Class of '09 Seniors are everywhere!

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

Spring is in the air

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

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!!???

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!

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!

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!

Halloween Quicktakes

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

Purses Purses Purses

Check out our new line of purses!!!

The latest

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!

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!

Double click on message to enlarge

New Ad

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

Look who's been here!

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

Kids' Open House

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

Darlene gets a hug from Dora!

Year End Calender

Look who came for portraits!

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!