decatur il small business – Page 4

February 14, 2017

| Tiara | Senior Portraits | Class of 2017 | LSA High School |

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Today I get to show off and share Tiara’s senior session with you! Tiara is a class of 2017 senior at LSA here in Decatur and we had not just one but TWO sessions for her so we could highlight both some summer looks and greenery plus some fall leaves (and even a pumpkin!). Plus she’s an LSA cheerleader so we hopped in the studio to highlight that along with recreating an image that her mom had done her senior year too!
This is one of my favorite pages from her album design which featured all her favorite images! It’s off to print this week so I cannot wait to see it in person.

And we even included her sister which I love! Your senior portraits are definitely about YOU but they are also about who you are and that includes the people important to you!
Be sure to head over to her Facebook Album to see MORE and give her some love with your likes/comments. And if you’re a 2018 senior there is still time to apply to be a SJP Senior Model for the BEST senior portrait experience with so much more (exclusive BFF session event, one-of-a-kind concept session, Indy trip for just a couple of our models, hair and makeup and the chance to earn a over $1000 off your senior order AND a $500 scholarship). Click HERE to apply to be a class of 2018 senior model!

February 9, 2017

| Steck Family Portraits | Decatur IL Photography Studio |

Better late than never… if you follow the blog closely you know posts come every Tuesday/Thursday and technically it’s STILL Thursday so we are on time (just a bit later in the day than usual). The snow yesterday showed up out of nowhere and was beautiful so my office time was put on hold to go create for a lovely family who has been excitedly waiting for the flakes to fall. So tonight I’m burning the midnight oil to catch back up on some things! And I’m so excited to share these siblings with you to~~day~~night.

Amy came to me this fall to try to get the kids in the studio in a tiny window of time where they were all back home for Thanksgiving break. We had hoped to do both in-studio and some outdoor portraits since we’d had such unseasonably warm weather and low and behold the day of their session was the ONE day it was nasty and rainy all week. Well we didn’t let that stop us!

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I love the classic and timeless look of low key (aka black background) studio portraits and it meshed perfectly with both their wardrobe choices. And a fun twist on this session was the recreation of the below ‘kissy’ image that the kids had done when they were little, I should have taken a photo of their original because I think we nailed it if I do say so myself!

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Cut to wardrobe change to show off where the kids are in their lives right now with the boys in military school and this lovely lady about to graduate and become a doctor! We may have only hung out for about an hour but these three were delightful to work with and am so glad to share and show them off to you all today.

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#meanmug ^^^

You can give them some love with your likes & comments on the Facebook Page!

February 7, 2017

| Dodson Family Portraits Backyard & Downtown Decatur |

Today’s blog post is coming to you a bit later in the day than normal but for a very good reason. This morning when I got to the office I got a sweet, kind but heartbroken email from Heather about some bad news they’d gotten about one of their adorable dogs who won’t be with them much longer. This gal was just looking for some happiness in her sad day and was hoping their blog feature happened to be coming up this week…. though it wasn’t scheduled for a week or two, of course hearing such news I bumped it up a bit!

I know our dogs are a big part of our family and were included not only in our family photos before BabyB came along but were also included in her newborn portraits and hang in photos all over our home/walls. I’m SO glad we included these two in their session and am happy to be able to share them all with you today. Prayers and good thoughts to this family this week as they hug and love on this special girl for a bit longer. She may not have wanted to be in the spotlight of the images but she made her presence known especially with some amazing facial expressions (like the one below!).

The below image is one we all loved but I kept going back and forth on if I liked it best black and white or color and these two kept debating horizontal or vertical… what do you think they picked?!?

I’m really excited for how dedicated Heather was to selecting images she knew she wanted to display in their home and deciding how they wanted to display them (so they don’t just end up in a box somewhere at home) which is right in line with what I love to do with clients. The following three are planned for a series collage.

And the one on the left below we designed as a thin horizontal canvas to fit perfectly on their wall.

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January 31, 2017January 30, 2017

| Peyton L | Eisenhower High School Senior 2017 Photographer |

Today I get to share Peyton’s senior portraits with you! I got to work with Peyton’s family for the first time a couple of years ago when I photographed his brother Preston (class of 2015).

