This has been such an unbelievable year so far. I hope it has been for you as well. Between the Studio opening in February and a complete rebranding of Infinity Images, we’ve had our hands full…which is a wonderful thing. We don’t like to be bored!

We are really happy to announce our 2011 Limited Edition Portrait Series Schedule. If you’ve never heard of our Limited Editions before, they absolutely ROCK! They are 30 minute Sessions done on a uniquely themed set so every year is a different look. You don’t have to worry about having the same portraits done year after year.

In addition to our popular Day at the Beach and Field Day Sessions, we’ve added 4 more BRAND NEW themed sets for you. Our most popular Sessions are the Day at the Beach. If you’re interested in this one, you’ll want to book it fast. It always fills up first. Our Dog Days of Summer Sessions are perfect for the pet lovers out there. We make your furry friend a star and you get amazing images to show the world how much they mean to you. Tutu & Ties is all about couture & fashion. Your kids will feel like supermodels on this set! If you’re looking for a unique family portrait, you will want to book the Field Day Session. Your family + a big comfy couch + a big field = AMAZING PORTRAITS!  Our Pumpkin Patch Sessions will be done outside (weather permitting) with the beautiful pumpkins from McLeod Farms.

Our Santa portraits are getting a facelift this year. We wanted to do something totally different (and not cheesy). I know how disappointing it is to have your kid’s portrait taken with Santa at the mall. Our Santa set is going to be a full on experience for your kids. Not just a quick pic assembly line. Our set is going to be a Woodland Wonderland that your children will not soon forget.

These rockin’ sessions will become available for booking on Monday, May 23, 2011. If you’re interested in booking a session, just call the studio and let us know which theme you’re interested in. A $39 Session Fee will book your session. We will have some really great Special Packages to choose from that were designed specifically for these sessions.

We are really excited about our Limited Editions this year and we hope you are too! If you have any questions about booking a session, please don’t hesitate to contact the studio at 843-245-7320 and we’ll be happy to help. We’re looking forward to making some amazing portraits for you and your family!! Be sure to share this post with your friends by clicking the links below. You know they want awesome photos too, right?!

I’m going to go ahead and warn you, this post is extremely picture heavy. I had so many to share and couldn’t decide which ones to cut so I just kept all of them. Sorry!!

Over the past couple of years I’ve really felt boxed in to only shooting in natural lighting conditions. Don’t get me wrong, I love natural light..I love the softness on the skin and the eyes. But sometimes I want to try dramatic lighting….and I’d like to be able to shoot outside during the middle of the day without worrying about how harsh the sun will be. While at a photography convention last year, I saw Blair and Suzanne Phillips of Blair Phillips Photography speak about Breaking the Mold. Their whole philosophy is to try new things..things no one else is trying. Trying new things is hard. Practicing new techniques takes time. That’s time and energy most photographers don’t want to put into their craft. I do. I want to try new things. I want to push myself to learn and grow. So when I found out that Blair and Suzanne had recently started doing a Break the Mold Workshop, I was more than excited. I signed up for it right away because I didn’t want to take the chance of it selling out. Then, I had to wait more than 6 months. The waiting was excruciating. I knew this workshop would change my world. And I wasn’t disappointed.

When March rolled around, my friend Nichole of Nichole Alexandra Photography and I headed up to Landis, NC. Nichole and I do a couple of photography trips a year together and always have such a great time. We spend our free time searching for the best places to eat and talking about everything under the sun. We always enjoy the kid/family-free time to just focus on our businesses. That’s not something we get very often so we take full advantage. Of course, there’s lots of gossiping too! Oh back to the workshop.  We were blown away from the moment we walked into Blair and Suzanne’s studio. Everything was absolutely gorgeous and screamed Blair Phillips Photography. We got to meet the other 14 workshop attendees who, like us, were eager to learn.  Over the next 2 days I learned exactly what I needed to learn to bring my photography to the next level. I learned how to use studio lighting outdoors and do it well. I never thought I would be able to shoot a bride outside during midday full sun and still be able to see the details in her dress. I did it…with the help of Blair and his amazing assistants. We also were able to shoot a senior session and add that edge that I need to separate myself from the people that bought a digital camera last week and started a photography business this week. I will forever be grateful for Blair, Suzanne and the rest of their crew for sharing so much of themselves and showing us that it is possible to grow a successful photography business in a small country town. Here are a few shots of their studio and Blair working his magic.

