Kaiser Fine Photography

A different inspiration.

2012-02-02T22:22:00.001-05:00

This time of year many of us suffer from winter blues. For me this is the hardest part of the winter. Snow or no snow, just the dreary days can cause mood swings. I found this link and hope it helps!http://www.wikihow.com/Fight-Winter-Blues

Inspiration in fellow photographers

2012-02-01T22:10:00.001-05:00

Tonight I had an opportunity to talk to the Northeast Photo Club about our visual journey. Even though I wrote the program it was also what I needed to hear. To pay more attention to my own visual journey and nourish it. I also was part of their competition and found it wonderful to see so much great work. Very inspiring! Next is to refresh my knowledge of my favorite artists.

Inspiration in Humor

2012-01-31T23:12:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a girls night out at the Terrace Gardens in Clarks Summit. My friend Jeannine Luby has been producing a comedy tour and tonight the tour came to Clarks Summit. Comedian, Liz opened and got the audience laughing and loosened up. Jeannine came to the mic had everyone laughing. many people, myself included, crying laughing. It's amazing that life happening is so funny because life happens to you too and you can totally appreciate the jokes because they are so true! It was a great evening and there's nothing like laughing to relieve stress!

Inspiration in color

2012-01-30T22:47:00.001-05:00

Hello! Well, today I needed to reach a little deeper for inspiration. This image caught my eye simply because of the contrast in color and the harsh stucco look contrasted by the organic shapes of the plant which actually repeat some of the shape in the stucco itself. I took this photograph in October in Rehoboth Beach.

2012-01-29T20:50:00.001-05:00

Happenings Magazine has asked me to discuss in an editorial about my Hand Tinting on not just restorations (shown) but about our new Oil Hand Tinted portraits. It will be in the March issue along with some photographs! About the photograph. While I have done many restorations with hand or digital tinting, the original goes to the client. In the photograph above I created a sample for the article, this is my aunt and uncle.

Inspiration soars

2012-01-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

So this is how the day started out. With the promise of spring right in my windowsill as I sipped my morning coffee. The paper daffodils my mom gave me for Christmas have sprouted and bloomed rather quickly. So even in spite of the dreary day outside, it was a little ray of sunshine. THEN it got better!

I decided a month ago that 2012 was going to totally rock. Although I have grand plans every year, I was determined to get out of my own way and accomplish what I set out to do with God's guidance and occasional kicks in the butt from my friends. So today while I was working on all the things I had to do, the phone rang. I was asked to be part of an editorial for Happenings Magazine next month. I will be showcasing restorations and the oil hand tinting I've begun to do. Wow! So now I have to work diligently to get that information to the editor. THEN another call came in and it was the N.E. Pa. Business Journal letting me know that I was selected as one of the Top 25 Women in Business that they honor each year. WOW WOW! And let's not forget the opportunity to speak to the Northeast Photography Club next Wednesday. They asked about a specific topic and I'm excited about preparing that talk also! Thank goodness it's Friday, I'm not sure I could handle more excitement! Have a great weekend!

Inspiring quotes

2012-01-25T23:23:00.000-05:00

I love reading various books and magazines for inspiration. First would be my various devotionals but also on my bookshelf is Success magazine and a variety of dare to dream kind of positive books. These quotes I thought were nice. I have so many great plans for this year and see it as a year of transition that I felt these were fitting. Enjoy.

"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem imporbably, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."

Christopher Reeve

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

Walt Disney

"Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity."

Investor's Business Daily

Just a thought

2012-01-23T22:53:00.001-05:00

Each day I try to find a nugget of inspiration that will be my thought for the day. Today was a big one one that I am going to work on being a new habit. It amounts to Stop-Look-Listen. For me this means to stop and think through things before acting or reacting. Look around at the blessings I have and the people that were brought onto my life and what they mean to me and Listen for that internal voice for guidance before moving foward. All to avoid acting on impulse which usually won't yield the best result to the decision or circumstance at hand. It stayed with me today and I am working to make sure I remember to use that technique going foward. It just seems to fit every kind of situation from losing weight to making purchases to dealing with less than desirable situations.

Who would have thought...

2012-01-22T09:35:00.001-05:00

Who would have thought that one would see this kind of scene on a bustling, lively Bourbon Street? It was kind of interesting though. This sad lonely building even in its current state had character and color. It made me wonder. Why was it abandoned? Did something happen to the owner of the building? Did they just give up? Why don't they sell it or rent it out? I kind of felt sorry for the building...almost as if it had its own personality and it was sad. It makes you wonder...

My morning inspiration

2012-01-21T21:35:00.001-05:00

Each morning I spend a little time by myself in reflection and prayer. Here is one of my favorite Sites to learn and listen - www.joycemeyer.org. I encourage you to check out her broadcasts and books

2012-01-20T16:23:00.003-05:00

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination."

Tommy Lasorda, Sportsman

About the photograph - I took this image during (obviously) a blazing snowstorm, a couple years ago in East Benton. It is one of my favorites. Cheryl

And what do you do with that inspiration?

2012-01-19T22:27:00.003-05:00

Well, I arrived home happily from my New Orleans trip to the Professional Photographers of America national convention. My luggage followed by about 9 hours (woo hoo! we women all know how we don't want to appear in public without our cosmetics!).

This morning I arrived at the studio and spent several hours going over all sorts of things with Stephanie, my part time employee and idea bouncer-off'r. Might I add that I also warned her that I'd be coming home with lots of news! So much information that we had to take a break and I took her to lunch to continue the conversation. All my inspiration came bubbling to the surface....New lab to service us personally, new management software that we both have to learn...together, as well as lots of new ideas for custom backgrounds, newly purchased props, and books for fiuture ideas.

As I talked about the classes and people, I told her about how inspiration came bubbling forth in the form of offering to help with the Professional Photographers Certification Commission. I personally expressed my interest in helping on a national level to encourage photographers to become Certified.

As if that wasn't enough... Ten years ago I wanted to prove myself to me and the world, my capabilites and comittment by earning the Certified Professional Photographer designation. NOW I've made the next (and overdue) comitment to myself and my friends and clients that I now seek the PPA Masters degree. This is obtained through continued education and earning merits through print competion. My goal is that by the Imaging convetion 2015, I will stand before my family and peers as I earn this coveted designation. I find this inspiration in my family, friends and you, my clients. I will earn my competition print merits on tthe images I make for you, my clients.

That is what I do with my inspiration....what do you do?

3 days of inspiration

2012-01-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

As I sit waiting for my return flight from the national convention of the Prof. Photographers of America in New Orleans, I reflect on three very full but rather exhausting days of seeing friends from other parts of the country, classes, vendors, an early morning meeting, and evening gatherings. As expected I'm overflowing with ideas and insprations. The trick now is to return to the studio and put my new great ideas into play. I'm hoping that the flight home will give me the "downtime" I need to process some things. I made some major back-office decisions that will be implemented soon as well as have some great ideas that my clients will enjoy in the form of new types of products and sessions and new props. During the 3 days I had an opportunity to view the International Print Competition where hundreds of beautiful images were displayed - some of the finest in our industry. This convention also offered a few classes only offered to Certified Professional Photographers. The class last night revealed new details about being Certified (I have been a Certified Professional Photographer since 1999). It was very enlightening and I volunteered to be on a national committee for the Certification Commission that oversees all Professional Photographer certifications. I'm excited about being able to give back to my industry in this capacity even if I'm not 100% sure what the duties will entail.So full of inspiration, I return home. See you soon!my apologies for no images in this post, the ipad doesn't seem to want to load any :(

Inspiration as motivation

2012-01-14T13:55:00.001-05:00

Inspiration can be the catalyst for motivation. As I prepared for my trip to New Orleans I needed the inspiration of things to come...the inspiration of the classes and instructors,the anticipation of seeing friends from around the country, and excitement over the parties and networking that are on the schedule...to motivate me to get all the things done yesterday in order to leave. I have my friend Jeannine Luby of Laugh to Live for her being there at a moments notice to give me direction on the newsletter that needed to get done. She was great and after going home and packing, the newsletter was uploaded at 1 a.m. I'm looking foward to this trip and to sharing some of my inspirations with you!

Pumped to be inspired

2012-01-12T17:21:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I leave for New Orleans for the PPA national convention and I am PUMPED! Not nearly as pumped as I will be when I arrive home ready to take on the world! I will have a chance to not only learn from some of the "greats" of our industry but I'm looking forward to saying hello to my vendors that provide all the products that you enjoy in your home (and all take very good care of our studio) but I will have an opportunity to network also. And let's not mention that I'll get to see friends that I don't see very often and be able to check out Bourbon St. again! (The photo above is a scene from a previous convention presentation). It will be 3 days of total inspiration!!!

Inspiration through playing

2012-01-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

I've always been attracted to the graphic side of life. Many of my college projects included various forms of design in my photography. Photographing chrome (back when cars had chrome bumpers) and printing the images in black and white and then photographing buildings. Not the whole building but just certain elements using the building's architecture and the light and shadows to create design. Here are a couple images I took while in Rochester in August. Today I allowed my mind to wander and take a few moments to look at the images I had taken. These two jumped out from the folder full of landscapes of Lake Ontario and a butterfly garden at the zoo and some animals.

The one building that obviously is being demolished. I was taken by the textures and colors and how it's kind of tower-like. I finished it as a black and white for the graphic effect of the textures and patterns. This image makes me wonder who the last people were that walked those floors. Notice the top window is open. Guess someone needed some air.