Of course, as you might guess, most guys aren’t running through my doors with bells on and buckets of clothes excited for the day they’ve been waiting for all year … so we don’t try to hold them hostage for our longest session but it’s amazing what we can get done at a single location in 45 minutes (especially with guys who’s clothing changes are quick and easy!). We chose Fairview Park for Peyton’s session because we wanted to work in a variety of looks to get both an outdoor nature feel as well as some more urban tones/textures. We also wanted to mix things up from what we created for Preston which was a more fall/urban look.

What I’m most excited about sharing with you today is something Peyton’s mom told me just yesterday….. that Peyton’s favorite images were those when I captured him smiling. MOST guys make me work a little harder than our gals do to get smiles in front of the camera. But no worries, challenge accepted!

The below letter image was a special request to make sure we worked in to Peyton’s session so that once his younger brother has his senior portraits we’ll have a series with all three with their letters. I love that we are planning ahead to a series piece that will show off this similarity between all three Lindsey brothers!

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Don’t forget to head over to our Facebook Page to give Peyton some love with your likes/comments. AND seniors remember we are booking our class of 2018 SENIOR MODEL interviews NOW: Apply HERE!

January 26, 2017November 1, 2017

Mint Salon | Small Business Feature | Decatur IL

You guys!!!!! I’ve been waiting excitedly to share Mint Salon with you. I’m a bit biased toward this gorgeous salon since my hair stylist (aka hair artist/magician) Katie is there but I have to say I’ve heard over and over again how much my clients and friends love all the gals here. And brides, seriously there is NOT a more adorable salon for you and they have the state of the art SalonTouch Studio software that facilitates communicating your desires to the hairdresser, perfect for getting ready on your big day!

The Details: Mint Salon, Brook, Randi, Katie, Lydia and Ashely | In Business: 4 years

Hours: Vary per stylist on Tuesday through Saturday| Location: 363 S. Main St. Suite 409| Phone: Vary per stylist

Tell us about your business… What do you do? We are a locally owned salon offering hair-cuts, color, specialty styles, makeup, facial waxing, nails and pedicures.

What makes your business unique/special? We stay up to date on current trends and styles. Also our salon vibe is a vintage chic style.

See clearly the rest of Decatur knows how awesome this place is! Voted #1 in the Herald and Review Reader’s Choice 2015:

What item/service on your menu or in your shop do you just LOVE and think everyone needs? We LOVE a good blow out! It’s the perfect way to start off your weekend or to make it less work for you to style over the next couple days.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer? We offer classes and parties for friends to learn new tips & tricks. This also gives them the opportunity to socialize and have a little fun with their friends.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you? We have had numerous great/cool things that our clients have done for us over the years. From jobs for family members, gifts, and concert tickets! We love our Mint clients!

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? OPI nail polish and Kenra hair products are our go-to products that we could just not do without!

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why? Paco’s Sol Bistro and Donnie’s Pizza are our number one places to hangout and relax after a long week!

WHY did you choose to do what you do? We love people and love creating art out of hair.

When did you know you wanted to go into this business? From a young age I think we have all loved makeup, hair, and fashion. This is the best!

What are you passionate about outside of your business? Family, friends, music and of course a little shopping addiction as well.

Describe your PERFECT day… Brunch at the Blue Spoon, hanging at the pool with the family and some wine on the patio!

Introduce us to your STAFF…

Brook Banning– I’ve been doing hair for 14 years!! My reward and fav thing being a hair stylist is styling out the finished product of my cut and color! Outside of hair I absolutely love traveling so I can enjoy my favorite things like quality time with my kids, shopping, dancing, the beach and music!

Ashley Brown– I’ve been doing hair for almost 4 years. I love doing bright and fun colors. When I’m not at the salon, I like working on my new house and lounging with my animals.

Lydia Gentry-Nail tech at Mint Salon. I have been in the industry for 17 years. I have been at Mint since we opened 4 years ago. I love being the best part of my client’s day!!

Kara Williams– My favorite part of being a hairstylist is doing Upstyles such as weddings & proms. A little fun fact about me…I started college as a music major, so I love singing and enjoy a good family karaoke session.

Randi Johnston– I’ve been doing hair for 10 years and I love new color trends especially balayage and hair painting. When I’m not busy with my toddlers I love crafting, playing with makeup and decorating my house!

Katie Fucinari-Hair and makeup artist. I have been doing hair and makeup for ten years and specialize in bridal makeup. When I’m not in the salon I love to spend time with friends and family! Fun fact about me is I would love to own a old school muscle car!

See the latest news at:

http://www.mintsalondecatur.com/blog/

facebook.com/mintsalondecatur

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog