Do you ever wonder what the little babies I photograph grow up and look like.  Well you may not but I often do.  So when I get to go back and visit them at 6 mos. or a year or even later it is always so much fun to see how they have changed and grown.

Miss E. has definitely grown in a year but I also think she looks alot like her newborn images.  She is gorgeous for sure.  But how could she not with these gorgeous parents!

Oh the anticipation of expecting your first child.  There is no other feeling that comes close!

Then they arrive with all the wonder and sleepless nights that come with it!  Yet oh so worth it.

You blink… and a year has gone by!

With each day that passes they become even more gorgeous to you.  Filling your soul, the piece you didn’t realize was missing.

They make you say and do things you said you would never do, but it’s OK because now, you simply can not imagine life without them.

What was life like before them you ask yourself?

Before….

…the sleepless nights.

…the constant worrying.

before the hugs, cuddles and little laughs that make your heart dance.

As parents we all ask the same questions.

But… maybe it is best not to ask, but rather enjoy each moment we share, always looking upon them as a gift.  The best gifts that life has to offer!

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Since I will be leaving for a family trip to the rockies tomorrow I thought I better post a few images for a sneak peek for one special mother!  I had so much fun hanging out with Lisa and her kids.  Mom looked amazing for having a new 8 day old little girl.  And what a beautiful little girl she was.  She was perfect, ate, slept, let me take a ton of images of her.  And she is one lucky little girl with amazing older and beautiful siblings!

Welcome to the world miss K.  You are truly blessed with a beautiful family and one special mom.

Happy early Mothers Day to all your wonderful Mom’s out there!  I wish you lots of love and family time during your special day!

I said they were beautiful.  Look at those amazing eyes and curls!

She let me put her in all sorts of things.  What a good girl!

Love how curly she was!

And sibling shots are usually not something that is easy to get or achieve.  Especially with a 4 year old.  But wow,  they were so patient and cooperative.

And while I was walking through the kitchen I spotted this really cool salad bowl.  Of course I had to use it!!!

You Mommies out there… if this doesn’t get your baby urges going, I’m not sure what will!!

A few awesome MOM QUOTES!

The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.  — Jill Churchill

A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.  — Dorothy Canfield Fisher

There is no other closeness in human life like the closeness between a mother and her baby. — Susan Cheever

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Not sure if that title get’s your attention but it should!

I have something fun to share with all of you for my upcoming offerings this year.  Something new.. something very fun and very custom.

The new Rankin Photography Skins!

Ummmm yup, all the moms that come to me for a session can now carry along a custom phone skin with their beautiful babies on them.  Or get inspired with an image on their mp3!

And I am going to be focusing on really launching my Grad site this year and these are sure to be a huge hit with the teens.  What teen doesn’t now have an mp3 player or phone?  I wish I could say not many but we all know that is far from the truth!  So why not customize it.

AND from now until the end of February if you book and pay for a spring or summer session with me then you will receive one of these very cool skins when your place your order!!  (book now for spring)

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE SKIN? To book a session and get this free skin email me at srphotos@nb.sympatico.ca and in the subject line type “I want a free skin”!

I am off to design my very own for my blackberry.  I will show you it when I am done designing it.

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meaning me… has been taking a bit of a break.  Winter and especially December and January are my times to refocus on family and take some downtime.  I know the blog has been desperately ignored.  I am going to be getting back to work soon and updating the website (in desperate need says my friends) as well as my blog.

A quick peek as I run to get my kiddos at school of a newborn I snuck in during December for a friend.  A short but sweet session.

beautiful mom.

one more…. a collage I made of Miss L

More to come soon.

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I am in my busy season and I have more images to share if I could find time to update my blog!

Few words… just wanted to say brrrr… snow already!  Yikes.  But then I love the ski season so bring it on I say.

A few recent and some more of Mr and Miss A.

I love this one…”can you go away already” look!

And more beautiful ones… loved their coffee table!  Future Scholars!

Love close up ones.  What I would do for a shots like these of my 10 and 8 year old when they were new.

I hear this…. Miss sound sleeper in Daddies hands.

Restful dude.

squishy girl…

And they had the best room!  I went back for more “editorial” type shots.  Love the saying above the window!

and proud parents.

what a gorgeous, proud mamma!

Thank you Jennie and Aaron!  I feel privledged to have been able to capture this amazing time in your life!  And I know from the time we have spent together, you are both going to be and are amazing parents!

and another session with a mamma to be.  And her sweet girls… more to come soon from this session.

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No… not me.  But Jennie and Aaron just had twins and I got the pleasure of photographing them.  Meet Mr. “A” and Miss “A”.   A sweet boy and girl.  Both 6lb’s and a bit… and very healthy.  Looking alike was not something they thought was mandatory being twins and all.  But both gorgeous and soooo well behaved.

A sneek peak.  We did this shoot today and I couldn’t wait to post a few!  My first time photographing twins.  I hope I did them justice!  More to share soon!

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It is my busy season  so I am not finding much time to devote to my blog as I am either busy with shooting sessions or hanging out with the kiddos.

