In the days after my grandfather’s passing, it was a therapeutic blessing to be able to sit around their kitchen table sifting through pictures.  Old pictures, new pictures, professional pictures, snapshots, torn pictures, carefully mounted pictures.  They all hold a special meaning.  Of course, some held up better than others, but I couldn’t help but also feel a sudden urge to send everything on my hard drives & discs at home to the print lab.  What will our children be doing 50 years from now?  Hopefully not sitting around some computer looking at digital copies.  There was something really awesome about running my fingers over the edges of every single picture.  Holding the same picture they held, they got in the mail, that they got handed down to them from their aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, mother, father, etc.

It’s really a lost part of our culture, the printed photograph.  It was amazing to see some of the old pictures, and how they’ve changed.  A huge stack of polaroids, which completely confused my children.  Little flip books from the 20’s, which have been lost in our “bigger, better” culture.  It’s just so amazing.

And really, now… all we have left are those pictures.  A few other sentiments… but his generation didn’t keep much “stuff”, not to mention it’s really his face, those pictures of him loving his grand children & great grandchildren that I really want to hold on to.

And so – that’s another resolution of mine – I am printing every single picture I take of my kids.  I want those prints.  Forget the discs (I’ll still archive them, I am a techie deep down beneath it all).  But, I want prints.  Boxes and boxes of pictures, for my children to sit around with, and wonder what on earth we were thinking with that hair do, that outfit, that car, that kitchen wall paper design.

For my clients, friends & family who do want to make sure that they’ll have a print that will last, that looks great now (and later)… I usually recommend a consumer lab:  MPIX.  But please, if for no other reason, consider having a big box of family prints… don’t even consider a disc for your main way of keeping pictures, as an archive perhaps, but not your main archive.  Get prints.  Put them in a box.  And every once in a while, sit around the kitchen table and reminisce

And just for grins, here is the last image I have of my grandfather with my two kids:

Stay tuned, I’ll be catching up on blogs & such soon!

I’ve volunteered with the American Cancer Society in the past, and it was a cause that I identified with, and I knew many many other people in our community did as well. Little did I know that this would turn out so wonderful, so chaotic, and so fulfilling… all at the same time!

Anyways, standing in the kitchen one night, brainstorming with my husband… we settled on the name “Small Miracles” for the calendar. Quite quickly “Small Miracles Make a Big Difference” was the natural “slogan”. Again, little did I know just how true that would prove to be.

Here I sit at nearly 2 a.m., less than 2 months from the time I first approached the American Cancer Society about my hair-brained ideas (I tend to have a lot of them!), looking in amazement at the number of votes that came pouring in, and equally amazed that I survived it all! LOL

After 2 wonderful weeks of voting, I sit here, looking at the 13 images that made it into the calendar. So happy that I didn’t have to choose them myself because there was no way I could choose just 13, ecstatic at the number of votes that flooded in, and thankful for ever single person that participated. And so… that moment that everyone has been waiting for… I proudly announce the 13 images that will be featured in the 2010 Small Miracles Calendar to benefit the American Cancer Society… proving that Small Miracles DO make aHUGE difference!

(Gosh, even *I* have butterflies TYPING this!)  (Names will be added with permission from their parents)

Miracle #9:

Miracle #8:

Miracle #42

Miracle #7:

Miracle #11:

Miracle #1:

Miracle # 31:

Miracle # 19:

Miracle # 12:

Miracle # 38:

Miracle # 6:

Miracle # 41:

Miracle #15:

And there you have it, folks… the 13 amazing Small Miracles!

In all, we received over 5,500 votes… an amazing accomplishment, especially considering this is our VERY first calendar.  Rest assured, this is absolutely something we will do each year (though we will start much earlier in the year next year lol… no more shooting, editing, and voting marathons for me!).

And don’t forget, calendars are still for sale – we will be opening the gallery back up with the option to vote removed, just so you can see the cuties & purchase calendars at the pre-sale price of $10.  Expect it to open sometime later in the day!!!

