I have shot 7 weddings so far in 2010 and have three left this year. Thats 10 in one year.. fab! Also countless bridals and engagments for lovely clients that are getting married affar! So I love doing these and hope to do 10 next year! This is somthing i really enjoy sharring with couples and basically becoming part of their lives for months prior to the wedding.
Remember to send the link to this blog to friends and family, you never know who will mention your name as a referal and remember wedding referals that are booked means a free session for you!! So make sur they say your name!!
Contact me, Katie Stafford, to recieve a bridal packet and to set up a bridal consultation!
Here are some shots from May2010 to July 2010 weddings.
How awesome are you guys? Mini sessions booked up in 30 min!!! that was 20 slots booked in 30 min!! how awesome is that! Now that we are booked for mini sessions we are now completeing the days left on my schedule to get christmas family portraits. Since I already booked so many days I have listed the remaining days for 2010. I will remove them once they are gone and then I will be full! i will be shooting family sessions up until November 15 to recieve cards. If you are apart of the baby or year plan, please make sure your dates are confirmed and on the books with me!!
so now to the fun stuff….. every year in July I announce my regular session dates that are remaining for the year aswell as my holiday special for regular sessions!! This year will be just about the same except I’m adding one happy, an 8×10 gift print. So for your session you will recieve 25 photo printed christmas cards along with an 8×10 gift print. So many clients give their photos as gifts for the holidays so I wanted to throw in a little happy! I will release the 2010 christmas cards in Late August so get excited!!
Rules: Apt must be booked and in the months of August-Nov. 15 and session fee recieved within 5 days top reserve your date. Due to limited available spots for the year, please make sure your payment is sent to secure your spot or your spot will be given to the next on the wait list.
Okay so Fall/Winter Mini sessions will be held on October 2nd. Each mini session is 25.00 and you receive 2 5×7’s. We will be shooting in a new location and it will be announced closer to date. To book your session, please contact me through my website at www.marymomentphotography.com and I will assign you a time. I will be shooting 9-12 and 2-6. Each session is 20 min and can include family and individual shots that we can fit in the 20 min time frame. You will receive proofs in an online gallery 2-3 weeks after the session date and you will have 15 days to purchase. Remember this is the best time for Christmas card portraits and since I am only holding one session, spaces are limited.
ALSO SHOOTING DATES ANNOUNCED FOR FALL!
I am limiting myself to only two sessions a day and limited days for shooting. Christmas Card season is CRAZY so I want to be organized as much as I can get to prepare for it!
Available session schedule below-
One Saturday a month for portraits/family sessions – only two sessions available on those days (unless wedding previously booked and then it will be moved to next available Saturday of the month)
Two Saturdays available for wedding shooting (this also includes bridals and engagements)
Newborn Portrait are shot on Monday and Friday Mornings, only one newborn per day since these sessions may take longer than 2 hours to shoot depending on baby
Family/Children/Senior Portraits are Monday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. Please check availability.
Keep in mind my calendar is not
IF YOU ARE ON A BABY PLAN, PLEASE MAKE SURE ALL YOUR DATES HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED WITH ME SO YOU WILL NOT BE OVERBOOKED.
Okay and here are a couple of FAQ’s I get regarding my site, sessions and pricing!!!
Q) How do I book a session with MMP?
A) Please contact me through my site at www.marymomentphotography.com to view available dates and contact me to book your date. Please make sure we confirm your date once you contact me inquiring about a date. Please hold your session date by sending session fee in within 5 days of booking.
Q) How much is an MMP Portrait session?
A) a 1-2 hour session is 75.00 and does not include prints. I do offer several year plans for sessions and you can view them at www.marymomentphotography.com You can also view print prices of canvases, prints, coffee table books and other products on my site under pricing and information.
Q) What should we wear?
A) That depends on what type of shoot it is….
For newborns- their birthday suit.