This image is a light fixture at a train station. I love the round shape agains the angled beams. I finished this as a "lith", or lithograph to flatten it out to its basic shapes. That makes an image (or the negative, originally) with blacks and whites, no shades of gray. I can't wait to dive in to the rest of the images and see what I can do! I love to play! What have you done with your favorite images?

Inspiration in age

2012-01-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

Back in October I had the priveledge of photographing a family on their farm. The property has been in the family for years. All the generations live on bordering properties along this country road. What a beautiful area. When you step onto the property it's like you are transformed to a day long ago when life was much simpler and you leave behind, even for a while, the craziness of the day to day thing we all do. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the family. "Gram" was wonderful to talk to, I could have sat and chatted with her all day, she had so much character and you could tell she had great wisdom. She is in her 90's and very much part of the day to day family activities and "goings on" and is actually a great-great grandmother. It was my job to take her arm and escort her from the house while her chair was carried outside for her. Tucked under her arm was a book she was reading. An old book that has probably been on her bookshelf for 60 years. I love the contrast of the old book and the brightly colored bookmark in the one portrait below. It has been a priveledge to photograph different aspects of this family's life for years but it was a true blessing to record their moments on their generations-old farm. In the portraits below you see Gram interacting with her great-great grandson. How often do we come across these precious moments?

Today's Ah Ha

2012-01-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

So for a while now I've been wrestling with what to do that would create a one of a kind product. Now as a matter of background, in my deep dark past I did years of craft shows, selling my photographs and one of a kind hand tinted photographs. As my business grew I gave up craft shows - probably 10 years ago. Many may remember seeing me at the Moscow Fair for the 9 years I displayed there. Anyway, last June when Carbondale had their Art Walk, my friend Donna (owner of Art Strands Jewelry and Gifts) basically shamed me into displaying my work on the sidewalk outside her store for the evening. Heck, that's not what I've done for years. My work is stored in totes in the studio basement...why now. Well, I displayed only my hand tinted work. Funny how thing happen. I did some demos of tinting - like I did back in the day. Then as people admired my work I found myself using the dialog of days gone by..."these are hand printed by me in my darkroom and hand tinted using brush and dyes.." BAM there it was. Hand printed....hand tinted... Wow, hadn't thought of that in years. I was actually asked if I'd be interested in exhibiting in a gallery!!! That was the bolt of lightning that I needed. Sort of.

Well, since then I've learned to oil paint too. My goal was to offer oil painted portraits as a one of a kind portrait product to my families but having some issues getting exactly what I wanted. THEN this morning...I was looking at a newsletter from a mentor and an image I saw rekindled something inside me that reminded me that 1. I love, love, love hand tinting. 2. I'm not as good at painting and don't want to rely on a computer for a truly artistic product. 3. With my hand tinting experience and newly formed oil painting techniques - oil based, hand tinted portraits are what I'm meant to do as a one of a kind product. Gee, why didn't I see this all along? I've posted some photos here showing well, not the most ideal prints for tinting but I was totally in my element creating them. I tried one at my desk at the studio - not the ideal lighting. Where did I end up working? Well, my old darkroom-turned-art room! The place where I have spent 20 years creating either by light or safelight. It's not a darkroom anymore, but I'm working on that.

What's next? Well, some trial and error with particular labs to find the perfect paper to create the perfect final piece. The plan is these one of a kind pieces will be available 16x20 and up, matted and framed. My goal is to be able to offer this by April. What do you think?

My working oil tinting pallat

the couple different portraits I sampled. The large one is actually printed a little too dark for proper tinting but I had to try!

This cute little guy...the small print is tinted, the larger one is an original. This doesn't do it justice. I'm so pumped and feel the artistry just flowing! More test prints to be uploaded tomorrow!!

Past inspiration helps with new

2012-01-08T21:30:00.001-05:00

I painted this a couple months ago as I took oil painting lessons. Taking these one-on-one lessons with my friend Mary Lou Chibirka (a wonferfully talented painter)refreshed my eye to color and detail in what I was seeing. This freshed vision has helped in so many ways including my photography. In November, I took a break from my Monday morning lessons for holiday season. I promised to paint on my own and have a finished piece when I returned in January. Well here it is, January and no painting. But by having this piece hanging in my dining room im constantly reminded how much I enjoy oils and to call to restart my lessons and pick up my brushes tomorrow...

new life in winter

2012-01-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

It's wonderful and inspiring to see some signs of new life popping up from the bulbs I planted after Christmas! It was a kit I received from my mother and soon they will be paper white daffodils. (my apologies for the sideways photo)

January 6 - A different Point of View

2012-01-06T16:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it just takes simply sitting in a different place with a slightly different view to give you some inspiration. You see the world around you from a different perspective. You may even notice things you didn't before. Working on my 2012 planning, I set up at a table only about 5' from my desk and computer. That's all it took to keep me focused.

Inspiration and a brand new year!

2012-01-05T17:24:00.000-05:00

A new year, a clean slate. I just love "starting over". It seems like the perfect time to implement new ideas and learn from others too. There are lots of new ideas coming very soon so we will keep you posted. Today I had lunch with some friends who are also studio owners. These lunches usually go for a couple hours, especially if it's been quite a while since we were together last, as it was today. I alway come away with some new ideas or a new outlook on something. A conversation we had got me thinking. What inspires us each day? Think about it. There is always SOMETHING that either inspires us to be creative, to get out of bed, to stop and think...so my new idea is to blog every day about what inspires me that day. I hope you will enjoy! (Thank you Chrystal!)

After returning to the studio from lunch, I worked on an order for a newborn that I photographed just before Christmas...like the 23rd of December! As I looked at this precious face, it really inspired me to stop and look and reflect on the innocent peace that we each are born with. Isn't she sweet?

Fall - Holiday Newsletter

2011-09-27T12:18:00.000-04:00

We are proud to provide you with our latest newsletter! This time we have made it an information newsletter magazine. It includes articles as well as out studio speicals. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.

Fall Holiday Newsletter

Tips to natural smiles and expressions

2011-09-12T15:10:00.001-04:00

If there is a camera in the room the most overused word in our language becomes “cheese”. Think about it. Then what happens? The kid gives the most ridiculous grin – totally fake. Then mom’s response is always “smile naturally, that smile is so fake”. I’ve even had moms in my camera room say that to the child during a session. This usually causes stress on the child and angers mom too. My response is to say chuckle and say “the only cheese in here better have crackers to go with it!”. I then continue to explain to mom we want to avoid that word, or to tell them to “just smile”.

1. Natural expression. Most times, no smile or a simple pleasant look, is so much more gorgeous than having a big smile. When we capture a child who is pondering something we’ve said, or interacting with a toy or sibling, those are the most precious moments. They are relaxed and having fun and you see the roundness of their features and wide open eyes. When you tour an art museum and look at paintings, they aren’t smiling back at you. These types or portraits are beautiful for large wall portraits.

2. Smiles. Of course every mom wants to see their child happy. Some families consider only a good portrait is one where the child is looking straight at the camera and smiling (a fallout from generations of dreadful school photos I believe). This is a great record of the child’s face and stage but we still don’t want all that “cheese”. With big smiles parents have to understand that the child’s eyes will be crinkled up. This is where I see parents decide that a more relaxed expression is nicer because you see the eyes better. But to get the best smiles. After all we are creating something artistic…not school pictures.

So what to do?

A. Just talk to the child, ask him/her about something funny that happened to them or a family member or about something relevant to his/her life. This will give you thoughtful and pleasant smile or even giggle expressions.

B. Engage his/her mind with a question or a toy. This will give you natural “look of wonder” expressions

C. Using a word that makes kids giggle. That will get them laughing, and naturally. Sometimes ends up with those fun belly laugh expressions! BUT THEY ARE NATURAL and no cheese was used!

Making clients of all ages comfortable is something we strive for here at Kaiser Fine Photography. When a client comes in for portraits, either family portraits or of the child alone, we find out what the child (or children) is into and get to know the child before entering the camera room. We will learn the child’s personality and make them feel comfortable, no matter how long it takes. Then we will use some or all of the techniques discussed here to give parents the look they want. Our parents love the variety of expressions they can choose from and we all have a lot of fun. All without muttering the word “cheese”!

I think there are two things that I’d love to stomp out in the world - parents saying “cheese” to kids and any camera wielding adult lining people up in front of and against a wall or sitting on a couch for a photo (it kind of reminds you of a line up photo doesn’t it? But that’s another blog post!).

Try some of these techniques. I’d love to hear what worked for you!

Where did the summer go?

2011-09-04T09:39:00.000-04:00

It is said that life happens when you are busy doing other things. That it does! Here we are - Labor Day, and I think I cooked on the grill three times all summer! I love grilled food. But somehow we were all running in different directions or looking for something quick or cold. But there are still some warm days ahead of us so there is still time for getting a couple summer activities in. I hope you had a chance to travel this summer. Getting away is always nice. We opted not to get away for a beach vaca - our daughter, Taylor wanted to work and stash some cash for college. Who can argue with that! So we decided that since she was taking a 3 day, pre-orientation class and we also needed to be at the first day of orientation, that we would take a week and tour the greater Rochester, NY area as well as get to know the RIT campus a bit better...all giving Taylor her space. Bill and I enjoyed a day at Lake Canadagua sampling beer at the Naked Dove brewery and some wine at the Wine and Food Institute and enjoyed a lakeside lunch too. We also became very familiar with the shopping around RIT!

So now Taylor is off on her own, classes start tomorrow for her. Looking ahead, Bill and I have some crazy weeks ahead. The fire company wine fundraiser, then a weekend at Rahoboth Beach, I then travel to Kentucky for a class, supporting Bill as he runs his 11th Steamtown marathon and then attending my class reunion back home. Whew. It's going to be a whirlwind!

We have new, fun things ahead for the holidays for you and even are ready to launch a new e-magazine! So stay tuned, call Kaiser Fine Photography soon for your holiday portraits, especially if you would like some outdoor portraits! And watch your mailbox and email for our upcoming specials!

Happy Labor Day, Cheryl

The Old Darkroom makeover

2011-08-07T19:41:00.000-04:00

It's been probably about 5 years since I put away my darkroom equipment. At that point I had been digital for almost 6 years and no one was in need of prints from negatives I had in the files. So it was pretty safe. Closing the darkroom down was one of the most emotional things I'd done to date (sending my daughter to college is currently the most emotional...). Then a couple years ago I reopened it for Taylor and her friend and showed them how to develop film. Then it got put away again. While I really miss my darkroom time, life changes and I didn't enjoy it as much as time went on, as I had in high school and college and my early career. My darkroom was my domain, my private world.

So as it would happen, we had flooding (again) in the basement in February. This time it flooded 4 times in 2 weeks. We had some ruined sheetrock and it got cut out of the wall. There went the "light-tightness". In recent years it was my scrapbook and art room anyway. But it's just kind of sad that even if I wanted to I couldn't use it for printing. Anyway, I decided it was time to ditch the flat dark charcoal paint that made it quite depressing to work in...rather dungeon like. It was time to make it a more visually inspiring place for creating art.

Not wanting to spend a ton of money on this remember, we are sending a kid to school soon and I see 4 years of eating Ramen noodles ahead. I found sky blue paint. That took care of 3 of the walls - barely. This weekend while my husband and daughter were away I decided to tackle the complicated task of painting the cinderblock wall with the pegboard and plumbing and the ceiling. I thought about just leaving it dark but it didn't look right. So on my way back from visiting a friend yesterday I hatched an idea. I bought a gallon of white and painted the wall and ceiling. I also bought those little sample tubs of paint which Justus Hardware had on sale in bright colors. Then I took my brush and just threw paint on the walls, ceiling...and me. It was one of the most liberating things I've ever done! I was singing at the top of my lungs to may favorite music, had some wine while keeping my friend entertained with text updates and just threw paint...laughing the whole time. What better way to decorate an art room! Here are some photos.

Before. I have 3 walls done. I was kind of not looking foward to dealing with the plumbing and guages on the sink (under the sheet to the right) and cinderblock in general.

You can see where sheetrock had been removed to allow access to kitchen plumbing work we did.

my thrown paint

The finished part of the wall over the sink. I painted the pipes different colors too.

What fun it was!

Now the task of putting everything back in the room in an organized manner!

Written goals

2011-07-27T12:12:00.000-04:00

I was compelled to share this. Over the last few months I've felt like my brain was rebooting. There was no inspiration as far as business building goes. Normally I'm adicted to reading magazines, looking on photography forums I belong to and generally "hungry" for knowledge and inspiration. Since early May, not so much. I believe my brain hit an overload and needed to reboot. Anyway, the last couple weeks I've suddenly rekindled my desire for marketing and inspiration. So last night I'm watching tv and going over notes, articles and things I had printed off the internet, assembling them into an old 3 ring organizer binder. I have one section in there that I use for my goals and one for to-do's and one for notes,etc. Well I had a sheet of goals that I had written down last September and another page of goals that I had written down in January. I hadn't really re-visited these pages too much (not as much as I should have). Well when I looked and read each goal, I was totally amazed at how many goals, from both pages, I've already accomplished or changes in my life that I've made, just since I wrote them down....and without even trying! So I'm in the process of making some new and loftier goals and promises to myself. I'm going to spend some time just visualizing and then write down new goals and see what happens. Then, if I re-read them from time to time and purposely create direction and pray on them, who knows what more I can accomplish! What goals have you written down and accomplished? I'd love to hear!

Anyone you know having a baby?

2011-07-16T20:31:00.000-04:00

We have a very special offer for new mothers. Click on the link and give us a call. We offer only a few openings in our schedule per month so make sure you call now. http://issuu.com/cherylkaiser/docs/kaiser_fine_photography_new_baby_gift_certificate?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

It's Senior Portrait time again!

2011-06-01T14:13:00.002-04:00

Yup - it's that time of year. I'm way behind and only getting my catalog to the printer as I type this but I've attached a link for you to browse. If you are the class of 2012 or know someone who is, please share this with them! click on the link and it will open the 2012 catalog!

http://issuu.com/CherylKaiser/docs/senior_caty_2012?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

New ...just in!

2011-04-17T08:34:00.002-04:00

I am very excited. As part of all the new products and backgrounds we've added just in the first 3 1/2 months of 2011, we just got in a new line of frames. These whimsical frames are just plain fun. Like all our frame mouldings, we can show you samples and how they will look with your portrait art and if necessary, you can borrow them overnight to make sure they will look good in the room where the portraits will hang. There are so many combinations. You may select just the wide moulding itself or accent your favorite color moulding with an accent wavy or round inner moulding. What possibilities! as always, we are there to help you make your decisions because we want you to be completely happy with your investment. And if traditional or contemporary mouldings are more your style, we have plenty to select from too. These new whimsical mouldings will be a level E upgrade to your wall portrait purchase. Check them out!

Ladies' Night at the Country Club

2011-04-07T22:41:00.000-04:00

Last night was the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce's Ladies' night at the Country Club at the Glen Oak Country Club. I have been involved with it for several years now as a vendor. Last night I had a display table and covered the event too. My new part timer, Kim, talked to clients while I worked. The event was great and I just love networking, sometimes I feel like an ambassador to Carbondale!

Here is my display table. It was a bit small but you work with what you have.

Here Kim (right) talks to some of the women about Kaiser Fine Photography's services. She even had a wallet of her daughter's mother's day portrrait in her pocket to show off what we did for her!

Here are the two bottles of wine from the wine pull that I bought as part of this fundraiser.

Kim is very dramatic when it comes to the passion she has for my work. She does a great job talking to people and really enjoyed herself too!

Is it Spring yet?

2011-03-29T17:38:00.000-04:00

Everyone I talk to is so tired of all this snow and cold weather. I'm wondering if it is ever going to become warm. So anyway, watch your mailbox, I just uploaded to my printer the new newsletter. The layout is changed a little bit and I went with a "less is more" kind of look. There are some cool things coming up. If you aren't on our Facebook Page, check out the link to the right and "like" the page. This way any new events and news will keep you up to date.

So I've had alot of "retail therapy" lately. Every couple years I need to invest in some new things. Props, backgrounds,etc. As well as clean out the prop closet to see what I have that I forgot about. Doing all this rejuvenates my creativity. I hate ruts. I realized after Christmas that I had gotten into a rut. So we have a ton of new things. We have even updated all our software and camera equipment again. With all this we have expanded the style of photography too. Now we can give you a looser, more unscripted look as well as our signature work. So lots of exciting things going on and always adding more. Here are some photos of what is new.

Scranton Women's Network

2011-02-18T15:37:00.001-05:00

Wednesday was the February meeting for the Chamber's Women's Network. I've attended for several years now. I try to go every month since it's a great way to see people and network. So after the January meeting was over I mentioned that if they were interested I would be happy to do a presenation to the ladies at one of the luncheons. Mari was thrilled as were a couple of the committee members who happened to be in earshot. So they added me to the calender for the fall. Then a few days later, Mari calls to inform me that I've been bumped to April! Whew! that soon huh? Anyway, I'm thrilled and excited. I'm going to discuss how each person can look great in their own photographs - inlcuding what to wear and the importance of a professional portrait as well as how to pose and be ready when the office or family snapshooter comes around! I did this for a community group a couple years ago and it was very well received so I'm excited to present another version to the business community.

We hosted the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce Mixer

2011-02-10T16:52:00.000-05:00

Last evening we held the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce's February mixer. It was alot of fun and we had a great turnout. As I made my way around the different rooms I chatted with people and it seemed like there were alot of good conversations going on. The turnout was about 40 people. There were alot of new faces from all over the area as well as many of the regular attendees. We played a little game and everyone had to write down what Valentine message they would NOT want on their heart candy. From those we drew for our door prizes. It was great fun and there were some really great messages. The event was 5:00-7:00 but there were people still in conversation at 8:00! It was alot of fun and I look foward to the other events going on this year.

Next up is on March 5th I will be displaying at the KidDilly Expo at the Ice Box in Scranton. Then on April 6th I will have a table again at the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce's Ladies Night, then later that month I speak at their Women's Network luncheon and on April 28th I will be displaying at the Geneva School's Taste of the Valley. Whew! Now that I look at it that's quite a schedule. But no rest for the weary, planning for these types of events so I have the right products for the audience is an important task. I better get things done!

Here are some images from the mixer last night.

Vintage images

2011-01-20T16:44:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun today.Ava has always been a great subject to photograph and we have alot of fun.Well, she was in last week for her 5 year portraits and I had an idea in mind and her mom agreed to bring her back to Carbondale to the studio for some images. Basically I got to play. I was looking for a vintage look and while they are looking a little different on the blog screen than in my photoshop screen, I think they look cool - what do you think?

You have been working hard building your career - how do you stand apart from the competition?

2011-01-10T15:12:00.001-05:00

Your visual impact needs to be strong if you are going to stand out among the competition. Increase your visibility and look great in your business cards, networking sites, brochures and newsletters with a professional executive portrait. We understand your busy lifestyle, call today to ask about our January special and early morning appointments. Kaiser fine Photography will create your images for instant review and selection and have you out the door in under 30 minutes.

