Paw-Traits, Paw-traits, PAW-TRAITS!

As we all anxiously wait for the New Year, our furry friends are anxious about something else…

Lexington’s 3^rd annual PAW-TRAITS of course!  So here are a few more details about Portrait Shoppe and Pet Suites’ Paw-traits contest for Fido, Sparky, Gizmo and all the other pups out there that just can’t wait any longer!

• There are three different judging categories:  small, medium and large breed.
• Portrait sessions can be anytime from January 1- Feruary 28^th.
• The judges will pick two winners from each category along with one overall winner.
• A party for the participants will take place at Pet Suites in March and the winners will be announced!
• Paw-Traits benefits the National Canine Cancer Foundation.
• There are awesome doggy prizes including a wall portrait from Portrait Shoppe, a $250 gift certificate to Pet Suites, goody baskets from the Barkery and much more!

We are so excited for this years contest!  Feel free to call the Portrait Shoppe @277-6671  if you have any questions or want to set up your pet’s portrait session!

~Kallie

The Story of My Furry Friend Dexter…

Having a five month old baby boy, I often think to myself, “You know, he really needs a friend.”  Not another sibling, but a puppy!  Every time I get this sporadic notion, my boyfriend reminds me of how we can’t exactly fit a puppy in our tiny apartment. 

I just remember being about six years old and my parents surprising us with a puppy on Christmas that year.  My brother’s and sister and I had to share him of course, but it still was the best Christmas present I can remember.  Dexter was a long- haired Golden Retriever with the playfulness of a child and a truly big heart.  He was a people person to say the least.

When I was in college, I distinctly remember receiving a phone call from my Mom that made my heart just sink into my stomach.  Dexter had a tumor in his mouth, and he was too old to be put under for surgery.  It was growing bigger everyday, but luckily, Dexter felt no pain.

After about six months Dexter passed away from the tumor, but he will always have a special place in my heart- as I’m sure everyone’s first puppy does! 

When I started working at Portrait Shoppe I was very excited to hear that our Paw-Traits contest benefits the National Canine Cancer Foundation.  Canine Cancer is becoming increasingly common so I’m glad we contribute to such an amazing cause!! 

~ Kallie

 

Top Dogs of Paw-Traits 2010!

 

2010 was an awesome year for our Paw-Traits competition!  I just wanted to give all of you readers a glimpse of last year’s competitors!  There were two winners for each category (small, medium and large breed) and one overall winner (Kalu, the Great Dane in the bigger picture!)  If you have a dog, you don’t want to miss this! 

It’s tons of fun and the best part about Paw-Traits is it raises money for the Canine Cancer Foundation. 

We can’t wait to meet this year’s furry contenders!  Remember to schedule your pet’s appointment sometime in January or February to participate!

~ Kallie

10 Outstanding Christmas Photography Tips

Christmas is the favorite time of year for so many people, but it is unfortunately one of the least-well photographed holidays. Want to really make this Christmas memorable? Here are some of our very own tips (from the pros at Portrait Shoppe) that will help make your Christmas photos stand out!

1. Make a list...Check it twice!

           At this time of year you are busy with so many things (gifts, cards, wrapping, travel plan, etc.) that it's easy to overlook the camera. Make it a point this year to prepare for photo taking: charge your battery before Christmas day, have a fresh memory card (or 2, or 3...), you might even set up your tripod the night before so it's ready to go in the morning!

          If you're traveling for Christmas, pack your camera bag and all the accessories the night before (you won't want to have to try and think of all those details in the morning), and please--whatever else you do--remember to bring your camera with you!

2. Add Light

           Indoor photos are notoriously dark, so you'll probably have to add some light to get the exposure correct. But don't use your on camera flash - it ruins the "mood" of the photo! Find a way to bounce the flash off the ceiling or the wall, or add light from another source: a window, a bright lamp - anything you can find to brighten the room.

3. White Balanced Christmas

           Many Christmas photos are taken inside, under many differently colored artificial lights. White balancing your camera is a must if you're going to have natural colors in your photos (and especially if you are taking Tip #2 seriously).

4. Take Befores and Afters

           The best presentation of any Christmas morning is NOT photos of your kids opening every single gift, but rather a "before" and "after" photo of the tree. You could also do a "before" where the kids are holding their stockings, and and "after" with the candy strewn about them on the floor. Think of other creative ways to capture the Before/After dynamic of Christmas day!

5. Gift Opening: Continuous Shooting Mode

           Set your camera to continuous shooting mode for gift opening, so that as your kids are tearing into their gifts you can simply press and hold the shutter button. This will help you capture the perfect expression on your child's face as he/she is seeing what Santa brought them. (then please see Tip # 9!)

6. Avoid Clutter...in your photos, that is

           The biggest error of most Christmas photos is the busy-ness. There is so much stuff decorating the houses during this season as it is; then you add gifts, wrapping paper, and lots of people, and it quickly become a visual mess! Try your best to lessen the clutter in your photographs:

     • Every photograph should have only ONE subject: decide what it's going to be
             for each and every shot, then shoot only for that

     • Find your focusing point (highlighting your subject) then blur the rest of the photo
             by getting in close and using a shallow depth of field

     • Fill your frame, cropping out the other stuff in the room that is not your subject

     • Set up your camera in a spot where there's not a lot of complicated
             scenery in the background

     • Especially avoid any  light emitting electronic devices!

7. Go Macro

           Get close up on the gifts, ornaments, lights, nativity sets, and food. Christmas is full of little treasures, go on a hunt for them and get up close to them for maximum effect.

8. At least one GREAT Group Photo

           Every Christmas needs at least one photo of the whole family together. Instead of waiting until right before everyone leaves (and is exhausted from the day!), take the group shot early in the day when everyone's fresh and still excited. And put them all really close together (closer than they want to be), and make use of different levels and heights (have some people sit, kneel, bend, etc.)

9. Edit Like Mad!

           When the day of shooting is over, you might have a couple hundred photos from the day...you do not need every one of them! Nobody (not even you) needs to endure having to look at photographs of every single Christmas gift being opened. So really go through your photos carefully and pick only the ones that really capture the joy and spirit of the season, or exclaim the personality of the person. Toss the ones of everybody just sitting around looking dull, the one of your husband you snapped while he was in the middle of a sentence, and ALL the blurry ones! Everybody (and you most of all) will appreciate it!

10. Tis the Season for Sharing

          Want to be the hero of the season? After you've distilled your photos down to the best couple dozen (use Tip #9), make that last extra push to get them up on Facebook or another photo sharing site before the day is over. Why not wait? Because there's something really special about Christmas day that makes people feel warm and fuzzy, and the sooner they see photographs the more they appreciate them and the more they remember just how wonderful it really was.

Hopefully you can put these to use this Christmas season and really "WOW" your family with your photograph skills this year!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Shooting!

Does Your Pet Have What It Takes?

So, your dog can sit and roll over?  Maybe even catch a Frisbee if he’s in a good mood?  Well, here’s the real question: can your pet model?  No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you! It’s time  for Portrait Shoppe’s Paw-Traits Modeling Contest!

We have teamed up with Pet Suites and The Barkery for Lexington’s 3^rd annual Paw-Traits Competition!  We are calling all pet owners to schedule your furry friend’s portrait session for January or February to participate. 

 Proceeds will benefit the Canine Cancer Foundation.  

Give your pet the opportunity to win a $250 gift certificate to Pet Suites, a wall portrait from us and tons of other donated doggy items!  Oh, and of course they’ll have fun while showing off their “PAWSitively” good looks and personality!

Check back soon for more details on our Paw-Traits contest!  Until then, here are some cute portraits of a few of the dogs that participated last year! Just makes you want to say "Awwwwww....."

~Kallie

Spotlight Interview: Kenya and Noah Woods

Kenya Woods brought her son, Noah, into the Portrait Shoppe and had an amazing session with Shelly!  He is an adorable little boy so we just had to post their portraits for everyone to see!  At only six months when Kenya brought him into the studio, Noah was just a bundle of smiles and full of personality. 

