My Adventures in Small Business Ownership

So, it’s a few days before Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:33:00 +0000

And I want to share with all of you some location images that I was able to capture right before the sky opened up, and I went down hard with last week’s nasty little bug that kept me confined to the house.

This is the Chudy family. They are an absolutely wonderfully photogenic family, and we had an absolute blast doing their Christmas portraits in front of their historic home downtown. :) Thank you, Casey, for sharing a bit of your family with us!

I also wanted to take just a moment to mention the terrific sale and giveaway at Soulographer. Skye’s got a workbook and posing guide on sale that you absolutely MUST NOT miss out on if you are even a little bit interested in children’s portrait photography! I picked them both up last week and cannot say enough nice things about these tools for photographers! Even a seasoned pro will take away a little something that is well worth the cost of admission. :) Thanks, Skye!

I hope that all of my readers, clients, friends, and family have a warm, blessed Christmas, and prosperous 2011!

Blessings to all of you!

Until Next Time….

Down Time Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:21:00 +0000

Apparently, if you don't slow down on your own, your body will slow you down!

I know this, as I'm curled up on the couch with blanket, pillow, and laptop, on day four of lost voice, nasty cough, and low grade fever. I've gotten little done since Sunday, which was NOT on my agenda.

What I have been able to do is catch up on my Facebook games, do a little research and development, and sleep. Yup, I excelled in sleeping. I'm quite good at it, apparently. :)

In my Internet travels I re-visited Soulographer, which is fast becoming one of my favorite sites to peruse, and not just because of the awesome giveaways they're sponsoring this month. :) Not only is this site a good read, it's an amazing resource for photographers to find good vendors for equipment, props, guides, etc.

Check out this week's giveaway (and awesome sale) at Soulographer.com and be sure to enter, if you are an aspiring, or even professional shutterbug.

I have no photos to share with you this time, as all of them are on the studio computer, and it's been too cold (ok, and I've felt too cruddy) to even venture out there, so I will keep this entry short.

The lesson learned this week is - You may not be able to fit everything you need to do into your waking hours, so do as much as you can after prioritizing, take a little time for yourself, take your vitamins, eat well, and exercise. If you don't, your body will most likely turn on you and knock you on your butt, and that only puts you further behind than you were when you started.

Until next time....

On New Experiences and Other Personal Things...

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 22:34:00 +0000

Greetings, and Happy Holidays to all! We just had our belated Thanksgiving feast just a few days ago, due to my eldest son not arriving home until the Monday AFTER Thanksgiving, but were still able to pull off the roast bird and all the fixin’s, enjoyed by all three of my sons for the first time in many years! I was a happy Mom (and Nona!).

My middle son, Matthew, has just announced his engagement to his beautiful girlfriend, Ashlee, and her baby girl, Lilly, so there has been much activity in our busy (and growing) family!

Last month I was touching base with a photographer friend of mine who was very nervous about shooting her first ever wedding, and she asked me if I wanted to come and help her. I thought she was joking, initially, but she was dead serious.

Now, those of you who know me, also know that I have avoided shooting weddings like the plague, given some of the horror stories I have heard about bridezillas and the like. Well, long story short, I sucked it up and told my friend that I was honored that she thought enough of my skills to want *me* to help her shoot the most important day in a young woman’s life. No pressure, right? (See? There’s part of it, right there…You do NOT get a do-over during someone’s ceremony, so you had best believe you need to be very familiar with your camera and its settings before you even THINK about shooting someone’s wedding!)

At any rate, we did the shoot, it was SO much fun! Had I known doing weddings would be as fun as it was, I would have started doing them many moons ago! :)

Also, if any of you reading this are photographers or aspiring photographers, then you need to check out the wicked giveaway and sale at the Soulographer Blog for Photographers.

So that’s it for right now…Until next time….

Yeah, Yeah….It’s Been A While….But I’m Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:22:00 +0000

Wow…

Junior Miss Pageant 9-11-10

What a ride it’s been here lately!

I hardly know where to start.

After my last post I did a photo shoot for the Junior Miss program in Wayne County. It is their first year having the pageant locally, and Casey Chudy did a magnificent job of organizing this event!

I had the honor of meeting 3 wonderful high school senior girls who were not only beautiful, but talented and smart, too! I did NOT envy the judges, as they had a very hard decision to make!

Jefferson Monument

Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call from my eldest son (he is in the Air Force) who told me he was stateside and staying at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I won’t go into all the details, but we jumped in the car the following Saturday morning and drove to DC to see him. Long story short, he is going to be medically discharged and should be stationed at our local base within the month. Of course, we felt the need to do a little sightseeing, and since he was able to go, Chris took us around and showed us some of the places I’ve only gotten to read about to this point. We saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument, the WWII Memorial, Jefferson Monument, Vietnam & Korean Memorials, and the Marine helicopters flew overhead several times on our walk back to the car. The entire morning was very moving to me, ESPECIALLY the sculptures by the Vietnam Memorial.

5K Run - Wayne Uplift Benefit

After returning from DC, I had a short radio interview pertaining to domestic violence. (I am a survivor, so this is a subject near and dear to my heart.) The following weekend, I shot the 5k/1k run/walk, which was a benefit for Wayne Uplift, a program to help victims of domestic violence.

2010 Taste of Wayne County Winners

Once I finished the post-processing of that shoot, I was contacted by the United Way of Wayne County and asked if I would mind shooting this year’s Taste of Wayne County on October 18th. Of course, I accepted. I ended up shooting just under 300 images of vendors, the judging of the food, contributors, the awards, the band, etc. Many of Wayne County’s finest dining establishments represented and offered samples of their yummy wares. I had so much fun that night! I was so busy running around shooting that I didn’t have time to really stop and sample a lot of food, but I can tell you that the Peruvian chicken I tasted was OUTSTANDING! :)

I just finished the post processing of those images last night, and am so excited to deliver the discs to the United Way.

I am taking a few days’ breather, but am in the process of gearing up for our Christmas portrait special, and I have also heard through the grapevine that many of this year’s Seniors are not terribly impressed with their portraits, so I would like to offer them a special, as well. This green screen isn’t hanging up in the studio for nothing!

Sooooo….Until next time….

Better Business Bureau Accreditation

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:31:00 +0000

We are so excited to announce that Wall 2 Wall Photography has achieved Better Business Bureau accreditation!

We have always prided ourselves on giving our clients the best experience possible in our field, and this accreditation further solidifies our goal of making your photographic experience with us the best that we can give you.

Our BBB report can be reviewed here.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at julie@wall2wallphotos.com.

Busy Week, Busy Times

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:52:00 +0000

Greetings!

Yes, it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, but I’ve been so busy!

We just picked up a community service project with the Civil Air Patrol, and will be shooting them on Tuesday evening. :)

Last Tuesday was the Chamber’s “Prime Time” trade show for new members, and I think we really had a nice set-up. I took a picture with my phone, so it’s not great, but we had such a great time! We met some really nice people, made some wonderful contacts, and even scored some outstanding hot sauce! ;) Go check out Mile High Hot Sauce! This stuff is great! The peppers are grown right here in Wayne County! We were also feeling a little lucky, so we purchased a couple of 50-50 drawing tickets and won! Can’t ever turn one’s nose up at cash, right?

On Thursday, I met with the girls from Curtis Media East/Crazy Wayno and purchased three rotating banner ads. :) Yup, it cost about my entire marketing budget, but when they are getting the hits that they are, what could I say? Check them out at CrazyWayno.

I also knocked out both my sales tax report (and *sigh* subsequent check writing), renewed my North Carolina Privilege License, AND joined the Professional Photographers of North Carolina, so it’s been busy.

Further, I have accepted a job working as the host photographer for the Junior Miss program in Goldsboro/Wayne County, so I really need to get my creative head together and get the ad together so that I can send it to Casey.

Has it been busy this week? You betcha! Would I trade it for anything? NO WAY!!!!

Until Next Time….

Networking - A WONDERFUL Low/No-Cost Way to Promote Your Business...

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:25:00 +0000

We attended Business After Hours this evening at Murphy’s Place on Center Street in Goldsboro.

As always, Business After Hours was chock full of fun and wonderful people. We met new friends and visited with older new friends, all the while exchanging business cards!

There are few better low/no-cost ways to promote your small business than good, old-fashioned networking!

After all, we met Jan at last month’s gathering and ended up on the roof of the mall taking pictures of fireworks a couple of weeks ago.

Johnny and I met Heidi Dudley from Allstate, who also has her own small business, Heidi’s Customized Pet Care & Cleaning Services. Because Heidi’s an animal lover like Johnny and I are, we hit it off immediately. We exchanged business cards and I took several of hers, as I know many pet owners who are looking for a means to look after their babies while they are away!

We also met Lynn and Dean, from Murphy’s Place. They are a really nice couple. Now, Murphy’s Place is where our Business Builder’s group meets twice monthly, and the food there is nothing less than outstanding! The atmosphere is comfortable, location is great, and service is friendly. If you get a chance to swing by 100 N. Center St. in Goldsboro, Wall 2 Wall Photography HIGHLY recommends Murphy’s Place for your hunger needs. You will NOT be disappointed!

So after about 90 minutes of interacting with other small businesses in the county, Johnny and I walked away, once again, feeling like we had accomplished something. :)

This is going to be a quick blog, however, because I am in the process of putting together portfolio books for a trade show we’ll be attending in about 12 days, so the clock is most assuredly ticking! :)

In the meantime, the rest of you small business owners reading this…get out there and mingle and talk yourselves up! :)

Until Next Time….

Hooked on the Book - A Benefit Book Signing to Benefit Coastal Louisiana

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:36:00 +0000

Rewind to 7-10-10….

Sandra Carrington-Smith, not only a wonderful author, but a good friend of mine, came to the Wall 2 Wall Studio on July 10, 2010 to do a benefit book signing. Our target? Coastal Louisiana.

We had a really good turn-out that day, and I couldn’t help but blog about it.

I don’t know how the rest of you feel, but the Gulf Coast disaster tugs at my heart daily. I see pelicans wrapped up in oil, I read of dolphins dying, and read of fishermen unable to do their daily-thing. I don’t know about the rest of you, but this just breaks my heart.

My author-friend, Sandra, has published two books; one fiction, one non-fiction and has dedicated herself to donating a portion of her book sales to the Louisiana Gulf Response (www.lagulfresponse.org), via the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (www.crcl.org), a local grassroots "boots on the ground" organization dedicated to preserving the Louisiana and Gulf Coast region.

We had a wonderful turnout, and I want to thank my good friend, Elaine Estes, for taking some outstanding pictures of all of us!

Growth and Overcoming Fears...

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:35:00 +0000

Back in March (on the 8th, I believe) I posted a blog about having joined the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. (Has it really been that long????) I am so glad that I did. I have met some of the nicest people in Wayne County; and we all have one thing in common...We want to see Wayne County prosper while growing our businesses!

Since then, I've taken a trip to Northern California and Eastern Nevada and shot a TON of images. I stayed with my dad and step-mom (Bobbie-Mom) and they carted me all over the place. On Wednesday, June 2, we were at the gas station in Napa fueling up for our trip to San Francisco when I got a call from the Small Business Center at Wayne Community College. I won the "Innovation" award for small business, 2010. To say it was hard for me NOT to jump out of the car and do a happy dance in the gas station parking lot is an understatement!

So we fast forward to June 17, the Chamber's Business After Hours, and I'm not only presented with my award, but have met some really great people, one of whom invited me to a Business Builders meeting. My contact had mentioned the possibility of needing a photographer to get up on the roof of the local mall to shoot fireworks on the weekend of the 4th of July. Of course, I was interested!!! How could I not be?

Johnny and I both attended the Business Builders meeting, and have decided to join the group. We've met more great people, and spoke with our contact at the mall, who again indicated she needed us to shoot fireworks.

As always, one thing leads to another, and we did, actually, end up shooting the events at the mall. The big scary for me was that 30 foot straight ladder through the hole in the roof. Now, anyone that knows me also knows that I am absolutely petrified of heights. However, I did overcome my fear of flying when I went to California and back, and I had spoken via email with my good friend, Sandra, about the whole ladder issue. She thought if I could overcome that fear of flying, surely I'd get over that ladder issue.

She told me to keep looking up, both on the way up and the way down from that scary ladder. I don't mind saying that when I first saw it, my internal organs pretty much turned to Jell-O, but by God, I was going up that ladder, getting on that roof and shooting those fireworks if it killed me. (And in my mind, it WAS going to kill me....)

My guide went up first, then my equipment, then it was my turn. I took a deep breath, and put my foot on the first rung of the ladder from hell. I started climbing. The entire climb up, Sandra's voice echoed in my mind, "Just keep looking up. Just keep looking up." Before I knew it, I WAS up...Granted my hands were shaking, but I was up there. Those shaky hands set up my equipment and before I knew it, I was all over that roof, shooting pictures with my Blackberry so that I could email them to Sandra to show her I was every bit as brave (or foolish) as she believed me to be.

While setting up, my mind continued to drift back to the not-so-immediate future; How in God's name was I going to get back DOWN that ladder without breaking my neck, or other important bones in my body. Soon it was dark, and time to get down to the business at hand. For about fifty-minutes, I shot fireworks. And I mean, "in your face" fireworks...I don't care what anyone says...the roof is the be all-end all of seats in the house for shooting them!

All too soon it was over, and our guide was there. We dropped the equipment and all of a sudden, it was my turn to get down that crazy ladder. I really don't know HOW I did it. Somehow, my foot found that first rung, and, again, Sandra's voice was in my head throughout the entire decent; "Just keep looking up. Just keep looking up." Before I knew it, I was safely on the ground, yet another fear-demon exorcised from my psyche!

Sandra and I both feel that there is some symbolism in that crazy ladder. Since then I've had two really great inquiries regarding my work, and I'm just as excited as can be.

Pictures below:

Until Next Time......

More Pictures & A Wall 2 Wall Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:06:00 +0000

We are pleased and excited to announce the addition of Peri Wall to the Wall 2 Wall Photography team! Peri’s an award winning photographer in her own right, and has had her images on display at the Wayne County Museum. Peri’s eye for color and composition are a perfect match for our team!

Below you will find images that were taken in Northern California earlier this month, including Dutch Flat and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Enjoy!

Until next time….

Some More North Bay and San Francisco!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 02:23:00 +0000

Tiburon, California….My Bridge!

So, it’s been kind of a busy couple of weeks, and I am just now getting to my Sonoma/Petaluma/San Francisco images!

What a trip back in time this was for me! I grew up in the South Bay, so going to San Fran was AWESOME, but, again, I was totally bugged that my bridge was enshrouded in fog that day. Nevertheless, I shot my butt off that day! Thank goodness for 8 gig CF card, right? :) Enjoy!

