A Couple of Easter Card Samples

MARCH 2009 SPECIALS

BUSINESS PORTRAITS-How to Prepare

Preparing for your Business Portraits

The purpose of a business portrait is to visually remind people of who you are. It is why so many people use their portrait on their business cards and other marketing pieces.

The key is to be remembered by your expression and an over-all professional and approachable image. The following guidelines are helpful hints that I have gathered over the years.

Call me if you have any particular questions. If you would like to schedule a clothing consultation prior to your portrait session we can schedule something at the studio or I can come to your office or home to help you.

Get a good night’s sleep so that you feel fresh.

o Your eyes will show if you are tired.

Dress according to what is appropriate for your business.

o When someone sees your portrait you want to “look the part”.

Long sleeves are important.

o The most important part of your portrait is your expression. It should be the only skin that is shown.

o Short sleeves will sometimes make you look heavier in a portrait. (not always)

Solid colors for good results.

o Usually medium to dark colors are known for being strong business colors.

o They are slimming.

o Prints will steal the show, make you look heavier and date a portrait.

o Don’t shy away from color! A punch of color adds brightness and verve to the personality of your portrait.

Neckline (women)

o Do not wear exaggerated necklines.

o ‘V’ neck is most flattering. In addition to a traditional ‘V’ neck – a button-up blouse also gives you a ‘V’ neck.

Hair & Make-up

o Be yourself. You want to recognize the person in the portrait or you won’t like it.

o Stay away from shine & sparkle. Frosted eye shadow is taboo for portraits.

Please give me a call if you would like a more in-depth consultation. I am always happy to share my knowledge to help you prepare for your portrait.

Business Portraits Special

Let’s Get Down to Business with Business Portraits

February, March & April Special

Individual Business Portraits

Just $50/person includes:

The portrait session ~ Retouching ~ 300dpi 4x5

Regularly $110 each ~ Save $60/person

When 5 or more people are scheduled.

Additional Bonus:

Schedule by March 1^st and

Get one person FREE!

Save $50!

Individual portraits at your place of business or at the studio. If you have a small staff, help out a business acquaintance. Invite them to attend. All sessions must be scheduled 20 minutes apart.

Would you like to earn FREE portraits of your children?

A Children’s' Portrait Party is just like many in-home parties. Let me tell you about it.

· You invite family, friends and neighbors to your home for a Children’s' Portrait Party.

· I will arrive to your home with a background and props.

· Your friends will arrive every 20-30 minutes apart.

· We will photograph their children.

· I will post each person’s proofs on-line within 4 days.

· Your guests will place their order within 7 days of the time they are posted on-line.

As a hostess you will receive...

· 10% of the sales placed within the 7 days that proofs are on-line towards your own order.

· 15% of the sales over $1,200. For orders placed within the 7 days that proofs are posted on-line.

· HOSTESS SPECIAL! SCHEDULE YOUR PARTY BEFORE THE END OF MARCH: You will receive a $50 credit!

Your guests will receive...

· A free portrait session - NO SESSION FEES!

· A portrait session of their children at a location that is familiar and comfortable to them, resulting in expressions that are fun and natural.

· Professional portraits at a cost that is lower than an individual portrait session taken at a studio.

· FEBRUARY & MARCH SPECIAL! With a $100 order – Receive 50% off each ADD’L 8x10 from the poses you have already ordered from. Save $17.50 on each 8x10. Must order within the 7 days that proofs are on-line.

RESERVE YOUR PARTY DATE SOON.

Receive a custom 3-pose, 10x20 Storyboard with a $1995 party!

CHILDRENS' PORTRAIT PARTY PRICING

When ordered before Portrait Party deadline

$60 – 10 x 12

$35 – 8 x 10

$15 – 5 x 7

$25 – 2/5x7 same pose

$12 – 4 x 5

$20 – 2/4x5 same pose

$12 – 2 x 3 (8)

Laughing Club Party

I want to share this email that I got from Venus. It is actually a posting on her blog and I subscribe to her blog because she ----cracks me up---- so much. Getting one of her stories in my email box is always the highlight of my day.

I think this is a FANTASTIC, OUT-OF-THE-PARK, AWESOME idea. I love stories and have a small collection of doozies that I can share from my own life experience. I am thinking of doing something like this in February. Maybe you will want to come to my party to tell your story or maybe you will want to have your own party. If nothing else I am certain you will get a chuckle from Venus' story below.

HAVE A DAY FULL OF GIGGLES AND SIDE-SPLITTING LAUGHTER!

Denise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to my Laughing Club Party.

I have decided that we all need a laugh. To that end, here is the note I have sent out to my family and various friends:

“Please come to THE WOMEN’S LAUGHING CLUB PARTY at Venus’ house, Jan 31st, 2009 at 11:30 AM.

“Let’s get together and laugh and laugh and laugh for our GOOD HEALTH and FRIENDSHIP!

“Please bring a dish (potluck) and something to drink. Wine would be nice but you can bring whatever moves you.

“THE PLAN: We will eat and drink and whoop it up. For those of you who aren’t shy, please have a STORY in mind; something that has happened in your life or someone else’s life that is really funny! You will tell the tale and we will laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. We will roll on the floor and laugh some more. We will kick the furniture and spill the wine.

“And, then we will laugh some more for no reason at all.

“This is an all woman party, just to see how it goes. If we like it, let’s have more of them and often, hosted by whoever feels fit enough to host a bunch of crazy acting, loose laughing women!

“Please RSVP by Jan. 27th, so I know how many chairs and plates to set out that may get broken.

“I hope to see you!

Venus”

…………….

