Elizabeth Ann Photography

Special Friend

2010-07-08T20:19:00Z

A couple weeks ago, I photographed a little boy who I get to work with every year right around his birthday. Not only is he the cutest little guy, but his personality is just adorable. He is so friendly and talkative and also a ball of energy. Meet Sammy....

Before our photo session, he told his mom he wanted to bring his "special friend", Monkey, so Monkey could get his picture taken too. At the end of the photo shoot mom took out Monkey so we could do some special pictures of him & Sammy together. Monkey was very "worn", with love of course, and to me (knowing how special my daughter's "special friends" are to her) thought these images were the best of the bunch! Thought I'd share...

' Til Next Time,
Julie

elizabethannphoto@charter.net
636-978-8834
www.elizabethannphotography.com

Picture Framing

2010-06-14T21:36:00Z

While shopping in Michael's today, I noticed they've considerably improved their picture frame stock. I'm talking about their ready-made frames that usually come in the basic print sizes...4x6, 5x7, 8x10, etc. I also noticed that they are running a 40% off sale on these ready-made frames. If you are looking for a new way to spruce up your home decor, you may want to check them out. Not sure how long the sale goes, but some of the "gallery-type" frames are very nice and can be hung in multiple arrangements on your walls and make quite an impact in your home decor. I took a few pictures of just one of my photo arrangements in my home (foyer) to give you an example.

As I always say, why pay for "paintings" and other artwork to decorate your home? Your children and family pictures mean so much more to you, and I guarantee when you pass by beautiful framed images of your loved ones, it will always bring a smile to your face; not to mention look beautiful in your home.

Some of you may feel overwhelmed when you are planning out what sizes to order and how to display them. One way to start is to look at the wall space(s) that you'd like to decorate. Then cut out white posterboard or pieces of paper in the sizes and shapes (vertical or horizontal) you think you'll want and tape them to the wall in various arrangements until you find one that best suits your space and style. (You can even search online for different picture frame arrangements to get ideas.) You may find you need to order bigger prints to fill your wall space appropriately. The most common mistake is ordering a print that is too small. Bigger prints make much more of an impact in your home decor. Once you have decided on your picture arrangements, make notes of the sizes and shapes (vertical or horizontal), and then take your list to the stores and purchase your frames (Kohl's & Target also usually have a decent selection of ready-made frames). You will also want to decide if the space you are decorating and the color of frames you are purchasing, would look best with color, or b&w, or sepia prints. Then it will be much easier to order your prints.

Now if you are needing larger prints (16x20 or larger) or odd sized prints (such as perfect square or a very long rectangle), you will most likely need to order a custom frame from a framing shop. I offer custom framing and can give you a quote based on your needs. Most of the time, my custom frame pricing is very affordable, even compared to a the custom framing shop area in Michael's with a 40% or 50% coupon.

If you'd like to add a new look to a wall space in your home, call or email me to order new prints from any of your past photo sessions or get quotes on custom framing and I'll be glad to help you out.

Happy decorating!

' Til Next Time,
Julie

elizabethannphoto@charter.net
636-978-8834

New Website and More!

2010-06-02T18:54:00Z

Thank you to everyone who has given me such positive feedback on my new website over the last couple weeks. I appreciate all of your kind words and your business.

More good news is that I am officially set up to accept major credit cards through the shopping cart in my proofing galleries. VISA, MASTERCARD, & DISCOVER are the three major credit cards that are payment options when you check-out with your orders for enlargements or specialty photo products.

The last couple weeks, I've had many photo sessions and I thought I'd share a few of the images I took over in Breeze, Illinois. One of my families that I've done pictures for in the past, hired me to come out to their farm and do their family pictures on their land this time. Let me tell you, I LOVED their space. So much character! and my mind was just reeling with all of the ideas I could do with the old metal barn, an old rustic white barn, the lake, trees, tall straw grass, etc. And you know, they also had a little playground/swingset in their yard where we got the best smiles! (Not to mention, their children are precious!)
Take a look at the images below and to see more of this photo session, click on the link here to view their slideshow.

http://elizabethannphotography.com/viewing/?slideshowID=39038

Thanks to Sam & Amber for inviting me to visit and capture these beautiful images for them.

