dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com by Darcia Kovarik Tue, 15 May 2012 18:51:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Can I stay Old-Fashioned? http://www.dkimage-design.com/can-i-stay-old-fashioned/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/can-i-stay-old-fashioned/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 16:49:34 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=421 Can I stay Old-Fashioned and still stay in business? This was the ‘question-of-the-day’ to myself this morning. I’m usually pretty guarded with my feelings and concerns regarding my photography business but since this is ‘my’ musings, I am going to step out of my comfort zone and share my thoughts today.  I have several photography blogs that I enjoy reading that I feel offer great information anywhere from technique to equipment to business to lighting. This morning one of those blogs was talking about new apps that this particular photographer couldn’t live without and that is when my ‘question-of-the-day’ popped into my head. Technology is changing so fast, communication is changing, and for me it gets to be overwhelming. Everyday there seems to be something new that could make my day easier or my clients happier. Or could it? I admit – I am of the ‘older generation’ & I like life simple and I like it ‘a little bit country’. (Well, truthfully maybe a ‘whole lot country’.) :) I still believe that prints, not digital files, give you a memory that lasts far beyond the years of the faces in the print. I believe that the opportunity to touch a particular image and see it in your hand or on the wall can still evoke emotions that make us feel. I still believe that images should be created in the camera as the photographer envisions them and not photoshopped to death to be given a trendy look. I still believe in face-to-face interaction, in knowing my clients, understanding their needs and wants, and offering the best service and product that I can. Sure there are alot of things with technology that do make my life easier and that I would be lost without, but I don’t feel the need to know every new digital product, software, or app that becomes available. I may read a quick blurp on it, think about how it could or could not benefit me and then move on from there. So to answer myself,  I believe I am going to stick with being who I am and the photographer I am growing to be. So if that means being ‘old-fashioned’ in a different age and time, I’m going to go for it and see where the road leads. I want to live and share my passion for life as I see it from the heart and give that same passion and vision to my clients so they too can see and feel their vision expressed in an ‘old-fashioned’ way.

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/can-i-stay-old-fashioned/feed/ 0 FaceBook now displays new TimeLine http://www.dkimage-design.com/facebook-now-displays-new-timeline/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/facebook-now-displays-new-timeline/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:32:18 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=418 Well, I finally did it. I finally forced myself to deal with the new TimeLine  on FaceBook and get my FaceBook page for dk Designs & Photography updated. I admit I was not happy about being forced to make changes – it became one more thing on my ‘to do’ list and & I didn’t want to add it to the list. So I avoided it for as long as I felt I could. I have discovered (and this is not always a good thing) that I am a person that doesn’t like change, unless of course it is change that I am ready & willing to initiate. :) I realized it didn’t look very professional to have a FaceBook page that wasn’t current so I took the time to watch the tutorials and get a grasp of  understanding the changes. Then I created my cover photo and left my profile picture and so far that is all I’ve done. But hey at least I’m there and I reluctantly admit that it looks like the change could be for the better in allowing me to show you what my photography is all about.  So it’s a good thing that there are times I’m ‘forced’ to make changes!

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/facebook-now-displays-new-timeline/feed/ 0 Isn’t she adorable??? http://www.dkimage-design.com/isnt-she-adorable/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/isnt-she-adorable/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:23:43 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=412

I love looking for the unexpected anytime that I am shooting. But I especially love it when I am photographing a show & something totally unexpected is right there in front on your camera lens. This little darling couldn’t have been more than 2 or 3 years old and she was just sitting up there beside the driver looking all around and clapping with the rest of the audience as the Draft hitches performed their back for the judge. I’m sure that from her vantage point on the wagon she was seeing alot! She was riding in the Draft Horse Unicorn Hitch class and mom had gotten down from the wagon to stand in front of the Draft horses during the line-up. I’m sure the audience was enjoying watching the little girl as much as they were enjoying watching the Unicorn hitches. This image is a reminder to me that the unexpected can occur at the most unexpected times and I am blessed to be given the opportunity to capture a priceless memory for someone.

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/isnt-she-adorable/feed/ 0 High Key Portraits http://www.dkimage-design.com/high-key-portraits/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/high-key-portraits/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:21:35 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=407

Denton at 3 months of age

I’ve been working on high key images today from a session I did of our 3 month old grandson. I love the look of high key images but they are a challenge for me. For this particular session I was using window light, a reflector, & used my off-camera flash to bounce light from the ceiling, all in a location that was not in the studio. The images were great….we got some really big smiles. I was happy with the histogram reading and then when I start the editing process that is when I start to think maybe I should have done this or that. Anyway all a part of my learning process but I do know it is a process that I want to continue to perfect because as I said, I love the look of high key images. Here is the end result of some of my favorite images.

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/high-key-portraits/feed/ 0 Multiple Exposures http://www.dkimage-design.com/402/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/402/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:22:04 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=402 I had the opportunity last week-end to take the camera and just shoot for pure enjoyment, no pressure to capture anything in particular. I had been wanting to try the multiple exposure setting on my camera so I set the settings I wanted & did some shooting. I set the exposure for 3 exposures. It was fun and I came up with some interesting images. I began to realize as I went along that, like any image, there needed to be some previsualization involved if I wanted an image with particular elements in it and with a particular style. For instance if I just took 3 exposures of trees but at different angles or location, the image was just layers of trees. But if I took 2 exposures of the trees and then thought about where I would place the 3rd exposure of a horse then I could create an image that had more of a Bev Doolittle effect to it – you know the prints where an image is hidden among the imagery and you have to search for it. Or if I tried a light image first then took 2 more exposures of darker images then my first exposure was lost behind the darker exposures. I tried different elements in the setting I was in – trees, an old barn, horses, blue sky, dirt roads, close up head shots with eyes and ears of the horses. My favorites were the images where I combined the barn, horses, & blue sky or the trees and horses. It was a fun exercise and one that I will certainly try more creativity with.

