Today we get to see some fabulous pictures from, Brittney Kluse of Brittney Kluse Photography.

If you are interested in having Brittney critique your biz, sign up now! There are only  8 spots left!

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by Matt France | CEO

The fable of the musical tiger and tortoise comes from the Fang culture of West Africa:

A tortoise and a tiger are close friends who live in a small village where not much happens. One day, fatigued with boredom, they decide to organize a dance to entertain the town villagers. The tortoise and the tiger agree that they will both make musical instruments to play at the town dance.

The tiger decides to make his musical instrument alone. He makes his instrument in the forest where no one will see or bother him. The tortoise decides to make his musical instrument alongside a busy road where neighbors pass by and likely give suggestions to the tortoise about his instrument.

While the tortoise worked on his instrument, he would do the following: when he saw a town villager approach he would hide near the instrument and listen to the criticism of the travelers; when the traveler had passed, the tortoise would come out of hiding, and modify his design as suggested by the traveler. In this way, the tortoise went about improving and perfecting his musical instrument. By heeding criticism, the tortoise created a beautiful work of art praised by all of the people.

In contrast, the tiger assembled a defective instrument because he didn’t work to improve his instrument nor did he seek out the opinion of others. When the tiger had finished, he delivered an instrument to the village that no one else wanted.

Criticism is not always bad; occasionally we must tolerate it and it will expand our knowledge and make us stronger. Great works of art (photography!) are sometimes the fruit of different points of view that the artist fuses in her work.

Like the tortoise, being open to suggestions can really help you improve your work and eventually get more praise. You can really grow by getting feedback from others.

Chic Critique Forum is a safe place to get constructive critiques from others to help you improve your work. The moment you STOP asking questions about how to improve is the moment you stop growing.

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The inspiration for today’s post comes from an article written by Dean John R. Rosenberg, Dean of the College of Humanities at Brigham Young University. The article is entitled “Critical Openess” and can be read in its entirety HERE.

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Our Chic of the Week is Anna Nelson

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I’ve been interested in photography for many years but started taking it more seriously when my daugther came along. I have loved learning the technical side of it and look forward to learning more. I am still in the “too scared to start a business phase”, but when I’m not taking photos of my daughter I’m dreaming about what photo I want to take of her next.

Image of the week:

Image stats:

This image was shot with my Canon 60D with a 50 1.4.
ISO of 400, f 2.0, shutter 1/500, in RAW and edited in Lightroom.

This image was a fortunate consequence of trying to keep my daughter occupied for a few minutes while I did some baking. I set her up at the kitchen bench and noticed how adorable it looked so got the camera out. Think there may have been a bit of cross-contamination between the flour and sugar but was definitley worth as I love the photo.

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

I posted this image looking for feedback on skin tones, which is something I’ve pretty much ignored until now, and it showed with my editing. The feedback was really encouraging, that the skin tones looked a tiny bit pink if anything, but otherwise great. Also received some feedback about removing some of the red spots on her face before printing. All the feedback I have received from images I have posted has been both constructive and encouraging.

Congratulations Anna! 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!

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Do you post on your blog only to hear crickets? Do you sometimes feel like you are talking to yourself (and maybe your Mom) on your blog? Do you need some LOVE?

Chic Critique is here for you, girl. In 2013, we are doing a weekly feature on our blog every Saturday called “BLOG LOVE” where you can showcase your  blog posts on Chic Critique for lots of love.

SWEET BENEFITS:

• Use this as motivation to blog at least once a week
• Boost your SEO: your thumbnail will link back to your own blog for lots of publicity and SEO lovin’!
• Get blog comments from our fans
• Show off your work
• Get published! One of your images might be featured in an upcoming issue of Chic Magazine

It’s so easy! HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

You must be a member of Chic Critique forum to participate 

1. Post some pics on your own blog with a link back to Chic Critique
2. Every weekend, submit your permalink (not your main blog address) from your own blog post to the frog icon (see sample below) to our weekly Saturday “Blog Love” blog post
3. Your image will then show up as a thumbnail on OUR blog and allow our readers to click on your image to check out YOUR blog.

Need a reminder? We’ll help remind you in our weekly newsletter and on Facebook so be sure to become a fan and subscribe to our newsletter.

ENTER YOUR BLOG POST IMAGES FOR THIS WEEK BY CLICKING ON THE FROG BELOW:
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the other entries because that is half the fun! Also, submit your photo early since those seem to be the ones who receive the most comments.

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Did you know that you can get Chic Magazine in PRINT?

I highly recommend getting a hard copy of The Posh Issue of Chic Magazine!

Photos of The Style Issue by Celebrity Photographer, Tara Swain:

 Some lovely shots of  The Launch Issue by Celebrity Photographer, Laura Winslow:

CHIC MAGAZINE IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE IPAD! 

Instagram pic by Celebrity Photographer, @lesliekerrigan:

 Instagram pic by #chicinstagrammys winner, @ra_photosnmore:

Instagram pic by @kellifrance:

Got pics of Chic Magazine in print?

Email them to magazine@chiccritiqueforum.com and we’ll link back to your site if we use them! 

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by Kelli France | Editor-in-Chief

Last week when I was with Celebrity Photographer, Angie Monson, she saw a PRINT copy (yes, it’s available in print!) of Chic Magazine and commented on how gorgeous it is. It truly is a stunning magazine and a true labor of love. My magazine team and I put SO many hours into making it a fabulous resource for you full of information, information and LOTS of eye candy! This issue wouldn’t have happened without my amazing Creative Director, Megan Marlene of Megan Marlene Photography & Being Boutique, and also Callie Helm, my Contributor Director. We also LOVE all the Contributors who shared their juicy secrets in Issue 5 including:

CHIC CONTRIBUTORS:
esther dorotik | becky earl
elizabeth halford | callie helm | heidi hesla
heidi hope | tracy joy | shannon kaeding
chantri keele & nicole klingler | leslie kerrigan
abbey kyhl | melissa love | megan marlene
lisa matthewson | brooke mclay | spanki mills
anne moshier | amanda norisada
jamie rae | laura winslow
featuring angie monson + mark eric

This issue is nothing short of AMAZEBALLS! Cadbury mini eggs + Chic Magazine = Photographer’s bliss

Oh and don’t forget the posh cover image from Cover Winner, Emilie Iggiotti of www.emilieiggiotti.com. Isn’t it a stunning image? She is now the proud owner of a camera bag from THEIT! Wanna enter our cover contest? Submit your image HERE

P.S. Chic Magazine is now available in print, PDF, and on mobile devices! So if you are a current Chic Member, go get your free digital copy HERE. If you’re not a member, you’re missing out, girl!

ISSUE 5 | THE POSH ISSUE:                       CHIC SNEAK PEAK {20 of the 170 pages}: