty smile, and laugh at how ugly my jacket is.  What I do know, is she will look back at this photo, long after I'm gone and it will be worth so much more in years to come, than it was the day it was taken.

Photo credit:  The Harstones

Celebrating all moms this Mother's Day...

With Mother's day right around the corner we wanted to write a blog post about something that isn't often talked about but should be celebrated:  All of the mother's who don't physically hold their children in the arms, but hold their children in their hearts.  All the Mother's who have lost a child. 

Last October we had a past client message us.  She had received some devastating news.  She was 32 weeks pregnant and had lost her baby.  Here is their story:

"Mark and I have been together since 2009, and have been married for 2 years. Constantly surrounded by a slew of adorable nieces and nephews, we were excited to start our own family. We found out we were pregnant in April 2015, and due December 21 - one day before Mark's 30th birthday; we were so excited for our precious combination birthday/Christmas gift to arrive. 

I had a textbook perfect pregnancy. I felt great, we had a fantastic OBGYN and local family doctor, and we got to see our baby twice via ultrasound; once at 12 weeks and again at 20 weeks. Everything was perfect, baby was growing and developing on track, we were enjoying feeling baby's kicks, picking out names and getting the nursery ready. 

By mid-October, we had started visiting the doctor’s office every 2 weeks to get measured, weighed and listen to the heartbeat. 

On October 26th, at 32 weeks, we went in for our standing appointment, and couldn't hear the heartbeat. Our doctor instructed us to leave immediately and drive straight to RUH, where she would call ahead and arrange for someone to be waiting for us at fetal assessment. Before we left she hugged us both and said, "I am worried for you, but whatever happens, we will get you through this". We drove the one hour to Saskatoon in almost complete silence, holding hands, and with tears streaming down both of our faces. Although we didn't officially know anything, we were both preparing ourselves for the worst.

When we arrived at fetal assessment, I was admitted and they again tried to find baby’s heartbeat. When they still couldn’t find it, they quickly moved us into the ultrasound room for a scan. One of the on-call doctors scanned me, turned to us and said the words no expecting parents ever dream of hearing, "I'm so sorry, but your baby has passed." We then had a short discussion about our options and decided we would head home to pack a bag, turn around and come back to the hospital. It was in the ultrasound that the doctor suggested that we might still want to pick out a name for our baby, bring something special for baby to wear and perhaps invite a photographer to join us in the delivery room.

On our drive home we called our immediate family members and let them know what had happened. Walking into our house, past our baby's room and trying to pack a bag to go to the hospital was so surreal. We had no idea what we would need. I went into the baby's room to get a receiving blanket and a onesie and that's when reality really hit me, we were going to the hospital to have our baby, but we would never be bringing our baby home. 

On our drive back into the city, I contacted Mandy, I had just seen her the weekend before when I participated in a wonderful photography workshop she facilitated. We made it back to the hospital and checked into the antepartum ward around 9:00pm. The nurses were wonderful, they were all so empathetic and truly caring, it was a good thing I had thought to grab a few boxes of quality Kleenex, as it was definitely well used that evening. I was induced and my contractions started around midnight. We didn't get much sleep that night, although we tried. My contractions were fairly steady all throughout the next morning and they started helping me manage the pain. Tuesday evening, they moved us into a delivery room and our son, Connor, was peacefully born still at 5:41pm on October 27, 2015 at 2lbs 12oz and 15" long. Mandy arrived shortly afterwards, as did my parents and sisters. My mom had bought a little preemie onesie and even that seemed huge on him. We spent a few hours with Connor, holding him and trying to memorize every little feature. He was absolutely perfect. The nurses and doctors were so compassionate and let us have all the time we wanted with him. We said our final goodbye and moved back to our antepartum room.  After making some arrangements, filling out paperwork and speaking to the doctors, we were discharged around midnight. 

The next few days were a flood of visitors, flowers and hugs. Very much appreciated but also very overwhelming. One thing I did not put much thought into was that even though my baby had passed, my body did not know that, causing me to experience all the joys of post-partum motherhood, with a houseful of neighbors and relatives. I also learned that with any birth after 20 weeks - live or still - you are entitled to a maternity leave of 17 weeks. Although, I thought at the time I would want to go back to work soon to stay busy and occupy my mind, I quickly came to the realization that I was physically and mentally exhausted. I needed that time away from work and I am very fortunate to have a very understanding employer and group of coworkers who are so supportive. 

