Member Monday Featuring Veronica Phillips
This week’s Member spotlight is Canada-based photographer, Veronica Phillips. We’re so proud to see her growth as a pet and family photographer since joining KelbyOne over 2 years ago!
Let’s hear what Veronica has to say about this fun family session!
About the Photographer
- Hometown: I live in Barrie, Ontario Canada
- Years in Photography: I’ve been a hobbyist photographer for about 28 years and just 2 years ago set up my business, Wags&Kisses Pet Photography. Now, I am primarily a pet and family photographer.
- Years as a KO Member: I’ve been a KelbyOne member for just over 2 years now and I’ve seen my work grow by leaps and bounds thanks to all of the wonderful courses at my fingertips! I love to start my day with a coffee and a tutorial!
About the Photo:
- Title: This image doesn’t have a title.
- Location: This was taken an hour before sunset in a park that was a short walk from the family’s home.
- Any additional description of the photograph: During this family session, Mom especially wanted individual photos of the girls because school pictures had been canceled due to the pandemic.
- Gear/Software Used: I own the Canon 5D Mark IV and used the Canon 85 mm EF 1.4L IS USM lens for this and most of my shoots. Exposure: F 3.5 1/400 ISO 200 (set on auto ISO)I also use back button focus. I do my post-processing first in Adobe Lightroom and then I edit in Photoshop to clean up the image by removing distracting objects and blemishes. Then I add a curves adjustment layer and sometimes a gradient.
Describe your creative style in 3 words
I would describe my creative style as soft, warm, sentimental.
Tell us about a time you struggled or failed with your photography, and how you overcame it?
One of my worst experiences took place last year during a winter photoshoot. The temperature outside was about -10 with the windchill and approximately 45 minutes into the shoot, my Canon camera stopped functioning and displayed the message ERR 70 – shooting is not possible due to an error. I followed the directions to turn the camera off and then on and even replaced the battery with a warm one I keep inside my coat.
Nothing worked and I just wanted to cry. But I managed to hold myself together and suggested to my client that we take a few minutes to warm up in our cars and that way her puppy could dry off. I put my camera on the dash with the heat on low, terrified that the temperature change may cause condensation or cracking. After about 10 minutes, my camera was working again and we finished the last 15 minutes of the shoot.
I believe that the wind was a factor because I’ve shot many times in winter and never had this happen. Now I put my camera in my bag when I’m not shooting, to protect it from the elements.
What sparked your love of photography?
I grew up in a military family, moving around quite a bit from province to province. I started bringing my camera to school when I was about 12 so I could capture my friends playing at recess. I’d put together photo albums and often sit in my room looking through all the fond memories after I had moved away. I think that documenting my life in photos really helped to keep me from being too lonely and better adjust to the frequent moves. This was in the 80’s-long before cell phones and social media!
What’s your favorite class on KelbyOne and why?
It’s difficult to choose one class from KelbyOne but I would have to say my favorite course is Family Photography: The Art of Storytelling by Tracy Sweeney. It’s one of the first courses that I watched and I absolutely fell in love with Tracy’s style and her energy during a shoot.
I’ve since gone on to watch all of Tracy’s courses and love how she shares her knowledge and techniques in a very easy to understand method. Watching her work inspires me to create beautiful memories for the families that I photograph.
Connect with Veronica
My website is www.wagsandkisses.ca and I can be found on Instagram and Facebook as @wagsandkissespetphotography.
We appreciate Veronica for taking the time to chat with us!
Thank you for joining us for another Member Monday! If you haven’t yet, be sure to submit your photos for a chance to receive a Member Monday feature of your own.
