We also got to work with some amazing companies like PMG Media!  Working with PMG gave us the opportunity to make new relationships and expand what we offer to a wider group of business professionals from Authors to Dentists to Radio hosts!  We even got to shoot fitness celebrity Shaun T!!!

We've also gotten the chance to go beyond business and entertainment portraits and work with some families and children and create some wonderful memories for them to enjoy!

We saw love shared all throughout the year...

And worked with So many awesome people!

Thank you for making 2017 the best year so far for ERFotos and we hope you had a great year as well and if we had just a small part in making your year awesome too, we thank you for giving us the opportunity!

See you in 2018!!!
​-Marc

As the temperature decreases and the snow arrives we look forward to returning to this tree farm pictured below to take more beautiful photos of families around the holidays.  I took my parents out here with my son to get a few of them all together before they traveled back home to NY over the Thanksgiving break.

Finally we helped the Shirleys' create an in studio image on white for their annual Christmas card.  This wonderful little family came by the studio, chased around the house cats and got a lovely image that they will be sending out to family and friends this holiday season.

We hope to see many more families before the year is out.  Happy Holidays to all of you!

I had the pleasure last week of shooting Headshots for the PMG Media Groups' "Momsquad" team and a few weeks prior to that I was able to help PMG out by shooting lobbyist David Dix' business portraits for use with a TV show is appearing on in Philadelphia, PA.

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It was an all day event, and we had a lot of fun.  Jankail Adams (pictured in pink blazer) was brought in to take care of makeup and the whole process went smoothly.  I loved being a part of this project and being able to add my talents to this strong group of professionals.   Marcia Perry, owner of PMG,  put her trust in me and the results were well received by all.  Thanks so much again PMG and Marcia for allowing me to help you in furthering the public appearance of your "Momsquad"!
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Deacon and Caleb came into the studio.  Caleb wants to be an actor and Deacon wants to be a soldier.  Their father brought them both over for photos figuring you can't get them for one and not the other if they're together. and so we had photos taken for both little dudes.  

Both boys arrived in shirts and ties and while they both looked super dapper, they seemed like they felt a little out of place as a result.  We took a few shots and then began to deconstruct the outfits a little bit, so they could get a chance to be more like themselves (apparently a bow tie would've been awesome for Caleb who is wearing the glasses above).

Pretty easy to see that they look like they were in for "school photos" as they couldn't help but paste their school smiles on and just couldn't get in the "groove".  So we lost the ties and and went for a much more causal look.  

​Also we wanted a dramatic theatrical element so I changed to a one light set up.  That got us some moody dramatic shots.

As you can see, we got some great looks and vastly different ones by just changing the style of the outfit and the lighting.  The kids were great and for a pair that had never had professional pictures taken, I think they did a great job in front of the Camera.

*Photos used with permission from Matt Weigel, the boys' father.

So an interesting situation came up earlier today when we posted our Boudoir AD(see below). I was contacted by a lovely woman who was interested in signing up for this event.  After speaking with her for a few minutes, and sharing some of our work with her the inevitable discussion began, "How much will this cost?" and "Wow that's expensive, how come?  I saw another photographer advertising something similar at half the price."  Well, I'd like to try and tackle this if I can.  The first question of how much varies on many factors such as the type of shoot(wedding, portraits, family, etc) and the second question, the comment really about seeing another photographer offering something similar but cheaper.  My recommendation on this is take a REALLY good look at the work that photographer is doing.  Be critical whenever making a purchase, explore your options.  Most times, you get what you pay for.  Any photographer offering a ridiculous amount of product and/or time for a tiny amount of money, either doesn't know the value of their work and is trying to make a buck, or they DO know the value of their work and are trying to compensate by over saturating the offer.  My guess is often, you will end up with a lot of product that you like but don't necessarily LOVE.  

