This series of portraits of this beautiful family was commissioned for a special milestone — Mom was turning 50 and the daughters were celebrating their 21st and 18th birthdays.  They will lovingly remember this precious memory and cherish their portraits for a lifetime.

All of my holiday sessions are complete.  Your order must be placed by Oct 2 to guarantee for holiday delivery.

At Poppyblue Photography we specialize in dog and family photography.  We also offer high senior, newborn, executive headshots, modeling/acting headshots and engagement portraits.  No, we do not offer wedding photography, however we can make recommendations for excellent, experienced photographers in the Chicago area.

Engagement photography is so much fun to do without all of the pressure of the wedding day.  Below are two links to view a slideshow from Engagement sessions I did over the fall.

Meet Callie & Joe who are going to be married Sept. 2012:

Callie & Joe – poppyblue’s Photos

Here is Lisa & Mike who also are getting married Sept 2012:

Mike & Lisa

Church/Ceremony:  St. Raymond’s Church in Mt. Prospect

Wedding Planner/Floral Design:  LOLA Productions – Lauren

Wedding Photography Extraordinaire!:  Bambi Cantrell & Michael Van Auken

Reception venue — We did not have a positive experience, so I will not include name.

How could you not love that face!  She is so sweet and dearly loved by her owner, an ER physician.

Here is a favorite Mother Day quote I wanted to share:                                                                                                                                 “It’s the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have…One pair that see through closed doors. Another in the back of her head…and, of course, the ones in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and reflect ‘I understand and I love you’ without so much as uttering a word.”   -Erma Bombeck

Last month I took these images of Mom & baby daughter.  What a more perfect tribute to display for Mother’s Day on my BLOG.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Everyday I get inquiries about my photography services and prices.  Some are hesitant about investing in custom portrait photography.  I read a few articles that inspired me and gave excellent insight that I wanted to share with my clients and for those considering having custom portraits done of their family.

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Have you noticed how many people now have SLR digital cameras?  Many feel it’s the camera that takes great photographs, only to be disappointed why their photos don’t look like that of a professional photographers.  A Professional Photographer have been educated and has many years of experience learning their craft:  operating their camera & equipment, the fundamentals of lighting, the art of posing, composition, and editing .  ”*There is so much more than pushing the shutter button“; a custom professional photographer is an expert in their field!

Custom photography is not for everyone.  It is an investment in planning, time and money.  “**So WHY does a Professional Photographer charge $65 for an 8×10 print when they cost $2.49 at Costco?”  For each professional photograph, the customer is paying “*for the photographers time, expertise, equipment costs, and the cost of running a legitimate business”.  For each session we normally spend 12 – 15 hours from the initial phone call to book the session to the delivery of your prints and products!

Not only is there the cost of time, there is cost of operating a business.  A professional photographer makes a costly investment purchasing quality equipment:  cameras, lenses, computers, editing software, props, backdrops, lighting.  We also have other operating expenses: taxes, license fees, rent, insurance, utilities, lab costs, marketing and advertising.

There are more and more new photographers going into the photography business.  Most do not know the fundamentals of operating their equipment, lighting, and posing resulting in poor quality portraits. Chain store studios do not put the time, attention to detail and expertise toward their product and customer service.   They only spend a few minutes photographing your child or family — “*You simply get a bare bones, SAY CHEESE experience.” WHY settle for less by hiring the inexperienced photographer or chain store studio to capture your family’s portrait?”

At Poppyblue Photography we are specialist in custom portrait photography.  We are dedicated and passionate to offer our clients excellence in customer service, attention to detail and create beautiful family portraits that will be treasured for generations to come.

The information shared is based on articles written by two experienced and respected professional photographers, *Marianne Drenthe of Marmalade Photography and **Shawn Richter of Caught on Film Photography.