Results for category "Portraits"

How To Dress (or not)!

One of the most popular questions we get from just about everyone is “what should I wear?”  And aside from the smarty-pants answer of “clothes,” we often suggest these options to keep things looking smart when you dress.

For Family Portraits, you want unity.  Unity means (loosely) that you are wearing similar color sets.  For example, all blues, pastels, earth tones, and so on.  If just one person deviates from a color set, you end up with ONE visible standout, and then everyone else in the picture.  Sticking with a color set ensures that everyone is noticed equally.  Here are a few ideas for you that might help inspire your selections:

Clothing-89 Clothing-13 Clothing-47

 

 

For Senior Portraits, we recommend sticking with your style.  If you want real diversity in your images, select something casual, something fancy, and either something from your sport or activity at school, or something that you are really comfortable in.  We are always happy to guide you, of course.

See more family & senior portraits on our website.

Brand New Website!

Our new website is now live!

All new pages and easy to use.  Visit the site right now by going here: tlcphotography.com.  Or, you can just copy that into your browser.  Either way, you get to the same place.  The first ten visitors to take advantage of online booking for a regular portrait session will get a FREE set of THREE 8×10 prints from their session!

Here are some features we’re happy to include as part of our new site:

  • Cleaner design (much less stuff and more information & pictures)
  • Quicker access (fast one- or two-click access to the things you want to know now)
  • Integrated online booking (you can book online from most places on the site, 24/7)
  • Easy to see our current specials and promotions (it’s right on the home page under “Book Now!” – you don’t have to book to see them)
  • Blog and contact access on the first page.  Don’t hunt for a way to get in touch with us, it’s right there!
  • Completely mobile-friendly.  Now, all aspects of our website and support sites are mobile-friendly.  This means regardless the device you are using, or which functionality you are using on our website, your phones, tablets, laptops AND desktops will adjust properly for the best view.
  • Easier updates.  It’s now quicker and easier for us to update the pictures and information on our website.  So, expect to see new stuff more often!

A sneak peek at the area's BEST photographer new website at TLC Photography

Thanks for taking the time to look at our new site.  We hope to hear from you soon!

Spring Flings!

Now is the time for lots of new growth, just about everywhere.  We have started to really settle into our new studio space in downtown Martinsburg, and have so much to be grateful for.  We’re getting familiar with our merchant & residential neighbors and there’s just something in the air that feels positive!  And we’re not about to stop there!

The response to the baby contest was amazing to us, and we were so happy to see so many people acknowledging our posts about it.  But that is our big winter promotion, and now it’s spring.  So, time to offer a little more.

What’s coming up?  Easter is upon us, and we’ve seen more than our share of chicks, bunnies, eggs and pretty dresses.  Now it’s time for high school proms, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

And a new website.

A sneak peek at TLC Photography's new website

And online booking.

Our new website debuts on Friday, April 3.  We’re putting it through its final paces and will reveal the “new look” on Friday at 11am!  There are several new features, including many new links to our social media outlets.  We also simplified our website considerably, making it easier to find what you’re looking for (which users of our old site will remember as tedious and time-consuming), and integrated directly with our client galleries and our new online booking system.  Clean, simple, and easy to use.  Take a look on Friday!

Online booking has been a long time coming… it’s integrated into our new website, and will be prominent on our Facebook page and other social media sites, as well as our blog.  Look for “Book Now” on any of those locations to book portrait sittings, senior portraits, special mini-session opportunities and more.  Soon, we’re going to add much more functionality!  You’ll be able to book your sessions and events 24/7!

Want to try out our online booking?  Here are three specials we have running right now:

Book your prom pictures!  There are area high school proms on April 25, May 2, and May 9.  You can get your pictures taken in your prom best without having to wait in line!  Choose from several different backdrops, have multiple poses taken, and even get some custom-designed street shots taken!  Want to know more?  You can, if you just click Book Now!  But here’s a little secret… there are coupons floating around out there (Dana’s Tuxedo, Sokel Skin Care & Makeup, for example) to take $10 off your picture package!

