Shutter-Happy Photography

A client inspired me to take on the task of a big family portrait for us…

She had booked and planned the appointment with Emily, told all her family and in-laws where to be and when, and she made sure everyone was in beautifully coordinated colors (neutral blues, browns, and creams).  They were all a delight to work with; their clothing was perfect.  And thanks to all the attention to details, we created wonderful portraits for them.

So, this past Sunday, I got everyone into warm reds, oranges, and golds, and we headed to the studio.  One standing pose and one sitting pose later, we had two great images!  Hot and tired, we didn’t continue on with individual family portraits, but I’m thrilled with what we got. 

How does a photographer get images of herself plus extra family and two small kids?  Battery pack, studio light, tripod, camera set to capture every 5 seconds, skill, a little bit of silliness, and a lot of patience.

And what will we be doing with these?  I’m planning on picking my favorite and printing a very large framed canvas for our new playroom (which will be decorated in the same colors as we wore).  Coincidence?  Nope. 

We handed out our award certificates and prizes to the “Cutest Kids at Shutter-Happy” this morning.

Lila Sherrill (who won first) was present with her family- Word, Tori, and little sister Ella.

Macy Robertson (who won second) was also in attendance with her parents- Tooter and Jimma.

(The two girls that tied for third place were not able to make it to the studio this morning.)

We wish everyone a big CONGRATS again.  And THANK YOU so much for being our clients.

For everyone that participated in this year’s contest, thank you for making it such a huge success.  For everyone that missed it, watch for news in January for your next opportunity to enter the National Model Search!!!

1- The Best of the Best ballots are out and around town.  Go snag one from The Boerne Star and vote for your favorite restaurants, stores, services…. and don’t forget to vote for your favorite photographer!

2- I’m applying for a business grant.  With votes, we could possibly win $25,000!  What would we do with that?  Build some beautiful walls and gardens in the back yard for sessions and hire on another employee.

Please vote!

Yep, I admit it.  I used Ben.

Granted, the main purpose of the session was to celebrate and capture his birthday.  But I also sooooo totally used the time to try out our new backgrounds and spots in the yard!

1- We started in the sunroom with a new backdrop.  Yep, that’s just a backdrop, not a real brick wall.  Very cool.  Went great with his “edgy” shirt.

2- Taking advantage of our beautiful wood floors and our old trunk, I put Ben in green in front of our new green background.  Gorgeous!

3- Ben wanted to wear his “Ben” t-shirt.  So we headed outside for a more relaxed spot.  And I put him on top of one of our new fake rocks.  They’re pretty cool!

4 and 5- I did enough mowing and tree-trimming to use this area of the yard.  There are trees to lean on, an outhouse to have in the background, and an old tin wall to pose in front of.  Love it all!

6- Got Ben all dressed up for our cute front porch.  I just love our pale blue walls and the white flooring and railing.  These soft colors have gone beautifully with boys in dress shirts and ties or little girls in dresses.

7- Wanted to try out one last backdrop- our new yellow.  Bright and sunshine-y!  You can’t help but smile.

Success!  I love the results!

And I was able to capture him beautifully.  His personality is there.  He looks like a big kid.  He got to wear some of his favorite clothes.  He got to go barefoot and wear his new cowboy boots.  There was no complaining.  It was actually a lot of fun. 

Like what you see?  Call us!  Come on in!

Coming off the thrill of having 3 of the 5 finalists in Texas for the national competition, we are happy to announce our local winners!

With a panel of judges (members of Texas Professional Photographers Association, publishers of children’s websites, and local ladies who own children’s businesses), we are able to give away our own awards- “Cutest Kids at Shutter-Happy”…..

1st place goes to Lila Sherrill
2nd place winner is Macy Robertson
3rd place is a tie, being shared by Riley Noon and Olivia Sprowls

CONGRATULATIONS to all four darling little ladies!

Each mom will now get to choose:
*to have their winning image printed on a portrait purse, a keychain, charm, or ring
*to have their winning image as a float wrap (8×10, 8×12, 10×10, 11×14 or 12×12)
*to receive a gift certificate for a free family session and set of Christmas cards (to be used before November 1st)

Voting for the Cutest Kid in America ended in a flurry of last-minute votes on Sunday night.  Official results were just announced today.

And out of the top five spots in Texas, we took three of those!    (1st, 4th, and 5th)  Congratulations to the three gorgeous girls- Olivia, Macy, and Riley!

Next, the judges take all 50 finalists throughout US and Canada and choose their top three favorites.  Those will be announced on the 25th!!!  We’ll be waiting on pins and needles to see if one of these beauties take a big prize!!!

Finalist Gallery

We’re still not sure when Emily actually started working for Shutter-Happy.   

