Allison Muirhead Photography

Contest!

It is contest time!

Favorites of 2010 Contest

 

I have picked some of my favorites of 2010. Now it’s time to pick yours. The client whose photograph receives the most votes during the contest will receive the following prize package valued at $3,000.

 

The Prize:

1. Full session on-location or in-studio and all digital rights on all of your images from that session.
2. 16” x 20” print and a set of photo notes.

 

View Photos:

Contest photos are numbered and can be viewed via the Allison Muirhead Photography Fan Page on Facebook or my blog at allimphoto.com.

 

Two Ways to Vote:

1. FACEBOOK: If you are not already a fan of “Allison Muirhead Photography,” on FB, then become a fan. Once you are a fan, you can vote. Go to the photos tab and click on the CONTEST folder. Simply comment the word “vote” under the photo of your choice. We’d also love to hear why it’s your favorite. To be counted, votes must be posted under the image and not on the main fan page wall.
2. ALLIMPHOTO.COM: Go to the site and click on the blog. Vote for the photo you like by number under the contest post.

 

You can vote for your favorite once per day in each location.  Only one vote per day from Facebook and one vote per day from the blog will be counted toward the prize.

 

The contest will begin at noon on Tuesday, February 22^nd and run through noon on Tuesday, March 1st. Please pass the word to family and friends and encourage them to vote for your favorite!

 

Good luck to everyone. Please do not be upset if your child is not featured this time. I was trying to choose a wide range of images to show the full extent of my year. We will do this again!

 

Please use the comment section to vote.  I need to know the number you are voting for, so your comment would look something like this.... "Number 47! I love this image! So fun."

You can vote on the blog once a day and one facebook once a day!

Good Luck

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What to wear- Spring Family Photo- Madison MS photographer

what to wear ::

Spring Looks for Family Photo Sessions

One of the questions I get on a regular basis regarding photo sessions is

“what do I wear?”

So I thought I’d share my ideas and thoughts on the subject. Whether you’re taking engagement photos, family photos, or headshots, many of the same fashion theories apply, but since I have upcoming family mini-sessions, I’ll cater most of my comments toward dressing a group.

It just has to GO
The first suggestion I have for dressing your family is to avoid being matchy-matchy. We’ve all seen the typical family portrait of a group in white collared shirts and denim… as I have mentioned before I am guilty of this, (in fact my mother made my family do this, this past Christmas!) and while this may have been popular in the 90′s, outfits like this generally look a little dated and lack personality. Instead of thinking of every outfit matching exactly, try to think about them GOING together. The colors and textures and styles need to all look good together, so try to pick a color scheme and style and stick with that. In the example below, all the outfits are casual, so the style is consistent. The colors aren’t all the same, but they do go together and compliment each other well.

Let one outfit or piece be your inspiration
Let’s face it, when it comes to family photos, mom is usually the one who is picking out the clothes for the family. As a mom, that’s exactly what I would do.  Maybe for you it’s a cute little ruffled cardigan that your daughter has, or maybe a stylish outfit  that you MUST see your child in. Or maybe you’re obsessed with Anthropologie like I am and HAVE to wear one of these adorable new dresses. Whatever that must-have item is, start with that and work from there.

 

 

 

Avoid too many loud patterns
The focus of your photos is YOU, so let your clothes compliment you rather

than overpower you. Patterns are totally fine as long as they don’t distract

from your face. Also keep in mind that you don’t want competing patterns among your group being photographed. Like in the example below, there are just a few patterns, but none of them are overwhelming, so they still go together

 

Love some LAYERS
I LOVE layers. LOVE THEM! Layers are a great way to add depth and interest to a photo without being distracting AND it gives you the option of shedding or adding layers to create a new look. Scarves, hats, jewelry, cardigans… all wonderful!

Don’t feel the need to buy new clothes
By no means is this post meant to cajole you into buying a whole new wardrobe for a photo session. Chances are, you already have a great assortment of clothes in your closets already that would work well for a shoot.

Be yourself
BE YOURSELF when choosing an outfit. If you’re super casual and classic, don’t feel the need to go all trendy, or if you love the way you look in trendy clothes, don’t feel like you have to wear something simple with khakis.

 

This is the family photo I was speaking of earlier that I was FORCED to do; it is obvious that my mom doesn’t regularly read my blog!

Easley Amused Class Announced!

Hi!

Wanted to let everyone know I have signed on for another photography class offered at Easley Amused in Ridgeland.  I will be teaching Tuesday March 22nd from 7-9.  The calendar will be released on Feb 10th, you can sign up on the Easley Amused site http://www.easelyamused.com/, the last class sold out and had a LONG waiting list, so if you are interested be sure to sign up soon!

 

Spring Sessions are already filling quickly!

This year's Spring Sessions will be Wednesday April 6th, Saturday April 9th and if both of those fill I will open the afternoon of Sunday April 11th.

Spring Mini Sessions are held in a private garden each year around Easter.  The sessions are 20 minutes each (you may book back to back sessions if you want more time, change of clothes, etc..).

Call the studio or shoot us an email allison@allimphoto.com and we will get you on the list!

BLOG STALKING!- I AM GUILTY!!!

I am a blog stalker, I got an i-pad for Christmas and now I stalk blogs when I am at Elle's soccer, basketball and tennis practices! If you have a good one for me to check out let me know!

I found this the other day and I thought I would share these superbowl strawberries:

 

they came from http://blogs.glam.com/glamnest/

Aren't they great!

Don't forget to "like" us on facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Muirhead-Photography

Have a great rest of your week and try to stay WARM!

Allison

 

 

 

New year, new blog, new ideas!

I have decided I have a love hate relationship with this blog, I typed the whole thing out yesterday and then when I went to post it... it disappeared!  So, I am trying again today!

Wow, it is already the 27th of January!  Where does the time go?  After a great family vacation in Disney World the week after Christmas (a VERY busy time of year down there!), I am back in reality ready to take on the world!

Lots of new ideas and happenings coming in 2011!

First family...

Elle is playing basketball for the first time and Jack and I so enjoy watching the games, it is actually quite entertaining and we always leave with big smiles on our faces!  Soccer begins back tonight, so I am back to the soccer fields a couple of nights a week! (maybe I can blog while I watch!) And of course school, she placed first in the 4th grade at the school reading fair, she was VERY proud, as were we!  My sister gave birth to her 5th child on the 4th of January and I traveled to Birmingham to help her for a little while.  It was so nice to have a chance to visit and new babies are always fun! You know I didn't leave without taking some pictures!  His name is Granger, isn't he a cutie! (I am such the proud aunt!)

Now on to the business at hand...

1. We have created a Facebook Fan page!

Sherry and I are currently going thru the archives for the last year and getting images ready to go up, if you are already a "friend" be sure to go to the new fan page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Muirhead-Photography and "like" us, photography news and tags will be added to the fan page. If you are not a fan yet "like" us so we can share with you!

You are welcome to use these images as profiles etc, but please do not crop them or remove my logo.

My plans are to use this page to introduce specials early, tag images and run contests, not to mention sharing some simple tricks to help you get better snap-shots of your kids!  Please join us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Muirhead-Photography and be sure to "like" us!

2. Teaching

As many of you know I taught school for 7 years before going full time into photography, well I am back teaching.  Not to 4th graders this time, but to adults!  I recently taught an "art of photography" class at Easley Amused and I truly enjoyed getting back into the teaching aspect of things and sharing on a level that can be understood for every camera owner.  

I am thinking about offering more classes, beginner, more advanced, and maybe even a intro to editing in photoshop class. If you think this is something that you might be interested in, shoot us an email, write on our facebook wall, or comment here on the blog, and we will be sure to include you in future mailings!

3. Contest

I am going to be have a contest featuring your children!  Look for this on facebook and the blog in the coming weeks!  Think good prizes.. free sessions, free large prints, and maybe even digital files!

4. Upcoming dates:

I know it is early but I have already been asked numerous times and already have some sessions booked!

