Today we have TWO awesome giveaways from one of our Vogue Vendors, Brenna Gentry! She’s giving away 1 seat in an upcoming Online Group Photoshop Mentoring Session ($225 value!)  AND 1 Online 1-Hour Mentoring Consult  ($125 value!)

An Online Photoshop Class that is not a ‘Here’s how to use photoshop’ class, but a ‘Here’s how I use photoshop & my thought process behind every step I make while creating beautiful edits’ class. I share with you MY personal workflow that I use on every single image I edit & more importantly I share the questions you need to ask yourself while editing to get the results you desire.

I remember the feeling of staring at my screen not knowing where to start, what to do, how to do it & the frustration of not being able to get my images to look like I wanted. This class will push you past all of that & take your images to the next level. Upon completion of the class you will feel confident, motivated, excited & inspired. Why wouldn’t you want to give that to yourself?

We also have an exclusive limited $35 off discount code for the first 15 people. Use coupon code: CC35. If the code doesn’t work, it means you were unfortunately too late! Good luck.

Hurry and sign up for a Celebrity Critique for June! Some are already SOLD OUT so act fast!

Spanki Mills | Spanki Mills Photography

Click HERE for Spanki’s 4-week Critique

Only 6 spots left!

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Alex Beadon | Alex Beadon Photography

Click HERE for Alex’s 4-week Critique

Only 9 spots left!

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Audrey Woulard | Audrey Woulard Photography

Click HERE for Audrey’s 4-week Critique

Only 5 spots left!

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Laura Winslow | Laura Winslow Photography

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Kara May | Kara May Photography

Our Chic of the Week is Megan DeShazo from DeShazo Photography.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I am an on-location photographer in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, specializing in newborn, children and family photography with a vintage/whimsical style.

I am married to my greatest friend, Kevin, whom I fall more in love with everyday. Our first son, Gabe, was born in February of ’09 and his little brother, Noah, in September of ’11 – both boys are growing up faster than I would like (*tear). I have a weakness for freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, prefer my coffee drinks with more sugar/less coffee, adore Jesus and find true joy in the simpleness ofeveryday life.

Image of the week:

Image stats:

I shot this image at f/1.8, 1/125, ISO200 in RAW format. The session was indoors in front of my client’s living room window to catch thenatural light. It was shot in the middle of the day. For editing I did basic adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw and then opened the image in photoshop where I ran a few actions from the IttyBitty Collection to help with color pop and contrast. I also added warmth to the skin tones.

A fun detail on the Chevron backdrop: the fabric was leftover material from the handmade curtains in his nursery. I love to incorporate personal items in my clients’ sessions. Not only does it set apart theimage from anything else I’ve shot, but it makes the photo completely custom to my client. It’s so exciting to know that this photo is going to perfectly match his nursery decor!

After sharing this image in the Chic Critique Forum, what critique did you find helpful?

I shared this image as well as a few others from this session in theChic Critique Forum. With this specific image, a fellow photographer suggested that the baby’s skin tones looked too cool (skin tones are my biggest struggle). I took her suggestion and added a touch ofwarmth to his sweet little cheeks.

Congratulations Megan! You’ve been awarded a gift certificate from one of our vendors for being selected as Chic of the Week!

Are you interested in being the Chic of the Week?  Just become a member of the forum, submit an image for peer critique and each week someone will be chosen and featured on the blog!

1) There is an art to everything.
I see art everywhere now. There is an art to chopping, to science, to driving, to swimming, to loving, to giving. There is an art to everything, and it’s beautiful when you take the time to notice.

2) Being an artist requires courage, strength and humility.
Being an artist requires you to create work that some people will love and that some people will hate. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have felt so nervous posting photos, for fear of what people would think or say. I have found the courage each time to create this work, the strength to post the work, and the humility in the fact that the whole world is watching and judging.

