Christopher's Blog

It consumes me. Ever since I got into photography it seems like all I can think about. Just ask my wife and you'll know that I have a passion for photography. From the beginning I spent endless hours reading books, forums, magazines and whatever I could get my hands on trying to become a better photographer. I've spent many late nights scouring over thousands of pictures critiquing them and trying to learn from them. I am embarrassed to mention how much money I have spent on camera bodies, lens', and lighting equipment even though it has paid for itself and provided a stable household income. The crazy thing is that even after years of doing this and so many thousands of dollars I am still no where near where I want to be. So hear I am late at night scheming on my next move asking myself questions like, "How can I get more value out of each shoot," or "what equipment should I 'invest' in next?"

Working from home also means that I am always at work. In this business I am finding that I always have more to do. Currently I have a few 1 terabyte external hard drives full of images ready to be edited and uploaded. A lot more goes into each image that most people think. The shoot is the easy part. Before each shoot is a planning process involving choosing a theme and finding models. After the shoot each of the 300 to 4600 pictures are reviewed and only the best are selected. Then those are color corrected and adjusted, converted from RAW to JPEG, and meticulously edited in Photoshop. If it is for stock we add keywords, descriptions, and titles to each image and distribute it to multiple agencies. Each agency has a unique way of uploading, attaching releases, and submitting an image that can be a long, boring process when we do the larger uploads. Then on top of that is keeping up with the portraits and wedding pictures which I like to finish within a week to keep from getting bogged down. So if you think, "Wow! He's lucky, he takes pictures for a living," you're right but don't think it is that is all there is to it.

I love my job! But as fun and laid back and free as the life of a self employed photographer is, there are two disadvantages for me: I'm never good enough and I am never finished with my work.

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I want to start blogging more. I think I may change my iStock blog to a photography blog. Anyway, if you want to see the updated photography site just visit one of these links: http://chrisfutcher.com or http://photography.chrisfutcher.com. I am currently living in Lacombe, Alberta and shoot mostly in the local area including Red Deer, Edmonton, and Calgary. I often travel to Phoenix, Arizona and Oshawa, Ontario for both vacation and photoshoots. So if you live in any of these areas and are interested in modeling, portraits, or wedding photography please send me an e-mail or comment below.

Yes, it's true. We've stooped to the level of desperate begging. We've entered a "kids" photo contest where the winners are determined by popular vote, which means the we need you! The prize is $$$, and we've promised Malana that if her picture wins, we'll buy her all the diapers she wants. So please, take a few moments each day and vote for the picture of Malana. You can vote for one picture each day, and there are two up of Malana, one posted by Christopher and one posted by Terri Lynn.

Here's how it works...

To vote you will have to create an account at iParents (don't worry it's easy and takes only a minute and you don't even need to give your credit card!) then follow the links to the photo contest and put Christopher Futcher in the find photos box. Then, if you want to help us out even more, type in Terri Lynn Futcher and vote for her picture, too! And to help us out even more do it every day.

Thank you for helping out Malana in her quest for more diapers...

Summer is almost here. This week I have a few final tests and then in is summer break. I plan to start blogging again. I hope to keep you updated about our new daughter Malana and bore you with updates in our photography venture.

Christmas time is here. I am so excited that we are going to spend the holidays with my family. I am flying down to Portland, Oregon tomorrow. Terri Lynn is in a wedding in Ontario and will meet up with us in a week. I havn't spent Christmas with my family since 2003.

We hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!