Icky Weather!

The awesome weather today prompted me to blog this… first its cloudy and so humid you can hardly breathe, then its raining, and now its sunny!!  I know I had previously said one of the biggest questions was what to wear for your senior portraits, but another popular question is…. what if it rains???

Worst case scenario… we will reschedule the outdoor portion of your session due to rain.  However, we will try to work around the rain if at all possible!  When you arrive, if it looks like it may rain, we will do the outdoor portion right away to avoid the rain.  If it is raining when you arrive, we will do some the indoors, and if it stops, then we will go outdoors.  So, try not to stress out about the weather… let us do the worrying!

Another thing people worry about is whether it’s sunny or not.  Everyone wants it to be sunny for there pictures… but did you ever think about how squinty your eyes get when you’re outside in the sun without sunglasses?!?!?!?   Not that sunny days are a problem, but overcast days are just as good!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer thus far… now that it’s finally here!

What not to wear

 

It is often asked, “What should I wear for my senior pictures?”  So hopefully this will help.  Please keep in mind that these are just recommendations to make the best portrait possible, but they are by no means requirements!

Hands down, we recommend solid color patterns versus busy colorful patterns.  Busy patterns will take away from the main focal point of the portrait… you’re face!  Honestly, the first thing you will see when you look at the portrait is the shirt you were wearing!

Also, we recommend to stay away from sleeveless shirts.  I know it’s summer and tank tops are in, but lets be honest… arm pits are never attractive!  

Finally…. remember to dress yourself head-to-toe.   This includes your hair style, make-up (if you choose), shirt (is it wrinkly??), pants, belt, socks, shoes, nail polish.  Two things about this tip…. if you are going to wear shoes, please make sure you have coordinating socks (i.e. dark socks with dress pants and shoes)  White gym socks will stick out like a sore thumb!  Also, if you are planning to paint your fingernails, make sure that it is fresh… you’ll be mad later on that you had chipped polish in your pictures.

If you have any questions or are still unsure about what to wear for your portraits, give us a call.  Otherwise every Wednesday through August we offer group pre-portrait consultations at 6:00pm (no appointment necessary!)

Some of the best things are FREE!

Get a show like this of you for…. FREE!!!

If you have gotten a postcard in the mail from us that is worth $50.00, you have the option of trading it in for a show like this on a DVD!  It is actually valued over $50.00, but since they are extremely popular we will let you trade the card in for the DVD rather than having a $50.00 photo credit.   Feel free to call us with any questions!!

Finally.. nice weather!

It’s finally nice outside to the point that we can open up the windows and get some fresh air!   And that means that summer is just around the corner.  The flowers are beginning to bloom, so it won’t be long before we can start doing outdoor photography!  Our outdoor portrait garden will start to come to life again.

Seniors… now is the time to start thinking about senior pictures!  Before you get wrapped up in the fun that summer vacation will bring, call Countryside to set up a time for your senior pictures.  The best part… you will get $50.00 in photo credit.  It gets better… we’ve eliminated sitting fees!  That’s right… you don’t have to pay just to get your pictures taken and get nothing in return.  (We do ask for a deposit to hold the date and time, but you get the entire deposit to use towards your portrait order!)
Stay tuned… my next blog entry will be about what to wear for your senior pictures…

It’s been awhile…

We’ve been busy!  We have been trying to do things different this year, which means learning new things… and its been quite the process.  But we are extremely excited!! The biggest change is NO SITTING FEES on senior sessions!  We are trying to figure out facebook and tagging our friends in slide shows.  So far, so good…

And the craziest thing… we just got a cell phone solely for texting!  Boy, how times have changed!  We have now added yet another way to communicate with our clients.

Our models sessions are coming to an end and their images are AMAZING!   Everyone is super excited and we can’t wait to see what the summer senior season has in store for us….

Call (or text…) today to see how you can have the experience of your lifetime!

It’s finally begun!

Last night was pretty much the “kick off” to our Senior 2010 program!!  We have four seniors under our belt and have had so much fun with each of them.  I can’t wait for the rest of the summer!

I love when seniors bring in their personal belongings, whether it be sports stuff, ballet stuff, books, snowboards, etc.  I just love it!   It’s great because that is what truly makes their pictures unique to any one elses.  It breaks the “cookie cutter” look that comes from almost every photographer.   By using their stuff, we can capture them in their own element- it even helps make them feel more comfortable in a new setting.  In the last 24 hours I have seen a pole (from pole vaulting!), paintball gun/equipment, hunting gear, track, baseball, and ballet!!!  It’s great because with the options they bring in for us, we have endless opportunities to create timeless portraits!

I wish I could post their pictures right now, just to show you what I mean, but I can’t… they haven’t seen them yet!!  Maybe I’ll post some next week!

Well, it’s finally Friday, and it’s been a great day!  I’m not sure I’ve ever laughed so hard as I did today with one of our families!!  I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Interesting…

So… I forget I had bookmarked this website- www.thepeoplehistory.com – it’s an awesome website that gives several stories that happened on any given day in history!  I thought I’d share two stories that I thought were worthy…

1968 U.S.A. Martin Luther King Jr

3rd April 1968 : Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “mountaintop” speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., less than 24 hours before he was assassinated

1974 U.S.A. 148 Tornadoes

3rd April 1974 : 148 tornadoes hit North America from Georgia to Canada within 16 hours and at times there were as many as 15 separate tornadoes on the ground at one time. The Super Outbreak affected a total of 11 US states and Ontario in Canada.

              * That is a lot of tornados!!  Can you imagine?!?!?!  YIKES….

Well… thats it!   Hope you are having a great day!

What an icky day!

It’s officially spring, so where is the spring weather??? The nice spring weather that is… I can handle a few showers here and there because after all April showers bring May flowers!  But this chilly, damp and windy weather with a mix of rain and sometimes snow is KILLING me!  Where is Mr. Sun?!?!?  I sure could use him to brighten my day!   Until then… I guess I’m stuck waiting… inside- bundled up!

How to choose a professional photographer…

 Whether it’s your baby’s one year birthday, Mom and Dad’s 50th, senior pictures, or your walk down the aisle, it is extremely important to choose a professional photographer for these special occasions.  You may find someone with a fancy digital camera, but do they truly understand the technicalities of posing and lighting?? 

Here are some questions to ask when choosing a photographer:

1.  Do you have references we can call?

               When talking with the references, a great question to ask is if they would ever recommend the photographer to a family member.  People would only recommend someone they truly enjoyed working with to a family member, or really close friend. 

             By being in business for over 30 years, we have plenty of references for each type of photography service we offer. 

2.  Who will be the photographer?

           Since every photographer has their own style and technique, it is important you get the photographer you like best.  You do not want to risk ending up with a photographer you won’t be happy with. 

         Randy is our primary photographer; however, Steve is also a wonderful photographer.  Each are  Master Photographers and have won many awards from the Professional Photographers of America.  Each has their own fun, loving personality, and are tons of fun to work with!

3.  When will my proofs and prints be available?

            The excitement of the session may be lost by the time you finally get to see the images. 

            At Countryside, our images are generally ready to be viewed within one week of photography.  Upon placing an order, our final portraits are finished in 6 to 8 weeks.

4.  What happens if the photographer is running late or is unable the day of photography?

            It’s important to know if a photographer habitually runs late, or has a tendency to cancel.  Ask the photographer their backup plan in case of an emergency.

           If our photographers are running late, we will do everything  we can to contact you to either reschedule, or to come at a later time.  This is why it’s important to provide us with all of your contact information.  You will always get your sessions alotted time of photography.  

        In the event of an emergency with the photographer, we will try to reschedule the session.  If the session cannot be rescheduled (i.e. Wedding), we will have another professional photographer be there to photograph.

The days are just flying by!

I can’t believe that its already the 18th of March, and to think that this is the long month!  We are finalizing our Senior Portrait information for the Class of 2010.  This is pretty much the calm before the storm.  Once school lets out for summer, our studio will be packed with high school seniors- then the fun will really begin!  I can’t wait to hear the laughter, chatter, and of course the smell of fresh baked cookies ALL DAY!  

If you, or anyone you know, are going to be a senior, let us know and we’ll send you the brochure of our different sessions.  The best part about this year is that we have ELIMINATED sitting fees.  That’s right I said it… NO SITTING FEES!  That’s up to a $300 value!  After all, we know that times aren’t the best right now and it’s extremely important to get senior pictures, so we thought this would help out!