Christmas Day Is Almost Here!

As Christmas day gets closer I hope that your schedules are starting to slow down and you are able to start preparing and anticipating Christmas Day. It is just probably me or at least I am very aware of how much marketing we are all exposed to everyday especially during this season. I read the other day that as consumers we are exposed to an avg. of 256 advertisements a day. My favorite ad when I was growing up was the Norelco Santa does anyone else remember it? Well we sure have a lot more choices today don't we? But, hopefully, for you and your family, Christmas isn't just about the latest gadgets, hopefully it is about creating memories!

Christmas each year has the high possibility of becoming one of your families "Life's defining moments", better known as fond memories! Do you know people that just seem to cause memories to occur whenever you are around them? To some people this comes naturally others need to plan for it. One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell he talks about this in one of his books. In recent history creating a "LDM" is associated with a really expensive gift. But I don't believe that it always has to be that way. It can be as simple as starting some new family traditions. In years past it was about stringing pop corn for tree decorations, going to chop down the tree or singing carols together. How about getting everyone a Santa hat to wear on Christmas or at least one for the dog! There are tons of fun inexpensive ideas out there to make Christmas less commercial and more family focused. Please feel free to post them here!

Merry Christmas may your heart and soul be filled with warm memories of the season!

Tom

Website Update Done!

Updating the webpage is kind of like cleaning off your desk. You put off doing it but once it is done you can stand back and marvel at how proud you are to have gotten it done. Now, I know some people clean off their desks everyday but for us right brainers it is something that gets put off. Hmmm would I rather sit at the computer for hours or would I rather photograph people outside? I vote for the photography part! Anyway as the snow starts to fly I get the opportunity to get caught up on the indoor things.

The big change and the thing that took the most time was changing the image galleries. I looked at a lot of different ways to display our images, everything from flash plugins to java slide shows. But I wanted the viewers (you) to be able to see the images at their own speed and not to have to "click" on every single image to view it. That is why I came up with all of the remote rollovers. I can do remote rollovers now!! The other thing I wanted to be able to do was to take a group of images, size them and then be able to upload them to our site without having to mess with the html code each time. That way I can keep the images current!!

The other things that were done probably won't be noticed like the form handler script was updated to (hopefully) deter spammers from hijacking it. The webhosting company that we use certainly will appreciate it!! Other than that just general moving stuff around and changing some of the wording.

Please, Please, Please take a look at the site and let me know if you find any broken links etc.!

As for Diane she is working very very hard on your holiday orders. We have a new employee, Tasha (more on that later). Michelle is going to be leaving soon to work on writing her book. But right now everyone, except me, is working at the studio to get everything out before Christmas Eve.

Ok I'm off to clean another desk, prepare marketing stuff for January, hit the gym, start a newsletter and make sure the staff have time to get lunch! Thanks for all of your love and support!

Tom

Snowy Afternoon!

Pritchard / McNall Wedding

Just wanted to post a couple images from the McNall wedding this last Sat. in Manhattan. The Trinity Presbyterian church in Manhattan is only about three blocks from the stadium. It being Coach Snider's last game and all traffic was a bit of a challenge but it was easily overcome and fun was had by all!

I think that all of the excitement cut a bit into the flower girls nap time but it appears that she was able to catch a few ZZZZ's in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

Fall Engagement Sessions

Just wanted to post a few engagement images. What a beautiful Fall!

A Couple Of Recent Cuties!

Here are a couple of our youngest clients taking full advantage of our Baby Plan! What fun!

Fall Is Beautiful!

Fall is a fun time of the year and it makes for fantastic images! Yes, it is true that it is getting colder and that red noses and cheeks can be a challenge but it definately can also provide for some very unique images as well.

The image of AJ (below) was taken just this morning as the fog was beginning to lift on the lake.

Alex Watts Perry-Lecompton High School

I was back in Perry this evening photographing Alex Watts at the Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department. Alex is a volunteer firefighter there as well as being a Senior at Perry-Lecompton High School. After high school Alex has plans to attend the Kansas Firefighters School in Hutchinson.

