Photo Candles

A little preview: I love crafts--however, when I craft I am messy, inconsistent, and random. For this reason, I can never make two of the same project. I am also horrible at things most people find easy (such as wrapping presents). I am the exact opposite of a perfectionist. I go through stages of crafting: card making, candle making, scrapbooking, etc, etc.

I am going to talk a bit about a photo candle project that I made for our unity candle. This is the YouTube video that inspired my technique:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1257_Td2Ag

I used this exact technique and tweaked it a bit to include my personal photos.

You will need to adhere an 8.5x11 piece of white tissue paper to cardstock. I used a scrapbook tape runner and went along the entire outside edge of the cardstock to make sure no part would get jammed in the printer.

I used Photoshop to create a collage of photos to cover the whole candle. You do NOT have to do this; you can print each photo individually and adhere all separately. I didn't want to do this, because I wanted a nice smooth finish and the more pieces you adhere the more likely to get bumps you are. I also wanted to add in our names and wedding date. I made all of my photos in black and white to avoid color issues when printing on tissue paper. Make sure you do not print too close to the edge, as that part will tear when you remove it from the card stock.

Before you print make sure your paper is facing the correct direction to print on the tissue paper; this is something I OFTEN forget!! :)

After your image is printed, carefully remove it from the card stock. I used an exacto knife to make sure I didn't tear part of the image.

Wrap your image around your candle the way you want it to appear. Use a small bit of adhesive to help hold your design in place.

Once you have your image in place and all the creases smoothed out, take a piece of wax paper and wrap around the top. I like to have a large piece that I can really grab onto; you want to be able to pull it TIGHT. This is what is going to keep your candle smooth.

Once you have it pulled super tight and smooth, begin heat setting it using a heat tool. Take your time with this. Also, watch those fingers, the heat gun gets HOT. You will have to shift the wax paper several times, but once some has melted this becomes easier. It will be easy to tell when it is finished because it will look glossy over the wax paper. You will want to make sure everything is melted. If you miss a piece, it is easy to go back in later and melt it.

When you are finished you should have an image that is set in the wax just under the surface. It should appear as though your image is printed directly on the candle. Cool! These make great and inexpensive gifts. (The top photo was taken by Rae of Light Photography)

CREDIT CARDS!

Woot woot! After 2 years of living in the dark ages and having customers write checks or pay cash (which I rarely had change for) I am FINALLY equipped to accept credit cards! Thanks to the age of smart phones, I am able to do this without hooking the studio up for internet or phone service (NOTE: Lower overhead=keeping prices low;) ). I drug my feet about getting set up, because in all honesty, I was terrified! After doing a lot of research to find the best rates, I have set my Droid phone up to accept credit cards at the studio, and my website up for accepting online.

Introducing: At Home Sessions for Baby!

I am happy to announce that in 2012, customers will now have the option for a comfortable, laid back session at home with their new baby. I have a new portable studio perfect for babies up to 9 months in age. At home (indoor) sessions are not recommended for babies who are able to walk, as they will no longer fit on my new backdrop set up. As always, you may have an at home outdoor session for kids/families of any age.

These at-home sessions are available with the $100 baby package. (See below for details on baby packages) The package includes one consultation, one however- long- a -session- needed, multiple outfit changes, and travel up to 20 miles from either Des Moines or Jewell ($.50 per mile after). You will receive unique, personal images of your baby that last a lifetime.

With at home sessions, you have the comfort of your home, but the professional look of a studio. You have the ability to utilize aspects about your house that are special to you and create one of a kind images. Being a new mother is exhausting; photos shouldn't add to that.

Incentive Program

All along I have sworn that I would never force people to order photos within a certain amount of time. Rather than punish customers for not placing orders within a timely manner (ie: losing a deposit if photo orders aren't placed within a month), I will be rewarding customers who do place their orders within a 2 week time frame.

Starting in 2012, if you place your photo order within 1 week of them being placed online, you will receive 10% off of your entire print order. If you place your print order within two weeks, you will receive 5% off of your total order. After two weeks, all prints will be full price again. This discount applies ONLY to prints: albums, jewelry, mounts and frameless artwork are excluded.

Referrals: Customers will be issued a card at the time of their session with their name on it. If a friend or relative is inquiring about a photographer, all they have to do is hand them the card. When that person brings in the card for a session, the customer who's name is on it will receive a $5.00 gift card to Photography By Becca. You may have as many referral cards as you want.

Wedding Referrals: If you recommend Photography By Becca for a wedding photographer, and they book me, you will receive a $50.00 gift card to a store of your choice. If you were referred to Photography By Becca by someone, please make sure to tell me so I can give them credit.

