The Beers family session.

I'm truly lucky to do what I do - I get to meet amazing people. Guys, you rock!!! You inspire me & make me very proud of my photography. The Beers, you are a great family! Happy anniversary!!!

FAQ: weddings & portrait photography

From Victoria Mason Photography blog

FAQ updated October 16, 2011.

I would like to post some answers to the questions that my clients often ask. Hopefully that will help us both to get ready for sessions better, feel more comfortable & be funky & fun! Here we go!!!!!

1. What kind of photography do you offer? 

Any kind that requires a camera & a brain 2 inches behind it. Yep. I do it all. Different kinds of photography require different equipment & preparation, but so far I haven't had not one singe assignment that I wouldn't do. :) 

2. What is the pricing for your photography? 

I have 4 different packages for wedding coverage. Send an email to contact@victoriamasonphotography.com the date of your wedding & a little bit of details & I will send you back my pricing info with all the fabulous stuff that I have in store for you :) Or you can just go here: http://victoriamasonphotography.com/products_services  & you'll see the pricing. 

3. What discounts do you offer? 

All of my pricing is very & very reasonable for the products that I offer. I work 100% no matter if it's a small wedding or a big wedding or a small package or a huge package. I put my soul into my work 100% no matter what! All of my clients get a lot of attention & support. And I make sure they are taken care of 100%, not just 40% ;-)

Twice a year, right around Bridal shows you'll see specials on my services. I always reward my Bridal Show brides :)

I also reward my constant clients & their relatives & friends with gift cards. Welcome to the club :)

4. How do I book a date?

Email me & we'll meet & talk about everything!

5. Do you choose the place to take pictures or do bride & groom choose it?

Generally speaking, I help to find options. We talk about the wedding day, the schedule for pictures & I always try to follow it with military precision :) There are a lot of things going on on the wedding day & so little time. So we do need a plan! If you have it, I follow it. If you don't have it, I'll help you make it & then I follow it :)

6. Do you have an assistant? 

No

7. Do you have a second photographer? 
Yes. For an extra charge.
A very knowledgeable experienced photographer, not a camera-in-an-auto-mode-kinda-person-pretending-to-be-a-photog :) 

8. What if your camera breaks?

I have 250% of necessary equipment that I carry on me(2 cameras, 3-4 lenses, tripod, flashes etc.). Extra equipment stays in the car. My second shooter(if booked) also has 2 cameras & several lenses. So if something happens, we'll have plenty of equipment to cover the wedding. 

9. Do we need special time for pictures on our wedding day?

yes! Schedule time for formal pictures with the family. We'll also need time for group pictures with the groomsmen & bridesmaids. And of course just the 2 of you: pretty bride & handsome groom. We want to make sure I have a lot of pictures of 2 of you for the album :)

10. Do you do slide shows? 

Oh yes!!! I LLLLLLove slideshows! I make 1 slideshow with the engagement pictures & then 1 more with the pictures from the wedding :) Now I don't put all the pictures in a slideshow with random effects. I carefully build a story following the rhythm of the music, lyrics & dynamics of the pictures. I do have a couple of effects that I use a lot but it's not an automated process. I do slideshows with love & I swear I cry when I finish them. It's really a very emotional thing for me. I make a story out of the photographs. 

In the blog all the slideshows are labeled 'Slideshow' in the column on the right of the page. 

For those that want to use some slideshow programs, check animoto.com. They are great. I sometimes use them if I have a couple of pix that are just portraits. 

11. How many pictures do we get? 

That's a hard one :) It usually depends on the amount of time that you book. The more time we have for pictures, the more pictures you get. I can't give an exact number. I don't count when I shoot. But all of the good pictures will be in the online gallery available for order within 3-4 weeks after the wedding. Example: last wedding I did I took about 700 pictures, so did the other photographer(all day wedding). The newlyweds got about 750 pictures on the dvd & online. 

12. Do we get a dvd with all pictures? 

Yes.

13. Can I order prints? 

Sure! In every package I included a print credit :) So with every package you get the number of prints that you want in the size that you like.

14. What if on the wedding day we run late & I want you to stay longer? 

I stay as long as you want me to. When the pictures are ready you'll get the adjustment to the invoice that has to be paid before you get the dvd. You'll basically upgrade your package at the same rate that was when you booked. You can look in your contract & you will see the next bigger package, figure out the difference & not worry about that anymore.

Does it happen a lot? - you ask me. All the time!!! And that is absolutely fine with me! I'm going to be there for you as long as you want me too.

