It’s that time! Every year I know several people look forward to this one. I love these frames, and have MANY throughout my home. They are hand cut and painted to order, and are stunning in any room! From today, through Friday, May 24th, I’ll be offering a great discount on orders for Organic Bloom frames! There are a few stipulations, however:

• Orders must be submitted via email and paid in full by 9 p.m. on the 24th
• Local sales tax applies
• Acrylic is not included
• If you are not local to the San Diego area, actual shipping charges will be added
• Beat the price increase! (Prices will be going up in July!)

All sizes and shapes are included. If you don’t see a size listed here, or are interested in the multi-opening frames, or just want to see the available colors and shapes, please contact me at info@powellwoulfe.com or 760.317.9752.

Single Frames (most popular sizes listed, custom sizes available)

4×6, 5×7, 5×10, 8×8       Regularly $45   Sale $35
8×10                                      Regularly $50   Sale $40
10×10                                    Regularly $65   Sale $50
11×14                                    Regularly $100  Sale $80
16×20                                   Regularly $165   Sale $140
20×20                                   Regularly $210   Sale $170

Double Frames (most popular sizes listed, custom sizes available)

4×6, 5×7, 5×10, 8×8       Regularly $60   Sale $45
8×10                                      Regularly $65   Sale $50
10×10                                    Regularly $80   Sale $65
11×14                                    Regularly $125  Sale $105
16×20                                   Regularly $210   Sale $170
20×20                                   Regularly $260   Sale $220

Double Twin Frames (most popular sizes listed, custom sizes available)

4×6, 5×7, 5×10, 8×8       Regularly $70   Sale $55
8×10                                      Regularly $75   Sale $60
10×10                                    Regularly $90   Sale $90
11×14                                    Regularly $145  Sale $120
16×20                                   Regularly $240  Sale $200
20×20                                   Regularly $300   Sale $250

Don’t forget: Email me those orders ASAP!!

And because we need a photo, here’s a sneak peek at my daughter’s fifth birthday session last night.

Happy Monday! It’s rainy and cold here today, so I figured we needed something bright on the blog! I also have to share: the all new Swoon Seniors website and blog is LIVE!!! If you’re curious, just head over to swoonseniors.com. AND, the Powell Woulfe Photography website has an all new look as well! Check that out at powellwoulfe.com!

Anyway, you probably remember Alexa from her mini session a few months ago. She will be a senior at Del Norte High School in Escondido this coming fall, and I’ve been so honored to work with her twice already! Last weekend, we photographed her full graduate session as a Swoon Senior Spokesmodel. I had a blast! We started out in La Jolla, where we found a little stretch of beach that was just perfect. The seals were super curious about us, and kept swimming over to see what we were up to. SO CUTE!! After knocking that part of the session out of the park, we headed over to Liberty Station – NTC for some urban grunge. Check out her full session!

Tonight is a special treat, two blogs in one day!  And while I won’t have any more peeks for you until tomorrow, I think you’ll be glad you hung in there to read to the end. I’ve done several “What to Wear” posts throughout the last few months. This is a different post about looking great for your session.

OK, so you’ve got the perfect outfit….you’ve picked the perfect location….what could be missing? Well, Powell Woulfe Photography is happy to announce a partnership with a fabulous makeup artist in the San Diego area. Meet Lauren Nicole with Completely Flawless Productions! From now on, her services will be available as an affordable add-on to all Swoon Senior and Powell Woulfe Photography sessions! Why should you consider adding services to your session? Read on!!

1. Give us a brief bio and tell us why you love what you do

I love what I do because it has given me the freedom to limitless opportunity. I wake up every day knowing that this is exactly where I am meant to be. God has blessed me with creative talented and I am not wasting it. I am a Makeup Artist of 6 1/2 years, and I find myself growing and learning every single day. My job is truly a Dream Job and it has put a smile on my face since the very beginning. I am passionate about what I do, and my passion drives me every day. I am always looking for ways to learn and grow, and I will never stop. In this industry there is so much room for growth and change, and I love that.
2. Why should a senior or any client consider hiring a MUA?

Hiring a MUA (me) will enhance your photos in many ways. You will have these photos for years to admire, so you want to look and feel your best. The quality of makeup that I use, and the application that I have learned to do will leave you happy and completely satisfied. I have years of experience in makeup artistry that has taught me exactly what needs to be done to achieve flawless makeup for photos and special events. I offer natural to more enhanced looks depending on my clients features and request.

