Only two weeks left to take advantage of our digital sale!

I have had several people from LONG ago email me, and if you haven’t heard back from me yet, I am still going through the archives to see what I still have for your sessions.

Several of you have also said that you’d like to pay by check, and that is absolutely fine!  BUT, I need to receive those checks by September 1st.  I’ll let you know as soon as I get them in the mail, so if you haven’t gotten a confirmation from me, I haven’t received your check.  Thanks!

I’ve had a bunch of people ask me lately “what would it take to get the negatives from our sessions?”  Some people want them just to have them to keep as a part of their own photography archives.  Some people want them to print for projects or because they regret not ordering more at their first ordering session.  I can’t tell you how many times people have seen shots of their own child on the site or in the studio, even years after they were photographed, and said “I can’t believe I didn’t buy that one! What was I thinking!” Well now’s your chance to own them all. 

So… since I have no time to offer a session special this fall, I’m going to offer one on negatives from past sessions. For those of you who have been wanting to purchase your digital negatives, I’m offering a once-a-year chance to own them at a reduced price.  The special only applies to past sessions where prints were ordered, and the negatives are offered in full session sets only.  I have sooooo many people who have taken advantage of our Little Blessings Club over the years, and I’m offering y’all an amazing deal if you purchase sets from three or more sessions.  Email or call and let me know what sessions you’re interested in, and I will see if I still have your negatives and give you a quote — prices are based on the number of prints that were ordered from the session and on how many sessions you’re interested in purchasing.

But hurry — this offer ends on September 1!  Our negatives are regularly $300 per file, so take advantage of this fantastic once-a-year offer while it lasts!

This has been such a great week!  I’ve gotten to spend time with long-time client friends and their kids, some photographer friends, and I got to meet some amazing new people, too.  Plus, I am getting to spend more time with my kids this summer, and that is the best part of all. I know this is a short week for most of you, so I hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend!

On Monday night I had the honor of speaking to the Austin Professional Photographers Association. What a friendly and talented bunch of people! It was a fun night and I got to visit with old friends and make a few new ones, too. Thanks, Tracey and Sue Ellen and everyone else, for inviting me out to spend the evening with y’all!

I also got to work with some clients who have been bringing their children in for years now, and I just want to say how thankful I am that you’ve let me share in their lives! I have some great images and I know you’re anxious to see them!  We were blessed with cooler mornings this week, so we didn’t end up soaked at the sessions.  I have suspended late afternoon sessions for the time being, unless they are in your home, because it has just been too hot for the little ones outdoors in the afternoons.

The kids and I also made pizza last weekend, and I took some shots of the process.  For the past few months, we’ve been trying to eat a healthier diet, and that means that I spend a lot more time in the kitchen.  We’ve fallen into the rhythm pretty easily, though, and everyone seems to feel better and have more energy.  I’ve also discovered that I really enjoy cooking when I don’t feel like I should be doing 20 other things instead, and when I know that the kids see it as a fun experiment.  There is something really satisfying about cooking from scratch, and enjoying the finished product after all that “work.”  The dough was surprisingly easy to make, and we had a lot of fun.  Here’s the recipe, if you’d like to try it at home with your own kids.

The dough, after being refrigerated overnight:

With sauce and cheese, ready to go into the oven. You can see Mac back there, asking “exactly HOW long will this take?”

Say cheese!

And finally, Charlotte showing off the finished product. I’d recommend getting more than one ball of dough out of the fridge, unless the pizza is just for you. It’s very popular at our house and that first pizza is gone before you can blink.

Just a reminder that I will be out on location this weekend, shooting our last round of Corpus Christi beach sessions for the summer. I might add one date in Rockport if there is enough interest (and we can settle on a date). I’ll return all calls and emails next week! I hope you all have a great Father’s Day!

Long time no blog!  We’ve been very very busy this year and with all that’s going on I just haven’t taken the time to sit down and blog.  But I am getting lots of emails and calls about both bluebonnet and beach sessions, so it seemed like a good time to write a quick note to all of you about our upcoming events.