' Til Next Time,
Julie

Mother's Day

2010-05-04T22:55:00Z

Mother's Day is right around the corner and moms, if you are wishing for a new family photo session, tell your husbands to call or email me! When he purchases a gift certificate for you, I will throw in a FREE 8x10, at no extra charge. (This will count in addition to your regular EA Photo Club discounts.) This would also be a great idea for YOUR mother or mother-in-law.

One of my special clients, also a mom, recently had her daughter's 5 year pictures taken with me. She is a mother to four children all under the age of 6 (one set of twins) and let me tell you, they are one of the neatest families. I love working with them. These last set of pictures we just did are some of my favorites of all time! I had to share the slideshow with you. (Click below to view slideshow.)

Meet Olivia....

To view Olivia's slideshow, click here:

http://jscarpace.photobiz.com/viewing/?slideshowID=32160

Enjoy!

' Til Next Time,
Julie
636-978-8834 or elizabethannphoto@charter.net

Tulip Festival in Forest Park

2010-04-13T06:00:00Z

Have you ever been down to the tulip festival in Forest Park? It is gorgeous! Thousands of tulips in bloom around the Jewel Box area. Every spring, I schedule a day to be down there to do photo sessions and the pictures are always beautiful. I have ONE spot left for this event. This Sunday, April 18 at 3:00pm and the weather forecast looks great. Call or email me today to grab this last opening. Here are some images from last year's tulip festival photo sessions for you to enjoy...

' Til Next Time,
Julie

636-978-8834
elizabethannphoto@charter.net
www.elizabethannphotography.com

Gallery Wrap Canvas Prints...25% OFF !!!

2010-03-31T16:55:00Z

Starting tomorrow, April 1st and through the end of the month, all gallery wrap canvas prints will be 25 % off the regular price! What a great present for Mother's Day which is right around the corner. You can use any image that I've taken for you in the past or if you are interested in scheduling a new photo session, contact me today to set up something for this beautiful spring weather we are having. I've listed the regular prices for gallery wrap canvases below for your reference (other sizes available upon request).

Gallery Wrap Canvases

8x10 $100.00

10x10 $100.00

12x12 $110.00

11x14 $110.00

16x16 $130.00

16x20 $140.00

20x24 $160.00
20x30 $180.00
24x30 $200.00

Call or email me to place your order! Please allow two weeks for processing and shipping.
(additional tax & s/h charges will apply)

' Til Next Time,
Julie

636-978-8834
elizabethannphoto@charter.net

Spring Special for 2010

2010-03-16T20:59:00Z

I know it's been a REALLY long time since I blogged last, but better late than never! 2009 was a great year for Elizabeth Ann Photography thanks to all of my loyal clients and all of my NEW clients as well. Just letting all of you know that I am running a special on session fees (regularly $50.00) again this spring for a couple particular dates. What a great way to get pictures with Easter outfits or just update those family pictures. Here they are...

$10.00 off Session Fees on Saturday, March 27 at Fort Zumwalt Park. Here are the times left available...

3:00, 4:00, 5:00pm

$20.00 off Session Fees on Tuesday, March 30 at St. Peters Rec Plex. Here are the times left available...

9:30am, 10:30am, 2:30pm

Contact me via email or phone to snag one of these time slots before they are all gone! You can get great pictures that look like this...



















Thanks to Lori (one of my loyal long-time clients) for choosing me to photograph little Kaden last week. We had a great time and how could I not get great shots of this cutie! Lori, you will receive a free 5x7 for being featured on my blog! (This will be one of my new incentives, along with more, coming this year! Stay tuned...)

' Til next time,
Julie
elizabethannphoto@charter.net
636-978-8834

Spring Break Specials !

2009-03-08T16:35:00Z

I have some great specials to share with you! First let me tell you that I am offering a discounted session fee price for three spring dates that are coming up. I have never offered a special like this before! If you book a photo session with me on Sunday, March 22 (afternoon time slots available) or Saturday, Mar 28 (one morning and some afternoon time slots available), or Sunday, March 29 (afternoon time slots available only) you will receive $20 off your session fee !!! These discounted session fees are only good on these dates and the outdoor locations are pre-determined. This is a first come, first serve basis so contact me via email to reserve your time ! email address: elizabethannphoto@charter.net

Next, I am offering a 20% discount AND FREE shipping & handling on the newest design of photo handbags that I offer, through March 31 . It is called the Mandy handbag.....

