As I’m preparing for the wedding fair tomorrow at the Dena’ina Center in downtown Anchorage I am a bit behind on a few things. Happens to the best of us. I knew I wanted to print a few prints for my studio display as well as for the wedding fair display but I procrastinated and placed it only Thursday afternoon. I woke up today and still had not received my package from the pro lab. So by mid-day I figured I better print a few at Costco just to be sure I had them to frame even if they weren’t perfect. I picked the prints up from Costco this afternoon and thought “oh, they aren’t bad, that’s good” and came home fairly pleased. I knew they weren’t perfect but without having the file right there to compare to they looked “good enough”.

When I arrived home I found a package on my doorstep with the prints from my pro lab! Yay! As I pulled them out of the box the difference between the pro prints and the Costco prints was shocking! I knew when I received the Costco prints that the color was not exactly what I expected but until you have them side by side you don’t really see how much of a difference there is. Once I could truly compare I realized what I thought was “good enough” actually wasn’t good at all!

I thought this would be an excellent chance to share a few lessons I learned and this image that I took at a workshop in CO was the perfect of the group to share because of the deep rich color of her hair and her amazing complexion. The first is of course when you have a big wedding fair coming up don’t procrastinate until three days out to order your large images. The other was a reminder that good enough isn’t good enough when you deserve perfect! Think your drug store prints are “good enough”? Check out the dramatic difference in color and clarity between the two. Even I was shocked!

Here is the same exact image ordered from my pro lab that is the professional side of MPix where I send my customers. Millers Professional Imaging owns MPix and my work is calibrated to their machine which makes a HUGE difference as you can see. There is barely any difference between the quality, color, contrast and sharpness of the file I sent in and the image I got back.

So the next time you need to make some large wall prints that will be displayed and cherished in your home forever please consider printing from the lab I recommend! You paid for a professional photographer to capture your wedding or your baby or your family so you deserve quality amazing looking prints from it! Also remember I do sell wall art pieces over 16×20 in size including canvases, wall prints, acrylics, etc. and I’d be happy to quote you an amazing gallery display wall and do all the work for you! This post is of course not to bash Costco for their images. In their defense they do the best they can do with what they have got and they have some very nice photo products and nice staff. The problem is they are not calibrated to Sugar Six Photography images so what I see on my screen, and what you see on your screen, does not match the calibration at Costco. The other problem I believe is that it is so expensive to update machines in Alaska. Places like Target and Costco in the lower 48 get new photo printing machines MUCH more frequently than they do up here. My local drugstore employee, who shall remain nameless since I don’t have facts like this print to show, told me that they were printing on the same machine as when they opened 14 years ago! So of course I realize for small prints to send to grandma or wallets to include in Christmas cards places like drugstores and box store prints are just fine. But if YOU are going to hang something on your wall I encourage you to take the extra few days (www.mpix.com shipping to Alaska is cheap and super fast!!!!) and order the quality you deserve.

Here are a few of my favorites from their day. To view a few more visit my Sugar Six Photography Facebook page

Here are a few sneak peeks for those that want them with more to come tomorrow.

More to come tomorrow. Also don’t miss my boudoir display at the upcoming wedding fair Sunday January 22nd, 2012 at the convention center downtown Anchorage!

I do have one lone spot tomorrow, saturday the 14th at 2:00 pm come open if anyone is interested in some last minute fun. Text or call me at 907-317-1433!

I have BIG plans for the Sugar Six Photography booth with a big new display, brand new line of luxurious wedding albums,  boudoir products and even some special boudoir session coupons! Exclusive for the wedding fair attendees!

Brides beware – this is the biggest wedding fair and where most good vendors fill their remaining schedule holes. I am usually fairly booked for the year shortly after the wedding fair. So if you are interested in Sugar Six Photography for your wedding photography in 2012 it would be best to schedule a consultation before the wedding fair!

I hope to see a ton of people there. It is always much more fun on years it is busy. Oh and there will also be a discount on something for someone who brings me a cold diet pepsi. LOL. Because usually by about noon I’m DYING from no caffeine and all they have is a coffee hut and sadly this girl doesn’t drink coffee. LOL. Although I was tempted to start last year after a 5am wake up to setup the booth!!!!