BLUEBONNET PORTRAITS

Unfortunately, it’s been another dry, dry year.  I finally saw a couple of patches of bluebonnets this week, out on a back road near Gonzales, TX, and even then they were tiny patches.  I think we just haven’t had enough rain to get a good crop of bluebonnets anywhere that would be safe for photographs.  So, we won’t be offering bluebonnet portraits this year unless you and your family have a big, full patch somewhere.    Let’s hope for a rainy fall and better weather early next spring, and maybe there will be enough flowers to offer them next year.

BEACH PORTRAITS

We have had a record number of calls about beach portraits this year, and I have finally had time to set some dates!  We’ll be down in the Corpus/Port Aransas/North Padre area the weekend of May 16th and the weekend of June 20th.  Spaces are limited because of the light (and I actually already have someone on the calendar for the first weekend), so if you know you’ll want beach portraits, let me know asap so I can get you on the calendar.  (And as an aside, because of the demand and the amount of planning involved, we won’t be able to hold sessions this year without a pre-paid session fee).  Beach sessions booked on one of these two weekends will carry a similar session fee/structure as our regular sessions do: $550, which includes a 16×20 classic wall portrait or a $300 print credit.  These sessions are perfect for those heirloom family portraits and are great for families with children of most ages (children who are not yet sitting unsupported might be too young for this location).  Take a peek at some of our beach portraits from years past for ideas of what we could create for your family.  Our studio number is still 210-745-0142 or you can reach me by email through the site.

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!

Mark your calendars: this year we will be open for portraits before the New Braunfels High School Homecoming Dance on October 11th.  You’ve spent a lot of time (and money) finding the perfect outfit — don’t settle for snapshots out in the front yard!  Save this moment in time with some quick and beautiful keepsake portraits at the studio.  The dance starts at 8, so our downtown loft studio will be open from 4-7 so you can drop in, have a snack, hang out with friends, and have your portraits done before you go to dinner or to the dance.  We’ll have a great set that is way more modern and stylish than anything you’ll find at the school or at other studios in town.

Samples coming soon!

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.

As many of you know, we went out to the beach last month for our annual beach sessions. We had such a great time, and I always love the portraits we take on the beach. The light out at our special beach is so beautiful at sunset, each day has a unique look and conditions, and the families we work with are always so much fun.

Here are just a few from the trip.

Sweet Sophie “Frankensteining” (I just love it when babies are just learning to walk!)

And one more… I will post some family portraits a little later on this month. I’m considering ONE MORE BEACH DATE this year, because I’ve gotten so many requests. Email me at info at shelbylane dot net if you are interested. We would only do one more date, a little later on in the fall.

I can’t believe we’re almost half-way through July! This summer is flying by. A couple of quick updates:

The Circle of Friends promotion ends on Tuesday! If you have a list for me, please get it to me before close of business on the 15th. We have had many clients participate in this and I want to say THANK YOU to all of you for sharing my work with your friends! If you have emailed me to send a list or to book your gift session, I have replied to you!

We are still in search of 2009 Senior Models! We have to finish shooting these sessions by the time school starts, so if you are interested I need your info NOW. Email me at info at shelbylane.net for more information on the program.

Our coppertone Golden Child portraits from our new Masterpiece Collection will only be available for another two weeks or so! If you would like to bring your child in for one of these heirloom portrait sessions, please get with me right away to book your session. I will be announcing our next Series in August.

Check the blog next week for info about our upcoming Mini-Sessions! I have some really adorable and fun new sets that we’re launching in August and September, and then we’ll have our very popular Charity Sessions again in October and November.

And last but not least, NBHS Monoceras: don’t forget that your squad and button pictures are on Tuesday morning!

I hope you all enjoy your weekend! I’ll be back in the studio on Tuesday! Here’s a song to take with you for the weekend — one of my current favorites.

Lisa Loeb & Elizabeth Mitchell: Catch the Moon