Introducing Lindsay Ammons Photography's Newest Member!

Well. I certainly did not mean to go this long without posting on this here blog. But I think my reasoning is sound...

Allow me to introduce Ellie, the newest addition to the Lindsay Ammons Photography family! 

So, as you can see, things have been a little busy. I took a short maternity leave after this little meatball came into the world, but, as Joseph Gordon Levitt once said in 10 Things I Hate About You… i'm back in the game!

For anyone who spent this winter in Chicago, as I did, let me express sincere apologies that you had to go through that. Secondly, allow my to ask how on earth we got through it?! How I got through it heavily pregnant is a whole other story, but I did keep busy shooting for most of it. Here are some of my favorite shots of late.

I hereby solemnly swear not to neglect my blog for so long ever again! Interested in booking a shoot? email lindsay@lindsayammons.com or call 312.324.4263. 

Chicago Pet Photography - HONDO!

I got an email from Hondo's mom that they wanted to do a shoot, and they hoped I had availability because they needed it SOON.  Hondo had been diagnosed with a blood cancer, and didn't have long.  I had set aside the entire next morning for editing, so I booked the shoot for the very next day.  I had the hardest time editing these shots because I honestly love them all. Hondo was such a ham for the camera, and his parents love him to pieces.  These are just a few of my MANY favorite shots from the shoot.  Can't thank you enough, Amanda, Brian, and Hondo for a fantastic shoot.

Amanda had sent me a shot just like this that was her favorite shot of Hondo 

of all time and she wanted to replicate it. I'd say we "got the shot!" 

I just love this family shot so much. Hondo's little head turn, Amanda's smile, 

how Brian is holding Hondo. Just a gorgeous family. 

Hondo's happy place :)

Classic pug head turn.

How can you not love these two?

Thanks for a great shoot Hondo! 

Berman.

All of my shoots are unique, but recently I had a *very* special shoot with an ailing golden retriever.  Berman is an older gal who is so loved by her family, they couldn't stand the thought of not having photos of her, even if half of her was shaved down from a recent procedure.  Through some creative composition, and spot editing in post production, Berman's coat looks gorgeous and we got some shots that I know they will treasure forever.

Emma flew in to see her old friend... these two share such a special connection.

Berman. 

We had to take advantage of this sun-filled dining room. 

Happy girl. 

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” -Molière

I thought I'd put together a little blog post about my shoot with Barney the Beagle, because it was one to remember. I like to think that dogs and myself have something of a special connection, a mutual respect and understanding. Let me sit down with you, give you treats, make beautiful photos of you, and i'll be on my merry way, leaving you to your napping, and guarding of the house.

Barney was different. If Barney sensed the "mutual respect" present, he wanted nothing to do with it. Barney didn't want me, or any other person, in his house or most especially near his momma.  It wasn't his fault, he's a dutiful beagle and as far as he's concerned his job is guarding the house.

After 20 minutes of trying to soothe and become pals, I admit that - in the words of Tim Gunn - I had concerns.  I honestly wasn't sure, for the first time in my career as a photographer, if we were going to be able to do the shoot. Barney was snarling, biting my feet (thanks to Chicago's never ending winter, I had boots on), and generally quite unhappy with the presence of a visitor.

I had a choice to make, do I walk away in the name of not getting bitten, or surge forward.  I devised a plan.  In the name of mutual respect, I would get no closer than 5 feet to Barney or his Mom.  Since I mostly shoot with prime lenses, and would be able to crop in post-pro, there would be no reason i'd need to get any closer than that. It worked, and we got beautiful images of Barney and his little family.  I would say this probably ranks in my top 5 of most difficult shoots, but just like the tough shoots before it, I'm very proud of the way it came out.

So much natural light pouring in. I love winter light! 

My husband saw this shot over my shoulder and said "Is that the dog that didn't like you? He looks like such a little angel!" I knew then I had done my job :) 

Barney chillin'. 

Barney and his precious mom. 

I love shooting against these old brick walls that are all over Chicago. 

Winter Shooting in Chicago - It's All About Texture.

I've talked to a lot of photographers who find winter in Chicago very uninspiring.  "It's grey!" they say. "It's cold! Windy!" Sure, Chicago winter is all of those things, but it also has great light and beautiful textures, if you know what you're looking for.  Also, light reflecting off snow can make even the darkest apartment/condo look bright and cheery. Whether or not you can go outside... there is always great texture to be found, sometimes you just have to look for it! 

