I can blog.. REALLY!

Ha ha ha! So I hear blogging is a MUST! Yet I am hearing this from other businesses. I have yet to hear feedback from a fellow business or customer if anything in my blog is even being read. I took a seminar this past week and they say the new thing that is just the MUST is the facebook & being more into the social buzz with business marketing. So my goal is to update my blog once a month as facebook I am already pretty good about.... well once every couple months with the blog is better than I WAS doing so at least I am doing better than I was.
Let's see what is new here... I personally am bummed as the Macy's 8th floor auditorium Christmas display is the SAME thing for the 3rd year in a row (a day in the life of an elf). I have been going to this annually since I was a kid, and have continued the tradition with my own kids and am just bummed out that Macy's in all their "glory" cannot come up with something new. Do they not get it, that they get people like me who ONLY visit their downtown store for this xmas display & I also spend money on many other things while I am there from bumpkinville (wright county) once a year. So now we are debating if we will change it up, and take the kids to the Mall of America instead. It's such a bummer as me in my thirties look so forward to the Macy's thing. we go EARLY, usually before Thanksgiving (which is around my birthday) to avoid lines. We go thru the story & go see Santa. They take a photo & also allow me to photograph. We get a dozen gingerbread cookies to take home & the kids walk around the toy shoppe. For me it brings me back to my own childhood with just one whiff of the scent of the cookies. Anyway big dissappointment by Macy's. They will be losing my business- even is it is a small amount of business.
Let's see what else... we had been SUPER busy with family photos this fall until the leaves all fell off the trees. Then my computer decided it just did not want to work. Tried to 'fix' it myself & turned a simple fix into a nearly $300 bill OUCH! I become super- emotional when my computer is out of commission. I cannot explain it, but I feel as if a limb has been cut off or something. So now computer is back. I am waiting for DISCS to be sent from programs I had simply downloaded, and all should be well. Thank Heavens!

Fall

This Saturday, September 25th we are having our first Family Mini-Sessions. I have never been good with mini-anything, so we will see how this all pans out. I will be photographing families in downtown Buffalo. How is works is you get 20 minute session, 25 holiday Cards, and approximatley 10 images on a CD for you to print however you'd like, all for only $150!

Please EMAIL me if you have interest in having this done!

Dog Days of Summer

So I hear from fellow photographers that these blogs are really being read... I still wonder, as I never hear a peep about anything I have blogged. Ho-Hum...
So I have been going to the monthly TCPPA meetings with a friend of mine, and yes each month we hear from great speakers, and learn new stuff, but last week's speaker was GREAT! I am not sure if it was becasue he really did talk a lot about weddings, or what... But I really enjoyed listening to him. I have a wedding coming up soon, and Jill, the new gal working with me is covering the wedding. I am glad to work with her again. Alicia who has been with me since... 2001 or so still works when she can, but I had to find a second person to work as a second shooter and or assistant for when Alicia is unavailable, and Jill has been working out GREAT! The first wedding we did together was amazing. I think you just 'KNOW' when you have a good working relationship with someone. I had a friend of mine working for me a couple of years ago & I only had her work 2 weddings & realized what a mistake she was to have hired her. Really from day one I knew hiring her was not a good idea... but thought since she was a friend, I'd give it a try. However due to being on completely different working levels, her having zero experience, and then I received 2 complaints from clients about her one frome each wedding she was at, we had to part working ways, which hit her personally & we have not spoken in going on 3 years which is sad as I see her a lot with our kids being in the same sports... so now when I hire someone I am skeptical more than I normally would be. So I know this new Jill it will only be her 2nd wedding, but the way we work together already proves it can only be better. I think clients also catch on to the "vibe" as well if I am working well with another or not.
So I have met with 6 couples who are getting married in 2011, and hoping they liked what they saw in my work & in myself & that I will hear from them soon.
On a personal note... My son just had his 7th birthday, and he is finally tall enough to ride the 'big kid rides' at the carnivals. SO FUNNY- he & his cousin get on the swinging Pirate ship ride. At first he is smiling, & waiving & yelling "HI MOM!" Then he is freeaking out, and crying & hollering he wanted to get off! I was laughing to hard I could hardly snap the pics, but I did get some! What a mean mom I am. Rather than 'feel' for him I was laughing so hard! Oh well.. he got off & said "Can I go on that again?"
So that's all I have to chat about for now.

