Ella's Birthday Cake Smash! {Brevard County Photographer}

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of capturing Ella for her 1 year cake smash. Her mom supplied all the decorations and I just love the simplicity of it. The gold and pink go great together. Miss Ella was cute as always but was not too interested in eating any of her cake. Smashing it was a lot of fun but could care less about the taste! Check out these fun photos of her session.

(is your little one celebrating a milestone? Let's chat about setting up a session to document this milestone. We can do themed sessions, cake smash session, painting sessions and much more. I help you create the perfect set up so you have the best experience possible)

 

Valentine's Themed Session were a huge hit!

For the first time I held Valentine's themed sessions and they were a huge hit! Thanks to everyone who participated in them. They were so much fun. We had a nice indoor set up so we didn't have to worry about weather and added a few fun props and we were golden. These will definitely be an annual event.
I will be hosting more themed sessions throughout the year so you can take advantage of fun set ups. I am looking at the following throughout the year:
spring themed
mommy and me
Watermelon summer time
fall themed
Christmas themed

Here's a few highlights from the set up:

Prints...Join the Movement

As your photographer it is my job to provide you with quality images. Images that are highest quality. Images that speak volumes. Images that capture life as it happens. Images that preserve precious  memories for years to come. Images that stand out and deserve to be displayed. 

Over the past 5 years photography has taken a turn for our clients. We have shafted you from getting what you deserve. As photographers we have short changed your experience and took away the personalization that once was expected with every session. We stopped showing you the images in print format, stopped asking for your input and just handed you a digital storage device and wished you on your way. And quite frankly it's not working out for either of us. I miss the joy of seeing my work printed and you miss getting prints. In fact, recent feedback from my clients have all stated that they love having digital images to show on social media and to feel they have a "hard copy" that will always be safe BUT when it came time to printing the images they ***gasp*** never got around to it. This breaks my heart. You invested your time and your money into something to sit on a CD or thumb drive.

So this year I am taking a stance to change that. I heard your requests and I want to help you even more. I not only want to take amazing pictures of you and your family. I want to help you discover what sizes to print, how to display them and which ones to save for social media. Your experience with Trisha Harris Photography is going to get better! I am going to offer you even more. I have partnered with several labs to provide you with high quality images that will have the best quality paper and protection. In addition, offer you other products that will be displayed in your home as treasures instead of dust collectors.

Here are some samples of a few custom print orders I had the opportunity to do this past month:

In addition when you order images on a custom USB drive....it's just that...custom to you. With a box to store the drive and photos or other keepsake items. 

Again, I want to change the way you and I view our photographs. I want them to become tangible keepsakes for you to treasure and enjoy for years to come. 

Interested in the new products I have and joining the movement to print your photos, please contact me to set up a consultation. I look forward to chatting with you. 

Cheers!

Trisha

Time to upload January Photos!

Well today is February 2nd...how is that possible? That means we need to start working on our 2017 yearbooks to stay on track and stay ahead. You will want to go to mixbook to start. Feel free to use another company, I just found this one to be the best. They have great service, great quality books, awesome prices and their books hold up to 399 pages!

Once you go to mixbook, you will want to select YEAR IN REVIEW under photo books. I like the portrait style but you can choose landscape, square or portrait. You have the option to use their pre-designed books or start a blank book. I like starting the pre-made ones because it helps get my creativity going and kind of helps keep the same theme throughout so I don't go crazy with different themes. It keeps it all tied together from January until December.
Here's a screen shot of the Year in Review books.

I have done the Family Yearbook, the Kraft Year in review and a Year to Remember. This year I am going with a Year in Review. I will do a lot of tweaking to it but overall it fit my style the best.

Once you get the one you want, start your project and you will be taken to the upload screen:

I have found the best way to upload your photos is first copy them from your phone to your computer. Create a folder call cell phone pics and the month. Then go through those images and pick out your favorites. I then copy my favorites into another folder called YEARBOOK 2017. This way all my yearbook images are in one location. Makes it easier to transfer. Then I upload to Mixbook and start creating.

Your images will load on the left.  I suggest using the hide used images button while you work on it so images don't show up twice in your book. Then you see from the existing layouts I just drag a photo over to the space and adjust it to meet my needs.