But I know Alice and I started talking to her about the first of April about just taking over some marketing tasks.  Her first big job was helping me with the Rainbow Play Systems’ Easter Extravaganza (which was about this time last year).  And then it snowballed!

Alice had to leave her job… Emily agreed to take over all those consulting and scheduling duties too, as my consultant.

We found the studio… Emily agreed to take over ordering appointments, and we gave her the title “studio manager”.

Business boomed… She’s now helping with every appointment, unpacking deliveries, packaging orders, framing prints, running errands, helping clients design beautiful orders, taking care of every phone call, etc, etc!  All, just so I can keep my full attention on creating and printing the beautiful images my clients are used to.

Thank you, Emily!  Thanks to you, the workflow is running smoothly, clients are happy, business is better than it has ever been, and I am sane.    I’m proud of you for how much you’ve learned this last year and how much you’ve helped make “my baby” such a success.

What a great night!!!

Shutter-Happy had a table for the whole staff, past and present.  Through two silent auction donations, we raised hundreds of dollars for the local schools.  We had wonderful conversations, enjoyed visiting with the community and clients, and were treated to a great dinner and delicious dessert!

Our auction donations?
We gave away one free portrait party (which was packaged with gifts from other neat local businesses).  Worth $300. 
And we gave away a free portrait session and any size paper art piece.  Worth $1000!!!!

We have 31 entries in the National Model Search!  And they’re all so adorable, it will be very hard to choose our favorites.  So we ask that you go vote too!

Two ways to make your choices:
Choose who you want to win and give it favorites points through April 5th, 11:59pm (you get five free favorites points per e-mail address)
or
Vote as much as you want for your favorite images at $1 per vote through April 10th, 11:59pm

Model Search Site

This was our first year to participate in the Boerne Parks & Rec’s Outdoor Family Fair.  And despite the cold, wind, and off-and-on drizzle… there was a great turnout and we had a wonderful time.

I was thrilled that several kids that I photograph came up and gave me big hugs!  I loved seeing the familiar faces of clients.  And it was great to meet so many other families in the community.

We gave out lots of stickers and lollipops, had over 160 people stop and have their pictures taken in the photo booth, and we collected information from everyone for a big drawing!  FUN!!!  And winners are….

Free session:
1- Taylor Pearcy
2- Faye Ennis
3- Katie Kulbeth

Free purse:
1- Valerie Lopez
2- Angela Fiedler
3- Angelica Esparza

And everyone else that stopped by and left their information?   You win too.  You’re welcomed to call and book any time before July 1st and get $50 off your session fee!!!

In constantly searching out new ways to stay informed, learn, and have my work evaluated, I found an organization that recognizes excellence in children’s photography.  I submitted my application and website for review and was accepted!

I am now a member of the National Association of Professional child Photographers. 

Emily and I are equipped and ready for 2011, thanks to a conference that was just in town…

Days 1-3 we attended the pre-conference, all focusing on the business side of photography (setting policies and prices, sales and marketing, customer service, workflow, etc). 

Days 4-6 touched further into these subjects but also focused on our art (finding our style and defining our brand).

And we finally attended the big trade show on the last day, getting to learn about new products we can use and offer, and also getting to visit with all of the vendors we’re already working with and love (our lab, jewelry supplier, purse supplier, etc).

It was intense, quite exhausting, but lots of fun!  And we can’t wait to tackle this year with new ideas, new offerings, and new eyes!

Whether it’s our full, beautiful sessions geared toward the whole family or our short, sweet mini-sessions tailored to letting your little one be the star, we have at least one Limited Edition session opportunity that you won’t want to miss!

(we’ll announce official dates as soon as we decide!)

I know I say this with every event, but… I had so much fun! 

I got to meet several new families and kids and got to reconnect with some clients I hadn’t see in a while.  I got to see daddies (and a mommy) dress as Santa.  I got to see the kids’ eyes light up as they giggled about the transformations.  There were a few amazingly well-behaved children.  And there were images that were breath-taking.  That all just made my weekend!

And what did these parents get?  Some special time with their kiddos, some beautiful memories and images, and 50% off our regular print prices! 

Thank you to all who joined me.  Watch for a call or e-mail soon to pick up your orders.  And have a wonderful 2011.  Hope to see you all again soon!

We just participated in the yearly MOPS Shop event, where local moms at MOPS got to browse booths of other local moms’ businesses…

We set up a table for Shutter-Happy with our images and goodies.

We showcased our work; we gave away pamphlets and balloons; we sold cupcakes and petit fours.

And then we had a drawing for a gift certificate.  Free session and portrait purse.  Valued at over $150.  Winner was Melissa Siller!