We've had so much interest since the last workshop that we are offering another one! This workshop will teach the same concepts (how to use your camera, settings, composition and natural lighting) but we are throwing in a bonus! This time, we will have a child model present to practice on! I will show you how to get those "real life" shots to help preserve those every day memories you don't want to forget!
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Recently, I saw an image kind of like the one below (except there was an actual baby in it). Set cost was around $500. I thought, "Surely not!". Well, I grabbed one of my least expensive sets and decided to do the whole "How much does a set really cost". Turns out it's quite a bit. I got my pricing from ebay to etsy which were the lowest prices I could find. (Try to buy new or for a girl and see how much it costs!) Considering a newborn photographer normally has at least 3 sets (we have 5 stationary sets and close to 20 "switch-outs") you're talking an investment of around $750-$1000 just in startup set costs. Wow! This is JUST for newborns! NOW, that's not counting camera bodies, lenses, lighting, overhead, safety training, workshops, computers, software, additional props and backdrops for families, kids, seniors, and I could go on and on and on and on. But I won't because I'm sure you get the picture ;) Well, that and because that was the longest run-on sentence ever. You'll have a lifetime of wide-eyed wonder and goofy grins but you only get ONE chance for newborn pictures! Make it count. I sure wish I could find the other photographer's image! I would link to her. (Her name is Kimberly ? - if anyone wants to share her info with me, I'll be glad to post a link).
Don't miss out on our latest promotion!! You can get a newborn session for as little as $40! Yes! You heard me right. Our sessions normally start at $100 and most come with an additional print credit. This would make an awesome Christmas or baby shower gift. Email today for more information or just send me your phone number if you'd like a quick call to go over the different types of sessions we offer.
Can't wait to photograph your new arrival! Hugs! Dena This year we are celebrating Christmas early! We are busily working on set design this week for our holiday portrait sessions. We have a fabulous dark and shiny hardwood floor; not 1, but TWO beautifully decorated christmas trees (complete with all the floor candy, ie., presents) and an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous pewter chair upholstered in lavish silver brocade.
This would be the perfect time to show off that new christmas party dress OR you could even dress your kids in their pj's and snuggle in for a warm and cozy session. These sessions are designed to capture your kids' attention and not so long that they get bored. Heck, even Dad won't mind participating in these! 15 minutes isn't too much to ask, is it? Sitting fee for these sessions is only $10 and packages start at $50! Christmas cards will be available for purchase as well as ornaments, holiday decor, and gift items. We will also, for the first time ever, be offering SAME DAY VIEWING so that you can do everything in one stop. But time is ticking ... call TODAY to reserve your spot! 828-835-2088 Sessions will be held this Saturday, November 23. Can't wait to see you! Guess what?! It's almost that time of year ... time for sweaters, blue jeans, boots, scarves and coats! Not to mention we have already felt the first taste of fall with our cooler than normal temperatures. If you know me well, you know that I'm a summertime kind of girl ... I LOVE hot weather but for the first time ever, I'm thinking, "Go ahead and bring on the cooler weather". I'm ready to see the beautiful colors of the trees and foliage reflected on everything it shadows. I can honestly say I've never been anywhere more beautiful than the Great Smoky Mountains in the fall. There are just no words to describe it. I'm also going to my first football game in about 10 years! Well, it's a "pee-wee" game, but still. It counts. Even if my nephew does like to sit on the field during practice and dig for worms, we're still going to go cheer him on and be the proud aunt and uncle. :) Expect to see bunches of pictures coming your way! In studio news, we now have 2 full-time staff (My husband and I) and a part time graphics designer/editor (Katie). It's truly become a family business. I am so very blessed that our studio has become able to support a staff of 3. We will be offering sports and events photography in the very near future (possibly under a whole new brand). Stacey will be heading up this division of the business. Ok, now that I've rambled on and on about fall and studio stuff, here's the good part! MINI-SESSION time! This year's sessions will be a little different, in that you will be able to