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/402/feed/ 0 Customer Service http://www.dkimage-design.com/customer-service/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/customer-service/#comments Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:30:48 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=306 Customer Service is something that I value as a consumer and so that is something that we strive to offer to our clients as well. This is an area that I want us to continue to improve on year after year and consider it to be an important factor that makes us who we are.  As photographers  some of the ways that we strive to offer customer service is by offering quality images of your favorite equine or of your family as well as making it a pleasant experience for you to choose those images. We also want to offer you a variety of choices that fit your lifestyle but that will still maintain the quality of the images you choose so that your memories will always be treasured.  I subscribe to a marketing blog, The Marketing Mix, and today’s topic was removing the ‘weeds’ from your business. I hope we are removing the ‘weeds’ from our customer service and planting ‘seeds’ that will give you joy as you choose, purchase, & enjoy your images for years to come.

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/customer-service/feed/ 0 Join us for the I Love My Dog Expo! http://www.dkimage-design.com/join-us-for-the-i-love-my-dog-expo/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/join-us-for-the-i-love-my-dog-expo/#comments Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:06:38 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=249 Join us this Saturday in Lincoln at the I Love My Dog Expo! You’ll see lots of really cool stuff for the dog in your life, meet lots of really neat people, & have the opportunity to have your favorite pet’s portrait taken by us. We will be offering Canvas Gallery Wraps and Collages as well as our usual sizes of petite portraits. The event is sponsored by Domesti-PUPS, one of the neatest canine volunteer organizations that I’ve seen. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for persons with special needs through the assistance of animals and to promote awareness through education.You can find out more information about Domesti-PUPS by going to http://www.domesti-pups.org/. We will be donating all sitting fees from portrait sessions on Saturday to the Domesti-PUPS organization. The event is from 9-4 on Saturday at the Lancaster Event Center. Come join the fun!

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/join-us-for-the-i-love-my-dog-expo/feed/ 0 Fine Art now available! http://www.dkimage-design.com/fine-art-now-available/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/fine-art-now-available/#comments Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:54:04 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=240 We are excited to announce that our Fine Art prints are now available on-line! We have chosen to showcase our Fine Art images on the Art for Conservation on-line gallery.  Art for Conservation ‘believes in the power of art to uplift, invigorate, inspire, educate and inform’, which is one of the reasons I chose to partner with them. It’s a way that I can lift someone up or brighten their day by offering images that touch your heart, make you smile, or inspire you.  Most of my Fine Art images are equine related and that’s because that is exactly what my horses do for me – make me smile, lift me up, and inspire me to stretch myself, to pursue what I love in life. By partnering with Art for Conservation I am also able to donate a portion of sales to a cause that I believe in – it’s called Thirst Relief International. This is an organization that is dedicated to providing clean, uncontaminated water to other parts of the world that don’t have the privilege of clean water everyday. We have the best water in the world here in the Sandhills of Nebraska and I know that is something that is often taken for granted. Water is a basic necessity not to mention the health benefits derived from drinking fresh, clean water. So I am proud to be able to help support this worthy cause through my Fine Art images. You can view the images we offer by going to our website www.dkimage-design.com & clicking on the Fine Art page or you can go directly to the site by going to www.artforconservation.org/artists/dkdesigns. We hope to brighten your day & make you smile!

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/fine-art-now-available/feed/ 0 Farm Shoots http://www.dkimage-design.com/farm-shoots/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/farm-shoots/#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2011 01:30:59 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=201 Just a reminder that now is the time to book your Farm Shoot for 2011! Our calendar is filling up fast and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to schedule your Farm Shoot at a time that fits into your schedule. Book your Farm Shoot before January 31 and receive a 25% discount off the Set-Up Fee per Horse. Check out our website for information on rates and to see our portfolio. Spring will be here soon!

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/farm-shoots/feed/ 0 Snow! http://www.dkimage-design.com/snow/ http://www.dkimage-design.com/snow/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:12:22 +0000 dk Designs and Photography http://www.dkimage-design.com/?p=185 I decided to bundle up yesterday & venture outside to take some ‘snow pictures’. I love the freshness & beauty of snow & the challenges that come with taking snow images but I don’t especially care for the cold that comes along with the snow. Yesterday there was about 8 inches of new snow that had fallen over the week-end & we’d had some wind as well so there were drifts in a few places and the windchill was still a factor. I have plenty of outdoor clothes to bundle up in but no matter how much winter gear I put on my hands and feet, they get cold first. Plus I can’t manage my camera very well with gloves and mittens both on. So in yesterday’s 9 degree snowy weather, it took me about 3 different trips outside to get some shots because I could only handle about 15 minutes at a time.  It was fun and the light kept changing so that allowed for creative differences in the images. Here is one of my favorite images from yesterday’s venture outside – the mares coming in for supper at dusk. They were holed up in the trees to stay out of the wind but when the promise of hay became apparent, they were more than happy to come out of the trees on the run.

]]> http://www.dkimage-design.com/snow/feed/ 0