Can you believe it is already October?!  Before you know it we will be snoozing away after eating our second helping of Thanksgiving turkey….. or we will be passed out on the sofa while watching football with the family.

The next stop in 2008 with be Christmas!

   Fortunately, a lot of families are ahead of the curve this year and have already come in to get their portrait taken for their Christmas cards. We are booking up quickly and our Saturday appointments are filling up fast! If you already know that you will be sending out a bazillion Christmas cards this year to family and friends who haven’t seen you in a while and are DEPENDING on that Christmas card to show them your growing family, get on the books now !!!! 

  We want to be a part of your holiday that is NOT rushed or stressed and absolutely insane. Please call for any questions concerning appointment times, clothing ideas, etc. !

704-443-7152

Jeff’s last day for photo sessions is Sunday, December 7, 2008.

Thanks for checking out our blog! Heres a little something special for  you!

  Enjoy!

  Tuesday morning Jerri and I met in uptown Charlotte for a photoshop seminar. From 9 to 5 we were in class learning from the best of the best on techniques and work flow. Having worked with the program for 3 years now, I felt like I had a handle on it… oh boy…. did I have another thing coming! Even better, here we are learning CS3 and that very day they announce an upgrade…. CS4! We will be upgrading within a couple of weeks! woohoo!

   I know what your thinking…. wow, photoshop people visited Charlotte and you did a good thing by taking advantage of a local class. WELLLLLL, there are classes all around the globe! Now lets put this option out there… if the class was fantastic in your home town, imagine what a class would be like in Tuscany!

Having said that…. please stay tuned to see Jerri and I in Greece for a photoshop class!!!!!! 

I wasn’t exactly being 100% honest when I  told you about the trip were taking to Greece for a photoshop course…. the Greece trip is going to take a bit longer to plan… and talk Jeff into. Maybe I should say this… 

Stay tuned for Jerri and Becky to edit an image of Greece!  

A print competition consist of 4 to 6 judges who are the Tiger Woods and Michael Jordans of the photography industry, and they are sitting in a dark room behind a table with a note pad and a microphone. In front of them, portraits and fine art images are hung on a large black panel, one at a time, and are luminated by carefully positioned spot lights. Behind them, clusters of bystanders sit and wait in anticipation for themselves and one another as the competition begins. An assistant, usually wearing all black and soft gloves to avoid getting finger prints on an image, carefully hangs the print before the panel. The judges grade the piece on the 12 qualities of a merit image. They are allowed and encouraged to take the mic and talk about why they do or do not feel like the print should get a certain score. I’ve even seen them get out of their chairs and walk up to the image and get so close that they seem to be smelling it! Their opinions are respectful, but strong. The good, the bad, and the ugly are about to discussed about your print…. out loud…. and in front of your peers. The judge master gathers the total, averages it out, and announces to the audience the final score.  

    This can be a tedious and nerve racking process. Something that you value so much and worked so hard on could possibly get the verbal beating of a lifetime. This is why we are so excited for Southern Light’s very own photographer.  ”Smile” by Jeff Carsten made its debut at the annual Professional Photographers of North Carolina (PPNC) print competition and won a merit! What does this mean?!! It means the print scored very well on the 12 categories of a merit print: impact, creativity, style, composition, print presentation, center of interest, lighting, subject matter, color balance, technical excellence, technique, and story telling. So once again, Congrats Jeff!!

Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Becky Pesek (I’m on the right in the photo above….). I was born in a coal mining town in Kentucky and grew up in the blue ridge mountains of North Carolina. A place where they use gravy as a beverage and no matter the conversation, the phrase “bless your heart” would never be out of place. I married my high school honey right after I graduated high school and we have spent the last five years traveling with the US Navy. 

  I got involved in the photo industry almost 3 years ago when I realized that I was wasting precious time doing something that I didn’t love.  Mr. John Warters of Newport News Virginia (whom I will forever be thankful for) taught me the basics of the industry and prepared me for the a team environment here at Southern Light Photography.  

