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Wednesday, October 30, 2013

5 Tips to Avoid Stress during your Family Portraits {San Antonio Family Portrait Photographer}

It is that time of year.
The Holidays are upon us.
Sometimes we think of the holidays and we think of....STRESS!
Yikes! This shouldn't be the way it is, and it doesn't have to be this year!

While I can't give you a ton of advice on how to make the turkey, get your relatives to get along or get your shopping done in a timely manner, I CAN give you some advice on having your family portrait made.

Here is my advice for a STRESS-FREE family portrait:

1. Plan ahead. Book your session NOW and don't wait until the week of Thanksgiving to think "Oh my, I need to get my Christmas Card Photos done!"
2. Be flexible. This is the busiest season for portrait photographers. While we try to accommodate all schedules, it is not always possible. Remember to schedule your portrait session for your child's BEST time. This may not be after you get off work (in fact, we call the "worst" time in my house). If your child is hungry or tired, there is no amount of bubbles and Elmo that will make that child happy. Plan for a successful session by keeping nap times in mind. If your portrait session is outdoors, lighting is important. While it may seem awesome to have your session at noon, most of the time this is the worst time to do outdoor portraits. Early morning or late afternoon is IDEAL for most environmental locations.
3. Don't obsess about clothing. Clothing is a VERY important factor in the success of a beautiful family portrait but it is not worth obsessing over. Clothing as simple as black and jeans is easy to find and looks great in a portrait. My favorite style, however, is to pick a color family and mix and match coordinating colors and patterns to make a great and stylish combination. For example: If you pick warm tones such as gold, camel, brown, pumpkin and cream you can intermix all of those tones within a family and it will look great together. Keep in mind BOLD patterns are not a good idea, but soft or small patterns add dimension and interest to the finished portrait.
4. Try not to "over" prepare your kids. Children are best if they come to the session knowing only that they are going to have their portraits made by Mrs. Elizabeth. Over coaching them to "sit up straight", "smile right", "don't bite your lip" etc will only result in a stiff child and we will not truly be able to capture their personality. Let them relax and be a kid....and allow myself and my assistant to work our magic!
5. Give yourself more time than you think you need. There is nothing worse than arriving at a portrait session late, sweaty, cursing at your significant other and mad at everyone in the car. If you will give yourself more time to get ready and more time to get to the session, you will come to the portrait session with a relaxed and ready spirit.

As of today, Christmas is only 8 weeks away.
You've got time, but don't hesitate.
Make your appointment TODAY. Go shopping for clothes tomorrow.
 Leave the rest to US!
210-497-3809






Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Thanksgiving in New York City! {San Antonio Portrait Photographer}

I am so excited!
I have been asked to photograph another family in The Big Apple!
This time, it is going to be during the week of Thanksgiving! I have ALWAYS wanted to visit NYC during this festive week. Of course, in order for this to happen, I needed ONE more session. So, I posted in on Facebook and VOILA!....another family is going to be there and wants me to photograph them too!

So, here's the deal: I had to do a bit of rearranging as I already had a few things on my calendar for that week. I have now booked my flight and hotel. I have sessions booked for Wednesday morning and Saturday morning (the mornings are WAY less crowded at the tourist spots) so I have Friday morning (and wednesday afternoon and friday afternoon, if necessary) available for ONE more session. We will NOT be photographing ON Thanksgiving as we will be enjoying the Parade and other festivities, just like YOU would be!

But, you have to act fast as it is only 5 weeks away!
Call us if you are interested in this Once in a Lifetime opportunity!
210-497-3809


Central Park

Crossing 5th Avenue

Grand Central Station

Grand Central Station

Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge Park at Sunset

Manhattan Skyline after Sunset

Before Sunrise at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Leaping over the Manhattan Skyline

Manhattan Bridge in the background

On the Chelsea Highline

Leaping on the Chelsea Highline

Chelsea Highline

Chelsea Highline

Wow...this girl can leap!

Leaping on the Chelsea Highline

The steps of a Brownstone



Monday, October 14, 2013

Have a MAGICAL day....Portraits at DisneyWorld! {San Antonio Destination Portraits}

This was the most FUN and MAGICAL photographic day EVER!

In 2012, we went to DisneyWorld with my family. Actually, my son Jacob has a very rare disorder (Phelan-McDermid Syndrome www.pmsf.org). The foundation holds a family conference every other year in Orlando.We have been going ever since we discovered the group and this will be our 6th conference. Until 2012, it was held in South Carolina and now they have moved it to ORLANDO. What a great way to tie in our family vacation to Disney AND get to meet all of the families that have a child similar to Jacob!

Last year, I decided to donate my time and talents to the organization by photographing ALL of the families for FREE! I lined up another photographer friend to help me out and we photographed about 34 families during one day of the conference. The families were so awesome!! It was wonderful to give these families the gift of a family portrait. Some have never had one made. Some could never afford to have one made. Some just did it because they knew that I would understand their child. Whatever the reason, we felt completely blessed to be able to give this to them.

Well, we are doing it again! The conference begins on the 23rd of July and we are planning on spending the a couple days prior and a couple days after visiting Disney with our 3 sons. So, we have very limited appointments available.
Check out some of the images we created last year:











Email us HERE if you would like more information about our trip to DISNEYWORLD!

ALOHA....Summer 2014 Destination: HAWAII {San Antonio Destination Portrait Photographer}

Hawaii is proving to be a popular vacation spot for the 
summer of 2014.

We will be Island Hopping this year:
The Big Island (Hawaii) July 4-9
Maui July 10-13
Oahu July 13-15

Hawaii is definitely one of the most beautiful locations on earth and we are thrilled that we are blessed enough to capture these families on their amazing vacation.

 If you want to join us, give us a call soon so that we still have SUNSET times available. Although SUNRISE is gorgeous too, it comes VERY early on the islands.

Details:
These sessions are part of our "Destination Portraits"
Two Options:
Destination Session:
Sunrise or Sunset Session: $650
Minimum Portrait Order: $2000

Complete Destination Package:
A FULL day photographing your family!
One Sunrise or Sunset Portrait Session at
multiple locations then...
your personal paparazzi during the day 
(ziplining, snorkeling, surfing, etc)
Call for Price Quote
210-497-3809
















Friday, October 4, 2013

Caroline...Senior 2014 {San Antonio Senior Portraits}

Meet Caroline.
Simply GORGEOUS High School Senior.
She looked fabulous in all of her outfits.
But my personal favorite are all of the portraits in her Classical Ballet Tutu.
She did a phenomenal job obliging all of my requests for dance poses and excelled at ALL of them.
Caroline, you ROCKED it!






Once again, I had the privilege of photographing a dancer. Marrying my 
TWO LOVES of dance and photography.
 I am truly BLESSED!