New Fine Art Prints For Sale!

Since I just recently discovered this cool Facebook app that lets you put your Etsy shop on your business page (check mine out, the link is in the left hand column titled "Etsy Shop" under my profile pic), I decided to relist all my old items that had long ago expired.  It had been well over a year since I sold anything or even bothered to market any of it.  Just got burned out and bored I guess.

I didn't have a whole lot to relist, but I picked my favorite items and put them up.  Well yesterday morning I got an order for one of my fabric frames!  This one, which is one of my favorites:

Zebra Print Frame

So of course, once I got that sale coming through I got all excited and motivated.  So I spent yesterday morning searching through all my e-files and preparing new fine art prints to stock my shop with.  I stopped about halfway through all my pictures because I just got tired of it, but I got quite a few new prints up!  I want to get to the fabric store soon too so I can make some new frames! :)

Here's my Etsy shop link:

Avery James Photography on Etsy

And here's the new prints I just put up!  They're all 8x10 prints and sell for $24.00 each.  Please inquire about larger or smaller sizes. :) :)  crystal@averyjamesphotography.com

"Glory"

"Through the Woods"

"Splash of Purple"

"Beauty Blossoming"

"Nature's Splendor"

"Los Angeles At Dusk"

"Pretty in Pink"

And don't forget!!  I'm offering free advertising on my blog for a month!!  Details here.

Free Ad Space for 1 month!

Yup!  You heard right - free ad space for 1 month here on my Avery James Photography blog!

Interested??

Details:
120 x 90px size button

It'd be great to get photography related sponsors such as the following, but I am open to all advertisers at this point:

• Etsy shops that sell photo props, baby and children accessories and clothing, photo frames, graphic design, etc.
• Blogs with photography tips and tutorials
• Photography equipment suppliers
• Photo printers

Other types of advertisers (big and small) I'd love to support:

• Bloggers (crafters, artists, moms, couponers, giveaways, fashion, beauty, travel)
• Small businesses
• Children's boutiques
• Beauty
• Fashion
• Travel
• Music

Those are all my preferred advertisers, but again, I will consider all businesses, big and small.

Please email me your button (make it attractive!) and website link to: crystal@averyjamesphotography.com

Thank you!! :)

Oh, and a picture for today.  Another picture of my little boy from the pics I took for our Christmas cards. :) :)  How cute is he???  :) :)

AJP presents: Cutest of the Bunch Contest!

Are you on Facebook??  Do you have a child 12 or under?  Are you in the Southern California area (or planning to visit)?  If you answered 'yes' to all, then you may want to head to my Facebook page and check out my newest contest!!  I call it "Cutest of the Bunch" - cause it just sounds cute to go along with all the cute pictures!!  I'm swimming in cuteness right now!! :) :)

And even if you don't have a child to enter in the contest - you'll definitely want to head over and vote for the cutest of the bunch!

Rules are below - enter your little ones and start voting!! :)

Sponsored by: Avery James Photography (http://www.averyjamesphotography.com/)

Contest Rules:

- Children 12 and under eligible
- Contest submissions accepted through June 29, 2011
- Voting ends July 11, 2011
- Winner announced July 12, 2011

Voters can “Like” as many photos as they prefer

Email one photo of your child (child will be cropped if other people are in the photo) to crystal@averyjamesphotography.com

Multiple children can be submitted, but an individual photo for each is required.

Include the name (nicknames ok) you would like your child to be noted as. Also include your name as you would like it to be noted on the photo as the submitter.

Photo with the most “Likes” at the end of the contest will win a free mini-photo session with AJP in the South Bay area – includes (3) 4x6 digital images. Session will expire Sep. 30, 2011.

Be sure to send your friends and family over to the contest page to vote! They will have to “Like” the AJP page in order to “Like” your photo as well.

In the event of a tie - there will be a tie-breaker...as yet to be determined.

Good luck!!

- Crystal @ Avery James Photography

Two Quick Plugs!

