Have I mentioned that I love my job?! And I love this family! Thank you for letting me come visit and soak up some yummy-baby cuteness!
Just a sneak peek for now. Enjoy...
xoxo
This used to be her mom's dress...so precious!
Adored already!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
ruffles & hair bows
Meet Brooklynn...the newest member of the "M" family. I was so excited for this session because I knew mom had been shopping since she found out there would be an adorable little girl added to the family. I was not disappointed let me tell you! Shades of pink, ruffles and hair bows were in no short supply. I was in Heaven! Not to mention that lil Miss Brooklynn was a doll the entire time.
Have I mentioned that I love my job?! And I love this family! Thank you for letting me come visit and soak up some yummy-baby cuteness!
Just a sneak peek for now. Enjoy...
xoxo
This used to be her mom's dress...so precious!
Adored already!
Have I mentioned that I love my job?! And I love this family! Thank you for letting me come visit and soak up some yummy-baby cuteness!
Just a sneak peek for now. Enjoy...
xoxo
This used to be her mom's dress...so precious!Adored already!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
a diva party
When Estee called me to see if I was available to come snap some shots at a party she was throwing for her mom and Aunt I was so happy to be able to tell her I WAS. :) The party sounded like it was going to be a blast and I was right! I mean with a DIVA theme what else could it be but lots of fun...right?! And it did not disappoint...such a great party!
Thanks for the fun ladies. It was an absolute pleasure!!
Here are just a few (it was SO hard to pick just a few)from our time together. Enjoy...
The birthday girls.
I just love this one!
The men even ventured out for a bit...brave souls! :)
A few details.
Thanks for the fun ladies!!
Thanks for the fun ladies. It was an absolute pleasure!!
Here are just a few (it was SO hard to pick just a few)from our time together. Enjoy...
The birthday girls.
I just love this one!
The men even ventured out for a bit...brave souls! :)
A few details.
Thanks for the fun ladies!!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Holiday Mini-Sessions
It's that time of year again and I'm so excited. I just LOVE the Holidays!!
Time to grab your family and get together for those Holiday portraits. It's a great time to update the family photo and get an early start on Christmas gifts.
Call or e-mail me today to book your session. I can't wait to capture some memories for you!!
***Please note that a $50 non-refundable retainer fee is due at booking to reserve your session date.***
Time to grab your family and get together for those Holiday portraits. It's a great time to update the family photo and get an early start on Christmas gifts.
Call or e-mail me today to book your session. I can't wait to capture some memories for you!!
***Please note that a $50 non-refundable retainer fee is due at booking to reserve your session date.***
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Josh & Chelsea {Redlands Wedding}
Josh and Chelsea were married and what an amazing day it was. When I think of this awesome couple the first word that comes to my mind is "FUN." They were full of non-stop fun all day and although it's probably just typical of their personalities...I very much appreciated it!
Josh and Chelsea, thank you so much for the honor of capturing your special day. Much love to you both and an eternity of happiness!!
Enjoy your peek...
I have to give a big thank you to the always wonderful Dustin(aka my hubs)for second shooting with me, Mario of Odyssey cakes for such a fun cake, Ashley of Floral Artistry for the beautiful flowers and Sabrina at Sabrina Elizabeth for the amazing hair and make-up.
I just love this image that Dustin caught of Josh while I was with Chelsea.
I just loved the first dance and the father-daughter dance. They were so fun...I guess that's what happens when the bride is a pro! ;)
Josh and Chelsea, thank you so much for the honor of capturing your special day. Much love to you both and an eternity of happiness!!
Enjoy your peek...
I have to give a big thank you to the always wonderful Dustin(aka my hubs)for second shooting with me, Mario of Odyssey cakes for such a fun cake, Ashley of Floral Artistry for the beautiful flowers and Sabrina at Sabrina Elizabeth for the amazing hair and make-up.
I just love this image that Dustin caught of Josh while I was with Chelsea.
I just loved the first dance and the father-daughter dance. They were so fun...I guess that's what happens when the bride is a pro! ;)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
If I were you...
I found the following on a fellow photographers blog… whom read it on another fellow photographers blog! Needless to say… it’s a perfect thought, and one that I found very “shareable”….
“I promise I’m not trying to be smart… I mean it literally. If I were you, the client. Well, a potential client actually. Here’s what might be on my mind.
“I want professional photos of my family, but my brother’s friend’s cousin’s daughter’s babysitter just got a really nice camera and she’ll take photos of us and give me a disk of all the images for only $90. She has a website, so she is legit.”
Here is an analogy for you:
I have bad hair. It’s too thick, it’s sorta curly, sorta wavy, frizzy and a bad ashy brown color. My brother’s friend’s cousin’s daughter’s babysitter Jackie will cut, weave and blow dry my hair for $90. My other option is going to Jeff the hair stylist at the salon across the street. He charges me $250 for a cut, weave and blow dry. I decide to try both.
