Bill’s Blog

I often feel like I’m the only guy that doesn’t get the punchline, especially when it snows in Arkansas.  [For those not from here, it doesn't really SNOW, it just drops ice, rarely.]

Why–when the weather turns inclement–should I desperately need bread and milk?  People rush in droves to the grocery store, those sacred halls of panic, to ravage the dairy and bread sections.  I have a wife and three small children, and I really want to provide for their needs.  Is there some special cold-weather-vitamin-nourishment-elixer of milk and bread that I know not of?  If anything, why don’t we storm the bastion of chili and hot toddies?  Or the new sushi bar at our local Kroger?  [Note to the reader: I do not serve hot toddies to my children, but they do love some chili and sushi, respectively.]

My eldest son [8 years old] just sat down with me.  I just explained what a blog is, and he wants to write.  So I’m typing as he talks.

Dad:  “Big C–what would you like to tell everyone about the ice we just had?”

Big C:  “It was fun to play in the snow.  It was very cold.  Well, I didn’t really play out in the snow.  You just wrote that down?!  [laughs]  What are you doing?!  Okay, I’m going.”

Now that we’ve survived the great Ice Age of 2010 [1 day out of school], it’s time to think of Spring.  If you haven’t seen the main site for Beyond Photography lately, the calendar is plotted out until mid-October.  You’ll notice that we’ve planned several Spring events, including a trip to Ponca, Arkansas, to San Antonio, a Black and White event, a local outdoor special . . . and of course . . . EASTER PORTRAITS!  Why should you schedule your kids for Easter Portraits?

*Most Moms buy something special for their kids to wear.  What better time to create a portrait?

*Portraits make fantastic gifts for Mother’s Day [Mom:  it's okay to buy this gift for yourself].

*THE DUCKS RETURN and bunnies too!

Yes, the rumors are true.  Beyond Photography is the studio that features the now-famous baby ducks for our portraits, and they are returning for this year’s event.  If you’d like to see more than those here, click on the “Easter Portraits” or “Easter Portraits 2008″ archive to the right.

Let me see if I can answer some of the most common questions we hear:

~What if my kids have outgrown the animals?  Can we shoot without the ducks?

I actually begin every session without the animals.  If you don’t want them at all, we’ll let the the fowl & fur take a break.  We’ll create a few dozen wall portraits from our Easter sessions, and most of those will not feature the ducks.  As always, we’re shooting for a wide variety. I’m glad to create photos of all the kids together, individually, etc.  It won’t cost extra.

~What will the background look like?

AMAZING!!!  It’s hand-made, and it’s so brand-spanking-new, the makers haven’t finished it yet.  It’s a creme/multi-colored, textured background.  Sheree and I saw a sample in January, at the conference in Nashville.  We both immediately knew that it would have to be our Easter background!  Truth be told:  Sheree knew immediately, then I immediately knew after she informed me that it would be. We’ll also have a really funky/elegant, stool/ottoman/thingie. I’ll have photos posted within 24 hours of it arriving to our home.

~When and where will you be shooting?

More exciting news here!  We’ll be shooting again in Little Rock, back in Chenal Downs.  We’ll also be shooting–for the first time–at the Country Club in Pine Bluff.  We’ll see you in Little Rock March 11-14.  We can also meet you in Pine Bluff on Easter weekend:  April 2 & 3rd. We’ll email a confirmation, with directions, to all of our sessions.

~Is this a Quick Pic event or full-sessions?

Yes.  For those whom we’ve not yet met, our Quick Pic events are seasonal/thematic events with discounted packages.  I’ll shoot fewer images, as a Quick Pic session only lasts about 15 minutes.  You’ll preview and purchase your photos immediately after your session.   The packages are slightly discounted, but the poses are limited.  See the bottom of this post for our Quick Pic packages.  Most people, though, will schedule full-sessions.  This allows for a much greater variety, since each session lasts about 45 minutes.  Full sessions will return the following week for an ordering session, when we’ll be able to slowly walk through the images to decide.  There is no pose limitation, since everything is sold ala-carte from our standard pricelist.  [You can preview our pricelist by clicking here.]   With either session, we’ll ask for a retainer to hold your appointment:  $175 for Quick Pics, $350 for a full session.  25 of those dollars will cover our event fee, while the remaining amount will apply to the purchase of your portraits.

~How do I schedule an appointment?

Call our studio line–501.766.5671, or email–beyondphotography1@gmail.com.  We’ll gladly take appointments as long as they’re available.  Understand, though, that our ads have just hit the stands and we’ll soon be fielding dozens of calls . . . and premium times will book within the next week.

~Will there be more of the famous [infamous?] duck blogs?

Of course!  If you haven’t seen any from the past, you’ll find them on the aforementioned Easter tabs.  I don’t know if I should be proud of this . . . but the popularity of the duck blogs have launched our site to #7 in Google’s search for “Easter Portraits.”  That’s #7 . . . in the entire Google universe.  [thank you, kind readers--including the following in Texas.]

Be on the lookout for much more information.  If you haven’t yet, go to the top of this page and subscribe to the blog.  That means you’ll always be notified when I post something new [which will be quite often in the next few weeks].  I’ll look forward to seeing you soon.

-mr. bill