Our stylish hobo shoulder bag has a supple single leather strap and 2 ½" leather collar. Personalize this fashion-statement with your favorite photo and choice of gusset fabric. This zipper closure bag with chrome hardware, interior 8" zipper pocket and 2 slip pockets is this season's newest must-have bag.

These handbags can be ordered with an image from a new photo session you'd like to book with me OR with any previous session we've had. They make great Mother's Day gifts for yourself or for and special grandma in your life. There are many other styles available and you can visit my website for some of the other designs or contact me and I can email you pictures of some of the other latest ones. The other designs are not discounted but I am offering FREE shipping & handling ($8.95 savings) on these bags as well until March 31. Call or email me today with your order!

If you know of someone who may be interested in either of these Spring Break specials, forward this information along. Remember, for every referral you send me, you & your friend will receive a free 5x7 with your next order!

' Til Next Time,
Julie

636-978-8834
elizabethannphoto@charter.net

Valentine's Day Specials

2009-01-22T19:30:00Z

I know a lot of you have been telling me for some time, that you want to order a piece of photo jewelry or a photo handbag or gallery wrapped print....well, Valentine's Day is right around the corner and this would be a perfect time to give the "hint" to your husband or boyfriend that you would love this as a Valentine's gift. It will last a lot longer than roses will, and be so much more special!

I am offering 10% off on all specialty photo products through the end of January! Please email me with your order no later than Jan. 31st to ensure that you will receive your gift in time for that special day. To give your husband the hint, just send him my email address or the link to my blog or website and he can order himself directly through me. Go to my website and previous blog entries to see more sample pictures of some of these specialty photo products. We can use any of the pictures I have taken for you in the past OR if you have your own digital image that you'd like to use, we can use that too.

' Til next time,
Julie

Grandparents

2009-01-12T21:25:00Z

Over the Christmas break I had the privilege of photographing one of my littlest clients, Molly, with her grandparents. Molly is a little over a year and I have photographed her a couple times already, but this was extra special because I was doing a photo session with her and some of her favorite people, Grandmee & PaPa. Molly's mom had called me because she thought it would be fun to get some pictures of Molly with her grandparents who had just arrived from out of town, since they do not get to see each other as often as they would like because they live so far apart. Well, you never would have guessed that they do not see each other that much, because Molly was so happy and comfortable with them. I just had to share these images with you....



I love to capture families just interacting with their children or grandchildren....there is so much more emotion felt when viewing images like these.....







Molly peeking back at us while she takes a short walk with Grandmee & PaPa.....



PaPa put Molly on his shoulders and she was just fascinated with his hair!





Then Grandmee got a little one-on-one time with Molly and they were just giggling away! ........





I love this next picture below because of how you can see the differences in generations between them....so beautiful!



All of these pictures make me realize how special grandparents are in our lives and the lives of our children....

' Til Next Time,
Julie

Last Minute Holiday Gifts

2008-12-11T19:12:00Z

While looking for a new jewelry vendor, I recently came across a new photo jewelry website. Her work is beautiful and her prices are reasonable. I want to share with you a few pictures of some of the products she offers and also invite you to click here to check out her website...Kathy Lo Rocks

Here are a few of her designs...

What I also like about her designs is that you can totally customize your photo jewelry...you can choose to have pictures on both sides of the charms or you can have one side with a photo and the other side with an engraving or you can choose one side to be one of her beautiful art work designs. Here is a sample of some of that customizing...





So here's the deal, she still guarantees Christmas delivery if you place your order before Dec. 15 ! That's only three more days! (Shipping charges are only $10.75 if you place your order by Dec. 15.) If you would like to use one of the pictures I have taken for you during one of your photo sessions anytime this year, please email or call me asap and I will place the order for you. Just visit her website and choose your design and then let me know which piece of jewelry & design you'd like and which picture number(s) you'd like to use. This would be a very special gift to give a mother, grandmother, aunt, or even yourself!