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both rapidly approaching.  We’re ahead of the game, though, and have created two mini-session opportunities for you to take advantage of.  You check either or both of them out below:

Mommy & Me sessions in Martinsburg

For our Mommy & Me mini-sessions on April 18, click Book Now!

Daddy & Me mini-sessions are here!

For the Daddy & Me mini-sessions on May 30, click Book Now!

See how easy that is?  We’re looking forward to showing off more of what we can do in the near future.  Meanwhile, it’s back to work shining up the new website for you.  See you on Friday!

Most Beautiful Baby 2015

A Brief Baby Contest History

Thirteen years ago, we had no idea what we were creating when we crafted a tiny fundraiser for a very big cause.  Our objective was to raise funds for a worthy charity.  Since then, it has become our annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  Every year has been different.  But one thing remains constant; the babies are all beautiful.

The concept is simple enough.  The session/entry fee is donated to St. Jude (this year, we raised $560 via the fees), we get quality time with some wonderful families and their babies, and everyone gets great pictures!  But there has to be an end result… there has to be a winner – it is a contest after all.

So, there are winners.

How It Works

Each parent picks the photo they want to enter into the contest from the portrait sittings we do.  Some choose black & white photos, others color.  Some select smiling photos, others where their child is looking away in wonder.  But in each case, it’s their own view of just how beautiful their own baby is.  And we couldn’t agree more this year with the choices.  So many beautiful babies.

There are four judges.  Two are in other parts of the country, and two are closer to home.  We always make sure that the judges do not know any of the contest entrants or their parents.  Their anonymity is also important to the contest results.  They are presented the photos in a numbered gallery (no names are used), and rank their favorites based on a very specific criteria (which we explain to each of the parents).  They send us their selections as #1, #2 and #3.  The baby with the most points… well, wins.

There are five winners.  Two honorable mentions, a third, second and grand prize winner.  Gratefully, there was no conflict in the numbers… no tie-breaking was needed.

The Results

Here’s how it played out.

Our two honorable mentions:

Baby Scullen at TLC Photography Baby Albanese in Martinsburg, West Virginia

The third place winner:

Baby Mia at our portrait studio downtown

Our second place winner:

Baby Cromwell in the baby contest

And this year’s grand prize winner and our Most Beautiful Baby:

Baby Scullen was part of the contest at TLC

The winners are being contacted separately about prizes.

We want to thank our participants, judges, and everyone else who was involved in the contest this year.  It was a fabulous fundraiser, and we are planning many more in the future.

To see more of the baby pictures from this year’s contest, visit our Facebook Page.  To learn more about our children’s program, visit our website.

Concepts: The Amazing Black Dress

Sometimes concept shoots have a theme, or they are things I want to do to explore some technique or idea.  And sometimes they are borne out of a cooperative effort between multiple people.  This particular shoot was just that.

I had worked with Cindy Alderton a few times, on weddings, shoots, and collaborations of various ideas we had.  The graveyard shoot was one such concept shoot.  Her approach in that shoot was more intense than mine, but we achieved mutual results that were quite usable.

This time was considerably different.  Cindy designed and created the Amazing Black Dress, and we collaborated on the design of the hair, although Cindy ended up doing the updo work.  The design concept for the shoot was mostly mine, although the shooting angle and developmental approaches differed after the shoot.

I welcome collaborations with other artists.  We only grow through diversity.  Cooperation outweighs solitude by at least a hundred-fold.

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This first image comes from the idea that something is attempting to take the young woman away, a “something” that is scary and has her wrapped up in its way with the red sheer fabric.  It’s all quite open to interpretation, really.  I was going for the lighting concept more than anything else.

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Now trapped, the young woman must plead for her safety.  What is at stake is not quite known, but it could get dire.

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As punishment for her pleas, she is banished to the cold and to a less beautiful surrounding.  The model here, Veronica, made it look easier than it actually was.  With temps in the upper 30s, we spent brief periods of planned shots and lighting while she remained wrapped in a coat, and then unwrapped her, took the photos and wrapped her back up.

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Sometimes you just have to make the best of a bad situation, and accept that the cold is not your worst enemy.  Perhaps your mind is.  The outside portion of this shoot took less than 30 minutes.  Cindy also did the model’s makeup… she’s sort of universally talented like that.