Here are some examples from my recent shoots of utilizing texture for visual interest.

Hope you are all getting through this winter unscathed! Spring is almost here! 

Introducing Lindsay Ammons People Photography!

I am so pleased to announce that Lindsay Ammons Photography is starting a new chapter! I've been so blessed to shoot pets all over Chicago for the past few years, and have had so many wonderful clients. Many of my clients have invited me back to shoot other important milestones in their lives - engagements, weddings, children.  While pets have always been - and will always be - a passion of mine, I have found that I have so much fun working to capture my human clients as well. After a lot of thinking and planning... Lindsay Ammons People Photography was born! To set up a shoot contact me at lindsay@lindsayammons.com.

I am looking forward to continuing to provide Chicago with premier photography services - and not just for our four legged friends anymore!  So let's kick off this journey the only way I know how - with pictures! Here are some of my favorite "people photography" pictures of late....

Miss Ava at her 3 month shoot

Saada's Headshots

Maternity shooting - loved this pink shirt Vicky wore! 

Bride Sarah sneaking a peak at her groom

Adorable Miss Peyton

A walk in the park. Gorgeous light this day! 

Baby Ellie! 

Preserving Memories - the high-tech way

Wow, you guys, it's been a minute, huh?

A lot of my news and updates have been taking place over on my Facebook page (you know you want to like it) but I did want to take some time out and write a post about backing up.  I was reviewing my blog and remembering the sheer anguish I went through when my hard drive died with all my photos on it. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, if I had read a super helpful blog post from a photographer who had been around the block, maybe that would have never happened.

So, I wanted to take a moment and review the process I use to back up my images. While nothing is fool-proof, I think my process is fairly comprehensive and should safeguard against any lost images (knock on wood).

My 3-Step Back-Up Process:

Step 1: Buy good CF cards and don't reformat them until the final images from the shoot are burned onto the clients CD or USB drive.

Available at B&H Photo

I use SanDisk extreme 16gb cards. I won't shoot with cards any larger than 16gb. If i'm shooting a wedding (during which i usually shoot about 100gb of images), and I only use one card, and it craps out... well, i'm screwed, and worse, so is the client. 

These cards sit in a little coaster on my desk until i've completely processed, and burned images, onto another drive (CD or USB).  This means that at all times, the raw images are in at least 2 places (actually, with my process it means they are in 4 places, but we'll get to that).  

Step 2: Use a good external hard drive with RAID-1

I use a Western Digital My Book with Raid 1. This is a very key step.  This means that the hard drive actually has TWO separate hard drives in it. 

Let's say, for example, you buy a 2TB hard drive. This means that inside the drive there are actually two 1TB hard drives. You can chose to use it as a 1TB drive, and have the drives automatically clone one another (This is called RAID-1), or you can use it as a 2TB drive. Don't' be stingy. You want this to use the RAID-1 feature. Yes, it cuts your memory in half, but it also cuts the chance that you'll lose your data in half, unless the whole drive somehow gets ruined (fire? someone spills a drink all over it?).  

In fact, this brings me to another rule I have in my house. No one, except for me, is allowed to put a drink on my desk. Having a party? Unplug your drive and set it, ever so gingerly, in a closet somewhere.  Just get that thing the hell out of dodge. 

Western Digital My Book
Available at Microcenter

 Step 3: Use an online back up service like backblaze.com

The third step is a last defense that I haven't yet had to rely on, thank god. My entire hard drive is backed up in real-time by backblaze.com.  It's unlimited storage, and as soon as I put something new on the drive, the little backblaze elves get busy backing it up. But Lindsay, you say, isn't that expensive? And i've already spent all this money on these great CF cards, and this awesome WD External drive?! Aspiring photographer, I say to you, it's $5 a month, so go sign up immediately.

Hopefully, someone somewhere will see this post, follow this process, and be saved the heartache that I went through when I lost my data.

In the meantime, here is an adorable picture of a baby that I photographed yesterday. They don't make 'em much cuter than this! Oh yeah, and this photo, just like all my other photos, is backed up in triplicate. :)

To any aspiring photographers out there, feel free to email me if you have questions about backing up your data - lindsay@lindsayammons.com.