June photography specials

Below are our June specials which includes our special family session for 249.00 where we go to wherever you would like have your family photographs done. It is quite a bit more in depth and there is no limit as to how many photographs I will take. A full family session usually lasts from 1 to 2 hours and includes a CD of the finished images.

I also have a family session that is 125.00 but they are put on our storefront for you to purchase.

Updated info on free wedding photography contest. How to win a FREE wedding photography package from Joseph Keith Photography.

Update on the Free wedding package contest. Since it is half way through 2009 we have decided to let couples getting married in 2010 to be able to submit as well.

First let me tell all of you future Brides and Grooms why I am doing this.
I really didn't know if photography was going to be my career choice or not, but Jason Groupp changed that when I met him about 1 1/2 years ago. Since that time I have been able to meet some of the best wedding photographers in the world through him. By meeting people like Yervant, Joe Buissink, Frank Dimeo, and so many others, I have realized that I do have a gift and it should be used photographing weddings and families. And since I have had so many give to me freely to help me with my career, I decided that I wanted to give back.

And the contest was born.
Now you may be wondering, how do I enter into this contest? What is the actual prize?
WHAT THE WINNER WILL RECEIVE :
Joseph the owner of Joseph Keith Photography will photograph your wedding , with unlimited coverage for the day and a DVD of all high resolution images.

The prize is valued at over $2000.00

This contest is for a couple who have a great story.
THE RULES:
1. You must be getting married in our local area (within 75 miles of Port Saint Lucie).

2. The couple must be getting married in 2009/2010 and I must be available for the date.

3. You must give us permission to post your story and you also must provide 2 pictures that are at least 900 pixels wide on the long side. (when you win your picture will be on the site too)

4. You have to either write your story (please keep it to a maximum of 500 words) or make a 4-5 minute video as to why you deserve a free wedding package from me. A friend or relative can also write to us on your behalf.

5. I have several people who will be judging this along with me so it will have at least three different opinions as to the winner.

6. The DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES is JUNE 1st, 2009.

7. The top 3 entries will be posted on the BLOG and we will be letting you help us with the final winner.

8. The Winner will be announced on Sunday June 14th, 2009.

Natalia and Christopher Pezon Wedding

Had a great time shooting a beautiful garden wedding this past weekend. You may remember Natalia and Chris from some of the engagement shots on my blog, website, and Facebook. They were so much fun and easy to work with. Everyone involved was a pleasure to be with. A big thanks to the father of the bride, Dr Enrique Borrego, who was the most calm father I have seen in a long time and was handling all the last minute details with amazing speed and grace, and his beautiful wife, Shannon, who was also amazingly calm and sweet. The bride and her bridesmaids looked beautiful and I must say the crew at Fusion in Port St Lucie West was easy to work with and very professional. Thanks, girls!

Our thanks also to Alishia Urba Parenteau, of Occasions by Design, the wedding planner extraordinaire, she was cool, calm and rolled with the punches! Great job Alishia! And a shout out to the DJ team of Traxx Entertainment, Vincent and Lynette Marraffa, they did a great job and kept the music going even under technical difficulty and everyone had a great time! Just wait until you see the shots of everyone dancing their hearts out! You can catch Vincent and Lynette coming up at D.A.R.E. Night Out, April 24th @ Tradition Square, 5p to 9p. We're looking forward to rocking out with them again!

The reception took place under the stars in a tent that looked like a fairy tale, set up by Event Makers, of Stuart.

The food was exceptional, cooked, served and beautifully presented by Christafaro's.

And I can't forget to mention the cake, I got such cool shots of it! It fit the garden theme perfectly with a bird on top for Natalia, done by Piece of Cake by Elena. Tasted great too!

Thanks to all who helped us make this a great day for Natalia and Christopher Pezon. Keep checking back for more shots.

Cheers,

Joseph Keith

Contest for free wedding photography

I have decided to put a contest together for Free wedding photography. I am putting the final details together for the contest. They will be available soon. So stay tuned.

Kim, Jessie and Jackie...... Sisters having fun!!!!

Kim , Jessie and Jackie were a fun bunch to photograph out at Tradition in Port Saint Lucie. We went to a few different places to see what kind of photos we could get of the girls. Tradition really has the old world charm with quite a few places to visit while your there. We started out at a park, and then we just walked "downtown" through the town square. It feels like you are back in the 50's (Back To The Future). Remember that movie? Anyhow we had a great time shooting and this is what we got......................