Photography is expensive, especially good photography and there is a reason.  Photographers that truly understand what it is they're doing also understand the value not only of their work but they're time.  Composition, lighting, touch ups(makeup/hair), knowledge of equipment is vital and if done right will be done timely, but not rushed.  Then there is the issue of post processing(editing).  Photographers can be painstakingly attentive to the most minor details that you might assume would go unnoticed to the untrained eye, and that's true often.  What will happen is you will look at a photo you've paid for and you may be very happy with it, but chances are something will seem "off" about it, even if you cannot put your finger on what it is exactly.  These little anomalies can be the difference between loving your photos and liking them.  There is time often not considered by a client that goes into their work and that time is (or should be) used to take your photos that you're paying top dollar for and presenting them to you exactly as they should be presented, as works of art.

So my reply to this person, was simple, I told her that this special we are offering would normally for for double what the offer is, and that the number of images included in the package = a lot of time and work but the result is a gift that will truly stand out in ways you may not have imagined.  Long and short, she ended up booking a session with us because I think of my honesty.  

We want you to love your photos, after all they're gonna last quite some time, and you will be sharing them with friends, family, and loved ones. Why would I want to present you with an overabundance of work that you like but don't love?  You friends and family are also my potential clients.  All of you represent my greatest asset, recommendations by word of mouth, so the last thing I want you to say to another person is "I like them, they're pretty good."  That's not inspiring and it doesn't result in happiness for either of us.  So we may be a little more expensive than some, but we're dedicated to making you as happy as we possibly can and delivering work to you that you will love and cherish forever!

*I do not know who the other photographer that this lady was talking about.  I haven't seen his/her work and I do not assume that they are any more or less talented than we are.  This is an educated guess only and I encourage each and every person to shop around and choose the photographer whose work best suits them, even if its not ERFotos.  There is enough demand for all of us and I truly wish more photographers would work together to be the best they can possibly be.  

Thanks for reading!
-M

Its called a WISHlist for a reason...this year its because the things on MY list are nothing more than Wishful thinking.  But after ERFotos got to a great start, the need for some items has become apparent.  And therefore I have compiled this list.

The most important and desired thing is some support from friends and family by clicking this link and showing some love:
ERFOTOS GOFUNDME PAGE

The specific items can be found here:

Christmas this year, is about need, not want...and trying to really get this business going means coming up with needs, now wants...so there you have it, a photographers wish list....HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

ERFotos went out to see what all the fuss was about with Black Friday; “Friday” meaning Thursday evening. Having embarked at 7:00pm, we were not prepared for the amount of stores that had already opened their doors. Best Buy opened at 6pm while other stores such as Kohls and HHgregg held out until 8:00pm. Characteristically, Walmart had been open all of Thanksgiving Day but waited until 5:00pm to start the best deals.  In previous years most of these unparalleled sales had been saved for midnight on Friday, offering a traditional view of people lined up in front of the stores in the blistering cold waiting for the doors to open and mind-blowing deals to be put in their hopeful hands.

So why start on Thanksgiving this year? What percentage off is so tempting  that we spend all day cooking, cleaning and eating with loved ones only to shove them out the door so we can go shopping? We asked a number of people why they were out, what they were looking for and how long they had been waiting. We received a number of seemingly quotable responses:

"I don't wanna have to fight through lines and all the craziness of tomorrow so I came out tonight hoping, y'know, that most people would stay home BECAUSE it's Thanksgiving, you know?"

 "The deals start tonight, so I'm out tonight."

 "It's tradition for my mom and me to go out shopping on Black Friday, and this year it's Black Thursday, but it's still tradition. Besides, if we go out tomorrow, we might miss out on the good stuff."

And ERFotos’ favorite:

 "I don't know."

 Contrary to our expectations, most people did seem to be in good spirits. I found myself wondering if tensions are lower due to the door-busters starting so much earlier. Is it because this is more convenient than having to stay up incredibly late or get up extra early on Black Friday just to wait in line in the freezing cold hoping to beat strangers to the low priced TV or tablet they've been dreaming about?

What surprised us the most was the number of folks that weren't looking for something specific; no checklist, no dream-item, they were just out and about, willing to endure and looking to see what was available or what might strike their fancy.