• First, and most importantly remember more than anything I am here to make YOU feel beautiful! With six years of experience photographing all shapes, sizes, ages of women I will pull out every trick in my book. We will hide what you hate, highlight what you love and light you in the most flattering ways. So the best thing you can do is relax and trust that you have picked an experienced awesome (if I do say so myself LOL) photographer who will do right by you and your undergarments.
• When you first arrive we will discuss what kinds of images you like, dislike, and any concerns you may have. We will shoot a variety of backdrops, poses, etc. so you will have a lot of choices when selecting your products. Although I do work out of a studio adjacent to my home it is not your typical home studio. Most people think of sheets taped to walls or cheesy backdrop stands made out of PVC piping as a home studio. My studio space is a designated space, 24/7 the only time I’m in there is to photograph people…..or clean it….or organize my million hats but you get the point. I have over 30 professional quality photography backdrops, including some ceiling power mounted canvases, and I can produce just about any look you want. I have several professional photography strobes for lighting as well as light modifiers which allows me to tweak the light however we want. The word photography comes from the Latin word which means to paint with light. Truly photography IS about the quality of the lighting so I have invested time and money into quality lighting gear. We will change outfits, and accessories, frequently and try to get a variety of expressions from sexy to playful.
• Unless you are an expert I suggest skipping the fake tanning creams right before your boudoir session. In everyday clothes you can hide spots that didn’t get evenly coated but in your underwear it is much harder! If you are light colored, and do not like that, we can add a touch of warmth to your skin tone in the editing process. If you make yourself orange, or blotchy, I can’t fix that.
• Remember to think about the details. Things like dark hair roots, unpolished nails, rough dry skin, and clumps in your mascara are often obvious when we begin shooting.
• We want your images to be sexy, sultry, beautiful, but also natural. While I encourage everyone to bring some items that are fun and out of your comfort zone this is not the time to dye your hair a dramatic color, put on makeup totally different than you do normally, or wear your hair in a drastically different style. Our goal is for you to look polished, beautiful, but still YOU!
• Think classic beauty! Some props and over the top boudoir clothes are fun but overall we want to create a look you can be proud of now and 20 years from now. This is an investment in yourself and I encourage you to pick things that are classy and timeless.
• Get a good night’s sleep before your session! A well rested face is going to be more beautiful regardless of the amount of makeup you apply.
• Avoid tight fitting clothes, bra, socks, or hair bands around your wrist a few hours before your session to avoid lines on your skin when we get started. I also encourage you to start with the lingerie items that leave the least amount of lines and marks and do the tightest items last for the same reason.
• Your boudoir session is an adult’s only event. Please do NOT bring your children to the session. Your boudoir session is all about you and it is too difficult to focus when your children are in tow.
• Chances are at any given time most of us have a bruise, pimple, or dry skin spot somewhere on our body. Typically you do not need to reschedule for these small items with Sugar Six Photography. You chose the best and your boudoir photography session includes retouching on all of your images. Small blemishes can usually be easily corrected in the editing process.
• If it helps you be less nervous bring a girlfriend. Just be sure it is a girlfriend you are comfortable being partly naked in front of!
• Bring extra. Extra stockings if you want to wear those, extra lip gloss, extra outfits, etc. Chances are something will be missing or have a run and we don’t want to have to throw out an entire idea because one element went bad.
• Relax, relax, relax!!!! Did I say that already? Really the most important thing is that you have fun and enjoy the process. I promise I will take care of the rest and you will love your sexy boudoir photographs!
• Do feel free to bring examples of photographs you like and don’t like so we can discuss your preferences. You can view samples of my work here on this blog and or on my website at  www.sugarsixphotography.com

Here are a few boudoir sneak peeks from my last special!

Photography Special includes:

- Professional Hair and Makeup

- 45 minute private photo session with Sugar Six Photography in a downtown Anchorage hotel suite

- All professional editing to add that tiny bit of Photoshop magic, which everyone deserves when they are getting photographed in their underwear in my opinion!!!

-  An average of 20-30 fully edited sexy photos on disk in high resolution, as always since I’m an all digital studio now, as well as personal print release to print/share/archive as much as you would like.

- Plenty of time to purchase books, pin up calendars, mini accordions or anything else you may want to from my boutique selection.

Sign up today! This is less than 1/2 price all included! Better than a photography coupon.

Isn’t she stunning!? Her bouquet was brooch bouquet that she made herself. It truly was incredible! It contained about 25 brooches she has collected over the past months as well as her something borrowed, a love bird broach and small locket photos of loved ones who couldn’t make it to the wedding.

It’s official! LOVE them! Could they be more fun? This shot, among many, makes me want to go and hang out with them all over again!

I love the way the groom’s mother is admiring the bride.

The umbrella wasn’t really part of the plan, in fact they were just under it to keep them dry long enough to let me set up the light, but I like it. It’s very “them” with the vibrant colors in a classic winter scene.

Dim the lights, crank up the tunes, stick a flash across the room with some remote triggers and viola! Lodge living room turned into Erin & Amy’s nightclub!

They were married right in the middle of a freak December rain storm. With about 4 feet of snow already this winter on the ground adding rain and hail on top of that made for some VERY interesting conditions and some VERY cool icicles! OMG how fun are these?!?! I was like a kid in a candy store when they agreed to go out for one more short set of photos after the sun went down. I found this amazing patch of icicles coming off the building so we brought out some off camera light and had some romantic, artistic, photography fun! I couldn’t love these any more!!!

The lodge looked amazing as the sky got dark!

And of course if I’m going to get pelted by hail and rain all day you can bet I’m going to use it to my advantage! We were going so fast trying to get out of the hail that I didn’t even notice the cool steam from their breath until I got home and pulled up the images. One of my favorites of the day for sure!

Congratulations Erin & Amy! I wish you a lifetime of happiness which honestly I have NO doubt you will receive. You could feel your joy and connection throughout your wedding and you truly are the kind of people I would be honored to list among my friends.

The bride wore a gorgeous family heirloom locket during the ceremony.

The groom owns a tactical weapons, security and survival facility in Anchorage Alaska and the wedding certainly reflected that theme. The groom wore his tactical gear and even had a special “groom” name plate added!

The church was heavily guarded by some serious security forces. As you can see they were spread out and taking their guard duty seriously.

The poor little flower girls were super brave coming out in the cold but understandably only lasted a few minutes.

A traditional altar shot of the bride and groom before moving on to more contemporary portrait shots. I don’t claim a style per say with my wedding photography. I think the best photographer can incorporate some photojournalism, traditional, as well as more contemporary photographs. Why not have it all?

And even a big huge group family shot!

You know if it hadn’t been negative 4 degrees I SO would have knocked on this farmers door and asked if we could take photos with the hay bails. Alas…..maybe next time!

After the traditional photos it was time to get our sexy on. Which let me tell you is VERY difficult in -4 degrees!!! They were AMAZING!

Despite the harsh weather conditions this was an amazing wedding to photograph. Tradition mixed with humor and love and it shows!