the photoBooth is too much fun

Yesterday was another wonderful bridal show at the Holiday Inn Center City Charlotte http://www.hicharlotte.com/. We had the change to talk with several brides and have them try out the photoBooth. While some were apprehensive to start, they all came out laughing and smiling. Here is a shot of the booth at the show along with a few photoBooth samples from the day. If you are having a wedding or a fun event, check out the photoBooth web site
www.photoBoothCharlotte.com.

Tripp & Elizabeth: Engaged!!

Elizabeth won our free engagement session from the University Hilton Bridal show last month. We had a blast during the photo shoot and got some great images to show for it!

Lawton Summerlin

Lawton is 18 months old and full of energy!! So adorable! 

Time is running out!!

If you're interested in getting involved with the National Charity Model search, time is running out! Voting ends on April 2nd so you only have a few weeks left to schedule a session and start voting!! Don't wait to call!

What's your image?

Last week I went to hear an amazing photographer (Sandy Puc) speak on photographing children. At all of these types of seminars the speakers typically mention marketing at some point in time. Sandy was no different. She emphasized the importance of "branding" your image. This is something I've always known, but her refresher got me thinking. How do we as photoEdge brand our image? Is it cohesive? Does it make sense? Do people walk away, or leave our website, with the same impression we are trying to convey or is it different? Is there a disconnect between what we WANT them to feel and what people they actually feel?

This got me thinking about my own life. When I come in contact with people do they walk away with the same impression I try to give or is there a disconnect?
Just something to get you thinking :o)

Is your kid the cutest kid in America?

We are participating in the National Charity Model Search to select “America’s Cutest Kid” and to raise funds for charity. We’re looking for cute children ages 18 months to 14 years old to model for a portrait to be entered into the contest.

Models Search Special:
$30 entrance fee, which includes a 30minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Anyone may vote. Each vote is $1, and all proceeds from votes benefit the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. (NILMDTS.org)
Grand prize national winner will be determined from the 50 city finalists. Winners selected by photography and modeling industry experts.
If your child is selected the national winner, you’ll receive many prizes, including a $5,000 US Savings Bond and a Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera.

If you’re interested in entering your child(ren), please call the studio at 704.243.6584. For more information about the contest, go online to www.sandypucmodels.com.

Kid's Play

Give me a camera, a studio and a group of boys under the age of 5 and the fun never stops!!

Makeovers coming in April

One of our favorite wedding people is Heather Bryson because she does an amazing job with hair and makeup. She's also a very fun person. We are teaming up with her for a one-day event to do makeover and photo sessions. This will be an extremely fun time. You can find out more about this event by reading the info page here. You can learn more about Heather at her web site.

The photoBooth in action

My church is partnering with Montclaire Elementary school in Charlotte to help them send their 5th grade class to Washington DC. Last night, we put on a fundraiser dinner at the school and of course that was a great place for the photoBooth. It was a hit.





Call us to book the photoBooth for your event. www.photoBoothCharlotte.com.

Real Wedding Feature

One of the benefits of working in the field of wedding services is that you get to meet lots of other amazing wedding professionals and build relationships. One of those great relationships is with SJB Weddings and Events. Shanika's blog features a different wedding every Friday and this time it's our turn. Be sure to check it out! She is also hosting a contest for brides to win a Weekend Wedding Coordination Package ending March 14th. Click here for more details.

photoEdge: A History (Part 5)

2008 marked the 2nd year of business. We had the house, we had the business, we had the brochures, we had the weddings booked, etc. Now it was just time to grow the business.

At the start of 2008 we already had 16 weddings booked. We were starting to get more brides calling us rather than us calling them. People were even starting to knock on our door. In Spring we had a booth at the Waxhaw Spring Fest for the 2nd time and had many many people say “You guys are the ones who just fixed up that house aren't you?” Our name was starting to get around.

Everything was looking up in the world of photoEdge. We did have some setbacks however. It's amazing how good an idea can sound in your own mind and during the planning period and how poorly it can do in the real world. We tried, we failed, we tried something different. We're still learning how this whole business thing works, but 2008 was a great teacher! By the end of the year we had successfully photographed 26 weddings,

about 70 portraits of engagement couples, families and children,

our first maternity portrait,

multiple senior portraits,

a high school prom,

our first dog portrait,

and much much more like bridal portraits in the bath tub!