Beach:

Every year I travel to the Florida Coast to photograph on the beautiful beaches!  I photograph in Grayton Beach, a great quaint little beach community between Destin and Panama City, very close to Seaside and Watercolor.

Sessions are scheduled 2 times a day, at sunrise and sunset. Needless to say the sunset sessions fill quickly, those begin about an hour before sunset, the sunrise sessions begin around 6:15 am (not many takers but the beach is beautiful that time of morning!)

This years sessions will be May 30- June 5 and July 28- August 2

Spring: Spring Mini Sessions are held in a private garden each year around Easter.  The sessions are 20 minutes each (you may book back to back sessions if you want more time, change of clothes, etc..).

This year's Spring Sessions will be Wednesday April 6th, Saturday April 9th and if both of those fill I will open the afternoon of Sunday April 11th.

 

Each of these fill quickly....

so if you are interested be sure to give us a call at the studio 601-856-9814

or email us at allison@allimphoto.com and let us put you on the schedule!

 

Have a great weekend!

Allison

 

 

Easley Amused photogaphy class!

For all of those asking about a photography class, here is your chance!

I am teaching at Easely Amused in Ridgeland on January 25th.

The Art of Photography with Allison Muirhead 1/25R

Tuesday, January 25 • 7-9 p.m. • RIDGELAND

 

Want to learn more about how to photograph your family?

Amazing local photographer Allison Muirhead will be touching on the basics and teaching you how to get better images of your children. When and when not to use flash, how to pose, the best angles and general tricks to help you get those great expressions! Bring your camera!

To learn more about Allison and see some of her work visit: www.allimphoto.com

Here is a link to the sign up!http://www.easelyamused.com/adult-classes/

Would love to see some familiar faces there!

 

For those of you waiting on orders... this was what I found as a pulled up this afternoon after a quick lunch...

(sorry for pic quality taken from my phone)

I PROMISE they will be ready to be picked up soon!

Have a great weekend!

Allison

Fun holiday treats and a friendly reminder!

Hope everyone is having a great beginning to the holiday season, we have been busy little elves around here and if you are awaiting an order or cards I promise they will be here soon! UPS is loving us right now, I think they empty the truck here daily!

I got to go to the "unwrapping" of the Mississippi Children's Museum today and photograph the first children in the building to explore, it was great!  You would not believe what all they have in the museum, lots of hands on activities, water stations, build your own riverboat and race, a music section with a giant jukebox, and instruments, not to mention a stage with costumes, a giant Mississippi that you can explore including the rock formations under the state, an artist area where the kids can finger-paint, H20 paint, I can go on and on.

The BEST thing to do would be to take your children there to play SOON!

The Grand Opening is Saturday December 4th!

 You can go to http://www.mississippichildrensmuseum.com/ to learn more!  

I will upload some images of this fun day soon!

~TomKat Studio~

I frequent a site that has great creative ideas and I found these that I thought I would share with you, if you friend them on facebook, they share great monthly calendars, coloring sheets, etc! Not to mention the stuff is sooo cute!

Download VintageRudolph_LetterToSanta

Download VintageRudolph_WishList

the site is http://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com/ andhttp://www.hostessblog.com/2010/11/holiday-party-collection-vintage-rudolph/

(The photography in these images is from Laura Winslow photography- borrowed from the tomkat site)

 

Now on to the business at hand!

DEADLINES!!!

If you wish to receive an order in time for Christmas, the order must be placed by December 5th- that is this SUNDAY!  

Sessions- Thanks for a great year!  We are booked until Januaury 2011, and those are filling quickly, if you need to set up a session for the first of the year please call soon! 

Fun things is store for the first of the year, I can't wait to share them with you!

Merry Christmas!

What to wear- family session

I get this question a lot and I thought I would throw out some ideas to help you out.  I want your image to be as appealing as possible and preferably somewhat timeless.

 

Choose items with good color, texture (ie, knits, ruffles, denim) and accessories.  Think coordinating not matching.