The following few weeks were so tough. I felt angry. I blamed myself, I thought "I should have known," I felt like I had let down my husband and robbed his child from him. All I could think about was how unfair this whole situation was. Living in a small rural town, there were plenty of our friends having babies at the same time. I felt envious, why did they get to have these beautiful, precious, healthy babies and we didn't? Looking back I realize these are all normal parts of the grieving process, but at the time, I did not feel normal. Especially once the world starts moving again at its everyday pace and you are still standing there thinking "did that really just happen?".

One thing my doctor reiterated to us, was that there was no point of intervention; no way we could have known we were going to lose Connor, and nothing we could have done. While, off the start, this didn't make me blame myself any less, I think the more I repeated it, the more I started to believe it. She also told us, repeatedly: whatever you need, we will get you through this, one day at a time.

One of the most comforting things after Connor’s passing, were messages from friends and family members just letting us know we had their support, prayers and love. It was a great reminder that we weren't alone and had so many wonderful people who loved us and cared about us and our child. I don't know if there is a right thing to say or do when someone is experiencing grief. I think the best thing to do is to reach out to them, in whatever way you can, and let them know that you care and that they are not alone. The home cooked meals and frozen casseroles were another blessing. It was so nice in the time following, to be able to pull something out, and not have to think about cooking. We also received many thoughtful and beautiful gifts from family and friends. Although it was such an overwhelming time for us, not one of these heartfelt gestures went unnoticed, being surrounded by so much love and kindness helped our hearts start to heal.  

The photos that Mandy took, have helped me heal so much; they are a precious memory that we will always have to help us remember our beautiful baby boy. I will always be so grateful to Mandy for her professionalism, thoughtfulness and compassion, there is no value I could ever place on the memories that she captured for us."

All of us at Memories by Mandy would like to personally thank this couple for allowing us to capture such an intimate time in their lives, and also allowing us to share their story.  It was an absolute honor to capture Connor.  This session was by far my most emotional session to date, but it gave me the courage to want to help other families.  I have volunteered for an incredible organization called Empty Arms.  If you or someone you know as suffered through child loss at any stage in pregnancy or after birth, please contact them for support. Here are all the details of this incredible organization:

What is Empty Arms?

Empty Arms Perinatal Loss Support Services Inc. is a new charity that serves Saskatoon and area. It is the legacy of my daughter, Jael Herchak, who was born still at 20 weeks gestation on May 6th, 2013. After Jael was born, my husband and I left the hospital in shock and heartbroken. After some time, we began to regret all of the things we did not do before we said our final goodbyes to Jael.

The time a family has with their little one is far too short and so very precious. Experiencing the death of a baby, under any circumstances, is such a lonely experience and having the specialized supportof someone who can help navigate those moments can make all of the difference in the world. We want to ensure that families make the most of the time they have with their baby and that their experience is as positive as possible, given the circumstances.

We offer support and services to families whose babies die before, during, or after birth in any trimester. Circumstances under which we offer support includes, but is not limited to: miscarriage, missed miscarriage, stillbirth, difficult diagnosis, carrying to term (CTT) or termination for medical reasons (TFMR) in the case of a fatal diagnosis, or neonatal death.

Our services include the following:

-          Certified birth & bereavement support

-          Supported use of our CuddleCot, in hospital or in the home

-          Professional photography (“maternity” and/or “newborn”)

-          Memory making options and guidance

-          Lactation consultation

-          Post-partum information and support

-          Monthly support group (Gone Too Soon)

-          Online support group

-          One-on-one mentoring

-          Resources for family members (siblings, grandparents, etc.) 

If someone has experienced/is experiencing a loss, how do they go about getting help?

If support is required immediately, a call can be placed to myself, Jasmin Herchak, at 306-260-6806. If it is not an emergency, we can be reached by email at support@emptyarmspls.com  or by messaging our facebook page ( www.facebook.com/EmptyArmsPLS )

What is the cost for people wanting to get help from our organization?

All support and services are offered absolutely free of charge to families.

How does someone donate to Empty Arms and where do the donations go?