Does your entire staff need a portrait? Ask about our location services.

570-282-4090

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T16:23:00.000-05:00

Happy 2011! I logged on to make this post and I swear I've posted since September. Holy cow, well, maybe not. Let me fill you in. 2010 was a fantastic year. Things were rolling along at a normal pace until maybe June. in June the class of 2011 started coming for senior portraits. With myself and my part timer, Stephanie, we were able to take care of everyone in a timely manner. As the summer progressed, it got crazier and more of a challenge to keep up. Since I do all the artwork on every image, I broke my cardinal rule of not bringing work home. I did. That however proved to not be beneficial since I still had to open all the images on the studio computer for color correcting. So I would just work late...alot.

So I take off the week after Labor Day. A much needed time since our vacation this summer consisted of college tours and a fleeting 3 day trip to Ocean City, MD. Wow, it seems like so long ago - I almost forgot about it. So anyway, I got alot accomplished during my retreat and have promised myself to do that again at least once a year for a full week. Yea, we'll see how that works out for me. So anyway, we had appointments right up until 2 days before Christmas because our labs had no holiday deadlines. Ok, sorry I'm rambling. Anyway, I came to realize that I've been moving at lighting speed, especially since September, and my brain is just propelling my body foward to all the places that my calender tells it to propel me. I think I just missed Christmas altogether because it is January 2nd and that means that Christmas was last week. Hello? Lights are on but no one is home!

From here - we have 2011 ahead. I've spent considerable time in the last few weeks planning for new year. All I can say is WOW! I have found that I am planning in ways I've never planned and you will benefit alot! So what am I planning??? Here is a sneak peek:

1. A customer loyalty card program that will benefit my long time as well as new clients.
2. More collages and wall portrait options
3. Really cool new products that I will unveil when I get the samples in
4. Over the top customer service - again - the details will be unveiled.
5. I've ordered way cool baby and kid props, backgrounds and other goodies.
6. REGULAR BLOG POSTS! I like blogging even more than I like posting on Facebook. I will be running some contests too - so again, stay tuned.
6. Lots of things internally that will make my life, and studio workflow much more organized including looking for some help.

So stay tuned. It's gonna be a fantastic 2011! Make sure you check back or better yet, follow us and you will be up to date on everything.

My hubby, Bill and I at the Pioneer Ball in December.

2010-09-21T07:49:00.001-04:00

Tip: Family fall portraits - clothing should coordinate not just with each other but nature's palette too.

Retreat update

2010-09-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I didn't log in each day. As the days past one blended in to the others and it was the complete week that gave me a bigger picture. So now armed with new ideas and goals I will be implementing some things immediately and others as time goes on. Most will be transparent to clients. Anyway, for one we will be adjusting our hours of operation a little bit to better reflect when we actually need to be available for our clients and when we need to do internal work. Over time we will be expanding our coffee and treat station and have more goodies for clients. We will also be implementing customer home delivery in the future. Those are just a couple of the things that I worked feverishly on. It was a great week and I look foward to new directions that will be coming so stay tuned.

New Plans, New Directions

2010-09-06T08:55:00.002-04:00

For a long time I've been collecting information, magazines and books that inspire me. I study with other successful photographers from around the globe and participate in sevearl on-line communities. After years of this my head is left spinning with ideas. Many have become part of Kaiser Fine Photography while others await implementation or various steps to become a reality. For a long time I've drempt of having a long period of time to sit, reflect on where the business is, where it is going and which of these ideas I can get implemented without worrying about the day to day running of the business. This week is that week. I'm so excited. While if the weather is nice I may go to various spots to just be alone and think, I may end up just staying at home too, who knows where the wind will carry me. My main goal though is to come out of the week with new goals, products, a clear vision and a revitalized drive. Then again I always give myself too much to accomplish but it will be a seriously good start. I will sign in each day and keep you posted on my accomplishment.

So where did I come feom and where am I now?
I've operated Kaiser Fine Photography since February of 1990. Photography has been my passion and hobby since age 11 and I received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography. We moved to Scranton in 1989 and I worked at various businesses over a period of time after moving here. But I wanted to start doing photography again shortly after coming here. It was in February that a graphic artist that I worked with designed a business card for me and Kaiser Fine Photography was born.

I networked and started doing PR photography, something I've done since age 14. I enjoy meeting people and this grew the business. By 1997 I had a studio in my home and was laid off by my employer at the time. It was time for me to be full time anyway, it was just scarey to make the move myself, so it was made for me.

The business steadily grew and I've moved locations several times. I currently occupy a 142 year old house in Carbondale that my husband and I purchased in 2007. It was my dream to own my own building and have my own property for portraits. I actually found an old list of written goals that I carried in an old organizer. Of the 6 goals listed I had accomplished 5 of them and retracted from 1 for now (a level of staffing).

KFP has grown and I'm thrilled. Not without family sacrifice though but that is something I think all mothers deal with in some form. The business has had it's financial ups and downs but I've come through each stronger and savvier for the experience. Now it's reached a stage in the business life of "early maturity". It is time to revisit where the business is, the state of the industry and realign the vision a little and get excited again about what I'm doing. I cherish what I do and seeing the babies and children and families grow up over the years has been something I enjoy very much. Every one gets personal attention and I love the excitement of a session. New ideas inject new exitement not just for me but for you the client too. So let's see where we can take this! For today, I'm lounging around and relaxing until we go to a friend's house for a Labor Day party. Tomorrow I send Taylor off to school and start on my new venture!

Where did it go?

2010-08-31T17:09:00.002-04:00

Ok, I'm guilty. The summer has flown by and here we are looking at Labor Day and my last post was June?? Impossible. Although I spend more time on Facebook and posting images on there. I hope you will go to the group and join. And tell your friends too.

But as I reflect back on the summer, it did go by fast. I took two partial weeks for college tours and a short vaca. We toured some Boston colleges and then went to Ocean City, MD for a couple days to just lounge on the beach. The rest of the time we've been slammed at the studio. Stephanie works part time assembling your orders and handling the phone and clients stopping in when I am not available. I take care of the photography (of course) and the sales and the retouching. Not to mention the other things that go into running a business. I'm certainly not whining! I'm loving every minute of it. This has been one of the best summers ever.

So what next? Well I have some things up my sleeve. But to start with I am taking some personal time next week. It is going to be a week of reflecting and planning. By the end of the week I will have a game plan in place for new ways to spoil you - my client. If you have any ideas that you would like to share or things you'd like to see, by all means let me know!

2010-06-30T07:55:00.001-04:00

What an absolutely glorious day! This afternoon we have our first college tour. Kind of a practice run for Taylor to see what the college tours are about. I can't believe she's a senior now!

Seniors Seniors Seniors

2010-06-07T07:27:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year that the new senior class starts to think about their portraits. It's kind of a scarey time for me though as my daughter is now one of those. She's been a great help to me this year by making sure I change some of the things I offer and some of the style of photographer I do gets updated. So now I wait for the booklet to be in the mail and actually am biting my nails -the first special deadline is Friday and that's not alot of time. But I'm sure it will work out. There are other levels of specials also for later dates. So off we go. Even before this mailing is out I have several seniors booked already. What's left for me now is to get the camera room organized with the senior props and backgrounds and finish printing up all the other things that support the summer. I am also working diligently in the back yard to create some new vignette areas for portraits. It's fun creating new things and areas.

2010-05-17T19:47:00.001-04:00

Oooo, keeping up with technology can be challenging but fun!

2010-05-17T19:10:00.003-04:00

Ok, so this is a photo-free post. I just had to say. I'm excited to be part of the Greater Carbondale Chamber of Commerce's Art Walk on May 28th. I don' t know who our featured artist will be but hope you will stop by that evening and see. We also will be displaying, for the evening, the work of Stephanie Maxwell and her hand crafted wire trees and pendants, and Taylor Kaiser's artwork, as well as my own landscapes and fine art work. Hope to see you!

And, watch your mailbox for our newsletter. Probably next week - our spring - summer issue will hit your mailbox. We have a new look and it's more magazine style and easier to read and to keep on your coffee table for reference. I'd love your feedback when you get it.

Things have morphed againg into our "May" season. that is when the daytimes slow down a little bit (but actually, not so this year) and the evenings and weekends get frantic with award dinners, donor dinners and commencements for the colleges I do work for. The B'nai B'rith dinner last night (the Americanism Award) was my 18th!!! I can't believe it. I did the first one in 1992. That just amazes me. It's an honor actually. Next we look foward to various events for the Jewish community center, again that I've been covering since 1992&3. I reflect over the years as to where I started and where I am now and how the goals I had written down over the years have come true...but that's a marketing, goal setting lesson for another day.

Laughter comes to KFP

2010-05-08T21:53:00.003-04:00

I'm excited to have my long time friend Jeannine Luby move her office to our studio. There has been an extra room standing empty (well, except for all the cardboard that takes up space awaiting recycling) and Jeannine can use the space for her business "Laugh to Live". Here is an article that Jeannine wrote for my newsletter...

Smile and Say Chee ‘hee hee hee’ se!
Laugh to Live! Comes to Kaiser Fine Photography

Everyone wants to wear their best smile in a picture. Some days it can be tougher than others to find that smile…but it’s there. Stress reveals itself through a barking dog that needs to be let out, burnt toast, spilled coffee caused by a pothole in the road, a late arrival to an important meeting, an unkind or negative word said to someone because of your bad morning. We all experience stressors like this that take their toll on us and make us not feel like smiling. But the smile is inside waiting to be let out! And the smile is just the doorway to something even more important… laughter.

