Photo Techniques Offered
Photo Techniques Black Cat Studios Offers
Architectural Manipulation
Below we have three examples of the many architectural manipulation techniques we offer here at Black Cat. To the far left we have the original photo. Notice the street sign and electrical lines in the photo? These are a dead give away as to the era the photos were taken in and quite frankly take the eye away from the architectural beauty of the building. So my first step is to remove those distractions. Once this is accomplished I move on to manipulation process itself. The options at this point are nearly endless. For the second picture I have given the subject a grainy undertone along with a sepia type coloring. This transports the building and the viewer back in time making it a perfect presentation piece to hang above the mantel in an antique home. The next picture has been manipulated to look like a pencil drawing. This makes an amazing and endearing gift for an elderly family matriarch or a as a housewarming gift for a first time homeowner. The last example gives the subject an old elevation drawing blueprint feel. This would be perfect to present to potential buyers in a real estate listing of more opulent properties. Any of these options can be customized into various colors or gradients of colors making them a very personal gift for a proud homeowner.
Portraits
For portraits I love to take pictures when people don't know I'm taking their picture. This produces a much more natural portrait. When a client hires me I prefer to go to a location where they feel comfortable and let them do what they would normally do there as I capture their photos quietly in the background. Staging photos creates many awkward and almost painful looking results. The memories you want to capture are natural, carefree and fun! Once a portrait is captured it can be manipulated in any way that you wish. Here we have our company matriarch, Gary Norris, waiting at the ferry boat on Long Island Maine. The photo was manipulated first with a simple fire scene behind it. Next we added a nice brick background. Lastly, we combined a brick background and a holiday based background into one. These manipulations are excellent for school photos, engagement photos and professional photos to be used for business advertising.
Menu Design
When it comes to designing the perfect menu that will tantalize your guest's taste buds and excite their imaginations we at Black Cat have you covered. As a published writer and self taught photographer specializing in photo manipulation, your menu design is only limited by your imagination. We will combine both words and pictures that jump off the page and are easy to see for all sight abilities. Customers will practically taste and smell your decadent food offerings at just one glance of the menu! Below are some examples of a manipulated food item, the iconic Maine Lobstah! In the first picture we have an elegant background conducive to a 5 star dining establishment. Of course, in real life, we would be using your own fine China to display the meal. In the next picture you have a nice shabby chic look perfect for the more casual rustic fine dining restaurants along the coastline. Next you see a nice casual setting perfect for the local clam shack where picnic style dining is expected. Lastly you see a fun watercolor background that is great for a lobster pound setting. Again, these are just a few options. The final choice is up to the restaurant owner and is only limited by their own imaginations.
Landscape, Botanical, Animal, & Abstract Art
Looking for a whimsical gift for that special someone who loves art but has it all? We offer a full gallery of unique manipulated landscape, botanical, animal, & abstract art that can be printed on canvas, metal, mugs, cards, keychains and buttons. We can also print and custom frame the art for you if you prefer something a bit more sophisticated. Just contact us with your requests and we will put it all together for you. From iconic Maine destinations to abstract and unusual native trees, flowers, animals, and rocks we have a little something for everyone. Don't see a photo in our gallery you like? No worries! We have new photos coming in every single week. We can also do custom photo shoots at a destination of your choice.
Real Estate Photography & Listings
Selling a very special property and need it handled by a professional? We can do that! With a background in writing, photography, residential design and real estate we at Black Cats can create a gorgeous portfolio as special as your buyer's property! We love to use natural lighting, the cozy glow of a fireplace, and other moody forms of light to create a feeling of coziness and hominess. With just a few well placed lighting sources and some very descriptive wording your buyers will instantly picture themselves inside your home without ever setting foot in it!
Insurance Claim Photos and reports
Are you a lawyer or insurance claim representative that needs a comprehensive portfolio of photos and vivid wording to win your case or just to make your claim? If so we at Black Cat can do that as well! Owning a chimney company for over 10 years and working in the housing trades for a lifetime we have the expertise of writing and presenting insurance claims. From detailed photos to vividly worded descriptions we can make your claim stand out. Need detailed photos showing road conditions, highway signs, vehicle location, etc. we can do that! Need pictures without all the extra noise of the accident scene? We can do that as well by removing the background from the photos so all you see is the magnitude of the damage to the vehicle itself. Need pictures that are a bit sensitive? No worries, we fully comprehend the fragility of life and therefore have a deep compassion when death situations are presented. We will handle each situation with the dignity and respect a family member or beloved friend would give the decesed.
Miscellaneous Services
We here at black cat offer a ton of photography, chimney sweep and journalism services. I, Melody ML Norris, am self taught in photography and am a published writer. I have an associate's degree in business administration and one in residential design. My husband, Gary Norris, has been in the chimney trades for over 47 years now. Together we make up the Black Cat family of fine services. Besides the above offerings we love to do genealogical preservation . This would entail fixing and/or colorizing old family photos and documents then reprinting them to preserve them for many more generations to come. This also encompasses a more macabre portion of our business which would be photographing old tombstones and practicing the time honored Victorian tradition of photographing the deceased at funerals and the living picnicing at the graves of their loved ones. Due to the sensitivity of such photos they would be handled with the utmost discretion, dignity and care. So why do we offer such services? We at Black Cats believe that preserving and embracing our past helps ground us in our future. If not properly documented, once we are gone our past will fade away as an improperly stored photo does. This leaves future generations not knowing who you were, what you did in life, and, most importantly, leaves future generations with nothing to learn from you.