For children I suggest layered clothing in fall and funky SMALL prints in clothing in spring. Big bold prints or cartoon characters on children’s shirts take away from the child so keep that in mind when choosing outfits. I love bright colors all year so don’t be scared to wear bright teal in in the winter!! Look in my blog archives to see clothing suggestions for children!
Families- I prefer the word “coordinate” not “matching”. I love siblings to match its super cute but i prefer coordinated outfits when it comes to family portraits. I am not your “white tee and jeans” photographer. Wear solid colors, keep the fellas in one color polo with jeans and have the ladies match them with coordinated scarves or jewelry.
Q) Do you provide the props?
A) Yes, well sometimes… I have lots of goodies to bring to the shoots but if we are over the age of 3 months i bring limited props if any at all. I prefer outdoor shoots to be earthy and i will occasionally drag a chair or iron bucket for a child to sit on but mostly we will use the elements provided to us in outdoors!! For newborns I do bring blankets, hats etc.. depending on my artistic mood that day i may also bring a basket or two and some cocoons. I shoot newborns and 3 months mostly at the child’s home so i will use alot your own things in your home such as bowl, chair, blanket etc..
Q) Where will we shoot?\
A) This all depends on the session. Newborns are shot at their home to provide them with the most comfort to keep them sleepy. I will also shoot 3-5 month shots at your home or minel since most babies this age are not sitting well un assisted. Once they hit 6 months in above I will give you a location where we will shoot prior to the session date. My mind is always running and will always find new places so unless you have a specific location, i will come up with a place to shoot! The only thing i do ask is what look do you want- city life or wild life? City Life shots are outdoors in urban areas like downtown jackson… Wild life shots are outdoors in parks and fields.
Q) What if I need to cancel or reschedule?
A) Session Fees are non refundable but I will be glad to reschedule your session at your convieince on any day that is available. I ask that unless it is an emergency or illness, please try to cancel sessions within 7 days of your session date so that the clients on the wait list will be given the spot.
Q) How long will it be before proofs are ready?
A) Your images will be ready to view two-three weeks after each session via an online gallery. Your online gallery will remain online for only fifteen days. It is highly recommended you make your print selections within this time frame. Your purchased prints will be ready for delivery three – four weeks after your payment has been received and cleared.
Q) Can I show my proofs on facebook or email?
A) It is illegal to use or copy images in any way or manner without written permission by katie at MMP. MMP retains all copyright. With that being said, I LOVE for you to show your images but I would love also for you to respect the watermark! I will post images to my blog and to FB for you to share which are called “sneak peeks”. You may use your “sneak peeks” as your profile photo or share them to friends online but please do not crop or remove the watermark. Please make sure you show your watermark on all images displayed and you will be able to show the world!!
Q) What happens if images are lost?
A) Although great care will be taken with the files taken at your sessions, MMP limits any liability for loss, damage or failure to deliver pictures for any reason to return of all deposits made or a re shoot at no additional cost. This is something that is a rare occurrence but all photographers raise your hands to a failed hardrive!! It happens but I have had a hard drive go out in the past so I backup everything online, on disc and on numerous hard drives… this in itself helps everyone sleep better at night.
I love my clients and how so many of you know each other and love watching families that know each other grow up under my lens… so I’ve decided to get going on my Referral Contest. I’m putting some of my advertising funds back into the hands of my clients! I will be drawing prizes for Monthly Winners in July, August, September…then a GRAND PRIZE winner for the entire three months. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A CURRENT OR PAST CLIENT TO PARTICIPATE! I keep track of all of the referrals…so when your friends, family or co-workers reserve a session with me, mention your name and complete the session, I will track your referrals for a future session!
Here’s how it will work:
Monthly Drawings
You earn one entry into the drawing for each two NEW clients that reserved a session during that month. The entry counts for the month when the session was reserved, and the session must be held before the end of the month. (For example, your referral reserved the session in June for a July session…you then have an entry for the June drawing.)
You also earn the regular Referral Program rewards – $20 credit for each referral, or refer 4 people for $100!
The more referrals you have, the more entries you have for the drawing and the more dough you get for your future shoots.
