Toronto Portrait, Interior, Corporate, Event and Product Professional Photography Services.

INSPIRATION

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:35:04 +0000

When I’m looking for inspiration for work, I usually look at art, magazines, architecture, videos and almost everything outside my world. It is only when I saw this video of a courageous woman who have made a difference in her life by doing what makes her happy without reservation, facing fear and appreciating life at the same time. She grew up most of her life without a mother but have surrounded herself with friends, family and positive people to teach her about many things. I have not been a part of her life for the most of it but am very grateful that she shares it with me in this video..in it is my younger sister Janine, she’s my inspiration for life. Who’s yours?

DIY HOLIDAY PHOTOS

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:56:20 +0000

The holiday season is upon us! For any of you camera enthusiasts out there, this is the perfect time to put those cameras to good use. Use photos to show and tell people about your holiday traditions, whatever you celebrate this time of year. It’s the perfect time to take advantage of the free on-camera talent that you have — your family and friends!

Here are some tips on how to capture your next holiday get-together using your point-and-shoot camera.

Photographs Tell Stories

The whole point of documenting an event in a powerful way is to tell a story in pictures. Like all stories picture stories have a beginning, a middle and an end that take people through the experience. If they weren’t there, you want them to feel as if they were. If they were there, it reminds them of the experience in intimate, loving detail.

Many people celebrate many holidays during this time of year, but let’s use Christmas as one example of a popular holiday gathering because most people know the general events surrounding the holiday:

1) Check your gear — make sure you have enough batteries and space on your memory card. Bringing a tripod may be cumbersome, but if you don’t mind the extra weight, it’s good to have. For various alternatives to tradition tripods, see the Resources section at the bottom of this post.

2) Let people know what you’re doing—“I’m going to be taking photos for a slideshow for later,” or “I’m creating a Christmas story book we can all enjoy.” This helps people relax and enjoy the spirit of the event when they know what you’re doing with the photos.

The Beginning, Event and End

All good stories have an introduction, a main event and an ending or conclusion. For the photographer, this means shooting photos that show each of these phases.

THE BEGINNING —When photographing your event, there are several types of photos or shots that will anchor your storytelling. These are called: Establishing shots and consist of portraits, detail photos and pre-event or preparation photos. The various kinds of establishing shots tell the beginning of your story. They not only introduce the viewer to your story, they set the mood for the story.

To document an event most effectively, you have to get there early, at least an hour before it begins. Begin putting your story/day together by taking “Establishing shots.” These will set the time and location for your photo documentation. Establishing shots put the rest of the photos that you’ll be taking in the right context for what you do with the photos later, such as creating a photo album, photo book or slideshow.

Examples: Wide shot of your mom’s house / A highway sign that says, “Welcome to Townsville,” or a shot of your parents opening the door.

Preparation Shots — When there’s a big event, there’s always preparation in the background. This is a good time to take some candid shots of people getting ready before the big event so your viewer feels the excitement and anticipation begin to build.

Examples: Mom taking the turkey out of the oven / Kids sneaking under the Christmas tree / People getting dressed or ready for the big day, especially if they rarely get dressed up (teenagers, children, etc). Think fun and silly.

Detail Shots — Your photos don’t have to have people in them all the time and it’s better if they don’t. Details shots will help enhance the flow of your photos and give viewers a chance to appreciate the details of the day. Detail shots can help evoke a mood or emotion as well. You’ll shoot these throughout the day, not just in the beginning.

Examples: Shots of décor in the house, like twinkling Christmas lights / Close-up of hands breaking an egg and other food shots / Shot of window looking out / A family pet sniffing presents / Shots establishing the weather — snow or frost on a window or ledge, leaves changing color in a tree in the yard / Flowers or candles / The centerpiece on the table or the table set and waiting for guests to arrive.

Portraits — Portraits help remind everyone of who was at the event. A group shot, or poised portraits are great, but candid shots are more fun and interesting for the viewer. Think natural light and candid shots as well as posed portraits. Use light coming in through windows, firelight and lights from sources in the room more than you use flash. You’ll tend to capture some of your best portraits when people are unaware you’re there. Hard to do, but so worth it! You’ll also shoot these throughout the day as well. They can be hard to get if you wait, so shoot them as you see them.

Examples: Close-up of someone unwrapping a present/ Staring thoughtfully into the fireplace or out a window/or admiring the tree / Portraits involving parent and child / children playing or sleeping / Think about a portrait of carving the turkey or ham.