Shameless I know....but that's what this social media stuff is all about right?  Networking, sharing, exploring, learning, and business.  :)

Don't have time to blog much right now even though I have a ton of stuff to blog about before I leave for my 3 week Florida vacay in 2 days (!!), but I'm already way behind schedule getting out the door today....so just wanted to say:

1) Haven't done a plug for my own Facebook Fan Page for awhile - so pretty please with a marshmallow on top (waaay better than a cherry!) can you go become a fan of my Avery James Photography page??  I post WAAAY more stuff on there than I do on my blog. :)

2) If you liked the iNMAAKOi pics I posted recently - go become a fan of their page as well here (click on link) and also check out the ego-boosting blog post they did about our photo shoot here. :)

And that's all for today - I'll probably be absent from the blog world till I get back from Florida - but when I come back I'll be able to finish up my San Francisco vacation blog posts, have some Florida vacay posts, more pics from the last 4 or 5 shoots I haven't finished posting about yet, and 3 more Baby's First Year package shoots that will be happening over the next month or so after I get back.  Lots of fun stuff in store!!  

And if you're a fan of my AJP page on FB then you'll see the post notifications when they go up! ::hint hint!:: :) :) :)

Happy May-June everyone!! :)

OH!  I need a picture to post with this blog entry....what to put...uhmmm, lemme look through my folders.....

::a few minutes later::

Oh that's right!  I also took pictures at my friend's son's Taekwondo birthday party recently, so I need to blog about that one too!  Here's a pic from the party, pretty awesome little boy he is. :) 

Picture A Day - March 17, 2011

So my current challenge that I'm facing as a photographer right now is color correction.  Between getting skin tones right and calibrating my monitors to the printer I'm using, this task has been taking me a good 6+ months of concentrated effort.  Everytime I feel like I got it down, I realize I don't.  I can't even explain to all of you how frustrating this can be. :(

On top of trying to correct it in Photoshop, when I post the pictures on Facebook or my blog, the colors change and fade usually.  I think it has to do with my soft-proofing settings in PS which allows me to view the picture how it will be printed with a specific vendor, not necessarily the best web viewing colors.

So for those clients who are used to me giving out the full-size digital images and are wondering why I'm not doing that any longer - this is why.  Your prints need to be printed with the specific printer that I'm calibrating my pictures to, otherwise the color is not going to come out as intended.

So throughout the color challenges, I'm not giving up and I'm still working at it...although it would be fab if I could just pay someone else to edit all my photos so that I could just focus on the actual photo taking!  Maybe one day when I'm a big name fashion photog (currently my ultimate goal) I can actually afford this. :)

For now - here's a pic of my son from last week being a ham as usual. :)

Letter Art by Avery James Photography

"JOSIAH"

Looking for that perfect gift for someone?  I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE personalized items.  I'm a sucker for anything that you stick my kid's name on...you'll always find me browsing those little souvenir racks for the name mugs, keychains, ornaments, necklaces, etc.  Both of my kids have less common names (Avery and Caydan), and Caydan's especially is spelled uniquely so even if I find the name, it's not spelled like his.

Well this item is perfect, because I can make it say whatever you want it to! :)

Think baby shower gifts, bridal shower gifts, anniversary gifts, birthday gifts, and don't forget to get one for yourself too!  Get your last name for your family room, get your kid's names for their bedrooms, you can even get one for your pet! 

"CAMERON"

How much does this all cost you say?  Only $30.00 (plus $5.00 shipping cost) :)

Each photo is printed on e-surface paper with a lustre coating.

Up to 5 letters will be printed on a 5x15 sheet

6-9 letters will be printed on a 5x30 sheet

Price includes the print only, extra charges apply if you would like it mounted on a matboard or foam, please email me for prices.  You can purchase a frame on your own, or I can have it mounted and/or framed and sent to you ready to hang if you prefer.  Prices start around $30.00 for 5x15 sizes and $70.00 for 5x30 sizes in addition to the print (you can find frames on your own for less though, I suggest searching online for prices).

If you'd like to order your own personalized letter art, email me at:

crystal@averyjamesphotography.com

Just let me know what you want it to say.  I can have the print ready to order within a day if I have all the letters.  Express shipping is available if needed for an additional cost.

"DYLAN"

Letter art! - $30.00 (limited time price)

I initially started this as a birthday project for my son, Avery (Dec. 28).  As he's no longer here with us on earth to give a present to, we try and do something on his birthday that is focused on him and his memory.  Last year we went to downtown L.A. and walked around taking pictures of things that reminded us of him (trains, cartoon characters, angels, etc.) along with photos of letters to spell out his name....but we took the photos of actual letters vs shapes.  I then made a collage of all the pictures we took that day....it turned out pretty neat....nothing to put in a gallery or anything, but special to us. :)

This year I wanted to do something similar, but wanted something a little more frame-worthy...so we went downtown again, but I decided to take pictures of shapes that looked like letters instead (not an original idea, so I can't take the credit for it for those who haven't seen this type of art before), and then spell out Avery's name.  Unfortunately we got a late start on the day and then lunch took longer than expected...so by the time we started taking the actual pictures it was getting close to dark (I hate that the sun sets so early this time of year!)....so I only had about 30 minutes or so where there was enough daylight to take good pictures.....so we hustled and walked around a few downtown L.A. blocks and below is what we found:



I loooooved the 'V' shot of the water fountain....but since the water was constantly moving, and you can see right through it, the camera wasn't able to focus on anything and so up close it's pretty blurry...but I guess it looks like moving water.....so I still love it.  The 'E' and 'R' shots aren't my favorite, but it's all I could get in the short amount of time we had.  And I was so excited to get the 'A' shot - it was a big sculpture downtown and it just came out perfectly for an 'A'!  :) :)

So anyways...I loved it so much and thought it came out better than I expected it to, so I decided to add this letter art to my product lineup.  I'm working on building my letter library now, but if you'd like to purchase your own name in letter art, it's $30 for a limited time. 

$30.00 includes 5x30 photographic print on e-surface paper with lustre coating
Up to 9 letters
You will be able to view the final image before payment
Price does not include frame and you will likely have to get a custom-sized frame for this print.
Shipping is $5.00 (unless you are in the South Bay (Southern California) area - no shipping charges)

I will be trying to order these in batches from the printing company, so please let me know if you need it by a certain date (birthday, wedding, anniversary, baby shower gifts, etc.) so that I can make sure to order yours in time.

Price is for a limited time while I build my letter library up, so be sure to order yours right away!!  :) :)

Order via email: crystal@averyjamesphotography.com
(will eventually be for sale via Etsy)

How did I miss this??

Wow!
I was reading someone else's blog and they were talking about I Heart Faces...then I remembered that I entered one of their photo contests awhile back on Silhouettes....so I figured I'd go look and see who won that contest cause I had completely forgotten to check.....
So I click through all the older posts since it was over a month ago that the contest was held....no, I didn't win, in any place...BUT I did get chosen as one of the I Heart Photos' favorites!!  There had to be about 500-600 entries, and out of all those I got chosen as 1 of 8 favorites!  And now I just re-read it and it looks like I also get a special button to display on my blog....that's my next step after writing this!

Sooooooo awesome. :)

In addition, I was just featured on the Revas Rags to Roses blog as part of her list for the best of 2010!

AND I was just given the Stylish Blog Award by the Potential Treasures blog.  I'll be doing a separate post on that one though as I need to pass the award along to my faves next. :) :)

I have a huge smile on my face just thinking about all these great honors.  Thank you everyone for your support and readership.  If no one was reading, I wouldn't be doing what I do. :) :)

Happy New Years all!! :):)

2010 Holiday Cards :)

So it looks like I was finally able to decide on my holiday card design this year!  Remember me fretting about picking a design in this post?  Well I initially was going to order 4 different designs all with the same set of pictures (I put 2 pictures on the inside of the card as well - the one in my header and another one from a shoot we did for Busted Tees under the Blue Olive company name that I share with a friend - I'll update with the link once I post them)...but 2 of the designs I like wouldn't allow me to do the pictures on the inside of the card....so I gave in and just decided to do all 50 of my cards with the below design.  I think it looks classy which was the look I was hoping to achieve....