At the end of each month, I will draw a winner.
The monthly winner receives: DOUBLE REFERRAL CREDITS FOR THAT MONTH – yes!! Let’s say you refer 4 people in June (which is 100 print credit for referals) - if you are the winner, you would get a $200 Referral Credit!! (and even if you don’t win, that’s still $100 in Referral Credits!)ANDCHOOSE ONE PRIZE:
Set of folded notecards featuring an image of your choice
Mini accordion album
Mini Storyboard
GRAND PRIZE Drawing
You must have a minimum of 6 referrals to be entered into the Grand Prize drawing.
You earn one entry into the drawing for every two new clients that reserved a session during those months. (Sessions must be reserved and held on or before September 30, 2010 to be eligible for an entry.)
The more referrals you have, the more entries you have for the drawing.
The Grand Prize winner receives: $50 Bonus Referral Credit in addition to the credits earned when the new clients reserve their sessions. AND
CHOOSE ONE PRIZE:
11×14 Fine Art Canvas Gallery Wrap
Leather Accordion Album
10 x 20 Storyboard
The Referral Program:
Being a new small business owner, I rely heavily on referrals. Thank you so much for spreading the word about my business. Take advantage of the referral program as often as you like! Receive a $20 credit toward prints at your next session for each new client that you refer. You may combine multiple credits to one order. REFER 4 PEOPLE AND RECEIVE A $100 PRINT CREDIT!Credits valid on orders placed before the online gallery expiration. Credits may only be applied to Collections and Prints. Credits are awarded when the session retainer is received from the new client.
**The Fine Print: Sessions must be held on or before September 30, 2010. All prizes and Referral Credits apply to future sessions. Monthly drawings will be held on July 1, August 1, and October1, 2010. Grand Prize drawing will be held on October 1, 2010.
Number TWO
SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT on FACEBOOK!
This is a simple way to get you a free session fee! For the months of June, if you had you are a current client from 2010 and have displayed your MMP images proudly, post a picture on FACEBOOK to enter to win! One entry per image and this will be the people’s vote! Remember to Add MMP as a fan or “like” the fan page and upload your photos of your images to the comment page! Once we have them all in June, I will place them on my blog and let the voting take place!! So get to adding MMP and to earn double the chance to enter, upload the image to your facebook page and share to your friends to ask them to vote and to add MMP themselves!! This will be a win for everyone cause everyone is always wanting new ideas on displaying images and my clients somtimes come up with the best ones!! Now HOP to it!
Dont worry, if you dont have fb, msg me your photo and Ill upload it for you to be in the running!
so if you havnt found me on facebook and added me and told all your facebook friends to add me.. go ahead and do it, it will be super nice of you!
You know your singing the song right in your head right now!! don’t deny it.. you like miley! okay so guess what else I’m doing on the regards to workshops for DSLR beginners… teaming up with Jeanelle Caraway from J. Caraway Photography (www.jcarawayphotography.com) and instructing a beginners class at the Lake Caroline Clubhouse in Madison! This will be a weeknight class from 6:30-10 and will allow up to 60 individuals! Lots of learning from two different sides of the table! We will be going over Natural light Manual Shooting, ISO, Shutter, Aperture and why we use them! Also we will have a question and answer portion of the class so bring your questions that you already have in your head! We aren’t teaching you to be us, we are teaching you to use that camera that you have so you can pop it out of that bag and snap your kiddos cute little faces! Be yourself with that camera, but to do that you need to know how to use it!
I myself am hosting small workshops that are more intimate at my home for 10 students on Sunday afternoons once a month. April and May classes are booked but we are still accepting classes in June and July! These are smaller 2 hour courses for general beginners info on using the camera and what everything means and how to read that dreaded camera manual and actually UNDERSTAND IT! Individual classes are offered as well so contact me for more info!!
So be stoked cause me and J are! Come see us on the 13th! Please contact us to get a spot!
