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Elizabeth Ann Photography
Exciting New Changes!
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
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!
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"...
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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
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!
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
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!
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
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
5 Days Old
Recently, I had a newborn photo session with baby Annie. Yes, she was only 5 days old and so beautiful and peaceful. I love when I have the honor of photographing a baby this young...it brings back so many memories of having my own little ones brought home from the hospital. They sleep so much during these early days, that most of the pictures I capture, are of them sleeping...and ya know how they just about sleep through anything? Well, this is nice, because we can "mold" them into a little ball and set them on the table or even place them in a basket with fluffy blankets without them even realizing that they are in the middle of a "photo shoot"!
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Notice the "newness" of her skin...
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Gotta love those "sleeping smiles" as they dream...
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And last but not least, we did catch one of her just opening her eyes during her "slumber"....
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Notice the "newness" of her skin...
Gotta love those "sleeping smiles" as they dream...
And last but not least, we did catch one of her just opening her eyes during her "slumber"....
Older Siblings
Last year a mom, Jamie, had called me in response to a postcard mailer I had sent out. She was new to the St. Charles County area and needed someone to photograph her 3 sons. Of course I automatically assumed her sons were in their baby, toddler, and preschool stages; because that is when we, as moms, get our children photographed regularly. But this was not the case with her. Her sons were elementary and middle school ages. So often we lose track of capturing our children on film throughout their older years that besides the lone "school picture", there is a "gap" of photographs from when they were a baby until they are graduating from high school. Jamie realizes the importance of documenting all of their ages on film and called me to do their pictures again a couple months ago. Only a year later at these ages, I have to say, even I noticed looking through the camera, how much these young men had changed. Here are a few pictures I'd like to share with you from our recent time together at the park ....
My thought to leave you with today is, "Time flies by so fast, and our children change so much even over the course of a year, so get out those cameras and start documenting all of their ages, or call me and I will do it for you!"
' Til next time,
Julie
My thought to leave you with today is, "Time flies by so fast, and our children change so much even over the course of a year, so get out those cameras and start documenting all of their ages, or call me and I will do it for you!"
' Til next time,
Julie
Baby Sydney
Well, I have a treat for you! If you want to see some pictures of one of the cutest little baby girls ever, take a look at these. (Jennifer (Sydney's mom), if you are reading this before I talk to you, scroll down to the bottom to see a little "sneak peak" at some of the shots I got on film the other day.)
Little Sydney has been coming to me to do her pictures all 10 months of her life! Just last week I was fortunate enough to take her pictures again and she changes every time I see her, but still as precious as ever. I thought I'd share with you a sampling of all her pictures from 3 months to now...
At 3 months we did a session here at my small home studio...a lot of these poses are similar to my newborn shots. Little babies at this age look so much better in their "bare skin" since clothes are still so big on them. Instead of seeing the clothes "envelop" the baby, we can focus on the baby's features more...
Then around 6 months, we did another photo session here in my home. Check out those EYES !!!
Then, just last week, Jennifer decided to do an outdoor session with her at that park I was talking about in my last blog...Fort Zumwalt Park. Here is Sydney just a little bit older....
She is not only one of the cutest babies I've photographed but also such a happy little baby!
' Til next time,
Julie
Little Sydney has been coming to me to do her pictures all 10 months of her life!
Just last week I was fortunate enough to take her pictures again and she changes every time I see her, but still as precious as ever. I thought I'd share with you a sampling of all her pictures from 3 months to now...At 3 months we did a session here at my small home studio...a lot of these poses are similar to my newborn shots. Little babies at this age look so much better in their "bare skin" since clothes are still so big on them. Instead of seeing the clothes "envelop" the baby, we can focus on the baby's features more...
Then around 6 months, we did another photo session here in my home. Check out those EYES !!!
Then, just last week, Jennifer decided to do an outdoor session with her at that park I was talking about in my last blog...Fort Zumwalt Park. Here is Sydney just a little bit older....
She is not only one of the cutest babies I've photographed but also such a happy little baby!
' Til next time,
Julie
Fort Zumwalt Park
A lot of you have been to the St. Peters Rec Plex park with me and there are so many beautiful areas within that one park that you could go there several times and still get different backdrops for your pictures. It is one of the more popular locations I use when doing outdoor photography. But over this last year, I have been a little partial to a different outdoor location...
Fort Zumwalt Park in O'Fallon.
Many of you may know of this park from the "Celebration of Lights" display that they run at Christmas. However, that is not the only time this park is beautiful. It has a large lake, lots of trees, and some nice landscaping as you see here in these pictures of little Ethan. I have been taking pictures of Ethan since he was a newborn every couple months. He is such a good baby and of course adorable! 
What makes this park a little different is an old, historical, brick home that has a rustic white front porch with a couple of big white rocking chairs. This old home provides a lot of great texture and character to the backdrop of a picture. Check out these great candid shots of Ethan on that old front porch....
Then of course I have to share the family shots of Ethan with his parents...now you see where he gets his cuteness!
Thanks to Andrea & Nathan for letting me share some of their pictures with all of you!
