Hey there, everyone! It’s been a while since the last post. You may have read in a previous post that my husband recently had foot surgery. We spent this weekend at the hospital due to some post surgery complications. He was released today and we are glad to have him home. But it has been a pretty crazy month for all of us and we are looking forward to having Daddy healed and healthy. Being down this long is pretty rough for him. And we are all ready to get back to all of our normal routines:)

I am so excited to announce that I will be speaking at a meeting of the Sumter Digital Photo Club this Thursday evening! It is their 5 year anniversary meeting! I was so honored to be asked to speak and I plan on talking a little about my business and how I got started. I’ll also share my views on creative uses of natural light in location portrait photography. If you are a Sumter area photographer – novice to professional – come on out and meet some new people and have a good time. Check out all the pertinent information here. And say hello if you were referred from my blog:)

If you haven’t become a fan of Ashley Ward Photography on Facebook yet, do that here! I will be announcing a promotion with limited availability soon and plan to give all the details to my fans on Facebook first.

I’ll have more new proofings and faq posts coming soon too so yall come back now, ya hear?

This week I will be trying to answer some of the common questions I get regarding newborn photography. As I am being asked for these sessions more and more these days, I thought this would be a good way to answer some of the questions I receive from clients. Newborns are one of my favorite types of sessions. They are also some of the most challenging. The goal is to capture as much of that beauty and innocence of fresh life before they start to change….and that happens so quickly!

So firstly, I am often asked, “When should I schedule my newborn photo session?” The answer is always “as soon as you possibly can!” Babies come in their own time…..usually not when you have planned it. At least in most cases, their arrival cannot be scheduled. It is important to put your name on my calendar as quickly as possible because I only allow for so many newborns per time period. I have to keep my schedule somewhat flexible so we are able to photograph the baby at the optimal time.

Which leads to my next question: “At what age should a newborn session take place?” Answer: “hopefully before 2 weeks of age.” In the first couple of weeks of life your baby will sleep A LOT. And that is a great time to capture your little bundle. If the baby sleeps harder, it makes it easier to get all the beautiful curled and sleepy poses every parent loves. If you were unable to schedule a newborn session right away and your baby is already 3 or 4 weeks old, don’t worry. I have had great success with babies 2-5 weeks of age, although those sessions can be a bit on the long side. Of course, I photograph babies and children of all ages. But your window for a “newborn session” is relatively short.

Q: Where is the session held?
A: The session is held at your home. There is no need to pack up and take your baby somewhere else. I come to you and when the session is over, you are already relaxing in your own home!

Q: How long is a newborn session?
A: The baby runs the show so that is hard to say. I do ask that parents put aside 4 hours, just in case we need it. That is just the beginning of the time I spend on newborn sessions though. From the processing of the images (which produce more proofs than any other session) to the design and ordering and packaging of the products, I spend approximately 25 hours or more on each client.

Q: 4 hours?! That’s a really long time!
A: I agree. And I won’t shoot any longer than necessary. It may be only 2 hours. Your baby will determine the pace of the session. We don’t spend the whole time shooting. At least half of a newborn session is spent in feedings, comforting, cleaning up “accidents”, setting up shots…. It is definitely worth it. You will see just how quickly they will change and you will be so glad you decided to document these first few days your baby was home.

Q: Accidents? What kind of accidents?
A: The kind that generally occur when you are working with a very sleepy, very full, and very naked baby! Have plenty of towels on hand:)

Q: How do you get those cute poses?
A: Patience is key. Patience and experience and a love for what I do. That’s the recipe!

Q: Do those cute hats belong to you and if so, where did you get them?
A: Yes, most of the hats you see on my blog and website are mine. There are just a few that I purchased but most of them were handmade by me! I was lucky enough to have two grandmothers who were fabulous at crochet. My great grandmother was amazing at it and actually had a line of her handmade crocheted baby outfits, layettes, and booties carried in the Dillards in her city. She gave me some coaching as well. That was a long time ago.

Q: Do you bring any other props with you?
A: Oh yes! You might think I am moving in when I arrive for your session. I will bring baskets and blankets and hats and anything else I might like to try. But I will definitely use any of your own interesting or loved pieces during the session.

Q: How much does a newborn session cost?
A: That depends on what products you want. At this time, newborn sessions are the same price as a regular session – $200. A typical newborn photography session client spends anywhere from $850 to $3500 on prints and products, depending on the types of items they want to document this time and how many.

Q: What types of products do you offer?
A: Standard wall and desktop prints, custom storyboards, DVD slideshows, canvas gallery wraps, digital files, birth announcements, storybooks and mini storybooks, mini accordion albums, and fine custom art albums. This Spring I will also offer a line of gorgeous and unique jewelry.

I think that covers the most frequently asked questions regarding newborn baby photography sessions. Please contact me if you have any other questions or wish to schedule your session at 803-348-3306 or ashley@ashleywardphotography.com.