Ive got an answer for ya… or maybe a good start! If you dont have time to order online, take some good glances at these shops and get to putin those outfits together! I love cordinated outfits but nothing matchy, I love dressy mixed with casual. I love accesories. Check out these places they have some great ideas on what looks good in photos from baby up to Mommy and Daddy!!
So you want to take a picture do ya? Well I do too.. so why dont we do it together?! Whatcha say?
I dont know half there is to know about photography, I am just a Momma that started a business and asked questions and had amazing photogs to help me learn my way around! Photography is just like clothing, there are tons of fads and you have to keep up with the jones to keep going in this field, so I am continuously learning now and growing to learn more and more… so it dosnt stop. But what I do know are the basic fundamentals that I was taught by photogs on how to use my camera.
If you dont know me then you wouldnt know that I grew up around a camera. My mother still makes us stand by the same tree in her front yard to take the same photograph that we have for years. I also worked in highschool at a photography lab which didnt give me too much experience but I did learn the concept and lanugae of photography. To this day you can go to my mothers house and find my shoe box of photographs that I have had developed over the years of me growing up. I seem to have always had some sort of camera on me. I started out years ago with film, then my first slr digital was a Pentax (which is still fab) but I have a wonderful mother who loves photography as much as I do and I was able to enherit her lenses once she switched to canon. I then Began learning more and more about photography.. more than just shooting on green. I would study several photographers blogs and take classes and honestly ask questions if I didnt understand and they would guide me in a way that I woudlnt just get an answer, I was intriqued enough for them to give me just enough so I would have to figure the rest out myself. I am in no way a professional.. no way a know everything about photography. I am Just katie with a camera who understands how eye opening it is to learn the fundamentals of shooting in raw and shooting in manual.
So that being said, Id like to offer a class for the mommas out there (daddys too) who want to learn how to use the slr camera to take photos of their children and even those starting out in photography. Very basic simple things that will help you understand your manual and also understand what ISO, Shutter and apperture means. Two years ago I didnt understand much of any of this.. now its like second nature.. no more throwing your camera down because your photos are under exposed whne you really dont understand what under exposed means. Also if you know me, I ams uper ADD so things will be dummy proof. Simple, and easy to understand. I seem to make things more easily understand in katie language(totally makes sense if you know me).
I will have invidual classes and a group class. Classes are 40.00 for group and 60.00 for individual. Group classes will be offered one Sunday afternoon a month. Each Sunday class will involve the same material so new folks can get in but after the first class you are welcome to have an individual session to go over any problems or questions you are having. Each Sunday Class will include the material outline, 2 hours, 1 hour of info and the other time devoted to trying it out!
This is new for me, I love people, I love photography, I love explaining it.. so why not?
Great news! March is the best month! You know why? Cause it allows me to have way more daylight and I can shoot longer! woohoo for you and me. So now, I am taking twilight sessions, these will be sessions shot at 6:00 Mondays and Fridays. I will be Full time in the next coming months as a photographer but as of now these will be the only times I schedule sessions. These will be the “twilight sessions” no, not like the vampires that I love so much, more like the actual sunset sky. The light at the twilight sessions is fantastic, gives you beautiful tones with some great sunflares! So Check the calendar, Mondays and Fridays only and I am only booking April-May. It will fill up fast so please notify me on through my site calendar and not through facebook where things can get lost in translation!
*** The twilight sessions are NOT mini sessions, these are normal sessions with a style towards the shots. So these will be my normal session fee of 75.00 but since they are “special” sessions only booked in April and May you will get happy, a print credit of 50.00! Yay for happies!
So for your idea of a twilight session “Lou” has done us a good job modeling those out!