pre-order your package, view the images online, and choose your favorites to get digitally. What this means is that for those of you who like to design your own cards, etc., you will have the shots to do it with. Now, that being said, you don't HAVE to go with the digital shots. You can also choose to exchange the digital images for any size desk print (8x10 or smaller). It's your choice! To find out the difference in mini-sessions and custom portrait sessions, see this blog post. As for custom sessions, I only have room for 3 custom sessions the last week of October. The rest of the month is booked. Here is a quick little reminder of what the mini's from last year looked like ... (when we were still Images By Courtnie Photography) Mini-session vs. Custom Portrait Session ... What's the difference? Murphy, NC Photographer8/25/2013 We've all seen the "Mini-Sessions" advertised. So what exactly is a mini-session? I can't answer that for any other photographer but for myself, it goes something like this. We come up with a "theme" or setting, choose a destination and book sessions for 15-30 minute time periods. There is a limited number of shots and a limited number of packages. Most times, the packages are chosen at the session and delivered within a couple of weeks. (Think sports or school picture time frame). We don't photograph any large families (over 5 people) in our mini sessions and sometimes, it's only one shot just like with our recent "One Great Shot" sessions. Mini-sessions are done on a very limited basis -- at the very most, once every 3 months or so. We shoot such a high volume during the mini's that we can only do them sporadically. Our custom sessions, however, ARE completely customized to the person or family I'm photographing. I have either a phone or in-person session consultation with each client to let them know what to expect, offer tips on clothing choices, and go over our pricing and product lines. Sessions normally last from 1-3 hours based on the type of session booked. After the session, we post a quick sneak peek online so that you can see a sample of what we saw when you were being photographed. All images are then processed and you come into the studio for your ordering session where you will watch a slideshow of all your images and then choose your favorites. We walk you through every step of the ordering process and suggest products or print sizes based on the image and specific needs of the client. Custom gallery wraps, framed wall portraits, albums and jewelry are all included in our product line-up. EACH AND EVERY image that you order is gone over with a fine-tooth comb and retouched to remove blemishes, soften lines or wrinkles, whiten teeth when needed and blending or removing stray hair. You also receive a low-resolution file for facebook, instagram, snap-chat, etc. FREE for every image you order. I realize this is all a lot to take in so I've made a chart to show the differences in Mini-sessions vs. Custom sessions. I hope this helps clear up an questions you may have when deciding on which type of session to book. Whichever session you choose, you can be assured that we take every aspect of your session into consideration ... from posing to lighting ... you will still receive the Dena Howard Portrait Design standard of photography. We are trying something new here at Dena Howard Portrait Design. If we get enough interest in this, we may start offering it *at least* a couple of times a year. To actually be able to offer it though, we need to be able to book AT LEAST 20 sessions. It will be called the "One Great Shot" session.
For years, I've wanted to offer something lower priced in order to fit everyone's budget, but still provide good, quality portraiture and allow us to keep our doors open. I think we've figured out a way to do it. Think "school picture packages" but with a natural light, outdoor setting in the Dena Howard Portrait Design style. This is perfect for kids aged 1-5 who aren't able to get school pictures OR if you just aren't satisfied with your school-age childrens' regular school pictures. This would also be great if you need to update your daughter's pageant headshots. We will by no means be giving up our custom portrait sessions but feel that there is a real need for quality pictures for a lower budget. We won't be able able to offer this more than a couple of times per year so go ahead a give us a call to book!! The only catch is that this is for children ONLY. One child per package only. If you want a portrait of your children together OR a family portrait session, you will need to book a regular session. Sitting fee is $10 for a one-pose session with packages starting at $15. Highest priced package is $75. Your package order form will be emailed to you when you book your session and must be filled out and turned in at the session. Sheldon: I made tea.
