Candace Pridgeon Photography

Photo Books + Kdub Designs = A Cool New Offering! (and some other random stuff)

Happy Monday everyone (all three of you ;)!

I am home from a whirlwind tour of Daytona Beach for another gym meet with Chandler!  And my adorable husband and Sammy went along too!  It was a fun but quick trip.  (The girls stayed home with Yia Yia.)  Chandler got 3 medals...we are very proud of him.  Only two more meets this spring...

And on to my real reason for posting...

About 2 weeks ago, I was surfing some photography boards that I frequent and came across a new designer, Kimberly Whipps.  She is the creative genius behind K Dub Designs.  She creates wonderful graphic design templates for photographers...cards, books & marketing set...so far.  But I bet that is just the tip of the ice berg! Oh, and she creates hand made knit baby hats...so cute.  She markets them for photo props...which they are great for.  But I could totally see some Tally babies and toddlers sporting them in the recent cold weather.  Each hat is unique and totally awesome!

Anyhow...she was running a little contest when I visited.  Seems she loves quotes...movie quotes seem to be her thing, but as a "quotey" myself, I am willing to bet it doesn't stop there.  I personally love any quote that touches me is some way.  But I digress... in her blog post she had "hidden" a quote.  And the first person to identify the quote and its origin won...

Well, my vast knowledge of all things unimportant finally came in handy!  And it didn't hurt that the quote was from a Disney movie that my kids have watched 10,526,025,245 times.  :)

So, the point is(and there is a point), I won a template and chose a book template.  It is K Dubs Simple Book template.  I have always "offered" books, but never got around to designing one or getting a sample...so now I have a reason to get going!

Custom photo books are a cool way to showcase images from your session.  I will be sure to post a sample as soon as I get one together and ordered.  I am super excited about this particular template Kimberly designed because it is simple (duh...that's the name!) and it will allow easy customization.  Want to add color?  Easy.  Quotes?  No problem.  It will be an awesome addition!  I can't wait.

So check out her site... and check back for a sample hopefully sooner than later.

Also, I will be posting pics from Chandler's meet this week.  Just not today! :)

Later.
Candace

Ground Hog Day and other stuff...

Sorry to say (not really, I live in Florida) that Phil saw his shadow and that means 6 more weeks of winter!  But that is the least of what is exciting around here on this day!

My children woke up to remind me that it is Ground Hogs Day...which also means it is Pop Pop's birthday...which to them is much more important.  They were very concerned about when they would see him to wish him a Happy Day!

Actually given the way my kids have been behaving lately, it is very nice and refreshing (and encouraging) to have them focus on someone else besides themselves.   Although, maybe they are motivated by the fact that there could be cake and ice cream in their near future!

Either way....Happy Birthday Pop Pop!  From your adoring "fan club"!

Completely unrelated...other than she is a member of said "fan club"...my youngest, Campbell is, well, prissy.  I find it funny that both my girls are fans of dresses and dressing up as I was (and still am) a tomboy.

Anywho...Campbell received several very lovely and dressy dresses around the holiday season from adoring grandparents (and even us).  The one she got from Nana (my mom) was red velvet and white and not as obviously "Christmassy" as some of the others...so I saved it.  Well everyday for like a month she has asked to wear that dress and today I gave in...  She loves her fancy dress!

 

And her Dora shoes that she wears everywhere we will let her...even to bed if she can get it by us!  For the record...(and in case Nana sees this) the deal we struck was she had to take the dress off at lunch so we won't mess it up!  But she is loving being all fancy! 

 

Happy Monday everyone!  Have a great week!  And Happy Birthday Pop!

Personalized Valentines Day Cards...

On Monday February 2nd, we are having a V-day Quickpic session.  Here are the options available for personalized wallet size valentines to hand out to family, friends and classmates.

#1 Simple Vignette

#2 Valentine Heart (pink or blue)
   

#3  XOXO

#4  LOVE

#5  Pink with Heart

#6  Red framed

#7 Be Mine  **

#8  Dots & Stripes  **

You will be able to choose the template when you choose your package on Monday.  As always with Quickpics, we choose the best image.  Call soon to reserve a slot...they will fill up quickly!  850-556-5619

Legal Note: ** the images in templates 7 & 8 were not taken by Candace Pridgeon Photography.  They were the sample images in the template when I received them.  Think of them as the picture that came with the frame!

Woo Hoo!  Posts 2 days in a row...this has got to be some kind of record! :)
C

It is Monday...and I am posting!

This will make more sense once my newsletter comes out!  Had a busy weekend.  Trying to catch up on work stuff...

All the weekend busy-ness was family related.   We had sickness and a birthday party and family visiting.  Sounds like a great combo doesn't it?  Actually it worked out surprisingly well!

Sam had is birthday party...it was a lot of fun!  We celebrated at The Painted Pony.

Check it out! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway...that's all for now!  :)  Sammy's practically month long birthday celebration is officially over!

C

Blog? What blog? I have a blog?!?!... Oh, yeah I HAVE A BLOG!

"Slacker" doesn't even begin to cover it!  Wow!  I fell into the holiday black hole never to be seen again!

Until now.  If you have kept up with this place despite the fact that I haven't...thanks so much!!   I have a newsletter that will be out early next week.  And I will be frequenting this place a lot more often!

