Open House was a Hit!

Thanks everyone! We had a full house for the Open House 10 Year Anniversary party. I know it was Valentine's Day, and some of you had plans, but I was amazed at how many people shared part of their day with us. It's very humbling to have so many of you both as friends and as clients. My clients are THE BEST!

To be honest, I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to remember names, I’m soooo bad at that sometimes, particularly when I get in a tizz. (That's Rhonda-speak for the mad frantic rush I get in when I have taken on more than I can get done it the time allotted.) I’ll see someone I know, and remember all kinds of little details about them and their family, even have flashbacks of specific photos I’ve created for them, but not remember a name. But I think I did pretty good, I don’t think I called anyone Fred who was really named Sally. At least I hope not.

I was particularly pleased to have our honored guests Joe and Joyce Nelson, formerly of Nelson’s Photography, with us. They were the first ones to have a photography studio in our space, and it has been a true joy to get to know them. Joe shared with Vanessa and me how he and Joyce had things when they were here, and we discovered that some of the cabinets we’re using in our office were built by Joe. They started with about 1/3 as much space as we currently occupy, so I feel pretty spoiled. Maybe they didn’t collect as much Just Ultra Neat Knick-knacks (J.U.N.K.) as I have?

Daniel Pendell won the Grand Prize of the painting, and Caitlyn Councilman took home Mr. Nelson’s beautiful wooden vase. Congratulations to both of you. We’re still working on notifying all the winners of the other prizes, so if you haven’t heard yet, don’t give up hope…you still have a chance.

The kids had fun with the piñata, and it was harder to break open than I expected. We, OK they, also discovered that the pieces made great party hats. Yeah, fun! The ladies enjoyed the nail station, thanks Amy for being here; I really enjoyed getting pampered with the paraffin wax treatment myself. Of course there was too much food left over, but we’re recovering nicely. I only gained a couple of pounds, and that could have been much worse.

In hindsight, I should have slowed down and taken many more photos. I guess I should have hired someone to photograph my event! LOL. My friend Mynda pitched in and took several shots for me--thanks Myn--so most of the photos you see here are hers.

On a related but separate note, we’ve had a sign installed to help you find our building. It went up just in time for the open house. After all these years of being incognito, it feels strange to be on display for the public. But I'm excited about it (doesn't take much to excite me, huh?) since it seems like a step forward for the studio.

I'll write more soon, in the meantime, take care!

Rhonda

A little R&R for R&R-Celebrating 25 years

Yes, it's true. Randy and I just celebrated a big milestone, our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I was feelin' pretty cool about it until one of my friends, who was my maid of honor at the wedding (love you RK) congratulated me on our Silver Anniversary. Silver! Wow! That's where the old folks have a party and serve a wedding cake with a big silver 25 on the topper. That's just not us! We're still young....aren't we?

Now let me point out that we were only kids when we got married. Wee children mind you. I was all of 17, and he was 19. (If you're doing math in your head, let me save you the trouble, I'm 42--are you happy now?) Let me also point out that life would have been much easier if we had waited until we were older. Thankfully we don't have kids to try to convince of that fact. Also, we were raised in a very different "neck of the woods" where it wasn't really uncommon for people to get married that young. OK, I think I'm through pointing things out.

Anyhow, being busy modern people....and young and adventurous to boot...we decided to celebrate, but didn't really have the time. We have a trip to Charleston planned later in the year when we can both get free, but it didn't seem right to let the "actual day" come and go with no acknowledgement.

I was looking for somewhere to sneak off for an overnight stay when I stumbled across http://www.pilotknobinn.com/ and found the cutest little log cabins for rent, almost in our back door. It's little tobacco barns that have been renovated. I didn't tell Randy what I was doing, but made the arrangements, pretended to be going in to work for the day and snuck back home to pack and finalize everything. I had a friend "steal" his vehicle, and whisked him away-a.k.a. kidnapped him- for a mini vacation.

We had the best time! This place has a beautiful setting, on a dirt road in the woods (a lot like where I grew up, but it even had indoor plumbing, unlike our house when I was a babe.) There were hiking trails, a small swinging bridge, a darling little front porch with rocking chairs, a two person tub and a real wood burning fireplace. It was a little piece of heaven. And don't get me started about the breakfast they served...wow. I mean WOW!

Before you ask, I took the photos myself using the self timer on my camera. I didn't have my tripod so I don't want to tell you the crazy things I did to perch that camera in a workable spot. That's some of that "don't try this at home" stuff.

We will be looking for excuses to go back, because anyplace this beautiful in the wintertime must be something else at other times of the year. Thanks Jennifer and Will for making our stay extra-special. We'll be back! And we know you'll leave the porch light on for us.

By the way, Randy and I decided to renew that marriage license for another 25 years. We're still pretty fond of each other. It may sound like a cliche, but it's awfully nice to be married to your best friend.

A Decade Later....

Wow! Ten years. Can you believe it? It was 1999 when I started Memory Lane Portraits, and "they" are right, time does fly when you're having fun. There have been ups and downs, but I still love the thrills and challenges of my work, and the joy of capturing so many priceless moments for my clients. There's nothing more satisfying to me than creating something beautiful that will be enjoyed for years.

Sorry, didn't mean to get all sappy there. I can't help it.

Anyhow, we're thinkin' this calls for a celebration. Right?! So we want everone to come join us for a Open House Party on Saturday, Feb. 14th (yes, that's Valentine's Day) from 1:00 to 4:00.

It's going to be a lot of fun. We have a harpist coming to play for us (you will be enchanted by young Miss Taylor Ann), a nail technician setting up to do nails, plus refreshments and Valentines of course.

If you throw in some roses and movie tickets and it will be the perfect date for Valentines Day. Oh yeah, we'll let the kids have some fun with a piniata around 2:00. Plus we have new products to introduce--portrait jewelry to canvas wraps and paintings--we can't wait to show you!

Not only is this our 10 year milestone, but it's 38 years that there has been a photography studio in our building. Joe and Joyce Nelson opened up Nelson's Photography in 1971. If you (or someone you know) was photographed by the Nelsons, please come by during the Open House and say "Hi!" to Joe and Joyce. We're going to have a special door prize drawing just for their former clients. Someone is going to win a joint session with Joe and myself, and a 16x20 portrait. That's worth over $200.

But the prizes don't end there, that's just the beginning. We've got over $3,000 in prizes to give away! Check out this list:

• 25 people will walk away with $50 gift certificates for FREE sessions.


• Enter our online drawing -send your name, e-mail address, and phone # to vanessa@rhondaswebsite.com with PICK ME in the subject line. We'll be giving away another 25 gift certificates for FREE sessions* worth $50 each. And yes, you can enter online and at the Open House for a chance to win in both drawings.


• Mr. Joe Nelson has created a one-of-a-kind wood vase to be given away--see the photo here, he may not be photographing clients anymore, but he certainly is still making art. (Makes me wish I could enter the drawing myself, but Vanessa and I figured it wouldn't look good if we won it.)


• $50 gift certificate for the winners choice of Premiere Jewelry.
• Gift Certificate from Taylor Ann for a personal harp performance-great for your church, event, party or even to cheer someone up a the hospital or nursing home.


• GRAND PRIZE - 15x30 framed portrait in our NEW Masterpiece Paintings finish, valued at over $1500.

Hope you can come, and bring a friend. See you there!

*Gift Certificates valid for sessions completed by May 1st.

Having Class on a Snow Day!?!

About a year ago, the Professional Photographers of North Carolina's East Coast School contacted me about hosting/teaching a ProShare class. These are full-day seminars offered to professional photographers at the teacher's studio. I've done some informal one-on-one teaching at my studio, but never with a group.

I thought it would be a lot of fun, and I was right! Plus I was honored to be asked. So...I started planning, thinking, and organizing. As the day drew nearer we got busy putting together information packets, and lining up models and making arrangements for food. Then came the cleaning and sorting, all that stuff that is against my nature, lol. Good thing I have Vanessa here to keep me on task. It's a lot of work to put an event like this together, but the studio was cleaner than it had been in ages. I thought I had it all "in the bag" but as my hubby, Randy tells me, "if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans." So it snowed.

Unfortunately, one student couldn't get a flight out from Maryland--between the Presidential inauguration and the snow, she was fighting a losing battle. But most of my class was already in town for a photography seminar, and they said they wanted to go ahead, despite the 2 or 3 inches of snow.

