Referral Contest!!

It's that time! If you're a fan living in SoCal and would like to earn a FREE PHOTO SHOOT PLUS CD, this is your chance! I'm having a referral contest to build my base of potential customers and get the word out about my new business. You are free to share with anyone of course, but my main focus is to bring in fans that would realistically be able to participate and use a free photo shoot themselves.  You have until May 3rd to invite as many of your San Diegan friends to "like" my Facebook page Giles Smiles Photography as you can. They must post on the page who sent them to be counted in the tally. Please do not spam any businesses in attempts to get more referrals. Whoever has the most referrals on May 3rd will receive a one hour on location shoot with CD.  Good luck and happy referring!!
Note to my tweeps (you may refer people to follow Frugal Queen they just wont have the joys of seeing my pics :)

My photo entry

I chose to enter this photo in this weeks "I heart faces" photo contest.  The theme this week is wind. Wind, I think, is one of the hardest of natures features to deal with, but one that can make an ordinary photo extra special. The affects of moving air can range from gently blow the subjects hair,  to throwing it directly over their eyes, to picking up dust and debris . How you manage to deal with it is what makes the difference.

Check it out on I Heart Faces!

To lean or not to lean...

I am addicted to pictures that stand on edge. Maybe it stands for my personality I don't know. After a couple people brought it to my attention that so many of my photos are shot at an angle I began to analyze my shooting style. I set my camera up, ISO, Aperture, light metered ready to go. Ok nothing odd there. Subject in view? Check. Camera up to the eye in standard horizontal position, aaaaaand tilt. Picture after picture my world stands on a corner. I'm not completely sure where it started. I have heard people here and there say that it adds interest to shoot this way. I had a instructor define it this way: the eye likes triangles. So basically when you shoot "on edge" you've created triangles on all sides if your subject instead of the standard rectangles. My brain literally does not think, or see inside the box. It sees in triangles. I love the look, and 9 times out of ten given the exact same subject I will choose a picture taken on the diagonal better than on taken at the standard 90 degrees. It has been brought to my attention (very lovingly :) that not everyone shares my obsession with triangles. So I have been very conscious when shooting lately to try and mix it up. I hope you will now notice this detail and appreciate my efforts to take pictures in a variety of ways, and not just the ones that are my favorites. That being said, here's an example to show you what I'm talking about. First, you will see a picture taken with the standard portrait orientation through two pillars. Not completely straight on, but relatively "rectangle -ish." The subject is the beautiful reflecting pond in balboa park and the great architecture that surrounds it.

Next is a picture taken in the same spot but with the columns at a more extreme angle .

The subject? Nothing really, maybe a reflection of a piece of a building.  Then why do I like this one so much better? Triangles!!!! I'd like to get your opinion on the matter, how do you feel about triangles?

If you were wondering.

In case you were wondering, I have not touched any of these photos with editing software.  What I see in the camera is what comes out on paper.  I have a friend who is fully capable of any Photoshop editing craziness you desire, so let me know if there is an effect you would like to see.  As for now I can deliver quality photos, with quick turnaround because they come straight from the camera to you.

Your deal is getting sweeter! $5 referral credit

Need another reason to buy a photo shoot? How about $5 off? If you refer five friends to buy my $30 for 30 minute deal by Friday, I will take $5 off! Guess what? There's no limit to how many people you can refer, so if you are a marketing master and can manage to get 30 friends to buy, you can have your session for free. Heck if you get 30 people to buy you can have 1 free session a year or the rest of your life, and I'll hire you for all of my PR. Seriously, that would be amazing. But remember, your friends must let me know you referred them so I don't get any double dippers. So go share this amazing deal! I can only be this generous for so long :)

Let's get this party started right!

Whew! Its been too long since I've posted but I'm coming back with a bang! I've got a deal for you. In order to finance my startup costs and upgrade my equipment while continuing to build my portfolio, I'm having a one time special just in time for mothers day. It looks like this:

$30 for 30 minutes!
30 minute "mini" photo shoot at a location of your choice within San Diego county.
Cd of print ready photos
1 free 8x10
This sitting includes up to five people

The catch? You have to act fast! You can order up to two hours at this price (total of $120 for 120 minutes) to be used together (homecoming? ball game?)or separately. To purchase, you must comment here, Facebook or Twitter with your paypal address. I will then send a Paypal invoice and payment must be received by Friday April . Once you have paid you can schedule one or more of your appointments. Feel free to email me any questions or concerns at frugalqueen@ymail.com. To make this successful please tell your friends to come check out my photoblog with examples of my work. Thanks in advance and I look forward to photographing your smiling face!