It's hard to even remember all of the stuff that happened in 2008! The business sort of felt like it took off. In December when we looked at our yearly numbers we discovered that we had actually more than doubled our revenue! We still have a LONG way to go before we reach the “comfort zone” but 2008 definitely helped us get a little closer to our goal.

Who knows what 2009 has in store, but it's a brand new year with brand new trials, joys, failures, successes and stories!

What's a PPNC?

Last week was the PPNC convention. PPNC stands for Professional Photographers of North Carolina. Every year, we get together in Durham, NC for a 5 day convention. During this time, several photographers from around the country do presentations, we get to see all of our friends, and there is a print competition. This year's theme was "Tackling the Art of Photography." I always feel honored that such talented photographers are willing to spend their time sharing their gems with us. One of my favorites was Tim and Bev Walden at www.waldensphotography.com. Tim's father was a photographer before him so photography is in his blood. His creative approach to relationship photography was inspiring to me. He also has a fantastic story about his father, who became paralyzed from the arms down and did not have a good prognosis for his future. After this event, he continued his business and was able to work from a wheelchair. He told his son Tim that he would accept no excuses. This is a good word for these times.

I volunteered on the committee for print competition. Seeing the best work of many amazing photographers together is inspiring and humbling. Listening to the judges comments is also quite a learning experience.

Being a member of PPNC has been an invaluable asset for us. This community of photographers is a close group willing to share and help each other succeed. Check out the web sit at www.ppofnc.com.

Jill & Taylor: Engaged!!

Jill was my college roommate back in Santa Barbara. I remember when Taylor and her first started dating. He was still back in Texas and she used to talk to him on the phone constantly! To the extent that they would call each other just to let the other one know they were going to be at the store or class or at a movie. They were so cute!! He even flew out to CA to surprise her one weekend. What a great boyfriend. Well that great boyfriend turned into a great fiance and lucky for me - he has relatives in Tennessee so I got to meet up with them in Blowing Rock, NC awhile back to take some engagement pictures. Here's some of our favorites.

photoEdge: A History (Part 4)

The first year of photoEdge was definitely a full one! Not only was I getting used to living in the South, but also both Dave and myself were getting used to being business owners. Talk about a first year of firsts! First wedding, first portrait, first studio space, first time driving in Charlotte, first bridal show, first wedding consultation, first senior portrait, first time business owner, etc.
photoEdge started out in the office at the Edge's house in Waxhaw. During the first 3-4 months or so, most of our time was spent out on the road. We visited hotels, wedding venues, met with coordinators, went to marketing lunches, bridal shows, etc. Anything we could do to meet other wedding professionals and grow the business we did. When we weren't out on the road we were in the office with one computer trying to figure out what the website should look like. Or how to design an album. Or what our brochures should look like and if we should even have one.

March 31st of 2007 was our very first wedding as photoEdge. Corey and Elise had a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Bethelwoods Meeting Center. About a month later we had Billie and Jack's wedding at the Doubletree Southpark Hotel. Slowly but surely we started to book more and more weddings for the rest of the year.

Dave's little office was starting to feel smaller and smaller. Dave had looked into renting studio space before I had even agreed to move out here, but everything was super expensive. We both had this vision of renovating an old house and turning it into a studio. Our slogan is Your Photographer For Life and we designed our business around building relationships with our clients. With that in mind, the idea of a house seemed so much more intimate than a rented space. Then it happened, the big white house on Old Providence Rd went up for sale. It was perfect! Exactly what we'd pictured. During the end of May we took a tour of the house. It definitely had a lot of work to be done, but we could see the potential immediately and put in a bid. By July 5th we were moving in!


We spent the next the next 4 months renovating the house, continuing to build the business, shooting weddings and trying to build up more family portrait business. On November 1st the photoEdge studio officially opened it's doors. November and December were spent adjusting to having a studio space and preparing for 2008.