THE MAIN EVENT —This is the moment of truth. As a storyteller, it is best to be an observer at this point, watching reactions and grabbing photos of the emotions you see — surprise, laughter, joy, tears and smiles. Don’t be afraid to walk around and document what you see, but don’t be in your subject’s face. Being too obvious with your camera will take away the spontaneity, and probably their enjoyment of the event. There’s not much to photograph when people are eating, so sit down and be a part of the event.

Examples: Unwrapping or handing out of gifts / Family pets playing with wrappings / Goings on of people during event / The interaction of babies, toddlers, children and animals / Food being served or eaten / People playing video games, watching television, having snowball fights or playing sports in the yard / People interacting, cooking, cleaning up in the kitchen.

THE END — The end is really the event’s conclusion, winding down, or aftermath. The Main Event may fade into the end slowly, or quickly, but keep shooting. Documenting the aftermath will be a good indication of how successful the event was. It is also a great time for photo opportunities. People are happy, engaged and even sleepy as events wind down. The stressful part of the day — the main event, be it dinner or unwrapping presents, or decorating the Christmas tree — is over and people relax.

Examples: Photos of people leaning back at the table talking, laughing or enjoying a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or a hot toddy / Youngsters, exhausted by the day taking time to nap in unexpected places.

Conclusion—You’ve worked hard on documenting this event and if it stays in your camera all your hard work is just put to waste. Your great story goes untold until you tell it in a book, slideshow or album. While the moments are still fresh in your mind, take time to put them together where people can see, enjoy and share them. You can:

a) Build a photo gallery and share them with everyone.

b) Print them as a coffee table book at Blurb.com

c) Make a calendar out of the best photos and give it to your relatives after the event to help them remember the fun all year long.

d) If you really want to have fun, make badges, buttons, bumper stickers or greeting cards out of your photos.

Photos tell the story of our lives and relationships better than words ever can. Photos not only help us connect our customers to our brands, but they help us connect our friends and families to our hearts and memories. May your holiday season be filled with love, memories and photos to last a lifetime.

Resources:

When too lazy to bring a tripod, why not try this - http://www.amazon.com/Adorama-Bottle-Top-Support-Point-n-Shoot-Digital/dp/B000M81IVK
If you have something a little larger or heavier than a point-and-shoot, but don’t want to lug around a full-sized tripod, the Gorillapod is a solid choice for larger cameras.http://joby.com/gorillapod
If you like to be in your own photos, but setting up any kind of tripod is impossible — like you’re in a tour group moving past a holiday scene, or you’re at a party where’s there’s just no room — put a compact, extendable hand-held monopod in your pocket. http://www.quikpod.com/home.asp. The Quickpod also lets you get shots in a crowd or under a tree without climbing or stooping.

Slideshow and Greeting Card Sites (Free & Online):

Use a site like http://www.slideroll.com/. Slideroll™ is a photo slideshow maker that you can use to create slide shows with your photos on either a PC or an Apple computer. Publish your slideshows on the Internet, put them on Facebook, MySpace or YouTube, and e-mail them to friends.
If you want animation, then try http://animoto.com. Animoto lets you upload photos and pick your music and then, with a click of a button, creates an animated slideshow with music you can email to friends or post online at your favorite site. Both are free with the option to upgrade to more complex features if you choose. Extremely easy to use website, even for technophobes.
Take your photos over to http://moo.com and upload them to create business cards, greeting cards, calendars, stickers, buttons and bumper stickers.
Photobooks made easy: (http://blurb.com). Blurb makes bookmaking easy with free software, a variety of photo templates to choose from and easy-to-follow tutorials as well. Books are “print on demand,” meaning you don’t have to order hundreds of books. You just upload your final document and books are sold one-at-a-time as people order them.

WHAT TO WEAR

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:49:42 +0000

Throughout your career you’re going to need to have a corporate portrait or headshot taken for a press kit, the company website, the annual report or a dozen other reasons. What you wear and how you prepare for your photo shoot will determine how effective and professional your resulting photo will be. The following tips are general wardrobe guidelines for an in-studio photo session for a corporate portrait or headshot.

General Guidelines:

Set aside some time to carefully select the outfits that you are going to bring to the photo shoot. Bring a couple of wardrobe choices.
Hang your outfits on hangers and place them in a garment bag.
Arrive in the first outfit that you’d like to be photographed in.
Get enough sleep prior to the photo shoot.
Come with a clean and moisturized face if you’re having your make-up done at the studio. If you’re doing your own make-up, please go for the natural look and bring your make-up kit with you.
Make sure you’ve got your hair styled before arriving at the photo shoot. A natural looking style is always good.
Arrive at least five minutes prior to your scheduled session.
Enjoy your photo session and have a great time.