' Til Next Time,
Julie

636-978-8834
elizabethannphoto@charter.net

Holiday Pictures-Deadline to Order is Dec. 3

2008-11-29T23:59:00Z

Well, there is less than 4 weeks until Christmas and if your house is like mine, we are taking down Thanksgiving decorations as we are putting up our Christmas decorations! Whew! Lots to do...I am sure you feel the same. Not to put any pressure on you, but please remember that if you would like to order holiday photo cards, photo products or enlargements that you would like to receive in time for the Christmas holiday, you need to have your order turned in by Dec. 3 . You can order from a recent photo session you've held with me or one from earlier in the year if you'd like. Please call or email me to let me know if you need to view your online proofing gallery again or if you need to see any of the new holiday designs for cards or products. (636-978-8834 or elizabethannphoto@charter.net)

Today I was shooting mini sessions at the Christmas Tree farm and afterwards, Larry and the girls met me and we picked out and cut down our enormous tree to bring home....this year it is 11 and 1/2 feet tall! It was my youngest daughter, Carlie's, turn to pick out the tree...and boy did she pick out a big one! Maya, my 8 yr. old was in charge of taking pictures while Larry and I were trying to cut down this tree....okay, Larry was cutting down the tree...I was just in charge of holding it and trying to push it over....you can kinda get an idea of how tall it is because my husband is 6 ft. 4 inches...so here is a picture of him with the tree that Carlie picked out.

Here it is coming down....TIMBER!!!!!

Here are some pictures of my girls checking out all of the trees...sooo fun!

It is so beautiful at this tree farm. Pumpkins & Pines is the name of the farm and they are located right outside of Warrenton, MO.

Anyway, I hope you all are enjoying this time preparing with your family for the holidays....especially your young ones...they are only this age with this excitement for a short time so we have to savor it and capture it in images to preserve the memories!

' Til Next Time,

Julie

Fall is Here!

2008-10-17T03:51:00Z

I am so excited because TODAY I really felt "fall" all around me. The air was crisp and cool and the park I was at had leaves falling everywhere! It was beautiful! The leaves are just going to get more beautiful as the next few weeks go by. This is absolutely my favorite time of the year!

Yesterday, I met little Haley and her mom up at the park and she had the best time playing with the leaves. She was finding pretty leaves, throwing the pretty leaves in the lake, and laying in the pretty leaves. Here are a few of the shots we captured of her...("sneak peek" for you Kristy!)

How cute is she!?!?! And you should hear her talk! Just adorable! There are many more pictures, but I had to sneak a few of these in here to share with you.

Also wanted to update everyone on the fall appointment calendar...Although I am booked almost through the end of November, I do have a few spots open for indoor shots (and a couple outdoor) before the deadline for ordering holiday prints and greeting cards. OR if you'd like to use pictures that I have already taken for you this year, just give me a call or email me and I can assist you in ordering.

One more thing...I was invited to participate in a "vendor fair" for the Chesterfield Mom's Club and I am able to extend the invitation to any of my clients. It is being held on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 7-10:30 pm at the Twin Chimney's Clubhouse in O'Fallon, MO. They will have many small business owners that will be set up with their product displays and they will be giving away samples, discounts, and drawings for goodies. I will have a drawing for a gift certificate which includes a free photo session and a free 8x10 and two free 5x7's . Yummy appetizers, wine & soda will also be served. This may be a good time to check out some of our local small businesses! If you are interested in attending or you know of someone else who is, please email me (elizabethannphoto@charter.net) and I will send you the flyer. I would love to see you stop by and visit me!

' Til next time,
Julie

Back to School

2008-08-21T16:57:00Z

My "babies" went off to school this week. Monday was a bittersweet day for me as my youngest daughter, Carlie, started first grade. She was totally excited to start, but it was me who was sad to let her go. First grade for us is a full day of school compared to Kindergarten where I would pick her up at lunchtime and have the afternoon to spend with her. Yes, I cried the whole way home from dropping them off. But now I am looking back at these last few days and I have been able to accomplish a lot during the day with my business and home. I have felt so refreshed when I pick them up after school ready to devote my time back to them.   So all is good!

Before school started I had to schedule my own photo shoot with my girls which I did last week. I know it sounds silly, that I have to "schedule" my own photo shoot, but honestly I am so busy taking everyone else's pictures that it seems my own children are the last ones to get photographed. Anyway, the first night we went to McNair and Blanchette park. It was a beautiful night and the girls were in a great mood, but then Maya got stung by a huge bee TWO times. This put a damper on the night, so we called it quits after awhile. Here are some shots from the first night....





