I rarely have the chance to give a session away since we devote so much time to our clients the schedule doesn’t always allow for it but these new Limited Edition sessions are shorter and in excitement for kicking them off I decided to have a little fun and give one away on our Facebook Page! It was so fun to see people get so excited to share/comment and try for their free session. We had people enter trying for images of their seniors, families, kids, and even pets!
And this lovely gal, Olivia, was our winner!!! I know seniors get a lot of focus since the transition from high school is a big life event but so often we miss out on photographing the earlier teen years which I think are SO fun and important. This is the time when your children are growing up, testing out newfound independence, trying on new styles, and figuring out who they are. It’s also a time when teens are often shy, self conscious and may not always want to be in front of the camera (that was not the case with Olivia which was so fun!).
Olivia is a freshmen and this year is a big one for her too as she transitions into high school. She’s already excited to come back in a couple years for senior portraits but I’m SO glad we got to show off her personality and style at this age (so much will change in the next 4 years and I cannot wait to see her again in a few years).
Check out some of our favorite images from Olivia’s session and be sure to like and follow our Facebook Page so you can get in on the next chances to WIN a FREE Limited Edition Session.
I saw an article pop up in my facebook browsing this week that had me intrigued, confused and mostly just a whole lot of ‘oh no you didn’t’ … The article was the 5 reasons you shouldn’t get engagement photos (let me insert a big fat sad face right here to start). This was one of the rare cases where I couldn’t just keep scrolling SO with this bonus extra blog post for the week I’d like to tell you why I think you SHOULD have engagement images!
Granted there’s really no way that this ‘rebuttal’ doesn’t come across as self-serving (you know, because I’m a wedding/portrait photographer who, yes, sells and profits from the creation of engagement portraits – eh). BUT, I promise, I want you to get engagement portraits even if I’m NOT the photographer who creates them for you (and I’ll tell you the reasons why below).
ONE – It’s the most in-depth wedding photographer interview you can ever hope for! You hire your wedding photographer 6 months to 2 years in advance. Hopefully, you’ve done your research and have viewed past wedding work, whole galleries, finished albums, heard reviews from past clients (maybe even personal referrals of friends), etc etc. You’ve met with them or at least chatted with them and you feel good about your choice. BUT, of course, they showed you their BEST work, they put their best foot forward to impress you and win your business. More than likely what you see IS what you’ll get, but wouldn’t you like to KNOW for sure?
What if you could work with this photographer and be photographed by them on a before your one and only wedding day? This would give you a little preview of how they work, let you see if you interact well with them, if they get you, if they make you feel comfortable. AND if they can give what they’ve promised. You’ll be able to see if you like their images of YOU (not just past clients) before your big day. Imagine how confident you’ll be when they walk in at the wedding when you already KNOW they can produce images of yourself that you love and deliver on everything they promised, because they already have once; at your engagement session!
TWO – It helps your photographer prepare for your wedding day! Just as much as it can be helpful for you to work with your photographer before the big day, it can be even more helpful for them to have previously photographed. As a photographer, I study people. I study your face to see what angle is most flattering, if you have one eye that closes a bit more when you smile, if you’re a squinter or fake smiler, and I work to pose you in ways to highlight your best features! Time and time again my client’s will have more favorite images toward the end of their sessions for this reason. It takes me TIME to see these things so the images of you just get better and better as I photograph you more.
I am also able to see what images of yourself you liked best. Did you fall in love with the romantic fun images we encouraged or did you gravitate toward the traditional portraits we posed and crafted? This information lets me custom-tailor your wedding-day photography to what YOU love most. If I know you or your fiancé is a little more reserved or shy when there is a crowd we might plan to have some solo portrait time where you can both relax and be yourselves away from others. On the other hand you may both be more comfortable and come alive in front of your friends and family and feel too ‘in the spotlight’ when it’s just us…. I could go on and on about all the things I’m able to learn about you from 45-90 minutes at your engagement session but it might start to sound a little creepy (just know that I’m watching…. bahahaha <<< see creepy!).
The fact is, engagement sessions HELP me create better wedding day images. And as Ms. Emma Mcgowan (writer of that article I mentioned above) points out in her article, weddings are expensive so might as well get the best bang for your buck and ensure I can do the best job possible on your big day.
THREE – They are more authentically YOU! Ok, sorry Emma but this is in direct contrast to her reason number two NOT to get engagement portraits because they can be inauthentic according to her. This reason of hers actually made me LOL. Just curious how many times you wear a frilly white gown and your man is in a tux surrounded by all your friends in matching chiffon, taffeta and holding or wearing flowers. My guess is this is not how you spend most of your weekends.
No, your wedding day is not authentic to your daily life, nor should it be, it’s a BIG event, do it up! But I often suggest to my clients that we do showcase who you are on a more regular basis with your engagement session. Wear what’s more typical for you, choose a location that might have personal meaning or at least showcases your personalities a bit. Maybe we revisit a favorite date location, proposal spot or iconic home town monument. The fact is your engagement sessions are your opportunity to be authentic. To tell your love story! Which leads me right into reason four….
Taken at their first date location! (Plus the DOG! What’s not to love??!)
FOUR – They tell your story… As we already said above these portraits can tell your story at a depth we aren’t always able to create in the time we have on a wedding day. But your story isn’t really ‘told’ until we have a medium to showcase the images. Personally, my favorite way to do this is with one of our custom-designed guest books (see some designs below). This replaces the old tradition of just having a lined book where guests sign their names (who ever looks at THAT after the wedding day?!?!). Instead of this, we create a beautiful custom album design featuring 20-45 of your engagement images, showing off your whole story (locations, outfits, personalities, pets!) with blank areas for your guests to sign their names and leave well wishes for you to hold onto forever. Now imagine flipping through THAT book with your kids or grand kids in the coming decades!
We also create wall art for nearly 80% of our wedding clients with images from their engagement sessions. The fact of the matter is that your dress (however stylish today) will be outdated in a decade or less (think about your mom or grandmother’s dresses… were there shoulder pads? a huge veil/headdress? long fluffy sleeves?). So a portrait of you on the wall in that dress in 10 years is going to LOOK 10 years old. But what about a portrait of your engagement session … in love, yes! outdated, no!
FIVE – Just a bit of time that’s all about you and your LOVE. My absolute favorite part of my own engagement session (and even my husband’s as well) was that it was a little bit of time, carved out of our lives where it was, not only all about us, but it was all about being in and showing off our love. In the hustle and bustle of our lives how often do you just stop, slow down and hold your man? How often does he just stop and run his hands through your hair in a movie-worthy long slow kiss? Not often enough, I tell you!
But on your session… that’s exactly what we do! We laugh, we play, you kiss, you hug… you slow down to just focus on the fact that you LOVE each other and it’s an amazing thing.
SIX – Because you WANT to! (Ok, I really planned for this to be 5 reasons but I guess there really are MORE reasons for than against hahaha). After all this it’s really just a bunch of she said, she said… Whether you listen to Emma or me, the last real reason to have engagement images is because you WANT them! At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I think you should (and I do) or if Emma things you shouldn’t. You are only at this time in your life once, enjoy your engagement just as much as you do your wedding (and all that comes after it) and if engagement images are part of that joy for you do it! Don’t let anyone steal that from you. And if you DON’T want them, I’m really surprised you read this far, but you’re free to go on not having them taken.
Thanks for sticking with me through this out of the box blog post for me! The most fun part was getting to flip back through some past engagement portraits!!
It’s time again for us to focus on another favorite local business in Decatur! This month we’re looking at someplace special for your fur babies, Millie & Bo’s Barkery. They have everything you need to spoil, treat and pamper your pooches (especially after a vet visit at Northgate Pet Clinic across the lot).
The Details: Charlene Fitzpatrick, Manager at Millie & Bo’s Pet Barkery | In Business: 14 years
Hours: T-F 9-5:30, Sat 9-3| Locations: 2890 N MLK Jr Drive, Decatur IL (located in Northgate Pet Plaza) |Phone: 217-872-1111
Tell us about your business…What do you do? Millie & Bo’s Barkery is an upscale dog bakery and boutique in Decatur, IL. We bake dog treats, sell unique dog toys, as well as greeting cards, and dog themed jewelry. We also have a large variety of dog-clothes in our store and we also offer unique gifts for that dog-lover in your life. We also sell dog food, including Fromm and Hill’s Science Diet.
What makes your business unique/special? Millie & Bo’s offers all-natural dog treats, most of which are made in-store. We also offer treats with frosting if you are looking for something a little extra-special for your pooch. We also offer unique products for your pooch, majority of which are made in the USA… and there’s a set of big hedgehog cages in case customers need some cuteness and a cheerful charge for a day.
