On this day, way on back in the late 70’s, I was born. At that time my parents had no idea what I would do with my life, neither did I.
On this day, way on back in the late 80’s, I was awkwardly coming of age and still had no idea what I would do with my life. Of course I was too young to know that answer anyway- I knew I loved the arts, but drawing, painting, playing instruments, singing, etc were not in my little box of talents.
On this day, way on back in the mid 90’s, I had been given my first “real” camera ( a 35mm canon rebel) by my dad. Within the few years following, I finally KNEW what I wanted to do with my life.
Sure, I wanted to “take cool photos”…but more than anything I knew I wanted my very own studio. For me, that was the sign of a serious professional, and I knew that if I wanted to do photography that I had to have it.
A few months ago I cleaned out an old chest at the house and ran across a lot of my old notebooks. I flipped through and immediately my eyes fixated on a page where I was doodling about my future studio name. Flip Side Foto, haha. Here’s the proof:

So yeah, I was pretty dead set on this even back in the 90’s.  I was pretty odd back then, or wanted to be.

Anyway- time rocked on – I went through the stages of life rather bumpily (if that’s a word). I worked dead end jobs for many years. Eventually after I had my first child I got my first DIGITAL camera. It was 3 megapixels and cost me $350 – (my entire Christmas bonus from my Walmart photo lab job). By the way, I worked at the Walmart photo lab for about 7 years. Whew.

So, Here I was. a new mom, with a new camera, and a job that wasn’t aligned with my life goals. About a year later I went through a divorce, and started over completely. Rock bottom became the foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

Although I resigned to never marry again, there was this guy named Lonnie. And he was super cute. He had nice legs, and he was the kindest most thoughtful guy I had ever met. We had a lot of fun together.

He was total marriage material anyway, but the fact that he loved my daughter as his own was my sure sign. Shortly after we married we bought my first “real” camera. My daughter was my model every day. Poor thing. She’s 13 now and wont let me near her with a camera anymore.

So once I had the “real’ camera I immediately wanted to have my studio. I’m not too patient, so with a little elbow grease we made an old workshop on our property into my very first studio. I ain’t even gonna lie, ya’ll. It was a dump. It was infested with ladybugs and just in general was pretty po-dunk. I might have had 15 or 20 sessions here, and most of them were free or $25 lol.

Here is a photo of my parents. I was practicing my lighting and they were the closest victims:

The studio- It fit my skill level at the time, but it was short lived – we moved to a new house in a new town shortly after when I had my second daughter.

After the move I found a local studio photographer in town that let me “borrow/share” his space. He was a really talented photographer and a nice guy that I really learned a lot from. The only problem was that it wasn’t MY studio- I couldn’t put my name on the door or do just whatever I wanted with the place. I stayed there for about 2 years –

The studio owner ended up selling the building and closing up shop, so it was time to move on.  I was still pretty unskilled in a lot of areas, and my confidence in my work kept me from really making a go of things, so I lingered in the shadows of business signs that didn’t bear my name.

Studio #3 came when I was offered a space at large factory-turned- office spaces type deal. It was pretty much a little conference room inside a big ol’ scary (haunted) old mill. Yeah. Good times.

I guess I stayed there for about 2 years or so. It was here that I had my first round of Santa sessions. It was also here that I became a believer in ghosts. Win/lose- it happens. I got the call one day from a good friend with a tip that there was a space opening up in town that i might be interested in, and because I was scared to be in my own space at the time, I jumped on it sight unseen. It was basically a couple of bedrooms in the upstairs of an old house that the city had acquired. There was a really cool staircase, and this place may or may not be haunted also. Just sayin’… Stuff happened. Although this place was cool and had lots of perks- I still couldn’t have a sign, and because the downstairs would occasionally be rented out for a party, it just couldn’t be totally mine to do as I wished.

So…studio number 4 was really good to me. I did a lot of growing here- and so did my kids. Also during my stay there, Lonnie came on board as lead photographer. Our business really exploded during the 4 1/2 years we were at this place.  Leaving this studio is leaving a lot of memories behind. Our business grew so big that there just simply wasn’t enough space anymore. What a wonderful burden.

I’ve been searching for a new space actively for about a year now, and with a lot of help from my friend Amy, I finally found it. Today, on my birthday of all days, I got the present I have wanted for nearly 2 decades…..keys to my very own studio. Studio #5.