The next night I took them up to O'Fallon Sports park to play on the playground. This is not a fancy park, but back behind the soccer fields is a large field area that just has tall grass, straw and wildflowers growing. I convinced them to walk back into the tall grasses (despite the bugs & spiders that they thought could be lurking in there) and I got some amazing shots of them. Here are some of my favorites...



I had to share this one on the right with you because it totally shows the personality differences in both of my daughters. My oldest is much more reserved and shy and my youngest is so "dramatic" and silly...you know she always wants the spotlight on her.

This next one is my favorite of the whole bunch....

I love the emotion in their faces and body language.

More favorites....







I can't wait to get these blown up and printed onto canvas gallery wraps to hang in my home. Canvas gallery wraps are taking your photos and turning them into large, beautiful pieces of fine art. The detail is hard to show you in a small picture online, but here is a sample of how the finished piece of art looks.



The canvas print is actually wrapped around the wooden frame so it creates a seamless picture. No need for a frame of any sort; you just hang it on the wall as it is. Just gorgeous!

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SPECIAL
Anyway, I was trying to think of a Back-to-School special for Elizabeth Ann Photography and I thought I could offer Mini Photo Sessions for the remaining weeks in August. This is my first time offering Mini Photo Sessions and it will only be offered at certain locations and on certain dates. Mini sessions are half price ($25 or $20 for past customers) and last for 30 minutes or less. Since the park I shot at in the pictures above is not a big elaborate park, this is a perfect location for a mini session. If you are interested in booking a "mini session" at this park in O'Fallon this offer is good through Sept. 3 , call or email me (space is limited)! All discounts will still apply to enlargement orders as well. If you are a first-time customer you will also receive a free 8x10 and if you are a returning customer you will still receive 10% off your enlargement total. Since there is not a lot of shade here, the best time to shoot at this park location will be in the evening, between the hours of 5-7pm. The sunset look will be beautiful! Plus, your children still have their "summer color" so skin tones also look great! Please pass this email blog onto friends and family who might be interested.

' Til next time,
Julie
636-978-8834 or email: elizabethannphoto@charter.net

Tropical Visions

2008-06-30T21:41:00Z

Many of you have mentioned that you have not seen any blog entries from me for awhile...and once again, I am sorry for the amount of time that has passed before updating this post. One of the reasons I was closed for a little while was due to our vacation. Study the image below and see if you can figure out where my husband and I went to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in May....

If you guessed somewhere "tropical", you guessed right! This is a close-up image of one of the many palm trees that surrounded our resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. It was a beautiful place and being there for a week was such a blessing for us. I have never been a big "landscape photographer"...I have always enjoyed taking pictures of people more; but during this week, I was so excited to capture all of the outdoor beauty that God provides for us so I could bring those memories home to share with our daughters. Not that I haven't been to tropical places before, but seeing it through the lens in different angles and lengths made it even that more beautiful. And I guess it helps when you don't have the kids with ya! You actually have more time to photograph all of those details!

Elizabeth Ann Photography is still very busy shooting family, children, and high school senior portraits and candids among other photography jobs. In fact, we are starting to book for the popular fall photo sessions. My goal is to update this blog on a weekly basis and roll out my new website starting this fall. My little Carlie (my youngest daughter) will be going into first grade and will be in school full day starting in August. This is bittersweet for me, because when I resigned from teaching (over four years ago) to do only photography, it was primarily to be home with my girls. And now they will both be in school full day. It will be sad not to have my special lunchtime and reading time with my Kindergartner after I pick her up at noon, but then I will also be able to spend more time on my business. I have so many new ideas of what I want to implement and this will give me more time to explore those new ideas! (More to come later!)

I hope I can continue to service your photography needs throughout this fall. Call or email me to set up your appointment!

' Til next time,
Julie

Mother's Day Ideas!

