Creative Image Collections » Business

Lauran and Carlos: Featured Wedding on The White Dress By The Shore!

Meg — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:31:26 +0000

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

Studio News!

Meg — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:47:36 +0000

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

Presentation Creation!

Meg — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:04:33 +0000

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

Creative Image Collections is a Style Me Pretty Little Black Book Vendor!

Meg — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:02:16 +0000

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

Out with the Old…In with the New: New Blog-Site

Meg — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:42:46 +0000

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

Fall and Winter Workshops with Creative Image Collections

Meg — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:34:51 +0000

I am so excited to announce that Creative Image Collections will be offering small group, intensive all day workshops! I have been planning this for quite some time now and I often get asked if I do them. So I decided it was time to offer them!

I CAN NOT wait! I am really putting all my heart and soul into them and putting together quite an awesome package for a pretty reasonable price too!

Below is the information for you to review! They are offered on Saturday’s. This information will be posted weekly as a reminder and then will also be in the INFORMATION section at the top of this page under: WORKSHOPS. (go figure!)

I hope to see you at one!

Meg

To sign up… call me at 203-791-8969 or CLICK HERE and fill out the information stating you want to sign up for the workshop and please be specific as to which date…ONLY 10 PHOTOGRAPHERS PER WORKSHOP!!! And there is a discounted rate when you sign up before October 25th!

Creative Image Collections: Jones Book / News

Meg — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:24:37 +0000

Every once in a while I like to do a post about some of the vendors that use to make my business what it is! I guess I consider myself to be picky when it comes to things that involve my photography business. My motto when starting my business from scratch was to offer clients a quality vs. quantity product. It was most important to me to offer clients a personable experience as well as of offering creative photography shot from the heart (not to steal that line “shot through the heart” from the Bon Jovi song), and products that are top of the line. I work hard and take pride in my images and I couldn’t justify going with a “less than” product just to save a few bucks. I want to display my images in quality products. I want to be able to stand behind my work and the things I present my work in.

So…I am just writing a little post to tell you about the proof books I offer to my clients in some of the collections. I LOVE them. They are the Jones Book proof books and I was in love with them when I first layed eyes on them! I talked with Jeff Jones himself, who runs and owns the company, and he is such a great guy to speak with on the phone. Recently he decided to use one of my proof books on his website to display! I was thrilled and couldn’t be happier with seeing it up there!

You have to be a professional photographer to log in and see most of his samples but of course before I sent this out to my bride and groom, Andrea and Nick, I snapped a few quick pics of it!

It is such a pretty blue and really complimented Andrea and Nick’s wedding color scheme!

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So if you are a photographer who is hunting for a really well made, library bound, fine-art proof book…loook no further!

On another note…if you are a photographer looking to expand your knowledge in photography and better your images, I am making an announcement very soon about my upcoming Workshops starting this November! They are going to be so much fun and full of energy…lots of shooting…and a ton of information! Stay tuned!!!

Off to shoot 2 Weddings this weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather!

Happy Labor Day!

Meg

NOT Your Parent’s Wedding Album

Meg — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:51:14 +0000

Yikes! That is the first thing I can say when looking at my parent’s wedding album. They were married over 30 years ago and it is so sad for me to look at this book in shambles. I remember thumbing through it when I was little thinking it was the coolest thing in the world. Perhaps because I was a true girly- girl at heart! The idea of two people falling in love and choosing to commit to each other through life’s journey is a beautiful thing. How saddening to have it displayed in a book that would never have possibly made it through life’s journey with them. My parent’s album never stood the chance against the test of time. That is why I am loving the quality of the books that I offer to my clients today. I always said from the get-go when starting my business that I didn’t care how much the albums I was going to be offering would cost. It shouldn’t be about the cost when I am presenting to my couples a book full of valued memories, from one of the most important days of their lives, for them to share for generations and generations. I wouldn’t feel right in offering a product that is “less than” just to save a few bucks.

Here are a few pictures I shot of my Mom and Dad’s wedding album. My mom watched as I photographed her book and as I told her my intentions of blogging about her album, I had a fear of her disapproval! Although she had a great respect for her marriage to my father, her response was “It’s a piece of crap” . So I took that as a go-ahead in blogging about it! ;o)

This was a pleather album, with a plastic film cover and the inscription of “Our Wedding” on the front cover! Not the most terrible thing that could happen to you in life, but certainly not the best!

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Not one page is bound in the book anymore. They are all just loosely stuffed inside the separated cover.

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This is St. Mary’s Church on the Greenwich Avenue, which was where my mom grew up. It is still a beautiful church and looks just about the same as it did over 30 years ago.

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I hope you all have a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!

More to share soon!

Meg

Featured in Connecticut Bride Magazine : Real Weddings!

Meg — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:27:19 +0000

There is no discreet way to put this…

Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! My work is featured in the Real Weddings section of Connecticut Bride Magazine!

I have been hunting down all the CVS’s, Barnes & Nobles, and Targets to get my hands on the Fall/Winter Issue of the Magazine this week (and obsessively at that) with, sadly, no luck. I know I am not alone though, as Leah, one of my October 2008 brides, who’s wedding is featured in it has been doing the same. (We know that about each other because we have also been texting each other about it for quite some time now!) True gitty girls at heart!

FINALLY…I decided to stop by Tarrywile Mansion, which is less than 2 miles from my home, and grab a copy there! I couldn’t hold out to wait to see it in the stores any longer. It should be out sometime within the next week! I am extremely impatient when it comes to this kind of stuff…I need it like yesterday! The suspense was killing me!

So today was the best Monday I have had in a long time! I for the first time ever, I am looking at my work published in a magazine! Wooohoooo! I didn’t realize how much being published would make me want to push myself that much harder in the wedding photography industry!

This may seem like no big deal to some, but to me, it was a goal of mine that I have had for the past year and I did it! Yipeeeeee!I have Leah to thank mostly, because she suggested we submit her wedding. So together we submitted our thoughts and of course the images I shot on her day! She really put so much into her and her husband Jason’s wedding, heart and soul, and if I am not mistaken, tears too! (when trying on her dress for the first time ;o) I truly am so happy with Leah’s wedding being chosen!

So tonight I am going to celebrate with a nice glass of wine with actually one of my ‘07 bride and grooms at their place!

Have a happy Monday!

~MEG

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Mew Paper Arts on Do What you Love: Modish Biz Tips!

Meg — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:02:44 +0000

Last week I posted a headshot session I did with Alissa from Mew Paper Arts. Alissa is doing great with her custom design invitation business and I couldn’t happier for her. I know how it feels to be stuck in a job you hate, having this creative itch to tend to, and taking a plunge into the self employed world. It is scary but seems right all at the same time. I am so excited for her and wanted to share that she has been featured on the website Modish Biz Tips, a blog with small creative business owners tips and ideas. I think it is a very inspiring site full of some cool stuff! Thanks to Alissa, I now know of it and will be adding it to my one of my regular blogs to check out with my early morning coffee! Take the time to check out her interview, “Do What You Love”, with Modish Biz (and her cute pics too!). It’s a good read!

Have a happy Thursday!

MEG