With so many people looking for work, LinkedIn has become the place to network and find new opportunities. It is virtual networking and very important to have a good profile picture. Your photo will be the first impression for future clients and/or employers. I recently read that profiles that do not have a photo are less likely to be reviewed. This will hurt you if you are searching for a new position. Professional photographers are not yet able to get back to work and some folks may not be in a position to pay for a professional photo right now anyway. I completely understand, which is why I wanted to share a few tips for taking a photo at home now to get your profile updated.
I hope you find these tips helpful for updating your photo. If you would like to chat more about tips or booking a session (once we get the all clear), contact me at UhaczPhotography@gmail.com. #ProfilePicture #Networking #Portraits #VancouverWA #PNWphotographer #VancouverPhotographer #UhaczPhotography
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May is the time to celebrate the mothers in our lives. This year, we may not all be able to physically be with our moms to let her know how special she is, but there are lots of ways to show her how much you love and appreciate her. Sure, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine is a great choice, but I have a calorie free idea! Give her the gift of memories with a new family photo.
My sister’s birthday always falls on or near Mother’s Day. Last year, I decided to surprise her with updated photos of her kids as sort of birthday/Mother’s Day gift. It had been a few years since they had a family portrait done and now the older two kids are adults and the youngest is starting for her teen years. My sister is one of those moms who keeps the loads of family photos on the walls - old and new. I totally love that and seeing all the changes as her kids have grown up. (Crazy how fast the time goes!) After I decided that updated photos would be the perfect gift, I got a group text going with my nieces to coordinate a secret photoshoot. It took about a month but we finally found a date where we could all get together at the same time without their mom being any the wiser. Everything lined up to have the shoot done on Easter day in 2019. The girls were going to their dad’s house for a holiday dinner so we met up in the middle of the day in Vancouver. The cherry trees were blooming so we took advantage of that; they were a perfect backdrop for a secret photoshoot. (Side note: Once we gave her the photos, we told her about the shoot and she realized that was why they were taking so much time to get ready before heading to their dad’s house and why they were a little late arriving.) We took a few group shots of all the girls and then individual shots. The girls picked their favorites and I had the group shot printed on a 16x20 canvas and the individual photos of each girl was printed on 5x7 photo paper and put into one larger frame with four individually matted slots. Then, I printed one of the group shots and made it into a birthday card for her. (That card now sits on her desk at work. So, now she has new pictures of the girls at home and work.) Finally, the big day came to present the gift. We again tried to coordinate schedules so everyone would be there when the gifts were presented–not exactly an easy thing but we managed. My sister was surprised and so touched! There may or may not have been tears…my lips are sealed. My nieces were so excited to do this for their mom, it made for such a fun adventure. If you would like to schedule a new family photo (once we are able to get out and about again), send me an email at UhaczPhotography@gmail.com. Wishing all the moms a very happy Mother’s Day! And kids – remember if you can’t get to the store to buy a card this year a homemade card is perfect. In fact, I have it on good authority that they just love those. #MakingMemories #Quarantine2020 #HappyMothersDay I do photography work for a local Catholic magazine. The publishing deadline has me shooting images almost two months before the magazine is finalized and distributed. This can be tricky if you need to shoot a spring photo and it is the middle of winter. It takes some thought and planning. In January, I realized the April edition will be Easter (not just any spring photo). My brain immediately thought - crosses and water (lake or ocean). I really wanted to do a shoot of a cross in or around water. (Don’t get me wrong – the Easter Bunny is welcome to stop by the house with some chocolate goodies too! But I thought a cross image would be better for a religious magazine.) As I started forming my idea for the shoot I talked with my husband about my vision and he offered to help. He does woodworking so I naturally enlisted his help with making a cross. He has a variety of wood pieces, stain, and twine available for use. I described the type of cross I was wanting to my husband so he could make it for me. The vision was to have it look roughed up and aged with some rope or twine at the center to appear as if it was holding the cross together and to stand several feet high. I was then going to get some flowing white material to wrap around it and wanted to find something to reflect a crown of thorns. If you google any cross images, you’ll see some version of what I just described. But instead of buying one, my hubby was able to make it with some materials he had on hand. His shop is well supplied! It took a couple of days to make the cross and stain it. Getting the stain to dry was tricky since it was in the 30s outside in the shop. We knew the stain wouldn’t set quickly in the cold so we brought it in the house and locked it in a room to dry out. We have two curious kitties so we had to keep the room closed so they wouldn’t climb all over it and stain their little paws. Photo shoot day arrived! It was a cold Sunday morning. The cross was done, stain was dry, and I had the other props for the photo. I wanted a sunrise photo, if possible, but it seems fog wanted to hang around so we just went for it. We headed out to a couple of Clark County Parks to find our perfect spots. I had my coffee, cross, and crew (thanks hubby!) – let’s do this! We found a couple of spots and played around with staging, angles, and lighting. I truly enjoyed taking these photos and working with my husband on this project. I hope you enjoy them. This year Easter will look very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine. People will not be able to attend church services to celebrate, but people are finding a way to stay connected and keep their traditions and faith. #stayhomestaysafe Happy Easter! My niece Kaelin was all set to marry her fiancé Dylan on the first Sunday in April. On March 16th the reduced gatherings order was put in place here in Washington. The wedding was still scheduled for several weeks out, but the projection was that the gathering limitations would only get worse. The wedding vendors (venue, DJ, and caterer) all cancelled. A couple of days later, the stay at home/quarantine order was issued for Washington State.
