Bowling!

On Monday I took Daniel bowling for Lala Day ...we had gone once when he was 3, and he went recently with this preschool class so I knew he'd love it. I'm not the best bowler, but I like to bowl with the rails up like they do for kids...only this bowling alley was TRICKY! The lane had rails for Daniel, then they went down during my turn! Unfair!! hahaha.

Some of my favorites from the day:



The hand waving influences the ball, dontcha know.



Hurray! I hit pins!



Taking my "picture"



A nice lady who was bowling in the next lane took this photo of us - She was scared of my camera! :-D

and here's a pic of what happened when we went bowling when he was three:


Yesterday I stole my Best Friends Kiddo for a photoshoot for her upcoming 8th Birthday, and we had so much fun. and the location!! You're NEVER going to guess where I took these pix in a million years! Stay tuned!!!

5 Year olds are Funny

From Saturday

Click on the photo to view larger.

We were looking at the geese, and I guess Daddy just wouldn't stop talking....
Too Funny!

I also have pix from my Lala Day with Daniel today, but those might have to wait until tomorrow - We went bowling!

Sneak Peek!

I had the pleasure of photographing the family that won my Best of 2007 Contest Today! Thanks you guys for being such troopers...We walked the whole park, and I decided I'm now offering Personalized Nature Fitness Walks with my Portrait Sessions!!! hahaha!

Now, the pix!

I am in love with this one. LOVE. And what so funny is that we had to wait for this little kid on this bike to go past before we can take it, it was so funny.



She's so cute!


There's something cool that way! (It was probably my assistant)



Love for Daddy



Can't forget Big Sister! I love photographing her!



Thanks again you guys! And a very special thanks to Rachel, my assistant who had to do gymnastics to use the reflector to my liking!

You can always view my Blogged Photos Gallery to see them a little bigger!

Sneakie Peekie!

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Mr.J and Mr.K today (and Mom, of course!) We had alot of fun! I had to stop myself from doing too many in the sneak peek, there are SO many cute ones! Some of my faves, so far!

Handsome Bro's!



I love 3 year old cheeseball smiles!



This look is so classic! He's like, I only get to hold ONE balloon???



Lady! Give those balloons already! I need more!



I had big brother pose on my new polka dots background after we were done, and I have to say, it's crazy, but I love it!!!



Phew. It's been a long day! Time for Lala to rest so I can edit all of these pix tomorrow!

Yo!

I'm working on a Sneak Peek for the M. Family but I had to post this

Every Monday is Lala Day - Where I take my 5 year old Cousin Daniel out and about for some fun! Since he just turned 5 we went 5 places - To the bank (got a lemon sucker!) , To Micky D's for a Happy Meal, to the studio for his birthday portraits (and a cupcake), the Train Depot to see the Train (his request) and "A Martian" Park - What he calls Ann Morrison Park...We took too many pix, but I love this one!



(Click to view larger)

He's wearing a new shirt and hat that Aunt Maggie brought back from China for him! Isn't that cool!

Don't Let Those Birthday Memories Float Away!

Fresh Fun and Unique Birthday Portraits!



$149 Portrait Deluxe Special - 2 5x7's, 8 wallets, and a 11x14 Collage (normally $100 alone) and 20% discount on additional.

We Provide the balloons and Cupcakes and we take care of the mess!




This Special is recommended for Children 1 - 5 years old. Add a tutu and "Pretties" to your girls portrait session for only $29! (she gets to keep it when the session is over!)

just so sweet

Doesn't she have the sweetest little smile??

I had my whole weekened booked for a CubScouting function, which now has been rescheduled, so I can do some more sessions...yea!

Email me at oohlalaphoto@gmail.com to book a session!

Bittersweet

Today would have been the First Birthday of our first child. It's a hard day, but I am doing alright. Thank you so much to all of my family,friends, other photographers and clients who have been so helpful and understanding.