Oh and the pic on the cover is one I took today while we were at the Huntington Gardens in San Moreno, CA.  I'll post more from our trip at another time.

I got the 5x7 folded cards in a glossy finish....cost me almost $9.00 in shipping, but I think they're going to look so nice....I keep going back and forth trying to decide if the matte was going to look a little higher quality....but then decided the pics would look better printed glossy....but I don't know....I was torturing myself trying to decide so I just went with my first instincts.  Oh I hate making decisions sometimes, I wish I had a magic crystal that would tell me if my choice was going to be the right one...wouldn't that be awesome??  :)

Well here's the outside of the card, I don't know how to show the inside....whatcha think??  Did I make a good choice??  :)

Plaid Bliss Christmas 5x7 folded card

Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Would it be weird to send 20 different holiday cards to each family on our list?

...so, would it?  Because I'm having a really hard time choosing between Shutterfly's gazillion different holiday card designs!  If I could just go through and check yes/no on each one, then order all the 'yes-es' - one of each for every friend and family member, then just mail them a package of cards this year with our family photos plastered on them - that would make life that much easier.  :)  But I'm guessing that you're all saying - "Yes, Crystal...that would be weird...and a bit obsessive....and just plain creepy."  What?  You mean everyone doesn't want a wall full of cards of my family for their very own home??  OK, OK...well, what would you do?

I received this absolutely awesome opportunity to blog about Shutterfly and their 2010 Christmas and holiday cards, and in return - I get 50 free photo cards for myself this year!  Great because I was just thinking recently about how I probably wouldn't be sending any out this year...but I guess I am now!  Plus, I love Shutterfly...I use them to develop all my family snapshots for albums and stuff like that, and I have 3 of their photobooks at home that I've put together that I absolutely treasure.

So that's the good part...the hard part is trying to figure out which design I want to use for my 50 cards!  I can't even decide what picture I'm going to use yet...I think it's going to be just Caydan in the picture this year...and I'd like to use just one picture for the whole card....I'm thinking of using the sunset picture of Caydan up there in my blog header...or maybe this one here:

I typically drift towards full color pictures, but so many of Shutterfly's designs look really good with black and white pictures....but it's just not really my style....what's a girl to do?

Here's a few that caught my eye in their Christmas card designs...I like the black one cause I'm typically just a fan of the darker colors in general (couldn't you tell from my blog??)...what do you think?

I kinda really like this one too though....but I can't tell if I like it just because the picture of the little girl in it is adorable and fits so well with the design.  I would also need to make sure the words and everything are going to show through on whichever picture I use...I'll have to play around with it I guess...

And then for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, but you still send out cards for other various winter holidays or just for fun, Shutterfly has a more generic selection of "holiday" cards to choose from as well - Shutterfly Holiday Cards  :)

So after I finish designing my Christmas cards, then I'll probably mosey on over to check out Shutterflys's 2011 calendars....because if you know me, then you'll know I have a weird thing for calendars...I usually have from 3-5 different calendars all at one time...and if I can personalize them, then they're that much better!

So this is my dilemma - which design do I pick for our cards this year?...and now back to my original question - would it be weird to send 20 different holiday cards to each family on our list?  I think not....  :)

Free Mini-Session Photoshoot and Fine Art Print Giveaway Contest!

There's two parts to this contest - one for a photo session, and one for a fine-art print.  Even if you're not local to the L.A. area you can enter to win a free fine-art print from AJP!

First, the free photo-session:

If you're in the L.A. area, or going to be anytime in the near future, you should definitely enter my giveaway for a free mini-session photoshoot!! :) :)  This is a great opportunity to get some updated family photos!

Deadline to enter is December 7, 2010.

You must become a fan of Avery James Photography on Facebook to enter....and for every friend that you refer, you get an extra chance to win.  If your referral wins, then you win too!

You can check out all the details here (Facebook link):

AJP Free Mini-Session Giveaway on Facebook

Part 2 (for anyone, anywhere in U.S.)

If you blog about this giveaway (note the free photo session AND the fine art print), you will be entered to win an 8x12 fine art print from my gallery.  You can see current prints in my Etsy shop, and I plan on adding more soon - so you can wait to redeem your prize if you don't see anything you like yet. :)

Please have your blog post link back directly to this post (Link: http://averyjamesphotography.blogspot.com/2010/11/free-mini-session-photoshoot-and-fine.html).  Then post the perma-link to your blog post about this giveaway in the comments.
And don't forget to include your email address!

Deadline to enter for the fine art print is also Dec. 7, 2010.  A winner will be chosen at random  and posted here as well as contacted via email.

This is the first blog-style giveaway I've done, so I hope I did it right.  Happy to answer any questions - crystal@averyjamesphotography.com  :)

And to leave you with a picture, here is a gorgeous sunset that I photographed about a month or two ago outside my home.  The sky was just absolutely amazing that day.  This, and other fine art images, are up for sale in my Etsy shop! :)

Picture A Day - Oct 20, 2010 (and business update)

uhmm...maybe I should title this "Picture a Week...maybe a Month" instead...??  The last week or so I've been rotating the projects I'm working on since there's so many, and the Picture a Day just didn't happen in that time....even though I had a great picture to share!  Oh well...I'll do what I can with posting and we'll see how it turns out. :) :)

I've also been making a LOT of changes in my business...I'll do a more official post about it later, but just a couple things here:

1. I will no longer be shooting any more events, including weddings... (gasp!)...I know...'what is this girl thinking??'...Well, there's a long list of reasons for it, but the bottom line is - I just don't want to.  I don't enjoy it, and I don't want to grow to hate my business...so I need to focus on things that I do enjoy...even if it means a big pay cut :(

2. I will also no longer be doing any fundraiser mini-sessions (another gasp!)...again, a big income-generator for me, but I just don't enjoy doing it...it doesn't mesh with my photography style and is very stressful and time consuming.

And those are the main two changes for now...I'll be having some pricing changes and process changes coming very soon as well (so book your session now if you want to get in at the current rates!!!)...forthcoming soon.

I also spent all morning rebuilding my e-mail subscription database...I lost everything when I transitioned to my new Mac awhile back and just haven't had time to redo it til now...but I'm POSITIVE that I've left some subscribers off the new list, I just didn't have all of the old names that I did on my old list...I'll be sending out an email update soon and will post something here, so if you don't get it, then you're not on my list....if you'd like to be, just let me know! :)

OK - so on to my picture for the day...I was going through some old pictures yesterday and came across a set of pics that I forgot I even took...it was from almost two years ago when I took my son to the beach and there were a bunch of sailboats just out cruising around.  A beautiful sight.  I happened to have brought my camera with me and took the opportunity to snap some pics...below is the final product of one of them....

I also decided to put this print up for sale on my Etsy shop in case anyone is interested! :)

Etsy: Blue Marbles - $25.00 8x10 (larger sizes available)

Announcement about Avery James Photography

I just wanted to post this official update on my blog and AJP Facebook page as I’ve only announced it on my personal Facebook page so far and the day is getting nearer…

Starting in mid to late August, Avery James Photography will officially be my FULL-TIME job….for those unaware, I currently work at DaVita in one of our business offices full-time. It’s a GREAT company with amazing people, but it was never my destiny to continue there as a career…just needed to pay the bills.

I have been doing business as Avery James Photography for about 2.5 years now, and started from the ground floor and worked my butt off to get to where I am today…I started out with barely any knowledge about photography, and have learned and worked my way to a point where I am proud of my work and can stand behind it confidently.

There are various reasons as to why I am taking this step now, but the overall reason is that it’s just time. I definitely have a huge workload to do (which you can see if you’ve read my status updates on my AJP Facebook page recently) along with my 4 year old son that I don’t spend enough time with…so regardless if financially this is the right time, it’s the right time for me in terms of my life balance in general.

