Location Family Portrait – Columbia, MD – Bernese Mountain Dog “Boomer” and his family

Posted October 13, 2014 to Portrait Photography by: admin.

Here are a couple of photographs from a recent location family portrait. It is a relaxed natural series of portraits taken in their backyard. The time of day was chosen based on the lighting at the location. The setting worked great.

Having the sitting in their backyard, made it easier for “Boomer”, their Bernese Mountain Dog. Often, transporting a pet makes it harder for them to relax during the sitting. Boomer loved posing with the family at home.

Coordinating clothing can be a challenge. In this case, Mom did a wonderful job. By limiting the color palette; the portrait emphasizes the faces rather than the clothing, giving the portrait a feeling of unity. You can choose to have everyone in matching clothes or choose a few colors to use. Both approaches work, but remember the emphasis is on the faces not the clothing.

Outdoor portraits require a little more planning, because the natural lighting at the chosen location has to be taken into account. Obviously weather is also a consideration. If you have a specific date that the portrait needs to be taken and would like an outdoor sitting, it is wise to have a back up location planned in case the weather doesn’t co-operate. If you have flexibility in the date, we can reschedule if the weather on the day you have chosen is not co-operating.

Another major decision if thinking about a location portrait, is if you want a special background. That might be your home, a special landscaped area of your yard, your boat, or an area in your home. If that isn’t something you are thinking about, another great option can be soft out of focus greenery. That still gives a natural feel to the portrait without drawing attention to the background.

Spring and fall are the most popular times to schedule outdoor sittings. Sittings in your home can be done any time of year.

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Photo Restoration – Columbia, MD

Posted August 25, 2014 to Photo Restoration by: admin.

I recently worked on a very special and interesting photo restoration project. Cris Smith brought in a selection of photographs to restore, and a number of letters to scan. Elmer, a young boy living in New Brunswick, Canada, wrote and sent letters to his mother who had moved to New York City. The letters capture the everyday life in the small farming communities of Wards Creek and Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada.

Here are a couple of the photographs that were included.

Cris wanted to preserve the photos and letters for her family and decided that an album would be the best way. After completing the photo restorations and copying the letters, we put together a 68 page album. Needless to say, Elmer was a prolific writer. The album has been enjoyed by family members in the United States and in Canada. Because of the historical interest, a copy of the album is being donated to the Historical Society in Sussex. These handwritten letters written by such a young boy, bring back memories that will be cherished for generations to come. It is sad to think that in the future there will be very few such personal mementos.

Here is part of the album cover and a page from one of the letters.

Photographic restoration is very rewarding work. Each job is unique with different improvements needed depending on the the original photograph. It might require enhancing the color, repairing cracks, removing stains, replacing missing parts, etc. The goal is to make the new photograph look as close as possible to the original photograph. First a copy is made of the original and then the art work is completed on the copy. It’s fun to see the reaction when a client sees the end results, and it feels good to know that we helped to preserve a part of history.

Send me an email or give me call if you have one or more special photographs that need restoration. We will schedule a time to meet. At that time, we can talk about what can be done to enhance and preserve your photograph. I can then give you a firm quote for what that will cost.

james@jamesferry.com 410-730-5981

6 Responses to “Photo Restoration – Columbia, MD”

Nichole October 20th, 2016

Hello

I have an old framed photo from the 1920s of my grandfather and his sister. Since his passing it was decided that I need to provide my brother a copy of this photo. The frame is an antique convex style and I think I should have it done professionally. I am worried about the integrity of the photo and how it will withstand removing it from the frame, etc. Do you have experience with this?

Thank you
Nichole
- admin October 21st, 2016
  
  Hello Nichole,
  
  Yes, I can definitely help you with that. Please call the studio (410-730-5981) or send me an email at james@jamesferry.com so we can figure a good time to meet. Thank you, James
Victor Grycenkov January 10th, 2023

My uncle has an old military photo of his unit that is faded and a little crusty and needs some repair. Could I come by sometime and have you take a look at it?

I live in Ellicott City.
- admin January 13th, 2023
  
  Hello Victor,
  
  I look forward to restoring your uncle’s photo. I will send you an email to schedule time to meet.
  
  Best, James
Victor April 4th, 2023

Excellent job–thanks!
admin April 5th, 2023

You’re welcome. I was very happy with how the restoration turned out. Thanks for trusting me with your very important original photograph. Best, James

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Portrait of Stacey Evans with “Luigi”, her American Eskimo dog. Taken in the studio in Columbia, MD.

Posted July 7, 2014 to Portrait Photography by: admin.

I was very happy to be commissioned by Stacey Evans to photograph her with “Luigi”, her American Eskimo dog. It was a great sitting in my Columbia, MD photography studio. As you can see, both subjects are photogenic. We did a series of different poses and a number of them worked really well. When doing a portrait that includes a pet, I like to have everything set up and ready before they arrive. It is hard to know how a pet will react to being in the studio. I once had a Great Dane who only let me take one shot. He was then standing with his paws on the top of the door frame. He was ready to leave. Luckily that first shot was actually pretty good, so it worked out alright. Luigi was a much more relaxed subject. As long as he was by Stacey, he was happy.

Stacey is an attorney and government affairs expert who has extensive experience working with legal, policy, and legislative issues affecting animals. She is the CEO of Humane Strategies, Benefit LLC, a for-profit social enterprise, with a mission to promote animal health, the human-canine bond, sound wildlife conservation and sound wildlife management in state and local communities in the U.S. www. humanestrategies.com. One of the purposes for the portraits taken in this sitting, was to use it on the website on Pet Partners. www.petpartners.org. Stacey is a member of their board of directors. Pet Partners promotes positive human-animal interaction.

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Stacey about her many interests. One of the most unique to me, was that she takes vacations where she goes mushing. Mushing is when a team of dogs pulls a sled. I’m not aware of anyone else I know doing that on vacation. We’ll see if anyone who reads this tells me that they do also.

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Commercial Photography – The Gardens Ice House, Laurel MD

Posted January 27, 2014 to Commercial Photography by: admin.

At 8:00 am on January 1, 2013, I started a year long commercial photography assignment in Laurel MD. The project was to capture many of the exciting events that occur at The Gardens Ice House. The images were used to create a 2014 calendar for the rink. The first shoot was the Annual Free Public Session that starts at 8:00 am on January 1st. Over the course of the year, I did action photography of Tri-City Hockey games, figure skating shows, curling competitions, and numerous hockey tournaments. I also did photographs to highlight the facility.

Here is January’s photo. A few of the early morning skaters, enjoying hot chocolate while taking a break at the annual New Year’s Day free public session.

February’s pick shows the “Fighting Falcons” ice hockey team having a nighttime practice on Whitey’s Pond, the newly dedicated outdoor rink.

The Gardens is an amazing facility. There is an Olympic sized ice rink, two NHL sized rinks, a Curling Rink, a small indoor practice rink, and a recently added outdoor “mini” rink. In addition to all of the ice, the building also houses the “For Sports Pro Shop”, “Wellness for Life” fitness facility, and “Ice Breakers Cafe” for refreshments. Check the Gardens Ice House website for Public Skating sessions. The Gardens hosts several ice hockey programs for skaters of all ages, the Gardens Figure Skating Club of Maryland and the National Capital Curling Center. In the summer, the ice is removed from one of the rinks and is used for other activities, including a daytime summer camp. Things like: Roller Derby, Boxing, Movie Night and Battle of the Bands occur on Saturday nights. If you’ve never been there, you should check out this fantastic facility. You might even enjoy the “Learn to Drive the Zamboni” class.