Category Archives: Uncategorized

Attention Small Business Owners – 10 things you should know

I just read a fantastic blog post that I wanted to share. http://virtualphotographystudio.com/photographyblog/2010/05/running-a-photography-business/comment-page-1/#comment-11993 It is entitled “10 Things You Should Know About Running A Photography Business”, but you could easily remove the word “Photography” as most of these are universal and wherever the topic is specifically photography related you could easily insert products or services from your own trade.

For us this was mostly reinforcement that we are approaching our business the right way but we still have two weaknesses on this list and we’ll be the first to admit them:

Number 3 – we need to hand off some of this bookkeeping – NOW.  I’m good at tracking many aspects of our business but I’m not exactly an expert bookkeeper and some of this stuff bogs me down.  When I read this point it kind of smacked me in the face….

Number 6 – actually more of a strength for us overall (so maybe I lied).  We do this well – we are specialists and not generalists (love that way of putting it by the way).  We do NOT specialize in event photography.  We will not photograph huge events.  Or even pretty big events.  We will photograph certain smaller events and we are selective about which ones will fit for us and our clients.  We are fortunate to have the talents of miss Angela Bell as well for some of our informal events such as engagement parties that require more casual images – she is our second photographer and she does a great job on those.  As a rule however, we specialize in portrait photography – all kinds.  Yes it’s a broad category but it’s one category we enjoy the most and it’s where we rock.  I listed this one because we need reminding – as do all business owners – to resist the temptation to accept a one-off job that isn’t really what you do best and isn’t what you want to be known for.  We’ve done this before and we’ve learned that we should not be doing it or we should at least think it all the way through first.

Hope this helps and we would like you to add any advice for us and for each other if there is something you don’t see on this list.  Please comment and join the discussion!

– Doug

Why is Professional Baby Photography Worth the Price Tag?

We thought this was a good article and here is why… The article goes into detail about some things to consider when deciding to invest in professional photography and what the value is, and we take all the elements described here very seriously. This applies not just to babies, but to maternity, children, families, high school seniors and all the rest. We love doing what we do and we love our people – as some of you reading this already know we have become very close to many of you and we appreciate you letting us into your lives to help capture all the great moments that have happened in front of Ally’s camera!!!

Why is Professional Baby Photography Worth the Price Tag?

Posted using ShareThis

And we’re OFF!!!!

I am beyond excited to be heading down to Nashville for the Imaging USA conference for photographers. This conference is full of information, new products, great ideas, etc. I’m so looking forward to going! Plus, I get to spend some time with a bunch of other photographers to talk about what’s working and what’s not in their studios.

I’m planning on taking copious notes, learning a ton of stuff and coming back to the studio on Thursday refreshed, refocused and ready to work to make 2010 the best year ever!

Make sure you check in to our YouTube channel for updates from the convention. Get to meet some of our vendors, see a bit of what it’s like to be on the floor of one of the coolest venues in the photographic world!

When we get back on Thursday, I promise to post a bunch of images that I’ve been sorely lacking in posting! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!! The downside of being so busy! 🙂

Until next time,
Ally

Two of my newest favorites




Meet A and K. These two came in to the studio and we just had a ball! We took some video of our session together so we do have DOCUMENTED proof of how much fun we had. A couldn’t be a sweeter little boy. He was so relaxed and calm – a perfect little gentleman. Plus, just look at his amazing eyes. Seriously, could this kid look even more like an angel? My gosh!!!

Then we have K. She was a little ham! This little girl knows what she wants and thankfully, she was spot on! She is totally an inspiring fashionista! The red bow went with the red petti, the light one went with the green rainbow one…LOVED every minute of it! The image of her by herself was just an adorable silly K moment. I loved how she’d pulled that petticoat all the way up to her armpits!

Plus, I’m a total sucker for great big brown doe eyes. K was rockin’ those. They were so big and full – like little pools!

These guys came in for a Christmas card session – I think mom is going to have a hard time choosing one for their card. There are so many to select from. I guess that’s the punishment for having such cute kids!

Until next time,
Ally

Sweet baby “C”




I got a call from L asking about newborn images of her new daughter C. I happen to LOVE working with newborns! Since newborns are only “new” for so long, I have to work them in where I can. And I was so happy to be able to do it, too!! Now, newborns take a lot of time to work with. And princess C was no exception. We needed to have her with a full belly and really warm. It took a bit of time, but we finally did it!!!

You can totally tell how much she loves her Daddy and how much she loves snuggling in to her mommy too. It’s so nice to see families that are so in love with each other. Kind of gives you that warm fuzzy feeling, ya know?

We were even able to get a few shots in with C’s big brother R, but those are reserved for the family first! I’ll post those soon enough to the Frameable Faces group on Facebook.

So, in a quickie nutshell, I loved loved LOVED working with C. She’s a total sweetheart and I totally enjoyed the time we spent together. She was a total love and let me hold her and squish on her for like 4 hours. It almost made me want another baby! Almost!!!