Williamstown Fire Department has responsibility for the southern part of Lake Perry as well as covering medical calls from Perry to east of Williamstown. Summer holiday's can be quite busy for the fire department due to the popularity of the lake and the high amount of traffic on US Hwy 24. It was fun getting to meet the fire fighters at the station.

Most of us think of large city fire departments when we think of fire departments but according to the United States Fire Administration 88% of the fire departments in the United States are all volunteer or mostly volunteer. We are very lucky to have dedicated neighbors that give of their free time and risk personal safety to help others! Tom

Annie Gordon

Just wanted to post a couple of Annie's images that I did some fun things with today getting them ready for her proofs and slide show. Annie and her family are great people to work with. We photographed her brother's senior images two years ago. These images were created on their families farm just west of Perry. Annie attends Perry-Lecompton High School.

Annie's special request was to have an image created with the Flag in it. Her images look great! Tom

Family Day!

Just wanted to post a quick image we created this morning at Potter's Lake on the KU campus. This image is of Jay, John and Cindy Hauptli. Diane began photographing John in our "Baby Plan" several years ago. One of the big rewards of being a portrait photographer is being able to stay in contact and watch as families grow. The Hauptli's are easy and fun to work with. Cindy teaches ballet at the Lawrence Arts Center and Jay is the stage manager at Liberty Hall. We had a great time and hopefully they had fun too. I think we created some great memories that will last many years! Will post more later! Tom

Channing Clemmons McClouth

Just wanted to post a couple of Channing's images that I have been working on this morning.

Just Playing With Images

Just having some fun today developing new ideas and techniques for seniors. Actually a little inspirational credit needs to go to Citizen Cope. Is anyone else (everyone) familiar with his music? Kinda gritty but at the same time smooth. Anyway back to the images and the music! Tom

Art For Sale To Benefit Hurricane Victims

As everyone else this week I have been very saddened by the effects of Katrina. A friend of mine, Marilyn Sholin, a photographer and digital artist is offering her artwork of images she created of trips she made to New Orleans last winter as a benefit to the Red Cross. Normally her 13x17 glicee prints sell for $75/each but is now offering them for only $40 with all the proceeds going to the Red Cross. This is a great opportunity to own some great art at a very reasonable cost and to help out at the same time.

Marilyn is a very talented artist and teacher. Her specialty is digital painting. Her work and techniques have been featured in many professional photography publications in the last several years. She is also in great demand on the professional photographers speaking circuit.

The image on the left as anyone that has ever visited New Orleans will immediately recognize the French Quarter and hopefully conjure up memories of happier times! Tom

Link to Marilyn's website here

Corey & Crystal Lada Wedding

Corey & Crystal Lada were married today at Most Pure Heart with a reception at the Sunrise Optimist Hall (next to Seaman HS).

Crystal had a fun idea to get some images of them with the bridal party in the playground behind the Hall. So around sunset we went out the backdoor of the hall for about 10 minutes of fun!

Corey and Crystal are both employed by The Kansas Children's Service League.

Thanks Corey and Crystal for a fun and creative day!

Tom

NYFD Ladder 18

I was working on some images from our recent trip to New York today, getting some ready to be printed. Diane gives me a hard time because I am always taking images of fire engines. I have a lot of respect for the job that the fire fighters do and what a hard job it is. I also am very impressed with all of the mechanics that a fire engine has on it.

Anyway this ladder truck was parked right in front of our hotel one day! The doorman said that it was just a once a year tour of the hotel by the fire department (pretty good idea in my opinion; especially if it is me that needs help to get out of the building!) As I was working on the image I started wondering what "Fort Pitt" on the front meant so I typed it into Google and came up with this page (link to ladder 18 web page) . This company serves the lower east side in New York and was one of the closer fire companies to the trade center on 9/11.

This is a new ladder truck for the company. I found the following photo on their website of what happened to their last ladder truck during 9/11. Miraculously no one from their company died! It is amazing the amount of history that can be right in front of a person and they don't even realize it! Ok back to getting proofs ready to mail out! Tom

Brenda Blackman Seaman HS

This morning I have been working on getting Brenda Blackman's images ready for her slide show and have been "playing" with a new technique I think I will call "Blue Ambiance" I think it is pretty fun but let's see what our customers think!