What to wear for Women:

Wrap dresses or tops that wrap around your waist are a flattering cut for any type of body or shape.
V-Necks are an excellent choice as they always elongate the neck. A complimentary colored tank top that goes underneath the top can also add dimension to your outfit.
Use a casual jacket or blazer that fits your body perfectly. Jackets and blazers are always a good choice for layering.
Think shiny. Silky fabric looks great on camera. A solid colored top or silky accents always add interest to the photo.

Bring simple earrings, bracelets, and necklaces to the shoot. They add interest to most photos. They may or may not be used, but having the option to use them takes a lot of stress off of you. If you don’t normally wear jewelry, this will not apply to you.
Belts are always great to have for the occasional medium shots.
Proper undergarments are always advisable.
Flattering colors for all skin types: Eggplant, Indian Teal, True Red and Mellow Rose (see sample at : http://bit.ly/9RTwji)

Bring only outfits that you love to be seen in.
Even though this is just a headshot, having a complete outfit from head to toe that makes you feel confident will add a sparkle to your image, and to your photo session experience.

What to wear for Men:

Dress shirts are always a great choice as the photographer can always dress it up or dress it down. Bring an undershirt if this is necessary.
If you normally wear a tie, bring at least three options, all which compliment or can be used with the shirt(s) you are bringing.
Jackets and blazers with a casual shirt underneath are great for a more relaxed look.
Flattering colors for men are usually French Blue or Purple in combination with a dark gray, navy blue or black jacket.
Bring outfits that fit you the best and make you look sharp.

What Not to Wear for Men & Women:

Very busy multi color prints, stripes (big or small), neon colors, all white, and all black—are not the best choices for a photo shoot, unless discussed with the photographer prior to your session.
Avoid crew necks or turtlenecks. They are not at all flattering for this type of occasion.
Sweaters are too casual for this type of photo shoot so try to avoid it. Cardigans for women are a good alternative.

There are many ways to go with wardrobe even with the guideline provided. For a more thorough consultation, please don’t hesitate to contact the studio at info@donnasantos.com.

HOMESENSE

admin — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:51:17 +0000

For the past few months I have been photographing for the show “On Set Inspiration with HomeSense”. This show is about going behind the scenes of CTV’s flagship shows such as Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, walking through the design inspiration from the production designers’ perspective. Towards the end of the show, HomeSense puts together furniture and accessories that you can purchase to take the design inspiration to your own home and that’s when my photos come it (Webisodes # 3,4,5) Watch the shows here and get inspired!

Here are some of the inspiring set-ups we’ve done for some of the webisodes.

The photos even made it to Globe and Mail!

STOCK VS. CUSTOM

admin — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:11:26 +0000

There are two main sources of photographs licensed for business use: stock photos and hired photographers. Stock photos are generic photos of people, places and things licensed for commercial use and available to anyone who wants to use them. Hired photographers shoot unique photos that personalize a client’s brand, business and projects.

Benefits of Stock Photography:
There’s no doubt about it, stock photos are appealing to many small businesses because they fit tight budgets, are available fast if you’re on a tight timeline, and they’re great for references. But they have a dark side and some serious cons.

Cons of Stock Photography:

1) REPUTATIONS AND BRAND RUINED

Stock photos aren’t such a great option when your competitor is using the same photos. If you’re searching for stock photos using key words like “happy customer,” or “satisfied clients,” chances are your competitor is too.

Dell and Gateway computers found out the hard way that looking like your competitors was a bad thing. They bought the same stock image to brand their ad campaign and ended up being ridiculed and humiliated in public. The photos may change, but the article stays online making them a case study in what not to do, forever. See full article here: http://www.brianbehrend.com/archives/2004/09/more_stock_foot.php

b) It’s not hard for people to track what photos they see from one website to another. In a matter of 2 minutes, these websites appeared when the words “woman, happy, green”:

2) FALSE VALUE

You save money by using stock photography; but then you end up spending those savings on having your designer spend hours in front of a computer trying to design around available stock photos that don’t fit the vision, the message or the brand. You can save money and lose value when you only look at the bottom line or the dollar sign. True value is the value your customers see because you’ve invested your money wisely, and where it shows to the world.

3) COMPROMISED CREATIVITY

When you hire a designer based on their portfolio, style and vision, you hire them because you trust them to visually interpret your message and brand. They can’t do that if they’re limited by using stock photography.

You wouldn’t hire a chef and limit them to leftovers and week old vegetables and expect the best meal they were capable of producing.
You wouldn’t hire a massage therapist and limit the number of techniques they could use to relieve your pain.
Don’t hire a designer and limit them to using stock photos.