3. What is a look you think anyone can wear?

I believe anyone can pull off neutral looks with shades of brown and soft tones for their lips. I like to call this a natural enhanced look, which just enhances the natural features of the client (looks almost makeup-less).

4. What is your favorite current trend?

I love a soft smokey eye and a classic red lip!

5. What tool or product could you not live without?

My brushes, of course! =)

And Skincare for prepping all my clients.

So, what do you think? I know that personally, the next time I am in front of the camera, Lauren will be performing some of her magic first!! From a photography standpoint, having a professional makeup artist prepare you for your session can make a huge difference in the quality of your portraits AND your confidence.  When you feel amazing, it shines through in your portraits. Makeup artists are commonly hired for weddings, proms, and other special events…and admit it: you feel like a million bucks when you pamper yourself. Professional portraiture is an investment financially and emotionally…go a little further and  you won’t regret it!  Are you looking for more information? Feel free to contact me for questions about adding services, or contact Lauren directly:

Lauren Nicole- Professional Makeup Artist
Completely Flawless Productions
(361)404-0922

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Completely-Flawless-Productions

It is my honor to introduce you to Heather and Earl. I first met Heather not quite a year ago, and instantly knew I’d met a kindred spirit. She is strong, independent, a loyal friend and supporter, and a fellow animal lover. She carried a light with her everywhere, and when she met Earl, her light burned even brighter. I knew she’d found her perfect love story, and I am so incredibly happy for her. When she asked if I would take their engagement photos, I was over the moon! I couldn’t wait to meet the man who captured her heart. One look at these two, and you can feel the love they share. They both are so incredibly deserving of this happy beginning (not ending – because this is only the start of their amazing lifetime together!!)

Here’s a peek at the first part of their session. We traveled to the Santa Fe Depot downtown and later over to Liberty Station/NTC for another set I’ll share soon! Aren’t they adorable?? Congratulations, H+E – you deserve every moment of happiness and love!

OK, I know you’re probably freaking out a little bit if you read the title of this post. I’m not going to beat around the bush. We’re moving.

My husband’s work is relocating us again.

The past few days, I have been in a total funk. I love it here in San Diego, and have been fortunate enough that I could travel back and forth between the coasts to serve all of my clients. That won’t change, I’ll just be headed in the other direction. I will miss the beaches, the people, the amazing weather here, but I will always be able to come back. We are moving to Maryland, and I will be happily serving the Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia areas. I’m now accepting families, couples, high school seniors and even weddings beginning in August for the DMV area!

This doesn’t mean I will no longer be working here in SoCal. Quite the opposite!  I’ll be coming back here to SoCal often, but of course my availability will be limited. I highly recommend getting a session in with me in May or June. I will not be taking any sessions from June 16 – August 1 while we relocate.  I do plan to be back in San Diego this fall, but not sure what the dates are just yet. (I’ll be sure to let everyone know as soon as I can!)

I am so sad to go, but it’s not forever. It’s more of a “See ya later!” than a “Goodbye!” Thank you, San Diego, for being amazing. You have all been wonderful, and I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, so very much. I love you so!!! ♥

Happy Earth Day! Today is traditionally a day where we all take a little extra time to give Mother Earth some TLC. And I know she appreciates it. Kind of like a Mother’s Day just for her! But why can’t we make more of an effort everyday? Being environmentally conscious in my business practices is a major goal of mine in 2013. To create sustainability for our planet as well as the industry, we’re seeing some amazing shifts. I thought I’d take a minute to share some of my personal changes for Powell Woulfe Photography.

1. If you saw the video last week, you now know that Powell Woulfe Photography and Swoon Seniors proudly offers PASS to all clients. PASS is an amazing way to stay green by eliminating DVDs! It’s beautiful, it’s easy, and it saves resources. What’s not to like about that?
2. We’re also going as paperless as possible! For the last few years, I have used an unbelievable tool called Pixifi to assist in my tracking, billing and contracts. Well, I’m happy to announce that from here on out, I’ll be exclusively using electronic documents for agreements, contracts, invoicing and much more. It’s one little way to help our forests, and is much easier to track!
3. Internally, I’m using less paper, too! I’ve always been the kind of gal who needs to plan on paper. Now, we recycle all of our office waste, and whenever possible, I use tools such as Evernote to track projects and ideas!
4. I’m also working on reducing my carbon footprint by driving less. Being a large area, with lots to offer, it’s easy to spend a lot of time in the car traveling from one point to another. I’m working to condense trips as much as possible, and even carpool with my clients!