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Finally, there is hope.  The potential of a rescue, a hero… perhaps a knight in shining armor?  Whatever it may be, at this point she’s hoping that it happens soon.

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Blissful in rescue, our heroine rests knowing that soon there will be warmth and peace.

BlackDress07224Finally back in the comforts, she wraps up and rests.  No more monsters for her.

Thanks for indulging the commentary.  The Amazing Black Dress shoot was a collaborative effort that had many facets of wardrobe, makeup, lighting, and image-making.

We like collaborating with other photographers, designers, makeup artists and more.  Please contact us to begin creating a new concept!

 

Concepts: Painting with Family & Friends

We frequently test concepts that are related to requests from clients and ideas we have for future shoots.  We have a commercial client who wants to explore using paint as part of an upcoming shoot.  In order to practice timing, quantity, angles, lighting and much more, we made a model call so we could test the concept.

So, on an afternoon, in a field, three friends from a local high school answered the call and showed up in black (as requested) to spend an hour or so indulging the concept.

NOTE: The first six images are from the dry paint shoot.  After I’d gotten what I needed for the tests, the girls brought out liquid paints that they provided.  Hence the remainder of the images.

NOTE (AGAIN): We have since scheduled TWO family portrait sessions that involve paint in some way.  We are happy to create a session for you that involves paint and painting.  We use only non-toxic paint in safe situations.  Schedule yours now before it gets too cold!  Check us out on our site.

Lights and paint and angles and timing. A dancer jumping with dry paint Dancer with a toe touch and lots of paint Dance photography with paint Dry color paint can be used in a number of ways in the photo shoot Dancers and dry paint make a stunning combination

The photo above was the last of my tests.  The girls brought their own liquid paint and started… well… flinging it at each other.  The lights were still on, the camera still had plenty of images available, and there was time.  So, I kept shooting.  I did re-position some equipment to protect it (which did no good), but the remainder of these images are without direction… just… messy.

Slinging paint onto each other, models got coated in paint Anarchy erupts after liquid paint was brought out. Flashing a symbol at the end of the paint photo shoot All smiles at TLC Photography after the painting shoot Happy to be part of the painted portrait shoot Fulling painted models at the end of the shoot

Portrait: Kayla’s Trash The Dress Session

So, Kayla got married to the love of her life.  But not before we had a conversation about trashing her dress.

A few weeks prior to her beautiful wedding, Kayla asked about doing a Trash The Dress session between her ceremony and her reception.  And me being me, I told her I was totally up for it.  But there were some shortcomings to consider.  One was the amount of time it would take to get to a proper location for a good shoot, as well as setting up lighting and hoping for good weather.  With that, and the consideration that she would be going through her entire ceremony in a sopping wet dress, she chose to have a separate session on a later date.  This is what we achieved.  Captions are below each image.

Trash the dress session in Martinsburg WV

Enjoying the location and Kayla’s wonderful camera presence.

 

Trash the dress session with TLC Photography

The perfect moment of lighting & posing.

A beautiful portrait in the water

Perfect lighting is seen & used.

Water shoot with a wedding dress on.

From a different perspective, Kayla was a beauty.

The best part about the work we did with Kayla was that we have known her for awhile, and expected no less than a bride who was ready for an adventure.  We had a lot of fun, and the planning process made a huge difference in how the shoot went.

See our website for more information about our weddings or portraits.

Senior: Katie

We get great senior kids each year.  Katie was rather unique in that she also gave us an insight into the future of the way people think about how schooling should be done.  She had a lot of her own ideas, brought plenty of her dance costumes and accessories, and some attitude.  One of the most important things was her sneakers, and we made sure to feature them in at least one image.  With pretty red hair and plenty of freckles, Katie provided us a couple hours of great photos and quite a few laughs.

Check out more senior portraits on our Seniors Page.