Sometime, I think, people wonder why can't I get my proofs tomorrow? Well the answer is I really sit down and think about each person that we have photographed and what they have told me they like as well as just getting to know each person's personality. So then; with Rhapsody cranked up on the computer, I start "playing". I like to enhance images and make "creations" for each senior to go along with the rest of their images.

In the second image Brenda specifically requested the Dr. Pepper sign. I thought and thought now what can I do to make this image really stand out the way I would like it to look. I am posting the "sepia" version of the image. Brenda hasn't seen it yet! I hope she likes it. OK back to work! Tom

Gracie Goes To Potter's Lake

No sessions this evening due to a schedule re-arrangement so Gracie and I headed to Lawrence to pick up some altered clothes at Weaver's (open till 8pm on Thursdays). Of course whenever I am in Lawrence with Gracie I love to take her to Potter's Lake on the KU campus and also thought it would be a fun time since this was the first day of classes there today.

By the way one of the questions we get asked frequently is "can we bring our dog to our session" or "will you take a photo with us and our pet"? The answer of course is always yes! We love animals and having their images taken during a family, senior or engagement session is perfectly understandable!

The first image is of Gracie (my sidekick) at water's edge. I had this idea that I would get some other "portraits" of her (I just can't stop) until she saw some "friends" across the pond.

People everywhere are so fun! I met up with this group under the Campanile apparently this group meets here most evenings when the weather is nice and their dogs like to play together. The girl in this image on the far left (you can't see her face) is Hatsumi she is a student from Japan. The girl in the back is an education major. The couple in front he works at the university and she just had an interview (two more scheduled) to work for the university. Very fun nice people. They even bring ice water for the dogs. Gracie lapped up the ice water!! One last thing; I took the group image a little later than prime time, light wise so yes even I sometimes take "snapshots"!! Tom

Environmental Family Portrait Days Sept. 10th and 17th

We have set aside two Saturdays in September for Family Portrait Days. The dates are Sept. 10th and 17th. The locations are to be determined but we are thinking Lake Shawnee, Potters Lake on the KU campus, the KState campus or a private spot that someone volunteers for us to use! The location is negotiable but we would like at least a couple of families request it.

The special that we are offering if you sign up soon is; We will wave the normal session fee if you purchase a framed 16x20 or larger print for your home.

We get a lot of comments when we see everyone out in the community that they have been "meaning" to call us for a family portrait so we wanted to make it a little easier on you! Let's work together to make some images that you and your family will treasure for generations to come!

Diane has new clothing suggestion brochures at the studio she can send you, we will have cold soft drinks and water available for you where ever we are. Give us a call and lets have some fun making memories!

Don't put calling off! Give us a call right now! Our phone or at least the message machine is on 24/7.

Thanks!!

Tom

Trip To Lawrence

Since we had a free Sat. (no wedding scheduled) we decided to take a "mini vacation" to Lawrence yesterday. We kind of have a "routine" of things we always "have" to do when we go to Lawrence but the activities can always be amended. We started the day at Wheatfield's Bakery for salads. If you have never been there you need to! There was a fun combo playing outside the bakery. The musicians are KU students and say that they play there every Sat. The mandolin player said that he used to be an employee at Wheatfield's.

Having been sufficiently nourished we proceeded to the barber shop for a much needed trim. After many other stops we decided that it was time to head for home since it looked like it was going to rain. Apparently we didn't decide to start out soon enough and just let's say if you live in either Topeka or Lawrence I don't have to tell you that it was more than just rain we are kinda talking about flood here. We ended up stranded for a time waiting out the rain and getting soaked but all and all it was fun. The last image for today is of North Lawrence under the railroad overpass that was flooded. The fire department had to rescue one person that had not paid attention to the "closed" sign. A word to the wise: Do not drive into standing water!!!

