Hi wonderful readers! And a huge warm welcome to those of you who are new to the Butterfly Notes community, I am so grateful you are here. You most likely joined because we have a common love and curiosity for the art of photography. So I am going to start today’s newsletter by talking about the online course I’m in the process of creating for you followed by a few things that have intrigued me recently.
📷 Composed is an online family photography course created for the photographer who is feeling a little stuck and looking for creative fuel to infuse into your work. We will be diving into what inspires you as an artist and how to incorporate that fire into your family photography and films. Take your client sessions from feeling a bit too posed or redundant to sessions that feel more cinematic and infused with feeling, light and color. Throughout this course, you'll learn techniques to artfully compose family portraits that radiate togetherness, joy, and harmony.
🎶 I am structuring this course in the format of a family music album. Starting with the Prelude - the introduction that sets the tone for a beautiful Soundtrack experience together - complete with songs for every lesson and a Spotify playlist I’m creating along the way. You will also join me in (at least) three behind-the-scenes sessions to watch how I approach and guide each session.
We’ll explore key strategies for crafting meaningful photography, including:
- Directing genuine emotion and interaction
- Thoughtful posing principles for cohesion
- Flattering light and optimal camera angles
- Using locations and styling to reinforce themes
- Tailoring sessions for families in their unique walk of life
- Capturing authentic moments candidly
- Post-processing for a coherent, harmonious feel
✨ Also included in this course will be my workflow, my Family Session Questionnaire and a private community right here on Substack where you can chat with me and fellow photographers about the course and it’s contents.
I will be working to finish and release this course by late Winter/Early Spring 2024. If you have anything you’d like to request specifically for this course please comment below - I welcome and encourage your input!
The best part? Because you’ve joined me in this newsletter experience I will be offering a limited launch discount to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY! You will also gain access to the course before I release it to other social media platforms.
I will continue to update all of you on launch date and you can expect sneak peeks of the course coming soon! I am OVER THE 🌙 EXCITED to share this with you!
Butterfly Notes
A favorite soup recipe, a song that’s currently on repeat, a book I’m reading right now and words of wisdom.
🍲 Creamy Tortellini Soup with Sausage. I love pretty much all soup in the Fall and Winter. Give me some warm fresh veggies in chicken broth, fall spices and add cheese - I’m in! My boys however, are very picky about their soups. 😆 And this is the one I can make anytime and the entire pot will be gone by the end of dinner time. I promise you it’s delicious. If you make it - let me know what you think!
🎧 Bigger Than The Whole Sky. Yes it’s a Taylor Swift song (proud to be a Swiftie!) but maybe one you haven’t paid much attention to? It’s on her latest album, Midnights and so heartbreakingly ethereal and beautiful.
📖 The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell. I blame the genre of this book pick on Halloween vibes and I’m absolutely devouring it. This is my first Lisa Jewell read and I just know I’ll be reading her other Thrillers after this one. Her storytelling and cliffhangers are the reason I sometimes stay up way too late at night. 👀
I saved these “words of wisdom” months ago while reading a newsletter post from the incredible poet
. Aptly titled, “Pep Talk” her writing along with this quote resonated with me as an artist and frankly as just a human on this earth trying to navigate through the noise when it gets too loud to hear your own voice:“You are not responsible for the world - you are only responsible for you work - so DO IT. And don’t think that your work has to conform to any preconceived form, idea or flavor. It can be anything you want it to be.” - Sol LeWitt, in a letter to Eva Hesse
📅 I’ve opened my calendar for photo & film sessions for 2024. Pricing will increase beginning in the new year so if you’ve been thinking about booking a session - now is a great time to do it! You can visit my WEBSITE for details and book via the contact form there or reach out to me directly at saragarciaphotoart@gmail.com.
Unitl next time ~ Flutter on 🦋