Leonard: I don't want tea. Sheldon: I didn't make tea for you. This is my tea. Leonard: Then why are you telling me? Sheldon: It's a conversation starter. Leonard: That's a lousy conversation starter. Sheldon: Oh, is it? We're conversing. Checkmate. Case in point ... I want you to comment on my blog posts and start a conversation -- you may care nothing for photography but LOVE Sheldon Cooper. Checkmate! Sheldon: At my age do you know how I'm statistically most likely to die? Leonard: At the hands of your room mate? Sheldon: An accident. Leonard: That's how I'm going to make it look. Okay, technically Sheldon can't teach us anything from this but Leonard can! This would be my answer when someone asks this after telling me that I "must have a really good camera"! This would be tantamount to telling Paula Deen (:O - did I say that?) that she must have a really good oven. Sheldon: Penny. Penny: Yeah. Sheldon: Thanks for letting me stay here. Penny: Oh, you're welcome sweetie. Sheldon: Okay, I'm sleepy now get out. Yeah, this is me when I'm trying to process images. Sheldon: I am not crazy, my mother had me tested. *no comment* ;) Zack: You know, I saw this great thing on the Discovery Channel. Turns out if you kill a starfish it'll just come back to life. Sheldon: Was the starfish wearing boxer shorts? Because you might have been watching Nickelodeon. Shut up Dena! Nobody cares about the connection of depth of field, shutter speed and ISO. :/ Leonard: I know what your doing. Sheldon: You do? Leonard: You're using chocolate as a positive reinforcement for what you consider is a correct behavior! Sheldon: Very good! Chocolate? Or in my case, "Smarties". Works like a charm EVERY time! As you can tell, one of my favorite shows is "The Big Bang Theory". What's your favorite Sheldon quote? I'm heading out again on July 12th for another missions trip to Bogwalk, Jamaica. We'll be there for 8 days and will really appreciate your prayers and support for this trip. Our heart's desire is to take the gospel of Jesus and hopefully plant seeds that will lead them to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. I am anxious to get there and see the kids I'll be teaching, but at the same time am dreading the heat, mosquitos and lizards that inevitably come with it. I know that God will get us through it though and the memories we'll bring home will be irreplaceable. Since I haven't really shared much about my trip last year, I've decided to tell you a little bit about the missions trip in 2012. We began our trip with a 2 hour drive to Atlanta, where boarded a plane headed to Jamaica. We landed in Montego Bay, stepped off the plane and I thought "Wow it is HOT!". Little did I know ... we all piled into a small bus and thus began our 2 1/2 hour trip up the mountain to Bogwalk. We drove along the coastline of Jamaica almost to Ocho Rios and then took the tiniest road I've ever seen straight up the side of the mountain. I would show you pictures but I was to scared to even sit up. I think I sat with my head on my knees all the way up the mountain trying to ignore Sandy telling me to "Look!". Ummm, no thank you! Maybe I'll get my courage up this year to actually look and snap a shot of the view. The map below shows where we stayed last year. Bogwalk, Jamaica is a tiny little town located in the mountains of Jamaica. From Bogwalk, you drive probably 20 or 30 minutes a little further up the mountain to a small church. We ladies camped out on air mattresses on the stage of the church. When we arrived and got settled, the kids that went on the trip with us went out to a field beside the church we stayed in. A lot of the locals crowded around to join in the fun of an impromptu soccer game. As I sat watching the kids play together, this little girl sitting off to my left caught my attention. She wasn't playing or taking part in anything, she was just ... sitting. I often wonder what may have been going through her mind. Below are a couple of the boys who joined in the game. The whole purpose of our trip is to teach a bible school. We have anywhere from 25-50 kids in each class. This is Mrs. Sue's class. She taught the 7-12 year olds. As you can see, the classrooms are made of block and open to the outside. It had to have been over 100 degrees in these rooms. But these kids are absolutely amazing. They are so happy to be here! Most of the kids walk to the church/school and may wander in at any time. It was strange to see toddlers up to teenagers walking to bible school (sometimes as much as 3 or 4 miles away). I'm sure my kids would have a fit if they had to walk a half mile to church. I absolutely fell in love with these kids ... they would wave their hands in the air and yell "Miss ... Miss" which sounds like "Meess, Meess". Pictured below is a little boy who came in with a brother or cousin and decided to just stay with the big boys! He was SO cute! The gallery below shows my "classroom" and the kids I'll be teaching this year. The little girl at the end of gallery is Ashanti. She was so precious and wanted to sit on your lap the whole time. I can't wait to see her this year and see how she has grown! Below are some of the kids sleeping through church, lol; Images 3-4 are Mrs. Sandy's class. Image 5: Tom coloring Images 6-8: 7-12 year old class And this little cutie pie here is Shane! I can't wait to see him again! This years plan for me is to teach 1-6 year olds and to be able to fit all of my materials and craft supplies into the proper weight limit for my check in bags. Mrs. Sandy and Mrs. Sue are raring and ready to go too! We are all so anxious to get back over there. It's a long, hard, extremely HOT week but it is SO rewarding. I'm ready to hear those little voices say, "Meess, Meess, Do you have a Swee T?" Being from the south, Swee T - would be the brown beverage with some sugar added in for taste -- in Jamaica it's candy. Which we take plenty of to share with these little ones. I would like to thank my home church for sponsoring our trip costs to Jamaica. Those costs cover the airfare, lodging and food. Sue, Sandy and I are responsible for preparing (and purchasing) all of our class materials, crafts and luggage check-in costs. Any extra money goes a LONG way in purchasing materials and crafts and getting them TO Jamaica. If you would like to help out with these costs, just click the "Donate" button below. |
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