Thursday, February 27, 2014

Marketing

Commercial shoots are an exciting part of our business.  Working with a company or small business owner to create marketing material to help support business growth is always a positive challenge.  It's never the same request and quite often the shoots can lead in new directions as they develop.



Last spring, Mark was approached by the franchise owners of the new coffee shop at the Esplanade and Eaton Rd. "It's a Grind".  The owners had been out to the studio before because they were highlighted in the Golden Valley Bank billboard campaign in 2012, so they were familiar with what we could offer.  Mark popped out to "It's a Grind" the morning before it opened, and scored some great shots.  Before we knew it, people in the corporate office were contacting us for some of the images as they headed off to Dubai for a marketing campaign.  What started as a low stress, quick shoot of a coffee house before customers entered the scene was transformed in to a week of email traffic and a couple more shoots a long the way.  It was fabulous!







This shoot aimed to highlight the clean, modern and spacious layout of the new Chico business.  Businesses need high resolution professional images for many different uses: head shots for business cards, product shots for websites, shooting stills for a TV commercial, Mark has experience doing it all, and getting amazing results.  If you are looking at your advertising budget, figure in photography costs and call us - it will pay dividends!

"An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage."



Tuesday, February 25, 2014

ATTITUDE PANOS

We started offering this popular team picture option this past year, and they exceed expectations.  Although not feasible with the time requirements for large, recreational sports leagues, the attitude panoramic is an excellent option for our competitive sports clients.  The kids love them and they look fabulous up on the wall.  They are available in 10x30 and 5x15 sizes.






We're looking to extend out to the single player collage using this lab and software and that will be coming in 2014 - imagine a collection of your child in a multitude of environments all in one handy panoramic print.  If you're going to see us a lot this year (quite common in the Chico, Paradise, Durham or Orland areas)  - let us know and we'll take full length shots each time we see your child.  By the end of the year we could have quite the product!  Who will be first?

"People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude."



Monday, February 24, 2014

Ben and Paige - November 9th, 2013


Joy.  This wedding radiated with it.  Even so often, an event comes together without us noticing the stress that is all to prevalent surrounding weddings these days.  Whether it is fabulous planning or simply the personalities of the bride and groom, it is always a gift to be a part of the day.  Mark is very talented and experienced in reducing the stress surrounding the photography on a wedding day, and it is a great reason to hire him.  But for this one, he was off the hook!

Included here is a collection of portraits, reception and decor shots.   We capture it all throughout the course of the day, guaranteeing that our clients receive the formal portraiture and the collection of memories that made their day unique.


























Vendors:
Location and Photobooth provided by: The Palms
Catering by: Special Times Catering
Design and Decor: Wedo Design
Florist: Cambray Rose
DJ and Music: Platinum Productions


"Let a joy keep you. Reach out your hands and take it as it runs by."   Carl Sandburg, Author

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Garin and Michelle - September 21, 2013

This was a day made for the use of a professional photographer and Mark thoroughly enjoyed working with Garin and Michelle and rising to the occasion. The first rain of the fall (maybe the only?) came down all morning and early afternoon, and this was planned to be an evening wedding at a private residence. No safe reception hall or church to fall back on. We like to refer to our good fortune as the "karma train" for a reason, and it prevailed again. The rain let up and clouds started breaking just in time.

After the weather came the challenges of the after sunset wedding time. This was going to be an evening of low light photography, and Mark wanted optimum results for this dynamic couple.  When Mark consulted with Garin and Michelle, he recommended lots of decorative lights for background fill and interest.  They took his advice to heart and created an amazing backdrop for both their ceremony and reception.  Looking back at these images, we see once again why weddings are such an integral part of our business.  Mark thrives in the "day of the event" mode and loves the individual challenges every wedding is sure to provide!




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"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the
 job, wait until you hire an amateur."  Red Adair



Off to the Races!

Here we go, at long last - we are no longer the photography company that refuses to blog.  As we looked back on 2013, Mark and I came to the conclusion it was finally time to jump into the blogging world.  A couple reasons led the way 1.) Time is flying.  Period.  We have been so focused on building a business and raising kids, that it feels like we blink and a year goes by.  Or 5 years.  2.)  Mark is at a point professionally where we have thousands of images, if not hundreds of thousands of images, stored on our computers and people still call and ask what we offer.  It's time to share!



"The most important single ingredient in the formula of

 success is knowing how to get along with people."  

Theodore Roosevelt