No, not my studio inside of another business front, MY STUDIO. (well, OUR studio i can’t forget Lonnie here lol). I can decorate and set up scenes however I want. I can lock the door and know it’ll be just as I left it when I return, and I can finally have a great big sign on the front that says

STRAWBERRY HILL PHOTOGRAPHY

It honestly kind of feels unreal still. There is a whole lot of work ahead of us to get things ready for business, but I don’t dread it. I’ve had 10 years to dream, now it’s time to hustle!

So if you see us in public, excuse the snobby attitude we may have- we are feeling a bit upscale lately- what with our OWN studio and all Tsk Tsk!

Grand Opening coming soon! ( Happy Birthday to me!)

“The free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it. Basically because you feel good, very good,  when you are near or with them.” -Buk

Several favorite quotes come to mind when I think about Cali’s senior session. I think the one above is perfect. Cali is a free soul, and photographing her was as easy as breathing.

When we first met with Cali for her Senior model interview, I knew pretty quickly that there was something special about her. First off, she’s gorgeous. I knew she was meant to be in front of a camera, and I was determined it would be MY camera. Cali was polite, confident, beautiful, – all things we wanted for our senior models. We sat and discussed ideas for senior portraits and in general just tried to get to know her better- and then it got weird. Like, super cool kinda weird. She started throwing out ideas of doing sessions in an old abandoned house, and a junkyard, and showing me pictures of outfits she had in mind. Needless to say- she had me at “junkyard”. It’s not often that you get a 17 year old girl who’s down for getting their senior portraits taken in a junkyard- or wants to wear her “old grandma” shirt downtown with some combat boots while wearing full on glam makeup. Yep. I knew after that meeting that Cali and SHP were a match made in Heaven!

We started off on day 1 at our studio, and we got some pretty awesome shots. Cali is a NATURAL – I loved all of her studio shots! Everyone always says they want “outdoor” shots, but there is still just something special to me about studio images.

 

 

 

We knew after Cali’s studio session that session #2 would be epic. We found the perfect junkyard at Danny’s Motors and they were so nice to let us use the property for the session. I have to say, this is the only session I have ever prepared for by bringing a sledge hammer. HAHA! Cali was up for ANYTHING! She knew exactly how to pose, what facial expressions to make, and wasn’t afraid to get dirty. She never even complained about the mosquitoes that were eating us all alive!  We tromped all over the junkyard and I think we came away with some of my most favorite ever senior images.

Yup. It was pretty magical from a photographer’s standpoint.

After we got eaten up by herds of mosquitoes, we cooled off a while and headed to downtown Bremen. Here’s where her “old grandma” shirt and combat boots came in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended the day with a few more shots in downtown with my grandmother’s old suitcase. The sun set on a beautiful day filled with lots and lots of gorgeous images. We could have shot all day with Cali- not only because she was a great model, but she was just plain fun to be around. She’s real. She doesn’t put on a fake front for the world, she is who she is. I liked that about her most. Don’t be surprised if you see a lot more of Cali in the future- we still haven’t locked down an old abandoned house- but when I do- it’s going down for real!

Thanks Cali, we appreciate your “down for anything” personality – I can honestly say your sessions were absolute FUN and I hope your love your portraits as much as we do!

Until Next time…..

-Karen

Let’s be honest. Senior portraits are NOT like they used to be. When I was a senior back in ’96, you went to the school for senior portraits from Prestige or Lifetouch. You did the same backgrounds and poses as everyone else, and you could order a package. I remember we only purchased the handful of 4×5 proofs, and I think a 8×10 of my drape shot, at a total of $175.  I remember not being very excited about them because honestly, they weren’t representative of “me” at the time. I was never the preppy girl in high school, but that’s what I felt I had to look like that day. Plus, they didn’t really retouch them very well, and I had a really ugly zit attack going on that day.

Now days, senior portraits are MUCH different. I know what you’re thinking, “yeah, WAY more expensive“. You’re right, they are. What my mother paid $175 for 21 years ago was an assembly line photographer, and about 10 small prints that weren’t even retouched. Back then, THAT was expensive too, but it was the cheapest package they had. None of my classmates that went to the school photographer got “unique” images that would show their personality, or incorporate their interests. I think my entire photo session lasted about 20 minutes, and would have been even shorter if I hadn’t changed clothes once.

So what is different now? I can’t speak for all photographers, but I know for many, we’ve worked hard to create a greater experience for seniors, along with a much more in depth view into who they are as an individual. As for Lonnie and I, we are making this experience a “wow” event for them.

Take Drew Cook, for example. Drew loves kyaking, mudding in his jeep, and is into wrestling and cross country. Here are a few from his Senior session last summer:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t remember anyone back in 1996 getting images like that. Senior portraits now are so much more involved. We did a total of three different days of shooting for Drew’s session. We probably shot for a total of 8 hours, and he ended up with a USB of around 100 fully retouched images, a  leather bound layflat album, and 2 grandparent albums.

And here’s the kicker: this might be  the last time he will have professional images made until his wedding day (perhaps!).

As a mom, when you have your child you go crazy with photos of them. You photograph every move they make, and some also take them to get professional photos a few times as they reach milestone ages. Then…..nothing. As they grow into the ages of 8, 9, 10….and then the awkward early teen years, we just take a few cell phone shots and that is about it. We are all guilty of that.

When your child becomes a Senior, you start to realize that the future is uncertain. Will they go to college? Will it be local or will they be away far from home? Will they visit often? What about family vacations? Will they even come anymore? And oh how I wish I had a family portrait on the wall of all of us before they moved. Will they get a job out of town and become a totally different person? You just have no idea.

High school graduation is in ways, also your own. It’s your own finishing moment -presenting your child to the wide open world. You’ve been on a journey with them the last 18 years to care for them, mold them into decent humans with morals and values- you’ve provided for them, nurtured them, cried with and for them, and this is the moment that they are released into the world as adults- to flourish on their own and to make the best out of everything you’ve taught them. This is truly a moment worth photographing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as far as the price goes- yeah, Senior portraits are more expensive. And so is a gallon of milk, a new car, a flat screen tv, dinner for 4 at a restaurant, and most everything else. But it’s not just due to inflation- you remember how I described my senior portraits back in 96? Well, there’s a whole lot more that goes into it now. You can still use the school photographer and get that assembly line package- in and out in less than an hour.  You can end up with photos that are just like anyone else’s- that are just a documentation of how they look on the outside.  I know when we photograph a senior, we are trying our best to pull their personality through in their images. We want to give a photographic document of who they really are at this crossroads in their life. It’s such an important time- they have the whole world at their feet and opportunities like never before. You’ll want to always remember this time- when they were on the cusp of adulthood- yet still your baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not only do you get beautiful images from our Senior portrait experience, they also get a major confidence boost. (and what teenager couldn’t use that?). So many things are different these days- the times have changed in so many ways- and lots of them are bad. Kids have it harder than ever now, what with social media and bullying.  We see it time and time again how these teens don’t feel pretty enough, or sporty enough, or important enough. It’s really a shame. We work hard during our sessions to make sure and communicate to our seniors how awesome they really are. It doesn’t matter if you are into sports, or on the cheer team, or a ridiculously talented artist. We have lots of Seniors at consultations who say “I can’t really do anything cool for pictures, I’m not in anything extra-curricular”. It’s super hard to get them to realize that just because they aren’t on a team of some sort, they are still really interesting individuals!

Nick wasn’t in sports, he didn’t even really seem to care much for getting pictures made in the beginning- but I’m pretty sure his mind was changed when he saw this image  for the first time:

You see, what was important to Nick at the time, was his truck, his dog Bobo, fishing, and his sense of style. Also, it was important to him to have his session here on his grandparent’s property. And that’s what he will remember when he looks back at his photos years down the road.  Once Lonnie showed him this image on the back of the camera, he was totally down to do whatever pictures we asked, and even started coming up with his own cool ideas! You could see the boost in confidence level wash right over him like a wave- it was so cool.

Senior Mari Grace- we just loved her and her family. Her mom ordered  3 images as 16×20 canvas wall art, and I’m willing to bet that those will always be on their walls, even though pieces of furniture in the house may change over the years. Her mom and dad will look at those images in their home every day, and feel a sense of pride in the beautiful talented daughter they have raised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No, Senior portraits are a necessity- but if you can do it, DO. I encourage all of you reading this to make it a priority to have your senior  professionally photographed. It’s worth it, THEY are worth it. It isn’t a necessity, but there are other things we spend money on that also aren’t necessities. I’ve seen folks spend $600 on a prom dress (that gets worn once)- or $500 a month on a new car (that they wont likely have in a few years)- $200 on a designer purse ( that will be out of style next year), and yet they scoff at the idea of paying the same amounts for beautiful artwork of their own children that will hang on their wall. (forever).

You’ve invested in your children this far, send them off with an experience that will not only boost their egos, but will give you lasting images of who they are- the wonderful, talented, interesting, little person you’ve introduced into the world.