Along the top left are the layout options if you want to change, background choices and stickers. At the bottom right there is a zoom feature to see a page up close and a spot to add more pages. Chances are you will add more pages if you are anything like me.

Don't forget to SAVE your work so you can come back later and work on it and update it each month! Good luck. Let me know how it goes for you!

****Mixbook is not paying me to promote their products. I fell in love with their books, their service and their quality and just want to share the goodness with you. They are the best books for price, size and quality I have found. ****

Joe and Christy's beautiful Barn Wedding

Remember that weekend where Florida experienced the coldest temperatures in the matter of 12 hours. We literally went from 80 degrees warm and sunny to windy rain and freezing cold 50 degrees by evening time. It was absolutely crazy. I have lived here my whole life so this rarely happens. Which is good for the wedding industry. While we have to always worry about the rain, seldom do we worry about being cold on the wedding day. Well fortunately the venue Cielo Blu Barn in Fellsmere, Florida was prepared with blankets for guest to snuggle with!

Joe and Christy planned a beautiful barn wedding and while mother nature tried to steal her dream of walking though those big barn doors, the skies miraculously cleared about 45 minutes before the ceremony time. Everything went according to plan and it was an amazing wedding.

Here's the recipe of vendors who helped make this wedding possible:

Venue: Cielo Blue Barn
Entertainment: DJ Master Key Events
Catering: 14 Bones BBQ Catering
Flowers: Violets in Bloom
Photographer: Trisha Harris Photography
Wedding Dress: Aurora Unique Bridal Boutique 
Officiant: Pastor Tim Allen

Scroll through to see this beautiful venue, gorgeous set up and one amazing couple with a lifetime of happiness ahead of them. Congrats Joe and Christy!!1

Time to update your family photo?

The New Year has officially kicked off. By now your Christmas decorations have been put away. You found a new home for all the stuff you and your family received for gifts and you finally feel like you are back in the swing of things. Sigh of relief...at least for me it is.

The last half of the year for me was super busy. Between chasing after Calvin who has officially learned to crawl and settling in from the move, it was also "photography season". What does that even mean? Well every profession tends to have a busy time. Tax preparers are just entering their busy season. This past year was a great season for me....thanks to all of my wonderful clients new and old. Without you and your referrals I wouldn't have had the success I had. So why then would my post be called time to update your family photo if I just had a busy season?

Well the truth of the matter is many book a session during this time just to get their Christmas cards done. (this is great trust me, I do it too). So now you have these really good images but they scream Christmas. Let's face it you are not leaving your Christmas tree up all year long so putting these images around the home might look weird too.

So after talking with other ladies and just listening to others, I have come up with 5 reasons you need to update your family photo.

1. Your Hairstyle in your last Family Photos is from a different decade! Let's face it. We take tons of pictures in our time. We have iphones and digital cameras which allow for the convenience of snapping a photo seamless. But to actually print the images and display them in our home doesn't happen as often. In fact, many times we only display the good quality image that was professionally taken and well that was over 10 years ago so your hair style has changed and now you have outdated photos hanging on the wall.

2. You are missing kids in the photo! YIKES. I cannot tell you how many times I hear: "the last time we had photos, so and so was a baby and now we have baby number 3." Ouch. I wonder what that child thinks to see family photos on display in your home and they are not in them! Studies have proven that images displayed of your family members in the home will actually boost self confidence levels. So that means we need to include all the family members! (yes four legged ones are welcome too)

3. Your kids have kids....Have your kids grown up and started families of their own? Generational photos are timeless. They show your family members who they belong to and the people that mold them and shape them. I have grandparents that have passed away before the age of technology and before I had my own children. I would give anything to have a huge family photo with all my family members. You never know when someone will no longer be around to have their photo taken.

4. You have redecorated your home. Let's face it...Joanna and Chip Gaines have taken over the decor world and "vintage" "rustic" and "farmhouse" are now terms you hear to promote home decor. Chances are you have incorporated these terms into your home as you've decorated it. I know I had a "themed" kitchen in my first home. John Deere everywhere.....canisters, curtains, plates, silverware and a toothpick holder...no joke. Now that is not the case. My style has changed and now photos from that time don't necessarily match my home decor. This is important. If you are a beach and sand loving family and your images hanging in your home are in the woods...they don't compliment one another and chances are your are not fond of them either. In fact I heard some say to me that they haven't hung any pictures because they redecorated and they don't like those frames etc. So plan the session around your style so you will love the images.

5. You have changed your lifestyle! What does that even mean. Well today is the age of being healthy and living a lifestyle versus dieting. More families are getting healthy together and staying active. They have changed the way the view food and fitness and chances are there has been a change to their appearance. You've lost some weight and you look and feel great. Why not update that family photo to show off your hard work and have images that show you at the happiest!

There are probably a dozen other reasons as to why you need an updated family photo. This year I want to partner with you to not only update your family photo but to update your walls. If you are saying yes to each of these or just one of them, then please contact me to set up a session to change your family photos. Families are the precious jewels we have been given, make sure you are preserving those you love most.

2017...Print your photos goal

This year I want to help you print your photos. Many times my clients ask me what do you do with all your pictures? I am going to share exactly what I do and why this works for me. I think printing photos is extremely important. When you are cleaning out stuff and you come across an old box, there's something special about finding an old photo that was printed. It can bring back a flood of memories. You pause for a moment and reminisce.You may even be shocked if the person has changed a lot. Regardless, when you find it an old picture is sparks emotions. When you find an old CD of pictures you are left wondering...hmm what pictures are these? Doesn't quite have the same effect.

 Like these photos above. If they were stuck on a CD or in a digital format, I could never see them. But they are not. They are printed images that I can touch and hold. 

So here's what I do and when I tell people they love the idea. So I am going to help you this year do the SAME thing. Each year (ok really the past 3 years) I make a yearbook....YES a yearbook. I know you are thinking I don't have time for that. But let me talk for a second. Last year my yearbook was over 209 pages and have over 900 photos!!! If I were to print that many photos and put them in a book or what I really like a scrapbook I would never get it done. I only have so many walls, so hanging all those photos would never work. My yearbook is bound, hardcover and custom to my story. And it takes me maybe 2 hrs a month to do!

The first week of every month, I upload all my images from my phone to my computer and transfer them to the site. Now I have chosen to use Mixbook because they offered the most pages. I think they can handle up to 400 pages. I know you are thinking that is a lot...BUT my 2014 yearbook (which was my first) was only 100 pages, my second one for 2015 was 209 and currently my 2016 yearbook is up to 259 pages. I still need to add the month of December. Another reason I love Mixbook is because they usually have  a sale where I can get the book for 50% off. So I wait for a good sale.

So once I upload the images I arrange them to the pages. I add some captions, a few digital stickers and ta-da. Done. I save it. Then do nothing until the next month. This takes me a total of a few hours. Sometimes I do it all at once (I have to get up before anyone else wakes up for this) or I do it over the course of a few days. Either way, there's no mess of papers getting cut into pieces. No gluing. No clutter. No printing 100's of photos and trying to figure out where to put them. No bulky photo albums. Just one album with my entire year in one spot.

Plus the other nice part is that is is electronically saved. So once you do print it, if you have children or pets, if something happened to it, you can reprint it. It's kind of like an insurance policy knowing you have the option to order it again. 

So how I am I going to help you??? Be sure to follow along my Facebook page. Every month the first week I will share a post reminding you to upload your photos and make your pages for the month. This will hopefully help you to make it a habit.
                                

Now, for special photos and ones I really love I print and hang on my walls. I believe that your family should decorate your walls. Studies have found that having pictures of your loved ones on the wall, especially your children, helps boost confidence. ;) So, every day cell phone pictures that I wouldn't want hanging on my walls goes right into the yearbook. Special images or ones from a photoshoot with a photographer (yes I use a professional photographer to capture special moments too) I print and hang them up.

I'd love to hear back from you. Will this help you out? Are you excited to commit to a new goal to print your photos? Do you like this idea? Send me a line or comment. I would love to hear your thoughts!

-Trisha

(Mixbook is not paying me to advocate their services or product. I just love them that much and want you to experience the same joy I have that I am sharing this info on my own free will.)