Until next time,
Ally

The “S” family – they should’ve been the “F” family…





because they were so much FUN! Seriously, I don’t love shooting on Sundays simply because I like to hang out with my own family. But if shooting families like this one makes it a lot easier and so much fun! From the second they opened up their minivan door, I felt like I’ve known them for a very long time. H and A were a complete pleasure to work with. They were more like adults than kids. Very respectful and well mannered…exactly how we’d like our kids to be when they’re 12 and 14.

Lucky, the wonder dog, was a fun addition to the session as well. He kept us on our toes for the whole 2 hours we worked together and was such a good sport. M’s parents were in from out of town and they, too, were like old friends. Seriously, we had such a great time working with everyone during this session that when we left, I wanted to hang out with them some more! It was just that great!

I could go on and on about M and T, and their daughter and her sweet baby, too! We played some geography games to try to figure out if we knew each other from way back when, but came up a bit short. I bet if we had a little bit more time, we would’ve figured it out!

So, I’d be happy to write more about how much I liked this session and all the people involved, but that would take up so much room and I’d feel like I was gushing. So, just suffice it to say that we were able to capture some amazing images in our 2 hours together. I’d be so happy to work with these guys again! Just sayin’!

Until next time,
Ally

Complete and total cuteness!





That’s what these three were. L, J and H came in on Saturday and we had such a great time even though they’re football rivals! 🙂

L was a little ham and was all personality. He had me laughing as he was telling me that he was going to put ketchup, mustard and pepper on his toes so I wouldn’t eat them. He was cracking me up! J was so sweet and you could tell that he really looked up to his big brother. He was so stinkin’ cute and was just so easy going. Such a pleasure!

And then there was H. I don’t think we got one bad image of her. She was smiling throughout the whole session and was just so “picture perfect!” Her little eyes just sparkled and her little smile was simply brilliant.

I can’t wait to design their holiday card! That’s really what this session was about. Getting that one special image of the three of them together. I think we got it! And then some!!!

Until next time,
Ally

A really cool generational photo session




So, I know I’m way behind in blogging my sessions, but I’ve just been so busy! It’s a good problem to have but I hate being so late with it!

Anyways, I recently had the pleasure of photographing 4 generations of this amazing family. How special! Plus, they were incredibly cool and everyone was VERY well behaved. I love when families like this come in! They were all so nice and fun and we just had the very greatest time!

M contacted me on Facebook asking about a generational photograph and I was so happy to oblige! Especially when the family is like this one. Of course, I didn’t know this when they booked but it was a very pleasant surprise! 🙂

Ok…so enjoy the sneak peak! I loved this family!!!!

Until next time,
Ally

The ‘N’ Family



I loved working with these guys! They were all cracking me up, and even though they’re all beautiful, each one of them had something extraordinarily gorgeous about themselves. “S” showed how much he was completely and totally in love with his wife and their family. It was the sweetest thing! “E” is just totally innately a stunning lady. Everything about her is pretty. Her smile, her eyes, her skin, her smile….EVERYTHING!!!

It’s no wonder that from these two parent’s they got three of the most amazing children! “A” is an awesome brother. He was up for anything and was such an awesome model for me! What a cutie – Watch out ladies!!! 🙂 “H” is a very smart young lady! We had a really great conversation about art and paintings…even told her I’d bring in some signed prints from a friend of mine who’s an amazing artist. Plus, “H” has the prettiest eyes! Her eye color is just exquisite. And she’s such a little ham, too! I have a few of her hamming it up for the camera!

And then we get to Miss “A”….This little girl had me cracking up almost the entire session. She was doing all sorts of little things to get everyone laughing. And not just the bunny ears behind everyone’s heads. She’s a really funny kid! I worked with her and “H” for dance pictures and A was cracking me up even then!!

So, I had another great day with some great clients. Families like these makes me really really appreciate my job! Did I mention recently that I LOVE MY JOB???

Until next time,
Ally

“You must’ve been a beautiful baaaby”




That’s what people are going to say about this princess when she gets older. She is a BEAUTIFUL baby! And what a sweetheart, too. I think I fell in love with her the second I saw her. She was cuddled up on her daddy’s shoulder and gave me a coy little smile when she first got here. That was it! She stole my heart!

She was a bit tired because we ended up shooting right in the middle of naptime, so since they were a “basic plus” session, we were able to split the session. So she’ll be back on Wednesday. I can’t wait!!

OH!! One more cute “A” anecdote, I was bouncing her on my knees and she was cracking up, no naturally, I gave her a little smushin’. Would you believe that sweet little baby reached up and grabbed my face and pulled me closer! OMG!!! She’s so freakin’ sweet!!!!

Ok, that’s it for now! Be on the look out later on this week for more from the sweet little princess “A”!

Until next time,
Ally