xox Amanda & Kara

And now we have Amanda’s answers!:

(Note: I kind of chopped up some of the questions as there were a fair few doubles that came in comments & emails!)

Will you ever teach a workshop in Melbourne?
I hope so! Do you want to host it? Actually, there are no “plans” right now, just vague ideas for where and what I (or we) want to teach. I’ve been saying Sydney later this year, but Melbourne is a possibility too.

Can you see yourself being a photographer for a long time, or is there other avenues you would like to pursue (I know you are already a super talented knitter!)?
Photography is my heart. I say this as I have “pursued” many different forms of creativity throughout my life. Without going too long-winded, my Mum always encouraged me to express myself. Our house was never without an abundant supply of craft supplies, paint, whatever. I did ceramics, I’ve made porcelain dolls, I wanted to be an author (not of kntiting books – although that came about!) and have many stories written (and deleted… haha). When I first got my hands on a tiny little 1megapixel canon camera (TRULY!!) there was no going back. Photography dug it’s roots into my heart and soul and I don’t want to ever give it up. With that in mind, I won’t “work” (in photography) EVER just for the money. EVER.

What do you eat for breakfast?
Coffee Oh…does that count as food? I am so bad… I always “forget” to eat until late afternoon, if not dinnertime when I’m suddenly like, CRAP I still haven’t eaten today!

Where do you shop/could advise to shop for knitting thingies in Sydney/internet?
I do most of my knitting shopping online. There is a neat shop in the City called Morris & Sons that I like to go to, but it’s not very convenient. I also find them to be a little more expensive than others places (but at the same time, great because you can see and feel the yarn in person). For ‘net stores, I really like Tangled Yarns, The Wool Shack and Yarns Galore.

Is there a chance for photoshoot (or just few portraits!) with you as a model again?
Hahaha. Oh this made me laugh After five kids, countless sleepless nights, and a super hectic schedule… umm…. let’s just say I would not be the most fun/photogenic person to photograph

Silly question – what has happened to your lip ring, you just changed your style and decided to take it off, or it made problem to clients/other people?
Actually, I never once had a client ask me about it or even seem to notice it! I took it out about 2 years ago now because I got up one day, looked in the mirror and thought “Boring, I’m over it” and took it out.

Are you planning more children in the future?
Whatever God blesses our family with, I am happy with Simple enough? Hehe.

Will you make more ps actions available at your store?
Perhaps! I use lightroom for processing much more now. I do most of my pp in lightroom, followed by tweaking afterwards in photoshop if needed. I will perhaps add some more LR presets when I have time to properly prepare them for others.

How you “do” your day with 5 kids and the job. Do you have a proper schedule?
Umm…!!! I ask myself this every single day. We have our schedules of course (school, sports, etc etc) and my Husband is studying full time at uni. So… in that sense we have a schedule of things that we MUST do. Apart from that…not really.

What is your favourite lens/aperture for kid shoots?
85mm1.2L without a doubt. But I loved my old 1.8 just as much (Umm…sometimes more, it was faster!!). I typically shoot at 2.8.

Just wondering how did you know when to take the leap from hobby to pro?
It wasn’t a self concious thing, really. I never set out to become a “professional” photographer. I took photos because I HAD to take photos. I couldn’t NOT take photos. My website originally showcased personal work, and only personal work. It was there… because I wanted to “show my stuff”. And then people started to ask me for shoots, other photographers told me to go pro… yada yada. The rest is history.

Do you have any “go-to” settings when you do portraits? Do you shoot in RAW and what do you use to convert those files to jpeg? What are your favorite actions of yours to use?
Nope! No “go to” settings. I shoot in raw about 90% of the time now, just because I prefer processing raw files. I like the warmth I can really put into the photos that way – I’ve tried doing it with JPGs, but just can’t get that same amount of depth and… well….WARMTH!! My fav action set of mine is pretty basics. If I’m shooting JPGs, that one gets a workout. I love that it’s so “tweakable”.

What is your favorite time of day to shoot?
Late afternoon! Most of my clients have LITTLE kids tho, and don’t like late afternoon… I still try not to book earlier than 3.30pm in the summer/spring, and 2.30pm in the winter/autumn. I will only do morning shoots in autumn and winter… it’s too harsh for morning shoots in spring summer in Australia!

