Happy Holidays!

The day after Christmas and life is starting to get back to normal. Don't get me wrong... I love everything about the holidays... but it's always nice when everything slows down afterwards. I hope that you and your families had a wonderful holiday and that the new year brings good health and great things!

2008 is ushering in lots of changes for ABP as well. I'm excited to announce that new collections have finally been created (after much time and thought!). These will provide a great way for clients to have the flexibility they desire which obtaining discounted pricing and exclusive items.

Lastly... I'm looking for newborns! I've realized how much I enjoy them and would really like to bulk up the newborn area of my portfolio. With this in mind, I am waiving my session fees for newborns (0-6 weeks) in January. Be sure to tell your friends and family members who have a new family member or are getting ready to welcome one! Contact me for information on gift certificates... these make great baby shower gifts!

Till next time...

A.

A note about newborns...

I've only done a handful of newborns thus far. They are very challenging... but I'm coming to really love them. It's such a perfect and fleeting age. I could really see it becoming my favorite age to photograph. Remember little A I photographed a few weeks ago? This is his brand new baby brother, R, at 6 days old. How sweet is? Sigh.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Jamie at Cowbelly Photography to answer this question...

"If you could spend 30 days in one location (and only one location) anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go and why?"

I think that I would have to say... London. It may be cliche but I've always wanted to see what life is like overthere, and how different or similar it is to the States. The culture fascinates me and I've never been outside of the country so I would love to! There's a lot to see there that I think I could fill my 30 days. :)

Jamie was a great resource to me when I first dipped my toes into this business. She is actually a pet photographer, located in Seattle. A bit out of the realm of what I ended up doing, but her work is just fantastic. Maybe one day I'll add pets to me repetoire, who knows?! Anyway, check out her stuff. Again, it's great! www.cowbelly.com

Thanks Jamie! Now I'll leave you with one of my favorite recent images...

Wrapping up the holiday madness!

All Christmas cards have been sent... most orders are delivered or packaged and ready to go... it seems as if the holiday madness is starting to come to a close! The next few weeks will be busy for me, but in a different way. The last few months have been a wonderful experience and have taught me many valuable aspects of running a children's photography business. I plan on taking this knowledge and fine tuning exactly what works, what doesn't, and what kind of service I want to offer. Stay tuned for some modifications as well as additions of new products, services and extras in the new year.

I plan on traveling to Connecticut this weekend to meet up with a good friend and fellow photographer, Erin Bell, to join heads, work on business plans, and just enjoy some company! Erin is a fantastic photographer and business person and a huge inspiration (she's young, like myself, and we have a lot in common!) If you have any family or friends in the Connecticut area, make sure to refer them to her! You can view her beautiful work at www.erinbellphotography.com. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather holds out for the trip!

Last but not least, I'm much anticipating a newborn session scheduled for this coming Thursday. The star of the shoot is being born tomorrow, so I'm so excited to be photographing him or her in their squishy, brand newness! I'll be sure to post some images.

Til' next time...!

The weekend of 2 year olds...

Not that I'm complaining. I'm really starting to enjoy this age. It's challenging but a lot of fun. Little A is about to have a new sibling in two weeks, and I'm very honored and excited for the opportunity to photograph him or her. I think A is going to make a great big brother.

In other news, it seems as soon as it hit December 1st the snow started. I'm really hoping for a white Christmas, so let's hope it keeps up. We went out and got our first real tree in several years and put it up today. You really can't beat it.

Here's a sneak peek for A's parents...

Finally catching up...

Things have been crazy around here as I scramble to get orders completed before the holidays. Its my first year in business, therefore my first holiday rush, so its been quite an experience! I promise to update this more as things settle down in the coming weeks.

2 year olds don't get much easier (or cuter) than Miss E. She really was a dream to photograph. I had a great time this morning with E, her baby sister, and her parents... I love to find clients who really share my vision and style.

At the plaza...

I got to spend my morning with a really cool family at the Empire State Plaza. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to shoot. There is so much variety and a really cool mix of greenery and urban backdrops. It was cold today so we split our time between the plaza and the Corning Tower observation deck. For those of you not local, the Corning Tower is the tallest building in Albany. Going to the top was no small feat for me... heights are NOT my thing! I'm glad we went up as we got some awesome shots.

Here's a sneak peek for Z's mom and dad!

Email woes...

Of course it would so happen that during the busiest time of year, my email malfunctions. I cannot send emails (they are all getting bounced back) and most of the emails I send to clients are getting rejected into their spam mail folders. To remedy these problems, I have switched my address to a different location. You can now reach me at ashley@ashleybrownphotography.com. Emails sent to my old account will be forwarded to the new account. If you have emailed me with no response, please contact me by phone at (518) 396-9387. Thanks for our patience!

Big brown eyes...

I couldn't resist running home and proofing a sneak peek from this morning's session. Aren't little A's brown eyes to die for?

Way behind...

I am embarassingly behind on updating the blog. I certainly underestimated how busy this time of year is! But, no complaints here... it has been a phenomenal few months and I hope the trend keeps up. Check back for some updates and sneak peeks coming soon...!

An update...