Facebook

We all love Facebook, don't we?? For photographers it has been especially helpful in getting our name out there and allowing our customers to get a GREAT profile photo.

Some things you may not think about with Facebook: Anyone can see any photos I place on Facebook. Anyone can download any photos I put on Facebook. Because of this, it is my new policy to not post photos of you or your children without your permission. If you wish to have up to 3 photos placed on Facebook, all you have to do is let me know. I can put up a few as "teasers" before your session is online, or you can wait and pick out your own three. Please know, I have no control over who downloads photos from my Facebook page. It is entirely public.

All Facebook images will have my small, watermarked logo on them. If you choose to use your photos for a profile picture, please do not crop out my logo; give credit where credit is due. The logo will remain small as long as this is not an issue. If it becomes an issue, I will watermark the entire image.

Remember as well, Facebook images are not your images; until you purchase the rights to those photos you may not print them off of Facebook or alter them in any way. Again, if this becomes an issue, I will watermark the whole image.

Session Changes for 2012

After testing this out on Senior Sessions this year, I have decided to do away with the 10 free 4x5 proofs. Instead, I am going to offer a proofbook with ALL images with each session. There is a slight catch. This proofbook is free with a $50.00 print purchase. If you wish to have your proofbook before purchasing images, you just have to put down a $50.00 deposit. (Sitting fee doesn't count) The $50.00 will come off your photo order whenever you decide to place it.

Benefits:

• You will not have to narrow down your photos anymore.
• You will have permanent documentation of all photos we take, even after your event expires online.
• Ordering after your month is up will be much easier, as all photos will have an item number on them.
• You will have a fun book to tuck in your purse or pocket to show off to your friends and relatives!
• If you don't think you will purchase $50.00 worth of prints, you do not have to; there are NO obligations.

Why the switch?

I know some people really liked getting the 10 free proofs. The main reason why I switched is due to the hassle. More people were confused by the free proofs than people who understood. Many people thought they could only order from the 10 free proofs that they picked, which wasn't the case at all. I decided to simplify the process a bit and cut out some of the decision making.

I chose a $50.00 minimum for this book, because it was very rare that anyone spent less than that on photos this year. I feel like that is a fair minimum to receive a proof book worth about $30.00 in itself.

What is included with your sitting fee if free prints no longer are?

With your sitting fee, you receive my time and talent. Remember that your session is only a tiny fraction of the work I put into your photos. You will also still be able to take advantage of free basic retouching with all purchased prints. Online hosting for one month is also included.

Baby Photography Changes for 2012

Let's give this blog a try :) I have some major changes coming in 2012. I figured the easiest way to convey them would be to "Blog" about it!

The first major change I want to talk about is Baby Photography. As you all know, I am new to owning a studio. Due to the extreme cost of business set up, I have been gradually adding new stuff each year. It's an ongoing process! 2012 is the year of BABIES. I love babies, and I want to photograph them the best I possibly can. Different people have different expectations of what they want out of their baby's photographer. Some people want to just come in for a quick, easy session, get the shots they need, and be on their way. There is NOTHING wrong with that.

This year, I am making a significant investment in baby props, backgrounds, posing tools, etc. I don't think it is fair to jack up all of my prices to accommodate for these new props, because as I mentioned before, some people just want simple. This is the reason I have decided to not change my existing sessions fee, but rather add a new option.

Standard Baby Session:

This is basically what I've been offering all along; black, white or brown background, between 20-25 shots, some close ups, some full length, and some 3/4 length. You may bring in a few of your own props and 1-2 outfit changes. This session is all about baby, not about fancy, artistic type shots. Nothing is changing about the price of the session, it holds steady at $30.00. This session gets you 30-45 minutes of session time. Because there are now two options available, that time frame will be strict.

Baby Art Photography

This is going to be a much more extensive session. This will be your opportunity to not only have photos all about your baby, but also to get some artistic shots. We will take advantage of both natural light and artificial studio light. You will get close ups of feet, hands, eyes, lips and belly button to be created in an artistic collage. We will use a variety of unique props (still focusing on baby) and backgrounds. You will also have the opportunity to get some artistic photos of you with your baby.

This session will last as long as it takes. Sometimes babies require feedings in the middle of sessions, sometimes they need time to acclimate and ease into their surroundings. This is a very laid back session which will allow time for all of that. You will also have the opportunity to set up a consultation so we can determine exactly what you want out of your photos. Because of the added time, added use of props/backgrounds, and added amount of final images, this session is $100.00 flat session fee. As with all sessions in 2012, you will get a free proofbook of ALL images with $50.00 print deposit. Session fee does not count towards deposit.