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Mother’s Day is around the corner – May 12th!

2013
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Wesley Chapel and Tampa’s Premier Portrait Studio – Mother’s Day Portraits

We are celebrating Mother’s Day in many ways at Cloud 9 Studios! One way is with our Mommy and Me Mini Sessions.

These Mommy and Me mini sessions feature a NEW product at the studio – The “I Love You” Mini Movie!!

If you are a husband and want to surprise your wife on Mother’s Day … call the studio today and we can make you a gift certificate to give her! Then she can call and book her session :)

View our special offer and sample of the Mini Movie below! How can you resist?

Mother’s Day Portraits from Jeanine McLeod on Vimeo.

 

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Love Notes and Stories from our Clients

2013
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I am embarking on doing a website overhaul ….  Yikes! I know …. crazy to take on a new project … but as you guys know me … I get bored easily and love to change things up. Hopefully I won’t take down the website in the process!!

One of my new projects for the website is a page featuring love notes and stories from clients. Many of my clients (especially the littlest ones) are at the studio 4 or 5 times throughout the year. That means I get to know a lot about the family! Some of the stories that are shared with me are priceless and I am going to start having the families share these stories with you guys who read the website! If you have a story you want to share and have it featured on the new page of my website along with some images of your child/family … send me an email at jeanine@photosoncloud9.com … If you just want to share a “Love Note” (why you loved your portraits) with us … that is fabulous as well!!

In the spirit of launching this page, I thought I would share a series of images from one of our Baby Steps graduates. Lincoln finished our baby plan in the fall and has since joined our Small Wonders kids club! He has been so fun to watch grow and change. He is a very typical little boy … very easy to photograph for his first year … and then …. he learned how to walk. Well actually he learned how to RUN! To be more specific … learned how to run away from me! Now our sessions are an aerobic exercise for me and his parents! I keep promising them he will out grow this soon :) Luckily I am very quick with my shutter release and we still get adorable memories of our little speedster :)

I loved the Baby Plan, especially being a new mom with a post-pregnancy brain that was so wrapped up in everything that I often forgot to take pictures on my own. With the baby plan I got to capture my son’s first year of life. The first year goes by in a flash and I think it’s so important to have those memories preserved so you can look at them for years to come! – Jennifer (Lincoln’s mom)

Here are the milestone images from Lincoln’s first year.

3 Months

6 Months

 

9 Months

 

1 Year

A few months later they came for a family portrait …

Family Portrait

And of course … all of our kids (even those that run a lot) sit for a few duck portraits!

Lincoln's Ducks!

I look forward to getting your emails with fun stories and letters I can start to build my new webpage with!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Jeanine's Thoughts, Recent Sessions, Then and Now

Thanksgiving in 5 days. What??

2012
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Some of my random thoughts on Thanksgiving being 5 days away ….

  • How is it possible? How is Thanksgiving in 5 days? This happens every year to me. I look up at our production rack and we have used every hanging envelope we own (we have over 100 of them).  There are Christmas card designs flying out of our studio, lab orders arriving every day and we still can’t keep up! Lucky for me I have a great team who is willing to do what it takes to get the work done for you guys.
  • Thanksgiving may be a week early this year … but what that really means is that we get an excuse to hang up Christmas lights sooner, shop earlier and more often, and have more time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to have portraits delivered! HAHA
  • For those of you who live near Wesley Chapel, you MUST go to the Tree Lighting … your kids will LOVE it. We went tonight for the main lighting and it was amazing. There won’t be fireworks every night, but the music, lights and fake snow is so much fun for adults and kids.
  • Pasco County not having school this week has been great for the studio! We are slammed with sessions of kids who are normally in school during the day. I love it! Thanks Pasco County!
  • Peppermint the Elf has been very busy at the studio. Have you been following his mischievous ways on Facebook? Today he was found taking a nap on top of one of the large portraits in the front room. Silly little Elf. Sleeping on the job!
  • And finally … only one more day of our crazy Themed Set schedule. I think I can … I think I can … I can make it through the day!!