   On my first day at the studio,  I was greeted with a vase full of colorful wildflowers and a note that said “We’re glad your here!”. I have taken oodles of notes while spending time with Jeff in the shooting room, or watching Linda and her magic with babies. My training sessions with Jerri for photoshop has kept me on the edge of my seat and Gail has been a doll in demonstrating how the inside operations work. The only one who I have not had to take notes with is Suzy, our wonder puppy, I’ve got her system down. We start the morning off with a fun game of tag, then an occasional round of tug of war, and only Suzy can stop me in the middle of something for a belly rub!

All in all, I’m excited about being here and I can’t wait to meet you!

Once apon a time, a young man discovered he had a passion for photography. After many years in the corporate arena and a few more working in the photo industry, he decided the time was right to make a name for himself….  *POOF*  Southern Light Photography was born 11 years ago as a home based photography business. As fate would have it, the business has flourished into a level all its own and now has settled into its brand new home. We are proud to announce our new location! The space has been fully renovated to match the specific needs of a growing studio.

 
 When you stop by for a visit and walk up the paved sidewalk to our front door, you will most likely be greeted by Suzy, our two year old cockapoo, and Gail, who not only is our studio manager but the bride of photographer Jeff Carsten. 

   The studio is decorated with warm, welcoming hues and contemporary touches. It holds four large offices, a common area, a bathroom, a changing room and a camera room.  The first office you will notice is for Gail and her many tasks of managing a

 growing studio. Beyond that is a place for Linda, who is the head of our public relation department and the professional baby wrangler. Another is for our production team. There, Jerri receives the images and sprinkles them with pixi dust and hands them over to Jeff, who will take you into our viewing room, which is office number 4.  Here, the lights are dimmed, some tunes plays softly in the background, and our guest can sit comfortably around a marble slabbed table that is centered to a 67 inch plasma screen.  Guest can view their images and customize options such as color, size, framing and oodles more. Finally, last but not least, the all important camera room. Jeff is at home in the camera room. It offers space for creativity, an area for storage, and a place for his personal office.

Our new location is terrific and I will encourage you to swing by for a visit and meet our new studio and the team at Southern Light Photography. 

   O, I can’t forget….. they lived happily ever after.

Southern Light Photography

2331 Crown Point Executive Drive

Suite A, Crown Point Commons

Charlotte, NC 28227

Our studio mascot, Suzy, has been published! Her picture has been used in a new book, Canon DSLR: The Ultimate Photographer’s Guide, by Chris Grey. Suzy is now full grown, a perfect 13 pound bundle of fun, just the right size to work with little kids. She likes to climb on Jeff’s back when he is lying on the floor shooting babies, and she has endless patience with toddlers. Everyone loves a puppy, and Suzy is our “secret weapon” to get children happy. Now that she has been published, she is the most famous dog we know!

Check out our website. Then go to some websites from other photographers and look closely at the samples.  Are they sharp, with good color, and nice composition? Do they tell the story of the wedding?

If you can’t tell the difference, then you might as well go for the cheapest photography you can find. But when you look at photographers, consider why it makes sense to talk to us:

1.   Wedding photography is one of the most difficult types of photography. It requires mastery of your equipment under fast-changing circumstances and different lighting situations. You have to get it right the first time.  There is no second chance.

2.    We are a well-established, professional studio, not a part-time job or a wedding gift from an uncle. We have shot hundreds of weddings, and we understand the flow of the day. We’ll get the shot.

3.    We want to give you what you want. Traditional and photo-journalistic, color and black & white.  Lots of pictures.  A friendly, experienced photographer who will give you beautiful pictures, without disrupting your day. We recognize that the photographs are about the wedding, not the other way around.

When good enough won’t do, Southern Light is the perfect photographer for your wedding.

We are thrilled to launch Southern Light Photography’s special offer… Terrific Tots! Our Terrific Tots program is a wonderful way to get great pictures of a very special family member — your preschooler — photographed alone, and/or with other family members. We offer FIVE sessions plus a 5×7 print of your choice from each session. All this, for only $99. It’s an unbeatable offer, contact us at 704.364.8901 for more information!