Blair was so awesome with the children that came into the studio that day. He got natural expressions out of this little girl while their were 20 other people standing around watching…and let me tell you, that’s not easy.

Blair builds these amazing sets outside behind his studio. Awesome!

This is the dressing room. Who wouldn’t feel incredibly glamorous in this room?

Didn’t I tell you their studio was fabulous?!

This is their client ordering room. Clients are treated to a real theatre experience.

Blair always says that he would never ask a client to do something he wouldn’t do.

So now that I’ve shown you all of the Blair awesomeness, here are some shots I got while he was demonstrating.

I know no one is going to believe me but I did absolutely no retouching on her skin. That’s what great lighting techniques do!

So what does all of this mean for my clients? It means I have a broader range of choices for selecting locations and scheduling sessions. It means I’m bringing more to the table when I pick up my camera. And that means more awesomeness to display in your home. Set up a session and let’s get started!!

I get this question a lot. “So, what do we do with our engagement portraits? There are so many and I don’t want to hang all of those up in our house.” I totally get that. Engagement portraits are so much fun but a few on the wall is more than enough. So what do we suggest doing with the rest of them? Guest Books!

I know all of you have seen the traditional guest book (except for maybe the guys out there because they always get their wives to sign it). You know the one. It has a really beautiful cover but just lines on the inside for your guests to sign their names. How about trying something new? How about having a guest book that the guys would love to write in? Our new Interactive Guest Books are a huge hit at weddings because it gives the guest something fun to contribute. And it’s great for the couple because it’s a beautiful book that you’ll want to keep out on your coffee table, not stuffed in a drawer never to be seen again. The book is filled with all of your gorgeous images from your Engagement Session but it also asks your guest questions…really fun questions. For example, “Give us some ideas for Date Night.” or “Love is never having to…?”  or “Do you have a really fun story about us?” What could be more fun for your guest than to give you some great advice or tell a really great story about you?

The book has a metallic custom photo cover which just make the images pop. It’s designed to lay completely flat when open so your guest will be able to write with ease. Only the highest quality materials are used so it will last a lifetime (or longer). So now that’s one more thing you can check off of your Wedding Planning To-Do List. Engagement Portraits…check! Guest Book…check!! Give us a call today at 843-245-7320 to set up your Engagement Session and we’ll get started on your Custom Book!!

So I hope by now everyone has seen our new Designer Frames. They are curvy, spunky and sooooo much fun! Who wouldn’t want a wall full of these awesome frames?! Well, I’ve decided to do a really fun giveaway for this super cool 8×10 frame. Our frames are available in over 50 colors so you will even get to choose which color would best fit your decor. All you have to do is head on over to our Facebook Fanpage here and “like” our Page. Then comment on this post letting us know you “liked” our Fanpage, who’s picture you would put in this frame and where you would hang it in your home. It’s that easy! One super-lucky winner will be chosen by a random drawing on Friday 2/18/11. We’ll announce the winner at 12pm. Good Luck!!!!

I have been soooo excited to share these with you. I just sent this set out to a recent client that LOVED them. I almost didn’t want to part with them and they weren’t even images of my children! Each album set is custom designed for you. The album is 3″ x 3″ and actually has a magnet inside to keep the front and back secure when it’s closed. They also come in these adorable little clear cases that protect it when you carry them in your purse, etc. I also love the idea of using them as fridge magnets. I’m sure there are plenty of other great ideas but I’m sure Grandmothers won’t need one as long as they can reach into their purse and pull out this little gem! We are going to use them for all different types of sessions/events such as, newborn, families, seniors, weddings, engagements, bridal portraits, child sessions, pet sessions, maternity and boudoir portraits. I can’t wait to start handing these little babies out to all of our clients.

We took Whitney to Downtown Hartsville to have a little fun. She is such a cutie that I couldn’t get a bad picture of her. We tried lots of different poses and lighting situations and, as you can see, she looked great in all of them. I can’t wait until Whitney is a senior!!