My name is Jeannine M. Luby, certified laughter leader and owner of Laugh to Live! I’m proud and pleased to announce that I’ve just opened a new office on the second floor of my good friend (and fabulous photographer) Cheryl’s Carbondale Studio. I welcome you to stop by the North Church Street location to introduce yourself. I would love to share some information about how wonderful laughter and humor are. I am dedicated to integrating more laughter and humor into people’s daily lives through Laugh to Live’s services that include: motivational presentations, laughter yoga sessions, comedy improvisation & stand-up performances and humor writing, for corporate, group and private audiences.

Every man, woman and child (and yes, even dog) can benefit from laughter. Ever since Norman Cousins made the medical community take notice of the wonders that laughter did for his body* after he watched Marx Brothers’ comedies, research has continued to reveal the benefits of laughter … and it gets more and more encouraging every day.

Laughter can help reduce stress, improve heart health, lift our mood, burn calories and help us think more clearly and creatively … just to name a few of the many valuable and positive effects it brings about.

I look forward to meeting you and sharing a laugh or two … for the health of it.

Visit www.laughtolive.net to learn more about what Laugh to Live can do for you, employees at your office, caregivers, teachers, students and everyone in our community! Or feel free to call 650-7518 to ask about how Laugh to Live! can help you find your smile.

*Cousins, who had a life-threatening disease, found that after 15 minutes of hearty laughter he was able to get two hours of pain-free sleep without drugs.

A busy community

2010-04-01T08:41:00.009-04:00

I always post portraits and things like that but realized I rarely post what else is going on out there that we are involved with.

Well, on March 19-20 I hosted live bunny portraits. The session fees were donated back to the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter where I foster the bunny from. This year was ver exciting because I donated $315! It was wonderful and they were very happy. Next year I may extend the special a little bit and ask for 2 bunnies. It is alot of handling for one bunny and I feel bad sometimes that the bunny has just had enough handling. Here is the press release photo that was sent out to the area newspapers.

Then there is the Carbondale Area YMCA. The Y has been undergoing a $9 million transormation over the last several years. I've been fortunate to be part of this campaign by supporting their photographic needs including the progress of the construction on a regular basis. Well this past Sunday, March 28th they had their "soft" grand opening. Introducing teh public to the new facility. It is unbelievable. The pool is beautiful and includes a waterslide, there is a Spin Room with several rows of spin cycles, and the Cardio room includes the usual treadmills and olypticals but also virtual skateboard machines and other really cool things for working out and fun and there is a free weight area too. The room is huge and there is the addition of a nurse on duty and the trainers, all right there.

Sunday's activities included a drawing for the first sliders down the slide (see photo) and the last person out of the old pool. It was exciting to be part of history.

First row: Halley Schwartz, Julian Turonis, Thomas Uzialko ( first to go down the slide ). Second row: Beth Wiggins ( Aquatic Director ) Mia Karev, Jeremie Bucklaw, Gwen Delfino, Mike Delfino, John Calabro, and Susan Mancuso ( Capital Campaign Chair ). Third row: Dr. Joseph Calabro ( Board of Trustees ), and Steve Durkin ( Executive Director )

In the meantime, at the other end of the valley in Scranton, the B'nai B'rith is preparing for the annual Americanism Award dinner held in May. I stopped in for two photographs that evening. First is the dinner committee and the second was a check presentation to the JCC youth from the B'nai B'rith lodge.

And all over the country people are launching campaigns for various seats in government. Here John Moran, a cformer Mayor of the city of Carbondale is preparing for his campaign for State Representative. I wish luck to all those running for office. They have the community's best interest at heart and I believe any of them can and will make a difference.

The past weeks have also been very busy inside the studio as we saw a record number of moms and families for Mother's Day portraits as well as a host of new babies for our Baby Plans. Those postings will be for another day as there are so many to post to Facebook that it will be quite a project to catch up. One that I hope to finish in the next week since so many moms and dads are anxious to see their images on line!

2010-03-03T12:53:00.004-05:00

BRRRRR! Wow, we have had our share of snow. I know other parts of the country has also. I can't wait for spring now. Well, even though several appointments had to be postponed due to either snow or sickness - things have been crazy around here! Mother's Day portraits are in full swing and we are seeing more and more new babies each month!

Our new "Organic" baby plan is catching on and the moms love the look. I've posted a couple from one session below. I look foward to the nice weather when we can go outside for portraits!

I just got back from our conference for the Professional Photographers of Pa. The meeting originally was for earlier in February but got snowed out. Go figure. The speakers were good and I learned quite a bit as I always do. And of course I bought a couple new backgrounds from my friend who is always more than happy to show me what's new with her creations. It's great because no one else will have these backgrounds. I added several colors of fabric for draping as a background or an accent and I added two muslin backgrounds in cool colors. I can't wait to use them. I figure I'm safe until mid April when we have our State convention...

Back in January I travelled to our national convention and made some serious purchases. Of course all had to be special ordered so they are just now coming in. The poor UPS guy. New lighting equipment and a new toybox type prop that has a weathered finish to it - that will be used for organic style newborn and baby sessions and who know what all else!

Going to meetings such as the Prof Photographers of Pa. and going to classes like I went to in January and being involved with my photographer friends on forums I belong to continue to be such an inspiration and I come away with so many ideas.

So what else can I tell you - well, how about when you come in we are offering coffee and cold softdrinks for our clients (and kids too). I want our clients to feel at home while they are here!

Catch up!

2010-02-04T15:58:00.005-05:00

Well it's time I catch up here. Been travelling during January and now that I'm back and in the swing of things again it's time to work on things. One of my goals is to keep up with this at least weekly. I just love seeing the babies coming in for their first year. It's a party. This little one just turned 1. I just love how they hold their hands out to help them balance.

Is it really 2010?

2010-01-20T16:36:00.003-05:00

Thank goodness! Although I am really embarrased that it has been months since my last post. I did make some resolutions this year. Of course it is well into January now and my treadmill is still sitting there calling my name and my various bible study books I wanted to read also are still there waiting for me. Although it hasn't been because I've been lazy so maybe I'll let myself off the hook - a little bit. The Christmas season was a fantastic one. Considering how the first half of the year went, by August things were ramping up to being back to normal - thank goodness.

Then last week I spent 5 days in Nashville for the PPA national convention. It was an awsome time. I didn't see the city but Gaylord's Opryland was a fabulous place for a convention. It was PPA's biggest one yet with over 9000 people registered. I roomed with a friend from Georgia and met up with some of my friends from Pennsylvania Prof Photographers too. Twelve classes in 3 days had my head spinning but that's how it is. I spent alot of time at the trade show too. I went a little crazy there and crossed off the list some of the things that, admittely were the "nice to haves" not the "need to haves". But it was the first time in a couple years had the opportunity to handle and talk to vendors right then and there. Of course they offer things at show specials - so who and I to say no?

It was great too to see one of my friend Joe Campanelli receive the "Diamond" designation for print competition. All 5 entered prints were accepted into the PPA International Loan Print Collection. Another friend, Gerry Solan recieved his Masters. I'm so proud of both of them and was thrilled to see them receive it. Then as it turns out PPA also announced that my friends Tammy Wolfe and Tamar London are the "next team to be watched". They own London Wolfe Photography in Altoona and have toured teaching other photographers for several years now. Their business is thriving and we are all proud that they are on the PPA "watch list".

Next up? Well Sunday Taylor (my daughter) and I leave for Las Vegas. It is a 3 day award winning marketing boot camp for photographers. It has been a few years since I attended so I am excited to see my friends, be in warmer weather and have my daughter with me! It will be so worth getting up at 3:30 am to catch a flight.

2010 is going to be fantastic. There are some question marks on the horizon but I am planning how to handle any combination of things that could come 'down the pike'. I am pleased to announce new baby plans for new moms and other things too. Check out our Facebook group for some updates or call/email us for a newsletter.

Ok, so from here I want to just give you a little tidbit on using your camera outside this time of year....I would love your feedback so let me know if you have questions or comments!

Winter Camera Tip:
Electronics don’t tolerate the cold. Keep your camera in an inside coat or pant pocket at all times when outdoors. When you go back inside, place in a plastic ziplock back BEFORE coming inside - the moisture will collect on the bag instead of delicate electronics or lenses as it warms up. Wait until the camera is room temp before using (1-2 hours.).

It's a whirlwind

2009-10-18T17:32:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. Wow, I must say that since July it's been a whirlwind. Even the last couple days have been non stop. I've been covering the Marian Community Hospital Ball, the Keystone College Homecoming, The Central HS class of '49 which had quite the turnout last night at the Raddison and just this morning was proud to record the activities for the Little Sisters of the Poor as they honored my long time friends (and probably my most photographed personalities) Dave and Joyce Tressler. That was out at Mt. Airy Lodge & Casino. Wow, what a place! So now I practically am ready to collapse but still have things to do like get my overdue Holiday schedule out to you. Add to that tomorrow's daycare job, and the SBDC's woman etrapreneur award luncheon on Tuesday. It is like this until Christmas. It is about now that I proclaim to my fami.y that " your wife and mother has left the building - she's been replace by her evil twin..your wife and mother will return about December 25th". They understand by now and do everything in their power to help and to keep me happy - they know what it's like when I am not so happy! Thankfully my husband will even do some of the Christmas shopping for us.

No one can believe that we've had snow already. Not alot but some in the higher elevations. Had a senior Friday morning who is a die hard skiier. He decided he wanted snow in his outdoor portraits so up to the mountain we go to the county park. He froze his butt off...teeth chattering and all. But having snow on the colored leaves was awsome.