I am very pleased to announce that portfolio building is officially finished! I will be wrapping up my final complimentary sessions and booking sessions for January 2008. I am happy to have had a wonderful response and met a lot of great families in the process.

I am holding a portrait party tomorrow with 10 families and couldn't be more excited! It will be a busy day but I am anticipating being able to photograph LOTS of new faces! Stay tuned for sneak peeks!

A.

A few recents...

New website...

Ashley Brown Photography has a new website in the works! This is something I'm really excited about. It's clean, simple, easy to navigate, and looks great. Expect to see the brand new site within a week or so!

Two from the weekend...

Today was a PERFECT fall day. A bit chilly and very windy, but great nonetheless. I had two sessions today... I've known M & L for a few years and hadn't seen them in a while, so I had a ton of fun getting to hang out and photograph them. V was the sweetest baby girl. Mellow and serious, but I definitely captured some smiles as well. Here are two sneak peeks!

Busy month!

I love the fall... and I don't think I am in the minority! There is no shortage of families looking to take advantage of the gorgeous autumn backdrop for some portraits. Unfortunately, the leaves are late to change in the Northeast, but they seem to be making slow progress! The rest of the month is going to be a busy one, but I'm thrilled to be able to use October to it's fullest. Stay tuned for some updates and lots of images! :)

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Becoming involved in the world of children's photography has allowed me to become familiar with a wonderful charity called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS for short). NILMDTS is a nationwide network of photographers who provide absolutely free infant bereavement photography services. They do a wonderful job of maintaining a database and making their services known for families who have experienced the heartbreaking loss of a newborn. These photographs are often the only way these parents' have of remembering their short time with their child.

I am very pleased to announce my affliation with NILMDTS and look forward to working with such a such a wonderful program. For more information, please visit www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org.

I had the chance to photograph this beautiful family over the weekend. I really had a great time... the weather was perfect, the kids were great, and mom and dad were so flexible. I know the mom is eagerly anticipating her photos, so here is a sneak peek!

A rainy birthday...

"J"'s 5th birthday was at a really neat location... a Christmas tree farm with a corn maze, pumpkin patch, hay ride, etc. Unfortunately, a huge rainstorm blew through, putting a bit of a damper on the festivities. I think the birthday boy and his guests enjoyed themselves... after all, what kid doesn't like playing in the mud?!

Portrait Parties!

I am excited to announce that I will be offering portrait parties for a limited time in an efffort to build my portfolio and expand my name and business. Think Tupperware parties... but with portraits, no committment and little work for the hostess. Portrait parties consist of 20 minute mini-sessions at the host's home or local park for their family, friends and neighbors... no session fee and reduced print princes! Interested? Contact me for details!

A sweet moment

Website... coming soon!

I have been working hard the last few days on some finishing touches, so ashleybrownphotography.com should be live within the next week or two! Keep checking back!

Portfolio building sessions will be continuing throughout the fall. As a reminder, these include 25% off print and product pricing. If you are interested in a session, please be sure to contact me soon as I conduct a limited number of shoots per month.

Lastly, I have decided to offer order incentives at various price points. This will be the only way to receive certain products (such as the leather brag book) and digital negatives. Stay tuned for details regarding the incentives on the website!

A

Two beautiful girls...

Just a quick update to let you know that September is completely booked. I will be away the first weekend in October so new sessions will be booked for the second weekend of October and beyond. Thank you for your wonderful response!

Updates!

Things have been very busy as I get ready to phase out of portfolio building and into BUSINESS! Complimentary portfolio building sessions will continue throughout September (possibly into early October). Due to my schedule at this time, I am only committing to a small number of sessions so the duration of the month is filling quickly. Be sure to contact me ASAP if you would like to schedule a session.

The website is also in production and I expect it to be live at the end of the month as well!

Even though it's only the beginning of September, it's time to start thinking about holiday cards. I am very excited to be offering a gorgeous set of cards for ABP's first Christmas season (see below for a few examples). They are classy, simple and festive! A set of 25 flat cards is $30 plus tax. New clients can take advantage of a complimentary session, and existing clients... this is a great way to use your referral program credit! Keep in mind that the deadline for holiday card sessions/orders is November 1st.

Contact me for more information!

A.

My new favorite spot

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! It's sad to see summer coming to an end but I love fall, so no complaints here!

I had a great session this weekend at hands down, my favorite new location... Yaddo Gardens in Saratoga Springs. I had been here once before, years ago, but now as a photographer, I have a newfound appreciation for it. The location is absolutely beautiful, between the fountains, the big open field, the gardens, the trellis... needless to say, it is now on my list of favorite spots and somewhere that I plan to frequent!

The shoot itself went wonderfully... easy to do when you have two adorable subjects! Here are two sneak peeks for the mom and dad.

A.

Finally...

A blog! This is something I have been meaning to do for a while as ABP gets up and running. This blog (provided I keep it updated!) will provide a great resource for keeping you updated the latest news and happenings. I will be posting sneak peeks from each session, as well as promotions (like our upcoming holiday promotion... stay tuned for details!), contests and more.

If you are a client, or would just like to be kept in the know, be sure to add the blog to your bookmarks. :)

A.