Jessie looking all that, isn't she just beautiful...





And her sister Kim was just having a great time on the swingset, well all of them had a great time on the swings.

Shoot and Burn?

The reason for this topic today is due to so many people wanting photographers to cut their prices. We are asked if we can do a shoot and burn for much less. Yes, it can be done, but things are sacrificed , like quality. The shoot and burn photographer will shoot your wedding and hand you the images right from the camera.

These images are not finished. They may look just fine but they are most likely not what you saw on their website that convinced you to use them. The finished artwork is why we have become photographers in the first place. Yervant, a fantastic photographer, says, "Straight from camera’ is not professional!!" Ever since professional photography has existed, FINISHING has also existed.

I have a vision of what I want the photograph to look like finished. When I am shooting I might be thinking that this photo should be Black and White, a vivid blue sky, or a cross processed image with sun flair in it. Photographers have changed their images from the original with film and now digital processing(or FINISHING) to make them perfect.
Today we have photoshop, lightroom, etc to make our images FINISHED.The individual decides whether they use the standard finishing like in the old FILM darkroom or to go much more with many of todays Artsy photoshop skills.

"I strongly believe that an image is not professional unless it is FINISHED! I am not talking about fixing a bad picture here, I am talking about FINISHING. A simple few steps to make a great image a perfect and professional image."says Yervant.

FINISHING is what makes us the professional photographer and helps clients understand our prices.
In todays world we are usually pretty picky when we buy things and want them to be perfect. So why would you want an unfinished photograph of the most important event in your life.
I have a few examples of before and after images to show exactly what I am talking about.

This first picture is right out of the camera.




This image is a finished image.






The same goes for this original image. It looks good but take a look at the one below it.








Chris and Natalia have made beautiful pictures with me. But once again the original image below is very nice but the final image (the second one down)is just that,FINISHED.

Comparing pics right from the camera

This picture is very acceptable right from the camera but when you look at the second one, which would you choose?

Chris and Natalia

Chris and Natalia Video

Natalia and Chris engagement shoot

This was our first meeting in person and the kickoff for 2009 engagement shoots. We decided to go downtown Stuart for their engagement shoot since there are so many wonderful places to go and explore.

They are a very fun couple so we were able to have fun and experiment a little too.

James Bond 007 Hibiscus Charity Ball

Beach shoot

Beach wedding shoot

Long Island Wedding 2008

Long Island Wedding 2008 Reception

A day at Bathtub Reef Beach

Bathtub Reef Beach is a great place to take the kids and just hang out. It really is a HUGE bathtub that the kids can go and find out about the Atlantic Oceans' Marine life firsthand.

We took Kieran (5 year old son) and Kaiden (4 year old son) to this beach for their first time. It had been closed since the last Hurricanes hit here from massive beach erosion.
When we got to the beach it was starting to rain , but as long time residents we knew that it would be a great day at the Bathtub Reef Beach.

Later that afternoon we were joined by one of our older sons Joshua, his girlfriend Kim and her sister Jesse. This just made the afternoon that much better.

I made one fatal mistake. Before I left the house I put sunscreen on both boys and I just figured I would put it on at the beach. It never happened. I was having such a great time relaxing in the shallow water with my kids that I never felt the SUNBURN and that I was cooking like a lobster.

Our new website is up and running!

Introducing our new website http://www.josephkeithphoto.com/.
It's been up for a few days and we have gotten some great reviews already. Michele is helping me edit more material that we are adding. Hope everyone likes it and feedback is always welcome. Keep checking back as we are adding and refining things frequently.
Cheers,
Joseph

Heather williams Worship Loud

Wow I am a bad bad blogger

Alright so I am a bad bad blogger. But in my defense I've been traveling and working very hard. I got to second shoot with Jason Groupp recently. Then I stayed around and went with him to the Two Views seminar with Yervant and Joe Buissink. I got so much out of the info I received I can't stress enough that everyone should see them. I am now resolved to take Mondays off. We went to the beach yesterday and had one of those rare days that we all will remember for years. The ocean was gently rolling and the breeze kept it from being too hot, it was one of those days we live in Florida for.Okay so rested and regrouped I'm now working on my website, so for those of you who have encouraged me, It Will Be Up Soon. Thanks for all your support and advice. See you on the forum.--Joe