Another way to keep up with me is through my new number one time sucker...facebook!  I have a personal page and a business page...check it out (just search Candace Pridgeon Photography). 

Anyway...I am back and don't plan to be gone again like that!  I have some cool specials coming up too.  If you don't already get my newsletter...sign up.  Just fill out the form on the right (I think it is on the right...scroll down) or drop me an email.

I'll be back!  (No, REALLY!  I will!! :)

Holiday Cards...better late than never!

we are proud to offer custom cards & stationary featuring your session images.  for the holidays we have several custom designs to showcase your images.  all of the available designs can be seen below.  there is quite a variety!  and as with custom products, we can tweak colors and fonts are other elements to fit your needs.  cards include two revisions.

custom cards are available in a flat postcard style or folded.   all cards are printed on card stock.  specialty papers available. 

call us for a session & more information about ordering holiday cards! 

family holiday mini sessions at centerville conservation community!

i am so excited to finally announce the dates and location for our family mini sessions this holiday season!  the mini sessions will be on Saturday, November 8th and Sunday, November 9th at the lake house at centerville conservation community.  Click on the link for more information about the community...it is beautiful!

we are also offering mini sessions for child portraits at the studio on November 6th, 10th & 11th.

the mini session retainer is $125 for a 30 minute session.  just like our regular sessions, the retainer converts to a print credit when you place your order.  we have a limited number of spots... so call soon to get your choice of time and date!

here is a look at the lake house at centerville conservation community and its surroundings...it is a beautiful location.  check it out!  i can't wait for November!

the lake house...

beautiful century oaks...

the lake...

more of the property...

more of the lake...

 can't wait to see you there!

some changes we have made ...

during all the revamping...i have made some big changes that i am really excited about! i think they will be great for all our clients, making portrait selection easier and giving lots of value and flexibility to selecting your portraits!

the first big change is NO MORE sitting/session fee.  this is being replaced with a "session retainer".  what's the difference, right?  well in some ways they are the same.  both the old session fee and the new session retainer hold your date and time and they have to be received within 3 days of booking or we reopen the appointment for other clients.  the big difference is the new session retainer becomes a print credit at your ordering session!!  yep!  every single dime of the session retainer goes toward your portrait order!  how cool is that?

next big change...we have two price lists!  in the past, we had a la carte pricing that allowed you to purchase any combination of portraits and products that you wanted.  and we still have that because we think you should be able to choose EXACTLY what you want.

in addition to the a la carte price list, we have added a collection price list.  what's the difference between the two?  great question!  the collection price list is directly linked to purchasing a collection but we still want you to be able to purchase what you want!  so we have designed several collections to offer some guidance in making your decisions, but you can always make changes or add on or design your own custom collection.  any additional portraits or other products you purchase will be from the collection price list. 

this builds on our old collection concept.  our collections gave a 15 - 25 percent discount from purchasing a la carte.  the collection price list continues this trend with 15 - 30% discounts across the board!

the last change is the ordering session.  we have always been available to help you select your portraits, but "phone tag" takes a lot of the fun out of it!  we are now scheduling an ordering session for you at the end of your portrait session.  this is time specially set aside for us to help you choose the best portraits and products to fit your needs.  it will also give us a chance to answer any questions our new pricing may raise.  plus you will be able to see the different sizes and finishes and specialty products we offer.  all in all, it will make the entire process much easier for you!

i am very excited about the changes!  it may take a little getting used to but it will be worth it...i promise!  please check out the new pricing and information about what to expect by visiting the website.  in the "pricing" section and "details" section you can get the whole scoop!

back soon with more details about the holiday mini sessions...

holiday specials...

well, it is that time of year!  yikes!  and we will be offering several days of mini sessions for those of you who need portraits or cards for your friends and family this holiday season.

since our NEW pricing officially took affect yesterday...let me give you a little 411 on how the mini sessions work.  mini sessions are 30 minutes long and either in studio or at a specified location (because we shoot a whole day of mini sessions).  the $125 retainer is due when you book your session.  the ENTIRE retainer will convert to a print credit when you order.

we will be offering location mini sessions (we are looking for a awesome spot) on two Saturdays in November.  there will also be 2 or 3 studio days for children only during the month.

once we have finalized the location, we will post more info and definite dates!

back soon. :)

International Talk Like a Pirate Day...September 19th!! Arrrr!!

Ahoy!  Buccos & beauties!  Mark ye calendars!  This Friday be International Talk Like a Pirate Day!  (Actually, every September 19th is ITLAPD.)

As ye may know, I be the ma of two young pirates me self!  This be just another silly "day" but it can be lots o' fun!

This link is for the official site for TLAPD... http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html.  Be ware...this site may not be meant for lads and lasses.  It be for the elders of the group...arrr!  But there be some junior pirate booty among the webpages!

Ye be sure to check out one o' the pirate name generators!  Some be involved and some not, but they be sure to give ye a true and smart pirate name!  And ye check the page about pirate talk for sure, savvy?

Me hopes ye have fun with it!  Ye be sure to leave me a comment with ye Pirate Name, savvy?   Arrrr!!  :)

 Poop Deck Brandy (aka C)

P.S.  I got my pirate name here (http://gangstaname.com/pirate_name.php)