What do you do to get babies’ attention? How do you get babies to STTN?
Talk to them! Peek-a-boo, jingly toys (if I need to pull out all the stops). Babies are naturally curious, so if you start doing something funny, they will generally look at you. That does not count for Photographers Kids. I have to do all sorts of stupid ridiculous things to get my own babies attention (and even then it rarely works.. ha!). Sorry I don’t know what STTN is!!

Where in the world would you live if not where you are now?
Tamworth! Well…I guess. We are moving 6 hrs away to Tamworth at the end of the year. If I was dreaming… then Ireland. Sigh.

If you could be famous for something (other than photography or knitting), what would it be?
Well, I used to think I wanted to be an Actress. And an author. Umm.. let’s say a famous author. That would suit me.

What do you think your kids will do when they are grown up?
I have NO IDEA!! Isaiah (nearly 5 years old) tells me he wants to be a monster truck driver and a fireman Lilly wants to be a Mama and have babies, Zoe of course is too little to tell me.. Jakob is quite smart… and Madison is incredibly athletic (she is doing competitive gymnastics – tramp and tumbling – this year). SO… who knows??

How did you and Matt meet?
He and I went to the same church youth group. He was the best friend of a guy whose family was good friends with my family… umm… long story short, I could not STAND him until we were at a church camp… and then WOAH

What’s the hardest part about being a career photographer?
Balancing work and family. One part of me wants to do nothing but be at home with my babies, and another part of me fiercely wants to succeed and go as far as I can. While my children as still young, I am letting the “be at home as much as possible” part of me win. That doesn’t mean it is easy however. The other thing that is kind of hard….having to do what the client wants! I am an artist at heart – I don’t want to take photos just to get paid. I’d rather NOT get paid, and be able to photograph because I WANT to, because I can give somebody a GIFT, because this is what I LOVE TO DO… than feel my soul being sucked away because I “have to” do this.

Ok, where did you get the wooden kanu looking prop Zoe is sitting on?
This one? . It is a wooden dough trencher. I googled “wooden trencher” or something similar and found one online. It’s a reproduction one, and to have it shipped here from the USA I think it cost me around $100.

How do you get such great backlit shots?
Practice! Kind of I have settings that I will generally use… I know how to “see” light, I know what I like, I know what works for me… I know what works for my backlit shots. It’s hard to explain in writing, and much easier to “show” in person. (Oh and to answer the other part, yes I use all manual settings).

Where i can buy your knitting book?
I have been told in the USA it is in just about every book store. It’s harder to find in Australia (altho you can special order it at Borders!). You can get it on Amazon, Fishpond, Book Depository, etc etc.

I’d love to know a bit more about you and your great family. Are you looking forward to your new life in Tamworth? Do you think you’ll finally get your license this year? Is a new car on the agenda for 2010?
Yes, yes, and… maybe

How many photo shoots do you do a month?
I try not to take on any more than four. I know to some that will seem like an incredibly small amount, but as I mentioned, right now I am at the stage in our lives (mine, my children’s, our family) where I NEED to be at home. For me, quantity AND quality time with my kids is SO important. I do some smaller shoots (that don’t require me to be away from the kids) as well, that does not count as my “4 per month” rule as well, when I’m able.

I’m wondering how much sleep you typically get? You are the most productive person I know so I’m thinking you must do ok with little sleep? I don’t know how you do it:)
Any tips for taking fab self portraits?
I get enough sleep. I am almost NEVER in bed before 1am, and when school & uni are on I am up before 8am. When holidays are on, my husband lets me sleep in I am MUCH more productive at night after the kids have all gone to bed (well..most of them. Zoe is often up with me). As for self portraits… umm.. when I used to take a lot (and I mean a LOT haha) I had a tripod and the timer on my camera was my best friend. I couldn’t afford a remote! If I was doing them now I’d DEFINITELY get a remote!!! I had a big stuffed dog toy that was my “stand in” for focusing. I’d focus the camera, do all my settings, press the shutter and RUN!!!! chuck that stupid stuffed toy out of the way, and try to compose myself into a nice pose/expression/whatever in the few seconds I had. And over and over until I got what I wanted!

Well we hope you enjoyed reading a little more about us!
xox Amanda & Kara

(P.s Kara’s answers are in the previous post, scroll down!)

First up is Kara!:

Would you get a tattoo or do you have one? would you get something pierced if so what ( ears don’t count )
I don’t have a tattoo and don’t have anything pierced (besides my ears). While in Hawaii at the oh-so-tender age of 19 I spoke out loud a “funny” I was thinking in my head and said “We should all get tattoos! I think pigs are SOOOOOOO cute!” Then everyone got excited and I TOTALLY freaked out and thought “HOW am I going to get out of this one???” Luckily it lasted only 4 minutes and then we got diet cokes in stead.

