Picture This!

Ever since I've started blogging I have developed a heightened appreciation for beautiful photography.  I'm learning all sorts of wonderful new tips and tricks to try and make my photos look more interesting but I have a long way to go before I can compare to some of the wonderful photographs I have seen.  I've even been brave enough to try to use some of the manual settings on the camera and have been fairly pleased with how they have turned out.

Our son wants to have some more casual senior portraits done, and although I can see myself trying to take them for him, I know that some things are better left to the professionals.  Taking pictures of furniture and inanimate objects like I do is far less difficult, I think, than taking them of human beings.

When you come across someone who can capture the essence of a moment in time, whether it be a baby portrait or a wedding, those are the photos that really speak to me.  So years ago when I met my friend Gary Franklin and saw some of his wonderful portrait photography, I knew that he was someone with that special ability to capture someone's soul for just a brief moment through his wonderful photography.

Gary lives in Alabama with his wonderful wife and their three gorgeous children.  He started out taking pictures for fun and his love of the art form has blossomed into a successful photography business aptly named Gary Franklin Photography.

Over the years, he has honed his photography skills and has traveled throughout the world to take photos.  Most of the time you can find him at home with his family in Alabama taking photos of his own family.  You might also find him at some beautiful location taking senior portraits, photographing a wedding, or maybe even an engagement photo shoot in the spot where the proposal took place.    

So if you live in the South and you're looking for a wonderful photographer, and even more so, a wonderful person to capture those special moments in your life, please call or email Gary of Gary Franklin Photography at 205-792-6774 or gfranklin1@charter.net.  You can also become a fan of his on Facebook.

After you enjoy looking at some of Gary's work below, you'll find a little Q & A session I recently had with Gary.

 

 

I recently had the opportunity to ask Gary some questions about his business and photography in general, and below are his answers.  Thank you Gary for being a great friend who always answers my photography questions and for letting me share some of your beautiful photos with the world.  Now if I could just get you and your family to come up for a visit so that you could take my son's senior portraits! ;-)

1. How long have you been doing photography and what got you interested in taking pictures? 

I started taking pictures back in high school with just a basic fixed focus plastic camera. I didn't get serious about it until my first son was born and I wanted quality photos of him, that is when I bought my first SLR Nikon from a friend who is a professional photographer that was upgrading his equipment 17 years ago. I got a great deal, nice camera, and my own answer man!

2. Are you willing to travel to do your work, or are you limited geographically and if so where do you travel to in order to take photos?

I love to travel! I have photographed weddings in several states in the Southeast and would love to go farther if the opportunity presents itself. I have also been to Belarus and Russia to photograph mission work.

3. What type of work do you do, weddings, portraits, landscapes? And do you also do commercial photography? 

I mostly do weddings and portrait work for families, children, and seniors. The landscapes I shoot are more for me than anyone else. I do very little commercial photography but that is an area that does interest me.

4. Where are some of the places you’ve had your work featured, ie. Magazines, newspapers, etc?

I have had photos published in The Commission Magazine, Business Alabama Magazine, and The Alabama Baptist Newspaper.

5. What is your favorite subject matter?

I love to capture the romance and emotion of a wedding.

6. I noticed that you do quite a few engagement pictures and senior portraits, is there a special setting where you like to take these pictures?

I like for my portraits to be as meaningful as possible, so I try to find out if my subject has a favorite place and if so we will use that. If we can do the engagement photos where the groom proposed, that just adds to the photos. Seniors usually like to have something different, so I like to find places that offer lots of contrast either in color or texture.

7. Do you have a studio or do you mostly take photos on location?

I have a studio but I much prefer to shoot on location.

8. What do you think is the biggest mistake that most people make when taking photographs and what advice would you give them?

I would say the biggest mistake I see most people make is shooting with a shutter speed that is too slow and that makes the photos blurry or look out of focus. The best advice I ever got and can pass on is to learn how to shoot totally in manual mode where you select the aperture and shutter speed. When you learn how to do this you understand more about how light and shutter speed combine to make a picture, and then it is much easier to correct mistakes or make the changes you want to make a photograph better.

9. Is there a time of day that you really love taking pictures because of the lighting?

I really love the light at the end of the day from about an hour before sunset until just after sunset when the sky has that beautiful deep blue.

10. What is the best way to get in touch with you or to find out about pricing and how to hire you to do photography work?

My website is www.garyfranklinphoto.com, and I also have a Facebook page called Gary Franklin Photography. I can also be contacted at gfranklin1@charter.net or call me at 205-792-6774.


I'm linking up for Sunday Favorites over at Happy To Design!