Okay, My normal routine last weekend, get up, go to caedon’s socer game, then the rest of the day is with my eye through my camera.. I should just glue it. Anyway, My first shoot of the day was a newborn in Ridgeland. He was a little bigger since he was 4 weeks but stil beautiful! Even though these where portraits for little man, 2 year old big sister loved my camera! She was into everything and watching me to make sure I was watching her. While little brother was feeding and taking little breaks from shooting I played and followed little miss priss around. She had a baby that she carried around (actually any baby doll she would be closest to) and she would call it baby Harrison. Her parents explained that all the babies she had were baby Harrison since they had that name as a choice for the soon to be boy at one time . So she gets baby harrison out.. then she has to iron her (yes she still says her even though its named baby Harrison) clothes. After Ironing baby Harrison’s clothes she then had to change his diaper (which her parents have to hide from her since she changes baby Harrison’s diaper with her real new little brothers diapers!). Check out the shots of little Mrs. Priss I got. I thought they were too cute for words. She was so serious about being so domestic at age 2! Besides the cuteness of these little actions.. I also thought it was the cutest thing when she would call her daddy to do somthing or come here but instead of daddy she would say “Honey” like mommy does. She is one good little mommy, and big sister! Not my normal post but after seeing these photos I had to share them and their story!!!
Okay We have gallery wraps and thin wraps and stand outs and press board portraits to sit on easils.. but frames.. here we go! I use a national brand firefly to get portrait frames from and then I also have a local vendor, my wonderful sister in law, who makes amazing frames aswell! If you want to start picking out EXACTLY what you are putting on your wall, start with a wall and work your way out.. Here is the best way to do this…
Portrait- Pick your favorite portrait, then your second favorite, then your third… then pick the ones that go with those or compliment those (this will be an easy way to narrow down the fortress of photographs you have stumbled upon)
Wall- find out where you want to put these photographs you have picked out.. do you want them together in a wall cluster? Do you want them in threes? Do you want several in all diffrence sizes? Do you want just one Large photo to fill the space? Pick out what you want and that will help you decide where to put those portraits that you need!
What way to put on the wall- Do you want to be modern, traditonal, or just plain out out of the ordinary? You can choose between so many diffrent types of mediums to put your photographs on. For me, I like an unframed canvas, not hung on the wall but placed on the fireplace. I also like clusters of all diffrent sizes and textures of photographs to go on your wal to fill the space. If you need extra help, I have guides!!!!! Once you figure out your style, this wil help you decide if you want a gallery wrap, a print to be framed or a stand out or slim stand out..
Last but not least.. family- once you buy yourself somthing and get it in you WILL say. aww mom would like this.. and youll end up giving it ot mom and you will left to either reorder and wait longer or just not fool with it and be sad you didnt keep it.. TRUST ME I DO THIS ALL THE TIME TO MYSELF!! I love giving photos to family members to I end up with not alot of my kiddos hung around the house.. so think of this when your purchasing.. nothing is more awesome then giving grandma a big thick georgous framed photo for her home… trust me.. its great and you have to have one for yourself.. so think in twos when order somthing really awesome so you dont end up giving it away and not having one!!
Okay lessons for the day recap–\
1. PICK THREE MAIN PHOTOGRAPHS THEN PICK ATLEAST THREE ADDTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS THAT COMPLIMENT THEM (you may have more depending on your decision of how many to hang on the wall but always pick your top three and the rest will be “complimentary photos” and this applies to only one room.. you can start over with three other favorites in the next room)
PICK A PLACE ON THE WALL- if you have multiple rooms then do step one for each room. Have a blank wall, fireplace, shelf or even countertop to place these items that you want to get and think of how many and how you want to put them in this space.
PICK A STYLE- Moder, Traditional, OUT OF THE ORDINARY- pick a finish (glossy, metallic, matte), framing or hanging style (gallery wrap, slim wrap, stand out)
FAMILY TIME- Remember to purchase one addtional photograph for that mother or other family memeber that you KNOW you will give to them if they just adore it when they see it so you WONT be without or have to reorder one and wait! You know you want to put that sucker up there as soon as you pull it out of the box!!! TRUST ME I KNOW THIS FIRST HAND!
Okay somtimes I make sense and somtimes I just talk.. hopefully I did some of both! I have wall templates if you would like to see any, see an example below and this will def. make your rooms AMAZING and think of that baby plan or year plan your on.. you can add each time your on it!