Donations can be made to Empty Arms in the following ways:

-          A cheque can be mailed to:

EmptyArms                                                                                                                                        

P.O. Box 2                                                                                                                                            Waldheim,SKS0K 4R0

-          An e-transfer can be sent to donations@emptyarmpls.com  The answer to the security question can then be sent in a separate email.

-          Donations can also be made by credit card or through PayPal by visiting the following link,

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BAKMW2GMHD3SW

(Instructions and links can also be found on our facebook pagewww.facebook.com/EmptyArmsPLS )

All donations made to Empty Arms go towards supporting baby loss families. Operating a charity such as Empty Arms is no small feat and, since we do not charge families for any services, there are many costs associated with offering this type of support; things such as gift bags of mementos for families, honorariums for our birth & bereavement companions and photographers, supplies for the volunteers….We are a provincially registered non-profit organization (Nonprofit # 101286444) so any money raised/donated goes towards our goal of ensuring baby loss families have the support and resources they need.

Since we are a registered charity (Charity # 80982 6969 RR0001) we are able to issue receipts for income tax purposes. No matter which method is chosen for making a donation, we require the following information in order to issue a receipt:  Full name (including middle initial) Mailing address and email address.

We appreciate donations of any amount, but we are only able to issue receipts for donations of $25 or more. Receipts are issued electronically within 5 business days of processing.

Are you looking for volunteers?

Yes, we are definitely interested in acquiring more volunteers! In order to reach the point where we can make sure we are able to provide support and services to any baby loss family who may be interested, we need a large group of individuals willing to be on call at designated times. We are looking for professional photographers, people who may be interested in certifying as a birth & bereavement doula, people who are interested in training to offer only bereavement support after baby is born, and ‘veteran’ baby loss parents who may be interested in offering 1-on-1 peer support to new perinatal loss parents. Due to the sensitive nature of these positions, we do have a process for learning more about those interested. This includes an application, information forms, an informal interview, and a criminal record check with a vulnerable sector search.

We also welcome volunteers who may be interested in helping with fundraising endeavors.

Those interested can send an email to info@emptyarmspls.com, indicating what volunteer position they would like more information about or what they are interested in applying for.

It's Ladies night in Saskatoon, and you're invited!!!

Looking for a fun night out with the girls on Friday, April 22?  Come on out to our ladies night!  Please RSVP to the Facebook event pageHERE if you are planning on coming:).   Hope to see you all there!  https://www.facebook.com/events/1682332472031534/

Memories By Mandy and Joi Photography are hosting an interactive evening of fun for our past clients, their friends/family and ladies who want to check us out! Be prepared for a jam-packed evening of prizes, entertainment, shopping, and fun!

THE DETAILS:
Doors open at 7pm, last entry at 7:45 -- 158 2nd ave north
Entertainment starts at 7:30pm and goes all night!
-How to look great in photos
-Stella and Dot - How to rock statement jewellery
-Red Lip Make-up Tutorial by Holly Decker Makeup Artistry
Joy Tesch Hair Styling Station - Joy will be styling hair for our guests all evening!
-Live Boudoir Photo Shoot
-Prize Draws throughout the night*

***This event is free to attend! If you'd like a chance to win some killer prizes, please bring along a donation to the Crisis Nursery. This can be $5.00 cash or an item listed below that they're in desperate need for. ***

MORE FUN!
- Stella and Dot Mystery Hostess trunk show - any orders placed will be entered to win the hostess rewards!
- Joi Photo booking special -- book your boudoir or glamour shoot on the same night and get $100.00 off your package!
- Memories By Mandy booking special!
- Pop up shops!
- Cash bar!
- Selfie Station (there's prizes here too!)

*** Must be 19 years or older to attend -- bring ID!

Please RSVP to this event page to attend -- there is limited space!

CRISIS NURSERY NEEDS:
Baby Formula
Grocery Store/Walmart gift cards
Gift Cards for outings: bowling, ice cream, swimming, movies
Family size cereal (no nuts, low sugar)
Kids shampoo, conditioner & body wash

PRIZE POOL
- $50 Stella & Dot gift card
- Joi Photography boudoir shoot
- Memories by Mandy family session
- Sephora Make-up Kit
- MUCH MUCH MORE!

Big news....

We are moving into a studio space! After (almost) 9 years in the business, we are so excited to announce that we are moving our business out of our home and into an established (and amazingly gorgeous) studio right here in downtown Saskatoon. 