I don't think I mentioned in my last post my new person, Stephanie. She's awsome. An artist in her own right, creating her own jewelry. She is in charge of our production - getting your order ready for pick up. She will also answer the phones and help clients when they stop in. She's fun to have around and we have alot in common.

So anyway, looking toward the holidays with various specials and our holiday open house on Sunday, November 15th. We also have new items in to order for gifts. Special ornaments that your imaage can be baked into the ceramic, purses and now Terra Traditions albums. Stop by and check them all out.

We also have some available Saturdays that we kept just for portrait appointments for the holidays. So call today because we only accept a limited amount of appointments on those days. Of course we are happy to have appointments in the evenings too. But call today before it's too late! Really, don't wait - you know how fast time goes and I hate to say no or have to charge rush fees.

With that - I can't wait to hear from you for the holiday portraits. And stay tuned as we are really planning some cool things for 2010.

Today is the day

2009-09-28T21:01:00.002-04:00

Well, it's a day...a Monday to be exact. Part rain part sun and some wind. I took in the portrait off the porch easel and flag off the pillar so it doesn't blow away. Ever have one of those days when you don't seem to get anything done? Today was it. I had some appointements and spoke with people who called, booked appointments but that to-do list didn't get any check marks. Oh well, tomorrow is another day. Stephanie and I are having a good time. We finally got in some missing items in that we needed to finish all the orders we had in house - so we worked together on Saturday to get all the orders ready for delivery. Boy, we were efficient!

Looking foward to this week. It's busy as usual but I seem to thrive on that... How does your week look?

So what's going on??

2009-09-12T22:49:00.002-04:00

Wow, the summer went by fast! I looked at my last post and realized that the whole summer has passed by. Hopefully you had a chance to get away this summer. We stayed close to home. Our daughter had time away but we stayed close to home.

The summer has been busy with seniors as the summer has progressed and there is no end in sight. i've had a blast trying something new with just about everyone who has been in. It makes it fun for everyone and it's great to be creative.. and of course we have our regular babies and have had many newborns coming in for their first portrait. There is nothing more precious than a newborn.

And while we said "goodbye" to Caitlyn in August, we are looking foward to saying "hello" to a new friendly face. Nope - can't say who yet until things are finalized so stay tuned!

More rain?

2009-06-30T14:07:00.002-04:00

Holy crap I'm getting so sick of the rain. We have the deluge and then nothing. Friday I watched as my little beach scene practically washed away. Had to do beach reclaimation over the weekend. Monday my early morning outdoor portrait session was cancelled - rain. He is rescheduled for today and hopefully it will happen for the poor kid. Many of my seniors are getting rained out. Some are lucky that the sun came out long enough for us to get images. So the sun is out again and I'm hopeful that even though our feet will get wet, we can do this.

Our world is rocked.

2009-06-24T11:44:00.002-04:00

Oh holy cow. Our world has been rocked. Well, the other day I got a phone call from my husband telling me that Kodak announced that they will be discontinuing Kodachrome film. I know, you are saying "so what". Well this film is an awsome film. The truest color, finest contrast and detail of anything I've ever shot. You can make bill boards of the images and not see any grain or imperfection because it is so fine. I used it quite a bit in the early years. Granted it isn't a forgiving film. If your exposure was off, it was off. Unlike print film that you can expose the print a little longer - it is just off. I have boxes and boxes of slides as does my husband, of our family memories and professional work on this film. Of course in the greater scheme of things - it isn't the end of the world but it just seems like another hit to the Big Yellow Father, Kodak.

Have you seen it???

2009-06-02T07:59:00.003-04:00

We have a billboard campaign running on some of the various digital boards in the area. They include Chinchilla, on one side of the board at the entrance to Wegmans/Target and on Davis St. in Scranton!

And the one below is the hospital in Carbondale and I provided them with their photography.

ONE DAY SALE

2009-05-26T17:00:00.002-04:00

Wow, it has been crazy here today with the one day sale. Class of '10 are calling and taking advantage of 50% off their session. We've booked alot of seniors day! We purposely didn't book any appointments to day so we could be available to answer the phone. Anyway, it should be a fun summer. On the list are all sorts of cool places that we will be going to do sessions - let's see, Browndale and Justus Fire Companies, a horse, one girl does fencing and is bringing her equipment for that, we have guitars and flutes booked, as well as cars. I love the inspiration that I find when kids bring their stuff (or we go to it!)

Senior Season is Here!

2009-05-18T22:27:00.003-04:00

The new Senior Session guide is out and we are getting ready for our One Day Sale next Tuesday 5/26. Almost all our sessions are on sale for 50% off for anyone calling that day to make their summer appointment. We have lots of cool stuff this year, some new props and backgrounds and our price guide is revamped so you can order exactly what you need.

If you haven't received our session guide - call us today. 570-282-4090

Where's Spring?

2009-03-13T08:26:00.002-04:00

Just when I thought maybe we'd start to see spring - it is like 16 degrees out today. Just to make it worse - we are heading out today to go to (of all places) Maine! We are heading up to see my mom who had knee replacement surgery. It's a long drive but should be a nice, albiet brief, visit. She still has a ton of snow. yea. Wish us luck!

What's new?

2009-03-10T23:23:00.003-04:00

we've been buzzing with activity! On Feb 27-28 we had our live bunny event. The results were happy kids and the bunny was returned to the Humane Society with a $165 donation. We all enjoyed the bunny - and what a big bunny he was!

Anywho...in addition we have been seeing mom after mom come in for portraits. Want to see more information? See our group on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1059925822&ref=name#/group.php?gid=38594466327

I also have been busy networking at various mixers and seminar. It is alot of fun to get out there and talk to people...seeing people I know and meeting new people too.

February already?

2009-02-17T20:56:00.004-05:00

Things have been buzzing at the studio. Here it is mid-February already. We have a great line up of events this year. January was out Model Search month. We photographed a whole bunch of great kids for possible call-backs for other sessions we will be doing that we need samples for. Sometimes we want to test new lighting or techniques we've learned and that's where our models will come in.

Then we had our Birthday Party Open house on Feb 7th. Families came in to sign up for upcoming sessions and took advantage of the 50% off discount. While the moms were booking sessions, the kids were enjoying craft projects and face painting and of course birthday cake!

The following Tuesday 2/10 we hosted the Chamber of Commerce's February mixer. It was fun. There were about 40 people from various businesses around. Many new faces that I hadn't met before so made some great contacts as well as visited with my business friends who came.

We have of course our babies coming in and exciting news of some of our moms who are expecting again too! Oh, and then yesterday we had some visitors! A local Junior troop came and spent time at the studio learning things for their photography badge. It was great fun having the girls asking questions and seeing them act silly while getting their pictures taken.

Now we are into mother's day season. It's always fun - having kids interracting with mom. If you have't made your appointment don't wait. The Times' deadline is a week early this year. Call today!

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T22:12:00.002-05:00

Hi and Happy New Year! It's amazing that we are back to having to check the date when we write it again. Just seems like I was getting used to 2008. But don't get me started on how time flies. I took advantage of an extended time off with the holidays. There was one working day in there but it was good. I find it hard to take time off - drives my family nuts. So what did I do with the time off? I think all we did was entertain guests. Actually just mom mostly. That was fine. She doesn't mind riding along doing errands and stuff (yea, some were up to the studio to make sure all was well). I also have been using some time to get my new newsletter done so it can be out in the mail asap. Of course should have done that in December but who can think straight before the holidays?

So it's going to be an awsome year. We have so much planned. Portrait programs, events and classes. It is going to be great. Stay tuned!

Some Shppping Ideas

2008-12-05T07:09:00.002-05:00

We are right in the middle of the Holiday Shopping season. If you are looking for something to give friends or family, we have some ideas here for you to choose from. Double click the image to enlarge it.

Autumn Newsletter

2008-11-04T06:29:00.004-05:00

For anyone who didn't receive this in the mail last month, or pick it up in the Steamtown Mall, here is our autumn/Holiday newsletter! We are also offering a 15% rebate on your portrait order. That rebate will be given back to you as a gift certificate that can be used as a gift or use it for yourself! Just double click on the newsletter and it will come up larger.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T20:53:00.002-04:00

The studio was a-buzz today as our Halloween special started. We had several of our regular clients come in...let's see, we had Arial, Hannah Montana, a Carbondale cheerleader, a mouse, and Happy Feet, among others. Tomorrow is the town-wide trick-or-treating and are expecting many more kids. We ran a coloring contest for the local schools and pre-schools. It is awsome to see how many pumpkin pictures hanging in the hallway. It is going to be difficult to judge who will win! We will post more when we choose the winners!

School's back in session

2008-09-04T07:58:00.002-04:00

I can't believe summer is over. Things have zoomed by so fast that I am still kind of waiting for summer to begin! I guess because it didn't really get that hot for long and we were busy at the studio too. My daughter Taylor helped quite a bit assisting myself of Caitlyn with senior and baby sessions. When she was in that is. She had a babysitting gig this summer so she stayed home quite a bit so she was on time for that. Then she was out of town visiting the grandmas and we had vacation too. Now that I stop and breathe, I realize it is time to gear up for Christmas specials. I will be posting my newsletter shortly as well as getting it in the mail. Lots of things coming up! We are offering a rebate this year as our holiday special. We are also excited about having our work on display at the Steamtown mall! At the moment there is a tv with a video running in the former Hot Topic window. Watch for our "models of the week" starting tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more to come!

Class of '09 Seniors are everywhere!

