Studio Boise

Follow along to get photography tips and hear the method behind the madness during our photoshoots and studio life. All content is by Denise Ramirez via Studio Boise. Follow us on Instagram at @studioboise or @_ddeenniissee_

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5 Ways to get your Creative Juice Flowing

These winter months sometimes put a damper on your creativity because of the short amount of sunlight, bad weather, or because you simply don’t like to freeze. All of these things can play a role in slowing down your creative juices. Other times the weather is perfect and you’re surrounded by nature and yet, there’s no creative juice flow. Try one – or all 5 – of these tips next time you’re in a creative slump.

 1)    Creative Space

You know those clean and organized work areas you see in magazines and online? Take steps to make your work area resemble the style that calls to you the most. Do you like the minimalist look, bohemian vibe, or do you lean towards the classic dark wood look? Which style best represents what you want to be creating? Now go and make it look like that. You don’t necessarily have to redecorate your living space but being surrounded by a style and consistently seeing it will eventually make you think in a similar way. Taking small steps such as cleaning your work area is a good starting step to getting there.

 2)    Birds of a feather flock together

Surround yourself with creative and like-minded people. Social media makes it so easy to reach out to an artist or local creative you like and ask if they would like to collaborate on a project or meet up for coffee so you can pick their brain. The worst that is going to happen is they’ll say no. Easy enough.

 3)    Write it down

Literally write your ideas down. Sometimes I write on a notebook I carry around and other times I make a note on my phone. Too many time I have told myself, “I’ll definitely remember that idea. That’s a good one.” And guess what? Of course I forget it. So as you go throughout your day and an idea pops in your head, as small as it may be, write it down. It might be strange at first but once you get in the habit it becomes easier. And this might just be me, but since I started writing things down I notice I began writing more. The ideas started pouring themselves onto paper seemingly all on their own.

  Other times it helps to sit down with a piece of paper and write with no specific method. If there is a single word that comes to mind write it down. Is it a mood you want to convey? Write it down. It has been proven that people remember ideas better when they 1) think it, 2) write it down, and then 3) read it again. An idea is more likely to be remembered when your brain takes the idea through all of those steps.

 3.5) Create originality

As cliché as it may sound, true originality comes from within yourself. You are literally one of a kind. This means you are capable of creating things no one else is. Sometimes you just have to learn how to channel it. Yea sure, going through websites or magazines for inspiration may do the trick, but they also mold your visions into what is trendy or what everyone else is doing. I think looking at these can work as a starting point but you eventually have to put it down and create your own ideas. I recommend putting all your electronics away. Go somewhere you are alone, or wait until everyone goes to bed and stay up a little later to do some creative thinking. There is something ‘special’ about night time that makes creativity spark. Sit there alone and in silence (sometimes I use music to help inspire creativity) and just WRITE. Write ideas down. And this is where it can loop back to #3.

 Might be able to skip step 3 or 3.5 depending on your needs. These go hand in hand and are intertwined.

 4)    Nature

Go out in nature. Leave your electronics in the car. Soak it all in. Being in nature and being able to look around you and not see any buildings or anyone in sight really does something to the soul. It puts you back in touch with the true nature of being human. It’s not searching the web for the newest or hottest trends. Go on a hike. Or a picnic in nature.

 5)    Something new

Try something new. It is known that trying new things is good for your mental health. I also read somewhere that trying something new builds your self-confidence, hence making you creative and confident. Win-win?

These are all steps that have worked for me in the past when I feel a lack of creativity. What else do you do that helps?

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The Big Question: Canon or Nikon?

If you are a photographer, you have probably had to ask yourself this question at least once in your life. While there are many great brands out there, Canon and Nikon are the obvious industry leaders.

Since we will be stocking these two brands I figured it might come in handy to do a photo example of both cameras. I walked around a cemetery close to the studio to capture some examples of how these brands differ. 

Cameras I used: Nikon D810 and a Canon 5d Mark III

Lenses I used: Nikkor 50mm 1.4 and a Canon 50mm 1.4

Both cameras settings: ISO125  |  1/160  |  f/3.5  | Auto WB

I usually am shooting with multiple digital cameras, film cameras, and change lenses often and because of it I tend to keep the white balance on Auto. The two cameras I am using are pretty reliable when it comes to setting white balance making life much easier. I change the WB manually when I happen to be shooting in strange light but for the most part this has worked for me.

The images on the right side were edited with the exact same settings in Lightroom. I played around with the colors and saturation and decided to keep the same exposure as the SOOC images. I slightly lowered the shadows, highlights, and whites while raising the blacks quite a bit. Same edit on both photos but you can see a noticeable difference.

I have been a Nikon shooter and when I had to learn the Canon 5d Mark III I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I do not think there is a definite answer if one brand is better than the other. Depending on your preferences for shooting options, one could work better for you than the other. 

In my experience these are the things that have stood out the most:

Nikon: The battery lasts a significant amount of time longer than the Canon camera and there also are more lens options for Nikon. Their software is easy to use and the menus easy to navigate. What I like about the built and feel of the Nikon camera is how safe it makes me feel. If I was to be robbed it would make an excellent defense weapon. I also find that changing the focus point is much easier on the Nikon which in my opinion gives huge bonus points.