While many brides are also dealing with wedding upheaval, my niece is marrying a member of the military. That adds an extra twist for them. Those who have served or know people who have served understand that a servicemember is not able to plan leave too far ahead. There are also the issues of possibly being separated from your loved one if they are transferred before you get married, or if they are deployed you may not be able to get pertinent updates on them. These are just a couple of things that come to mind. So, what are they going to do you ask? After much consideration, they have decided to elope and then have receptions at family homes to celebrate when it is safe for gathering in groups again. It wasn’t an easy decision but they weighed the options and ultimately decided it was best to do an elopement. She will not be walked down the aisle with her dad, they will not have both families there to celebrate, the memories will be so different from what they had planned. But they are both rolling with the changes and doing their best to adapt. When I spoke with my niece about all of these changes (I was going to be the photographer at the wedding so she needed to let me know about the cancellation), I had a couple of suggestions to help still make the wedding special.
These suggestions were about keeping some of the traditions she planned to incorporate into her more traditional wedding day into the elopement. It may not be what they originally envisioned for their wedding but there are ways to still make it special and memorable. What about wedding photos you ask? Well, we talked about that too. While she will not have the traditional wedding photos, we talked about still taking the time to do a photo session with her getting ready. It would include those special shots with her mother and bridesmaids, a first look, and family/wedding party shots (to the best of our ability). They may be married but it will be the first time her new husband will see her in her wedding dress. No need to miss that “first look” moment! We are going to try and capture as many of those photos that we would have done on their wedding day next month (or when it is safe). The groom’s grandparents are elderly and were not going to be able to attend the wedding as they live down south and the wedding was going to be in northern Washington. One thing they had already talked about doing for them was a Facebook Livestream. With social media, we have options to share the special moments, even if it isn’t in person. For all of those couples out there who had to cancel their wedding, reduce it to immediate family, or decided to elope, I hope you find a way to still make your day special. I’m sure your photographer would love to work with you on scheduling an after the event session as well. If not, let me know! I would love to help. It’s the last weekend in February, the clouds are heavy with rain and there is a chill in the air. All signs that it must be time for the annual FishersPoets Gathering in Astoria, Oregon. This year, the regular photographer was unable to attend the event due to a family emergency. He put out a call for volunteers to photograph the event in his absence. I was one of those who responded and offered to help.
This year they celebrated their 23rd Gathering. Men and women from the fishing industry and their spouses read their poetry, told a tale or two, or sang a song. It is an opportunity to learn about their way of life and the beauty and challenges of making a living off the sea. These talented individuals have unique perspectives and stories to share through different mediums. Some seemed to be at ease in the spotlight sharing their story and others maybe not totally as comfortable. But every one of them was spectacular and left the audience appreciating their stories and loudly applauding. On Friday and Saturday night, I spent a couple of hours each evening at two of the locations taking photos. The two spots of my focus were the Liberty and Ten-Fifteen theaters. They were dark venues with spotlights on the presenters. This was a little bit a challenge for me not knowing the group and trying to get photos without interrupting their stories or blocking the audience’s view. The lighting in these venues presented an interesting challenge as well (no flash and stage lighting). I was able to get a few photos to share with the main photographer and am sharing a couple with you. This event has multiple venues and runs Friday through mid-day on Sunday. Friday was busy but not as heavily attended as Saturday. Both nights had incredible talent on display and many if not all of them performed a couple of times throughout the weekend. The readings were held at several pubs and theaters throughout downtown Astoria and all within easy walking distance to each other. It is a lively bunch and you can see what a close community it is. And if you aren’t in the fishing community, you may not get all the jokes, but you feel welcome just the same. If you haven’t attended this annual event, I highly recommend it. A weekend in Astoria is always a good idea! Hello! My name is Sara and I started Uhacz Photography LLC in August 2019. I’m originally from San Diego, California but have lived in all four corners of the US. The Pacific Northwest has been my home for over 15 years. I met my husband here, while climbing Mt. St. Helens, and now I call Vancouver home. I’m a fur mom of two cats we adopted from the Southwest Washington Humane Society. My passion is traveling and photographing my journey. I’m so lucky my husband loves to explore as much as I do! If you are looking for a photographer there are a lot of options in the Vancouver area. Thank you for considering me. It is important that you find a photographer you feel comfortable with, they are in your price range, and their photography style is one you like. Want to chat? I’m happy to meet up for coffee/tea/hot cocoa to discuss your photography needs and vision. If we aren’t a good fit, I would be happy to provide you with referrals to other local photographers. I believe the big and small moments in life are meant to be captured and cherished throughout the years. I want to help you capture those special moments. Interested in getting an updated family portrait, or is your high schooler getting ready to start their senior year? Perhaps you have a milestone anniversary or birthday party and will have family and friends all gathered together. I would love to help capture those moments for you. If a new profile photo is what you are looking to update, let’s chat! Has it been a while since you’ve updated your LinkedIn profile or website bio? It is a good idea to have a photo updated once a year or more if you have dramatic changes to your appearance (hair color, style, facial hair, eye glasses, etc.). We can find a spot where you are comfortable for the shoot. For example, my portable studio is one option for an indoor shoot but we can have your session outside, from your favorite local spot the mountains or coast. I’m happy to meet you in Seaside, Oregon (or surrounding area) for your photo session. |
Sara UhaczI'm a Vancouver, WA photographer focusing on portraits and have a love of travel! Archives
April 2024
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