 I interviewed Kenya with a few questions about Noah and herself…

What new/funny/cute things has Noah learned lately?

     Noah is scooting backwards and discovering his shadow... He loves playing with his hand and watching the shadow on the wall. He also enjoys beating up his big brother.... it's funny to watch him go after Joshua with his right and left "jab."  Joshua is 9, so it's okay!

 What does Noah enjoy doing/playing with?

      He has a very loud playskool truck that he loves to play with.  It makes a lot of sounds and he "attacks" it every chance he gets. He also has a sing along book that was given to him by one of my friends.  It sings nursery rhymes and lights up.  He loves that book.

What is your favorite thing about Noah’s personality?

       Noah has a very calm dismeanor.  He is very observant like his father and doesn't get worked up about anything. I love his calmness.  It puts me at ease and makes me a better mother.

What do you think Noah’s favorite color is and why?

       Probably yellow or any really bright color.  He tends to respond to really loud colors. They excite him. 

What has changed since your older son was little concerning raising a baby? 

      Everything has changed.  New technology and baby gadgets.....  However, the one thing that has changed the most is ME.  I am less uptight about Noah.  I guess you learn with the first one and relax a little when the second one comes.

How does Noah compare to Joshua as a baby (are they similar or completely different)?

        Noah and Joshua look just alike.  They are identical twins, separated by 9 years!  But their personalities are very different.  Joshua is very demanding like me. Joshua loves attention like me.  Noah could care less....  He's always relaxed and laid back.  Another thing Joshua and Noah have in common is that neither of them sleep thru the night!!!!!

What is your favorite memory about your shoot at the Portrait Shoppe?

     It is a combination of things....

I came to Portrait Shoppe to capture a moment in time.  I wanted to have pictures of my son at 6 months old.... However, my experience at Portrait Shoppe left me with a lasting memory of  the pricelessness of motherhood and the preciousness of my infant son.

These images will last me a lifetime and I am so thankful for the experience.

Thanks Kenya!

~Kallie

Wrapped or Unwrapped? That Sneaky Santa Claus!

I know it’s been a long while since Santa’s left presents for me under the tree on Christmas Eve, but I can still vividly remember the anticipation I felt as a child waiting for Christmas morning!  My brothers and sister and I would make our lists and give them to my parents (who, of course, would mail them to the North Pole for us) and pretty much just wait for the big day to come!

Despite having four kids in my family, Santa still never disappointed! One of the best parts about Christmas morning, other than opening the toys, was the first look at the Christmas tree as we ran into the living room once we were all awake.  We would take a few moments to stare in awe at all of the bows, ribbons and bright colored Christmas wrapping paper.

Which leads me to my point- Santa wrapped the presents at our house!  Growing up, some of my friends had wrapped presents while others had their toys under the tree unwrapped on Christmas morning.   I’m not sure how Santa managed to get all of it done in one night- but he always did! So that’s the side I’m on in the Great Christmas Present Debate- wrapped! 

~Kallie  

Dear Santa...

As many of you may know, Santa visited the Portrait Shoppe the weekend after Thanksgiving to take portraits with as many kids as we could squeeze into our appointment book.  All of the children brought their best smiles to their sessions, but two little one’s were even prepared with letters for Santa!  Forget the mail! They wanted to bring their letters straight to Mr. Claus himself!

Complete with Santa stationary, these letters were too cute not to blog about!  Hunter, the seven-year old, said he wants D.S. games and also said Santa could “surprise me with other stuff,” (Of course!)

Taylor, who is four-years old, even colored Santa a picture to go along with his letter in which he first let Santa know, “I have been good this year, even learned my letters.”  Both Hunter and Taylor made sure to inform Santa about the chocolate chip cookies they were leaving under the tree.

Until next time, everyone better be staying on Santa’s “nice,” list out there!

~Kallie