Thank you to everyone who has helped make this November so successful for us. We are having a BLAST seeing all the kids in their Christmas outfits and can’t wait to see your faces when you pick up your portraits!! Everything is looking fabulous :)

Have a great week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Jeanine

 

 

 

 

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I am published!!

2012
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Wesley Chapel and New Tampa’s Premier Children’s Photography Studio.

I am so excited I am bursting at the seams! As many of you know if you follow my blog or Facebook, I have been selected to speak in January at our National Photography Convention. This is a huge honor in our photography world and I am nervous, excited, anxious, etc. Well, this summer, to add to the excitement our association asked me to write an article for the October issue of our trade publication on a topic supporting what I will be speaking on. Naturally I chose to write about the children’s aspect of our business and how we market our mini sessions throughout the year!

Well …. drum roll …. The loved my article and it is being mailed out to photographers everywhere this week PUBLISHED in the Professional Photographer magazine! That’s right … now I am officially a published “author”. Doesn’t that have a fun ring to it! LOL

If you want to read it, and see which of my client’s were also featured in the article, I have uploaded the PDF here.

 

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We LOVE to GIVE in October

2012
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Wesley Chapel and Tampa’s Premier Children and Family Portrait Studio

During the month of October we always celebrate our local community by supporting a charity or organization we admire and love. I may not be a huge company, but I do know that we have the power to raise money through the generosity of our staff, clients and referral partners. I prefer to keep the money raised in our community where I can see the faces of those impacted and watch how their lives are effected!

Two months ago I met a young man named Gleb. He is a Senior at Eryn’s school, Academy at the Lakes, and had come to the studio for his Senior Portraits. I usually can tell right away when meeting someone if I am going to have fun photographing them. When he walked in the door, smiled and showed me his outfit choices (all perfectly coordinated), I knew we were going to click! This boy had put thought in to his session!

While Gleb was changing I had a chance to talk to Eric. Eric runs an organization called The Renaissance Project (luckily I have spell check to help me get that right!). Gleb is a Russian student that Eric has sponsored here since he was 12. After chatting with Eric and learning more about the amazing work he does to give a group of boys the chance to change their lives for the better I was hooked. He shared the same passion I have for celebrating the life of children. Whether through education or art, the results are the same. Children’s lives are impacted for the better!

Eric’s organization www.renproject.org is the organization I have chosen to sponsor this month.

Here is what I have planned so far for the month:

  • 50% of all session fees will go towards goal
  • 5% of frame sales will go towards the goal
  • Special donation opportunities (email me for details)

What is the goal?? My goal is to raise $2000 for them this month. I know we can do that!!!! Please take the time to look at their website to learn about who they are and you will see how much this money will mean to them!

I found one of those thermometer widgets so you can watch us track how much we have raised this month!

If you would like to make an online donation please click here now! For every $5 you donate you will get a ticket in our raffle for a Wine Basket from Time for Wine.

Olimometer 2.35

Here are some of Gleb’s Senior Portraits …. I told you we had fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Jeanine's Thoughts, Projects, Studio Events Tagged With: , ,

The Tooth Fairy

2012
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Wesley Chapel and Tampa’s Premier Children’s Photography Studio – I lost my first tooth!

We talk a lot in the studio about Celebrating the Life of your Child. This is something I am extremely passionate about. There are so many aspects to celebrating your child … from the obvious milestones like birthdays, to the not so obvious memories like playing in the mud! Every child has something unique about them to celebrate constantly. As a parent one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the self confidence they need to excel in this world. Celebrating their achievements, milestones and sometimes just the little every day things helps to do this!

