Inspiration and a brand new year!

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

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

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?

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

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

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?

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!

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!

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

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?

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

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

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

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?

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!

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.

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

Retreat update

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

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?

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!