2008-07-19T13:02:00.003-04:00

It is summer and summer wouldn't be complete without senior portraits. Caitlyn and I have been busy busy busy with indoor sessions and outdoor. We changed the program this year so every senior can customize their session to be exactly the kind they want. It has proven to be terrific and very inspiring for us at photographers - we always tried to make each session different but now they definately are. We have some new backgrounds too, not to mention the areas right on the studio property that have made for nice portraits too. Check out our Myspace page for more details (www.kaiserfinephoto/myspace.com) and some videos of our ambassadors. These DVD music videos have been popular this year as we produce one for every session as an add-on to our packages. Anyway, check it out and if you have not had your senior portraits done yet - call us!

I've had it with the idiots on the campaign trail - I'm ready

2008-06-26T23:02:00.002-04:00

Spring is in the air

2008-05-15T19:37:00.003-04:00

I'm so glad to have nice weather! Of course that means the grass is growing like crazy. So any eveing during the week when you are driving by the studio you will hear the whir of the lawnmower. Of course that is if I get more gas for it. I ran out half way through the back yard. I'm kind of afraid to look now since the one area hasn't been done yet at all. I also need to get some landscaping done. My friend Randy who own R&A landscaping took out the row of trees last fall for me. They were too big and not looking so nice. But I am going to replant. Hopefully with something that will grow quick to hide the naked cinder blocks of the Pizza Man building! I do miss the screen of trees that was there. In the back I need to finish my beach scene but need to find special gravel-like sand for it.

The best news is the new addition to our staff. Shannon joined us two weeks ago. She is awsome and will be handling our sales, customer service and some administration stuff. On her first day she already had made some changes so we are more organized! So when you call or stop by make sure you say hi to her. She is expecting her second baby in August and we are exited about her new arrival coming.

Women helping Women - we had great PR for our fundraiser on May 1 to benefit the Women's Resource Center. The event featured 10 vendors at our studio. We held a basket raffle and raised $130 for the Center. Women who attended were treated to Mary Kay samples, Tastefully Simple sample and a number of other items that were available. It was a great event and we are planning on doing it again next year!

First Holy Communion

2008-03-04T11:30:00.008-05:00

Spring is almost here! How do I know? Well, the first indication is when we are almost done with our Mother's Day sessions. Three more weeks or so for the deadline for the Times. The other indication are the white dresses I see already in the department stores! We already have some of our prime appointments already spoken for so if you are looking to have your portraits done in time for First Communion - call us today to make your appointment. We can make appointments through the second week of April in order to have them for you the first week of May.

Our special? 50% off your session fee and 15% off your order. As always, every pose you choose is carefully retouched and enhanced and mounted. We include this discount on any collages you might be interested in. We have posted one below as an example of what a mom ordered last year. We also custom design announcements and Thank You's.

Is it February ALREADY!!???

2008-02-17T20:41:00.004-05:00

Yikes. Not sure where the time went. But thankfully winter is mostly behind us now I would think. Maybe some late Feb/March snow but that doesn't last long - just long enough for the kids to have a school delay!

Well, it has been probably the most productive January & February I have ever had! In addition to my babies and seniors coming in for portraits, I'm proud to say that after all these years in business I have a complete marketing calender done - down to where and when my ads are going to be and when to get them in by (can you tell I'm proud of myself?). We have done some things around the studio too. I finally got a projection screen put up in the sales room (it's gorgeous) and portraits hung in the entryway. So there's been lots of good stuff going on.
Caitlyn and I have also spent time studying with other photographers from around the country on a number of different topics and we are so psyched for this new year. If you didn't get our email or our newsletter, contact us at kaiserfinephoto@yahoo.com and we will be happy to send it to you!

MOTHER'S DAY
The studio has been all a-buzz with mother's day portraits. If you haven't made your appointment yet, call us today! 282-4090

BUNNIES BUNNIES BUNNIES!

On February 29th and March 1st we will be photographing children with a live bunny! Some appointments are still available for both Friday and Saturday. Call us today and help to support the Lackawanna County Humane Society!

Whew - what a year it's going to be! Join us! And if you are in the neighborhood - stop by and say hi, we love visitors!

Happy New Year!

2008-01-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

Here we are in 2008. I'm not sure what the heck happened to 2007! It was indeed quite a year. I closed both my studios and moved into the new one. Of course I have a huge to-do list for January. Alot of things didn't get done when we moved in so it could be business as usual for our customers and we wouldn't have to shut down for any period of time. Then there was the Christmas season. Holy moly what a season it was. Late one day, when Caitlyn and I finally had a moment to breathe - she looked at me - both of us were feeling like we just ran a marathon - and she said "how did you do this last year when I was only working 15 hours a week?" I thought about it and realized that she (now nearly full time) and I were doing the work that 4 of us had done just last year! No wonder I felt exhausted! Needless to say by that point we were nearly through the crush so looking for extra help wasn't really an option. I did make a mental note for next year though!

We have bid plans for January. I love the feeling of having a clean slate. Anything can happen with a new year - so I want to make sure that it will be a great year. On my goal list is a the project of converting an upstairs room into another camera room. Our goal with that is to offer special, limited edition upscale sets that can be left up for a period of time, uninterrupted by other types of sesssions. This room also has beautiful natural light that we want to utilize more. Of course before I can do that I have to reorganize my storage spaces because it was just so easy to just drop stuff in this empty room!

We will also be giving a new look to our literature, website (long overdue for updating) and business cards. We also have some new products in the works - including a custom line of sterling silver jewelry to hold your favorite portraits. So, as I sit here on the couch typing this on a Saturday night, I am surrounded by literature, notes, lists and ideas for the upcoming year - a typical scenerio for me in the month of January. There is so much I want to do that I don't even know where to start but I can't wait to get it done!

Caitlyn and I spent the last couple days planning the year. Watch for our upcoming Mother's Day specials - including an early bird special. Of course we will be delivering you glossies to the newspapers for you. We are also going to have a live bunny for our Spring/Easter special. You will get more info on that soon. If you aren't on our email list, contact us at kaiserfinephoto@yahoo.com and we will make sure you are kept up to date.

Well, back to the drawing board!

The Holidays are here!

2007-11-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it?? Wow. Good thing I love Christmas music. It started playing this past Sunday for all the families who came to see Santa. We had a great day. The appointments were booked solid from noon until 4:30 or so. With the new location I encouraged everyone to come a few minutes early to have a chance to relax and let the kids get comfortable before their time to see santa. Everyone enjoyed cookies and juice and it was great having a studio full of kids! A few of the kids were less than enthusiastic about seeing the big guy but we did our best to lure and coax without upsetting them. I've posted a couple images below...

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and safe travels.

If you would like to have a visit with Santa, don't forget that we will be at Corky's Garden Path this Saturday and Sunday 1-4:00 pm.

Happy Thanksgiving! Cheryl

Look who was here!

2007-11-06T16:28:00.001-05:00

Halloween Quicktakes

2007-11-02T14:17:00.001-04:00

Check out a couple of our visitors who came for Halloween Quicktake portraits!

Purses Purses Purses

2007-10-26T12:55:00.001-04:00

Check out our new line of purses!!!

The latest

2007-10-26T12:49:00.000-04:00

I have to stop waiting so long to update! Here are a few of our "subjects" lately! May I present to you - Charlotte and Charlie! Charlotte was just in this week for her 3 month portraits - we have so much fun with our babies. Charlie came in a few weeks ago but I just couldn't resist adding him in. I was actually prepping the hand tinted image to be sent to have a new purse made. Check out my other post of a new line of purses we have now!

Don't forget to mark your calender for our Halloween Quick Takes next Tuesday and Wednesday 10/30 & 31. Packages will start at $15. You will view and choose right then! No appoinments necessary, just walk ins.

It was a big weekend!

2007-10-08T20:54:00.000-04:00

Today, being the Columbus Day holiday, Taylor had off from school. Well, she needed a haircut. So off to the salon we went. I baited her with "if you do something radical I will buy you a new outfit". Needless to say we were at the mall tonight! But doesn't she look beautiful!!

Yesterday was a big day here in Scranton. The Steamtown Marathon took place and Bill ran it again for the 7th time. The weather was too warm and humid and unfortunately, although he finished, he was "done" at only mile 6. He simply did a survival shuffle to the finish. About 50 minutes longer than any other marathon. We are proud that he finished. Taylor and I have a tradition on marathon day. We drop Bill of in downtown Scranton to catch the bus to the start line in Forest City, at about 5:45. From there we have our Grand Slam at Denny's...then off to WalMart to kill time shopping (the only good time if you have to go to WallyWorld). Then we were in Carbondale by 7:30. We saw Bill come through town at about 8:45. From there we saw him in 4 other spots along the course. At each place we have instructions...new water bottle & power bar...whatever. Anyway, I only took a couple photos because he was really a hurtin' pup.

Santa!

2007-09-30T07:11:00.000-04:00

Double click on message to enlarge

New Ad

2007-09-27T19:07:00.000-04:00

Anyone who gets the Scranton Times, hopefully has seen our new ad. Yes, we are running ads twice a week now. I am excited about it and look forward to seeing the results it will have until the contract runs out in January. The baby in the photo? Well, it is our friend Lola who you saw in my post last week!

Wanna know a secret? Well we are adding to our baby plans! We will have a couple selections for new parents to choose from AND we will continue to send out periodic special invitations to new moms for our $39 baby plan when we have space in our schedule for new babies!

Not sure what to buy an expectant mom? Ask us about our new Baby Registry!!! We are very excited about this and will be spreading the word soon. We will provide special cards for expectant moms who register with us, to put in shower invitations indicating her wish for gift certificates for items or dollar amounts for the baby's first year of portraits. So stay tuned!