2008-04-08T21:53:00Z

You know what is coming right around the corner? Mother's Day! What a treat it would be for your mom, grandma, or even yourself to receive a photo handbag with your children's picture on it. You can use a picture from a photo session we have had before or you can send me your own special picture that you have taken and I can order you a beautiful handbag to arrive just in time for Mother's Day! The handbags range in all sizes and styles. You can see samples of most of them on my website . Plus, I have pasted a few pictures below of some of the newest styles. Right now, I am offering FREE Fedex ground shipping & handling (an $8.95 savings) if you place your order before April 14th! (Final deadline for Mother's Day orders without the discount is April 28th.)

Another unique present for a mother is a Photo Session for the family. You can present her with a lovely, hand-made gift certificate or if you schedule a session by the end of April you will have beautiful portraits to give her of her children or grandchildren.

Call or email me today to get a head start on your Mother's Day present, for yourself or for your mother!

' Til next time,
Julie

Exciting New Changes!

2008-03-04T20:11:00Z

Hi Everyone,

What do you get when you mix adorable baby pics with beautiful music? A slideshow that will tug at your heart. Read on....

I have been working on the new changes for Elizabeth Ann Photography and I am really excited about it. In order to keep up with the volume of pictures and photo sessions, I have had to make some changes to how I handle proofs and orders. Some of the changes include: a flat rate session fee with unlimited shots taken up to an hour, an online photo slideshow for viewing and sharing with family and friends, a new personalized, private online proofing gallery with a shopping cart. Up and coming changes include credit card payment processing and a fresh new website, plus periodic "specials" advertised on my blog. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from other clients who are excited about these changes too!

Although the winter is typically a slower time of the year for me, I have had the pleasure of photographing lots of little babies in my home. I wanted to give you a "sneak peek" at the photo slideshows that I have been presenting to my clients over the last couple months. Lisa (mother of Ben, 7 mos. old) was nice enough to allow me to share her slideshow with all of you. This is the third time I have photographed Ben and he just gets cuter every time I see him...

How can you not want to see more pictures of him? Click on the link I have pasted here to view the slideshow of Ben...

Ben's slideshow

Well, I hope you all are enjoying this "snow day"! I know it's hard to believe, but Spring IS right around the corner...only 16 more days to go!

' Til next time,
Julie

Happy New Year!

2008-01-15T05:10:00Z

Okay, I know I'm a little late on the "Happy New Year" thing, but it's for good reason. I have been working on some really exciting changes with Elizabeth Ann Photography. I want to thank you all for a SUPER fall season that had me working to the "wee hours" of the night many times from September through December. I have met so many wonderful new families and also continue to service my "regulars". In order to keep up with the photo sessions, picture orders and the "changing times"...I have decided to go DIGITAL! Yes, some of you may be saying FINALLY! I have actually been filtering it in with my film, throughout the last few months and it has been working out beautifully. My only problem is I am shooting sooo many pictures, it is hard to decide what to have printed as proofs. So that is where some of the changes will be coming in, but I am really excited about it. Make sure you check my upcoming blog entries to hear more of the details.

I had promised you all that I would be sharing some of my favorite shots from this past season throughout the next month and as I was just going through some of my "digital" images (conveniently saved on my computer to upload to the blog website, )...and I came across some of my favorites I had shot with a friend of mine, Kelly, and her two little boys. Looking at how many pictures I actually shot for the "red wagon scene" was literally obnoxious! But it is so funny to look back on them now in sequence. Let me set the stage for you...

Kelly wanted to get a picture of her two sons in grandma and grandpa's red wagon and give this picture to them for Christmas. Well, wouldn't you know we waited until the end of the photo shoot to do this little setup, so by now her one and three year old were a little reved up! Here is how it goes...

Sit the boys in the wagon...

Tell boys to smile, but not listening so Kelly (mom) starts being really silly....

I mean REALLY silly....(don't you just love how genuinely happy they are in these shots...just like kids!)

Tell boys to settle down and just "love each other"....

Give boys a break from wagon....

Put boys back in wagon....still looking for that perfect shot...

More "lovin"...

One year old wants out of wagon...

Three year old is getting tired of this....

Sit them up, one more last shot....

Kelly, if you are reading this now, I hope Grandma & Grandpa liked their final picture. But what we should've ordered for them is a framed collage of ALL of these....