JUNE!

Oh my goodness! I cannot believe we are into June aready! Time has a way to fly by, except for those work days when you sit there watching the clock.
My family plus Grandma & our 15 year old babysitter all went to Duluth for the Memorial weekend, and had a BLAST! We LOVE-LOVE-LOVE Duluth! No matter how often we go, it is still a fun get-away for us. I keep telling my hubby that we are sending our son to U of M-Duluth when he is ready for college. (ha ha ha is is not yet 7!).
I am also getting ready for a BIG wedding this weekend. The bride called me yesterday to tell me the "new plan" is to meet at the Como Zoo... which is a huge drive, but I have done weddings there & it is AWESOME! This is a huge wedding as well. I think there is 9 bridesmaids if that tells you anything.
I have been busier than I ever have been with baby & family sessions. Which is a surprisingly nice change. I told myself though, I was going to be ON this blogging thing... but just is not happening for me at all. Perhaps if I get into a regular habit this may change.

Newborn Session, Baby Olivia

So, those of you who know me, are aware I have never marketed heavily toward the baby & kids end of photography. Why? Well, back when I was in college earning my diploma to be a professional photographer I took a job at the Wal-Mart store that was close to the college. I had not been there very long, when a mom & dad brought in their baby for pictures. I had baby on the posing table, I was back by the camera & down falls baby. I felt terrible, and Mom hollered at me & was so upset that it has haunted me. Now, I know it was not my fault, I explained it to this mom to keep her hand on baby until told her to move it out of the frame, and there were large signs posted all around the studio to watch your child... but I still felt terrible. Years later now that I am now a Mother of 3... I "get" it. I am sure that mom was so panicked that her child fell she simply reacted. None the less I have thought about that for years. I have been in business for over 13 years now, and that happened while I was in college. Needless to say I did not work at the Wal-Mart Portrait Studio for very long after that.
So anyway... I am trying to broaden my options now. I figure with how many newbie amature photographers that are out there now taking weddings away I will have to do other sessions just to keep my studio space. I'd NEVER want to move it back to my home again that is for sure.
So my latest I is a newborn session in March, a 5-year-old on April and now another newborn last weekend. This session was fun, because the baby's Mom & Dad were once one of my Bride & Grooms from when I did their wedding in 2008. Now I have been doing babies and kids here & there throughout the years, and my favorite are those who come in that were once a wedding couple of mine to now I am taking pics of their new baby. Those to me are fun since I already know the Mom & Dad, and they already trust in what I do and they themselves are also more relaxed.
This baby, little Olivia amazed me! At a week old she was already lifting her head and scooting across my sets. Once she had a full tummy she did get into a deeper sleep & I was able to get the angel wing pose, the hat, and a few others. We even tried having her lay in some netting fabric & had Dad hold her way up so she dangled inside the fabric. This pose alone I have had SEVERAL great comments on... the funny thing is it did not turn out quite how I had in in my mind's eye, but still turned out. I hope to get Miss Olivia back in for her 3 month portraits as well.

Here at the studio, we are not real busy for May, but have a lot going on in June. This June I have a new gal starting. She does her own photography on the side, and should be a great addition to our team!

PROM PICS!

