Archive for the ‘Giving Back’ Category

The blog is moving…

December 7, 2011

{Deep breath.} Yes, really.

I’ve been worried about what it would mean to “give up” the brand. I worked so hard to create “Shelby Lane” that, even though I’m now Shelby Newman, I’ve kept the business name. But it doesn’t fit right anymore. I’ve been on a portrait hiatus for awhile now, and as time has passed, I’ve found that it’s really not such a scary idea after all. And that it’s time to rethink the direction I want the photography part of my life to go.

I’ve always loved helping new photographers reach their goals, so that’s where I feel my focus needs to be for now. And in light of some of the recent trends I’ve seen in portraiture lately (including the dangerous newborn stunts at some portrait sessions) there seems to be a need for education at that very, very basic level. So I’m reaching out to moms with information on how to cherish their own photographs, why they need a professional and what to look for in a photographer, and to newbie photographers about how to get their businesses started the right way.

I’d love for you to join me over at the new Capturing Life blog. Make sure to update your bookmarks! And to all my photographer readers out there: I will be looking for guest posts, so drop me a line on the new blog if you have a great idea for an article. Thanks for all the years of support over here at ShelbyLane.net!

Thank you so much to everyone who turned out for our Holiday Charity sessions a couple of weeks ago!  Everyone’s portraits should be in by now and we have already called about half of you to arrange for pickup.  I will be out of the office until Monday, but those who have not heard from me can expect a phone call or an email then.  We had some wonderful, beautiful children in this year — some that we’ve known for years, and some that we met for the first time.  Thank you, all of you, for being so fantastic and for your toy donations!  And Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!  The studio will be closed next week for the holiday and so that we can get packed and moved.  If your order is due in on Tuesday or Wednesday I will give you a call as soon as it’s here to arrange for pick up.  Please keep in mind that the mail and shipping services will not be delivering on Thursday, so things that should be here on Thursday or Friday will likely be delayed by a day or two.  I know that many of you will be out of town visiting relatives and enjoying the holiday, and our family will be too, so I wish you all a safe trip!

I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who came out this weekend for our annual Holiday Charity Sessions.  We had a great turnout and all the kids looked fabulous — even our non-human kid.  Here is Bella from this afternoon.  We’ll be redesigning the site and blog over the Thanksgiving holiday but I will come back and add more from our charity sessions so you can see how cute everyone looked!

Holiday Update!

November 19, 2008

Just a quick post to catch everyone up on our upcoming events and deadlines!  Don’t forget that our Holiday Charity Sessions are this weekend!  If you’re signed up, please don’t forget that the session fee is an unwrapped $25 gift (one for each child photographed) and that we schedule these VERY tightly, so please be on time!  I’ve never blogged our Pumpkin Patch charity sessions from last month so here are a few for you.  :-)

The deadline for print-only orders for Christmas delivery is next WEDNESDAY.  I will be closed from Wednesday afternoon till the next Tuesday to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and to pack and move, so I will not be taking phone calls and emails during that time.  If you have a “family share” gallery on our site, it will expire on Wednesday as well because we’re trying to launch the site redesign and the site will be down for a few days during vacation.  As of Dec 1, all sessions will take place “on location” and our pricing structure will change, so this is your last chance to book sessions or order prints at 2008 prices.

I’m really excited about the changes we have coming… I think that it’s going to make sessions a little more fun and creative and I have needed that.  Check back after Thanksgiving to see if we really DID manage to get everything redesigned and back up.  ;-)   Somehow, web tech projects never follow the timeline that they should… .

I know that many of you have been waiting for me to announce the dates for our Fall Charity Sessions and the upcoming Limited Edition Sessions, so here you go!

Pumpkin Patch: October 17-18

Bring your little ghoulies and ghosties for our annual Pumpkin Patch event! I turn the air conditioning waaaay down in the studio so that everyone will be comfortable in their costumes or their adorable fall outfits. Whichever outfit you choose, I guarantee that these sessions will be a lot of fun. Sessions are scheduled 15 minutes apart and we will NOT be offering clothing changes this year unless you would like to book two time slots. Our pumpkin patch set changes a little every year and is designed for children only, so it is appropriate for sitters up to age 12.

Session fee: $25 in canned goods OR a $25 HEB Gift Card to go to the San Antonio Food Bank. We will be ordering on site right after your session, and this is one of our most popular events every year so session times will book up very quickly. Call us at 830-214-1725 or email me at info at shelbylane dot net to get on the schedule. The appointments for these sessions are NOT TRANSFERABLE so if you can’t make it, please let me know so I can call the next person on our waiting list.