Engagement: Owen’s Brilliant Picnic

This was a brilliant couple.  They were getting married in Pennsylvania the following year, but wanted me to create something unique for them in Harpers Ferry, since he and his sister live in this area.  They brought their own props, ideas and food, including champagne and a picnic set!  I provided the photography and a few ideas of my own.  They played along brilliantly.  They wanted some vintage-style images from the picnic, and to go out as close to the water, without leaving the park area.  And that was fine… it was fun.  They’re a great couple.

Wishing them the best luck in their nuptials!

Top 9 Reasons TLC Photography is Moving

Dance Portraits

We’ve been working in photography in this area for almost 20 years, and have moved our studio twice. We’re moving it again… and we’re convinced that we’re doing it for all the right reasons. But we wanted to make sure that you, our valued followers and clients, understood our reasons and what led to this very big decision. So, we’re sharing our reasoning with you!

9. Our market, clients, and the photography industry have all changed. The shooting space that we have now is no longer suitable for our needs, and we would rather have a more focused space in which we can concentrate on the things that we do best. The new space will be plenty big, and we can still photograph large family groups (up to 35) with ease, as well as babies, seniors and boudoir.

8. We want to feel “at home” in our studio. Since the building we are in was originally designed in a different era of the industry, and with differing goals in mind, adapting to a new and ever evolving landscape in photography would not be as easy as starting with a blank slate. In our new space, we are starting fresh. No fixed sets or fixed backdrops, but a few things we like and use most, along with our own creativity.

Trash The Dress, Shenandoah River

7. We realized that we don’t need a “park” in our backyard, as we have partnered with a few local (and very generous) farmers and other land owners to use their property for sessions. The best part of this is that you will almost surely have exclusive imagery for your on-location sessions. Plus, we have been working on many new technological approaches to putting you where we need you to be for the perfect shot.

6. Our new location does not have any “neighbor” issues, such as barking dogs, skunks, and cats that use our backyard as a litter box. Let’s just leave it at that.

5. The building we are in now, and the property it is on, have a host of issues that we cannot easily overcome. So, changing our location so that we do not and cannot have those issues is a best option. That doesn’t mean we won’t have issues at our new studio… but at least there we have more control over them.

4. We want to make a bigger impression. We have tried several ways to get people to see our work. Facebook and other social media outlets help some. But seeing our work is most of what draws people in. Route 11 (Winchester Ave) is a 40-45MPH road, and even just seeing our sign is not easy. Trying to put pictures out for people to see, even large ones on the deck, would be met with maybe a second’s worth of exposure. In our new facility, we have five huge 5×7′ windows… and we have a lot planned for those big beautiful sunshine gatherers! Plus, in a building with no windows, we get NO sun exposure… now, we will. Every day.

Hummingbird Cooper Captures

3. Cooper Captures (the wildlife and scenic photography started by Diana early last year) needs to shine… the work is exquisite, and it needs a place to really be seen by many. There are NO windowsin our current studio, and like you saw in #4 above, you can’t make an impression by showing it to a few people online. Diana will be setting up a wonderful display of her work in the corner windows, and we will be offering retail sales of matted prints, gallery canvases, greeting cards and much more. Plus, it will be much easier to see other wildlife photos on our large, color-corrected monitors!

2. We need to create… for awhile now, we have wanted total control of our sessions. While we take every measure to ensure that we provide each of our clients with a unique experience, we are surrounded by the sameness of a studio that was designed to churn out session after session with everyone getting the same treatment. We want more than that for our clients, and plan to offer very unique photography you can only get from the creative genius that gets its inspiration from other artists, both performing and from those who create works of art all the time. We’re looking forward to some very new and original work!

1. We crave interaction. In the last year or so, we have gotten much more involved in our community and with fundraising and “people” events. We’ve found that doing that from a building that is located nowhere near any of that, we can’t help as many people as we wish. Being in a downtown location will give us the ability to not only support our merchant neighbors, but to hopefully give them a reason to do the same. We know that is something we will have to earn, but it is also something we are more than prepared to do.

Between now and November 1, we will give you lots more information. This will include a big Open House we are planning, and lots of fun specials you can look forward to for the holiday season! But mostly, we’re looking forward to setting up our first BIG window display in town. It’s going to start small, and grow. Keep an eye out… you won’t be able to miss it!