If you had to pick THREE words (ONLY three!) to describe your style (photography, or clothes, whatever you like) what would they be?
Well – because clothing and photography go hand in hand to me – they’re the same 3 words! VINTAGE – BRIGHT – DIFFERENT.

What is your favourite time of day to shoot?
Oddly enough – in the BRIGHT SUN!

What do you eat for breakfast?
Oatmeal or 7 grain wheat cereal. Boring – but healthy.

What is your favourite lens/aperture for kid shoots?
I like my 17-40 L at 4.0 or my 50 mm at 3.2 – because it still shows enough detail from the surroundings. So much of the surroundings are details I want to keep in … it’s part of the story.

(In regards to getting things done with kids at home) Do you have a strict schedule? How do you organize your day?
I don’t *think* I have a strict schedule until I see other moms just be fine with whatever happens that day! It’s kind of like groundhog’s day – we do the same things over and over and over again … but that’s OK, right? Kids get up at 7:30, breakfast, get dressed, off to school by 8:30. I finally get ready for the day by the time Ava is picked up at 11:30 from the useless half day of kindergarten. Then she has lunch and colors/plays while baby maby has her much needed nap time away from her mother. After nap – the girls play while I get things done (photo stuff, house stuff) until Wesley gets home at 3:30. We all have a snack and do about 1 hour of TV so they can have down time … then it’s homework time! If there’s not much going on we’ll go grocery shopping together or play outside (with good weather). Dinner is WAY late at our house … like 7:00 sometimes because Nate gets home so late. We try and get the kids down by 7:45 or 8:00 … but that’s a GOAL – not a reality. After the kids go to bed I get their lunches ready for the next day, pick up the house for the trillionth time, try to have a real conversation with Nate, and do photo stuff! I try and keep our life simple by not doing extra curricular activities that takes us from one thing to another. That’s not the norm around here – but it’s important to me to NOT have to run here run there and go from thing to thing to THING! Ava will start ballet next fall and Wesley will start piano same time … but that will probably be the extent of our “travels” right now

Any advice for selling people on spending money on their pictures? When the economy is so tight right now, how do you sell someone on investing in images that make their hearts melt? I am constantly running promotions on facebook to entice people…and I get nothing.
One more…because I’m brave like that…How are you doing since your big move?
The economy is tough on every business and I’ve seen it everywhere! I see promotions being ran that gives session fee free or discounted or includes free prints! The thing you want to remember is how HARD do you want to work for less? Sometimes promoting things at a cheaper rate will attract lots and lots of clients that will spend $200 TOTAL. OR – do you want to keep your prices where they are, do possible promotions – but still attract your clientele that will spend the money? I’d much rather have fewer clients who spend more, than lots of clients that work me to death and hardly spend a few hundred. I’ve made sure to make my session fee on the higher end and keep my minimum of $400. This attracts only those who were planning on spending more anyway – but not too high to make them think “I’ll have to spend $1,000!!!” I still have the majority of clients spend about $1500-2500 – but I’m careful to make sure their experience with me is completely personal. I don’t push item after item just to make the sale. I figure out what would be best for them, their walls, their lifestyle, and then help them get the most out of the prints we’re putting up- while also making sure what I’m putting on their walls will attract new clients for me. In our workshop I’ll show you the gifts I give out, at what rate I give freebies – and how a typical ordering session goes with me.
And my big move …. it’s been a strange year – that’s for sure. But hanging in there! Very grateful to have picked back up old clients – and to get new clients from old clients. It will be nice to have our own home again and feel NORMAL. I don’t think anyone ever really feels NORMAL – but really … this year… HOLY CRAP!!!

Is your older sister Lisa as beautiful and ethereal as I’ve heard? Also, what is the link to your VERY MOST FAVORITE BLOG IN THE WORLD…with the word “blue” and “shoe” in it? Lastly, what shade of soil pep will your new house’s stucco and river rock be made of? I can’t WAIT until you post pics of it!!!
Weird – I feel like I KNOW the person who wrote this! My older sister Lisa is LOVELY and very ethereal – and I only had to look that word up TWICE to figure out if it fit her well. My link to my most very favorite blog is: www.blueandshoe.blogspot.com. And YES it’s my sisters … but honestly – I am not a huge blog stalker of other photographers. I work really hard to make sure what is in my brain came from ME. And I don’t want to look at another blog and go … I can copy that! OOO but I DO look at Amanda’s blog ALL THE TIME!!! Lastly – my new house will NEVER have a shade of soil pep because you ALL know I’m allergic to BROWN. It will be a yellow farm house, black shutters, red door and wrap around porch. NOW … to get Nate to fork out the money to pay for it.

What would you do if a family turned up to a shoot with you…. brace yourself… dressed all in browns and khaki and nuetrals
Amanda has been DYING to know this… right??? About 3 years ago I would have clients just show up in random things that were awfully neutral – because WHY?? They just did what everyone else did …. GO NEUTRAL. And then I learned that I could influence them, help them find out what they REALLY love without making up their mind for them – and without taking away THEIR own style. So – I make sure to do a phone consultation with clients talking about what they want their images to reflect. In that conversation I can get a really good feel for what they’re going for. If, after looking at my site, they’re still bound and determined to have a “typical posed shoot” I refer them elsewhere. But I’ve only had that happen 1x since my consultations started taking place. I won’t sacrifice how I shoot for a client. I am how I am. I shoot how I shoot. And I shoot for me – not for them. In the workshop I’ll go through a phone consultation, how I help them pick clothing – even down to me going to their home. See – personalized!!!

Do we get to ask more than one question? I sure hope so because if not, then I just used mine!
1- Do you guys plan on staying in Davis County?
2- What kind of photo shoots are your favorite?
3- When are you coming to see me?

Sheesh – I have some stalkers who live near me! Just kidding, Steph – I love you!
1. We’ll stay in Davis County. Nate wants to be close to his new work and we love it here.
2. My favorite shoots are … crap – ALL of them for different reasons. I’d say a family who gets it with a relaxed feel. A couple who KNOWS style and knows how to work the camera and the feel we’re going for and individuals when they’re fun and like to be CRAZY on a shoot … just like me. You know .. like when we get in trouble by the bike police!!! But also individuals who truly show me who they are .. even if they’re not crazy.
3. I’ll come visit you next week!!!

What camera and lens do you use? which is your fav. lens?
I wish I could be more specific … but I use a lot of things. The canon 5d and the 5d II. With lenses being (my FAVORITE) 17-40L!! But my 50mm never leaves my bag. I also love my lensbaby … although it’s not for everyone, if you can get a client to cooperate – it’s GORGEOUS!

Stay tuned for Amanda’s FAQs answered in the next post!

xox Amanda & Kara

xox Amanda & Kara

Like so:

xox Amanda & Kara

Kara Elmore is a product of her photographer father who used to give her assignments while living away. Her favorite was shooting the moon …. and as embarrassed as she is to admit this her question to her father was … “where should I aim the flash?” That’s when she knew she needed to actually KNOW her camera … not just guess. Her first item of business – to leave the flash on the shelf.

Kara loved vintage before it was cool! She also loves lots and lots of bright colors and loves to give people who wear brown a really hard time. If it becomes trendy, she leaves it alone. If it gets attention, she wears it. If it causes a smile, she adores it. She thinks she should have been raised in the 1940’s.

Kara specializes in a real life approach photo-journalistic style of photography. If someone “feels” an image of hers – she has done her job.

Not just a photographer, Kara is also Mom to three GORGEOUS kids and has a fabulous husband!

Amanda Keeys knew nothing about photography until several years ago when she got bored. And looked at an art website and thought “I can do that!”. Little did she know that the journey from the image in your mind to a beautiful image from the camera are worlds apart. Self-taught, she has a natural photographers “eye” and it didn’t take long for her style to become easily recognizable to others.

Amanda is in love with natural light – backlight, soft filtered light, moody light – and knows how to use it. Moody portraits and whimsical moments are her favorites to capture.

Amanda is a busy Mama to FIVE (yes, you read that right!) beautiful children, has the best husband on the planet, and is ALSO the author, designer, and photographer behind the book “Baby Beanies: Happy Hats to knit for little heads”.

xox Amanda & Kara

xox Amanda & Kara

If you’re looking for the details on the workshop, see THIS POST. To register, check the post below.

xox Amanda & Kara

Disclaimer: Sneak peek photographs to not truly show the beauty of these gorgeous locations

More information forthcoming

xox Amanda & Kara