15. What is your style of photographing?

That one is a really hard one. It's hard to describe my style. I make sure I have pictures of all the pretty details, of the bride getting ready, of the groom getting ready, ceremony, group pictures, reception & all of the important stuff that's going on on the wedding day. I also dedicate some time to just taking pictures of the bride & the groom. My main goal is to convert the best day of your life into the best memories. That's my style. Now how would you call it?

more questions & answers to come :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

So far the best day off ever in Creative Discovery Museum & then having a major nap :)
So good to just rest after a difficult week :)

Engagement in a garden a la mode

As a photographer living in a wonderful city of Chattanooga TN, I can't be happy more in spring. Spring is a wonderful time for clearing out my mind(and closet) & generate new ideas. I always start with my tiny-bitty garden(come on people, if I want to call my yard a garden, I can, right?). I love colors. I love flowers. I love photography.  And one day I thought that I want to photograph a couple in the garden with all the pretty little things like shovels & baskets & all kinds of random things found in my house & in stores nearby. Most off the props come from flea markets & yard sales, some are bought at TJMaxx & all the flowers come from Lowe's.

Benjamin Jones & Sarah Thomas were my models for this shoot. Ben and Sarah met at Lee University while they were both working in Residential Life. Ben likes to collect comic books, read comic books, and watch comic book movies. Sarah likes to make fun of him for doing so (in a loving manner, of course). She also loves to collect small, furry animals (preferring the real to the stuffed ten out of ten times) and hopes to one day own her own craft business. Ben wants to become a professional writer, either by writing novels of syndicated columns, perhaps even both. Most of all, they want to do it all together, and as of July 2011, that'll be the way it is.

They know how to have fun & be happy together. It was a great pleasure to photograph you guys! I'm also a slideshow freak as you might know, so you'll see a slideshow as well.

Enjoy!

Freebie!!!!

All right, girls & boys, here's the deal. I just got some pretty bushes & flowers to plant. I am planing to have a gardening style photo session. Here are the conditions: has to be scheduled on Monday at 10 or 3, Tue from 10 to 12 or Wed any time from morning to 5. I will provide flowers & tools. You have to get a nice gardening outfit (eg.: HERE), be smiley & fun :)

If you can fit any of those times, contact me ASAP. The first person who contacts me gets it free of charge, plus a cd with 15-20 best pictures.

Easter slideshow

It was my son's first Easter. You've already seen the pictures, now I show a 30-second slideshow. Benjamin is 11 months old & he started walking a couple of days ago. Grow healthy, son! We love you a lot!

Crème brûlée

One of the things I love most in life is good food. I eat a lot. I like to cook. And I'm very happy when people like what I cook. The other day I saw a very simple recipe of Crème brûlée, that is 'burned cream'. I absolutely love desserts & I decided to try.

It was so good, that yesterday, when both my husband & son were asleep, I sneaked in the kitchen & ate another serving. Oh yes, it's delicious.

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks,
1/2 cup of sugar
400ml or 1 2/3 cup of cream
vanilla extract
brown sugar for the crust, 4 Tb spoons

Process:
1. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, heat cream. Do not boil!!! Just heat it up.
2. Beat egg yolks with sugar. Do not use a mixer, a fork will do the job. Add vanilla extract.
3. Mix the yolks & cream together, stir. 
4. This recipe is good for 4 servings. So at this point put the mixture into the forms. 
5. Preheat the oven to 300F. 
6. Take a big deep pan, put the forms there. Now put the water in the pan (not in the forms!). You have a double boiler now. Put in the oven, let cook 25-30 min. The trick is to watch it & touch it. If you overcook it, it won't be good. The way to test it is to touch the form & move it a bit. If it moves like jelly, it's ready. 
7. Take out, let it cool off a bit, then put in the fridge for 2-3 hours. 
8. Before serving, sprinkle with 1 tb spoon of brown sugar & burn the sugar till light brown with a gas lighter or put in the oven to broil for a couple of minutes. You can also spray some water if you are broiling, it will help the crust to form. 

Delicious!!!

My son did not enjoy the snow:)))

Oh well, I thought snow is so much fun! Not for my 9-month old son.

Atlanta Aquarium! Yeee-haw!

OK, I'm a totally water person. I love everything that's connected with water! And it makes perfect sense - I was born right by the Pacific Ocean. I'm originally from Russia & was born in the beautiful place full of geysers & volcanoes. Here's my city. On the other side it's only the ocean that you can see. I love it!

That's one of the reasons why I like water so much. I've been to Chattanooga Aquarium 9-10 times. And now I'm happy to show you some pictures from the Atlanta Aquarium.