Last night I attended the Grace Ormonde Book Signing for Connecticut’s swankiest vendors in the wedding industry and chatted with Beth Chapman, who is the owner of The White Dress By The Shore in Clinton Connecticut! I have always recommended The White Dress to my clients who have not yet found the perfect wedding gown for themselves, mainly because I knew the dresses offered there were top of the line gowns, and the boutique itself brings on a whole new level of experience! I now can say even more good things about The White Dress after meeting Beth, which was such a pleasure! In talking with Beth I found out that one of my 2009 couples, Lauran and Carlos, are the Featured Wedding at The White Dress right now. You should take the time to check it out as well as browse their website! I am positive you won’t be disappointed!

Hope all is well with everyone! Have LOTS to share coming up on the blog including another newborn session, a handful of BEAUTIFUL weddings, and much more! ;o) Stay tuned!

Happy Tuesday!

Meg

Hey All! This is just a little announcement for my clients, to give you a heads up on what to expect very soon showing up in your mailbox! I don’t know about you but I LOVE getting something in the mail! I think it almost a thing of the past. Who uses snail mail anymore right? I think it is old fashioned and I love it and I hope it sticks around for a very long time!

If you have booked with Creative Image Collections and are either going to be ordering a custom bound wedding album or it is included in your collection you will be receiving a little note from me in the mail VERY soon! I have been working extra hard behind the scenes here to make sure you are very well taken care of, and in a sort-of pretty kind of way! I think of myself much like that of an Oompa Loompa. I often work when others think I am not! I stay hidden behind my little (big) computers most of the time working on keeping up with emails, album designs, and preparing for the next adventure. Often society doesn’t even know where I am! Heck, often I don’t know where myself is! It reminds me very much like working in a secret chocolate factory with secret orange elf helpers. It is very exciting except I really don’t have little elves helping me other then my 2 kids, and most times they are more work then help!

In a nutshell (I am addicted to that phrase lately) I have decided that the album process is most times overwhelming for my clients and at times mis-understood. Since all of the products I offer at the studio are custom designed products, these often take time and energy to create, from both myself as well as you! However, this is the very reason as to why I LOVE them so much. The albums are fun AND they are unique. Every single one of the albums I have designed with my clients is different from the other. Not one the same! I think that is the way it should be since you yourselves are very much unique. Not one of my clients are the same, so why should their albums be?

Well, often I am asked many of the same questions about the album design process. The major ones are answered on my website under the FAQ but I thought it would be convenient for you if I was to go the extra mile and put the information right into your fingertips so you have something tangible to revert back to when starting the book design. I know it can be overwhelming, much like a part-time job on top of your normal everyday priorities. I never once want you to feel as if it is homework. So because I care very much about my clients and their stress levels, I have given you a cheat sheet, or Cliff Notes so to speak, on what to expect from the process as well as giving you tips! I think the process should be a fun one, one maybe that you enjoy over a glass of wine (or two). The books that we create together will become a family heirloom in your lives and that in itself is pretty nifty I think. I want only the best of the best for you and so I have decided to make this a new thing for the studio and for you! Of course in addition to the information I send out to you I welcome ALL calls to the studio or emails about ANYTHING at ANYTIME! I seriously can’t stress that enough…so many times I have had email chats with my brides about their flowers or if the girl’s dresses have pockets or not. I seriously dig this kind of stuff!

On another note…I am so happy to have a wonderful wedding season coming up this year. Technically it has already started for me, but soon it will be in VERY full swing, including two destination weddings in the books! I am very excited to be creating everlasting memories for you that will become an heirloom in your family in the years to come! Such an honor. In other words…Wooohooo!

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Have a happy Wednesday!

I am off to see a beautiful new baby girl and hoping to steal a few pics of her!

MEG

This is a just a quick little business-y post on presentation. I have always made a pact with myself since opening my business that I would offer nothing but the best in quality of products and presentation materials. Recently I had two wonderful experiences with retail stores and it is what inspired this post. My first was at Janie and Jack, the children’s clothing store. I was searching for a cute little outfit for Matt’s sister, Jen, who is due any day now with her first baby! VERY exciting! So exciting in fact that I wanted to get the perfect little outfit since it’s such a special of a time in her life. Why not present your baby in the perfect little outfit? So my experience first started off with my knowing that I was going to head to Janie and Jack because I knew their clothing was absolutely ADORABLE and just walking by that store gives me a high. I have two kids that would look so cute in just about everything in that store, not to mention what the clothes would do for a photography session!

Anyhoo…I headed in and the sales girl was just about the best salesperson I have ever encountered. In fact I was so blown away that I wished secretly I could hire her for my studio sales. I also took the time to fill out their questionnaire on line to comment on her wonderful sales skills. I was sold on their cute little green one-sie outfit (and I sprung for the hat to match) the second she started showing it to me. First off because it was quality and you could tell. Secondly, because she spoke about it so highly about it, but tactfully without letting me feel pressured into buying anything that wasn’t in my budget. Then she rang me up and asked if it was a gift and if it needed to be wrapped. I am ALWAYS pressed for time, and frankly not the best wrapper out there, I admit. So I agreed! It started with the most precious spring-like box, dainty and baby like. She placed the clothes inside the box ever-so-perfect and folded over the matching tissue paper. She secured the box with a mint green ribbon and a Janie and Jack sticker finished off the look, tying it all together. “Easy peezy nice and easy”, the sales girl stated, as she closed out the sale. She was right. What more did I have to do? My gift was already in a pretty little bag and I felt pretty darn excited and proud to show it to Jen. I have to add, Jen did take notice at her baby shower of how pretty the wrapping job was! I wish I could take credit for it, but as I mentioned before, my wrapping skills are just not up to par with Janie and Jack’s!

The real question here I think was…What more did Janie and Jack have to do? Their product was not only one of quality, but it was well thought out in it’s presentation too. They didn’t stop at the high quality of clothing that they offer or the personable sales person in the store. They took it a step beyond and branded and packaged their product with care and style. I did indeed spend a bit more shopping at their store then I would have if I bought from another less boutique-ish type store. However, in my book…you get what you pay for.

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Branding, branding and more BRANDING. Smart, smart, and more SMART!

Seriously, this is one major reason as to why I NEVER drop ship prints or books to clients. I want to present them with something special and put the thought and care into the presentation of the image as much as I put the thought and care into capturing their portrait or wedding.

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the mint green ribbon to tie it all together!

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a well crafted box…

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The sticker to bring closure to the packaging…not to mention BRANDING.

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Now to introduce this little guy! If you have ever gotten a gift card from Anthropologie before, you might have met him. This is the part two to my post. Jen and her husband Tim gave this gift to me just recently, and I can’t thank her enough for it because it was extremely generous of her AND it is my all time FAVORITE store! I can’t explain the feeling I get inside the Athropologie store. It is like no other. I of course am anything but a materialistic driven person BUT I do love me some Anthro! It is the girl in me you just can’t take out.

So here is what I was presented with…

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A rustic and not so perfect crafty frog that is too cute for words! I am thinking you will know what I am thinking about this sewn in tag. BRANDING.

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how perfectly the cards just slip right into his little pouch!

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and the gift card has little notations of positivity ALL over it! LOVE it!

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Buttons for eyes, and two little hands that don’t actually match in color. They don’t need to. They are imperfectly perfect. Am I making sense?

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However, this little guy has been caught sleeping in the editing room on MY presentation and branding materials…

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and has been caught chit-chatting on the phone during office hours…

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Brushing his hair (ehem…the little bit that he has).

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and trying to stay warm in my favorite pair of UGGS. How dare he?

