Just a reminder ...

I just wanted to remind all of you who placed orders for Santa Portraits that we will be contacting you by email as soon as they are ready. Once notified, you will be able to pick them up at The Centre.

Thank you again for such a wonderful opportunity to serve your family !

Santa Bloopers

We wanted to thank everyone for sharing their kids with us this past Saturday!

Santa was more popular than ever this year! We had over 100 kids show up on Saturday to give their letters to Santa. It was SO much fun!

(For those of you who weren't able to make it, don't worry...we'll be back out at The Centre this Thursday from 4-6 in the evening.)

I think my favorite part about this event is seeing so many of your kids grow year after year. Here is just one example:

You can see how much this little cutie grew.

Some of the children were amazed by Santa and his beard.

As you can imagine, for every dozen kids who love being on Santa's lap, there are a few who need coaxing. :o)

I hope you guys will enjoy these bloopers as much as I did.

What funny stories these parents will have to tell their children years down the road when they are all grown up. These images are sure to spark a few giggles from the kids too!

The images above are BEFORE and AFTER portraits. This little guy was not fond of Santa. As we do with other hesitant kids, we set up for a Peek-A-Boo Santa portrait and hid Santa behind the set. This little guy did great when there was no Santa in sight; he sat right down in Santa's big chair and gave me a great smile. Then it happened...he heard Santa rustling in the window. Once this little guy realized Santa was right there it was all over--the tears began to flow!!


The image below is probably one of the funniest images we captured that day. As you can see, this little guy doesn't care how he hits the floor as long as he gets down there.

This little one was such a cutie!! You can tell his mama is just out of reach. :o)

Displaying Santa Portraits

Looking for a creative way to display all those Santa portraits during the holidays? Here is a perfect way to preserve a keepsake for your child.

Start by choosing a reprint package that will give you an extra 5x7 of your child with Santa. (Although you can create this keepsake with sibling portraits, we do suggest that you take advantage of the inexpensive opportunity to photograph your kids separately. This creates the perfect opportunity to build an individual, unique keepsake for each child of their own. This will allow for mom's and dad's to keep a collection of the siblings together and have something for the kids to take with them when they begin celebrating the holidays with families of their own.)

Next, have a mat cut and framed with 4-6 openings to place your Santa Portraits in. (Since these images will be a special holiday decoration to be displayed around the tree every year, I would suggest using a red mat.) As each year passes, fill in another opening to your matted collection. As your collection grows, you will not only be able to see how much your child grows year after year, but also all the funny reactions your child had to Santa.

What a wonderful keepsake this will be for your kids as they grow up and share the holiday season with their kids.

(As always, if you need assistance creating this type of display we would be more than happy to help you. We carry a wide assortment of frames and matting.)

Santa Clause is coming to town !!

Come one......come all.
No matter how big or small...
...newborn or older !

Bring the kids by and join us at The Centre this Saturday and Thursday for pictures with Santa. Hot chocolate and cookies are provided by The Centre. The kids are sure to have a memorable time.

Collins Photography Food & Diaper Drive

Tis' the Season...the Season of Giving !

Come help our our community by donating food items and diapers.

There are no session fees for Portraits with Santa, but we do encourage you to bring a donation (big or small). Donations are not mandatory but just a suggestion so you can take advantage of this great opportunity to give. Items collected during our Santa event will be donated to our local charity organizations.

As an incentive, we will be offering coupons from Collins Photography (towards your next studio session) for those of you who donate. Coupons will be good through the month of March. (Some restrictions apply.)

(Donations can not be accepted in replacement of purchasing reprint portrait packages. They will only be accepted as a gesture of giving in leu of a session fee.)

Suggested Items:

Package(s) of unopened Diapers in any size.

Canned Vegetables

Canned Fruit

Boxed Food that has a long shelf life.

Remember....try to keep it healthy and simple !

Something that everyone eats and is easy to cook.

Family Living Country Style

We went on a little excursion to the family farm for this session.

This farm was very sentimental to everyone in the family. I can see why.....it was so pretty there. Throughout the session I heard all kinds of fun stories of how they spend their time there. Before their house was built nearby, the parents said they would get Taco Bell, drive out to the barn and eat in the loft so they could enjoy the view. How sweet!

I think these kids are as close as it gets to cloning their parents.

As you can see above, other than a few minor differences, the youngest is just like his father and below the older is just like his mother (even down to the matching eyecolor). Amazing!!

Thanks guys for showing me around. You really have a great location there!

Danielle

Danielle's images turned out amazing!

What a fun girl to work with.

As you can tell, she looks like she has done this a million times--she comes across so naturally.

We found this great little spot with some fall colors.

Danielle, thanks for your excitement about our work.

We look forward to working with you again in the future!

Cora

I love this image of Cora in the water!!

When girls come in for a senior session, some of them aren't sure what to expect. I'm sure 50 degree water on a 60 degree day wasn't in the plans. Like Cora, most of them jump right in there and love the experience. Senior pictures only happen once!! It's all for the love of the game right?

History in the Making

The more I sat and talked with this mother and daughter, the more I was awakened to the history being recorded in this session. I know to them their lives probably seem ordinary and average, but as the session began to unfold, it was evident to me how much time and love they invested into their relationship. As I look at each captured image, it's almost as if I can imagine video clips of their life together. I was truly astounded at how much this daughter honored, respected and cared for her mother. Hands have a history too!

Throughout our lives, we all have a choice about what we put our hands to. I hope that when I look back on my life, I'll find that I have learned from this mother and daughter's example. I hope that my hands would not be idle through the years but that I would make choices to care for and nurture my relationship with my children. When life turns around on me and old age sets in, I want to look back with no regrets and enjoy the investments I made in my children.

Thank you so much for letting me share this experience with both of you. I know you never intended to walk into my studio and teach me anything, but you did. As God would have it, I walked away with many reminders about how precious and rewarding relationships between a parent and child can be!

Many blessings to you both!

As luck would have it .....

I don't really believe in luck, but I don't find it a coincidence that this family ended up having their session on a day that was as gorgeous as this one was. It is rare to have a setting as beautiful as this for portraits. What a blessing it was to share that day with them. They have been my clients since their oldest daughter was a baby. Over the years I've had a chance to get to know and love their family.

It was a very cold day so we took turns putting coats on and running back to a car to stay warm. Despite the cold, these girl did great!

Thanks again guys for allowing me to be a part of your family over the years!

I count it among my many blessings to have the opportunity to know you!!!!