' Til next time,
Julie

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-20T05:44:00Z

Believe it or not, last week I finally did my own children's Christmas pictures. It has been such a blessed, busy season for photography, I have literally not had the time to do my own children's "photo session" !    So, at 9:15 pm (yes, that is 9:15 pm on a "school night" , the night before the deadline for turning in holiday card orders to Keepsake Designs , the new company I am using for photo cards) I tell Maya & Carlie to get on their Christmas jammies and get by the tree. No studio lights, no setup or props.   I only had time for an old-fashioned snapshot that required some "parental bribing" ! This bribing included allowing them to have Dairy Queen if they cooperated. Well, they cooperated but my camera didn't! After a few shots, I realized my battery was completely dead! So, I had to charge it. So, Larry (husband/daddy) drove them quickly to Dairy Quenn to get the "bribe", on the premise that we would continue the "photo session" when they returned. At 10:15pm, with a slightly charged battery, we were shooting away again. This lasted until around 11:00pm because now we had some pretty tired babies on hand so the cooperation was a little slow.   To all my parents out there whom I have done photo sessions with...no, I do not have that same patience with my own children. I do try though...here is a few shots of why I was losing that patience. it's funny now....





Ah, yes...there were many of these shots!

Needless to say, we did manage to get a few worthy of sending out on our Christmas card. Although I was tempted to add one of these silly ones just to make the card more "real life" , if ya know what I mean. So I did get my photo card order in on time and although many of you will be receiving it on Christmas Eve, you will get to see the "final cut". (Heidi at Keepsake Designs did a great job as usual designing the card...you should check out her website, www.keepsakedesigns.net , her designs are beautiful and reasonably priced.)

But wouldn't you know it, that only two days after I ordered my cards, a beautiful snowstorm came to the St. Louis/St. Charles area and had it been a little earlier, I could've used the snow outside for our backdrop. Oh well.   We actually drove home from a family Christmas party the night of the second wave of snow and as we were unloading out of the car around 9:00pm (again), I literally told the girls to run over in front of the house so I could shoot a few in the falling snow. So since those won't be on my Christmas card, I will share a couple of those with you now...



Notice the snowflakes showing up as white spots in the picture...pretty neat...it was a pretty night!



And no, I didn't "torture" them long...only about 5 minutes this time!

Well, that is all I have for now. I have so many pictures from the last couple months that I want to share with you, but as you know these next few days are crazy...so hopefully I can log on to touch base with you all after the holidays.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas with your family & friends!

' Til next time,
Julie

Meet My First Customers!

2007-12-03T16:38:00Z

Meet my first customers...The Hand Family. That's right, over 5 years ago, my business started, when Sheri (the mom), asked if she could hire me to take her children's pictures.   Many of you know that I used to be a first grade teacher. I was Kelsie's (her daughter) teacher at the time and Sheri noticed all of my daughter's black & white pictures on my desk and she wanted to pay me to do her children's pictures! Well, I loved photography and my interests were taken to a new level when I had my first baby...so I had experimented with some classes after my husband surprised me with a new 35mm film SLR camera for Mother's Day. Needless to say, I said "Yes" and the rest is history. I had so much fun taking pictures of them at the park and sharing the pictures with them, I thought this is something I would love to do! Sheri spread the word and shared her pictures with many others and people started calling me to do their family pictures. I started taking more classes and collaborated with other professional photographers who taught me a lot. Anyway, most of you know, the rest of the story...so many people were calling for photo sessions I had to turn them down because my first job priority was teaching. So after a lot of prayer and discussions with my husband about staying home with our now, 2 daughters, I decided to resign from teaching when the school year was over and continue this home-based business. And let me tell ya, I LOVE IT! Thanks to Ken, Sheri, Kelsie, & Cameron for starting me down this path! Here is a quick look at my very first photo session on October 5, 2002...

Meet Kelsie (pictured here, age 6) and her brother "Cam" (pictured here, age 4)...




This family is so fun to photograph because they are so laid back and comfortable with each other, which always makes for great shots!







        Well, every year since 2002, I have been shooting their family pictures. The most recent was this October 27, 2007. Look at how Kelsie and Cameron have grown up! Still cute as ever though!







There's always some sort of "playing around" at my photo sessions....



Here is Sheri with the kids....She made me promise not to share the best shots of the day, since she had ordered those to her Christmas photo card that she will be sending out soon. But I had to share these other good shots with you.





Thanks guys!

' Til next time,
Julie