 

I am guilty of dressing my family in white shirts and khaki pants. I now realize how visually unappealing that is, so I would like to stress… think coordinating outfits not matching. Browse your favorite stores websites for new collections and a lot times you will see outfit ideas that coordinate really well together. It is OKAY not to have matching outfits!  Look for outfits that fit each family member individual style but tie all the looks together by picking a few select colors to coordinate. Trying to find one color and style that works for every family member is hard!

 

For fall, try everyone in jewel tones, or shades of brown and khaki.  We will be in a rustic setting, so try to steer away from anything too dressy.  Mom’s heals will not work well in this setting!  You will be on the ground, on bridges and moving around so short skirts could also cause issue!

 Recommended Stores to view some collections:

Mom:
Anthropologie
Gap 
Express
White House Black Market
The Limited

Dad:
Guess
Express Men
Abercrombie
Banana Republic
Nordstom

Kids:

Limited Too
Abercrombie Kids
Gymboree
Old Navy
Matilda Jane
Mini Boden
GAP Kids
Abercrombie Kids

 

This is a copy of my Mississippi Magazine ad from this month, a new great way to show case your family session!  Each image is a gallery wrapped canvas ready to hang, group them together to make a bold statement.

 
 
 

How stinkin cute is this?

ok, I know this does not have a thing to do with photography

but...

I thought this was just too cute to not share!

 I got is off of www.oneprettything.com for all you crafty folks out there!  (Great resource for lots of neat things)

Owl A Glow

by Amy Kaldor-Bull 

• Total Time Needed:

1 Hour

Assembled from a paper globe lantern and scrapbooking paper, our wise owl friend will have visitors asking, "Whooo made him?"

Materials

• Paper globe lantern (available at party stores)
• Paper
• Scrapbooking paper

• Glue dots
• Jute twine

Instructions

1. For the ear tufts, fan-fold an 8-1/2 - by 6-inch piece of paper and insert it under the center bar of the lantern.

2. Cut facial features and wings from scrapbooking paper, then secure them with glue dots.

3. Cut talons from paper, and secure them to the lantern with jute twine tied to the center bar.

4. Hang the lantern from an appropriate light fixture with a low-wattage bulb.

   Have a GREAT weekend!

   Allison

    

 

Newsletter!

I have finally gotten back to my newsletter!  If you are on my email list, you should have gotten one this afternoon in your in box, if not.. check your spam folder! (I have been told by a few people the newsletter went in there)

If you want to be on the list shoot me an email allison@allimphoto.com and I will get you on the list for future newsletters! 

You can click on the images and make it a full copy read if it is too small!

 

Thanks!

Allison

Studio 601-856-9814

 

It's been sooo long!

Oh my, has it really been that long since I made a blog post!  WOW, I need to get on the ball!  I will be playing catch up for a while but I have had many requests to begin my blog again...

You asked and you shall receive! I have many plans for the blog upcoming including a family of the month, what's happening in the studio, of course my useless information that I love to share, and you know lots of images!

We have a new employee! The friendly voice on the phone and behind my email is Sherry Holmes, let her know how she can help!

For now I wanted to get the information up on the blog about the upcoming Holiday sessions!

I will be having my fall special this year on 2 dates, sessions are scheduled every 20 minutes on

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2 from 4:00-6:00 

and

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 6 from 8:00-5:00 

Call the studio at 601.856.9814 for more details! (Please no facebook messages)

 These times will fill quickly, I will release the times to my mailing list on Tuesday September 21st, so those blog readers get first dibs!

If you have an image(s) from a recent session you would like made into a card let me know, we are taking orders now and you can avoid the holiday rush!

Christmas Cards for 2010

1. avery

2. rohan

 

3. betsy

 

4. angel

 

4.drew

 

6. ella

7. garner

8. kate

9. lauren

9. lila

 

10. lola

11. miller

12. noah

 

13. ruby

 

14. parkman

 

15. rice

 

16. stanton

 

17. synar

    

All cards are 5x7, double sided, and customized with family names and sayings.

Have a GREAT DAY!

Allison