I’m sitting in Jackie’s laundry room waiting for her to gather her things when I realize she’s going to wash my hair in the utility sink. Leaning over the sink kneeling on a folding chair proves a little difficult, she gets shampoo in my eye and water drips down my neck into my shirt. We go in the house and she sits me down in her dining room, her husband is sitting on the couch watching Nascar and drinking a 40. He leans forward to grab a bag of chips and I notice his butt-crack. I remind myself that Jackie only charges $90, she probably can’t afford to rent a station in a salon, so I divert my eyes and forgive her. She begins to cut my hair. It seems to be taking quite awhile. She looks a little nervous. I remember that she’s still fairly new to cutting hair. I rationalize that she’s still better than I’d be at it, after all. Plus, she has like 500 fans on her Facebook page, and that has to mean something, right? Jackie disappears to mix my color. She’s gone for a long time. I get nervous that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. What if she screws it up and my hair falls out? I start to wonder… maybe there is a REASON why she only charges $90. Is that the only way she can get clients? Then Jackie weaves a beautiful blond into my hair. I try to forget about my nerves and begin to get excited. A cut and color for only 90 bucks, I can’t wait to show everyone my hair! She finishes up the blow dry and I turn to the mirror to discover its really yellow and brassy. The cut is a uneven and boxy. I take a deep breath and calm myself down. Well, it looks better than it did before, I guess, and I only paid $90. The next day I meet up with some girlfriends for drinks. No one says anything about my hair, and I’m afraid to ask what they think because I know it just looks average, or maybe even bad. I feel disappointed. $90 seemed like such a great deal.
I suppose it’s only a deal if the value is greater than $90.
Two months pass and I find myself sitting at Jeff’s station in the salon across the street. The receptionist offers me a cold drink and the most recent issue of People magazine. Jeff comes over introduces himself and asks me what I’d like to accomplish today. We talk for a few minutes about the specific color of blond I’m looking for. He asks me questions about how I style my hair, what I like, what I don’t like, and tells me a little about whats in style right now. Jeff seems as excited as I am for my new look. I look around to see all the latest flat irons, blow dryers, collections of brushes and combs. Jeff rattles off instructions to his assistant while examining my hair and she’s back in a jiffy with 4 bowls of color. As Jeff begins to weave in and out of my hair with light blond and medium honey and chestnut brown I close my eyes and listen to the calming music on the satellite radio. I feel relaxed and confident. I trust him. I sit with my hair under the dryer and once again I’m offered a cold drink and a magazine. Jeff comes over to inspect the progression of the color. He exclaims how perfect it looks and brings me to the shampoo station. There is a big cushy leather recliner. I put my head back and he begins to wash. The shampoo smells like mint and lavender and he spends an extra few minutes on a mini scalp massage. Jeff dries and styles my hair with ease. When he’s finished he spins my chair around and I hardly recognize myself in the mirror. I look like I belong in a fashion magazine. The cut frames my face perfectly. It’s sassy with a hint of modern, just the right amount to suit my style. The color shimmers as I turn my head. It seems almost as if there are thousands of shades of blond intertwined throughout the locks of hair. It reminds me of what my hair looked like when I was little, after spending all summer in the sun. I feel proud. I meet up with some friends for lunch the next day. They must have commented on my hair 10 times. One of them demanded Jeff’s phone number and asked me how much he charged. “$250″, I told her. She replied, “Well it looks a-MAZE-ing, what a great deal.”
The $90 Jackie charged me wasn’t a great deal. The $250 Jeff charged me was. How is that possible? They both gave me a cut, weave and blow dry.
The difference was the experience and the quality. The $250 that Jeff charged me included a cold diet coke, and comfy chair, state of the art equipment and supplies, experience, knowledge, and a quality product. It included a feeling of pride and excitement that lasted until it was time to return for more. The $90 Jackie charged me included cheap dye, dull scissors, a wet shirt and a butt-crack.
When I thought about it later, I thought, well wouldn’t it be great to find someone who was somewhere in between, you know, someone who is amazing and cheap? But the problem is there is no such thing as in between. When someone offers quality, they have to charge for it, they have to cover the cost of running the business, continuing education, supplies, marketing, and they have to cut themselves a paycheck. Otherwise they are not running a business, they are the proud President of a Non-Profit Organization.
So if you find yourself presented with what seems like a “great deal” for your family photos, ask yourself if the $90 is worth an experience with Jackie. Personally, as a client, I’d rather pay $250 for an experience that feels priceless, than waste $90 on something sub par. Value is a magical thing. ”
Claire Alyse Blog originally
also from Jennifer Nace’s blog
and Tracy Joy's blog
“I promise I’m not trying to be smart… I mean it literally. If I were you, the client. Well, a potential client actually. Here’s what might be on my mind.
“I want professional photos of my family, but my brother’s friend’s cousin’s daughter’s babysitter just got a really nice camera and she’ll take photos of us and give me a disk of all the images for only $90. She has a website, so she is legit.”