In what way have you gone above and beyond in the past for a customer? We go above and beyond for customers by bringing in special order items that we don’t normally carry. We try to make sure we offer one-on-one service with all customers because we want everyone to love our store just as much as we do. We want to always make sure that our customers are happy when they leave our store.
What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? Someone brought us homemade cookies at Christmas last year.
What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? Why? I would say Beachy’s in Arthur because they supply us with all of our cooking necessities.
What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? Millie & Bo’s employees are frequent visitors at Coffee Connection for all of our lunch needs! And they also hand out our cookies to all of their visitors with dogs.
WHY did you choose to do what you do? My dream job came true at Millie & Bo’s. I started working as a baker here and then I was able to move into a managerial position. I love working with dogs and always being able to please my customers. And best of all, I get to bring some of my dogs to work!
When did you know you wanted to go into this business? Our goal at Millie & Bo’s is to provide fun in your pet’s life. Angee Baker is our owner and she started this business and named it after her two dogs at the time, Millie & Bo. Ten percent of our profits will always be given to animal care agencies!
What are you passionate about outside of your business? We are passionate about sponsoring and supporting dog-related events throughout Decatur, IL.
Describe your PERFECT day… A gratifying day is when we are able to have a lot of customers bring their dogs in!
Introduce us to your STAFF…
Charlene Fitzpatrick, Manager– Charlene has 9 dogs: 7 miniature dachshunds and 2 standard poodles. Charlene was also born and raised in Burbank, California.
Alexa Jones, Sales Associate/Baker– Alexa has two miniature Australian Shepherds named Redd and Blue. She attends Eastern Illinois University when she is not baking dog treats.
Nikki Macke, Sales Associate/Baker– Nikki has a lab mix named Murphy who she loves to take on long walks and she also enjoys spending time with her sons Adam and Max!
Gillian Jones, Sales Associate/Baker– Gillian is Alexa’s little sister and she will be playing volleyball at Parkland this fall.
*** They even have special pieces to help you remember your beloved pets once they’ve passed…
It’s time to see Emily’s senior portraits!!!!! This year I had not one, not two, but THREE lovely gals from Central A & M apply to be senior models and while I typically do not accept more than two seniors maximum from a particular school into the model program I just could not turn away one of these beautiful gals. They were all three SO different in style, interests/activities, personalities and even looks …. so this year we have 3 Central A & M models and I’m 100% thrilled with it!
You may remember Abby (posted just a few weeks ago) and we have Kaitlin coming up soon but right now it’s EMILY!!!!
She did a phenomenal job selecting unique outfits and my absolute favorite has to be this beautiful dress. It was perfect for field sunset portraits:
I knew I wanted to try out this new location and when Emily sent me her wardrobe I knew this would be a perfect fit for her neutral aztec pattern top – nothing goes better with a little aztec pattern than a little pop of turquoise! Ok this might be my second favorite outfit of Emily’s… those gold bands!!! <3 And I just love her curls so that middle portrait is one of my absolute favorites! Plus she has the BEST laugh face so that bottom left… LOVE IT! Jump perfection: Red lipstick + gold bands + water… YES please! We ended Emily’s session with an unexpected water excursion. 99% of the time when we add water into a session it’s preplanned. This time, we just happened to be in the right place at the right time and when she pulled this out for her last outfit I pitched the idea of diving in (literally) and she was game…. I’m SO glad she said yes to those, it was a blast!
It’s been so fun to photograph Emily and even to get to know some of her friends on her BFF day photo shoot! Don’t forget to check out more seniors and other recent work on our Facebook Page.
Today I’m excited to show off some of Katie’s favorite images from her senior session! She was such a sweetheart and I had a blast photographing her in the studio this month. I met Katie and her sister at last year’s Neuhoff Media’s Lady Palooza where they both jumped in and pre-booked Katie’s senior session and her sister’s family session (coming up this fall). I just love it when new clients love the work and we click right away (one of my favorite parts of those shopping nights is chatting with new people!!).
I rarely have the chance to give a session away since we devote so much time to our clients the schedule doesn’t always allow for it but these new Limited Edition sessions are shorter and in excitement for kicking them off I decided to have a little fun and give one away on our Facebook Page! It was so fun to see people get so excited to share/comment and try for their free session. We had people enter trying for images of their seniors, families, kids, and even pets!
