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Posted on September 12, 2008
Yes, I know. The very idea that Christmas is coming up is about the last thing anyone wants to think about right now. (We’ll ignore the fact that as of today, there are only 102 days left!)
My first pointer for great family photos is:
Do.
Them.
Now.
Seriously. Everyone still has their summer tan so they look great, and life isn’t as hectic as it gets to be closer to the holidays. It’s one less thing to think of by the time November rolls around.
My next pointer is this:
If anyone wears glasses, get with your eye doctor to borrow a set of empty frames for your photos. I’ve said it before, but it really does interrupt the flow of a portrait session if I have to keep reminding people to “keep your chin down” in order to prevent glass glare. There are other tricks (such as raising my lights, having you tilt your glasses, etc) that I use, but they create their own set of problems. (Lowering your head often creates a “second chin”, raised lights creates a lighting effect I don’t care for, and tilting your glasses is often very uncomfortable.) Children especially are very difficult as they are always on the move.
It takes a very long time to successfully remove eyeglass glare from photos. Sometimes I simply can’t do it, and have to have my lab do it. Their quote starts at $45. Per eye. That also being said, because of the time involved in removing glass glare, I am instituting a retouching fee of $15 per set of eyes, per pose. This is the first charge I’ve ever had for retouching. But believe me when I say I can spend an hour (literally) on glass glare, and if I have several poses that all require it, my processing work involves many late nights preparing orders.
So, eliminate all of that, and get some empty frames. 
Third tip:
Color coordinate clothing.
You don’t have to all wear the same color. Different shades of the same color work well. As do complimentary shades. What doesn’t work well are clashing colors, and bold designs. There are exceptions to every rule. (An example would be a family who took a summer trip to Hawaii and all want to wear their new Hawaii shirts, being one of them!) However, for a timeless, classic look, I really recommend simple styles. That gives you a family portrait that you will be proud to have on your wall for the entire year.
So. Those are my tips. Just for those who are planning on scheduling their family photos, here is the break down of my holiday deadlines.
November 14th – last day for portrait parties.
November 19th – last day for family sessions.
December 1st – last day for normal orders
December 15th – last day for rush orders.
December 16th – January 1st – no portrait sessions or orders taken.
These deadlines are the very last days I will accept orders for Christmas delivery. Rush orders will be charged a 50% rush fee. I get very busy with both Joyful Heart Photo as well as my day job in the months of November and December. The professional lab I use for Joyful Heart Photo also gets extremely busy. Due to the seasonal nature of the business, I do not guarantee a specific turn around time on portrait orders placed after November 1st. The closer we get to Christmas, the longer things take, simply due to the mass quantity of work.
I really love this time of year. I get to reconnect with a lot of previous customers and see how their families are doing. And it’s fun simply to be busy with photography. It’s amazing how creative families can be when they’re planning their family portraits, and I get such a kick out of the children.
Thanks again to everyone!
Posted on September 7, 2008
It’s been a nice birthday. Nothing super fancy about the day. McDonald’s for lunch. Little Caesar’s pizza for dinner. Now that I think about it, I didn’t get a birthday cake. Oh well. *LOL* I’ll pick up some tomorrow.
Hubby bought me a new computer desk. He had planned on having it ready last night. Since I worked yesterday, after I went back from my lunch, he packed up the boys and hauled them to Grand Forks. He wanted to get me a desk that had a locking CPU compartment. Our youngest is really good at getting into things and more than once he’s turned off my computer at an inopportune moment. He said he went to five stores and couldn’t find one he liked for me. So he was sad he didn’t get to surprise me. But I was so pleased that he went to that much effort that it didn’t matter to me. So today, we found one and it’s a nice one. He’s spent the last few hours putting it together while I gave the boys their bath, put them to bed, and took a bath myself.
We did other mundane things one does when one goes to Grand Forks. Exchanged some things, picked up a few other things. Once we got home we did get our family pictures taken. Woohoo!!! I haven’t looked at them yet, but I’m pleased with what I saw on the camera. Yay!
All in all, it’s been a nice day.
Tomorrow it’s back to work for me. And back to surgery for my Grandma. The doctors have decided it’s time to go back in and try to get the rest of the cancer cut out. It’s supposed to be a much shorter surgery – only a few hours this time. But it’s still surgery and it means another lengthy period of healing for her to go through. Once again I’d like to ask everyone who reads this to keep her in their prayers. And also keep her doctors in their prayers. They need the Lord’s support and guidence as well in order to do His healing.
I will update when I know more information about her. Thanks again to everyone.
Posted on September 7, 2008
Thirty years ago I made my entrance into this world. Wow. In some ways I’m still shocked that I’m this old. (Quit laughing!) And in some ways I feel a whole lot older. *LOL* My family and I have a nice day planned. I just hope it isn’t as “exciting” as my 21st was. Don’t go jumping to any conclusions on that one. Especially when I say it that the evening involved a ride in a squad car. Hubby and I were on our way to dinner. I hadn’t even had ONE drink yet. And a drunk driver ran a stop sign and I broadsided him. I can tell you from experience that having an air bag go off in your face is not a fun thing. But everyone’s favorite birthday for me ended with me calling my boss (the only person I knew since we had just moved into town a few weeks before) to come get my hubby and I from the East Grand Forks police station. I never did get that drink. 
But today will go a lot better. I just know it. My big plan for the day is to get my family photo taken. This should be fun. *LOL*
And just because I’m in a good mood, here’s something fun. It’s my birthday, but you get the gift! Anyone who contacts me this week (Sun, Sept 7th through Sat, Sept 13th) will get 30% off their Creation Fee. It doesn’t matter when you schedule your portrait session, just email or call me this week to set it up, and you’ll save 30%. Sounds like fun!
We’re about ready to take off, so I’ll post more later. I still have to share from Kim and Ty’s wedding from last weekend and if I actually do get that family portrait done, I’ll share that, too!