A few months ago we had a child come in the studio who didn’t want to smile for me. When I asked her why, she said it was because she looked silly because she didn’t have any front teeth. I was so sad for her that she would be embarrassed about  something every child goes through. I looked at her and told her that she must have been excited when the tooth fairy came to her house. That made her smile as she told me about the $10 bill she got under her pillow. Wow! I told her, when I was little I only got 25 cents!

That conversation made me realize that losing your front teeth is another one of these occasions in our child’s lives that we should celebrate! They should not feel silly or embarrassed by the fact that their smile is a bit different now. They should show it off!!! They should be proud!

Thus, I have designed a brand new Mini Session for the studio. It is called “My First Visit from the Tooth Fairy!” This session is perfect for any child (boy or girl) who loses those front teeth! Bring them in and we will take 15 minutes to make them feel special about themselves and create a beautiful collage featuring the tooth fairy!

- Tooth Fairy Special Package Deal -
$165 for the Mini Session and your Custom Designed 10×10 Beveled Collage

If you are interested in celebrating your child’s first visit from the Tooth Fairy, give us a call at the studio 813-994-4552 to reserve your Mini Session.

Here is a sample I created from a little girl who lost her two front teeth to give you an idea of what the collage can look like.

 

 

Filed Under: Jeanine's Thoughts, Limited Edition Sessions, Slider Tagged With: , , , ,

Back 2 School – Get out your cameras!

2012
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Wesley Chapel and Tampa’s Premier Children’s Photography Studio – Back 2 School

Wow … I can not believe the kids are going back to school next week. Where has the summer gone? If you are like me, I always think I will have so much time to play and have fun over the summer and then the next thing you know it is mid-August. How does this happen every year?

My daughter starts Kindergarten this year. I am so excited, as is she!! The first day of school is probably one of the most scrapbook worthy days of the year! I know you all wish I could be at your home photographing away, but since that isn’t possible, I figured I would give you a list of what I would photograph to document your child’s first day of school!

At Home: (Be sure to leave yourself some extra time to take these photos! You don’t want your kids to look annoyed at you.)

  • First day of school breakfast (it is OK if it is Pop Tarts!)
  • Lunch bag/box with all the goodies inside (close up of any special note you write them)
  • Name on their stack of school supplies
  • Summer project (if applicable)
  • Your child dressed and ready to go in front of the house holding up something to say what grade they are starting. I have seen people use little chalk boards, poster board, wooden blocks, etc. The possibilities are endless. Be creative!
  • Have them do a few poses showing off their first day of school outfit. Don’t forget the shoes! It is probably the cleanest they will be all year!
  • If they are riding a bus, get them in front of the bus, otherwise get them getting in to your car.
  • Don’t forget a shot from the back with them looking over their shoulder. This is great to see their backpack, plus it is also a “goodbye” shot …

At School:

  • Overall view of the school
  • School sign
  • Your child at the door to their classroom
  • Your child with their teacher
  • Your child’s desk with their name on it
  • Teacher’s desk
  • Look around the classroom and take some images to capture details of what the room looks like. Focus in on anything with names.
  • Hanging up their backpack
  • Photos with any of their friends

After School:

  • Getting off the bus, or standing in front of school waiting for pickup
  • After school snack
  • Hugs from mom and dad on a first day well done

Be sure you check and make sure that your camera battery is fully charged and your memory card has room for images. Nothing would be worse than adding that nightmare to the stress of the first day of school!

I hope you guys all enjoy the first day of school …. and if you want to share some of the awesome photos you take of your kids, please email them to me and I will post them up on the blog!

For those of you who remember my blog from last year … this was Eryn’s First Day of Junior Kindergarten … I’ll be sure to post a lot more now that she is starting Kindergarten!!!

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Tampa Bay Parenting – August Cover

2012
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Wesley Chapel and Tampa’s Premier Children’s Portrait Studio – Photographing the August Cover of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine

Have you picked up your August copy of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine yet?

This cover was shot on the campus of Berkley Preparatory School in Tampa. What a beautiful school. They recently added a garden square with a clock tower in the center. We chose one of the walkways with the tower in the background as the location for the session.

The little girl who modeled for the cover was adorable. As you can tell her blue eyes jump off the page!

Of course as with any session there were a few challenges. The first being it was 95 degrees that day and extremely humid. I knew we didn’t have long to get the cover image we needed before the little girl’s face would flush and her bangs would start looking wet from the sweat!

I think the finished cover came out amazing. I hope you enjoy! If you don’t currently receive the magazine you can visit their website at www.tbparenting.com

 

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Jeanine relaxed? – It just took a massage!

2012
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Wesley Chapel and Tampa’s Premier Children’s Photography Studio -

As you can imagine, photographing children doesn’t go easy on one’s back or shoulders! I see my chiropractor regularly, but sometimes I just need my body to relax. Sometimes I just need an hour away, in the dark, with relaxing music and a MASSAGE. Lucky for me, right across the parking lot from our studio are the amazing ladies at Ideal Massage.

Yesterday I went in for a one hour full body massage. Now let me tell you, not only have I been photographing like a crazy person this past month, but after our trip to DC with all the walking and airplane rides, the tension in my muscles has been a bit overwhelming. I had an appointment on the calendar for yesterday to go for a massage. I was looking forward to it from the moment I stepped on that plane to come home.

If you have never been to Ideal Massage, the place relaxes you from the moment you walk in the door. Just what I need! Laura Lee, greeted me and took me back to my room. From the moment I got on the table, I went to my happy relaxed place. For a Type A personality like me, it is hard to turn off. It is hard to stop thinking of work, my to-do list, who needs to be called, who needs session prepping, etc. Laura Lee began working on my shoulders and within seconds I was relaxed and thinking of …. well I was thinking of nothing! It was freaking awesome.

The hour flew by and before I knew it she was done. Sigh … that was the only sad part. I didn’t want it to end.

For those of you who need an hour to yourself to relax, recharge and get ready to face another day … I highly recommend you find an hour to spend with a massage therapist from Ideal Massage. You will feel like a new person when you leave and the people you live and work with will thank you for becoming a more relaxed and healthy person!

Check out their website at www.myidealmassage.com or call them to get information and book your massage at 813-406-4418.

I love their massages so much that I think I may start offering their services as a bonus level when you spend a certain amount from your portrait session :) What do you think?!

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Relaxing with a nice glass of wine

2012
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Today has been a long day. Whereas most of my friends enjoy their Saturdays spending time with their family, I enjoy mine helping other families celebrate their lives together. You all know I LOVE every minute of what I do, however it is nice to unwind after a long day of making children and babies smile!

I knew tonight when I came home I was going to have time to curl up with a book and relax with a nice glass of wine. Lucky for me I always keep my wine fridge stocked with an amazing selection of wines from Time for Wine. The only difficult decision is deciding what I am in the mood for. Tonight as I stare in my little fridge (I think I need a bigger one) the bottle of Conte Rosso from Il Conte Villa Prandone jumps out at me. Ah yes. This is exactly what I am in the mood for tonight.

I fumble with my corkscrew and wrestle with the bottle to get it open as quickly as possible. Oh my, the aroma from the bottle is amazing and is screaming for me to drink it right now! I pour a glass and take another deep breath. This time I slowly inhale and enjoy the scent from my nose all the way down. Thank you Charles for suggesting this wine … I knew before even taking a sip that this was going to be a well loved glass (or glasses) of red.

The incredible aromas did not lie. As I took my first sip, I thought to myself … “Hmmm do I really need to read a book tonight? Or should I just enjoy my evening cuddled up with my wine glass?!”

Conte Rosso was everything I thought it would be. What a great way to end a long day and what an incredible wine to sip and enjoy.

I know this is a bit of an unusual blog posting … but for those of you who know how I feel at the end of the day, because you feel the same way too … I just thought I would share!

Love you guys and I hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend!

Jeanine

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