by Elsa Jensen | Dec 5, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos, Places, Portfolio, Things
A portfolio is one’s best work. And sometimes, it can be hard to decide exactly which photographs you think are your own personal best! I’ve been trying to narrow down which pictures are my own best and also my favorites that I would want to put in my portfolio. I think I’ve narrowed it down to the best photographs that really showcase my style and skill. ...
by Elsa Jensen | Dec 2, 2014 | Blog-category, Home Page, People, Photos
Family pictures are always full of fun energy and happiness and this family was no exception. I have known the Ellis family since our family moved to Utah 8 years ago – I even used to babysit their kids. Look how big they are now, and each of them are as beautiful and handsome and fun as the last! The personality of each member and this family was genuine and I loved seeing that in each picture. The Ellis’ are a great family that I was happy to be able to photograph!...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 29, 2014 | Blog-category, Home Page, People, Photos, Weddings
I think that there isn’t anything cooler than following a couple through their engagement and marriage. Chelsea and Alex have been such a wonderful couple to become friends with and experience their love and relationship firsthand. They are fun loving and laid back at the same time and the way they interact with each other is so sweet. You can tell how much they love each other and see their personalities in each picture. I loved this wedding – here is just a small sample of their...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 24, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos, Portfolio
There’s something about the later seasons of the year that makes the family pictures start to roll in. I have known the Parker family for several years now from nannying their cute kids and it was a treat to be able to photograph them for their family pictures. We went to a few different places, trying a nature and landscape feel first and then going to a spot in Draper, Utah to try a more modern and urban feel with a new building there. I tried using a variety of poses and with the four of them, it was a good way to learn what worked and didn’t work well with their photos. I tried using a wide aperture for the individual portraits (f/2.5) and had to use a smaller aperture for the portraits of the whole family (f/5.6 – f/7.0). I learned that keeping a faster shutter speed would keep my images sharper and how important that is with these cute kids! I loved capturing their cute faces – family photography is so much fun and I loved photographing the Parkers!...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 14, 2014 | Blog-category, Designs, People, Photos
As a creative and a person, I have always been fascinated and drawn to movies and media from the classic era. Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Vivienne Leigh, Cary Grant – they all inspire me! So of course when it came time to come up with a conceptual fashion portrait, I wanted to do something that had that same feel and idea. I had my wonderful and beautiful childhood friend Brooke come to model for me – her face reminds me of Katherine Hepburn! I chose red theater seats and had her dress in a classy Breakfast at Tiffany’s feel because I wanted to create a theater scene and feel. I had a lot of fun with her and using the Einstein light to create the right feel. I especially loved the way her red lips popped with the red theater seats. This was so fun to do!...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 14, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos, Portfolio
One of my biggest inspirations in photography is Richard Avedon. His movement, emotion and expression in the photos he took for many of the famous fashion magazines like Vogue is always beautiful and flawless. Part of what inspires me so much with Avedon’s photos is that they are all simple, yet profound, and I think part of that is because he shoots in mainly black and white. I have always loved a really well done black and white photograph. These fashion portraits of BYU-Idaho students in black and white are just a little bit of what I try to aspire to be like Richard Avedon. While I shot and processed these photos afterwards I have learned a lot about the lighting and how it effects the outcome of the black and whites. I love these fashion black and whites! ...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos
I am an only daughter – and with four younger brothers, I have always yearned for sisters. This family of all girls – and beautiful ones at that – were such a treat to photograph! It is always fun to mix up pairings and groups for pictures – the Schmidt Family has such a beautiful dynamic that way. I loved being able to get to know just a little bit more about them and start to feel for what it would be like to be in their beautiful family. I really enjoyed working with them! ...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 12, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos
Little kids and families are always such a fun time and this family was no exception! I loved these sweet and fun kids with their awesome parents – I may have gotten a little too attached to those cute little girls. The sun was setting and the lighting was just perfect, so with no auxiliary lighting needed, I got some really great photographs of this family. Using a smaller aperture for the group portraits (about a f/5.6 – f/7.0) and a much bigger aperture for the individuals (around an f/2.5), I was able to achieve really fun and good family pictures of the Pingels!...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 10, 2014 | Blog-category, Home Page, People, Photos, Portfolio
Park City, Utah is an area with gorgeous landscapes and sophisticated artsy feel. Every time I visit, I feel like a part of a beautiful culture and movement that inspires me (and makes me want to move to the mountains). I’ve always loved Main Street and wanted to photograph there, so it seemed like the perfect place for a lifestyle session. The couple we used are some of my favorite people to be around – their fun loving and sweet personalities and relationship is contagious in every photo. They are my favorite couple to photograph and they fit perfectly on Main Street. \...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 10, 2014 | Blog-category, Home Page, People, Photos, Portfolio
Isn’t the fall season just so beautiful? With the beauty all around the changing earth, I always end up wanting to photograph everything and everyone during fall. It’s no surprise that Park City, Utah is an absolutely beautiful area this time of year and photographing portraits there is even more dreamy. Deer Vally, Main Street, and the McPolin Farm are both famous and popular areas in the city and beautiful places to be at while photographing portraits. To compliment the beautiful lighting and wonderful couples, I used apertures ranging in a f/2.5 to an f/4.5 with faster shutter speeds to accompany that. I tried pushing myself by trying new poses and ideas with each picture. It was a beautiful day full of beautiful people and personalities – the perfect mixture for portraits. ...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 10, 2014 | Blog-category, Home Page, People, Photos, Portfolio
There’s always something that feels so cool and sophisticated about fashion photography – the clothes, the poses, the models, the lighting. I have always admired the great fashion photographers of our time and looked to many for inspiration like Lindsey Adler and Patrick Demarchelier and if there is one thing that I’ve noticed, its that there is always a distinct theme and idea. The feel and theme that I and my fellow photographers, Erica White and Whitney Majors were envisioning was a very rustic fall feel as it turns into winter. We chose a spot that had a little bit of fall color left with a variety of dead and alive plants and we decided to shoot in the morning as the sun rose to give a more even a cool light. To create more of a mood, I used primarily low apertures and tried free lensing for a photo or two. Our model and my dear friend, Cortney, was such a perfect fit. I have always loved photographing her – her sophisticated yet kind and spunky personality fits well for so many photos and always shines...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 7, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos
What is better than Snowbird canyon for beautiful engagements? Liza and Scotty have the cutest story of how they met and fell in love – and their sweet and loving relationship is enough to make anyone’s heart melt a little. I had the sweetest time with this couple and loved exploring new parts of the Snowbird Canyon with them. Aren’t they so sweet? ...
by Elsa Jensen | Nov 2, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos, Weddings
Bridals have got to be some of my favorite things to shoot – its all the love and anticipation of an upcoming wedding with all the time and a perfect golden sunset. And this day was perfect for a sunset! We went down near the Jordan River Parkway for this shoot and it was a dreamy scene that fit exactly what Chelsea and Alex were looking for. They are such a fun and sweet couple – Alex’s face when he saw Chelsea for the first time was so precious and sweet! These bridals were definitely proof of that and their wedding was a treat that I can’t wait to share! For now, enjoy the bridals of Chelsea and Alex Peterson!...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 29, 2014 | Blog-category, Designs, People, Photos, Portfolio
A few months ago I found a photographer that had a really fabulous eye and design for double exposure photography – Andre De Freitas. I’ve been looking around since then and noticing more and more double exposures that are done in Photoshop and I’ve wanted to take a try at making them myself, so I was excited for this assignment so I could try a double exposure. To create a double exposure, I used two images masked together with a few different techniques. I wanted to create a type of cutout, so first I made a selection of my first image (a self portrait) and refined the edges and made it as crisp and clean as possible. Then, with that selection, I laid the second image on top and made a mask of that image with the selection. That makes the image simply a silhouette, so to add my face and details back in, I copied the selection and added it to a new layer on top and changed the layering mode to screen. Then with layer masks, I was able to change up what I wanted different areas to look like and add or subtract to them. I also added a black and white layer at a very low opacity to wash out the color a little bit to emphasize the image. The finished product made me very happy – and it definitely made me want to keep trying more double exposure photos! ...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 28, 2014 | Blog-category, Designs, People, Portfolio