Kathy (pictured below in pink) was hoping to score a low-priced T.V.,  while Hannnah and Daniel (below Kathy) were just out perusing deals at one store while their mother shopped the entirety of the strip mall nearby.

We would have liked to get more experiences from people waiting in line, but as previously stated, most of these stores opened just an hour after we hit the streets and the lines very quickly became crowds inside the stores, where our cameras sadly, were not allowed. We did get to talk a bunch of cool folks though, Like Jessica and John(pictured below) who were on line waiting for the store to open, after already been out shopping at another location.  They had their ad in their hand and were hoping to purchase a pendant at a drastically marked down price!  We hope you guys got what you were looking for!

Finally, we have Jillian and her grandmother, out to get headsphones, really awesome headphones, at a really awesome price and Jess who was interested in new kitchenware!  Jillian also hoped to locate more boots as she seems to fancy multiple pairs of the same boots in a variety of colors.  Good luck Jillian, and if Grandma is shelling out the dough, maybe it is a good idea to get out and spend it when the savings are at their best of the year!

-Marc F. Owner/Photographer ERFotos.com

I've seen a lot of people's headshots lately and I'm troubled by a lot of them.  I find the photos of many are very good, however overdone.  Headshots are very important to agents, casting directors, and other production professionals so they know how the talent looks, really looks.  Too often I see overdone makeup on women, overly dramatic shadows, and it seems as though the photographer may be taking too much creative license with the images they are taking.  Casting directors need to see who you are as best as possible.  Now That isn't to say makeup is not to be used or shadow for that matter, but they are more interested in expression, and most of all they need to see YOUR FACE.  This seems like a bit of a rant, but if you are getting headshots, just make sure you know what it is you are looking for.  Below are four examples...the ones on the left are headshots, the ones on the right are creative portraits

This past weekend we had two sessions in one day.  Early in the day we got together with Hollie, a friend of Sharon's who wanted outdoor portraits done.  We spent most of the early afternoon shooting her in  local park near my house.  It was unbearably hot and she was a champ!  Got some great shots of her too!

Later on the afternoon we met up with Jan, who also wanted portraits done.  We took her to the grounds of King's Gap Mansion and did the session in their beautiful garden.  Jan was apprehensive, confiding in me that she no longer liked being in pictures, because her age is showing.  I implored her not to worry about such things, and just relax.  She's a beautiful subject and looks years younger than her actual age, which I will of course, never share.  After seeing the photos we took, she recommended us on her facebook page stating, "The man made me feel good about taking pictures", stating I'd say that was a job well done. I really love doing this and the fact that we were able to change someone's view of themselves just makes this whole endeavor that much more worthwhile!  Here are a few shots of Jan!

This past weekend, following the 4th of July, My family and I took a trip to visit my father in White Plains, NY.  For those of you that don't know, White Plains is a mere 30 minutes from NYC.  It was Sunday and after we arrived and visited, ate and conversed, it was getting on to the evening hours and both my parents had to go to bed as they work Monday morning.  With little going on I decided to hop in the car and travel down to Brooklyn Heights to see the view from the Brooklyn Heights promenade, a favorite place to view the city for many and used in movies often, such as Annie Hall among others.  I got in the car and a mere 45 minutes later I had arrived.  I grabbed my camera and tripod and walked onto the promenade.  I was unprepared for the view!  To my left in the distance stood the Statue of Liberty lit up in all her glory, to my far right, the Brooklyn Bridge, Empire state building standing tall behind it.  In between these two iconic set pieces was the rest of the NYC skyline, almost close enough to reach out and touch on the opposite side of the East River.  I snapped a few photos, but fearing that I may need a permit to photograph here, I did not want to overstay my welcome.  So I took my photos, packed up and headed home.  It was a short lived adventure, but one that I will plan to recreate very soon, with all the appropriate paperwork, and 3-5 hours of time to shoot every detail I can.  Here are a few shots from the evening, hope you enjoy!

-Marc Austin