Back To School -- September Studio Special
We are TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL PORTRAITS in our house. Don't get me wrong--I actually love having them every year. Even if they are super cheesy. A few years ago, I decided to let my kids pick the backgrounds and their outfits. They do their own hair. And, then, when it comes time to buy one, we pick the cheesiest one for fun. That has been our approach the last couple of years.
But, I know that for many people, these portraits are important. I mean...I have a bazillion portraits of my own kids, so it is easy for me to dismiss the cheesy school picture. So, I had an idea. What if there was a more modern/less cheesy alternative? And, my September Studio Special was born.
So, a SPECIAL FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, bring your kid to my studio after school to have a 5 minute photo session with me designed to get one awesome, modern portrait. Open to school aged kids only--the time limit would just make it difficult with little ones.
too cool for school portraits special
$50(+gst) for the 5 minute session and ONE DIGITAL FILE!!! Additional digital files can be purchased along with some too cool for school product(or just regular old school prints). These are limited edition sessions available Mon-Fri for the month of September in my studio only. Wondering what the images might look like? If you aren't familiar with my work, my goal is to always capture more than just what you look like. My goal is to capture a bit of who you are. I did a 5 minute session with each of my kids and here are some of the results.
Contact me today to grab one of these limited spots!! And, spread the word!!! Stop the spread of cheesy school portraits!!
5 Minutes of Motherhood
I had the extreme pleasure of staying with this family on a recent trip to Abbotsford. Their mother is the extremely talented Kyla Ewert. I was there presenting to a group of wonderful photographers about sustainable business practices(I'd love to do more of that if any one is interested. I am passionate about artists making a decent living). She leant me her new Sigma 24mm art lens for a few minutes and these are the images I created while I followed them up and down the driveway. I shared them over at the 5 Minute Project blog as well...in case you want to take a look. Just a quick note to say that no one was ever in any danger from falling off their bike ;) At the pace we were going, it would have been faster to walk them ;) Just saying...
Soon, it will be time to get back in the water. I can't wait.No Two The Same
Sometimes I feel like no two family sessions of mine are anything alike. I used to actually see that as a problem. Like, I was maybe a bi-polar photographer of sorts. Then I realized that no two families are alike so, if I am trying to capture that unique 'thing' that makes each family awesome then it would only make sense that no two sessions were alike. Of course, there are certain things that I capture that maybe others don't. I focus on the things that I find appealing about each family. The things that, if I was their mom, I'd want to remember. Sometimes I am an observer when I do that and, other times, I am a director. Some families need more direction than others. Some need none at all. All of these things affect what I end up capturing while I am there. This was the first time this family had been in front of my lens. A rarity, if I'm honest because 75% or more of my clients are repeat. But, I had the advantage with this family as I have mentored their mom from time to time. The level of trust was higher than most first time families. We just hung out at their home making popcorn, jumping on the trampoline and taking a quick hike to the nearby woods. It ended moments before that freak snow storm happened in September.
So, here is the reason why I don't blog too many full sessions...unlike smarter photographers(ones who maybe strive for efficiency with their time), I tend to create huge galleries. You see...I am a sentimental sort. I rarely aim for that 'normal concept of perfection' that you see so often because that doesn't really appeal to me. What appeals to me are the little moments. The moments when mom wipe boogers from noses, kids climb up on countertops to get the popcorn bowl, or I say throw one piece of popcorn at dad and that unruly child throws a handful. If these were my kids, I'd want to remember how the little girl absolutely could NOT figure out how to cross her legs. No sirreeeeee...not even after having been shown many, many times. And, I love when daddies play with their kiddos and mommies cuddle them up. I want to see real interactions and fun expressions...and, honestly, those don't happen in a quick session. And, there is no way I could ever narrow a session down to 30 or 40 images. I couldn't even narrow this blog post down to that few!!
So, I know this is a long post(and I have more long posts to come as well), but please take the time to scroll through and search for the thing in each image that caught my attention.
As I said, this mom has mentored with me before. I am gearing up to offer mentoring again this winter. Both one on one mentoring via Skype and an online group mentoring opportunity for the month of February. If you are interested in getting on the wait list, just pop me an email and let me know!
Thanks!
Dana