That's me, up there, with the brood of boys I live with. They're also my source of inspiration, and my partners in crime. The biggest boy is my husband, who also happens to be my business partner and uber talented super 8mm filmmographer. and the two little ones... we'll they're distraction and chaos, but we adore every second of it. We love traveling all over the country to photograph amazing events and milestones... it fuels my soul to see people fall in love with each other, their babies, their lives. The links up above you can check out my maternity series (when I was pregnant with the smallest one), and find out more about the weddings and sessions we photograph for free (under Giving Back), as well as links to older posts and helpful information. You can also read more about us at our main photography website at www.sugarleafphotography.com
cheers!
Lexia and Dustin
Check out the wedding slideshow that Lindsay McCarthy did for her wedding. it played during dinner, and served as a wonderful way to honor their parents. Such a fresh and new take on the traditional slideshow of the bride and groom as babies/kids/teenagers. she hired Suzi Ellington of Shine On Memories to put it together!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6RvAUrbVHs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1]
My 12 month old baby just learned the fish face, and couldn’t help but post! And yes, that’s bit of yogurt on his lip. he must be saving it for later.
happy Saturday!
Inspiration for a beautiful vintage garden wedding. Can’t you just imagine the tealights hanging from the trees, and candles on the big barnwood tables as the sun goes down. so romantic.
All items were found on (you guessed it!) Etsy.
1) Oatmeal linen n lace dress by misovintage
2) perfectly sassified by ifTheHatFitsByJackie
3) eco-Friendly Linen by sweetlylovely
4) The Hankie Clutch Bag by Sewlola
5) Peony Antique lace cuff by katinkapinka
6) Vintage Embroidered Linen by goodlookin
7) earings by missbird
8 ) custon linen Deco Monogram by GloamingDesigns
9) Vintage Post Card on Linen by FlaxandSpindle
10) Ovation boy linen shirt by finehandmadeclothing
I love hunting around on Etsy, the online shop for all things handmade and vintage. I came accross these great bridesmaid dresses from Amanda Archer, and thought they were just too great not to share!
I just returned from Wisconsin, shooting kory and Lindsay’s wedding! it was an absolute blast, and im going to be featuring them on the main website. Lindsay has written up a few details of her wedding that i know everyone will be interested in, including some of her DIY details!
As well as normal wedding day coverage (I’ll post some sneak peaks soon!) she chose to utilize our PhotoShoot service during the reception. Let me tell you, it was one of the best times I have ever had as a photographer. I shot throughout the reception normally, except for about an hour later on in the evening after all the main events of the reception had ended, and dancing was going on. During that time i set up the backdrop, got out the studio lights/umbrellas, and we had ourselves a little fashion PhotoShoot! It’s a perfect solution for the couples who would love to have a traditional photobooth but can’t spare an extra 1,200 (YIKES!) to rent one for a few hours. This way, guests get great traditional (or super fun!) photos of themselves/family/friends, and can have a great time doing it for a fraction of the cost of a photobooth. easy ordering online makes it simple for guests to view and receive images of themselves, and while they’re there, hopefully they just might order one or two for the bride and groom as well! Check out these hysterical photos, and view more under the PhotoShoot! gallery on the main website.
As promised, more products!
I love this product almost more than words can say. This is the presentation box (a similar design to the presentation box the album comes in) which houses your favorite matted prints. you can house up to 30 or so prints in this beautiful handmade silk box. I think i love it so much because it is just so incredibly classic. It brings me back to my days as a fine art student, walking into the museum’s archive room and finding so many photographs housed in boxes in their original mats. And can’t you just imagine pulling them out of the box and displaying all those beautiful matted photographs on your table? LOVE IT! Im planning on ordering a box once a year for my son’s birthdays to house all my favorite images from that year. imagine the library he will have when he’s eighteen!
Here are the folios, made with the same japanese silks and swiss ribbons as our beautiful albums. choose from a double triple or quadruple folio to present your photos. the best part is that these folios accordion fold up into a little booklet you can carry around!
New Name, New Site, New Products! oh my!