Joi Photography has graciously opened her doors to us and we cannot wait to start photographing families in the space!  If you haven’t heard of Joi photography, you must be living under a rock (just kidding... sort of).  She is an incredible Boudoir photographer here in Saskatoon with a really amazing studio space.  We haven’t offered boudoir photography in years, so we will continue to refer boudoir clients to her.  (If you are ever thinking of doing a boudoir session, you must check out her website, she is the queen bee of boudoir photography here in Saskatoon!) 

If you would like to get out of the cold for your family session (my specialty), and into a beautiful studio with 100 year old hard wood floors, I am your gal!  We decided to make the leap to a studio because let’s face it, who wants to be outdoors in our Canadian winters?  This will give us the opportunity to bring your fun family session indoors, into a beautiful space, to showcase your beautiful family.  We will still be offering on location photography at no extra charge, so you will be getting the opportunity to take advantage of the best of both worlds!  I am so excited for this next phase in our business and we can’t wait to share it with you!  We are going to be hosting some really fun events coming up, so if you would like to be added to our mailing list to hear about them, please email us directly:  memoriesbymandy@shaw.ca.

Thank you all so so much for your continued support!  You all mean the world to me!!! 

Throwing it back to nicer days...

Throwback Thursday to last Canada day.  Please note I would never endanger mine or my clients lives.  This was taken on a closed road.  Pretty cool, right?

Availability for 2016 - Saskatoon photographers

An update on availability.... We only have two sessions available this year, on December 28 or 29.  Otherwise we are completely booked until the new year.  We are planning another round of princess sessions in the new year and we are still taking bookings for 2016 weddings.  We have opened up bookings for 2017 weddings as well.  We hope to hold another beginner DSLR course in the new year.  If you are interested, please contact us to be on the wait list.  This would be a wonderful addition if you have wrapped a DSLR camera for that special someone under the tree.  I have had an incredible year with so many past clients coming to see me, and some new faces who have graced my camera.  From the bottom of my heart... Thank you!  I can't wait to see what 2016 brings!

Today's lesson - Saskatoon photographers

A few years ago we switched around how we do things a bit to make our customer service for portrait sessions top notch.  We know a few photographers in Saskatoon did this already and little did we know how much it would change everything (in a good way!).  What am I talking about you may ask?

ORDERING SESSIONS!

What is an ordering session?  Once the photo shoot has come and gone, we have our clients back into our studio, typically within the week following the session, to view and order their images. How did it change everything? 

Well our favorite thing in the whole world is watching our clients view their images for the first time, seeing the emotions, the smiles, the tears, everything, reassures me 1000% of what I do is all worth it at that moment.  Another thing that we have found since doing these sessions in person is people have no idea what to order.  They typically have an idea of what they want...  a big wall portrait, an album, or maybe some gift prints for their family, but the number one questions I always get asked is:  "What do you think?" or "How big is that?" "Between this image or that image, which one do you prefer?"  Being able to provide our clients with the expertise in giving suggestions on what to order and what size is ideal for their space is priceless. 

Another thing we love about in person ordering sessions is we hear and see what our clients don't like about themselves.  I know, hands down, we are all our own worst critic.  I might look at an image of you and think it's absolutely beautiful, and you might look at it and all you can see is your arm that appears too big to you, or you hate your profile.  This small but crucial detail has absolutely made us become better at our craft!  Time and time again we hear many of the same complains about people and their thoughts about themselves, which has made us more aware during the session to avoid these things in posing etc.  And for those returning clients especially... if they don't like their arms, I will be sure to pose a certain way to mask that, or if they preferred one side to another, or a smile that doesn't show their teeth, I will keep that in mind for future sessions. This is something that I would have never even realized had I not been there in person with my clients. 

Walking our clients through every step of the process has become our way.  Little did I know, this small step has made me improve so much as a photographer.  While it does take a bit more time, we feel as it is worth every extra minute!  If you are a photographer who would like more info on this topic, drop us a line!  We would love to chat more!

Photo Walk - Saskatoon Photographers

We are hosting our first photo walk!  I'm so excited!  We are limiting the walk only to people who have taken a DSLR course through us, to help them follow up with the skills they learned through our courses.  This is a great time to practice and ask any questions that you may have.  If you have taken our beginner DSLR course, please email us to RSVP to the walk!  We hope to see you all there! 

How to photograph fireworks

With the fireworks festival coming up this weekend in Saskatoon I thought it would be fun to do a blog post on photographing fireworks!  So.. here is a simple guide to photographing fireworks.  You can find out all the details of the 2015 fireworks festival in Saskatoon HERE.

1.  Put your camera on a tripod.  If you don't have one, you will need a steady surface to put your camera on.  Although a tripod is always best! 

Put your camera on manual mode with the following settings:

ISO:  200 or 400

Aperture:  F16 or around there

Shutter speed:  Here is where you need to play around a bit!  I would suggest starting at one second, then adjusting from there.  Depending on how much ambient light there is, you may want to go a bit lower or higher than that!  If the fireworks aren't the big grand ones, you will likely need to add a couple of seconds. 

DISCLAIMER:  These are the settings I used!  They can totally depend on your surroundings etc., but this is a great starting point!!!

A great tip is when you press the shutter, hold onto the camera with both hands, and don't let go until you hear the shutter close.  If you push it and release instantly, it can cause the camera to move a bit (even on a tripod), resulting in blurry pictures. 

Play around with it, have fun and break the 'rules' to see what you can create!!!

**All off these images are from the Canada Day fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

Adding people to the mix is a whole other ball game!  Of course, I only have recent fireworks images with people in the them, being a portrait photographer and all.  Keep an eye on our page for future blog posts on adding people to your fireworks pictures.  For now, go out and master fireworks shots on their own. 

Another thing to keep in mind is try and get some really great shots right at the start. Once a bunch of fireworks go off, it gets really smoky and they don't photograph as well.

Good Luck! 

How do I start a photography business?

We get asked this question a lot!  With so many new photographers popping up everyday, I thought I would make a list of the top 20 things you need to do before you start charging people for your services.  Until you are set up as a legitimate registered business in Saskatoon, it is illegal to charge people to photograph them.  Here are the top 20 things you need to do to start your own photography business.

1. Register your business with the city. You need to renew this each and every year!

2. Register your business name. This is different than step #1. It is so important you do this or anyone else can actually start a business under the same name. This needs to be renewed every 5 years.

3. Get insurance! Talk to an Insurance agent to find out what you need. You are technically not allowed in many public areas in Saskatoon without liability insurance.

4. Get a PST number. You need to collect PST if you are selling a product. And photographs, whether in print or in digital format, is a product. Every photographer should have a PST number.

5. Once your photography business brings in more than $30,000 a year you need a GST number as well!

6. Get a camera and learn how to use it in the manual settings. Learn your camera inside and out.

7. Invest in great lenses. Great glass produces top quality images.

8. Buy Lightroom and/or Photoshop, and learn how to use it.

9. Take a photography course, and keep learning! There are some great online courses, but as a creative person I learn best by doing, so in class learning is far more beneficial for myself, which is why we take a few workshops every single year.

10. Take a business course. Photography is only 10% of running a photography business.

11. Create a business plan, and review it every couple of years.

12. Open a business bank account.

13. Charge enough money so you can make a living, don't charge based on what you think people can afford. People often think that if they charge $500 for a session, that goes directly in their pocket and they don't account for monthly business expenses or taxes, which you have a pay at the end of the year (or quarterly).

14. Practice, Practice, Practice.... and then practice some more!

15. Find a mentor. Choose someone who is established and whose work you love. The PPOC is great for this.

16. Make friends with other photographers.

17. Once you have a great variety of images, create a website. Facebook pages are great marketing tools, but websites are a must, as a photographers work is so visual.

18. Hire a graphic artist to help you create your brand, and logo.

19. Get as much experience as you can. Offer to second shoot/assist other photographers for free to learn as much as you can.

20. Lastly, know that running a business takes a ton of work. 9-5, Monday to Friday is officially out the window. It's rare I take a full day off, even if that means I'm answering emails at midnight. It never stops!

If you are interested in a mentor, I would love to give you a hand with your photography business. I absolutely love to see other succeed doing something they are passionate about. Those that are out of province (not in Saskatchewan) will get special pricing.

We truly hope this list of how to start a photography business helpful!  Please, feel free to add anything below in the comments:).  Good Luck!

An image we got at the Canada fireworks here in Saskatoon.