So if you'd like to get some shots similar to these, I am offering a special of $10.00 off your session fee for anyone who would like to hold a photo appointment at this park location in the months of September through October 14. This park closes on October 14 because that is when they begin setting up for the "Celebration of Lights" display, so call or email me soon to book your appointment!
' Til Next Time,
Julie
Cousins
Well it looks like I have already blown my goal of posting a new entry every week!
Nonetheless, I have some great pictures to share with you. I just got some enlargements back from the lab and I had to post them. Not only because the two subjects are so darn cute, but the lighting outside this particular day was just perfect! I don't think I even got out my external flash so what you see here is beautiful sunlight and sometimes the use of a reflector (you know that "big, round, white thing"...).
This is Taylor & Ava...cousins.
I photographed them together quite a bit, but I also started off shooting pics individually. Now Taylor was being really camera shy at first but even with her shyness we were able to capture some great shots. Sometimes the best ones are not necessarily looking straight at the camera...
I also loved this one of her and her mom hangin' out....
Now I have to add some of the little one, Ava. It is so funny when you put an infant down in the grass for the first time, because almost always they are a little bit surprised by the "texture" of the grass and inevitably I get many shots with either one leg up in the air or if they can manage it both legs! Ava was using her balance for one leg but she was not about to let that other leg go & settle in the grass. With all of us "oohing & aahing" at her, she gave us some smiles after awhile and eventually relaxed after getting used to her surroundings...
Aren't they cuties?
Well, hope you enjoyed viewing those. I am anxiously waiting for several more orders from the lab and I can't wait to share some more with you. Hopefully, I will get into the groove of this new "blog" thing!
"Til next time,
Julie
Nonetheless, I have some great pictures to share with you. I just got some enlargements back from the lab and I had to post them. Not only because the two subjects are so darn cute, but the lighting outside this particular day was just perfect! I don't think I even got out my external flash so what you see here is beautiful sunlight and sometimes the use of a reflector (you know that "big, round, white thing"...).
This is Taylor & Ava...cousins.
I photographed them together quite a bit, but I also started off shooting pics individually. Now Taylor was being really camera shy at first but even with her shyness we were able to capture some great shots. Sometimes the best ones are not necessarily looking straight at the camera...
I also loved this one of her and her mom hangin' out....
Now I have to add some of the little one, Ava. It is so funny when you put an infant down in the grass for the first time, because almost always they are a little bit surprised by the "texture" of the grass and inevitably I get many shots with either one leg up in the air or if they can manage it both legs! Ava was using her balance for one leg but she was not about to let that other leg go & settle in the grass.
With all of us "oohing & aahing" at her, she gave us some smiles after awhile and eventually relaxed after getting used to her surroundings... Aren't they cuties?
Well, hope you enjoyed viewing those. I am anxiously waiting for several more orders from the lab and I can't wait to share some more with you. Hopefully, I will get into the groove of this new "blog" thing!
"Til next time,
Julie
Here we go...
Hi Everyone,
I am creating this blog site as an informal way to keep in touch with all of my wonderful photo clients, family and friends. My goal is to share with you a photo or two each week that hopefully will touch your heart in some way and keep you updated on any changes with Elizabeth Ann Photography. With saying that, here are some pictures of my girls, Maya "Elizabeth" (pictured at age 4, 6, and now, age 7) and Carlie "Ann" (pictured at age 2, 4, & now, age 5). I am posting pictures of them first, because they are the reason I became so interested in photography. They are the reason I resigned from my full-time teaching job to run this photography business at home. Now, I am able to enjoy the "drop-offs" and "pick-ups" at school, volunteering in their classroom, playtime during the day, eating lunch with them, and being here for them when they get home from school. At the same time, I am able to be creative and independent with my business.
I am so grateful that my photography business has done so well since opening in 2002 and I have all of you to thank. Thank you for your loyalty to my business and for referring me to so many of your friends and family. With God's continued blessings, I hope to continue to provide you with easy-going photo sessions and timeless photographs for you to treasure. I welcome your comments and hope you "tune in" each week!
' Til next time,
Julie
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I am creating this blog site as an informal way to keep in touch with all of my wonderful photo clients, family and friends. My goal is to share with you a photo or two each week that hopefully will touch your heart in some way and keep you updated on any changes with Elizabeth Ann Photography. With saying that, here are some pictures of my girls, Maya "Elizabeth" (pictured at age 4, 6, and now, age 7) and Carlie "Ann" (pictured at age 2, 4, & now, age 5). I am posting pictures of them first, because they are the reason I became so interested in photography. They are the reason I resigned from my full-time teaching job to run this photography business at home. Now, I am able to enjoy the "drop-offs" and "pick-ups" at school, volunteering in their classroom, playtime during the day, eating lunch with them, and being here for them when they get home from school. At the same time, I am able to be creative and independent with my business.
I am so grateful that my photography business has done so well since opening in 2002 and I have all of you to thank. Thank you for your loyalty to my business and for referring me to so many of your friends and family. With God's continued blessings, I hope to continue to provide you with easy-going photo sessions and timeless photographs for you to treasure. I welcome your comments and hope you "tune in" each week!
' Til next time,
Julie