4) SENDING MIXED MESSAGES

Does any of your marketing copy say ‘customized’, ‘unique’, ‘trustworthy, ‘relationship’? These are some of the power words businesses use to describe their relationship with their clients. How then will these values be translated when you pepper your website with canned stock photography? If you give your clients customized service with unique products, why not treat yourself as well?

5) STOCK PHOTOS ARE GENERIC

Professional stock photographers try to reach the greatest number of buyers, not to create the best or most unique photo for any given individual.

Stock photographers:

Make their money by creating and shooting photos that appeal to the greatest number of buyers. The more popular their photo, the more people buy it and the greater the saturation of that photo in the market.
Want to ensure their designs are not unique or one-of-a-kind. One-of-a-kind photos don’t sell. By being as generic and non-descript as possible they appeal to the most business because they “fit” a cliché, mood or message those businesses with tight budgets and no concern about branding want.

If you want your message to your customers to be, “We’re just like everybody else,” then stock photos will send that message.

Customized photography is an investment and a reflection of how strongly you believe in your company. Some of the most compelling reasons for choosing customized photography over stock photos:

Pros of Custom Photography:

1) BRAND CONSISTENCY

Your brand is the face of your business. Anything you attach to your brand, employees, design, photography and language creates a message about who you are and what you stand for. Customized photography will allow you to embody your message with visual images that are consistent with your values and something that you can truly say ‘that is soooo us! When it comes to your brand, there should be no compromises.

2) ONE OF A KIND

Exclusivity is guaranteed. By hiring a photographer you’ll not only be the only company with your unique image, with the proper usage agreement with the photographer you can get exclusive perpetual license to use the image in various ways at a very reasonable cost.

3) TRANSPARENCY

Clients and customers are smarter than you think. When your small company hides behind a stock photo of a large team, they wonder what you’re hiding. If your company can boast about business, that’s all the more reason to photograph your staff, plant, office, personnel and show your clients what you’ve really got.

A photo of one-to-three real customers talking about, using or demonstrating your product tells a better story than all the stock photos in the world ever could.
Real people, places and situations in photos create more powerful word-of-mouth referrals than stock photos can.

4) LASTING FIRST IMPRESION
You gain or lose potential clients in 1-3 clicks of a mouse. New clients always check out your website first. If the website photos and visuals on your homepage don’t invite them to stay and get comfortable, they won’t.

Customized photos hook your client visually; the same way great copywriting hooks them when they read about you. If their interest and curiosity isn’t aroused within those first few seconds, they leave.
First impressions are a crucial time to visually engage them and to show them you share a common emotional connection. By the time they make that call, they will feel that they already know you and have connected with you.

5) MEDIA ATTENTION

Most businesses don’t realize it, but by using unique photos of your company, personnel and products your photos are more likely to be used in a news or feature article about your company. Magazines and newspapers won’t use stock photos when they write about you. They want real photos. They can’t always send a photographer out to take a news photo, so they will often ask if you have photos they can use instead.

When you can provide additional photos to help illustrate an article for a newsletter, news article or other publicity use you’re more likely to be selected or included in the media, including blogs, newspapers, business journals, magazines and even television.
By having a variety of photos of personnel, staff and officers, as well as production photos or photos of your operation or staff in action, you also increase public interest in your presentations, talks and speeches about your company.

6) PHOTOS TELL YOUR STORY

Photos tell your story, not everyone else’s story. Years ago, several of the most popular big-box retailers (Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target) began using their own employees in their product ads. They found that customers liked recognizing the staff, or knowing that the company showcased people who actually used and wore their products.

Your story is unique, shouldn’t the illustrations be too?
If you hit a hole-in-one, scored the winning goal or achieved some goal would you be happy with a stock photo illustrating your achievement? How is your business any less important?
We remember movies, stories and events through photos. If the photos are not unique, they’re not worth remembering or paying attention to.

There are many ways to place customized photography on your website or your next marketing brochure for maximum impact. To see what we can do for you, schedule a free consultation with corporate photographer Donna Santos, info@donnasantos.com T. 647.274.4377.

BRAND & IMAGES

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:00:35 +0000

IMAGES ARE POWERFUL. Look around your world and see for yourself. Good photos do matter. In an age of information overload, the images you use on your website, in your brochures, fliers and ad campaigns or even on your business cards do three critical things:

Photos brand you fast and deep. Because photos are dynamic, colorful and personal, many customers remember images in a visceral, almost emotional way. Yet many businesses trust a generic stock photo to represent who they are rather than hire someone to capture the most important aspects of their brand-their visual image. Weigh the pros and cons carefully before you do the same.