Well. I have had a tremendous response. People are calling me and saying, ‘Oh, my friend wants to come, she desperately wants to come, can I bring my friend?’

I say ’sure. What the hey.’

My brother Art with the leukemia, the one who’s car got smashed and who’s house burned down, says he wants to come, that he needs the laugh. I say “OK, you do need some laughs, but if you come you have to wear a dress and a lady’s wig. You can be our Honorary Woman.”

Maybe we will have Laughing Club Parties all over the world?? What fun.

I’m going to start my party with this story, which I admit is really juvenile humor, but that’s part of the fun, right?

I’ll be telling the ladies, “Awhile back a friend of mine named Billy came over to see me at my house. He’s about fifty. He called me to come out on the front lawn beside my pool.

“He sidled up next to me, leaned over and whispered, “Got something really funny here. It’s a fart machine.”

“He glanced over at my pool where Paul The Pool Man was busily scooping leaves. He was scooping slowly. He doesn’t like to rush. He’s a big man, maybe in his 60’s with a great ruff of gray beard and flying head hair and he wears faded overalls with a bib.

‘Got an idea,’ Billy said, grinning like a nine year old. ‘This is remote control.’

“He carefully held up some kind of small box and something that looked like a TV clicker.

“Paul had his back to us, scooping the pool and gazing up into the great pine tree, the tree he has come to hate, that hangs over the water.

“‘Watch this,’ Billy whispered.

“He ran over to the grouping of deck chairs just behind Paul, put the fart box under a cushion and skeedaddled back to me.

“‘Hehehehe…watch.’

“Paul The Pool Man bent to scoop some twigs from the water by hand.

“FARRRRRRT…OOOOOHEEEE…PTU!”

“Billy had pushed the remote.

“Paul didn’t blink. He didn’t even look our way.

“Billy and I broke into screeching laughter.

“Paul leaned to the side and put the pool pole down.

“BBAAAARRRPH!”

“Billy and I collapsed with howling glee.

“Actually, I’d hit the grass ‘first fart’ and couldn’t get up. Whenever I laugh, my legs go weak and I collapse wherever I am. I can’t get off the ground until I stop laughing.

Billy and I were choking with laughter, roaring with mirth and silly merriment but again, Paul The Pool Man never even looked our way.

“FAAARRRP! WHEEEEE!”

Every time Paul made an adjustment in his methods, he passed thunderous ‘gas.’

I was screaming with laughter, my nose face down in the dirt and muck, unable to even crawl to my knees. Billy was dragging me by an arm, across the lawn, trying to get me to stand up.

Paul looked skyward.

It went like this until Billy and I finally tired ourselves out, gave up and limped into the house.”

………

Well, OK, maybe it will be funnier when I tell it in person? Maybe I should wait until the general hilarity at the party has taken hold?

My sister, Candy, will be telling some Grandma Stories. These are true tales about my mother’s mother that just rip us to pieces with hysteria whenever she retells them at family parties.She does the voice, she does the mannerisms, she does the body movements of everyone in the stories and we absolutely almost choke ourselves laughing. Candy should be on stage.

I’ve been telling the ladies that are coming to the Laughing Party that if they have pee problems when they laugh that they had better make sure and wear their diaper pants. They have assured me that they will.

“You’re not ruining my furniture,” I tell them.

Gee! I wish YOU could come to my party!

Do you have any funny stories about yourself or your friends that you can tell us? If so, please put them in the ‘comments’ section (below) so we can all laugh together and have our own world-wide Laughing Party!

Thank you ...

Thank you to all my wonderful clients of 2008!

I got to hold your babies,

tickle your toddlers,

make you do silly things

and laugh as loud as possible.

….I even cried at your wedding.

It was truly a pleasure getting to

know all of you this past year.

I am so HAPPY to have been

a part of your family memories.

With a whole lot of gratitude,

Denise

Is your business portrait working for you?

First impressions matter! What is the first impression your potential clients get when they see your business card, website or direct marketing piece? Your business portrait is a sales tool. A fine business portrait can help broaden a successful public image and project your achievements. Every successful business person should maintain an up-to-date portrait for publicity purposes. A well-done portrait is not an ego-boosting luxury, but rather a powerful public relations and sales tool that can help you build your image in the community.

HOW MANY WAYS CAN YOUR BUSINESS PORTRAIT WORK FOR YOU?

Like a good book often times a potential client or new client may form their first judgments of your marketing material based on what it looks like and then go back to read the content. In addition to being used on a business card, brochure or website, your portrait is a valuable communications tool for your business. It’s a fact that people pay more attention to an ad or news article if it has a photograph with it. The impact is increased if the photograph is one of quality. Local newspapers are always looking for stories about people in the community. Wise use of your portrait can greatly benefit your business if you take advantage of every opportunity to submit photography-enhanced articles and press releases. Don’t forget to greet your clients with portraits of your staff hanging in the reception area. Portraits displayed in your reception area or office will make your clients feel at home. This comfort will make them more at ease to do business with you and your company.

SEND A MESSAGE OF CONFIDENCE

Don't be fooled by thinking that a potential client will give you the benefit of the doubt, and contact you in order to see how you look in the flesh. They are unlikely to. They will think if you cut corners on your professional image you may cut corners with them as well. They may doubt your credibility.

INCREASE YOUR AFFECT ON NEW & POTENTIAL CLIENTS

Let me help your company make a good first impression. My studio or your conference room, lounge or reception area can be a convenient portrait studio where I'll set up and take publicity portraits of anyone whose business portrait will be appearing in brochures, press kits, speaking announcements, annual reports, newsletters, your web site and business cards.

Denise Gagner – 320-202-0288 – www.portraitsbystudod.com – denise.studiod@gmail.com