If you read our blog regularly you may be wondering who that Amanda chick is and why is she writing on Portrait Shoppe's blog. I am the self-named newbie here. I started working for Portrait Shoppe about a month ago and having been easing into all the wonderful aspects of marketing. Being new to Portrait Shoppe and having never had portraits done here (gasp!) I thought I should find out what all the buzz was about.
I purposefully never sat in on any of the portrait sessions since starting so that when I brought in my family I would be able to give you a unique "mom" perspective. So, I checked my calendar carefully. For me, a lot of preparing goes into having pictures done. I just want to make sure everything is perfect. I have to make sure everyone is up on their haircuts, everyone has matching outfits and that the time is such that neither one of my kids will be cranky. It can be a challenge for me! I hope I am not the only one that stresses out completely over things like this. (If I am, just let me think that I'm not.)
Thankfully only my oldest needed a haircut, but we all needed white shirts. (I had my heart set on doing a classic portrait with white tops and jeans.) I determined the best way to get everyone what we needed was to make a trip to the mall, a dreadful thought with two young boys. Just the thought of getting there was a little daunting! I am in the first trimester with baby #3 and in the throws of all the "ickiness" that comes with it. I was afraid it would take an act of God for me to get my kids and myself ready to go. To my great surprise and pleasure, once we were there we did really good. My kids respond well to bribery, and a lunch at the food court and playtime in the mall playground goes a LONG way to get their cooperation with shopping. Mission accomplished!
Portrait Shoppe makes it really easy to do your portrait session with your kids in mind. Naps? No problem! We were able to time the portrait session with my youngest son's nap in mind. We came in to be warmly greeted by Shelly, one of our photographers. My kids were shy, but excited. Their excitement grew when they saw the colorful changing room with large murals painted on the walls and a chalkboard welcoming them by name. We quickly changed in to our white tops and headed for the studio.
Shelly was great at working with the boys. My boys are 2 1/2 and 5 and, as boys will be, were very interested in all the neat things to look at in the room. Shelly easily got them where they needed to be and pulled wonderful, real smiles from them. I was tired just watching her! She remained upbeat and excited throughout the shoot, making my kids feel comfortable and at ease. I have been to other studios where the photographer wasn't as patient and my kids were ready to bolt! This was so much easier. My kids didn't fuss; they were too busy playing with Shelly! At the end of the shoot their hard work was rewarded with treats and silly bands. Life doesn't get any better in their minds. The end result is a great experience for mom, dad, and kids and some beautiful portraits to add to our wall. Check out a couple of our pictures below.
Children can be quirky. I remember taking my oldest son to have his one year portraits done and using a baseball mit and ball as props. He was so excited about that ball that he would raise and lower his hand repeatedly, pretending to throw the ball, and bouncing in place. All the pictures with that baseball are in motion (or of him trying to eat the ball)! Similarly, with my youngest, we had "naked baby" pictures done when he was about four months old. He would not leave the sheet covering his lower half in place for anything. It took five minutes to get him to leave it in place. I will forever remember those portrait sessions because my children's silliness was captured in photographs.
Last week we had a cute baby girl come into our studio who was photographed by Ryan. Teagun is a 9 month old little sweetie. In almost all of her shots she would roll her tongue and stick it out of her mouth, just slightly. It was her "signature" look and was absolutely adorable! Check out a few of her images...
Does your child have a quirk or a signature move they do regularly? So many times we want for our kids to have that "perfect" look for portraits, but also capturing those fun moments when they are being silly is a great memory maker. You will be sure to look back on those pictures and smile, remembering those special moments.
I don't know about you, but by the time dinner rolls around I sometimes count down the hours, minutes and seconds to when I can send my kids to bed. Sometimes I'm exhausted, worn out, and have just plain had enough. I've even been known to send my two boys to bed early, just to save the little bit of sanity I like to think I have. (Shh...don't tell anyone!)
The story changes once it is bedtime and they are ready to settle down and snuggle and read a bedtime story. My heart warms holding them close and sharing that special time with them. Then when they are all cozy and asleep in their beds, I swear they are just the cutest little angles all cuddled up in the beds, sucking their thumbs and clinging to their stuffed animals. I could never imagine these sweet little things ever being anything but perfect. Certainly these are not the same kids that make my house look like an F4 tornado has whipped through it! You, like me, have probably snuck in on your kids sleeping soundly in their beds and snapped a few pictures to remind yourself later that they really were little sleeping angels.
This is the idea behind our Sleepytime Portraits. We are capturing that time where your kids are (usually) most quiet, most subdued, and when you spend that quality time together as a family, reading a story, talking, and maybe saying a bedtime prayer; the time of day where they don't worry if someone sees them hug you and give you a kiss goodnight.
Sleepytime Portraits are shot with your kids in their PJ's and can be taken with siblings and parents. Families have been photographed reading with their child, snuggling, and with children holding those cherished stuffed animals they won't go to bed without. I relish the time when my kids are sitting with me and sharing that special time of day, as I'm sure you do. While we can't live in those moments of twilight with our little cuddle bugs, you can be certain that we can help you in capturing the essence of that sweet time when the day winds down and you aren't so rushed.
Every year we have dozens and dozens of beautiful and handsome entrants to the Star Kids Modeling Contest. Thankfully for us, Images Model and Talent Agency takes on themselves the hard job of selecting the winners. The overall winner of the Star Kids contest is then offered a full scholarship to Images children's classes to get some professional modeling and acting experience. Some of the winners from years past have gone on to pursue further performance venues. We caught up Alena, mom to 2009 winner Gianna, and she gave us a wonderful update on how her little winner was doing. So, here's what Gianna has been up to and how winner the Star Kids Contest affected some of those decisions!
The Star Kids Modeling Competition was a wonderful experience for Gianna. Of course, her favorite part of the entire experience was the photo shoot in the Portrait Shoppe Studio. From the dressing room, the costumes, and the personal attention provided by the staff, Gianna felt like a star even before being selected as the winner. The pictures turned out so beautifully, we had a hard time choosing a favorite to enter in the contest!
When we entered the Star Kids contest, our main priority was to great some great photographs capturing this magical youthful time in our child's life. However, winning the contest greatly improved Gianna's confidence. She went on to win Little Miss Madison County and represent the county at the state fair pageant. She also really enjoyed the classes at Images, especially memorizing scripts and practicing on the runway. Since completing the course at Images, Gianna has participated in several local fashion shows including pageant store Jack N Jill, and is also featured in the current ad campaign for Posh Tots Boutique in Richmond.
Whatever Gianna does, she likes to do it with an abundance of style and fanfare. Gianna is currently training with the Level 3 team at Excel gymnastics in Richmond, where her coach often refers to her as Little Miss America. She also just completed her 4th recital with Bluegrass Dance Center, where she studies tap, ballet, creative dance, and hip-hop. Next week, Gianna will graduate from Kindergarten and looks forward to a summer vacation filled with swimming, reading, play and (probably) mischief. While acting and modeling were never our original plan, Gianna will also attend theater camp to decide if she would like to further pursue acting.
Thanks so much Alena for providing us this awesome "snapshot" of Gianna's life and success! We wish her well.
Interested in getting your own child in to become a Star Kids winner? Make sure you check out the details of Star Kids in 2010 (below), then call the Portrait Shoppe at 859.277.6671 to make an appointment or even just ask questions, or go to the web and contact us that way.
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