Sebastiani Theater, Sonoma, CA

Sonoma, California

Town Square, Sonoma, California

Petaluma, California

Petaluma, California (cool sign)

Wine Tasting, Family, Small Northern California Towns, and Fog in San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:43:00 +0000

Given that it's 11:35 p.m. and I have to be up early to drive to Nevada via the scenic route, I will be making this short and sweet. :)

Spent the afternoon wine tasting with my cousins yesterday afternoon, and REALLY enjoyed myself. There were several wines that I wanted to bring home with me, but my favorite of the day was the Provence from Peju! So I brought two bottles back to the house with me. One is gone and one is chilling for the trip to Nevada. If there is nothing more worthy of a good glass of wine, it's an evening with the ex, his wife, and his parents. These family affairs are always fun, but I'm taking this one to new heights, by working through it. :)

Today I visited Sonoma, Petaluma, and San Francisco. I am REALLY beyond perturbed that my beloved Golden Gate was fogged in. I can't count the number of times I crossed that bridge when I was younger and it was clear as a bell, but I wasn't shooting at the time, so what good can that be, right? I also was fortunate enough to have lunch at the Wharf with two of my best friends EVER! (These are my selected family!) Allison, Jeff, and I roamed the Wharf after we ate at Alioto’s (OMG, are the steamed mussells in garlic sauce ever delicious!!!), shooting pictures, catching up, and generally having a WONDERFUL time. :)

I REALLY wanted to share some images, but for whatever reason, I'm unable to get them off the card here at Dad's. Can't wait to share them with you at a later date! I hate that I couldn't get the laptop to come along, but I could barely zip my suitcase as it was. :)

Until Next Time….

Updated June 14 to add photos…

Our First Out of State Shoot!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:46:00 +0000

It is 9:35 a.m. Pacific time, and I am currently in Napa, California!

I am working on landscapes while I am on the West Coast. Because I need to be in Nevada on Friday for my son's high school graduation, I decided to take a few extra days and come to Napa to explore and shoot.

What follows is a journal of my trip, and will be added to as I am able.

I boarded my first flight on Memorial Day (yesterday) at 6:10 Eastern time, and two flights and six air-hours later I arrived in Sacramento before lunch time. Now, my stomach was still 3 hours ahead, so I'm thinking, "When's supper?"

I arrived in Napa shortly after 1:30, snacked on wine, cheese, crackers, and salami (bye-bye, diet!). After the warm reception I received here, we went out to dinner at Ristorante Allegria where I had some of the most OUTSTANDING food I've eaten in a long time. I dined on ravioli that was served with rich creamy sauce with shrimp and baby scallops. I couldn't finish the entire thing, so you must know I ate the leftovers for breakfast this morning. The presentation was wonderful, the service was outstanding, and their iced tea was like nothing I had tasted before. It was passionfruit, I believe our server said.

Once supper was over, we still had an hour or two before we lost sunlight, so I grabbed my camera and explored downtown. WOW! I mean, what else could I say? My only regret is that I do not have the software required to convert the RAW images I shot last night into jpgs that I can post today.

After shooting the downtown commercial area, we moved on to the historic homes of Napa, and to say that they are beautiful is an understatement! I think I spent another hour running from house to house like a little kid trick-or-treating, only instead of getting candy, I was getting eye-candy. :)

Today's agenda includes wine tasting and exploring the vineyards!

Until Next Time….

Updated 6-14-10 to add photos.

Yes, I’m Guilty of Blog Neglect!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:06:00 +0000

There really isn’t too much that I can say about this, except that I have been extremely busy over the past month! And for a small business owner, busy is GOOD!

During the first weekend of April I had a senior and family session, which, as always, was a tremendous amount of fun, both for the family and for me! (This is why I love doing portraits; it allows all of us, no matter which side of the lens we’re on, to have a good time and just relax!) I didn’t shoot the following weekend, so I finished planting the flower garden in front of the studio, which is now filled with lilies, roses, phlox, and gardenia (had put in the flower bed just prior to Easter, so had to finish filling it up).

During the following week, I photo-journaled for Down Home Magazine’s upcoming issue, updated brochures, set appointments and ensured I had functional replacement equipment ready for the Relay for Life fundraiser portrait event on the 17th, 18th, and 21st of the month. We spent the bulk of that weekend in the Wayne Memorial Hospital auditorium “shooting for a cure,” if you will. I met some of THE nicest people that weekend, and was just tickled that all the sessions came out the way we had hoped that they would!

Of course, there is all the post processing after the fact, had dinner with a client (who is also a good friend and business woman, herself) to deliver their family/senior portraits. That’s one of those other perks to my particular business; I am able to network and make friends along the way, which is air to a people-person!

On the Wednesday after the weekend shoot, I had one appointment for the evening session, and since she just lives around the corner from our studio, we did the session here, AND finished in enough time to start the next project, which is the 9th Wonder Entertainment Abroad 2010 Fashion Extravaganza.

Johnny and I headed over to their rehearsal to become familiar with the routine of the show, meet some of the models, and the designer, Bridgette Morgan. (Her website can be found here.) I had been asked to photograph some of Bridgette’s designs in-studio, but given scheduling conflicts on both ends, she asked me if I would mind photographing the fashion show on May 1st. Being completely up for a new experience, I agreed, and that is how we found ourselves at the rehearsal last week. I’ve posted a couple of those images in this blog.

Because Bridgette, like myself and several of my friends, is a small business owner, I asked her if I could help promote this event. I feel that small business people are a special breed and a type of family, and I will do whatever I can to help another business owner promote their business. You can find the link to information on the show, which is going to be held at the Paramount Theater in Goldsboro, here. If you are in the neighborhood, and can make it, please do! I am still so very impressed with the talent that you will see on the stage, I can’t say enough about it!

Needless to say, April has been a wild, but fun, ride! If you have any questions or comments regarding this blog or any of the events listed herein, please feel free to drop me a note at julie@wall2wallphotos.com or simply leave me a comment here, on the blog.

Until Next Time…...

Busy Week & I Published an Article!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 01:52:00 +0000

Last weekend I had a Senior portrait session, as well as an even to shoot. The night before both, I had an idea for an article, so I submitted it to EzineArticles.com, and found out yesterday that it was published. :) This is always a good thing!

Friday evening I was trying out the new camera body with my son and the green screen. I plugged the CF card into the card reader, and the photo-uploader did its thing, EXCEPT that it didn’t convert any of the raw images to digital negatives. THIS was a problem. I was twelve hours away from the Senior shoot, and could NOT for the life of me figure out why the RAW images weren’t converting to DNG!

Fortunately, I didn’t panic, AND I remembered that I’d seen something in a review on the camera body I ended up buying that mentioned firmware and RAW images. So I found the review, realized what step I had omitted, and made the appropriate adjustments, and lo and behold, there they were; my DNG’s! It’s good not to panic!

After updating the camera’s firmware, I sat down and typed up an article on what to wear to a portrait session. The article can be found here. I was excited to find out, Monday evening, that not only had it been published, but I had been given “Expert” status. :)

The following morning, we got up, got the studio ready for the day’s shoot.

My client (and friend), Angela, had come all the way from Fayetteville (a little over an hour’s drive) to have her son’s Senior pictures done. (You’ll see his pictures peppered throughout this post.) This is a kid that has it all together, and I simply cannot say enough nice things about him!

After Angela and Michael left, I did a quick change from studio comfy clothes to business casual so that we could go off to shoot a surprise 80th birthday party. My youngest son, Tim, and I had a great time shooting candids for a few hours. :) Event photography is as fun as studio portraiture! :)

We have several new projects in the works, and will keep you posted, as they develop, if you will. :) (No pun intended.)

Until Next Time….

Portraits for Portfolios - You Can’t Miss This!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:56:00 +0000

I wanted to let all of you know that we are overhauling our web site and newsletter and that we are also needing to update our portrait portfolio! We noticed that we need brides and expectant mommies/families!

If you (or someone you know) is getting married or having a baby, please let them know about the following Portraits for Portfolios Program that Wall 2 Wall is running for sessions booked prior to May 1, 2010. (Session does not have to be taken in April; we can “shoot” for May, as well!)

In exchange for a signed model release (this allows me to use their images on my web site and marketing materials), brides and expectant mommies will receive two free (yes, that is correct, free) 8x10 portraits! The only thing we ask is that brides have their dresses, and that moms-to-be are showing (even a little bit is ok, too). That’s it. A signed model release for two 8x10 portraits. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Please let your friends and relatives know! What bride or mommy-to-be doesn’t want a couple of 8x10 portraits free of charge? There are no high-pressure sales, no big pitch about how you should order a gazillion reprints of the session; just a relaxed and fun session.

Thanks, all of you, for helping me spread the word!

Until Next Time!!!

Two Quick Things...

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:09:00 +0000

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I just wanted to update you on a couple of goings-on, here at Wall 2 Wall Photography.

The first is that we joined the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce. It was a long time in coming, but we finally decided to do it during a membership drive last week. Johnny and I are very excited to be a part of business in Wayne County, North Carolina! :)

We are looking forward to getting to know other Chamber Members!

The other item of interest is that we have scheduled our first ever “Social Networking” Session day!

Just about everyone has a Face Book, MySpace, Linked-In, or Twitter account or is on a dating site. Most people don’t have a professionally done image to post as their profile picture and resort to using a snapshot, instead.

We’ve got the fix for that!

On Saturday, March 20, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. we will be offering mini-sessions for those of you that simply want a great profile picture for the networking site(s) of your choice. All sitting fees will be waived for these sessions, and we are happy to offer one shot for $15, two shots for $25, and three shots for $30 (plus tax). You will have your choice of one background, and we will take several poses so that you have a various images to choose from.

Proofs will be available to you online within a few days of the session, and when you order your images before the cut-off date (two weeks from the date of the shoot; in this case, on or before April 3, 2010), your selections will be emailed to you upon receipt of payment. You can also receive your images on CD for an additional twenty dollars so that you’ll always have a back up of your web-ready images.

Appointments are limited, so reserve yours today by calling Johnny at 919-921-6318.

Portraiture and Sticker Shock

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 04:43:00 +0000

I have been asked on numerous occasions why portraits are so expensive, especially when compared to the large retail outlets.

Well, here’s the hard truth about why private studio portraits are more expensive than the chain store guys...

In chain stores (and this has been MY experience only; I can’t speak for everyone) we felt as if we were at a cattle call. Yes, we had an appointment. Yes, we arrived about 10 minutes prior to our appointment time. Yes, we waited in line. Yes, we were able to watch the families in front of us get their portraits taken. Yes, the people behind us in line were able to watch us have our portraits taken. Yes, THAT was uncomfortable. It can be hard to be in front of the lens, and then to have an audience of strangers (or even worse, an audience of people you actually know) would make anyone squirm, and squirm, I have! Let’s visit the proofs. It’s hard too look natural under duress like that, and the camera doesn’t lie. You get “x” number of shots, poses, and boom you are done, and if you don’t like what you see? Well, dem’s da berries, I guess. Have a big pimple in the middle of your cheek on portrait day? Mmmm...sorry about that. Now, mind you, I haven’t had a chain store portrait done in many years, because now I do ours myself (wireless remote is a Godsend). At any rate, I’m going on the assumption that the people behind the camera are not professional photographers. It’s been my experience that these folks are trained to set the subjects where they’ve been told to put them. Tall ones in the back, shorter ones in the front, etc. These guys probably aren’t making more than $8 or $9 an hour.

I’m not saying that these retail photo studios don’t have their place. If you want a few quick shots right now, run in and out, and boom, you’re done, then great. But remember, you do get what you pay for. Ask me about the last retail portrait we had done of our family and I will tell you how we were placed in just such a way that the tallest person’s head appeared extremely small, especially when compared to my youngest son’s head, which appeared to have the dimensions of a basketball next to the rest of us. Poor kid. Took a couple of years for him to live that down. :)

Now let’s look at a private studio portrait photographer. Not just me, but any of us. Many of us have been taking photographs with SLR’s for years, have mastered the actual controls of the camera (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc.). With the wonderful world of digital photography having opened up to us in recent years, this gives us the opportunity to have instant photo gratification, thus enhancing turnaround time, but on to that in a moment. We are professionals, and we also had better possess some really outstanding people skills, since not everyone has the ability to make someone feel at ease and comfortable in front of the lens.

Some of us have taken classes, gotten degrees, spent many hours experimenting, or with our noses in books honing our techniques. That big pimple I mentioned earlier? Private studio photographers not only know how to make that go away (as well as those pesky dark circles and stray hairs), but will take the time during post processing to fix the issue, whatever it may be. We will also color correct and take the time with you to make sure that you are relaxed and in a private setting without the world watching you. Now in my case, I do green screen, which opens up an entirely new choice of settings to pick from, so now my clients get the mood that they are shooting for (no pun intended).

I know that many of us try to keep our overhead as low as possible so we don’t have to charge our clientele through the nose, but please do be mindful that we need to make a living, also. After all, would you want to go to work if your employer only paid you a fraction of the salary you are making now? Portrait photographers are very skilled; not just at the taking of the picture, but the work that goes into your memories after the shoot. Depending on the situation, the portraits that took an hour or less to shoot have several hours of additional work to be done on them, not to mention the time we spend backing up the processed photos, uploading them to the processor, etc. I won’t go into all the sordid details, but a one hour shoot usually turns in to an honest 8 hour day’s work afterward for a professional private studio photographer, so when you see that sitting fee, please understand that you are paying us for a day’s work...Hopefully that will put into perspective the cost behind that precious memory that will be hanging beautifully on your wall for many years to come.

Until Next Time…..

Wall 2 Wall Photography and Relay For Life Team Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 02:03:00 +0000

Now we’re REALLY excited! Ava Brewington, from the 4th floor AMU at Wayne Memorial Hospital, and I met with our Relay for Life team co-captains this afternoon. We’ve gotten the dates nailed down for our 8x10 fundraiser.

We will be shooting portraits on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., Sunday, April 18, 2010 from noon until 6:00 p.m., and on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 from 5:20 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. Cost of vouchers/certificates is only $15.00 and all sitting fees are waived. You will have your choice of one of five backgrounds, and several poses to choose from when you select your 8x10” portrait.

We only have a limited number of session slots available, so please feel free to contact Ava at ava.brewington@waynehealth.org or me at julie@wall2wallphotos.com for information on how to purchase your voucher. All money made will go to Relay for Life, and I will donate 10% of any reorders or enlargements from the original fundraiser to the Relay, also!

Below you will see the five background choices we are offering for this year’s fundraiser:

Thanks for reading!

Until next time!

Portrait Parties

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Looking for a way to earn a portrait collection that you’ll display with pride?

If so, think about hosting a Wall 2 Wall Photography Portrait Party! What’s needed? Only four to five families of smiling faces, a room available to capture images, an area for snacks and socializing, and food and beverages. Leave the rest to us! Portrait parties are really no different than other home parties that you have hosted or attended, only instead of consumable products, you are getting a modern heirloom that you will be able to pass down for generations to come!

