Results for category "Children"

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.

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!

 

Baby Portraits: Young Mr. Clarke (The Hat Bandit)

During our Most Beautiful Baby Contest each year, we get to meet a lot of really cute babies.  And since we really do not try to direct them, we find that they become unpredictable (which leads to more fun).  Mom had brought several outfits, and one of them was a really cute suit outfit… we had a hat which we thought would really complement the outfit.  But as you can see, it was a little big.  He didn’t seem to care.

The Most Beautiful Baby Contest is held each winter, and involves lots of babies, prizes, and is a fundraiser for our ongoing cause, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  We care about kids a lot and have made them part of our daily lives, even though ours are grown and parents of children themselves.

You can make appointments year round for your baby’s portraits.  The best reason to continue updating and displaying pictures of your children is in the effects the pictures have on the children.  Studies have shown that children who see their pictures on the walls in their home are more well adjusted, have a greater sense of well-being and self-confidence, and feel like they “belong.”  We’re happy to help continue your child’s well-being.

Newborn: Elsie (and her big sister)

Family portrait with a newborn

Picture 1 of 3

We love newborn portraits. And mainly because they are just so pose-able.  This typically just means that you can put them into any pose or position you want, but we try to remember that they may still want to do whatever they want.  And since this little one has an older sister, it was important to make her part of the portraits, too.

You can see more of our children’s portraits on our website.

Baby photos!

I’m a big fan of babies… and while there have been a lot of new posing techniques revealed and extolled by many photographers, I remain a fan of the classics, too.  Simplicity makes it all about the baby…

baby pictures charles town beautiful babies in harpers ferry

Do You Really Want The CD?

So, when your photographer advertises that big special offer, which might include a CD of images from the session, you’re ready to jump on it because you love getting the CD, right?  What’s not relevant here is how many images you get, or the circumstances.  What’s important is that if you only got a CD, you’re not only cheating yourself, but you’re getting cheated.  Read on.

Notwithstanding that a CD might cost less than a buck, and that your photographer with a certain style might spend less than a hour on your images, what are you really getting?  Yes, you get the experience and professional photography.  You get good customer service, a fun time with a genuinely nice person, and even some good pictures.  But are you getting something that will last forever?

Do you remember the 8-track tape?  Cassette tape?  Most people don’t use CDs anymore (they only hold about 700MB), and most use DVDs (which hold over 4GB).  But with the advent of Blu-Ray, how long will it be before that DVD is out of date?  Or that file format?  What will you do in ten years when DVDs are no longer supported by computers (most computers today no longer support floppy drives)?

Here’s something else to consider… where will you store your disk?  What will you do with the images on it?  Post them on Facebook?  How long will they stay there?  They may remain on your photo gallery for a long time, but they will get pushed to the bottom like all the others have over time.  And forgotten.  The disk may get lost or damaged (do you know how to take care of a DVD properly?)

It’s time for you to take control.  If your photographer offers only a disk, ask for more.  Demand prints.  Tell them you want your images to be on the wall, in full view, for all to see.  Be proud of your portraits, your wedding, your children and your family!  Don’t hide them away on a disk anymore.  Put them out for the world to see!

Here’s more to consider.  Did you know that children who see pictures of themselves on the walls have a greater sense of well-being and self-confidence as they grow up?  They can’t see those pictures of they’re on a disk.  And couples who put their wedding pictures on the walls and in an album are more likely to stay together than those who don’t. We have clients who regularly share their pictures on the walls with us – and they have fabulous relationships, wonderful families and beautiful children!

Listen… this is not hard to understand.  And yes, we DO sell the image files for most of our sessions and weddings.  But we always offer you prints at the same time.  And we always will, because they mean you will always see the pictures that you have tucked safely away in a dark storage place (after you made a backup, right?)

So, what are you going to do next time your photographer offers a disk-only portrait session?  That’s right, demand prints!

 

When rain falls

image

Today was our third installment of street portraits. We got about a half hour in before the rain started. And while Mother Nature decided against me today, it’s okay to realize the higher power that is the weather.

We’re excited about continuing this series and want your feedback. What do you think we should do? Another city? A different time of day? Or perhaps move indoors?

Stay dry. Enjoy your Sunday. We’re headed off for more adventure!

The “No Holds Barred” Children’s Approach

With exposure to so many children over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to feel my way through how children respond to different things.  Likewise, it has been just as interesting to learn how their parents respond.

Over the last several years, we have taken the “the kid’s can’t break anything” approach in both the studio and the outdoor portrait park.  In short, that’s not completely true… but we’re watching the entire time, and it’s pretty rare that a kid is going to grab something breakable in the first place, and even rarer that it’s going to take a serious beating.

That said, we have opened the proverbial door by telling parents up front that we don’t put restrictions on kids during portrait sessions.  There are still times when parents get nervous that grabbing the shell of a soft box is going to cost them hundreds of dollars.  Their fear is quickly calmed by reminding them “it takes a lot to destroy one of those things.” And it really does.

When you come for your sitting… relax.

We got this.

childrens portraits childrens photography kids picture

Most Beautiful Baby Contest Results!

First things first… we are proud to hold this contest each year.  It’s our pleasure to serve a good cause (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital), and enjoy meeting new faces and seeing a few old ones.  Thanks to each and every one of you who entered.

As you know, there can only be one top prize winner.  And, like just about everyone else, his mother described him as the winner.  She was right.

This is our first place winner…

Baby portraits in martinsburg

Our second place winner…

childrens portraits in martinsburg

And our third place winner…

kids pictures

Finally, two honorable mentions…

family pictures in inwood

newborn portraits

 

We want to express again how grateful we are to be a part of this wonderful community, and want to remind you of our upcoming promotions, including the Easter Pictures with a live bunny on March 24.  Call for details, 304-263-3100.

Children: Krysten

Here parents claim that in the 2-3 hours prior to her session, 13-year old Krysten professed to wanting to make this the worst even in their (and my) lives.  She was keenly opposed to being photographed, and apparently especially that day.  Don’t know why, really, but she was a great subject.  We took a TON of pictures (yes, I weighed them), and had a great time.  She smiled, laughed (sometimes hysterically), and we all enjoyed the session.

McClureK04511 McClureK04549 McClureK04631