New Baby Portraits

New born babies are beautiful. Unless we have a visual memory we can forget the wonderful joy a new born brings.

If you know someone who has a new born we are featurng a special. See http://halfoffdepot.com/knoxville/categories-1/retail/michael-broyles-photography-baby-s-first-portrait.html

Our consultations are FREE. Call (865) 777-5683 to schedule your appointment.

Portrait of a Mother and Son

Who is the subject? Yes, I titled this portrait Mother and Son. However, when viewing this image, you might see that this is really a portrait of a single subject – the mother. My intention was to focus this pose on the mother (I wanted her to be the subject) and employ her son as a supporting actor. Thus, a better title might be Mother.

Before starting a portrait session, I find it helpful to know what I want as the end product. Know what you want before you start, and it becomes much more likely that you will arrive at your goals. I had three goals: give mother portraits of her son, capture mother and son bonding, and capture a portrait of the mother.

NOTE: During our consultation, this lovely mother implied, “I don’t take good pictures. My smile always looks false, and I don’t like how I look.” Her goal was to create a portrait of her son. Yet, she did reluctantly agree to participate in some poses.

So, the mother wanted portraits of her son. I wanted to capture mother and son together, and if possible, I wanted to capture a portrait of this mother herself. During this session, most poses were actually focused on the son himself. We captured him playing and looking at his mother – just off camera. However, we also worked on poses of mother and son.

A carry over from my counseling background is to capture my subjects in a moment of bonding and enhanced self-esteem. To achieve this, I find the technique of having a mother and son hug does work to visually create a sense of that feeling of bonding. Their hugging is natural, and it conveys the genuine affection in their relationship. This mother’s enjoyment of her son’s hug is reflected in her face – making for a wonderful memory.

I feel all three goals were achieved. Mother got portraits of her son; we did capture images of mother and son bonding, and I was able capture a portrait of mother. The practical outcome was a happy client who made a purchase.

Tips:

• Know what you want to achieve before you start – then plan to make it happen.
• Capturing people doing what comes naturally is key to creating an heirloom portrait.
• While a client’s goal may be one thing, you can give them more than they asked for.

When is good enough not good

When good enough is not good enough

Some things I have been thinking…

With the growth of digital photography it seems that everyone is becoming a photographer. Even the newest phones capture digital images with enough quality to produce excellent prints. All the tools are now affordable. And, one thing is becoming our new picture normal – good enough is good enough. Yes, today folks are settling for OK images.

With the ease of use and instant satisfaction that today’s digital camera provides, it appears many people today fail to appreciate the knowledge, skills and artistic touch a professional photographer can give them. Instead, many folks today lower their portrait expectations. Is good enough really good enough when your key memories need to be captured. For example, many parents are less than pleased with their high school senior’s pictures AND yet fail to invest in a professional photographer to get quality portraits. Is good enough really good enough?

Capturing an heirloom portrait is more than positioning people and clicking a lot of times. Quality portraiture is painting with light. It takes experience, insight and talent to create a portrait that brings tears of joy. These qualities do not appear by accident. Rather, these qualities are acquired over time by craftsmen who are dedicated to creating only the best.

When good enough is not good enough, please consider a Professional Photographer in East Tennessee. You can find their membership at: http://ppetn.com/ppetn-members. These professionals are dedicated to perfecting their art and giving people their very best. And, if I can be of service, please call (865) 777-5683 to schedule a free consult.

Children grow so much during the first year of their life. It seems they are constantly changing. Portraits are a great way to capture all of these changes. Years from now, we want you and your child to be able to recall these changes with a fondness that can still evoke the emotion of that day.

We offer several programs to suite all of your family portrait needs.

We have the Bonding Before Birth Program that is geared toward new or expecting parents.

In this program you come into the portrait studio and we capture mom and dad during the last trimester of pregnancy, our primary focus of course is mom's tummy, often though we get dad involved in this session by placing his hands on mom's tummy or we capture dad kissing mom's tummy. This is a great way for new parents to really bond over the pregnancy.

We also have a Baby's First Year Program that is a compilation of 5 portrait sessions over the first year of baby's life. The first session usually takes place about 2 weeks after the baby's birth. I n this session we focus primarily on the new baby, we also incorporate mom and dad's hands into many of these images.

