by Anne Mangiante, Office Manager

At this time of year, we dedicate a great deal of our schedule photographing one of life's biggest moments: graduation. Whether one is graduating from kindergarten, high school, or college, this moment symbolizes a step forward in life, into a bright future. This is very similar to another life-altering moment that we are proud to photograph, the wedding.

Planning a wedding can be one of the most expensive, time consuming, and frustrating things a person may do in their lives. Wedding photography should not be a hassle! Your wedding photographer should be professional, creative, and fun to work with throughout the whole process. Our wedding service is best described as a mix between posed, candid, and photojournalism. Our package prices are also listed on our website, along with descriptions of packages and samples of our work. We also regularly meet with potential wedding clients to discuss all their needs. We also offer personalized album consulting, so the couple can build the exact album they want, including the sizes of prints and mats. This way, the couple is ensured of having an album that they will treasure for a lifetime.

You can be sure that when you hire Mangiante Photography to photograph your wedding, you will be receiving a well-qualified photographer you can trust. All photographic services are performed exclusively by Gene Mangiante, the company president.

Another great benefit in choosing Mangiante Photography as a wedding photographer is our website! All wedding photos are posted on our internet web site within 2 days of the wedding. Images are available online for viewing and ordering for an entire year. The website allows customers to view all the images from their wedding, enlarge those images, and order beautiful color or black and white enlargements from anywhere in the world! Now friends and relatives can enjoy the convenience of leaving their cameras at home and enjoying the party!

by Michael Spikes, Operations Manager

If you are a fan of the bazillion crime dramas on TV then you probably know "Modus Operandi" is Latin for "mode of operation". It is usually used to describe criminal behavior but, in this article we will explain and solve the mystery pictured above.

You may have seen this dial, it is on many models of cameras and may cause confusion, disorientation, and panic. Let's explore the different characteristics of each setting (beginning at Auto and moving up the dial).

1. Auto-mode. The green camera with auto above it is what I call point and shoot mode. You turn the dial to this and the camera does it all for you (exposure, flash, ISO speed). This is fine if you like ease of use, but personally I dislike being controlled, and like the freedom to make my own mistakes.
2. P-mode. Similar to Auto but with the illusion of control. This mode determines the exposure but will let you change one setting (aperture or shutter speed) while maintaining proper exposure. This mode will also let you change other settings such as flash, ISO, white balance, etc. Let your freedom begin!
3. S-mode. Here you get the similar control as P but you can only change the shutter speed. The camera will attempt to make a good exposure. You can use this mode to help stop action or use it to intentionally make a blurred photo.
4. A-mode. Similar to S-mode but, you change the aperture (aperture is the hole that lets light in to make exposure). The aperture controls depth of field. Use this mode to help make a subject in focus while the background is blurry, or to make the entire frame in focus.
5. M-mode. Total, complete freedom or total anarchy and chaos, it depends on your point of view. Here you control the camera, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, everything is in your hands. Use your new powers wisely.
6. Guy with star behind his head-mode. A.K.A Party or night mode. The camera will use a combination or flash, shutter speed, aperture and ISO to get and exposure in lowlight that will expose your main subject and hopefully some existing ambient light.
7. Building with Moon-mode. Or night landscape, this will use no flash and slow shutter speed to produce lowlight landscape photos. Use a tripod as hand holding will result in blurry photos.
8. Guy running from the cops-mode. Sometimes called sports mode. The camera will use continuous auto-focus and a high shutter speed to freeze action. This mode will also not use any flash.
9. Flower-mode. Use this for close up shots of flowers, insect, and other small subjects. Camera will often choose a larger aperture to help blur background details.
10. Landscape-mode. The camera will choose a smaller aperture (more depth of field) and will turn off the flash. Use a wide angle lens and you can get sweeping views of mountains, plains, and prairies.
11. Lady with a hat-mode. For portraits, use this mode and your main subject will stand out from the background because the camera will attempt to use the largest aperture possible (less depth of field). Use this with around an 80-90mm lens and you can get great portraits without distortion or making your subject nervous.

There plenty of modes out there and your camera may have more modes or less modes and may even be called something a little different. I hope these tips help.

by Gene Mangiante, President

This year has proven to bring it's share of excitement, as well as industry changes in the photography market. Online blogs, MySpace, Facebook and other internet web sites command hours of our time in front of the computer. Shopping is easier, more convenient, and generally quicker online. Our society is constantly changing, and one of those changes in our industry is quick proofing and presentation of the images we photograph. About 10 years ago, the expectation for quick turn around was about 1-2 weeks for proofs. Delivery of photos was even longer. Today, an event photographed by our company on Saturday can be viewed online within 24 hours. We even check images for "blinks" when we take them on our digital camera displays. Could we do that in the past? Surprisingly, our office even receives inquiries if proofs are not online within 12 hours of the end of an event! Our society has a need for instant gratification, and we are constantly adapting our systems to accommodate today's changing environment.

This past weekend was a great example. We photographed several thousand high school and college graduates as they received their diplomas. At many of these graduations, we even took multiple poses of each graduate. The work did not stop after the graduates processed out of gymnasiums, coliseums, churches, and outdoor gardens. Our production staff spent all day Saturday entering data, matching images, and identifying graduates. Graduates from one 11:00 A.M. ceremony on Saturday morning received a customized e-mail around 4:00pm. The e-mail included their individual images embedded in the e-mail, with a direct link to their pictures on our online website to view and order. In less than 5 hours, a graduate can view their photos online and place an order from one of the most important days of their lives! We also mailed printed paper proofs for every graduate photographed on Friday and Saturday, and many graduates received a printed proof in the US Mail on Monday.

I think we do a great job of presenting our proofs and final products in a timely manner, but is that the only thing that separates us from our competitors? How do we separate ourselves from the next studio? I'd like to share some of our advantages and the technology that keeps us on top of the curve.

• Online proofing in 24 hours
• Secure website with individual pin numbers for security
• Image sorting by team, division, or name for quick image location on our website
• Print orders produced and shipped directly to the end customer within 48 hours, direct from our processing lab
• Customized, personalized emails with embedded images for graduations, sports, and portraits
• Advanced online options for ordering such as facial retouching, metallic paper, and do-it-yourself custom cropping

Would any of these features make it easier for your school, sports league, or company? Would your organization's members, parents, or students benefit from the added convenience? Are you living in the "stone age", and looking for an upgrade? Contact us and we'll do a quick and easy evaluation to see how we can help streamline and simplify your photography program. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

• Gene Mangiante, President
• Michael Spikes, Operations Manager
• Anne Mangiante, Office Manager
• Anna Asbury, Account Manager