Here is an analogy for you:
I have bad hair. It’s too thick, it’s sorta curly, sorta wavy, frizzy and a bad ashy brown color. My brother’s friend’s cousin’s daughter’s babysitter Jackie will cut, weave and blow dry my hair for $90. My other option is going to Jeff the hair stylist at the salon across the street. He charges me $250 for a cut, weave and blow dry. I decide to try both.
I’m sitting in Jackie’s laundry room waiting for her to gather her things when I realize she’s going to wash my hair in the utility sink. Leaning over the sink kneeling on a folding chair proves a little difficult, she gets shampoo in my eye and water drips down my neck into my shirt. We go in the house and she sits me down in her dining room, her husband is sitting on the couch watching Nascar and drinking a 40. He leans forward to grab a bag of chips and I notice his butt-crack. I remind myself that Jackie only charges $90, she probably can’t afford to rent a station in a salon, so I divert my eyes and forgive her. She begins to cut my hair. It seems to be taking quite awhile. She looks a little nervous. I remember that she’s still fairly new to cutting hair. I rationalize that she’s still better than I’d be at it, after all. Plus, she has like 500 fans on her Facebook page, and that has to mean something, right? Jackie disappears to mix my color. She’s gone for a long time. I get nervous that she doesn’t know what she’s doing. What if she screws it up and my hair falls out? I start to wonder… maybe there is a REASON why she only charges $90. Is that the only way she can get clients? Then Jackie weaves a beautiful blond into my hair. I try to forget about my nerves and begin to get excited. A cut and color for only 90 bucks, I can’t wait to show everyone my hair! She finishes up the blow dry and I turn to the mirror to discover its really yellow and brassy. The cut is a uneven and boxy. I take a deep breath and calm myself down. Well, it looks better than it did before, I guess, and I only paid $90. The next day I meet up with some girlfriends for drinks. No one says anything about my hair, and I’m afraid to ask what they think because I know it just looks average, or maybe even bad. I feel disappointed. $90 seemed like such a great deal.
I suppose it’s only a deal if the value is greater than $90.
Two months pass and I find myself sitting at Jeff’s station in the salon across the street. The receptionist offers me a cold drink and the most recent issue of People magazine. Jeff comes over introduces himself and asks me what I’d like to accomplish today. We talk for a few minutes about the specific color of blond I’m looking for. He asks me questions about how I style my hair, what I like, what I don’t like, and tells me a little about whats in style right now. Jeff seems as excited as I am for my new look. I look around to see all the latest flat irons, blow dryers, collections of brushes and combs. Jeff rattles off instructions to his assistant while examining my hair and she’s back in a jiffy with 4 bowls of color. As Jeff begins to weave in and out of my hair with light blond and medium honey and chestnut brown I close my eyes and listen to the calming music on the satellite radio. I feel relaxed and confident. I trust him. I sit with my hair under the dryer and once again I’m offered a cold drink and a magazine. Jeff comes over to inspect the progression of the color. He exclaims how perfect it looks and brings me to the shampoo station. There is a big cushy leather recliner. I put my head back and he begins to wash. The shampoo smells like mint and lavender and he spends an extra few minutes on a mini scalp massage. Jeff dries and styles my hair with ease. When he’s finished he spins my chair around and I hardly recognize myself in the mirror. I look like I belong in a fashion magazine. The cut frames my face perfectly. It’s sassy with a hint of modern, just the right amount to suit my style. The color shimmers as I turn my head. It seems almost as if there are thousands of shades of blond intertwined throughout the locks of hair. It reminds me of what my hair looked like when I was little, after spending all summer in the sun. I feel proud. I meet up with some friends for lunch the next day. They must have commented on my hair 10 times. One of them demanded Jeff’s phone number and asked me how much he charged. “$250″, I told her. She replied, “Well it looks a-MAZE-ing, what a great deal.”
The $90 Jackie charged me wasn’t a great deal. The $250 Jeff charged me was. How is that possible? They both gave me a cut, weave and blow dry.
The difference was the experience and the quality. The $250 that Jeff charged me included a cold diet coke, and comfy chair, state of the art equipment and supplies, experience, knowledge, and a quality product. It included a feeling of pride and excitement that lasted until it was time to return for more. The $90 Jackie charged me included cheap dye, dull scissors, a wet shirt and a butt-crack.
When I thought about it later, I thought, well wouldn’t it be great to find someone who was somewhere in between, you know, someone who is amazing and cheap? But the problem is there is no such thing as in between. When someone offers quality, they have to charge for it, they have to cover the cost of running the business, continuing education, supplies, marketing, and they have to cut themselves a paycheck. Otherwise they are not running a business, they are the proud President of a Non-Profit Organization.
So if you find yourself presented with what seems like a “great deal” for your family photos, ask yourself if the $90 is worth an experience with Jackie. Personally, as a client, I’d rather pay $250 for an experience that feels priceless, than waste $90 on something sub par. Value is a magical thing. ”
Claire Alyse Blog originally
also from Jennifer Nace’s blog
and Tracy Joy's blog
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