The next session is when the baby is 3 months...by this time the baby is usually holding their head up and we focus on expressions.

The third session is when baby is 6 months... in this session baby has usually discovered their feet and can do some images on their tummy.

The forth session is when baby is 9 months... by this time the baby usually can sit up with little or no assistance and may even be learning to crawl and becoming mobile.

The fifth and final session in this program is when your baby reaches 1 year...by this time your child should be able to stand with little or no assistance and has developed a vocabulary. Their personality and expression has become apparent.

If you are expecting a child or would like to have portraits taken of your baby please call our studio at 865-777-5683 to schedule a complimentary Getting-To-Know-You consultation. You may also view our past work on www.broylesportraits.com

20 Portrait Tips for Seniors

We are still scheduling Senior Portrait appointments. If you would like to contact us regarding your Senior Portraits, please call us at 865-777-5683.

I found the following article on http://www.lifescript.com/Life/Family/Kids/Senior_Pictures_Top_20_Portrait_Tips.aspx and thought that it would be helpful to Seniors who have not yet had their Senior Portraits taken.

High school senior pictures are an American tradition that has been around at least since World War II. These timeless photos taken by a professional photographer during the high school senior year capture teenage freshness as it’s poised on the brink of adulthood, ready to begin a career or enter college.

Because senior portraits are so meaningful and last a lifetime, seniors will want to prepare for the big day by getting suggestions for poses and clothing from friends, parents and the photographer.

Below are the top 20 portrait tips to help you plan for a photo session of senior pictures.

1. Plan several outfits to bring.
2. Keep your clothing visually simple.
3. Give consideration to color.
4. Use clothing to accentuate your best features.
5. Go easy on the jewelry.
6. Apply makeup normally.
7. Bring powder.
8. Go with practiced hair styles.
9. Guys need a fresh shave.
10. Don’t worry about blemishes.
11. Don’t worry about braces.
12. Stay away from tans.
13. Help your glasses avoid glare. In most cases your optician can remove
your lenses for your portraits at no cost.
14. Make sure your hands are presentable.
15. Practice your facial expressions.
16. Work on your poses.
17. Personalize your photos with props.
18. Bring someone with you.
19. Become comfortable with the photographer.
20. Only take the photo if you’re feeling your best.

Faith Fellowship portrait coupon sales continue

We still have portrait coupons for Faith Fellowship Stained Glass Window project. These are what church members have been selling for $15.00 each. Each coupon is valid for upto two guests. The coupon includes a consultation, a portrait session, one 8x10 portrait and 10% off entire order. This offer expires on August 31, 2010

Please join us in helping Faith Fellowship Church raise the $9,000 they need for their sactuary's stained glass window.

These coupons are also available for purchase at our studio. If you have questions or want more information please call (865) 777-5683.

We look forward to helping Faith Fellowship Church meet and exceed their goal for their new sactuary!

Paula and the infamous shawl!

One of our favorite guests has made another appearance at the studio.

When Paula first came to our studio to have her portrait taken with her Red Hat Society group, we were the ones in for a big treat. These ladies proved to be one of our most memorable photography shoots.

The next photography shoot we did for Paula marked a very special occasion in her life. Her 75th birthday, which we had trouble believing at first because she certainly didn't look 75. On this shoot,Paula brought with her a very special prop to use in her portraits, which was a shawl purchased for her in Germany.

When Paula brought her 2 grand daughters into the studio to have their portrait taken the infamous shawl made another appearance...We thought it would be fun to have the girls tugging and pulling on the shawl like they were arguing over who would get the shawl when their beloved Grandmother was gone. The girls were alot of fun to photograph and we were able to provide them with some great images.

My favorite image that was taken of the girls is where they are tugging on Paula's shawl and we took the picture to black and white then brought color back into the shawl. This is sure to become a treasured family heirloom in the many years to come.

Thank you Paula for allowing us to capture beautiful images of you and your grand daughters. It's always a pleasure visiting with you. We look forward to seeing you and your family again.

Please let your folks know we would enjoy capturing their memories. Call us at (865) 777-5683 to schedule a consultation.