Today is Brittany’s time to shine. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Brittany’s family multiple times over the past few years but I was so excited to hear it was already time for Brittany’s senior session and her moment in the spotlight! Her and her family are definitely bit animal lovers so it was a no-brainer to work in her gorgeous kitty (how beautiful is her coloring, and perfect for our studio backdrops!). We also wanted to be sure to get some variety so while we did a few in-studio for a really classic look we also popped downtown for something a little grittier/grungier. And my favorite are her nature images from this fall, especially the ones in the water… I just love that hat and dress!
To finish off her senior portraits she popped back in the studio recently with her friend Alivia so we could create a few images of them together for their graduation party. These two were a blast for their short session so I know they will have a ton of fun at their upcoming party.
Don’t forget to pop over to Brittany’s Facebook Album to give her some love with your likes/comments!
I’m so glad the time has come to show off and share Abby’s full senior portrait experience with you! The lovely Ms. Abby is a senior at LSA high school here in Decatur and she was one of our class of 2017 senior models. That means that her portrait experience with us started small, with a quick 5 minute debut session here in the studio….
and it grew and grew…. That individual quick session was followed by our model session event in the beautiful (but WINDY) spring weather at Ryder’s Garden center. The yellow blooms were perfect with her golden blond hair and I love the Greek goddess look that the floral crown by The Secret Garden gave her!
After those two model sessions, which were really about creating fun looks I loved, it was time for HER senior sessions which are all about creating looks that SHE loves. We hopped back in the studio for a few more looks in the early spring but the real magic happened in the summer when we hit the town…
We started downtown before hitting some backroads in search of something fresh and new and we found it. A perfect little one-lane-gravel road where we had a great sunset and some wild tall weeds! I love so many of Abby’s portraits and am so glad that she did too.
Don’t forget you can still apply for your chance to be a class of 2018 senior model for a full year portrait experience just like this! Model applications are accepted from now until March 31st so don’t wait!
It’s Hunter’s moment in the spotlight on the SJP blog today! She’s a senior at Central A & M and is super talented. Not only does she play both school and club volleyball and cheer but is also a fantastic artist! She brought in a selection of her favorite art pieces for her session so I was able to create a few images that combined her art with mine.
Check out that game face!
This sunset image was probably my favorite combination. It completely took this image to a different level and my favorite part is that it made it much more unique and personal to her.
I did also really like the combo of the wolf and eye with this BoxDropsbySJP backdrop in a similar tone. Two of Hunter’s art pieces, plus a backdrop design by Punch & Sizzle all combined for my image… it’s like art overload!
Hunter’s also a big fan of mixing up her lip color so I loved the idea of doing a series of images to highlight that. My favorite ended up being the dark lip in black and white which is so bold yet a bit classic.
And don’t forget to check out her Facebook Album where you can get a closer look and give her some love with your likes/comments.
I’m thrilled to show off Macy and Tyler to you today! With our recent warm up in temperatures I am itching for some greenery like this soon. I had a blast photographing these two on a beautiful morning out at Allerton Park. Since they’ll be getting married in downtown Decatur and we know we’ll have a lot of urban scenery on the wedding day we decided to get some variety and get out into the greenery of Allerton for their engagement session (plus, added bonus was we worked in a bit of brick/stone textures with the mansion area too!).
These two are so sweet together and their session was super relaxed and fun but I just LOVE how they both rock that model face (see below). Smiles, cuddles and giggles are fun but whew they are owning that serious face.
When Macy pulled out their second outfit for the session I knew immediately I wanted to get them in the greenhouse where the bright white and windows always give a subtle blue hue which was perfect with Tyler’s polo. Plus the ivy around the greenhouse was perfect that day!
Don’t forget to head over to their Facebook Album to give them some love with your likes/comments and stay tuned this July to see their wedding images!!!
Today I get to share a HUGE small business based right here in Decatur. Just this last month I had the privilege to photograph their 50th anniversary celebration complete with a open house banquet/dinner party and a Bose giveaway contest which all their attendees could participate. And I have to tell you that spending time with them over those two days of festivities I just LOVE the atmosphere they’ve cultivated. There is an attention to detail that I haven’t seen in a lot of places with trucks, a warehouse and offices that are pristine.
Being very goal driven myself I also loved seeing their goals for the year/month broken down and posted throughout the offices as well as their overall visions for each department displayed largely (like 8 feet tall guys) in their meeting room. There’s a pride and fellowship among the employees and owners that cannot be overlooked and it makes it a pleasure to work with them.
The Details: Skeff Distributing Company, Inc. | In Business: We’ve been in business since January 6, 1967. Over 50 years!
Hours: Office Hours are Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm, Friday 8am-4pm. | Location: We distribute to 5 markets in East Central Illinois: Decatur, Springfield,Champaign, Danville, and Taylorville.| Phone: 217-877-3774
Tell us about your business… What do you do? Skeff Distributing Company, Inc. was incorporated on January 6, 1967 to serve as the distributor for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. products. 48 years later, we have expanded our footprint to include the counties of Macon, Menard, Piatt, Champaign, Vermilion, portions of Logan and Christian, DeWitt, Sangamon, Moultrie, Macoupin, Montgomery, Morgan, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, and Iroquois in Central Illinois.
The company currently has 27 delivery routes in the Decatur, Springfield, Danville, Champaign-Urbana, and Taylorville markets to service around 1,800 customers. Team Skeff has expanded to include over 100 employees (both union and non-union) and distributes 70+ brand families.
What makes your business unique/special? Skeff Distributing is in a special position in business and industry because the product by its very nature is centered on good times and social gatherings. Not too many other businesses can say the same!
What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without? We could not do business without our suppliers, especially Anheuser-Busch our main supplier, or our customers. Without them, we would lack products to sell to our retail accounts and, by extension, their customers would have nothing to consume!
A few years ago I had the chance to work with Skeff for the first time to create the large (6 feet tall) red focal canvas you see in their lobby (pictured below). This was a fun and different project for me though I often design large pieces and collages for my client homes this was the first in a while for a commercial office.
One of the coolest things to see as a consumer is the massive Skeff warehouse with stacks and stacks and stacks (and stacks…..) of beverages literally as far as you can see! I know I take for granted the fact that I can walk into any grocery store or gas station and pick up my drink of choice… well this, my friends, is what makes that possible!
And you cannot overlook the amazing memorabilia that adorns nearly every space at Skeff. This is an amazing look back through this history of some of their main suppliers:
Lastly, I’m excited to share with you the Skeff 50th anniversary video:
