Relax with 99 No Nonsense. For an amazing investment of £99 you can book your portrait session to be in the Studio or outdoors at a fab location for up to 4 people. You can select your 9 favourite images to have as digital files. This is the No Nonsense bit. The files you choose you get as full resolution jpg’s with no logo or watermark and freedom to use and print as you desire. No catch, just simply a great offer

Normal Retail value of this product £315. That is a great offer by any standard.

Only available until 15th February 2012

For just 99 you can treat your loved one to a portrait session and then choose 9 of your favourite images to have as full resolution files which you can keep forever. What is more, I am encouraging you to have your portrait experience take place at a fabulous location. I have already booked some couples who are going to the beach for their portrait experience. One couple are even taking their dog to include in the portraits.

You will receive a personally drafted letter on quality paper, in a lovely envelope and parcelled in beautiful ribbon with a bow. Once customer recently described the voucher he bought as beautiful and told us how pleased he was to be able to hand such a beautiful item as a gift to his wife.

All you need to do is call me on 07840 947517 to book your voucher. The voucher lasts for three months so you can take advantage of this great offer and still have three months in which to book your portrait session.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Mark

The debate over on line dating is an ongoing one but as I met my good lady, Sandra four years ago on an online dating site and we are still going strong, I can personally vouch for its potential to find you someone special. I certainly did.

What has prompted me to write this article is the fact that the clients who required lovely portraits of themselves were nervous about admitting that they were on an online dating site. They constantly apologised as though they were doing something wrong. Not all but some even impressed on me that they didn’t want anyone else to know.

Of course not only was I able to put them at ease, but I was also able to improve their confidence both during the portrait session and through the great portraits that they ended up with. I know this because they told me so.

One lady even came into the studio in such a state that she was in tears and was so judgemental of herself for being so vain as to want nice portraits to try to find a partner. This particular customer purchased lots of images, really enjoyed the experience and saw it as part of her own journey to re build her life several years after her husband had passed away.

Here at Xpect Photography not only do I fully support your desire to find someone special but I can totally empathise as I was once in the same position. I haven’t looked back and I want to help you in your journey.

The process is simple. Contact me to book your session. You can review the images and choose the ones you want during a viewing and your confidentiality is guaranteed.

So there is no reason to leave such an important matter to a picture that you had taken years ago, or that you took with your own camera held at arm’s length. A professional portrait could help you find the person you are looking for.

Please call me for a chat on 07840 947517. As this is my first Blog of 2012, Happy New Year.

Regards,

Mark.

Firstly for those that aren’t aware of what a ‘Stock Image’ is then let me explain. They are images stored on Stock sites, such as Fotolia or Shutterstock by photographers who sell them with usage rights.

The benefits are that you can often get images to use on your sites that are easily found, downloaded and may not cost a great deal.

The price often depends on the level of usage and the time for which the image will be used. Obviously the price increases in effect with higher usage and for longer periods of time. Often time is limited or the number of uses is limited unless you pay the higher fees.

The down side to stock images is that you will choose an image that you like and you will have searched the site library using words or phrases relevant to your business. Well it stands to reason that so would others in the same business as you!

The chances are that you could easily be purchasing an image that others in the same business are purchasing and so you will have the same image on your site as they will. I see this from time to time but more often than not I just notice that Stock images are being used because once you become familiar with that type of image you get to recognise them.

Moreover they show nothing of who or what you are; they are simply a representation of a genre, an emotion, a situation or an activity. That may be fine but if you are going to show a picture of a board room because you have one and you want to tell the world about it, why not have a photograph of your very own boardroom?

If you are a beauty salon for example, you will always see images of ladies laid on their fronts with hot stones laid on their backs. You see these images everywhere and they are very ‘Same’ meaning quite often beauty / salon sites look very similar.

The alternative would be to hire a professional photographer to photograph your business, your staff, and your premises.

Now in the first instance this may be a bit more expensive but if your deal includes having the digital files then you have them for life and you can use them as you see fit with no limitations or complicated usage licenses.

Further more you will have images that truly reflect your individuality as a business, images that no one else will have and no risk of looking the same as all your competitors.

I have provided several businesses with images for their web sites. The process is simple, an initial meeting to discuss the brief; what you are seeking from your images, what you want to portray about your business. Then I go to work at a convenient time so as not to disrupt you or your staff. I prepare the images and arrange a viewing where the customer can review the images.

If necessary I will revisit and re shoot perhaps where new ideas have been forthcoming or if something isn’t quite right. Ultimately you get the fabulous images you want for your web site and images that will set you apart from the others.

As a professional photographer I am a creative person and you would be surprised at how amazing things will look once I have got to work.

Other uses; I have also seen the images used in banners, in flyers, stationary and advertising. So they are very useful in all sorts of ways without you having to worry about the license that you have purchased from a Stock site or worrying that you might breach the terms and conditions.

I would be happy to discuss with you your needs, with no obligation to see what can be done for you and your business. www.xpectphotography.com

Here are some tips to get great fireworks pictures:-

1: Get a tripod – your camera will need to be rock-steady for at least a half a second and it is highly unlikely that you will be able to hold it steady enough for long enough without some help. A remote release cable will reduce the risk of camera shake even more. Fireworks are fast so from about .5 of a second upwards perhaps to 3 or 4 seconds will be required depending on how extensive you want the light trails to be.

2: Go manual – modern cameras are good at working out the settings for well-exposed pictures in a wide range of situations but the brightness of the fireworks against the dark of the sky can easily fool the auto-settings. So turn them off and set aperture and shutter speed yourself.

3: Aperture - a mid-range aperture of around F8 or F11 works best. Either set the camera to expose for a set time and experiment to get the best combination or try setting your camera to “bulb”. This keeps the lens open until you release the shutter. Using this technique open the shutter as the firework is about to explode and keep it open until it has finished. This provides you with the maximum of control.

4: Flash – leave your flashgun in the bag or turn on-camera flash off. The
short range of flashguns means they have no impact on the main subject.

5: Framing – both vertical and horizontal framing can work well but remember there’s a lot of vertical motion with rockets going off.

6: It’s not just fireworks – whether it’s in your back garden or at a professional event there is plenty of scope for great people shots. Reactions to the fireworks, lighting effects and children with sparklers all offer the chance of interesting “environmental”
pictures.

But most of all – stay safe and enjoy yourselves!

The show is billed as Wales’s ultimate fashion and beauty showcase and will raise funds for Autism Cymru and National Autistic Society Cymru.

The Cardiff show will feature OK!TV’s Matt Johnson, GMTV make-up
artist Ariane Poole, the House of Fraser fashion show, expert demonstrations
and makeovers, nail, lash and brow bars, the Tiger Tiger cocktail and karaoke pod, fashion and beauty advisors, massage, facials and reflexology, teeth whitening and botox, personal trainers and health experts, Christmas shopping and unique gifts – and lots more!

My role will be to photograph the event as it happens as well as focusing on main
events such as makeovers, fashion show and catwalk.

Exhibitors with specific requests for photography can contact me on 07840 947517 or e-mail mark@xpectphotography.com

The show takes place on Sunday, November 20. Tickets are £5 from www.allaboutmeshow.co.uk.

You can also follow ‘All About Me Show’ on Facebook.

Hope to see you there!