This past weekend, a friend of mine asked if she could hire me to come to her house to take some photos of her youngest son as he & his friends headed to their Junior Prom. Of course I could do this for her, yet I felt BAD she paid me because I had so much fun. Part of me kicks myself for not choosing my 2nd choice of becoming a teacher, as I enjoy being around high school kids. However when I was 18 heading to college I was no interested in being in college for 4 years... and my photography college was a 2-year program.
Anyway, I get over there, and her son came down & I could hardly believe it! When I first met this boy, he was no more than 6 years old! Now he looked so grown up! I instantly felt OLD!
I started to take a few shots of him, and as his friends arrived just kept adding kids ot the poses. It was only suppose to be a few couples, which ended up being MANY couples. It was like taking pics at a wedding. I am in front taking pic, and I have moms, dads, aunts all behind me shooting as well. It was a lot of fun! The dresses were all so beautiful, and each so different. One girl had gotten hers from Las Vegas, and reminded me of the fancy dress Kate Winslet had worn in the Titanic movie. I even got to see one of my former cheerleaders as well! I used to be the Cheerleading Coach at the Rockford School, and recently chose to not continue with coaching. (way too much time commitment when I have such young kids of my own). So to see Sabrina it was great, and she looked AMAZING! He dress was so pretty!
The "icing on the cake" is that all thse kids are JUNIORS, and will be seeking SENIOR PHOTOS this summer, so I offered them all a great offer in hopes to have them come see me this summer as well.
Thanks to all of you allowing me to take your prom pics! You all were GREAT!

Recent Session

Just have to tell-all about my most recent photo session. I photographed a couple who is getting married, and took the official Engagement portraits. Those were all fine & dandy, but the couple's 3 year old daughter was ADORABLE! OMG! She is just a little peanut, and by looking at her, you would never think she was already 3 years old. She just did amazing! I wish every child (including my own) could be so well behaved during a photo session! Grandma was there helping with the little one as well, and then I learned the "bribe" was, she got to go to McDonald's afterwards. I asked her "Ooh are you gonna get chicken nuggets?" and this little girl replies "Nope french fries & WATER!" I looked at the adults with a puzzled face, and they all were giggling about that is all this little lady likes are FRENCH FRIES, and WATER. That's all she wants when she gets to go to McDonalds! No pop, no ice cream, Too funny! So I just kept mentioning this during the rest of the session. I took engagements of Mom & Dad, for their up coming wedding, and took family photos as well & had the little lady in a bunch of poses as well. I just had so much fun photographing this little lady! She is not only an adorable little girl, but personality above many adults I have met! I did take this little girls 6 month photos, and was amazed to see how fast she has grown! I cannot wait to take the wedding pics with her in her flower girl dress!!

Keeping up the blogging...

So I am still not into the blogging yet. Funny, because I am told I am a blabber-mouth so you'd think that blogging would be all for me! I just find my website a bit more fun to play with than the blogging... perhaps this will change. Maybe if I KNOW more people are reading my blog perhaps I will get more "into" it.

Our family recently went to Brainerd, MN. We were able to stay at one of the (many) waterpark hotels there, and the kids had a BLAST! This one in particular was great for my 2 year old twins as it was zero-level entry so I actually walked around chasing them with jeans & sweatshirt on (I am not being seen in a swimwuit until I lose more weight). The room was neat too, as it had a kids bedroom that had bunk beds that looked like a tree fort. FUN!... However our twins are still in cribs at home (I know they SHOULD be in beds... but having 2 sneeking around at night freaks me out!). so them on the bottom bunk meant they were up most of the night coming to tell me they were up, or scared.

I ordered in a ton of new photo equipment, and the last of it I need to pick up at the post office. My ring-light is the last to come in, I am sooo excited to get that!. I got new baby posers, new lights, several new lenses, and just all kinds of fun things! My hubby gives me a questioning look everytime something new is delivered. I have my 3 old doors, and old barn wood I have been begging my hubby to make stands for, so they do not need to be leaned up against anything.. and I am still waiting. I have a lot of old barnwood & old windows in my studio. The "shabby chic' look I have always been a fan of. I have actually been known to be the "Window Lady" from the local expos/shows as My main photo-frames are all old windows from the farm I used to live in. People ALWAYS stop to see my window displays & comment to me. I even get calls "Are YOU the window lady from the wedding show? I have called 2 other studios & am l0oking for the window lady". So I have made my own little niche in my area with my windows.

Well this is all I have to say today! Until next time...

BLOG

So... I hear having a blog is just the MUST-HAVE thing now days. So here goes. I have tried it before, but my not-so technical skills never figured out how to link it to my website, so I finally called my website company, and easy as 1-2-3, or so it seemed. I still have to go back & check it out to see if they are really linked together now.