Christmas Charity Minis: November 21-22

I haven’t officially decided on our theme for this year, but our special holiday sets are always unique and always gorgeous! What you see above are samples from the past two years — and both sets were great for either fancy holiday outfits or more casual winter clothes. These sessions are a great way to get last-minute portraits for gift-giving and for holiday cards. Sessions are scheduled 15 minutes apart and we will NOT be offering clothing changes this year unless you would like to book two time slots. Our holiday set is designed for children only, so it is appropriate for sitters up to age 12.

Session fee: $25 worth of NEW (still in the packaging) toys PER CHILD or a $25 Toys R Us gift card (again per child) to go to the Medina Children’s Home. We will be ordering on site right after your session, and this is one of our most popular events every year so session times will book up very quickly. Call us at 830-214-1725 or email me at info at shelbylane dot net to get on the schedule. Again, the appointments for these sessions are NOT TRANSFERABLE so if you can’t make it, please let me know so I can call the next person on our waiting list.

Urban Sessions: September’s Limited Edition

You might remember these from the spring — our Urban Sessions were so much fun! They’re designed for older kids and we can only photograph them a couple of times a year because of the weather. But we will be offering these again in September for our regular in-studio session fee of $150. These are great for walkers up to the pre-teen set and would be perfect as holiday card and gift portraits. We can only schedule one of these per day, because of lighting, so if you’re interested please call me asap to get on the books.

Holiday Family Portraits

When was the last time you had a family portrait created? If you had to pause to think, NOW is the time! Portraits are heirlooms that are passed down from generation to generation. THIS is the year to get everyone together and capture this moment in your family’s history.

Our September and October weekend sessions are booking up quickly… if you’d like an outdoor portrait, we can only do one or two of those per weekend, so please get with me NOW to reserve your ideal time. We also offer in-studio sessions to make scheduling a little easier on your family. Once sports and dance and other school and church programs ramp up, it will be harder and harder to find the time to schedule, so now is your chance! Check out the gallery on our site for some samples of our family portrait work.

Pumpkin Patch!

October 19, 2007

Ah, my favorite time of year.  Those crispy orange and brown and yellow leaves.  Those cool temperatures.  Kids in their adorable costumes or fall outfits.  Of course, since we are in south Texas, the only way I get to experience any of these things is in the studio when we have our Pumpkin Patch event. 

This year we had a great bunch of kids.  Fun and cute as pie.  And we brought in bags and bags of food for the San Antonio Food Bank.  Thanks to everyone who participated!  The lab is processing all your orders and they should be here on Monday (although a few of you had add-ons and those will be here Wednesday). 

Here are just a few that I had a chance to resize for the web… and of course, the last one is our setup model Charlotte.  ;)   I have more coming so if you don’t see your sweet baby on the blog, he or she will probably end up on the site.  We are updating slowly — once again, we’ve had server issues — but check the site for new images within the next couple of weeks.  And if you are still interested in participating in our "Night Before Christmas" event on November 2 and 3, we still have a few appointments left for Friday the 2nd.  Give us a call asap to get on our calendar!

Also keep in mind that sessions are booking up quickly for the holidays.  My weekends are booked into late November, and we are trying to work people in wherever we can but there are only so many places for wiggle room.  We DO still have weekday appointments left, and remember that I always keep a couple of appointments open during the week for newborns and last minute maternity sessions.

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Rummage!

January 8, 2007

Hey, y’all.

Things are finally settling down from Christmas and I finally got to actually talk to a few of you on the phone this week — instead of us talking to each other’s voice mails.  ;)   To all of you who have called or emailed, I am catching up!

I wanted to share with y’all something I’m doing this year.  I have been working with the Junior League, and now we have finally gotten to one of our big annual events — the Rummage Sale.  It’s like a huge garage sale, but you can find some amazing pieces.  Working in the warehouse, I have already seen five or six (or seven or eight) things I MUST have for the studio, and I have also seen some great clothes and shoes and housewares items come through as well.

The date for the sale is March 1-4 at Freeman Colesieum.  BUT, as I know this is a "fresh start" cleaning out time of year, if you have some items you’d like to donate to the sale let me know.  The deadline to donate is the end of next week, so if you’d like to get things in to me I can take them to the League.  They accept clothing, furniture, kitchen stuff, appliances… just about everything.  Call me at the studio if you’d like more info.

And thanks!  I hope y’all are having a great week and enjoying this beautiful weather (and cedar laced air).  ;)