Scene Queens

My daughters and my niece walked out of the bedroom dressed in this gloriously gaudy garb and I just had to do a quick photo session! I mean, really... they were awesome!! I was informed that this was the "scene" look and therefore the scene queens were born!!

I think there is more than enough attitude to go around for these scene queens.

Summer Photo Contest

The contest? I want to see the wackiest photo you have of your child’s excitement on the last day of school. You can use your imagination and the photo can be taken anywhere, but must reflect their happiness that Summer is finally here!

The prize? The winning photo will receive a Free Session (valued at $125) and an 8X10 portrait.

Contest Submissions begin the last day of school for Duval County, FL June 7, 2012 and will be accepted until June 11, 2012. Photos will be assigned numbers and then random.org will choose the winner! 

Email submissions to abbyleighmichaels@gmail.com

Open to contestants in Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Flagler counties.

Start planning now! I can’t wait to see the pics! 

Looking for Senior Spoke Models for the 2012-13 school year…

So I’m kicking off my 2012-13 Spokes Model search early. The 2012 Seniors will graduate in a month and our excited Juniors may not realize how many events will be taking place in their senior year.

This is an opportunity to get FREE Senior Portraits! Yes, one less thing Mom and Dad will need to pay for! That is exciting for everyone involved. 

I’m only accepting one female and one male student from each high school, so that means time is of the essence. Send me a FB message or email to request your application package soon to secure your Spokes Model status!

Your Job as a Spoke Model

As a Spokes Model your only job is to show off your proof album and refer your friends. It is that simple. For every friend you refer you receive a percentage off your total portrait order. This means you could receive your entire portrait order for free!

When selected as a Spokes Model you will receive:

Photo Session (up to 6 outfit changes)

Proof Album of entire Session

11X14 Wall Portrait

Senior Rep Cards (to use in referring friends)

10% off your portrait order for every friend you refer to AbbyLeigh Michaels photography.

Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your application, positions fill up quickly!

What do I wear?

Very often I have clients ask about their wardrobe choices for photo sessions. It is a complicated question and definitely has many answers. I would like to share with you today some tips to help you make the correct choices for you.

First, you must consider your and you families personality when answering this question. Are you outgoing, different, introverted or shy? Your personality is what you are trying to capture in a photograph, your clothing plays a large part in conveying that message.

Second, where is session being held? Is it at a park, in a field, the beach or a studio? All of these locations provide a plethora of clothing options. A studio session may have a formal atmosphere for you and challenge you to dress in your Sunday best with the entire family wearing similar colors. The beach on the other hand might inspire you to wear your favorite sundress or Dockers.

Third, what is the occasion?  Are you celebrating being a high school senior, getting a new business headshot, or annual Christmas portraits? The occasion sets the mood and thus the wardrobe choice.

Fourth, choose clothing that is timeless. Fashion stands the test of time. If the clothing you choose to wear can be pinpointed to a specific year, then you might want to rethink your choice.

Last, but not least, don’t be afraid of color. Steer away from colors that wash you out, or aren’t complimentary to your skin tone. Everyone has a different skin tone, so don’t be afraid to dress your family in varying colors according to their individual needs.

Photographers can only offer suggestions on clothing choices, but ultimately you and only you know your personality, your tastes, and your best colors. 

Is it time for new portraits already?

Have you ever walked around your house and looked at the photos on the wall? Doesn't it seem so depressing when you realize it has been five years since you had family portraits made?

It was that way for me this past Christmas. I looked at the most recent family portrait we had, and it was exactly five years old. My son was six months old in the photo. I still had on some pregnancy pounds and did a really good job of covering all that mess up. ;)

But each year I changed, just like my kids. My husband had changed too. We missed documenting our aging process and instead documented the growth of the children. That is easy to do when you are the photographer, you often miss out on being a part of those moments. So what do you do?

I can't tell you what to do, but I can share with you what I did. I told myself right away, that "I will never look any younger than I do right now." So I bit the bullet, called a photographer friend of mine and we set out to get new family portraits. I didn't want stuffy or studio. Bland and character-less. I wanted fun, fresh, natural portraits! My photog friend did a fabulous job and this was one of my favorites!

I love that it isn't a stuffy studio shot, but rather caught me in a moment of chuckling with my family. Yes, I am the most boisterous of my family, just in case you were wondering.

I suppose my point is to encourage you to take the risk and have your photos taken on a fairly consistent basis, so you can have those memories to look back on and enjoy. Remember, you will never be any younger than you are right now.

Business Minded Much??

Today has seriously been a day for brainstorming and just downright fantastic ideas! Like my B.F.F. said today,

"For every 10 ideas you are throwing out there, you're getting at least one great one!"

LOL Mary... I love ya girl, for real!!

In all honesty, she's right. Without her as my sounding board, I produce nothing. I become stagnant and non-productive. Now I just need to get my booty into gear and implement some of those incredible strategies!

To all my fans and blog followers.... look out... some great things are coming your way!!

Spring into Summer Photo Contest

The weather is warming up and just in time! The vitamin D providing sunshine is begging for a photo contest with a fab giveaway!! Up for grabs will be a Family Photo Session and an 11X14 wall portrait. So let us get down to the deets!!

Step One: Email a photo of your family to abbyleighmichaels@gmail.com by midnight of April 15th, 2012. Make sure to provide first names and a little bit about your family, so I can regale everyone with some information about you.

Step Two: On April 16th send all of your friends to the AbbyLeigh Michaels Facebook page to vote for you. (Don't forget: They must like the page in order for their vote to count.) Voting will end on midnight April 14th.

Step Three: Stay tuned to the AbbyLeigh Michaels Facebook page on May 1st for announcement of the winner.

Contest is limited to residents of Duval, Baker, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Flagler counties in Florida.

Share with your friends and get ready for some serious voting!!