Another FAQ next week. Send me an email if you would like to make a suggestion for a question. Or visit my fan page at:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-Ward-Photography/39922289977.

One quick newbie image to close out tonight – an oldie but goodie:)

It’s been a long time coming. How long can a photographer go without a great headshot of her own? I have a speaking engagement next month and the organization had requested some of my images and headshot for promotion. Gulp!! I can’t believe I didn’t have a headshot. My images of just me consisted of my self-portrait work – and it was never intended to be something to use for my business….just documentation of my personal life and exercises in skill. I have needed to take care of this little piece of business for so long. Thank goodness for good friends. A call to another local photographer and about 45 minutes of shoot time and I had what I needed. And I think my friend Molly Harrell did a wonderful job. I admit I am not the greatest on the other side of the camera, but Molly was great. So she shot the picture and let me do the editing. Here are the results from that day:

Finally having my own headshot taken has inspired me to get moving on some ideas I have had to show you a little bit more of me and who I am as an artist and photographer and a little bit about what it’s like to have a session with me. Molly will be helping me with that project too and I am really excited about working with her again. But more on that a little later when I have some cool results to share;)

One of my goals this year is to blog a little more. I have always gotten such a positive response when I have shared something a little extra here so I am trying to find ways to keep doing that. One way I would like to do this is to answer a frequently asked question once a week. And let’s start tonight! If you have a question for me, just send it to ashley@ashleywardphotography.com and I will put it on my list:)

Weekly FAQ!
“What’s in your bag?”
I am frequently asked what camera and lenses I shoot with. I am proud to be a Nikon gal! I think Canon makes great stuff too….I just prefer Nikon. It feels and handles better for me.
I shoot with a Nikon D700 and I do have a backup body.
I love prime lenses since I really love to shoot as wide open as possible. My go to lens is my 50mm 1.4 Nikkor. It rocks. It’s on my camera 90% of the time. Although, it’s not the greatest for flare….and I do love flare! Typically a zoom would be better for flare, but I have had great success with my 50mm 1.8 Nikkor and I still keep that lens in my bag just for that purpose.
I also always carry my 35mm 2.0 Nikkor with me. It’s a great lens too and gives beautiful sharp results.
Those are my main lenses. I have dabbled with a 60mm macro and a 14-24mm 2.8f that is awesome. I like to stay pretty close to my subjects. I did also recently acquire a lens baby (a tilt-shift lens) and can tell it will be a great tool for tapping into my creativity. I am excited about getting to use it more but can also tell it is going to take quite a bit of practice to get the results I want.
I also use a Wescott TD5 softbox with daylight fluorescent bulbs sometimes for indoor shoots. It gives beautiful light – just like a giant window. And it is wonderful to work with during newborn and baby sessions. No popping of flash to startle my sleeping babes.

That’s about it! I know this question was more geared toward other photographers, but I had to start somewhere. Next week I will answer a question I get from clients:) And thank you for stopping by the blog! Leave a note if you can. I love to hear from you!

I’m taking a little time tonight to post some images from our fabulous day of snow here in South Carolina. But first, just a little information about 2010 available session dates. I find myself doing more and more newborn photography sessions these days. If you are expecting and are interested in a newborn photo session with Ashley Ward Photography, please contact me as soon as possible to book your session date. Although babies don’t always arrive when expected, I plan for this in my scheduling and have a cushion that allows me to be more flexible on the exact date of your session. But as we start to move closer to Spring, my calendar starts to fill up again. Right now I have appointments on the books through November. At this time, April and July are close to booked. Putting your session on the calendar early guarantees we will be able to capture your little one at the optimal time for the best results:)

Now, on to a little personal posting! Can you believe the amazing snow fall we had last night here in Columbia!? Just amazing how much snow fell! And this is MY kind of snow fall…..the kind I wish for every winter. I always joke about wanting one amazing snow storm with white powdery snow and NOT ICE and wanting it to clear out and be gone the next day. Well, I can hardly believe that is exactly what we got!!! And it was so good for my family. We have been caring for my husband who had foot surgery this week. He is doing very well considering he is confined to the bed and can’t do anything at all. Thank goodness the madness of being bed-ridden hasn’t set in yet. But I know he would have liked to have been out in the snow with us. We opened the shades for him to see the amazing snow fall and my daughter went outside and lightly threw snowballs at him (at the bedroom window). And of course we took pictures and brought the cameras inside and showed him the amazing snow everywhere and the antics of our crazy boxer, Jovie, who adores the snow and loves to “kill” snowballs! We wrapped up our play with a fantastic snowball fight. I love it when I can lose myself in play with my daughter. It is one of the most amazing feelings and always makes me so thankful. I really need to do it more often:)

So here are a few images from our day. Hope you enjoy!

