"Life Is Better With a Little Drama In It" - Scott Nilsson

I was contacted last week by a couple, Jessica and Ryan, who were in need of some headshots for an upcoming audition of the Tony Award winning musical RENT. Of course I said yes! How could I refuse someone's request to be a part of fulfilling their life-long dream?!

RENT is rock opera about a group of young artists and musicians who are "struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS" and will be returning to Broadway on July 14th at New World Stages.



This is not Jessica and Ryan's first time trying out for the musical, although it will be their first tryout for Broadway. They were both cast members for the musical's debut in the Tri-Cities last summer. Jessica starred as the role of Mimi Márquez and Ryan as Roger Davis.

I had such a great time working with Jessica and Ryan. These two kept me laughing and entertained from start to finish! I wish you both the best of luck at your upcoming audition in LA.

Break a leg, guys!

Hippity Hoppity Easter's On It's Way

The sun is shinning, the trees are budding, and there is an overwhelming giddiness to be outside. Ladies and gentlemen, spring is in the air! I love this time of year. Everything feels so crisp and fresh. It is like the world has been rejuvenated after a long a dreary winter and is celebrating by sharing its beauty with us.

There are a several things I really look forward to in the spring; photo shoots and Easter are among my top 5. This year, I get the privilege of combining the two! I am one of the sponsors for the Pasco Jaycees Eggstravaganza and will be taking pictures of the children (and adults) with the Easter Bunny. For a small donation, participants will receive a print of their picture. All proceeds will be benefiting the 2nd Harvest food distribution center, the Pasco Parks & Recreation Scholarship Fund and future Pasco Jaycees events.

The festivities start at 8:30 Saturday, April 23rd, with a pancake breakfast. Come out to the Pasco Softball Complex (near the Trac) for a great time. Be sure to check out the Pasco Jaycees website for details: www.pascojaycees.org

The Magic of Actions

I love finding new ways to edit my work. And the faster I can do an edit, the better! Actions have become a great way for me to customize the look of my shots without having to to do every editing step every time. Don't get me wrong, I still do a majority of my editing "hands on". But there are some steps that I do for every picture and an action helps save time; allowing me get my finished product to my customers faster.

Some actions used, I have created and others I have gotten from other photogs/professionals. One of the newest actions I have been working with is Mini Fusion from MCP Actions. It is a free action that MCP is giving away and what a difference it makes!


MCP Actions offers other free and for sale actions. I also love using their free Facebook Fix action for resizing my photos for online viewing. The re-sized images look just as crisp as the full-res images. It's a must have for anyone posting their work online!

If you'd like to try out MCP's Mini Fusion Action click here for your free download.

The Kelly Moore Bag

I have been looking for a new camera bag for a very long time. There have been quite a few that I have come close to getting but for some reason or another, I held back. Maybe the bags I had been looking at before were not a right fit for me; size, functionality, long-term usage, etc. But I feel that I have finally found the right bag for me! It's part of the Kelly Moore Bag collection. The bags are stylish AND functional. Kelly even gives a video tutorial, on her site, to help you see how large the bags really are and what they are capable of holding. I am torn between two bags; the Juju Bag (walnut or muted teal) and the Classic Bag (grey). Hopefully one of these days I'll make up my mind.

We Have A Winner!!!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Shellie Feathers is the lucky winner of a free photo shoot. Shellie, please email me (amy@carstenphotography.com) to schedule your session and discuss the details.


(numbers started at 3)

I would like to thank everyone for your support and participation in this giveaway. And since it is not as fun to lose, everyone that participated in the giveaway will receive 30% off their portrait purchases if you schedule a custom session by February 28. Your session does not have to be in the month of February, just scheduled. Contact me at amy@carstenphotography.com if you would like to schedule a photo session.

Free Photo Session Giveaway!

Enter to win a free photo session to celebrate our new milestone ... our new website!

The Details:

We are giving away a free custom photo session (valued up to $150). The winner can choose one of several different shoots: family, children or individual portraits or a boudoir shoot, since Valentine's Day is coming up! These shoots are on-location, so entrants should reside in the Tri-Cities, WA region. The winner will be randomly selected on February 5th @ midnight (pst) and will be announced on the 6th @ noon (pst).

How to enter:

• Check out our website by either clicking on our logo above or going to www.carstenphotography.com Come back here and leave us a comment about our new site.
  

Do you really want to win? Here are ways you can get additional entries.

• "Like" us on our Facebook page and leave a comment. If you already "like" us just tell us you already do.
  

• Share the contest with your friends and give them a chance to win as well. Post the graphic above that says “Carsten Photography” and place it on the web: blog, Facebook, other social networking sites. You may also do a non-graphic version about this contest by sharing details. Just leave a comment and tell us where you did this. If you mention us on Facebook, tag us in your post (@Carsten Photography).
  

• Subscribe to our bog and leave a comment telling us you did.

The winner will be announced Sunday, some come back to see if you won.

Kelly Moore Bag Giveaway

MCP Actions is at it again with another fabulous giveaway!!! This time they are giving away 2 Kelly Moore Camera bags; one for the ladies and one for the guys. Click on the image below to find out how you can enter to win one of these bags.