Photos grab and hold the attention of potential clients and customers. In a world of thousands of businesses all clamoring for attention, the photographs that stand out, that are unique, unusual and special are the ones that catch a consumer’s attention. In a field of dairy cows, it’s the purple cow that makes us stop and take a second look. Unless you’re a purple cow all you’ve got are photos to catch people’s eye. Are people taking a second look at your photos?

Photos can create an emotional anchor people remember and refer to forever. If you don’t believe it, think about some of the most memorable images of your lifetime. Most will be news photos because they are unique, memorable and powerful images, but there will images from friends, movies, vacations, other brand campaigns and advertising that you will carry forever.

If you’re wondering what type of photos can enhance your brand, let’s talk: info@donnasantos.com

HOLY MAKE-OVERS!

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:30:52 +0000

Cruise around these photos, guilt-free.
My clients (shown here) are smart. They realized that their unprofessional headshot is not working for their business. When looking at these photos, see which person would you trust more – the one on the left or the right?

Make-up by Sigi Bloomberg

EFFECTIVE SALES VIDEO

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 20:34:52 +0000

Bebo Mia, a team of doulas here in Toronto, wanted to connect with potential clients in a genuine, meaningful, emotionally-engaging way. We all agreed that video would be the best way to communicate who they are and what they are all about.

Natasha, Bianca, Amanda and I had a lengthly discussion in person and by e-mail before firming up the one key message that would cover all the points they wanted to include in the video. From there, I provided them with a script with open ended questions to guide us through, a shot list, and a shooting schedule. After one full shoot day (plus post-production editing time), this is the final product (and one time that making my clients cry felt really good.)

Bebo Mia: an example of a highly effective sales video

“We chose to work with Donna for the creation of our very first corporate video based on rave reviews from
several affiliates and we could not be happier with our decision. As it was our first time working with videographer and creating a video as a marketing tool we felt like fish out of water. Donna made the whole process easy and enjoyable for the entire team. She fulfilled the vision we had for our video and we truly believe she captured the message we were trying to get across to our potential clients. We can not thank her enough for the work she has done for us, and for somehow managing our entire team and their families during the video shoot (we actually finished ahead of schedule with nearly 15 children in the room). She was relaxed, fun and extremely professional, we will absolutely be using her services in the future.”

–Natasha Marchand CD(DONA), HBCE, YTT200
Director of Fertility & Marketing

Is your company ready for your very own video? See what’s best suited for your here.

4 BIZ VIDEO IDEAS

admin — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 21:44:06 +0000

A professional video can help you reach new clients, convince investors, inspire and inform staff, convert prospects into consumers, and ultimately, make more money for your business. Here’s a primer on four different types of business videos and how to make them work for you.

The Conversion Video

The main message of a conversion video is “Take action!”, with the goal being to have your viewer sign up for something, download a file, or make a purchase. These types of videos should be located on your homepage or a specific splash page. Their success is easy to measure; track the number or percentage of actions taken. You can see a good example on this page.

The Branding Video

A branding video tells your business’ story and there are lots of creative ways to do this. You could have a company profile, a this-is-what-we-do message, client testimonials, or how-to demos that share (and show off) your expertise. Most of these could be quite at home on your site’s homepage, or you could create special sections within your website for client stories (testimonials) or a learning centre (demos). Branding success isn’t easy to quantify but track video views and check for correlations between viewing and client loyalty and acquisition.

The Training Video

The objective of a training video is to provide support. These can be used to help your clients as well as to inexpensively train staff. They may be housed on your intranet or posted in a help section of your website. You’ll know yours is effective if your number of support calls is reduced.

The Viral Video

If you’re looking to spike traffic to your website, a viral video would be a home run. These often come in the form of dancing babies or really cute animals that viewers can’t help but share with their friends and post on Facebook profiles, but businesses who create genuinely lovable content can become viral too, even without hugging kittens. These videos are placed offsite (often on a video sharing site like YouTube) and finish with a link to your site. Your website traffic, particularly referral links, will tell you how viral your video becomes.

What kind of video would work best for you? Let’s talk: info@donnasantos.com

APPRECIATION

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 19:20:57 +0000

I got a basket full of chocolates delivered to the studio the other day and it’s from one of my clients! It wasn’t necessary as all of my clients really express their appreciation for the work but I have to admit, it’s heart-warming to be appreciated when it’s expressed like this. Thanks Thavajinee and Ranga!

Thavajinee and Ranga owns a boutique optical shop and I did all of the photos on their site and you can see it here.