Nikki Meador Emporia High School

It has been a couple of busy weeks here! With school getting ready to start for most people next week there has been quite a rush to get sessions done before the first day of school. Today my morning session was rained out so it has given me time to work most of the day on images AND to spend some quality Blogging time!

OK so how about some photography 101 stuff today?

We photographed Nikki about two weeks ago and wanted to post a couple of her images. I have been having a lot of fun this year "playing" with light ever since Diane and I had the opportunity to study and to become friends with one of the best senior photographers in the country earlier this spring. Kirk Voclain from the New Orleans area specializes in seeing and capturing the "light" and applying studio lighting techniques in the outdoor setting. The image on the left here is a classic example of "short lighting" as you can see the light is striking Nikki's face so that the shadow side of her face is towards the camera. This is a classic studio feminine lighting style. It is fun playing with the sun as I we would do in the studio with our strobes.

In this image of Nikki I decided to take full advantage of the bright backlighting that is so popular in the fashion magazines and to play with the sun and wind a bit. As you can probably tell Nikki is a Coca-Cola collector!

Thanks as always for reading! Better get back to putting the finishing touches on images. I have tons of things to share with you over the next week or so. Stay tuned! Thanks for your business and for supporting our photography passion!

Tom

Eric and Andrea Just

We appreciate being selected as Eric Just and Andrea Murray's wedding photographers. They were married yesterday Sat. July 30th at the Topeka Bible Church here in Topeka. The reception followed at the Washburn Room on the Washburn Univ. Campus. Eric just graduated from Kansas State with a degree in engineering and Andrea has a degree in business. The couple will be moving very soon to Las Vegas so that Eric can start his new job for a construction company there.

I am posting a couple of my favorite images from their wedding. As I had a couple of minutes free during the reception I had time to think about why we enjoy the challenge of wedding photography. Many photographers shy away from wedding photography but to us it is a cornerstone of our photography business. There are many reasons why we enjoy the challenge of wedding photography but I just wanted to talk about one in this post and that is the "Decisive Moment". Henri Cartier-Bresson was by many looked on as the father of photojournalism. The "Decisive Moment" is about stopping time. It is about the captured glance or look that instantly communicates to the viewer of the image an emotion. Wedding photography unlike most other forms of portrait photography allows the photographer to "practice" his or her ability to stop time, so that years from now when Andrea's and Eric's great grand children look at these images they will be able to see Andrea and Eric exchanging glances and thoughts or to see their great grandmother dancing with her father. There is a great feeling of accomplishment when we "nail" the image. Diane and I have even developed a good spirited competition to see which of us will get the defining image from each wedding. Well enough for now! Thanks again Eric and Andrea have a great life together! Tom

Mariah Hutchinson Topeka High

We were up bright and early this morning with Mariah, her sister Hanah and their mom at Topeka Country Club pool where Mariah is working this summer as a life guard. The other image was taken on the golf course just next to the club house. It was fun photographing there especially since the grounds are so photogenic and no one else was around that early in the morning! You can probably tell from the images that Mariah loves swimming. She is hoping to get a swim scholarship to attend the Univ. Of Minn. Tom

Sam Moore Hayden HS

We photographed Sam last evening. Sam's a fan of the Dallas Cowboy's. We spent the evening getting some great images around Lake Shawnee. Thanks Sam!

Salon 808

We are getting new neighbors! Salon 808 is scheduled to open on August 13th. I have been inside the newly renovated area and it is awesome! Pictured here is Jandi Terrell co-owner putting on the finishing touches on the on the salons facade. Jandi and Carrie are sisters. Jandi promises that it is their goal to have the best salon in town. They will be offering manicures as well as pedicures in addition to their other salon services. They are now accepting appointments by calling 235-8808. Tom

Baby Referral Composite Cards

We have been having so much fun with our renewed "Babyplan"! The Babyplan has really taken off and our clients really love the new poses and ideas that Diane has developed. The composite cards are a free gift for all of our Babyplan moms and dads each session. Diane personally designs each card. Of course it is our hope that you hand them out to all your friends and family! Tom