As you have noticed by now, huge things are happening at La Lumiere Photography! well, namely, the name (haha, no pun intended). We’ve been going through a big re-branding stage in our company, and have decided to do a 360 and change the name as well. We feel Sugar Leaf Photography is fresh, light hearted, and easy to remember. La Lumiere, although it was wonderful for me (i studied french in college) a lot of people have trouble pronouncing it, and repeating it.
along with our new name, our new website has now officially been launched, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Feel free to hang out on the site, check out the calendar section, and also the “feature” section. im so excited to be able to feature some of my favorite clients!
We also have some exciting news about our Album products! Although we will still be offering our amazing Tuscany leather bound album that features the lay-flat style with the tightest gutter seams on the market, we are now offering the most amazing album i have ever seen. This line of products are all designed with eco-friendly materials (some of the albums are even tree-less!) in an eco-friendly environment. These albums feature handmade artisan archival paper, which is museum quality. The ancient art of bookmaking is imbued with the Japanese bookbinding silks and rich, smooth, heavyweight fine art paper and fabrics. Choose from over 18 Japanese fabrics and Swiss ribbon. To preserve your most precious album, is the custom European style box.
I can not say enough good things about these albums! The options are endless, different color silks, different color ribbons, different page layouts, different sizes, custom sizes… basically, if you can dream it, we can build it. If you are not as excited about the swiss ribbon binding as I am, you can also opt for no ribbon, and a library bound binding instead.
The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and ability to control various factors during the image taking and making process. Photographers, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur all benefit from this ability to manipulate pixels. However, with flexibility comes a price. Digital camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into creating a work of photographic art.
We all know that you can go to the local Walgreen’s and pay a $1.99 for a print – as a client you may wonder why you may pay upwards of $50, $70, $90 for a custom photography print. Photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:
“How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at x store?”
The truth of the matter is the answer to this question is multifaceted. Much of the cost of a photographic print produced by a professional photographer has a lot to do with the time, equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer not to mention expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.
The cost of TIME
Approaching it from a time standpoint, let’s imagine that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love. This photographer is traveling an hour to your destination to photograph your session. Here is an example of a time break down:
In this example, the time spent per client can range from just under 13 hours to 19 hours – dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to ONE session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot (aka SESSION FEE) you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.The COSTS of Maintaining a Custom Photography Business:
Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run from $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.
Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.
Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip many of the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.
APPLES to ORANGES to BANANAS:
Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $19.99 for an 8×10 “sheet” or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. In February 2007 leased photography retail space by a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ “professional” prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough – those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait services in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments. Your “PORTRAITS” are considered the “loss leader”.
Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore,
play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, “SAY CHEESE” experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.
REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:
Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..
Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability. This is how reputations get built. Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation.
I hope this (lengthy) article helps shed some light on WHY a custom photographer is a better choice for your family’s memories. The photographs that are produced as a result of the professionalism and dedication that your photographer has will be cherished for a lifetime (or more) and great thought and consideration should be placed into hiring who is right for your family’s most precious investment.
“When a girl left her parents’ house to be married, she was making an enormous transition,” Wallace says. “The wedding celebration was to help her negotiate the change. Now very often there is no functional difference between marriage and living together.” And some of the new emphasis on sexuality is an effort to mark the occasion in a new way. Shannon McLaughlin, 25, a freelance illustrator in Philadelphia, did a boudoir shoot for her groom in part because after six years (five of which they lived together), she’d run out of romantic gift ideas. She also thought it might be good for her, too. She’d read on wedding Web sites that it was a freeing experience. “I figured it couldn’t be all that special,” she says. “It’s just a woman taking photos with some skimpy clothes on. But that isn’t the case at all. When I saw the photos, I gained self-confidence and realized I’m way too hard on myself.” McLaughlin even posted the photos on Weddingbee.com, where she got about 70 comments telling her how great she looked. “It took a lot of courage for me to share the photos,” she says, “although I did crop them so my father wouldn’t have a heart attack.”I’ve recently had a lot of brides ask me “what is a boudoir shoot?” or comment that they would never have enough confidence to do it. Although it may take some confidence, I truly believe it is a liberating, fun experience. A client of mine sent me a link to a Newsweek article they wrote on modern weddings, and specifically, the boudoir trend. here is a clip from that article:
