SEPTEMBER 24 / Wolf Road Prairie

OCTOBER 22 / Fullersburg Nature Preserve FULLY BOOKED

Based on the positive response from last year’s family mini session day, this year there will be two dates and locations to choose from. Plus, the package this year includes all images on disc, so there is no need to fret over which images to choose. Rather than having to decide which images work best, you will have the full set to work with. The feedback from last year was that this is the most fulfilling method for families to make full use of their images during the hectic fall and holiday season. Think of your holiday images this way:

Presents for relatives? done.
Holiday cards? done.
Album for the coffee table? done.
Updated home decor? done.

Squabbling with your kids and bribing them to sit still? um, nope.
Trying to figure out what all those buttons on your camera do? naw.
Hours in front of your computer downloading pictures? no.

What’s included:

* 30 minute session for a family grouping. Extended families are not permitted due to time constraints.
* 10-15 high resolution, print-ready portraits of the family together, children together and children individually, presented on disc with a full license to reproduce images for personal use. Disc includes both color and black & white versions, fully retouched. The best images are chosen by the photographer and will represent a range of images.
* A set of web-resolution images, ready for sharing by email or on Facebook.
* Printing, and lab recommendations, including the best holiday card sources.
* A set of 4×6 proofs for your reference
* 3 mini accordion books (cross grandma’s stocking stuffer off the list!)

Price: $395

Sessions are booked every half hour starting at 8.30am. Please get in touch by email to be added to the schedule.

There are a LIMITED NUMBER of time slots available each fall, and many are already booked. There are only so many days of glorious weather before we all head inside and start drinking our hot cocoa, right!?

Soccer schedules? Campouts? Birthdays? Family events? Believe me, I get it. I know the fall is full of activities. Mark this off your list now.

As an incentive to get organized, families who book their session for August – October before May 31st will get one free digital file included with their order. That’s your holiday cards sorted out!

Email the studio to get your preferred date.

Capturing your family doing their favorite summer activities deserves a full afternoon of documentary photography. Each year I offer a limited number of on-location beach sessions to help preserve this magical time. This is not an opportunity to dress the family in white shirts and khakis and force a formally posed portrait on the beach, though we will certainly capture the entire family together, looking great, and having a blast. The objective is to create a broad visual portrait of your family perfect for display in a hardbound album and on the walls of your home — a portrait that ranges from intimate, spontaneous moments to wide angle vistas of your own special location.

I will travel within 150 miles. That’s about as far as Saugutuck in Michigan, or Sheboygan in Wisconsin. Travel beyond 150 miles will incur a $200 mileage and overnight fee. If your favorite getaway is not located on Lake Michigan, but is within 150 miles, that works too. There is no limit on family size. Extended family welcome! During the session, I blend in like a long-lost cousin with a camera: happy to hang out for the afternoon without overstaying my welcome.

The details:

* 4-6 hour documentary style shoot, with option of gently posed images for holiday cards/wall display
* 12×12 hardbound album displaying 20 matted prints
* 4×6 proof set, 150+ total images
* Full online gallery and in-studio consultation to help with selections

Although it is only March now, many summer dates are already booked – it is not too early to reserve for August. Please contact the studio for more information and to reserve your date. Can’t wait to see you this summer!

To book a session, simply email heidi@heidipeters.com or give the studio a call on 708-352-1774. I will respond with confirmation info.

Thanks—
Heidi

GIMME 5 sessions are fast and friendly, lasting only 15 minutes per child.

GIMME 5 dates are:

• January 22 (studio)
• February 12 (studio)
• March 19 (studio)
• April 16 (Cantigny)

These are all Saturdays. Sessions last about 15 minutes per child and are offered every half hour, starting at 9am. Children are photographed individually. Siblings may be booked in back-to-back sessions. Children must be at least 6 months old for GIMME 5s. (sorry! little babies are awesome but they operate on their own agendas!)

What’s included:

• 5 fully edited images on disc in color and black & white versions for print, and color versions sized down for sharing on the web
• Lab recommendations to create quality prints
• Reproduction license

Price: $125

Please be advised that GIMME 5 sessions book up very quickly. Many parents book multiple sessions over the course of the year in order to capture their children’s development in a cohesive, professional style. For example, four sessions booked over the course of a year result in 20 high-quality images to use in albums, displays, holiday cards and keepsakes.

The GIMME 5 headquarters are here. To book a 2011 session, please get in touch by email.

• The studio will be closed from November 24 – November 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. All calls and emails will be returned on Monday, November 29.

• For holiday delivery, client orders must be placed by Monday, December 6th. I will be in the studio from November 29 – December 6 to assist with ordering! {Orders placed after this date may incur rush charges from the lab.}

• GIMME 5 dates for 2011 will be announced here on the blog and on facebook on December 1st. Be ready! Being a “fan” on facebook is the easiest way to be automatically reminded of the booking date.

• The studio will be closed for the holidays from December 20 – January 2.

I have been so thrilled with my wonderful clients and assignments this year and am already planning a few new projects for next year.

In the meantime, here’s a delicious shot {literally!} from a sweet little lady…

My studio is having it’s own end of summer frenzy to get ready for what’s known in our business as “the fall rush”. This is the time when everyone books family sessions in the wonderful fall colors that abound here in the midwest for use on holiday cards, as gifts, albums, and for home decor. So let’s just say that I’m ready to roll. Here’s a little update:

1. If you receive updates by email, please note that this will be your last newsletter. I’m turning the email newsletter option off because it is causing some problems with my domain. Want an alternative? Please follow me on Facebook or get the RSS feed on Google Reader!

2. Fall weekend sessions are going like hotcakes. I am currently booking well into October and November. Do not wait until the last minute. Just sayin’.

3. Lastly, the studio is really coming into it’s own now. Although, I’ve been working out of the studio alot this summer to maximize time with my children, I simply can’t wait to get back in the full-time studio mode! Lots of product samples have been updated, a new brochure is ready, and a set of fabbo wall display guides are printed and ready to use. These are so great…

Have fun in the remaining days of our hot summer. Can’t wait to see you all for the fall rush!

– heidi

Emails and voicemails will be checked and returned during this time, though with a slight delay. I’ll be distracted by the Pacific coast, majestic redwoods and, if my son has his say, Legoland.

The answer is: “Yes!”

I’m pleased to announce a package for beach sessions this summer which will capture all those amazing summer memories, and present them in a way you can enjoy. Have fun with your family at the beach, blueberry picking, getting ice-cream, fishing, water-skiing, barbequeing, walking at sunset — whatever you love. I will capture everything as it happens.

The details:

* 4-6 hour documentary style shoot
* 9×12 hardbound album displaying 30-40 images ($535 value)
* $250 print credit
* 4×6 proof set
* One image on CD for holiday cards ($75 value)
* Full online gallery and consultation in my studio to help you choose images
* Price: $895, or $495 without album

I will travel within 150 miles. That’s about as far as Saugutuck in Michigan, or Sheboygan in Wisconsin. Travel beyond 150 miles will incur a $200 mileage and overnight fee. If your favorite place is not located on Lake Michigan, but is within 150 miles that works too. There is no limit on family size. Extended family welcome! Additional matching albums may be ordered at a 20% discount. You can expect between 100-200 final images from your day, depending on family size.

Please contact me for availability.

The dates for upcoming GIMME 5 sessions have now been released! They are (drumroll please…)

February 20 : studio
March 20 : studio/urban
April 24 : Beemis field
May 22 : Somewhere flowery, to be determined. Possibly a blooming orchard.

Click here for full information about GIMME 5 sessions.