Well, I grew up in the mountains on a curvy, dirt, one-lane road, so I'm certainly not going to wimp out because of a little snow. I put the Jeep in 4 wheel drive, and did the slip and slide dance all the way to the studio. I have a healthy respect and knowledge of driving in snow. But let me tell you, we don't get enough of the fun white stuff around here for people to learn how to drive in it. You have to watch out for the weather, and watch out for the people who get out there and try to drive in it.


We spent the day focused on my specialty--BABY PORTRAITS! Understandably, most of my models didn't make it, but we had plenty to do. Special thanks to Barb Dudley from McDonald's for sharing some of her time to talk to us about marketing (and they have the best hot chocolate!) And extra special thanks to 4 month old Zane for bringing his Mommy and being our cute little model. What a sweetheart!

This was the best group of folks! I feel like I had a room full of friends by the time the day was over, and it was kinda sad to see it end. I learned a lot from my group, and hopefully they learned at least a few things from me. We shared loads of ideas and inspirations. I shared my lighting and posing techniques, we talked about props, backgrounds and clothing selections for baby portraits.

I can't wait for my next opportunity to teach. It will be a few months and I'll be headed to Virginia to speak to a group of pros there. I must say, having my studio at my fingertips was quite a luxury. If I thought of something to show them, it was right there. Maybe we'll have a wonderful group in Virginia like this last one.....

Wedding Season

Believe it or not, it's wedding season. Well, to be more precise, it's wedding booking season. January is when we typically see a big increase in calls from brides-to-be who are planning their big day.

With that in mind, I thought over the next few weeks I would share a few images from 2008 weddings. I used to work in a studio where we did 50-60 weddings each year. It was not only an overwhelming amount of work, (the average wedding requires 50-70 hours of work to complete) but it became hard to remember who was who. I decided back then that when I opened my studio I wanted to give each bride the personalized attention she deserved. That's why I do a limited number of weddings each year, and I always feel like I end up with new friends after each one.

One of my favorite wedding couples from 2008, Eric and Shana Cheek Johnson, had their wedding featured in Comfy Magazine! How cool is that? Pretty cool if you ask me.

Their wedding was a beautiful, well planned affair, and they were such a joy to work with. Shana and I met several years ago in a business networking group. I knew even then that some day she would make a stunning bride and a loving wife for a very lucky man. Eric is a lucky man indeed, and he's not too hard on the eyes either. Ladies, he's married!

Family Fun

Check out this beautiful family! I met Kelly about 4 years ago when Hope was a baby, and we've had a lot of fun together. Now Avery is a young man, Hope is a big girl, and we have Austin to bring up the rear as the baby of the family. He's a year old now. I tried to tell Kelly that it was time to talk to Brian about trying for #4, but she yelled at me. Oh well. I tried.

One of the best parts of my profession is getting to watch families as they grow and change. It's a real mix of emotions, so much fun to see the way kids grow and become such unique little people, but kinda sad as they grow out of their babyhood. Plus as they get older, I recognize that they're not the only ones having birthdays. But we don't need to focus on that.

You'll be seeing more of Austin as we get the new web site going. We have a really adorable shot of him a few months ago that will have to go on the site! And no, I don't really know when that will be--too many irons in the fire around here. Maybe before the end of the year.

Something Different--Raquet Girls

I had a chance to do something different the other day, a model shoot. Just so you know, it was pretty strange to photograph someone and then hand them a check for coming, that's just not the way we usually do things around here. That's not to say I don't photograph models from time to time, I do. But they're usually hiring me, not the other way around.

This fun session was for a new company out of Georgia called Raquet Girls. So it was their check I gave the model, that made it easier. They are launching a line of tennis clothing for tweenagers, and they have some very cool items. Nothing I would wear, mind you, but then I'm not a tweenager. They are building the web site now, and if you want to check them out go to http://www.raquetgirls.com/.

The owner/designer was once a professional photographer, and I was flattered to say the least when she called wanting to hire me. She had tried to find someone in Georgia, or in the area of Florida closest to her, but wasn't happy with anything she saw.

Our lovely model is Miss Taylor Ann, and she isn't only lovely, she's sweet and talented. She is an accomplished harpist. The newest sample portrait here at the studio is of her playing the harp. We're planning a little Open House for the studio in mid-January (after the holiday season calms down) and she'll be here with her harp to enchant us. You should come! More on that later.

And no, that's not twins. It's the magic of Photoshop. Thanks, Raquet Girls, and Taylor Anne-that was fun!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Rhonda