Sound like fun? It is. Just like in our studio, your portrait party guests will be treated with the same outstanding personalized service in your home that they would receive in our studio, but at a fraction of the cost.

Do you need a theme? Of course not, but some fun themes to consider are Holiday, Family Portraits, Graduation/Cap & Gown, Summer Fun, Sunday Best (after Church portraits), etc. The possibilities are limitless!

If you or anyone you know might be interested in more information regarding a Wall 2 Wall Photography Portrait Party, please feel free to email me at julie@wall2wallphotos.com.

Until next time! :)

Up and Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:09:00 +0000

Now that it’s Sunday evening, the USA Hockey team won Silver, the closing ceremonies are about to begin, and the proofs from yesterday’s shoot are uploaded, now I can get down to some more business.

First, I would like to give a shout out to Karen & Jeff, who were kind enough to allow me to shoot their portraits that are commemorating the renewal of their vows for their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations, you two, and thank you for allowing me to capture your memories! (Some of their proofs are shown here.)

Wall 2 Wall Studios has gone through some transition since the first of the year. We’ve upgraded our hardware, which also required software upgrades, as well, and are just tickled with the results.

We are also proud to announce that Wall 2 Wall Photography will be working with the Wayne Memorial Hospital Relay for Life Team this spring. We are planning a portrait shoot. Tickets will be $15 and are good for a shoot and an 8x10 print. All proceeds are going to the Relay for Life, and a portion of reorders, enlargements, or packages will also be going to the Relay Team. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

A “Social Networking” portrait shoot is also in the works. Just about everyone’s got a Face Book, Linked-In, or My Space page these days, and most people want to put up a good image of themselves. We will be offering a special package of 1, 2, or 3 web ready shots for a fraction of our regular pricing. Sitting fees will be waived for this one day only event. We’ll post more information as it is available and hope that you will call us for your social networking needs.

Don’t forget that Senior Portrait Season is upon us! Check out our online portfolio at the Wall 2 Wall web site to see some of our Senior Portrait offerings!

Until next time….

I Know, I Know…How Slack Am I?

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:24:00 +0000

Yes, I am aware that the last time I blogged was in August of 2009. I had a very full Autumn, and happy that I don’t have to go through much of that again.

The plusses? My eldest son came home for a surprise visit and stayed for an entire week! Christmas and the holidays. A very serious increase in portrait and commercial work.

The not so greats? Illness. Husband’s inability to return to work after major back surgery. The loss of a beloved pet. Increased responsibilities at the day job which fill more than 40 hours weekly in many instances.

However, with all of the drama, the ups and the downs, I learned some things, discovered others, and can’t wait to share with all of you. :)

More to come!

GRRRRRR.... Anyone Else Had One of THOSE Days?

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 02:49:00 +0000

ARRRRGGGGHHHH!

Ok, I'm just sayin'.......

My green screen backdrop got here yesterday afternoon, and because of the butterflies (www.butterflybyjulie.blogspot.com/), I didn't get out here to hang it up and ops-check it.

So tonight I try and lower the backdrop stand and the whole freaking thing blows up on me! On the right side, the rod that holds the crossbar up broke, and the entire crossbar dropped across my temple, backdrop and all. Ok...that wasn't bad enough, but I could DEAL with a quick fix for that.

My step-daughter, Peri, was trying to lower the left-hand side and whatever held the entire left side up shattered. She brought me about a gazillion pieces of backdrop stand in her hand.

UGGGGG! So I have this new backdrop, no stand to hang the new backdrop on to practice on this whole green screen-thing, and have this BOGO add out all over the Internet based on the next two weeks practice time.

I must be Murphy's daughter....anything that can go wrong usually will.

Dammit.

*grumble....*

Yes, I Know, It's Been Awhile

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:03:00 +0000

Things are finally slowing down around here. Ok, maybe not, but at least things are getting to a manageable level.

The day job kept me hopping between May and June. On my birthday (June 30th; be sure to mark your calendars, as I always love e-greetings on my special day, LOL), my oldest son, Chris, came home for two weeks between assignments. He got out of South Korea, after serving a year there, and is now over in the Azores for the next 15 or so months. He's loving it there!

During Chris' visit, my husband, Johnny, was rear-ended on his way to work. So insurance work ensued. The week following Chris' departure brought Johnny's neck/back surgery, to include a 4 day hospital stay (making me so glad that we chose our local doctor so that he could be admitted to the hospital where we both work). I am also very thankful to my powers-that-be for allowing me to take a portable phone and laptop up to the second floor so I could continue working while sitting with him.

Now that he's two weeks and a few days post op, the staples have been removed, his pre-op pain is gone, and now we have to focus on keeping him busy doing things that he enjoys, but won't mess with his healing, which is proving to be quite challenging. He is not a couch 'tater by nature.