Thanks again for all your help, and to all the photographers & businesses who have helped make this possible!  Stay tuned as we share with you the inspirational stories that were shared with me through out this journey!

Their wedding took place in June in Destin (at Sandestin actually), and I cannot even tell you how thrilled I am & I will be so excited once I finally have the issue in my hands!  I’m going to have to try to get enough issues for them and all their family that came all this way from Texas.

Anyways, here is the little sneak peek of the spread!!!

So YAY for being published, YAY for Kristi & Tyson, and YAY for Gulf Coast Brides.  Now… as soon as it hits newsstands (it’s in something crazy like 31 states, so no excuses!), go run & pick up a copy because there are some awesome articles and obviously some awesome vendors highlighted  Then – toast w/ a little virtual champagne with me!  Cheers!

So… I thought since we are approaching one of my busiest times of year – wonderful fall wedding season – that I would quote a wonderful article by a group of photographers, Shawn, Pamela & Gavin Richter, about WHY professional photographers cost so much.  It’s been quoted and referenced by numerous wedding & portrait photographers, and in the world of portrait photographers is widely known & seen in wedding photographers forums & in circles of professional photographers.  It’s nothing new – we can recognize the face of sticker shock when we see it – and it’s not unusual for the very next bride to hear the same price & breathe a sigh of relief that it isn’t *quite* as high as she’d feared.  What a contrast!

So for your reading pleasure… WHY are professional photographers (especially wedding photographers) so expensive?

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 8×10 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.

And soon… I’ll be blogging a little about what the *real* differences are in professionally printed images vs. your local lab like at Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc… with hard core proof!
Angela

I’ve been waiting, debating, waiting & debating… and waiting some more… to take the plunge & redo my website. It served as a great excuse as to why I haven’t updated my CURRENT website in so long (I mean, really – why on earth would I put even more on my plate when I’m about to redo my site!?).

But of course, there was a great widespread debate (ask any of my closest friends) about WHICH layout I should convert to. Ahh, the dilemma. I was really ready to just buy 4 layouts, but GOD only knows, I can barely maintain one, much less 4! But, alas… this is me, the notorious overachiever who never has the time to fulfill my many many pursuits! (Case in point: my knitting project, my sewing project, my crochet project, my great & wonderful coupon organization system – which to my credit is probably the most successful of all my projects, and the list goes on and on and on…)

So – Anyways – hold on tight, a change is a-comin’. A new site and… quite possibly even a new blog (thats been in the works for a while now, so don’t get TOO excited).

Geesh – contests, new site, maybe even a new blog – I feel… refreshed! I think I should even change my haircolor!!

So – dig out your cameras, and show me something that celebrates left handedness! (Family friendly please!)

Get crazy, get creative, and get downright silly! Post a comment here with a picture, a link to your blog with your entry (and be sure to include a link back to this post or my blog), or email me at: angela@bellavitaphotos.com !

Ready… set… go Lefty!

But, I will say – Cara gave us all a run for our money – and I do mean RUN. Mostly, this is what I saw for the majority of our shoot:

Yep, that’s right – the tail end of Cara. She was on a mission, and she was FAST! But, luckily I’ve been trained by my two little ones & I can book it! So off I went, chasing Cara around:

Oh, and I just have to post these. Not only did Cara collect sticks, pinecones, and pretty much everything and anything else that wasn’t firmly planted & rooted into the ground (she even tried to catch a fish!), she loved to smell things. I am always amazed watching kids explore the world, and I always try to think about how they must see it from their perspective. Only kids can inhale, smell & actually appreciate the smell of a pinecone & smell a flower 20 times over & never grow tired:

Or – also in Cara’s case – climb the stairs of the porch at Eden State Gardens 1,743 times and never once grow bored!

Oh, and I just had to post this one – I’m not sure why I like it so much – because I’m not quite sure if it shows just how big the tree is or just how little Cara is – maybe a little of both:

But as Cara’s mother says, she is in fact, a little Guatemalan Princess – or doll, take your pick!