So what does any of this mean for you? Well, if you’re a client – this is going to mean that you will receive much faster service and additional availability options for your sessions. I will have much more time to dedicate to editing pictures and getting them into your hands once I can free up 40 hours a week that I currently dedicate to DaVita. And if you’re not a client but just enjoy seeing my photos, then this means that [hopefully!] you’ll see a lot more as I will have more time to do more shoots.

In the future, it may also mean slightly higher prices as I will now be relying on this business as my sole income…I have been able to charge the prices that I do now because it was a side job and additional income…but I will try to leave the prices as they are for as long as I can as I truly want everyone to be able to afford great family photos….but there will likely come a day that I will need to reevaluate and see what my next steps are.

As always, thank you for your support, thank you for the friendships that many of you have given to me, and thank you for your wonderful referrals that have built this business. I look forward to many more photo opportunities with you all.

Oh!  And a couple of pictures from my personal vault - fun at Grandpa's house on the Slip n' Slide! :)

Rate Increase and Special Offer

It's that time again...when I needed to sit down and look at my pricing and compare it with the time invested, skill level, and market value.  Yes, I am raising my rates.

See bottom of post for limited offer on old rates.

Upon researching other photographers in my region, the average cost for a photographer similar to my style and experience level is about $200 - $300 for a sitting fee alone.  Prints are additional and run about $10 - $100 depending on the size.  And it is very rare that you receive a full-sized digital image for under $90 per image.  Sometimes you will see them offered at a discounted rate when added on to a large print order.

Currently my rates are $200 and includes the sitting fee as well as 20 digital images, no prints.

You can see the huge difference.

But, fear not, I am not hiking it up to the standards of other photogs quite yet...I still know that I have a lot to learn and want to continue to offer my services for affordable prices while I perfect my skill and experiment to see where I want to be long-term.

You can see all of my new rates on my sales site: http://www.averyjamesphotography.com/sales.html

The biggest rate increase you'll see is my wedding photography rates.  They have gone from $100/hr to $200/hr, but also include larger print packages along with the extra retouching on multiple images (10 images with extra retouching per hour booked).  You still get everything on cd from your entire event.

My regular photo sessions are still available at mmy $200 rate, but you will only receive 10 retouched, digital images at this price.  For $250 you receive 20 images.  Each additional image is $10.00.

There was also a little restructuring in my specials, and my event rates now have a 2 hour minimum.  I am also requiring non-refundable deposits ($50.00 for most sessions, $100 for weddings) to reduce cancellations and rescheduled sessions.


BUT... (here's the part with the special offer!)

A few things for those feeling very disappointed right now...

1. If you already have a session booked and on the calendar, you are locked in at the old rate, whatever I had quoted you initially.

2. If you book a date and pay the $50 non-refundable deposit by June 30 (or $100 for weddings), you will be locked in at the old rates as well.  You can book the date up to a year out (think Christmas cards!!), but it must be booked and the deposit must be received by June 30, 2010 to apply.

If you have ANY questions whatsoever, please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss: crystal@averyjamesphotography.com

I thank all of you for your continued support of my business, and I hope to see you all on the other side of my camera lens soon! :)

Facebook Fan Pages

I had a great idea :)

I'll advertise your Facebook fan page if you advertise mine!!

I would love to build up my fan page subscribers...exponentially would be great!

So if you have a fan page for your business, blog, or whatever, I'll post a link to your fan page on my fan page with a little shpiel if you'll do the same for me!!

Easy enough right?  And everyone wins! :)

Let me know if you're interested...a comment will do, or you can email me at crystal@averyjamesphotography.com

Oh, and here's my fan page if you want to check it out!! :)

Avery James Photography on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/#!/AveryJamesPhotography?ref=ts

New camera!!

2010 has really turned out to be a good year for me so far.  I foresee a lot of major changes happening, some good, some maybe not so good, some great....all in all though, I see this being a huge year for AJP.  I have a lot of motivation in me right now, ideas, and passion for learning and perfecting my craft. 

One of the hundreds of next steps I have this year was to get a new camera.  A new and improved much, much better quality camera.