Finally posting a preview for this newborn session. A special thank you to mom for being so understanding. My husband had foot surgery and I have been very busy taking care of him:)

This is my second time to photograph this lovely family. My how the big brothers have grown since I last saw them! And they are so handsome! And good! And energetic! And although it is obvious that these boys are adored…..I bet mom is happy to add a little girl to the family to balance all that “boy” energy:)

Check out this devine nursery! Mom did such a wonderful job and I had so much fun shooting in there. And little miss T was fantastic. You would never believe she was almost 5 weeks for how well she slept in our session.

Mom, I can’t wait till our proofing appointment. Hope you enjoy this preview. Have 35 unique friends or family members leave a comment on this post along with an email address and you can choose a 5×7 or set of wallets with the image of your choice on me:)

I had a fabulous newborn session this morning! I wish I could sit down and edit all of these right now but time does not allow. There are still two more performances of “Charlotte’s Web” at the Columbia Children’s Theatre to attend! All of the actors did a wonderful job last night. They really rose to the occasion. I was as proud as I could be of my daughter. And her Aunt Amy flew in from NY to see her first performance, even keeping it a surprise from me until I arrived at the theatre!!! Yeah, Amy, you got me good:)

Well, back to the reason for this post. Even though I cannot edit this whole newborn photography session now, I just couldn’t wait to edit this image! Eeeek! How I adore this little baby girl and just love this image of her. You can almost smell how sweet she is! More to come from this great baby session soon:)

Sigh

Some of you may know that my daughter will be in a production of Charlotte’s Web with 50 other talented kiddos at the Columbia Children’s Theatre this weekend. She is very excited to be a part of this production and we are thrilled too. I wish I could have been there for all the rehearsals and preparation of the performances but I guess that will make it all the more special when I see it this weekend! I have only caught a little bit here and there but from what I have seen it is going to be wonderful:) Come see the production if you can or their production of Cinderella, performed by adult actors, next weekend. This month they are also having “Cinderalla’s Royal Ball” with a performance by the children’s music artists Lunch Money! How cool is that!!! This is a fantastic group of people and we are so lucky to have them here in Columbia. They have a lot to offer the whole family for entertainment and also offer classes and camps. See their website for more information or to be placed on their mailing list.

So, I spent a little time in the theatre the past couple of Saturdays taking headshots of 51 talented youngsters to be hung on a “wall of fame” showing all the cast members. I delivered those this evening. Be sure to check them out in the window outside the theatre! I am posting the one of my little superstar here:)

Good luck, Sweetheart!!! Break a leg!!! No, not really….but you know what I mean:)

What an fantastic turnout for voting in the contest! Thank everyone so much….from the contestants who sent the word out, to the people who came and voted and to those who commented here on the blog or sent me a message. It was an exciting contest with several people taking the lead at different times. But in the end we had a clear winner.

A very short post today as I announce the winner of the blog contest………drumroll please………..

IMAGE 15!!!! Yay! Congratulations on the win and I look forward to seeing and this precious boy again this year:)

Thank you again to everyone! I hope it was fun for you guys too:) Have a wonderful week!

Well, this is the last day for voting on my image of the year contest and I cannot wait to see the end results!! It has gotten so exciting, with over 500 votes so far and an entry who rose dramatically yesterday from the middle of the pack to the new leader position! I wish you all luck and remember that the voting ends tonight!!! I will announce the winner sometime this weekend.

Also, I want to say a special thanks to everyone who has visited and left a little note on the blog behind or sent me a personal message. I appreciate that so much more than you know. It makes me so happy to hear from you:)

And finally, don’t forget this will be the last day to take advantage of the promotional session fee discount. Book your session today for anytime between now and May 15th and receive $50 off your session fee! You must book today and this special pricing is not valid with any other offer.

Thank you again for your support and interest! And ya’ll come back now:)

It has been one crazy and wonderful year! My business and my personal life have gone through lots of changes and I am just so grateful for where I am today. Thank you to all of my fabulous clients….it has been so much fun getting to know you all and working with you. And thank you to all the visitors to the blog and my community of photographer friends for checking in from time to time and showing your support. I appreciate all of you so much!

Lots of great changes are coming for Ashley Ward Photography. And I am looking forward to sharing it all with you in the days and months ahead. Be sure to check back in with me for all the latest.

It’s time for my annual Image of the Year contest. The winner will receive a 2010 photo session and 8×10 portrait! I have selected some of MY favorite images from this year and I want you to help me pick numero uno! Take a look at the images and cast your vote below. Only one vote per computer….NO CHEATING! Let’s keep this fair and fun for everyone:) Oh, and select your number carefully! Each image is just after the number (so it is the number ON TOP of the image:)

UPDATE!!! There have been well over 300 votes so far to the blog contest! Thank you so much for continuing to vote and leave comments…..I appreciate the blog love so much:) And here is a little special for all those NOT in the contest!
BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK! – Any Ashley Ward Photography Facebook fan who books a newborn or portrait session today through the end of the contest for any session time before May 15, 2010 will receive $50 off their session fee!!! Good only as long as session dates are available:)

Thanks for visiting and for playing!
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