Keep checking out the blog for sneak peeks as well as information on a fall portrait session I will be offering to existing clients.  Think “great Christmas gifts”.  There will be limited spots and I suspect they will go fast.

Here are just a few images from some recent sessions.

Miss E was a total doll.  She was three weeks old when I managed to get her session in as she surprised Mom and Dad by arriving 3 weeks early.  She was awake pretty much the entire time and I fell in love with her beautiful little eyes and head of gorgeous dark hair!!

and those cheeks!!!

Two beautiful girls!

and look at the eye contact she gave me.

and a wonderful family. With more family and little people shots to come soon.

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I luv me some baby love and this little one was as fresh as they come at a whopping 5 days old.  She was a complete angel and I think literally slept the entire time once Mom got her to sleep.   She was also the first baby that never relieved herself on my blankets or drops.  I was so impressed.  She really is an angel.

Stephanie and Cory… I will have your gallery up in the next day or so… so hang in there.  I hope you are getting more rest and enjoy the sneak peek!

Love this one of Mom as she had the best eyes and you can just feel the mommy protectiveness already.  That instinct to protect ones young comes immediately when you hold your child for the first time.  It isn’t something you have to learn… it really is automatic.

So FRESH and beautiful…

loved my new basket find!

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I know people will often question “why custom photography” and why does it cost so much?  I have been wanting to post my thoughts on why I believe custom photography is indeed worth the investment, but really can’t say it any better than this lady…. Marianne Drenthe’s.  Her website is a wonderful guide with respect to custom photography.  I have to thank another photographer Matt Nicolosi who posted the same article and link to Marianne’s site.  I adore Matt’s work and gain much inspiration from visiting his blog.

Marianne writes a great article on “Why Custom Photography Cost’s More?”.

here is what she has to say and so much better then I could put it.

Digital technology is brilliant.  The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and amazing amounts of control for the photographer, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur.  With flexibility comes a price though.  Camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into all of this.

Even though you pay $1.99 for a print at your local drugstore and paying for film is pretty much a thing of the past (although you still pay for memory)  you may be wondering why you may pay upwards of $40, 50, 70, 90 for a custom photography print. Some photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:

“How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at the local drug store?”

The answer is multifaceted and has a lot to do with the time, aforementioned equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer, expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.

TIME of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Approaching it from a time standpoint, for instance let’s imagine if you will that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love and that is travelling an hour to your on location session.  TIme break down:

• session prep time (30 mins - 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)
• one hour travel time TO session
• 15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home
• 90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject
• one hour travel time FROM session
• 30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer
• 30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images
• 2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images
• 1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering
• 2-3 hours time with client for ordering images
• 1 hour sorting through and checking order
• 30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery
• 30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped
• any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues

As you can see, average client time for a session ranges from just under 13 hours to 19 hours dependent on the photographer’s level of service.  This is time dedicated only to your session.  When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.

COSTS of the CUSTOM PHOTOGRAPHER:

Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer.  Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography.  A good lens for portrait photography can run up $900 to $2500.  A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products.  A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success.  Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer  often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip the intricate details.  There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.

APPLES to ORANGES:

Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $25 for an 8×10 or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains.  The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service.  According to several articles at the time, did you know that in February 2007 a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation?  The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ “professional” prints if you do not sell enough of them.  Interestingly enough - those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10).  The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait studios in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments.  Your “PORTRAITS” are considered the true “loss leader”.

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions.  You simply get a bare bones, “SAY CHEESE” experience.  Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.

THIS IS SO BIG FOR ME… REPUTATION AND BEING AN EXPERT .

REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:

Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part.  Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism.  A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography.  Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream?  They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..

Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch.  To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity.  The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability.  This is how reputations get built.  Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation.

I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories.  The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious investment.

UPDATE ON SCHEDULE… May if filling but I still have spots left so be sure to call early.  fyi….I will be away the last week of May.  April still has openings.  And June is quickly filling as well.

I also thought I would post a few more images of Mr. E.

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Well, yes, this little baby girls was short and she was as sweet as they come.  But I am going to keep this post short as I am working hard this week to get caught up and stay on top of all the sessions I am proofing.

Jackie had booked me last year for a family shoot, and then called me when she knew she was expecting.  I was so excited and her little girl was the sweetest.  She didn’t think she would sleep much for me but she surprised both of us and did really really well.  I guess I caught her on a good day! 

I am way behind in sharing sneak peeks.  More like the clients have already gotten their gallery, and made their orders and are moving on.  But I want to share a few in the next few days of all the sessions I have had in the past few months that I never had a chance to share!  I hate to leave anyone out and I plan on doing  another slideshow for 2008.

My schedule!  Ummm, well I am pretty much booked from now until October.  I have had a few calls that I haven’t had a chance to even return, but I will soon.  If you are looking for spot, you can email me and I will let you know if I can fit you in.  I have had people on a waiting list for quite sometime and spots filled quickly.

On to baby M!

and grammy was there helping out.  So I shot this while she held her in between shots.

baby brother was so great to get up on the bed while she slept and let us take a few shots.  Even after having just woke up from a nap.

and mom and baby.

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