OK... if you are new to my business here is a bit about me...
My name is Kellie Allyn Martinson, & my photography business is Kellie Allyn Photography. When I was in college & writing up my business plan assignment I had no idea if I would get married & if I did what my last name would be, so I decided to have mu business with my first & middle name. In my Family the 1st born son is always named after the Father but called by their middle name. So when I was born a girl, my mom decided to have my middle name still a family name. My Uncle/God-Father is named Allen, and Allen was my Great-Grandma's maiden name. My mom went with a feminine form of Allen and had my middle name be Allyn (pronounced: Al- LYNN). Anyway, so that is how that came about. My own maiden name was Bazoff, and in school was called Buzz or Buzz-off.. so I prayed when I met "Mr. Right" he'd have a normal easy to spell name. My married name is now an easy Scandinavian name Martinson.

Anyway... While in high school I was on the yearbook staff, and in 10th grade my art teacher pulled some strings & they let me be in the photo class a grade early. I took & developed B&W pics for yearbook, and just got hooked. I remember being in the darkroom and it felt like Christmas morning as I waited for the images to appear on the prints. I loved doing the B&W darkroom stuff! I took photo classes then until I graduated, and also took photo & graphics classes at the vo-tech. When I went to college for Profession Portrait & Wedding photography I felt like Ha! all the photo classes I'd taken I'd be a step ahead! WHOA! Was I mistaken. I went to a country-bumpkin high school, who did not have any technology. So when I got to college I was dumbfounded with how much more advanced they were! To use a medium & large format camera I was never so freaked out! All I had ever used before was a 35mm or a point & shoot.

In College, I learned to love the medium format.. never did like large format all that much. My favorite was the hassleblad. I learned all about how the cameras & the setting actually worked, and how lights effected everything. It was a fun program. I was even made president of the "Images" club in the college program and had set up a studio tour at Ken Lunderby's studio. Ken's kids & I went to the same high School, and back in the day Ken was like a GOD in the photo-world. All my fellow students were amazed I knew Ken Lunderby & that I could get a tour of his studio which was in my home town. Him & his wife have been idols of mine since I was about 13 years old & I went to the local home & garden show and I saw a portrait of one of my friend's & her family on display in Lunderby's booth & I thought THAT is what I want to do when I grow up. So if I have the pleasure of getting Ken or Kathy Lunderby to read this THANKS! You guys are amazing!

Ok... moving on here. My favorite thing it weddings & high school seniors. I do photograph other things, but I feel my best photography is with the high school pics & weddings. I will photograph babies & kids, but have a friend who just does amazing baby pics that it is hard to even try when hers are so neat! I usually photograph babies & kids of my former clients who I did their wedding or high school pics. It is easier when I know them already. When it comes to weddings I just LOVE them. Again, as a kid I doodled wedding dresses all the time, and have always loved weddings. I just feel so honored when a Bride hires us for their wedding! For weddings I am into both traditional & the fun snapshots. As Grandma always wants the traditional posed ones! Funny the traditional poses are always the images I sell way more than the fun un-posed ones. I have a couple of gals who work for me who help to get the "unposed" shots while I am doing the formal traditional poses so it all works out well!

Me personally...
I married Spencer Martinson. Spencer & I both went to the same high school even though he was 3 years older than I. I was the snotty cheerleader... and even as a freshman, and he was a senior I used to pick on him! Years later I ran into him at a bar while I was bar tending and we became friends. 5 years after that we got married (I asked him to marry me! hey it was a leap year!) we now have 3 kids. Zander who is almost 7, and twin daughters Julia & Laura who are 2.

Now that I have given you way to much information... wait for my next blog. Ha ha ha...

ONE-DAY SENIOR SALE!

It is finally SPRING! We will be doing our family outdoor session special in May, and this year we are doing a ONE-DAY SALE on Friday, April 23rd for High School Seniors. You will have from 9am-4pm on April 23rd to call & make your appointment. By making your Senior photo session on this day you will get 50% off any senior photo session! You can call or EMAIL us to take advantage of this special!
763-682-7054
Kellie@kellieallynphoto.com