Big Changes Planned for The Studio...

Fall 2009 will bring new and better changes to the way A Thousand Words Photography operates! One BIG change, is that I am seriously considering venturing into the wedding business. I receive calls every week regarding wedding photography- and up until now, I have not been interested in this avenue of photography. However, I feel that I have a lot to offer weddings in our area! I am considering booking one wedding/month, which will not hinder me from still photographing babies and seniors (my favorites!). I am still working out the pricing details and will continue to update customers as things progress. An added asset will be that I will be joining forces with another local photographer! This will make the wedding coverage even better! Different angles and different perspectives will offer brides/grooms a wide variety of images.

In August, I will have a small price increase for studio portraits. I will also be offering portrait packages to customers that prefer this type of service. You will now have the option to purchase a package or still buy a la carte. We will also be accepting credit cards by August as well!

The biggest change for the studio will be that I will no longer be putting images in an online album. The new method will be for customers to come to the studio to view images on a big screen television. After viewing your images in the studio, you will then place your order. Online proofing is great, but it doesn't seem to be working as far as customers ordering in a timely manner. I generally leave albums online for 2 weeks, which I believe is ample time. Usually, I leave them online even longer. However, when orders are not placed in a timely manner, this potentially hurts my business. Viewing your images in the studio will be an adjustment, but overall, will be beneficial for all. For family members that live out of town and are not able to view them in the studio, I am still working on that aspect. I am very aware of my customers needs and want to help and be accommodating in every way that I can!

I know change is not always a good thing, but I believe these changes will help my photography business flourish even more. I want my customers, new and old, to ask questions in regards to any of the new developments that will be taking place!

Please Notice- Galleries Will be Expiring June 3rd

Please Notice that if you have not placed an order for portraits, all galleries taken this Spring will expire on June 3rd! I was extrememly busy this spring and offered to let galleries stay online longer than usual. This was also to help out busy Senior students and parents. I cannot keep these galleries online any longer, so if you plan to order anything further, please let me know ASAP!

If your gallery expires and you decide to order after June 3rd, there will be a $35 re-upload fee. Please make sure and place your order prior to this deadline!

Thanks~

Summer is here!

The heat and humidity have arrived in MS! It's hard to believe that summer is here already. June is approaching fast and before long, it will be another school year!

I had a wonderful vacation at the beach. The weather was a little cooler than normal, but it was nice to have a break for a few days. I had the most fun with my sister's family and especially my niece, Anna Maclaine. I purchased a tutu pettiskirt at LaLa & Company (www.lalaandcompany.com) to use as a prop at the studio. I took it for Maclaine to wear on the beach for portraits. She had a blast! We captured some great images and I wanted to share a few~

Upcoming Senior Specials- Stay Tuned!

I will be offering 2010 Senior specials beginning this Summer. Please continue to check the blog and website for more details. You could possibly win a chance at a FREE senior session!

TuTu Fabulous Session

TuTus are very popular these days and make GREAT portraits for infant girls, toddlers and even young girls. I purchased a couple of different sizes at LaLa & Company here in Amory (125 North Main)- they are adorable in portraits. Visit them in person or on the web to learn more (www.lalaandcompany.com)

I am looking forward to a beach tutu session this upcoming week. More post to follow!

Trashing the Dress

Trash Sessions are popular with Senior girls- and they are so much fun. A "trash" session is where we literally trash a dress (prom or wedding) in water and/or mud. It sounds awfully silly, but it is so much fun!

What a Spring!

I absolutely cannot believe that is is almost May! This spring has literally flown by. It seems like it was just January and I couldn't wait until the Spring flowers would start blooming. Now, May is upon us, with graduations and summer vacations!

I have been very fortunate to have been extremely busy this year! This is partly why I haven't updated the blog in a while. As I have said before, I am so very thankful for the busy I receive. It is difficult having your own business and the financial stresses that can sometimes accompany it- especially, when we are so unsure of our economy. But, thankfully, my business has not decreased- if anything, it have flourished! I have gained many new clients, as well as worked with those that support my photography several times throughout the year! Thank you in a HUGE way!

I have been in the new location for about a month now- and I love the new building. I have added several new backgrounds and new ideas to my style of photography. I work very hard to make sure my images are unique and most importantly, priceless to my clients. It seems that every photographer finds their niche- and mine is definitely with babies and seniors. I chose not to partake in photographing weddings from the very beginning. And I receive calls for wedding business every week. There is money to be made in the wedding business, but it's just not for me. It's not about how much money I could potentially make shooting weddings. It's about the love of it. And I love those babies! I enjoy my baby and infant sessions so much. I love getting down on their level and seeing what they will do. And working with Seniors, I get to have fun and be creative. It makes me remember how fun it was to be hip and stylish.

All this being said, I find myself at the start of another summer and extremely thankful for the business that I have. This fall, I will mark my 5th year owning A Thousand Words Photography. When I first began, my accountant told me that if I could make it to year 5, I would be doing great. Well, that milestone is right around the corner. And I truly appreciate the people that have helped me get there!

New Location...Finally! And Bunny News!

Well, it's official- I have moved the studio to 212 Main Street, Amory. I am so excited to be in this building- it has lots of style and character and has been updated in so many great ways. The former studio was a great starting point, but I am happy to have moved locations. We are working on having the new sign placed on the building but that may be another couple of weeks before it is ready. So, until then, please look for me between Shirley's and Curves!

Not only is the new location home to my photography studio, but also Tina Robbins with the Robbin's Nest Frame Shop and Colleen Conger of Amory Photo & Desgin. Tina was formerly across the street from me and I had all of my framing done there. She has since moved in with me and will be offering framing here! Colleen has been in my office for the past couple of years and has now opened Amory Photo & Design, specializing in graphic design and photo restoration. Colleen is a great compliment to my photography! So, we are now a one-stop shopping experience!

On another note...live bunnies are set for this Friday and Saturday. I did not run an ad in the paper this year because the word got around and ALL the time slots are full! I am still getting calls to make appointments and I am just encouraging people to stop by and hope that I can get them worked in! If you don't have a set appointment time, please stop by and I will do my very best to work your child in for portraits.

Spring is here and this is a great and busy time of year for me! I hope to see all of you soon in the new location!

Live Bunnies & Baby Lamb Portraits

It's official~ bunny pictures will be held for 2 days only- Friday, March 27th and Saturday, March 28. This year, we will not only have live bunnies, but a sweet newborn lamb as well! I am so excited and can't wait to see the children's faces when they see these sweet animals.

There are limited sessions available- so please contact me at 662-305-5687 if you would like to book a mini session.

Here is how the sessions work:

~20-30 minute mini-session
~$15 session fee
~You must pre-purchase your package ($17 and up, includes tax)
~You will be able to view your child's images in an online album within 2 days of your appointment. Simply call or email me with the image YOU choose for your package!

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me!

Updates to the New Studio and Bunnies

March is here and I am so excited that Spring is just around the corner. I love Springtime and seeing the grass become green and flowers bloom. It's also a great time of year for outdoor pictures.

We are still planning our move to the new location at 212 Main Street, Amory. We had planned to be moved in already, but with construction and renovations, things never seem to run on course. So, we are still another 2 weeks from moving in and I will continue to post and let people know when we will be there! Fortunately, my current landlord has let me stay in our location until the new building is ready. So, we are still taking pictures every day!

I am still trying to find bunnies for the live bunny pictures! If anyone has bunnies that I can use, please let me know at 305-5687. If I cannot locate any bunnies, we will not be able to take these this year, so please help! :)

Here are a few highlights from recent sessions...

Charity Ball 2009- Living Ads

This year, I photographed the young women selected to represent area businesses as living ads for the 2009 Charity Ball. It is always a creative and fun challenge to try and come up with 17 different ways to compose a basic "head shot." I had fun working with each of the girls!

Here is a highlight of the young women (Seniors from area high schools) that will be participating. The event will be held on Saturday, March 21st in Amory.

Valentine Highlights

February has been a short but busy month! I had fun working with the students at the AMS and AHS Valentine Dances this past weekend. I wanted to share a couple of highlights from the evenings. I chose to keep the background very elegant and simple. I think it worked out well with everyone's Valentine colors!

Photography Comes to Your Home!

Another new addition to our services in 2009: Home Photography!

We are now offering our photography services in the comfort of your home. If you've ever wanted to have your infant or children photographed without having to leave home, now that can happen!

I first photographed a newborn for a client in their home nursery over a year ago. It was the mom's idea and I thought it was a great one! We used the nursery as our backdrop for portraits. Since then, it has come to my attention that more clients may be interested in this type of service.

For a customized session in your home environment, please contact Emmie (662-305-5687) for more information or to set up your home session.

Updates for 2009

I am looking forward to a great 2009! After an enjoyable holiday break- and having revived my creative spirit, I am happy to be back to work!

There are going to be some great changes taking place within our business. I have completely redesigned my website (same web address at www.1kwordsphotography.com) and we will also be relocating our studio to another site on main street in early March.

Another great change is that we will be joining forces with 2 other businesses to become a one-stop shopping experience! Not only will photography be available, but framing and graphic design! We think this will make it more convenient for our customers and generate an even more growing clientele.

I am still working out of my current location (233 Main Street) and will not be closed during any time. More updates will be available soon as to my new location opening date!

I look forward to capturing images for you in 2009!

Holiday Portrait Orders- Deadline

What a busy time of year this has been! And, as always, I am very appreciative and thankful. I wanted to remind customers that due to the holiday rush and lab printing time, ALL holidays orders must be turned in to me no later than Tuesday, December 9th in order to receive them for Christmas.

This allows me enough time to work on the orders and place them with the lab. Currently, I am only accepting orders for the Holidays- all other orders can be held until January. Or you can give them to me and I can work on them over my holiday break.

I will be closing the studio on Wednesday, December 17th at 12 p.m. and will not be open for business until Tuesday, January 6, 2009. You may still call 662-217-8523 and leave a message to set up appointments or for general information. I will be checking messages and emails daily.

Happy Holidays!

Winter Wonderland Updates

Winter Wonderland for Children's portraits and Holiday Christmas Cards will be here soon! There is still some availability, but please book soon by calling 662-217-8523.

This year, I have decided to offer 2 options for pictures! You can choose to either have pictures taken on the white background where I will be using Elves and ornaments (you can see these elves in the window of the Amory Flower Shop). Or, you can choose to have a traditional waist up shot on the brown background with no holiday props, just your children.

You can also choose to have pictures taken on both sets, however, this will cost a session fee for both! Please let me know which you plan to do when you call for your appointment.

For appointments or general questions, please don't hesitate to call!

Look forward to seeing you!

Session Highlights

I have had a very busy and productive few months. Again, I am so very thankful to have gained as much business as I have. I am grateful to my customers that have been with since the very beginning and stuck it out while I grew as a photographer. And I am thankful to my new customers as well! It is my hope that we can continue our friendship and work relationship for years to come!

I can't believe it is almost Thanksgiving and soon to be Christmas. This is my absolute favorite time of year. And I have enjoyed the holiday sessions with my recent clients. Here are a few highlights!

Holiday Photo Cards

As always, we are offering holiday photo cards this year! Colleen Conger that has designed them over the past few years will be offering them at $1 each (free envelope) plus tax. There is a 25 card minimum order.

Thankfully, Colleen is available to create these for my customers- my schedule does not allow me creative time for these! If you desire a more special card design, Colleen is available to work with you one-on-one for additional costs.

You can use a photo of mine from any session or from Winter Wonderland. You may also bring in a personal photo that is not copyrighted to another photographer for your card.

Templates are available online at www.colleenconger.com

If you have questions, please contact me at 217-8523 or Colleen at 436-5906.

Screaming with Santa! This Weekend!

It's that time of year- Screaming with Santa! We will be at the Amory Flower Shop's Open House this Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9th from 1-5p.m. taking Santa pictures. This is always a very eventful time of year. We have some children that love Santa as they are walking up the sidewalk, but when it comes time to sit in his lap, it's all over! Some will smile and laugh, most will cry, and some even scream their little heads off!

*Please know that I never make the children take the picture if they don't want to- sometimes the parents want a screaming picture with Santa for a keepsake!

So, if you are looking for a great portrait of your child with Santa, just stop by and see us. No appointments are needed. There is a $5 mini-session fee and the purchase of your package ($17 and up). Christmas cards are also available- designed by Colleen Conger. (www.colleenconger.com)

For more information, please call me at 217-8523.

Pirates, BumbleBees, Monkeys and More!

I had to share a few highlights from
yesterday's Halloween SPOOK Special.
This is never a huge event, but for me,
it's well worth it to see the
kids dressed up.

Happy Halloween!