Angela's Portraits Photo Blog

Hello Again!

I just wanted to update everyone on the status of Angela's Portraits and of our adoption.  I have completely stopped doing any portrait sessions now.  In fact, today, I'm mailing out my last portrait order.  Although I love doing portraits, it is such a relief to not have the business part of it on my shoulders right now, with everything else that's going on in my life. 

Speaking of what's going on in my life, back in August, on the day I wrote my last post, I found the little girl we will adopt!  Her Chinese name is Shi Lin, and we will name her Hannah (keeping Shi Lin as one of her middle names.  We have been officially approved to adopt her and are waiting on the very last step, our travel date!!  We believe it will be either late March or early April when we fly to China to meet our little girl for the first time, so it won't be long now!  If you would like to know more about our little Shi Lin and our adoption journey, please visit my adoption blog at http://ourjourneytohannahclaire.blogspot.com/.  We have recent photos, which shows she is very happy and well taken care of, which makes my whole family very happy! 

My son and I completed our first semester of homeschooling, and it was wonderful!  It is such a joy to spend time with my son and watch him learn new things.  And I love that he doesn't have to leave me five days a week for most of the day just because he happens to be five years old.  I know homeschooling is not for everyone, but it's definitely for me.  I wouldn't trade this time I get to spend with my son for anything in the world!

You probably noticed this blog's appearance has changed.  I downgraded to the free account on Typepad, since I'm no longer doing business.  I may start a new blog through Blogger soon, because it has way more options as far as design, and if I do, I'll let everyone know.  Even though I'm not taking photos professionally right now, I would still love to post the ones I take of family and friends and give my thoughts on them and behind-the-scenes information.

If you need to contact me, please use this email address: angelasportraits@yahoo.com.  I will soon be canceling mail@angelas-portraits.com, so please don't try use it, as I won't receive any more emails coming to that address.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for me and my family.  I hope you are all doing well and hope you continue to do well in 2010!

So Long, For Now

I haven't written a new post in a while, since January, to be exact.  The reason is manifold; I have so much going on in my life right now, with the international adoption we're working on (and finally making progress on!), gearing up to homeschool my son this fall (yes, he's now kindergarten age!), and add to this, some personal family issues and a possible move out of state within the next year.  Needless to say, I haven't had time to write in my blog.  I also haven't had time to do any sessions lately either. 

I still love photography and love photographing children, but it seems my heart is in other matters lately, mainly those dealing with my family.  As a result, I have decided to put my portrait business on hold indefinitely.  I knew I would eventually do this, but I thought it would be sometime after we brought our daughter home.  Although I am being pushed in this direction sooner than I had planned, I am at peace with it.  I know the priorities in my life, and they need my full attention right now.

You're probably wondering what this means for ordering portraits from past sessions from me in the future.  I will continue to have my website online for a while so you can contact me through email.  But if you think you will ever want to order something in the future, I would recommend that you go ahead and order it now, because at the end of the month, everything will go into storage and there will be a fee for me to retrieve your file.   At this time, I'm offering printable cd's only, no paper portraits, at $97 for a cd that prints up to 8x10 size portraits, and $237 for a full-resolution cd that will print large size wall portraits as well.  If you order multiple cds, there will be a discount.  Please email me with your order by August 28th.  When I get your order I will send you a bill through PayPal and when I receive your payment (I can only accept full payments at this time), I'll get your order ready.  Don't try to call the old number you may have for me because it has been disconnected.  You can email me at mail@angelas-portraits.com.  With the cd's, you'll have the files of your portraits forever, and print as many as you want, anytime you want.

I will probably still update my blog ever so often, so you can stay in touch that way as well, although I may change the address.  If I do, I'll let you know.

I want to thank all of you that I've had the pleasure to work with over the years.  It has been such a joy to photograph your children at different stages in their lives and watch them grow.  Some of you have become more than just clients to me, you are now my friends.  Thank you for allowing me to come into your homes and get to know your families and for giving me the honor of preserving your memories.  If we do move out of state, I will miss you all.

Happy New Year Portrait Creations!

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a great holiday season and are enjoying a wonderful beginning to a new year!  For the new year, I have a new type of portrait I would like to share with you.  Although the concept is not new, as other photographers have done it before, it is new to me.  What I’m talking about is my new “Portrait Creations”.  If you’re familiar with the work of one of my favorite photographers, Anne Geddes, then you have an idea what I’ll be doing.  You know the babies in teacups and newborns on flowers you see on calendars and in books?  Well, this is the concept I would like to share with you.  You’ll see examples below of some of the images I’ve done.

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait Creations are perfect for Newborns!

 

  

 

Imagine your own child, like a little fairy on a beautiful flower, teacup, or (coming this summer) seashells!  Each month there will be a new irrestibly adorable theme, so you'll want to host several parties to get your free portraits!

 

And these Portrait Creation Sessions are not just for babies; many of them are also perfect for older children too! 

 

 

 

How to Get Your Own Portrait Creations FREE!

At this time, my Portrait Creations will be available with custom sessions and portrait parties.  Portrait Parties are something I’m really promoting this year; they are so fun and I'd  like to do more of them.  They’re a great way to have a fun party with all of your friends and earn free portraits!  In fact, schedule your own Portrait Party during the months of January and February, and get your entire portrait package absolutely free, just for being a hostess!*  Call me (940-239-7366) for all the exciting details!

*No minimum order requirement to get your free portrait package. Call me for more details.

Last Chance for Portraits

I'm doing a last-minute portrait special in case you haven't had your Christmas portraits done yet.  Schedule your session to take place by December 12th and here's what you'll get:

*30 minute session

*Up to 4 people photographed

*High-resolution personalized cd (with reprint rights) of 5-10 images your family and friends will ooh and ahh over!

*Perfect for Christmas cards, photos for framing, albums and scrapbooking, and gifts for loved ones

Only $99! 

It's no exaggeration that I have a limited number of these sessions to accept.  With Christmas so close, I can do only one or two.  Call 940-239-7366 to get one of those two.

 

FREE Christmas Cards!

For a limited time only, get 25 Photo Christmas Cards FREE when you schedule a portrait session for Christmas.  Right now would be the best time to schedule your session, since the fall colors are so beautiful this year!  The deadline for getting this special offer is November 14th, so there's not much time!  Here is a small sample of the card designs available:

        

 

 

 

Call me at 940-239-7366 to reserve one of the few slots left.

Fall Mini-Sessions & Portrait Parties

I want to update you on some portrait session ideas you might be interested in.  First are my Fall Mini-Sessions, which are 30 minutes long and are scheduled on select weekday evenings and Saturday mornings.  These sessions are great if you are looking for a way to have your family photographed for Christmas cards or just get your kids photographed without spending a lot, since these sessions are priced lower than my regular sessions. Plus, there is no session fee!  Also, you get a printable, high-resolution portrait cd with your session, so you can print out as many portraits as you want! 

 

Another great idea for a session is to host a Portrait Party (think Pampered Chef, only with portraits instead of cooking utensils!).  The way it works is this: You invite your friends to your portrait party.  It can be either in your home or an outdoor location.  I’ll photograph you and your friends in 30 minute increments.  Just for being the host, you automatically get 25% off your portrait cd.  Then for every one of your friends who places their order, you get an additional 10% off!  The price is already low for the portrait party cd, and then with the additional savings when your friends order, this is by far the best deal you can get on beautiful portraits this year! 

 

Limited times are available for both the Fall Mini-Sessions and the Portrait Parties, so call ASAP (940-239-7366) for details and to schedule your session.

Now's Your Chance!

I'll be doing outdoor mini-sessions on September 30th.  These will be 30-minute sessions in which you can have your child, children or family photographed.  Because these are "mini" sessions, there is no session fee, and the price for portraits is lower than for regular custom sessions.  I'm only scheduling 4 of these at this time, so get in touch with me now to schedule your session.

These sessions are perfect for getting portraits for your Christmas cards out of the way early and avoiding the Christmas rush.  You'll get a fun, relaxed, outdoor session and a cd of the photographs so you can print out as many as you want.  The last time I offered these sessions they booked fast, so don't wait to call me!

Now's your chance to get outstanding family portraits at an amazing value! Call me now at 940-239-7366 to reserve your mini-session.

Volunteer Images

Below are a few favorites from some recent volunteer sessions.  Thank you for those who allowed me to photograph their children for my portfolio!  I'll be in touch with the moms of these little cuties soon to view the rest of the photographs.  I'll also be needing more models soon too.

This little boy posed in his baptism outfit.  Once he got comfortable with me, he was a natural!

 

 

I just couldn't get enough of this little cherub!  There was no end to the adorable-ness!  Those eyes melted my heart.

 

 

If you did a volunteer session and didn't see your child's photos, don't worry, I'll post some soon!

Sisters

A few shots from a recent session of two sisters.  We had a great time during the session; the girls and their parents were so fun to work with!  These two had the most amazing sparkling eyes, which I was so happy to be able to capture in the first three images.

 

 

 

I love the colors in this one.  

This is one of my favorites!

Cancellation

I just had a cancellation on a mini-session for this coming Saturday at 10:30.  It's a 30-minute session at a park with a pond and ducks, a really nice place for portraits.  The session itself is free, since I'm updating my portfolio, and you'll get a cd of the images at an amazing price! 

Anyone interested?  If so, please call me at 940-239-7366 ASAP.

Thanks so much!