Hello and welcome to the new blog of Shannon Kelley Photography. I am a Knoxville, TN based photographer specializing in weddings, portraits, travel and other special projects that come along the way! This blog serves as a personal journal for my professional photography, my family, travels, and other fun randomness that finds it way to the end of my lens. It is definitely still under construction so check back often to see the finished product! The older posts brought over from blogger are definitely a little wonky but the awesome thing about this new blog is future pics will be large and amazing!!!!

So sit back, grab something to sip on, and let the blogstalking begin:) Don’t forget to leave a comment though…we love comments! The super cool navigation bar can be used to search through categories or try the search tool below to search for something specific.

**posts prior to this were brought over from my last blog**
Blessings!

Today’s photo friday is a little on the boring side but a must in knowing when getting boutique prints done! It is a very common question I get asked about getting a CD so that you can print your own. So, here is the knowledge on the subject…

what is copyright?
The U.S. Constitution and the Federal Copyright Act give “copyright” protection to “authors” for their “original work,” such as photographs. Among the protections that copyright owners have are the exclusive rights to: make copies of the work, prepare other works based on the original, distribute copies of the work to the public by sale, rental, lease, or lending, and to publicly perform and display the work. These rights are protected by laws which provide for damages and criminal penalties for violations.

so, who owns what?
The law says the “author” is the owner of the copyright. The author is the person who created the picture or snapped the shutter. If you took the photo, you own the copyright. If a professional photographer took the picture, then he/she owns the copyright. If you decide to purchase the digital negatives of the session, then you the right to make unlimited reproductions of the images for personal use only.

so, whats the big deal?
Mainly economic. Photographers are photographers for their living and base that off of sales from prints/sessions/etc. If you were to take an image without approval from them or purchase, it is essentially like walking into a store and stealing an item. You have taken it from the owner without permission. Another biggie is artistic integrity. Since a photographers name is associated with the image and if it is misused, it hurts their credibility as an artist. This is why you get recommended printers to use when you purchase digital negatives with me. I want your pictures to look their best for you! Many people have no idea about copyright and think that if they paid someone to take the picture they own it. While you can own the digital negatives with the right to print, the author retains copyright. Plus there are hefty fines you don’t want to deal with…believe me!

So, what can I do?
If you want to purchase your digital negatives from your session, you can! With it you will get an amazing leather holder to keep your cd in, a letter stating you have print rights to the pictures, and some recommended printers.

and what can’t I do?
A few examples of what is considered copyright infringement: scanning or photocopying photos, screen captures of online images for the purpose of printing or reproducing the photo for yourself or others, etc.

So, that is it in a nutshell. Sorry so deep but it is a little piece of knowledge that is important. The next couple photo fridays are going to be awesome, so check on back:)

A break from 5 on Fridays…we’re going to do what we’ll call Photo Fridays! Insight into burning questions that all of you may have with sessions, the how to’s, what to wears…all that fun stuff!

Thought we would start off with a frequent question that gets asked after you schedule your session…what do we wear!? The most important thing to remember is to be yourself and let your creativity shine!

Some ideas for you:
“• Hats: Great to add some spunk and help frame a face. Particularly if the session will include kids, hats are a great way to accessorize.

• Accessories: Glasses, scarf, funky socks. All these you may not think to wear on a day-to-day basis, especially more than one, but can look great in a picture. If you are questioning an accessory, bring it along (or bring a few!) and we can try it out!

• Texture and Pattern: These can add great visual interest. Again, put it into your particular style. Bold patterns can be great in pictures. One bit of advice would be to stay away from big logos on shirts, unless it is your child that is infatuated with Superman and you want to preserve that, then bring it on!

• Layers: One of the best ways to turn cute to looking like they you have a stylist at home. I little shirt with a jacket and hat (all coordinating but not matching) can add a great pop to a photo.

• Simplicity: With all that said about the above, there are times that you just want simplicity and that is the beauty of the photo. Keeping it classic is another option. If you want both classic and funky, no problem, just a change of clothes away!

• Whimsy: Sometimes the things that you would never wear or pair together are the perfect recipes for a photo. Pants with a tutu, skirt with umbrella and rain boots, etc… Feel free to let loose and get creative! “

and if you have kiddo’s joining you in your pictures and need some inspiration: check out some of these websites….

Urban Baby Runway
Izzy and Ash
Black Wagon
also try etsy.com and search for kids clothes…they have some great things on etsy!

ok…here it goes. a first share here on the blog. This is a Valentine’s Day card that I made. It’s very simple since this was an experiment of me doing ground up cards and it’s late and I need to go to bed. I hope to start sharing more in the future here on the blog:) Please leave a comment and let me know what you think and if you can utilize this sort of thing so I know if I’m wasting my time or not! Here is what it looks like with a pic in it. A couple normal things that you probably already know: this is for personal use only, do not sell this or claim as your own. Instructions for download are below.

now…to download go here.

-file is in layers for photoshop. Text, colors, etc. can be changed in these layers.
-to add a picture, use the move tool to move the picture you have opened to select and move to layer that says move picture here. For macs: Control T to resize pic once moved, Control G to complete.