A Photo by Ashley: January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

I'm still here...

Just to touch base with everyone.... I'm still here. Those of you who know me on a personal level know that I have had a crazy busy last 4 weeks. I feel sooo off schedule and out of my routine! I took a few shots of these products about 2 weeks ago. I absolutely LOVE the FRAMES - they are MUCH nicer in person!!! Same with the new Acrylic Display - love it! Something modern and different from the everyday canvas. Stay tuned and hope to see you all soon. I cannot wait until warm weather, but thank goodness for cold weather... it's giving me a TINY chance to get caught up on some things!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Can it rain anymore???

Well, I have to say... if it were snow I would be much happier. I am not a "rain" person. I do not like rain, and we have received a lot of it!!! So, between being trapped inside, packing, remodeling, moving, updating, wedding this week end, 3 month session this week end, Austin is working 10-12 hour days 7 days a week, Little Miss Ava isn't taken those "newborn long naps" anymore, and Ayden having a hacking cough still - oh yeah... did I fail to mention that his Daycare is going up in price... it's not like we're all going through rough times now... whew!!! Oh yeah, I baked about 24 cookies and ate 1/2 them today too - I needed to vent a little... LOL I had to come here, aside from work I thought I would vent. Today in between watching Ava... she went from newborn to crawling to standing in like NO time! Anyway, in between watching her today I managed to update some things to the site. I am short on time here lately so I will be posting things as I complete them.

As I mentioned in 2008 I am carrying a lot of new products this year in 2009! I am super excited about them!!! To make things a little easier, I have made a PUBLIC SAMPLE GALLERY through the Online Proofing link. From there anyone can view, sample prints, prices and products.

I am still waiting on some samples and shipments of some of the new products I will be offering so I will post those as they arrive.

I am also carrying these awesome Photo Frames!!!
This revolutionary material grips to slick surfaces, including stainless steel refrigerators, glass, mirrors and more with no residue. Like Magnets - but it's not a Magnet... Did that make sense?

When you purchase a Photo Frame, you will receive a FREE 4x6 so you can display it!

Also, available are the Clippers! These are quite awesome too! They have the same backing on them, super cute.

Please feel free to browse the products but please don't forget to check back, I will be updating and adding the rest of the new products as I find the time! LOL

Enjoy!

Friday is almost here!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

It's 2009!!!

It is finally 2009! I cannot believe how fast 2008 flew by! I was very grateful this past year...

There is a lot in stored for 2009. I have made slight changes to some things... For example, no more FREE Sessions, Small Price Changes, New Wedding Packages and NEW Products! If I have your mailing address in the system you will be receiving the updated information very soon and something no one else will receive, unless I have your address!

I know it is very cold out still and it is awhile until Spring... however, if you want to secure a date PLEASE keep an eye on my calendar as I keep it updated frequently and my weekends book first. I have several Bridal Portraits, Weddings and other events booked through out the year so keep that in mind.

I hope everyone will have a GREAT 2009 and I am looking forawrd to seeing you all again and meeting new clients too!!!

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

(This article has been very well received by the photography community, and is now referred to by countless Photography websites, blogs and forums (such as LDPT, ILP and DWF)around the world).

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time

- How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:
- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order.
Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.
You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish.

So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

For an eight hour wedding:

- I won't bore you with the details, but an eight hour wedding typically amounts to at least two to three full 40 hour work weeks worth of time. Again, if they are charging you $4,000 for an eight hour wedding, you are not paying them $500 / hour.
Now for the expertise.
Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.
And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?
Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.
The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.
Conclusion
We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Shawn, Pamela & Gavin RichterCaught on Film Photography

A Photo by Ashley

Thursday, January 29, 2009

I'm still here...

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Can it rain anymore???

Sunday, January 4, 2009

It's 2009!!!

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Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?