Prior to the early-summer festivities, I was given an outstanding opportunity to be a photo-journalist for a local publication, here in Wayne County. If you get a moment to do so, please go check out Down Home Magazine's web site. You can view past issues in PDF format. Prior to Johnny's surgery, I was shooting and writing for the upcoming issue. I'm very excited about this one, because it is personal to me. I can't tell you about it now, but maybe I'll share with you, after publication, why the most recent article is near and dear to me. :)

Over this past weekend I was able to do two shoots. One was the 9 month portrait of my favorite red-headed bundle of joy, and her big sister, who is also a stunning red-head. The following day I did a maternity shoot for a friend of mine who is also a red-head, as is her daughter, and significant other.

During the first shoot, I learned that 44 is no match for 9 months and mobile! That child was hard core mobile. :) She was sweet as could be, but fast as all get-out! What's a photographer to do? Get on the floor and try to keep up, of course! Sometimes the baby is faster than the shutter finger, however, soooo...But we got some good shots, both of her and her big sister and the two of them together. I always enjoy those girls when they visit. They are well behaved, sweet tempered, and just as good as gold. :)

Right before I started the shoot Saturday, I found that I had black swallowtail butterfly eggs/larvae in my parsley plant, which gave me the idea for my other blog, which I call The Butterfly Chronicles. I started taking pictures for my camera-as-science-project blog that day. Follow the above link and check it out. :)

On Sunday, my friend Crystal came to the studio to graciously let me take pictures of her mid-section. Honestly? This girl glows! I know every pregnant woman is beautiful (at least in my humble opinion), but pregnancy really suits Crystal. She brought her boyfriend, Will, and daughter, Amber and let me go to town on them with the camera.

I had never taken maternity portraits before, and was really looking forward to the opportunity. My red-headed 9 month old session from the day before was supposed to be my first, but she decided to take the plunge into life outside the womb about a week before our scheduled shoot. :)

Crystal, Will, and Amber were very gracious about letting me into their world for an hour that afternoon. There is something really intimate about shooting an expectant family. I was priveledged to be allowed into that inner sanctum for that time.

Sprinkled throughout this blog are images from both shoots. I hope that you've enjoyed reading my blog thus far, even though I know I've been rather slack about keeping up with it, lately.

Holy Cow...What an Interesting Month Thus Far!

noreply@blogger.com (Wall2WallPhotography) — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:18:00 +0000

Hi, all!

Just wanted to give you a brief rundown of the last couple of weeks or so. Small business ownership is not all it's cracked up to be, so you really have to want it to make it work. Trust me. It ain't for the faint of heart!

Let's talk about the Spring Fling for a moment, shall we? It was fun. Don't get me wrong for a moment. I had a good time, as did the kids. Ok, till it rained, but that wasn't anyone's fault. Just know that after all the prep time spent in the world, it's entirely possible that you will not make a sale. Period. It's also entirely possible you may not hand out a brochure or business card. (This would have been the case if I hadn't had the two kids begging to peddle the literature, LOL...Gotta love those kids!) Even though I had a huge inventory of art prints, people were not feeling the whole "art print" vibe, and had a tendancy to walk on by. Of course, hindsight being 20/20, I can see from the picture of our booth that we needed some help. Can you say ZZZzzzZZZzzzZZZ? I knew you could. Of course, I also had to consider the economy. The lady across the way with the cute handbags and snazzy displays didn't do much better than we did, from our observations. (Note to self: Snazz up your display a little bit next time, and maybe even offer a service. You know, a lot of parents might have wanted a 4x6 print of their little darlin' with their face painted...next time, just OFFER it...)

Forward to the following evening. My friend Cindi Pate dropped me an email and asked me if I wanted to be a regular contributor to Down Home Magazine, which is a local publication for our county. Of COURSE I want to be involved. So that was happy news. I'll be shooting in Wayne County at various locations in the coming months, so if you happen to see me, stop by and say hello!

Fast forward a little more to last Friday. I was so excited that I finally got to meet my friend Sandra Carrington-Smith. She does a local blog on the news web site here (although took a bit of a break to work on her second novel). She has both fictional and non-fictional works due to publish in 2010 and needed jacket shots. After emailing over several months, speaking on the phone numerous times, and being weathered out, we finally met last Friday. Let me tell you...Sandra is a doll! Not only is she a fantastic author, she is also a life coach, mom and wife. I REALLY enjoyed meeting her face to face. She had told me she wasn't photogenic, but that wasn't exactly the case. That girl commanded the lens. :) Talk about a breeze to shoot. All models should be like her. I am going to post a couple pictures that we took that afternoon at Oak View Park in Raleigh. I am also linking to her book sites. Her non-fiction work is Housekeeping for the Soul. Her fiction is the first of a series: The Book Of Obeah . Check them out when you get a minute.

So that brings us to the present. It's the winding-down of Memorial Day, 2009. I'm about to call it a day, take a bubble bath and then roll into the bed. I just want to remind everyone to think about the soldiers and airmen that gave their lives in the past so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we do today. Also...I'm giving a shout-out to all of our current active duty members to thank them for all the sacrifices made so that we remain free, and to their families....

Till next time, y'all!

Jules