Some of our Seniors

2007-09-24T17:21:00.000-04:00

Look who's been here!

2007-09-24T17:20:00.000-04:00

Just some of our younger subjects in the last few days. They make us smile every time!

Kids' Open House

2007-09-24T17:19:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day for an open house! Saturday 9/22 we had a visit from Spiderman and Dora the Explorer. Everyone had a nice time. At about 2:00 Dora and Spiderman hit the streets of Carbondale. They were coaxed into photos with the bridal party across the street, then walked around making people smile, giving balloons to kids they met and generally having a good time around town. You knew where they were based on where the horns were honking! Thanks to everyone who attended and most of all, special thank yous go to Taylor for being Spiderman; Caitlyn for being Dora; Donna, Darlene, Noreen for the activity they brought along; Noelle for bringing her family, keychains for all and her support. Thanks to Cindy and Eva and Josie (from Pizza Man) for helping out all around and walking Carbondale with our superheros! Thank you everyone!

More Kids' Open house

2007-09-24T17:16:00.000-04:00

Darlene gets a hug from Dora!

Year End Calender

2007-09-19T16:01:00.001-04:00

Look who came for portraits!

2007-09-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

Look who was in to pick up her portraits today! It is Miss Lola! Watch for this portrait in our upcoming ads in the Scranton Times!

Know anyone who is expecting? A baby plan gift certificate is the perfect gift for a full year of giving!

Grand Opening schedule

2007-09-09T22:30:00.001-04:00

It's September! Time for a Grand Opening!!

2007-09-02T22:15:00.000-04:00

We have been busy this weekend trying to get things around the new place finished. My dear friend Noelle helped me get the gallery/framing/reception area set up - some final touches are still needed but just a couple little things. Mostly it is getting the outside spruced up. I've been wanting to do alot of things out there too but time always runs short! So I have kind of set up a country scene until I can get some barnboard backing; and the beach scene is underway - although I'm not looking forward to hauling a ton of sand, by wheelbarrow, from the driveway! But it will be worth it in the end.

Still many things on the to-do list but coming to the conclusion that it will be an on going list, was not easy.

Anyway, here is a tour of the place!

The latest news! Click on each page to enlarge.

2007-08-13T21:43:00.000-04:00

We are moving!

2007-04-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

We are all going to be under one roof once again! Wait until you see our new location. My husband and I are purchasing a 100 year old home in the heart of downtown Carbondale. The portrait opportunities that this location provides is incredible. The closing is this coming Friday. It is exciting yet scarey.

The Justus studio will be closed by the end of May and I should be moved out of the current Carbondale location within a few weeks. I am keeping the 586 phone number and will be reestablishing a home office for the convenience of the Clarks Summit clients who may wish to arrange order pick up at my home.

I do want to thank my wonderful husband who has incredible faith in me enough to risk this kind of investment. I also would be remiss if I didn't thank my wonderful friends. All of whom have given me the continued support and encouragement to move forward with this. You guys have been incredible friends. Not to mention the offer of help to get me in this place before Memorial Day!

Well, I thought I'd post some photos for you to see.

Our life

2007-01-26T17:27:00.000-05:00

I have come around again to realizing my life is running me instead of the other way around. So last weekend I pretty much cleaned out Barnes and Noble of their self help/motivational books. "Getting rid of your bananas" is a good one. An easy read. I have also listend to one of the cd's I won the bid on lately - Key's to Success. It all is the same stuff that every other motivational speaker/writer says but it at least gets me thinking again and realizing how out of control things are. So I feel my motivation as well as my self esteem rise. I realized too that change is indeed uncomfortable - scarey even -but if I'm going to change for the better, I need to be uncomfortable for a while - then that becomes the new "normal".

Speaking of Barnes and Noble - my hubby went on his anual "guy" trip chasing the Norfolk Southern RR. Used to be a camping trip but they are all too old for that and traded in their mummy sleeping bags for the comfort of a b&b set up for railfans down near Altoona, Pa. That left the kid and I for our anual girls' weekend. The scarey part for Bill was that he left us with the truck and took the car - knowing we were headed out shopping! Good thing we had it too - wouldn't have been able to get the new set of wooden tray tables AND the kitty tower into the car along with all our bags! We had a great weekend, shopping, watching movies and shopping again.

That leaves me to talk about the Carbondale Chamber Celebrating Commerce dinner on Tuesday. It was a great time. Almost 200 people attended. Community volunteers and new business owners were acknowledged. There was also a silent auction. Well, I haven't done too much of that - I've always been working these things so I tend to not really bid on anything. WELL - I can say with complete confidence that if there was a prize for the most bids won and the most money spent - I'd get it. But I won lots of great things, tickets, etc. and it was for a good cause so it was money well spent (I just keep telling myself that anyway).

So this weekend is our car club party in NJ so that is where we are heading tomorrow. Have a great weekend!

It's been a while

2006-12-30T11:25:00.000-05:00

Wow, I can't believe how time has flown since my last post. Mostly because of the Christmas rush I guess. We have been busy little elves at the studio trying to get everyone's orders and cards done in time for Christmas. As a result, shopping got done late, many decorations didn't even make it out of the box, let alone the attic. This is the first time in my life that the village did'nt get set up. It has been a strange year. The first without my father. That may be part of it. I don't know if you've noticed, but seems everyone I've talked to has said that they aren't really into the holiday this year either.

However, among all the busy-ness we had at the studio, we did find time to celebrate. I love a party and we all deserved it. Celebrating the end of a year filled with change seemed appropriate. We had a company Christmas party. All of us had a good time, enjoying dancing and good food as well as good conversation. We were at Genetti's in Dickson City. Funny about those big parties (and the nature of this area)- we all seemed to know quite a few people who were there with other groups! That made it even more fun, and other people actually learned that I don't always have a camera in my and and working!! I've posted some photos from the evening.

Photos are:
1. Diane (Justus sales and admin assistant) & hubby, Scott
2. Bob (photographer)
3. group of Mom (a KFP supporter!), Diane, Donna (sales in Carbondale), Caitlyn (production) and Myself
4. Diane
5. Mom, Donna & Caitlyn
6. Myself and hubby, Bill

somemore

2006-12-03T22:25:00.000-05:00

Holiday Rush

2006-12-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

Wow, can't believe where the time has gone! I see it's been a month since my last post. With the rush of the holidays upon us, everyone at both studios are very busy. We are finishing up with senior orders and staying on top of the holiday orders. I thought it would be fun to post some images done lately. What 'dya think?

TGIF!

2006-11-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

Exciting today as Adams Cable used my Carbondale studio for filming their new commercials. I was only able to stay for a couple hours before heading back to Justus for appointments - in the flurry leaving some important things on my desk there but that's ok, I'll be back there tomorrow. Big things going on at that location though. My dear friend Donna Zaremba of Art Strands who has made her "home" at the studio since I opened, is working at getting a jewelery and gift store opened up - right in my studio! It is exciting as now we are co-mingling our accessories and talents. She is planning a big grand opening for next Friday, Nov 10th. Stop by at about 5:00 for the festivities - and bring your wallet. She has awsome jewelery -all hand made. I think it is going to be dangerous for me because I love her work and craftsmanship!

Anyway - I thought I'd share with you some of the things that I've done in the last couple days. This is Mikayla's bonus panel from her senior portrait session. Wait until she sees this!

I hope to see you soon! Start thinking Christmas and what portraits you'd like to have done - we have specials running now through December 8th

New news

2006-10-26T22:12:00.000-04:00

There will be more changes going on in our Carbondale studio. Well, for anyone who has been there knows the vast retail space in the front. Well Donna (my jeweler friend who runs Carbondale for me) will be transforming our front area there to a gift shop and jewelery store! So now you will be able to have your portraits done as usual but if you are also looking for a gift - we are the place for you. She is planning for a November 10th grand opening. Watch for announcements!

Friday and Saturday is our pumpkin patch portrait special. There is no session fee and we have special packages. Friday sessions will be in Justus and Saturday's in Carbondale.

So everyone getting geared up for Halloween? My daughter decided she wants to be an Encyclopeida Salesman. Not sure which direction we are going with that yet - probably to salvation army store for a suit. We don't get too many, if any, trick or treaters. We kind of gave up on that a couple years ago. If anyone, we see the younger members of the famly of 10 up the street at around dinnertime. That's it. So now we don't worry about missing anyone and take our daughter to a friend's party (the parent party is in the kitchen!). Then the kids go out in that neighborhood. Makes me think of the costumes I had as a kid. But that was a really long time ago! lol

As you know, today was really cold. Well still had one senoir who wanted her portraits taken outside. Well it was 36 degress and sleeting. But we still got some nice poses! It was a speed session though because the last thing we want is that "error" message from a cold camera! Hope this isn't going to be a long winter.

2006-10-23T21:58:00.000-04:00

Stuff

2006-10-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

Well, we enjoyed having Ryan around the studio last week. Was fun discussing photography as well as music.

Thought I'd post a coupel recent collages done for two of my seniors. Jeremy received this 4 image panel as part of his bonus with his package, and the other is one of the collages that Lauren ordered.

October 17 2006

2006-10-17T23:16:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. This is my first time blogging. Pretty cool stuff.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to the student coming to the studio for career day. He is an 8th grader and interested in photography. Sounds like an excuse to order pizza for lunch! My assistant will also be in and will show him around her workstation too so he can get the big picture (no pun intended). My assistant laughed and busted my chops about how the poor kid will leave tomorrow knowing he DOESN'T want to be a photographer once he spends time with us! Very Funny, everyone's a commedian...