April and Larry Helsel are relatively new to the portrait business. They opened Keepsakes Studio in 1998 in the small Pennsylvania town of Duncansville. Looking for the latest technology, the Helsels found the Scene Machine Virtual Backgrounds system at the 2001 Photo Expo in New York City. Larry liked the concept, but April, the actual photographer, saw it as a potential headache.
Nevertheless, Larry won the debate and a few weeks later they had their Virtual Backgrounds system. At first, it just sat in the corner collecting dust. April made a few test exposures, but nothing of interest. Several months later, Jim Wilson, Director of Education at Virtual Backgrounds called to find out why no one had attended the Virtual Backgrounds workshop in Texas.
April decided to attend the workshop, but had very few sample prints made with the system to bring along. April found the workshop very helpful, but she still took another few weeks to start actually using the system.
Quoting April, “My oldest daughter, Ciera, served as my first serious subject, but I didn’t want to do just a plain portrait of her with a Virtual Backgrounds. I decided that I wanted to try to create a story book type of image. I used a Denny rock and placed some ferns and other plants in front of and behind her to create depth. Olen Seidler, a long time user of the Scene Machine, suggested using a 4 x 8 sheet of Plexiglas to create reflections such as water. The Plexiglas became her pond. I really got excited when I saw the results. I knew that my portraiture had just entered a whole new dimension.”
“I’ve now used Virtual Backgrounds for two years and I still have a lot more to learn. It is such a versatile tool. I love experimenting with new ideas. The ease of operation saves time and money without needing to use the 20+ muslins I already had. Children open up so many doors to creativity. Repeat clients love the variety I can give them without leaving the studio. With all the variety I now have at my fingertips, there is no way I’ll get in a rut again. I keep trying new set ups. My competition never knows what I am going to do next. I use my Virtual Backgrounds system for 90% of my indoor work.”
April’s husband, Larry, also comes up with some of the ideas and is actively involved in creating new props, such as the boat dock. Props they build on their own are very inexpensive and can be changed frequently so nothing ever gets old. April is also very active with Adobe PhotoShop, which she uses to enhance some of her images.
April is always eager to share her experiences with Virtual Backgrounds by doing programs and workshops. Her Web site address is www.keepsakesstudio.net.
April Helsel
New Directions in Children’s Portraits
April and Larry Helsel are relatively new to the portrait business. They opened Keepsakes Studio in 1998 in the small Pennsylvania town of Duncansville. Looking for the latest technology, the Helsels found the Scene Machine Virtual Backgrounds system at the 2001 Photo Expo in New York City. Larry liked the concept, but April, the actual photographer, saw it as a potential headache. Nevertheless, Larry won the debate and a few weeks later they had their Virtual Backgrounds system. At first, it just sat in the corner collecting dust. April made a few test exposures but nothing of interest.
Several months later, Jim Wilson, Director of Education at Virtual Backgrounds, called to find out why no one had attended the Virtual Backgrounds workshop in Texas. April decided to attend the workshop but had very few sample prints made with the system to bring along. April found the workshop very helpful, but she still took another few weeks to start actually using the system.
Quoting April, “My oldest daughter, Ciera, served as my first serious subject, but I didn’t want to do just a plain portrait of her with Virtual Backgrounds. I decided that I wanted to try to create a “story book” type image. I used a Denny rock and placed some ferns and other plants in front of and behind her to create depth. Olen Seidler, a long time user of the Scene Machine, suggested using a 4 x8 sheet of Plexiglas to create reflections such as water. The Plexiglas became her “pond.” I really got excited when I saw the results. I knew that my portraiture had just entered a whole new dimension.”
“I’ve now used Virtual Backgrounds for a few years and I still have a lot more to learn. It is such a versatile tool. I love experimenting with new ideas. The ease of operation saves time and money without needing to use the 20+ muslins I already had.”
“Children open up so many doors to creativity. Repeat clients love the variety I can give them without leaving the studio. With all the variety I now have at my fingertips, there is no way I’ll get in a rut again. I keep trying new set ups. My competition never knows what I am going to do next. I use my Virtual Backgrounds system for 90% of my indoor work.”
April’s husband, Larry, also comes up with some of the ideas and is actively involved in creating new props. Props they build on their own are very inexpensive and can be changed frequently, so nothing ever gets old. April is also very active with Photoshop, which she uses to enhance some of her images. April is always eager to share her experiences with Virtual Backgrounds by doing programs and workshops. She has even come to Virtual Backgrounds to be the third day guest speaker at our training workshops. Visit her website at www.keepsakestudio.net to see more of this very creative and talented photographer’s work!