I probably won't be adding to any galleries or replying to emails today, but I will be back on track tomorrow!

Sneak Peek!

You know, I never get tired of babies eating cupcakes. It's just oozingly cute!

Little Miss A, Mom and I had fun today! Thanks you guys!

Gigglebug



Just me and my duck, and my cool hat!



Oh yes, this cupcake will be mine!



I must praise Lala's cake! It's delicious!



I'm doing more Cake photos on Friday, so that should be fun! I do have one opening left on the 20th if anyone wants it!

Sneak Peek!

Where's the best place in Boise to go if you have a little one that loves Trains?

The Train Depot, of course! Mr. R (who by the way, is my new best friend) and Thomas, and Percy had fun today!



That Smile!



Goofball. We had so much fun with the bubbles!



I loved this look



It was great meeting you, R! (and Mom and Dad too!)

and also, Thanks to Jenni for being my assistant!

Sneak Peek!!

We had so much fun today! Baby D loves balloons, and got to smash.. 11 cupcakes??









and yes, I got it all cleaned up, and then I went home and ate ice cream, because I deserved it!

Why Do Professional Photographers charge what they Do?

This Article was written by Shawn, Pamela & Gavin Richter - Caught on Film Photography, not by me. I have added my comments in BOLD ITALIC.

In this digital age where everyone has digital cameras, scanners and home "photo printers", when people upload their photos to a local drug store website and pick them up a few hours later, we hear this all the time - How in the world do Professional Photographers charge $55 for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drug store?

Here's why.

Simply put, you're not just paying for the actual photograph, you're paying for time and expertise. First, let's look at the actual time involved. If you don't read this entire page, at least read this first part.

For a two hour portrait session:

- one hour of travel to and from the session
- two hours of shooting
- 30 minutes of setup, preparation, talking to the client etc.
- 30 minutes to load the photos onto a computer (2 - 4 Gb of data)
- 30 minutes to back up the files on an external drive
- 3 - 4 hours of Photoshop time including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, saving a copy for print and a copy for the internet and backing up the edited photographs
- 2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive their order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment and drop package off at Fed Ex.
- For local customers, we also print a set of all of their photos, and meet them at our studio to review the photos and place their order. Meeting and travel time averages 2 hours.

You can see how one two hour session easily turns into more than ten hours of work from start to finish. So when you see a Photographer charging a $200 session fee for a two hour photo shoot, you are not paying them $100 / hour.

Now for the expertise.

Shooting professional photography is a skill, acquired through years of experience. Even though a quality camera now costs under $2,000 taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.

Most Professional Photographers take years to go from buying their first decent camera to making money with their photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera itself, there is a mountain of other equipment involved, as well as numerous software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website etc.

And let's not forget that you actually have to have people skills, be able to communicate, make people comfortable in front of the camera - and posing people to make them look their best in a photograph is a skill all by itself.

Think of it this way - the next time you pay $X to get your hair done, a pair of scissors only costs $1.50. But you gladly pay a lot more to hire a Professional.

What about the cheap studios at the mall?

Please don't compare us to the chain store studios. But if you must, consider all of the time and work that we put into our photographs, compared to what they do. Good luck getting a two hour photo shoot at a chain store. Not to mention they won't come to the beach! And of course, look at our work compared to theirs. You get what you pay for.

The truth is, most of the mall and chain store studios lose money. In fact, in 2007 Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios because of the financial drain they were putting on the company. What the chain stores bet on is that you'll come in for some quick and cheap photos, and while you're there, you'll also spend $200 on other things. They don't have to make money, they are just there to get you in the door.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs cost so much more than the ones that you get from your local drug store.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

There is also the time spent for those to photograph newborns and small children, either in studio or at a clients home. I personally take the time to wash and sanitize every blanket, fabric and surface that a child would touch. This includes cleaning the studio after every customer. I also take pride in creating unique settings - making Birthday Cakes and making props for sessions.