I started off my photography career with a non-professional Canon Rebel.  In comparison to anything I had used before, this was fabulous.  Once I started learning more about photography though, I realized that this camera was still low quality for what I wanted to do.  It's great for the every day family shot, but not for a business in photography.

I moved up to the Canon 50D.  A great investment for the cost (about $1500 for the body).  Up until today, it has produced most of the images you all have seen on this blog.  It's a fabulous camera, but still considered semi-pro.  It accomplished what I needed it to, and was a great tool for me while I was still learning the possibilities.

Over the past few months, I've felt that I had outgrown the 50D.  There were so many more things I wanted to do, and quality that I wanted to achieve, and it wasn't allowing me to do this, just because it didn't have the capacity.

I did lots of research and decided to purchase the brand new Canon 1D Mark IV camera ($5000).  As it was literally brand new, it wasn't even in stock anywhere.  I placed my order and waited almost 2 months for the camera!  Still no word on when it was to arrive.

I then met a fabulous person who shared my love for photography, and had many more years under him than I did.  We talked for a couple of days about cameras and I decided that the camera I ordered wasn't exactly what I needed.  So I cancelled my order.

I was then deciding between the Canon 1Ds Mark III ($6000) and the Canon 5D Mark II ($2500).  The price difference was huge.  Plus if I got the more expensive one, I couldn't even afford to buy a lens for it.  So after talking to a couple of people, doing more internet research, and sitting down with my fiance to talk money....I decided to go with the 5D Mark II plus a new lens, L series (top o' the line $1200)...all the while, spending less than I originally was going to!

I ordered it right away, 2 day shipping, and TODAY, my beautiful package arrived!! 

I

LOVE

MY

CAMERA

I was sooooo excited to start using it, I picked my son up from school and drove straight over to a local Japanese garden to take some pics, his dirty school clothes and all! :)

Below are just some quick shots I took with minimal editing.  Even the program that comes with the camera is so superior to the version I had been using.  It's amazing.

And I know to the average eye, you probably don't even know the difference...but just trust me....the color, the clarity, the highlights and shadows, everything...is just so much more....::sigh::...beautiful.  I've officially become a camera-geek.

Before I share my snapshots from today, I'd just like to say THANK YOU to ALL of my clients, friends, and family.  If it weren't for all of you, your business, your referrals, your trust and belief in me, I would not be where I am today.  I saved every last penny from every shoot I've done to make these purchases.  I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  Each of you has played a huge part in my life whether you know it or not. :)

THANK YOU :)

Published! 1 of...?? TBD!

I came home today to a wonderful surprise...not that I wasn't expecting it, just forgot about it til it showed up in my mailbox!

Back in December this past year (2009) I took photos at The Compassionate Friends (TCF) Worldwide Candle Lighting.  I attend this event every year, as well as numerous meetings and events throughout the year, in memory of my son (Avery) who passed away in July 2006 due to an accident. 

You might remember my posting from this event here: http://averyjamesphotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/compassionate-friends.html

The gentleman who writes the newsletter from the National Office of TCF (Newsletter: We Need Not Walk Alone) came across my post and wanted to use one of my photos in the magazine for an article about the Candle Lighting.  I was honored!  Not to mention it was going to be a photo of my other son, Caydan.

I hadn't seen the article yet, nor the photo he chose, so when I got home and saw the magazine there, I dropped everything and opened it up.  And below is what I saw! 

Avery James Photography in print, distributed to the world!  WOW.  This is huge for me and such an honor.  For my first publishment (hopefully the first of many!) to be in a magazine for an organization that I hold extremely dear to my heart, means more than I can really describe in words...it just helps me to realize that my goals and hopes are coming true, and that I owe it all to Avery...to the love he gave me, to the love his memories still give, to the compassion that he has brought to my heart and life, and to the possibilities and positive things that his life brought to myself and others.  His death was not in vain...while I would give ANYTHING in this world to have him back with me, I find comfort knowing that he has helped me find my path in life and that something amazing was born from the rubble my life once was.