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So in a nutshell, my point in sharing this with you is that I know by shopping at both of these stores, that I indeed will have spent a tad bit more then if I shopped elsewhere. However, I enjoy shopping at both stores fully and feel my money is well spent on items that I am proud to present and wear, ones that I know will be in my closet for long lengths of time and possibly my children’s clothes saved and preserved for memories sake. The experience in both stores are honestly just that, AN EXPERIENCE. From the time I peek into the store windows and open up those oversized wooden doors (Anthro), to when I am presented with a cute little crafty frog as gift card holder, I know that both stores have put their thought, care and creativity into their presentation and products. This makes me realize my purchase was more like an investment. So when wondering what type of products I would offer to my clients to preserve and present their wedding and portrait images in, I couldn’t see why it would be anything but the best in the industry. Yes, indeed, you may give a bit more on the products I have to offer, but the thought and care of yours truly is behind every product and image I create and present to my clients. Not to mention your images become a family heirloom.

Happy Friday!

MEG

I have some VERY exciting news about Creative Image Collections. I just last week finalized all the details with the team at Style Me Pretty and have been invited to join their “Little Black Book” vendor list. I am super excited and I am beyond honored to be joining such an elite group of talented and dedicated wedding vendors across the nation. The Style Me Pretty blog is such a large and wonderful source of inspiration for brides and grooms across the nation, where you can find the latest wedding trends and some of the most superb vendors. I am delighted to be considered one of those vendors and you can check out my little info page  by clicking on “Vendors” and “The Best Wedding Vendors” and I am in Inland, CT under photography (of course!) I haven’t yet ironed out all the tiny details for my listing but couldn’t wait to share the good news with you all! Such a HUGE honor and I can’t wait to delve into the Style Me Pretty world and get crackin’ on some creative shoots/weddings this year!

I hope you all enjoy the weekend and Don’t forget to check out the Style Me Pretty blog!

Happy Friday!

Meg

First off I am announcing that the much longer then expected leave of absense from blogging was due to a very good cause in which I am very pleased to announce! I am no longer a victim of maintaining two individual sites for Creative Image Collections. Wooohooo! The feeling of freedom is priceless! I am now a proud owner of a wonderful blog-site that Brian, from Skooks Designs has created for me. We have collaborated for months to make it a smooth transition. The flip was swiched just yesterday and I coudn’t be happier. The design is simple, clean, and modern, with easy navigation through out the site (that is site as in singular, not plural). I was so tired of having to maintain two sites and constantly upload new material onto both. It was exhausting and quite frankly, I have a ton on my plate as it is, so doing all the extra work to two sites was too time consuming. My theory with many things in life is “less is more”.  Now I have everything all in one area for clients and prospective clients. All navigation is done on the top menu bar and the pull down tabs are pretty self explainatory. You can view my portfolio up above as well as view my most recent work right on the home page of the site, which is also my blog. LOVE IT!!!

Although the old site had served its purpose and I enjoyed it while it lasted, I have always been open to change and find it fun to keep moving forward in a bright and positive direction with my business! There are fun little voting buttons under each photo so you can pick your favorite picture and there will be more little changes as time goes on!

So in honor of my first post on the new blog, I thought it may be appropriate to include some images as well. The subject matter is really nothing of importance, my old and new pair of Ed Hardy’s. I know they definitely don’t compete with some of the Jimmy Choo and Manolos I have had the honor of photographing (i LOVE  photographing all your shoes girls) but these are what you will find on my feet most often. I am a single mom running a busy photography business. High heeled shoes and laying in a pool of mud to get that perfect shot is not exactly smart. I am pretty reaslistic when it comes to my everyday style. There aren’t many days I leave the house without a peanut butter hand print on my jeans. So once again, in honor of saying TTFN (ta-ta-for-now) to the old blog and saying hello to the new blog-site.. here are a few pics of my everyday kicks!

old pair…

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New pair…

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Stay tuned for I have about 15 jobs to post that will carry us over into the winter months for sure!

And as usual (because I am also good for keeping it real)…

Happy Tuesday!

MEG