3) You can’t and won’t please everyone with your work.
Everyone has their own opinions and preferences, and it’s impossible to find something in your art that’s “one size fits all”. Don’t be scared of this. Embrace it.

4) My most inspired times are the silent, quiet and thoughtful times.
This is why I strongly believe that there is such thing as “shooting too much”. If I am so busy that I can’t find the time to sit and think, then I’m missing out on major moments of pure inspiration and creativity. This is key to my growth and success, and I know this.

5) We each have our own inherent style without even recognising it.
The key is in our differences. All we have to do is allow ourselves to freely create without worrying so much about finding a style, and ouila – it develops all on its own.

6) Inspiration comes when you least expect it.
You cannot schedule or plan to create pure brilliance each and every time. Most times, your greatest successes will come as a total surprise – that’s the fun of it .

7) It is art if it makes you feel something.
It has always been so important for me and so difficult for me to define art. But I finally found my definition, and it has really helped me hone in on what I want to bring to my art work.

You need to make time for your art.

Alone time. You and your camera. Whether you are feeling inspired or not. Time to create and let loose. No deadlines, no pressure, no clients. Just you and your camera.

9) Art can and should make a difference. 

I constantly wonder how will I make a difference with my art?

10) We are all artists whether we know it or not.

Yes, we all are. It’s beautiful.

11) There is no room for jealousy.

We all get jealous, we’re human. “I wish I had taken that photo” “Why can’t my photos look like his?” “When will I reach her level?” etc…etc… I don’t know about you – but jealousy has the power to consume me. So I have eradicated it from my life. If I feel jealous, I replace it with positivity. It is not a race. You can’t be anyone else but yourself. Learn to love that YOU are the only one who can create work like you can .

12) Passion trumps talent every time.

All you need is passion. A person who is 100% passionate and 50% talented is a million times more interesting to me than someone who is 50% passionate and 100% talented. Passion is extraordinarily powerful.

13) There is no limit to how much you can grow as an artist. Constantly challenge yourself to be better.

In my opinion the only path to constant improvement is to constantly create and to constantly be challenging yourself to leave your comfort zone and think outside of the box. Do it!

~Love to you all, Alex Beadon

Alex, what camera do you use and what is your favorite lens?
I use the Canon 5d mark ii and my favourite lens is the 50mm 1.4.

What has been the most helpful critique you ever got on an image?
A good friend of mine once pointed out that I needed to focus more on posing my subjects with purpose. Not just putting them in the shot and crossing my fingers in hopes that it all comes together at the end. It taught me to take responsibility of every aspect of my image, and to shoot with purpose instead of relying solely on luck.

What 3 words would you use to describe your style?
Dreamy, Creative, Unique

Where do you pull your inspiration from?
I live my life in constant search of inspiration from every source possible: books, weather, photos, nature, life lessons, words etc… anywhere that sparks an interest in my mind

Best biz/photo advice?
Find your inner artist. Always listen to it, be good to it and appreciate it.

What have you learned the hard way?
The toughest thing I have learned so far is how to be my own boss. It’s so easy to put things off and ignore what needs to be done because there are no immediate consequences. However, when dealing with clients and your brand it is vital that you live up to the expectations that you set.

How does your business deal with the rise in photographers. What have you done to standout and compete?
I embrace the rise in photographers. There’s more beautiful artwork out there today than ever before and I think it’s magical. Business-wise, I chose to believe that there is enough room for us all. I know that my work and attitude are different to anyone else’s out there, and that I am my own competitive advantage. As I said, the rise in photographers is not something that worries me, it’s something that inspires me.

Where have most of your 2011 clients come from (besides WOM)?
Facebook is definitely number one. For sure. And that’s the way I like it .

What has been the best workshop or convention you’ve attended so far?
I went to the SWPP convention last year and it was AMAZING. I met such lovely people, and came away having learned so much and feeling so utterly inspired. I loved it.

What is your most popular product?
My full creative portrait package – hair stylist, make up artist and all!