Canon: Maybe it’s because I started as a Nikon user, but learning my way around a Canon was more difficult. I do not think their menus are easy to navigate and the placement of the buttons do not feel natural to me when using them. Like I said earlier, it comes down to preference. I will have to say that the speed of a Canon is noticeably faster and I am a huge fan of their anti-aliasing filter which reduces moiré. 

I believe the size of your hand also affects which camera you are partial to. The placement of the Nikon buttons feel more comfortable but the natural sharpness of the Canon cameras are also enough to make me consider moving to Canon equipment. Honestly, I would pay too much if I could combine Nikon’s button placements and software with Canon’s sharp and clear SOOC photos (I would like to add that Nikon does also give sharp photos but I do think you have to work more to get them).

Overall I would say both of these cameras are extremely well built and there is a reason both Canon and Nikon are leading brands in the industry; I could not say that one brand is superior to the next. I would recommend getting your hands on both camera systems and finding out which one fits your style the most.

Are you trying to decide between purchasing a Nikon or Canon? Why not rent them out and see which one works best for you. 

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Online Photo Contest: Tips on How to Get More Votes

Our recently launched photo contest marks the beginning of our coming soon rental photography studio and gallery. The idea for this contest began when noticing the large amount of creative people in the area and the beauty Idaho has to offer. How do you combine these two? A grand opening photo contest of course. 

It is still early in the contest meaning anyone can make it to the Top 20 and be featured in our opening gallery along with staying in the run for the $1,000 cash prize. 

In case you are not familiar with the contest you can find more information here.

For those of you who have entered, these tips might improve the chances of more votes. 

1. Use your Facebook wall.

Since the contest is ran through Facebook this is the easiest way to share your entry. By doing this you reach all your friends, family, and some people you have only met once. This is something I would recommend to every single person who enters the contest. 

2. Share on other social media accounts. 

If you have other social media accounts it is not likely you have identical friends lists on all of them. By posting to those other accounts you increase the number of people that see your entry and are more likely to vote for you. 

3. Share with your email contacts list.

Your email contacts are another group of people who may vote for your photo that you may not have on any social media accounts. 

4. Don’t Spam.

Let’s be honest. Nobody wants to be that person.

5. Ask friends to share. 

It may help to ask your friends to share your post; they may have a new group of friends that can vote for you. People are more likely to comply  when they can relate to a situation which is why this works. They can relate to you through your mutual friend versus voting for someone they have no relation to. 

6. Be Specific.

If you want to increase your chances of having people do what you want try this: tell them to do it and spell it out. When you share your entry make it crystal clear how to vote. You’ll want to include the link and directions on which button to click (specifically the VOTE button). It would also help to let them know they do not need to register to vote; that’s usually what stops me.

Following these tips might help improve your chances of getting more votes in this or any photo contest you enter. Be persuasive and get people to want to vote for you. Or it also helps asking them to make this their random act of kindness for the day. 

Best of luck to everyone!

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What I Learned Starting My Own Business

If you have ever started your own business you know it is no easy task. As a business owner you don’t wear multiple hats; you wear all the hats. You are the CEO, manager, accountant, interior designer, web tech, book keeper, receptionists, and sometimes even your own janitor. 

During our ongoing and seemingly never ending start up process for our rental photography studio company, Studio Boise, there are two main lessons I have learned and live by: 

#1 -  Baby Steps! I do not believe I could ever express just how crucial and critical it is to do this. Have a task (or 150) that needs to be completed? BREAK IT DOWN! Seriously break the task down into the simplest forms possible. For example, I needed to come up with a list for the equipment we will have available for rent in our photography studio. Do you have any idea how grand, vast, and random this list can be? So I broke it down. 

First baby step: I started with the most basic studio equipment categories: lights, light modifiers, camera equipment, and studio equipment.

Second baby step: After that I broke it down into smaller categories. Under light modifiers there are softboxes, umbrellas, hard modifiers, and general light bouncers.

Third baby step: In addition to these there more specific types of soft boxes, umbrellas, etc. that you can break down. This brought me down to sizes and brands for each product. See where I’m going with this?

I cannot stress enough the importance of breaking down large tasks into the smaller tasks. Having each task separated makes it easier to get them done and cross them off your to do list.

This leads me to my second learned lesson.

#2  – To Do List! This one tends to happen naturally as I break down my tasks into baby steps. I will break down a task and write these smaller steps in my to do list. I have used electronic organizational apps before but in my opinion nothing beats the old school way of writing down your tasks and having that pleasurable accomplished feeling when you cross them out. This step calls for a little more organization than some people might have. First of all, don’t lose your to do list (unfortunately it has happened more than once). Because starting a business is so hectic you will find peace in your to do list. I tend to put exclamation marks next to the items that are on a quickly approaching deadline to avoid accidentally skipping it.

Starting my own business is one of the most hectic, stressful, and sleep loosing things I have done but at the end of the day it is always worth pursuing your dream. By following these two tips I have calmed my nerves and sleep better at night knowing I am better organized than I was yesterday.