Thank you all for your support and friendship. :)

The Compassionate Friends National Website: http://www.compassionatefriends.org/

TCF on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Compassionate-FriendsUSA/90757574245?ref=ts

The Compassionate Friends South Bay Chapter: http://www.tcfsbla.org/

TCF South Bay on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Compassionate-Friends-South-Bay-Los-Angeles-Chapter/308602406110?ref=ts

Retouching

I've done posts before about retouching....but this one is a little different.  I've learned a bit more about retouching simply to enhance, not necessarily to correct.

Below are some before and after examples to show what retouching can do in terms of color enhancement, shadow reduction, and increased contrast. 

It can be very subtle to the average eye, or it can be pretty dramatic...depends on the use (i.e. airbrushing for a beauty shot of a woman's face vs a family photo.).

I really want to start pushing my business and photo output level towards a more professional and perfected basis.  I want every photo I release to be beautiful and the best that it can be.

This is going to require retouching as I've described above.  Unfortunately, it takes time.  One photo can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes depending on the work that needs to go into it.

Currently I give clients a couple hundred photos on cd with some basic color correction, cropping, and contrast enhancements done on them...but that's it because even that takes me about 3-5 hours to do all of the photos.

Going forward, I'd like to start giving clients less photos...but the photos you do receive will be more enhanced and perfected.  I don't know the exact number yet....something I need to think about still...but I think in the end, clients are going to be happier.  You'll like your photos more, you'll get to choose the photos you want enhanced, and you'll be given higher resolution photos as I can fit more onto a cd.  You'll also have an option to pay an additional cost to receive additional photos above whatever number I come up with.

I'd love to hear your comments if you have an opinion, good or bad, on this.  In the meantime, I'll be rolling out a new process and package soon. :)

Thanks everyone!

Culture and Lifestyle Magazine...and some pics of Caydan :)

Just a quick update for everyone. :)

I have been asked to be the official photographer for a potential new magazine (Culture and Lifestyle Magazine) that will be sponsored by the cities of Carson, Compton, and Lynwood.  This high-gloss publishment will feature stories and advertisements highlighting the redevelopment of these communities.

It's truly an awesome project...I have to admit that I am completely naive in terms of what these cities can offer the public.  But after spending the majority of this weekend driving around to a list of locations to take photos, I attained a huge amount of respect for what this cities are doing and the people in them.  It's an uplifting thing to see these cities being beautified and having so much attention being given to them.

I feel a teeny bit more educated after this weekend, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to experience more locations like these.

I can't post anything yet from this project until it's been finalized, approved, and published...but I would love to put up the final product when it's done.  Just not sure yet when that will be.  But you'll see it here first. :)

Just to not leave you hanging, here's a few photos I took of my son while we were out today....his beautiful and adorable face will have to suffice til I have time to post more pics. :)

Senior Portraits Special!

I am releasing a new special for Senior Portraits this year. I think they'll be a lot of fun to do, so I'm willing to bring my prices down for them…and even more willing to reward my fabulous clients for their referrals!

Here are the different pricing options, there should be something here for everyone as I know different people have different budgets and various preferences.

These specials are currently valid through the 2009-2010 school year (ending at the end of June 2010). If you are interested in one of these, please visit my website to view my calendar for availability (lighting is best at 4:00pm for a 1hr session, or 3:30pm for a 90 minute session).

Website: http://www.averyjamesphotography.com/

Feel free to bring along your own makeup and/or hair stylist to the shoot as well! I don't have anyone that I work with [yet] – so I don't have any referrals, but I'm happy to ask around for you if you would like. J

Options:
1. $100 – 30 minute session, cd only, no wardrobe change

2. $150 – 60 minute session, cd only, 2 wardrobe changes

3. $200 – 60 minute session, cd, 2 wardrobe changes $50 worth of prints

4. $250 – full session (60-90 minutes, cd, 2 wardrobe changes, $150 worth of prints)

Refer 2 friends who book and complete a session and receive $50 off any package excluding Option #1.

For each additional friend referred, receive a $25 credit towards a future Avery James Photography session.

I'm wishing everyone a safe and happy new year!!! J