Have you ever seen Harry Potter? Do you know those moving portraits and paintings that line the hallways and staircases of Hogwarts – those have always fascinated me. Maybe it’s because I have a love for all things British or because Harry Potter is the best thing to happen to movies in literature in a long time, but when I heard that we were going to be doing a cinemagraph (which is essentially a Harry Potter moving picture), I was VERY excited. And in my usual fashion, I decided that I must do my cinemagraph in typical British fashion. So here is my Downton Abbey inspired cinemagraph. The gist of how to make a cinemagraph is actually quite easy – take a video of a continuous or looping motion and in Photoshop, mask out the areas of the video that you don’t want to move. It takes some precision and exactness when it comes to masking out the area, but it is so rewarding when its done! I love the simplicity of the motion, so I decided to have just a small simple earring moving to draw attention in a subtle way – you almost don’t notice it right away, and that’s what I love about a cinemagraph! (click on the picture to open for animation) To see another Downton Abbey inspired cinemagraph, check out my talented friend Erica White’s version here! And of course, what would a British inspired creative project be without another of my favorite British films, Harry Potter? Daily Prophet inspired, of course! (click on the picture for animation)...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 26, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos, Weddings
If there is one thing that I think I love photographing the most, its weddings. It’s a day full of hustle and bustle and pure happiness that makes my job so much more exhilarating and fun! As I’ve been emerging into the wedding photography business, I’ve had more fun getting to spend time with my clients on their special day, and I think I’ve got to be honest when I say that the Covington’s were my absolute favorite! These two were so full of love and fun, it wasn’t hard to waste away the day shooting their new marriage. It was a beautiful day at the Salt Lake Temple for any wedding, but this one had to have been the best – thanks for letting me share your day with you Katie and...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 26, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos, Weddings
These bridals were absolutely wonderful! Tibble Fork Canyon was absolutely beautiful this time of year and the lighting and green trees made for the most serene feel. Being with Katie and Ashton a week before their wedding was an exciting feel and it definitely made for some wonderful pictures! Isn’t Utah just the best place for...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 22, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos
Group portraits always have a fun feel to them, whether its family pictures, school dance pictures, or just friends posing together. I always have a fun time shooting groups and pairs, and when we were at the Sky Mountain Lodge, it was even more fun to capture my fellow photographers and...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 22, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos
The best thing about taking portraits for people is that its usually during a time of their life that is exciting – and that’s true of graduates and senior pictures! Graduate photos is a growing market in the photography industry and utilizing all different types of lighting and poses for graduate portrait photography is an important key skill that I’ve learned. Having a sharp focus and a focus that draws the right attention to the subject is always essential, so a shallow depth of field with a fast shutter speed is important. I’ve been experimenting with using a f/2.8 to create a shallow depth of field and it’s been really fun to see how they turn out. Graduates and seniors are one of my favorite things to photograph because of the variety and energy – I hope you can tell! ...
by Elsa Jensen | Oct 22, 2014 | Blog-category, People, Photos
Using studio quality lighting can transform a portrait and take it to the next level! For most of my photography career and experience, I have been what I would call a ‘natural light snob’, only accepting photos and clients that were natural light. While we were in the Sky Mountain Lodge, we got the chance to try some high quality professional studio lighting that were provided to us and it definitely changed my opinion of portraits that are taken with studio lighting. These lights give the ability to creating lighting patterns that you want, give a soft light, and brighten any area that you use. With a higher aperture, fast shutter speed, and low ISO, it can create a perfect mix for a beautiful studio lighting...