Thanks for being so much fun, Cara!

And if you haven’t checked out or been to Eden Gardens in South Walton yet, definitely check it out.  If you’re in town visiting, it’s just north of Hwy 98, and a must-see!  It’s also a state park, so there is a small fee to get into Eden Gardens, but it is well worth it & gorgeous year-round!  (But because it’s not on the beach, there’s less breeze, but also far more shade!)

Get close – does he not look like he’s talking!? I swear he’s saying “What YOU doing on my walkway?!” Make no mistake, if he looks small it’s b/c you *think* he’s small – but he’s as long as a brick is wide. Hes HUGE in other words. He was as long as my foot was wide. And I know this because HE stepped on ME.

Gosh, I just can’t get enough of this big fella. I mean, I’m sure in some country somewhere, this is like a TBone Steak size grasshopper! (Which, BTW, I actually have eaten chocolate covered grasshoppers before, ewwww. And NO they’re NOT good!)

Ok, ok, last one… I promise, then we can go back to business as usual:

Ok, so to *me* it looks like he’s just talking in one pic, and he’s screaming in another. Apparantly, my friends disagree & they say that’s a clue I’m under far too much stress when I imagine bugs yelling at me. *shrug*
But – I do admit, I failed to get a picture of the black widow we found on our window (don’t worry – she was on the outside & I didn’t smash the window to pieces).

So… next time you’re out at Eden Gardens, keep your eyes open, and watch your step.  And if you’ve never been out to Eden Gardens, WHOA you are missing one BEAUTIFUL place (despite the icky grasshoppers).  It’s a beautiful southern historic mansion, set on the water, with lush green grass, a beautiful garden, and a fantastically large oak tree often referred to as the Wedding Tree.  We’ve done many a weddings there, and it is my absolutely favorite location.  We go there for all kinds of sessions, engagement, wedding, bridal, you name it – it is just absolutely divine!!!

So – it’s pretty simple – somewhere around the first part of the month I’ll post a topic (I’m totally up for suggestions too by the way, hey maybe that should have been my first contest! lol). Anyways – there’s nothing really special or significant about August (that I know of). It’s really too hot & miserable to be good for much. Oh, except August IS the month that sports “World BreastFeeding Week” and it was during August that Hawaii became a state. I thought about doing something for those – pictures of boobs anyone? (I’m a huge breastfeeding advocate as anyone who has spent 10 minutes with me knows lol).

But – as it turns out its also host of:

• Admit You’re Happy Month (Cheesiest picture anyone?)
• Family Fun Month (Worst family photo?)
• National Catfish Month (We’ve got this hands down lol)
• National Eye Exam Month
• National Golf Month
• Peach Month
• Romance Awareness Month
• Water Quality Month
• National Picnic Month
• Blah blah blah

Oh – but it is also the month that National Lefthanders Day takes place (Aug 13).

Ok, so I’ve rambled on and on and on about a bunch of useless holidays (no offense lefties, my best friend is a lefty!). Let’s pick a contest already & get this party started already huh!?

Oh, and prizes – yes there will indeed be prizes. I’ll try to keep them kind of in line with what the theme is, but you know, we’ll keep it real & just go with the flow!

I’ll be announcing my first contest theme shortly!

What I love about this couple is David is clearly smitten with Jennifer, and the cutest part of all is he was like a school boy jumping for joy every time he got to kiss her!

And finally, the sunset we waited so patiently for.   Our Destin beach sunsets are amazing.  After weekend after weekend after weekend of rain, rain, and more rain, it really was worth the wait & quite a beautiful ending…

Obviously the white sandy beaches of Destin is amazing, but it’s the colors of the sky on Destin’s beaches that are really wonderful & worth seeing.  I encourage everyone doing a beach portrait or engagement session to hang out just a little while to see these beautiful sunsets!