Maine Wedding Photographer - Ashley Mower Photography

I had so much fun with all the wonderful Brides this past year! We're currently booking 2013 Weddings and offering a $50 print credit (Valid for the month of MAY 2012 ONLY) to any and all past clients who share this video with newly engaged couples and they book Ashley Mower Photography for their wedding. Have them e-mail: MowerPhotography@yahoo.com for more information and package details.  (Make sure they include their wedding date, where they're getting married and the name of the person who referred them.) 

Looking forward to another AMAZING year of Weddings and Engagement photo sessions!

Here is a link to the Video you are welcome to share it on facebook, twitter, your own blog, etc.  There is no limit to the number of referrals you can make, and if you've never had a photo session with Mower Photography then check out our facebook page and book your session so you can take advantage of the $50 print credit!

New Logo for: SMV Disc Golf

We've been working on a 'Future home of: SMV Disc Golf Course' sign to put out at the new parking lot on Pearl St in Turner. Our neighbors keep walking by and asking if we're building a house? "Disc golf, what is that? What does SMV stand for?" Therefore, we've been working on a logo & sign all weekend, and these are the final 5 choices above. Below is the final Logo we went with, but it's subject to change.

We look forward to inviting you all out to the Disc Golf Course when it's open (hopefully June 2012!)
 

The world lost a great man, heaven gained an Angel!

My prayers and thoughts go out to this wonderful family who lost their loved one today. I'm sure you can tell by this photo that he was surrounded by a ton of people who loved him!

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal." 

My Post Processing Steps

Straight out of the Camera: Before & After in Lightroom

Final Image

Everyone has their own post processing style. For me, I try to keep the steps as simple as possible. You can spend a lot of time getting caught up in the editing process. Whenever possible try to get your white balance and exposure correct when shooting your subject. This will save you a lot of time during the post processing process. There are ways to save 'bad' photos, but who wants to spend all day in front of the computer?

After each photo session I return home and upload the photos onto my computer then put the memory card in a waterproof / fireproof safe. (Until the final photos are delivered to the client, that memory card does not get reused). I then backup all the photos onto my external hard drive. If you are really paranoid I recommend also backing up the photos onto a server on the internet.

Step 1: Once all the photos are imported into Lightroom I go through and choose my favorites. I label them 3, 4 or 5 stars. (I ignore the photos I don't want to keep simply for time management.)  I then go back through and remove any additional ones that aren't my favorite while correcting the white balance, exposure and intensity. I then export the final images into a folder on my desktop.

Step 2: I open the photos in Preview (Mac Software). I choose my top 5-10 photos and then open those in Photoshop.

Step 3: Once in Photoshop I check the Levels. Then I adjust the 'curves' to make the photo stand out. I use the 'Dodge & Burn' tool as needed and adjust blemishes with the clone tool. If I think it's a photo that may be printed large I will whiten the persons teeth and slightly remove wrinkles. I then have an action that automatically adds my logo and photo border. Then I export the final photo.

That's it.

(The sample photos above show the original image SOOC, then edited in Lightroom and the final image after it's been completed in Photoshop.) I like to shoot in open shade when shooting during mid-day, to avoid harsh shadows. 

Jamie & Ryan's Wedding

A sneak peek of Jamie & Ryan's Wedding Photos. This adorable couple is currently honeymooning in MEXICO!  I loved getting to know them both.  Jamie was the maid of honor in my friend and co-worker Vanessa's wedding last year and booked Mower Photography for her own wedding quickly after Vanessa received her wedding photos. This was such a fun wedding. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness!

www.KylaJoyful.com

My dear friend Kyla is more graceful and talented with words than I am. During her recent adventure to Maine I quickly learned that I judge a blog solely based on the appearance and she actually judges the content. (What does that say about me?)

On the same topic, I've bought a lot of books in my life and never agreed with the 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. If it has an ugly cover it's never going to make it into my shopping basket... maybe that makes me a shallow person or maybe I just don't like to read that much? I have no doubt that there are plenty of good books in the world worth reading with horribly designed covers... but why would you save all the good content for the inside? That's like spending months on a masterpiece painting and wrapping it in a brown paper bag on auction day. Nobody knows whats inside the bag? Someone might bid if they've followed your work and know you're an excellent artist, but for all of us who have never heard of you we're putting our wallets back in our pockets.

I have the same problem at the grocery store. This is the reason huge corporations spend thousands of dollars on good graphic design: If it comes in an ugly box I don't want to eat it! I know it's completely psychological, but we buy things because of how they make us feel.

Call me crazy, but the WAFFLE HOUSE sign (I know we don't have any in Maine, Thank God... but for those of you who have traveled I'm going to assume you've seen the dreaded sign along the highway). The sign itself makes me want to vomit every time I see it. I've been dragged there on multiple road trips and the food surprisingly tastes fine... but every time I see the sign I get nauseous. I'm not even joking, just thinking about the sign in my head as I write this makes me not want to eat for days.

The last thing that made me think quite a bit while Kyla was here, actually had me thinking for days.  During our photo session she made the comment that she does not like re-touched photos. She likes candid, authentic images, wrinkles and all. This struck me as odd, probably because we live in America where everything that isn't already fake is photoshopped... but it made me realize that in a plastic surgery crazed country there are still some pretty awesome authentic & genuine people, including my good friend Kyla. I think she's pretty great and I bet she has no problem reading poorly designed blogs, books with ugly covers, or buying generic labeled food. She does however have a newly designed blog thanks to her brother and photos from Mower Photography, which helps us creative minded people stick around and actually read the amazing content!  Check her out and leave her a comment telling her you stopped by.  http://www.kylajoyful.com

Check out Kyla's newly designed blog and article about Mower Photography: http://www.kylajoyful.com/2011/07/blog-redesign-mower-photography/

Ashley & Tim's First Wedding Anniversary

Love is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery ~

Tim and I have been married for 1 year today! Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s been such an incredible year that I feel so blessed and want to share everything that is happening in our lives. (Luckily for you I’m more of a photographer than a writer). 

I’m hoping to update this blog a lot more frequently this coming year, but I wanted to share about our goals that are starting to take shape. We both decided before we got married that we wanted to start a family and work from home (my grandfather and great grandfathers farm house). Plans are in the works for a disc golf course. The town has approved the project, the course has been designed and the disc golf baskets ARRIVED last week! We are both really excited about this project and invite you all out to play when it is ready! 

While the disc golf course has been primarily Tim’s project, I’ve been working on building the photography business. It’s expanded much faster than I ever anticipated. The indoor photography studio is just about ready, but there are some fine details that need to be worked out with the town and insurance company before it is open to the public. Here’s to another amazing year of marriage with my best friend and incredible husband. Thank you all for being a part of our life!

*Photos above are from one of our 3 amazing wedding photographers Jennifer Lamoreau.