Part of me is happy to get back to a routine.  But the other part of me is so going to miss the days of sleeping in, going to the pool, the movies, visiting with friends, out for lunch, and watching cartoons in the morning.  Fortunately, they are only gone three days out of the week, but it still changes the “vibe” of our week.

Now, I have no excuse but to get back to work!  I’ve fallen off the wagon a little bit this summer with blogging, so it’s time for me to jump back on and get with it.  I have some great things coming up, so be on the lookout for some special promotions I have never offered before.  And since no post is complete without an image share, here’s a favorite shot from the summer of my boys:

Until next time,

Tammy

Here’s a quick snapshot of some of our family fun so far, all of these were taken with a wide angle lens (distortion fun!) – enjoy!

Happy Summer!

Until next time,

Tammy

It’s really not a big deal, but I tried so hard to come up with names for my boys that were strong, and “different” without being “weird”.  I wanted names that would stand the test of time and not be dated (i.e. my own name which is very a la 1960-ish).  So, even though I truly love the name, I do feel a little disappointment knowing that it’s not as “different” as I thought it would be.

All that being said, I thought I would share a quick shot of my own Cullen taken a few days ago – it was a rare moment of him being still and quiet (well, he is never truly quiet unless he is sleeping, so maybe I should say, he was more quiet than normal!).  When I look at this image, I’m so surprised at the little boy staring back at me.  He’s not a toddler any more, he’s a real little boy.  One who likes bugs, playing in the dirt and laughs hysterically at any noise that sounds like a bodily function (um, ew).  So, popular vampire name or not, he’s my Cullen.  And anyway, he was Cullen before being named Cullen was cool.  

Until next time,

Tammy

Again, the following is borrowed Marianne Drenthe, via Professional Child Photographer :

APPLES to ORANGES to BANANAS: Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $19.99 for an 8×10 “sheet” or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains.  The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service.  In February 2007 a company who has leased photography retail space in a rather well known discount retailer closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation.  The reason it happened is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ “professional” prints if you do not sell enough of them.  Interestingly enough – those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing vs. many custom photographers (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10).

A little history – the whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait services in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments.  Your “PORTRAITS” are considered the “loss leader”.  Your portraits that are meant to symbolize a once-in-a-lifetime stage in your child’s life are part of what a store considers a way to get you in there door to spend more money on goods that you might not really want or need but because you’re there “anyway” you buy.

Also keep in mind that when you go to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for as well as the lovely captures of natural expressions.  You simply get a bare bones, “SAY CHEESE” experience.

More on price next week    And of course, I can’t post without an image, so I thought I’d show off one of my little muffins (that’s my Mommy code for “children”).  Coben turned three last Saturday <sob, my babies are growing up!>.  We celebrated the day with a party, complete with tons of Batman paraphernalia, friends, cake and pizza that night.  He’s still stoked over it all.  Anyway, these images were taken as a test for lighting one afternoon at the studio, but they make me smile every time I look at them, so I decided they were keepers.

Until next time,

Tammy

Cause they are.

Since I’ve always encouraged them to have fun while they are being photographed, they have kind of taken that to a new extreme.  It’s like they know they won’t have another opportunity to totally act like fools and be rewarded for it.  So, they take advantage of it.  And as the insanity level climbs, so does the noise level.  We get laughing, silly faces, funny phrases (in my house anything that involved the words “poo-poo” or “tee-tee” is hilarious), running around, falling down, etc.  The whole time my husband is trying to *discourage* it, while I am trying to *encourage* it.  By the time we are done, we’re all exhausted and my husband (bless his soul) dejectedly asks me if I was able “to get anything”. 

So, that being said, here are a few of my favorites from a typically insane session with the boys at the studio…

So yes, it was crazy.  Yes, we were tired.  But truly, it’s oh-so-worth-it to be able to get images that truly “grab” who they are, right now.  Stinkers or not!

Until next time,

Tammy