So anyway, those are a few things I am working on – how about you? Originally, I had a VERY long blog post written about Earth Day. But I parsed it back so that I could share some peeks in this post, because it wouldn’t be a blog post, OR a Military Monday without these….here are some peeks at tonight’s very special homecoming! I was so honored to be able to capture these moments. Every homecoming holds a place in my heart, and I remember each one. Welcome back this hero, and leave some love for them in a comment!

Hey friends! I decided to do something a little different with today’s blog, and to step outside my comfort zone COMPLETELY. I introduced the new PASS galleries in March, and I am thrilled with the response I am getting from clients and their loved ones. The galleries are stunning, and just so easy.  Check out the video below. No laughing at my bad hair day, or the fact that I can’t stand looking directly in the camera. MUAH!

 
Using the new PASS Gallery!

I try to stay on top of my blog, and I think that I succeed – most months. Many photographers struggle, and I used to. It’s difficult to come up with content several times a week or month. Sometimes, we think we sound stupid when we write (I gave up on that a LONG time ago…this is me, love it, or don’t!). Maybe we just don’t feel like we have anything meaningful to share. I’m hear to tell you that you do! The interwebz is a big place, and believe it or not, people are interested in what you have to say, share, and teach.

Last week, I was at a Meeting of the Minds, with some fellow SoCal creatives. Our topic for the evening was maximizing our blogs and putting them to work for us as professionals.  I was (not) surprised to hear that most of them did not blog on a regular basis. In my personal opinion, a blog is such an effective and easy way to reach your target client. But most people say they don’t have time, or don’t know what to blog about, or ….. well, for whatever the reason, I’m here to tell you that it’s not hard, and you can do it!!

So where do you start? Personally, I find it helpful to create a monthly blog and social media planner. (For simplicity’s sake, today I will focus on the blog only. In a future post, I’ll address social media outlets, and even blogging platforms. But for today, let us focus on post planning. Okay?) I find it much easier when I have a schedule and a plan. I am not faced with the “what do I write??” dilemma, and if I plan correctly, I don’t even have to worry about having the time to write a post. I like to think that I’ve perfected my own workflow, so I thought maybe another photographer out there could benefit.

The steps I take are really easy – especially when you plan them in advance and build them into your marketing time.

1. Set your monthly blog post goal. (Or weekly, if this suits you better.)
2. Brainstorm your topics and content.
3. Use the monthly calendar planner to plug topics into dates.
4. Use the post planner to expand on concepts, plan content, and schedule your promotion.
5. WRITE!
6. Promote your post and track the results.

Usually, I sit down a few weeks prior to the start of the month to do my planning. I get out my worksheets, and it takes me about an hour or so. But that is definitely time saved later on!  Content can be difficult to develop, and keep current. I could probably write a month long series on content planning, but let’s save that for another time. Here are a few tips:

• Brainstorm your ideas for content ahead of time, so you always have something to fall back on.
• Write about local events, holidays, or even personal events – just remember to keep it relevant to your target audience.
• Team up with another “expert” to collaborate on a blog or guest blog swap!
• Don’t forget to keyword your photos to assist with SEO.
• Be consistent, but not comfortable. In other words, go outside your comfort zone, but don’t be all over the map! 
• Use categories to help your readers find relevant material. 
• Ask yourself, “What do my readers want to know?”

Anyway, if you already follow Powell Woulfe Photography on Facebook or Swoon Seniors on Facebook, you already know that I promised you guys a freebie. Over the years, I hunted all over the internet for a blog planner specifically for photographers. It was difficult to find something that fit my needs, and that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. So, today I’m going to share a portion of the planning system I developed from scratch a few years ago to help me. The only parts missing from this are related to social media planning, and tracking, and I will share those with you soon. All you have to do is go over to Powell Woulfe Photography on Facebook and click the Free Download tab. You will need to “Like” the page, and I truly hope that you will stick around, as I plan to offer many more tools to help photographers in the future (to include Showit Style Groups I am working on, and the Social Media Planner!!) If you find the Photographer’s Blog Planner useful, please come and leave a comment (and a link to your blog!) below and tell me how it helped you! I look forward to sharing more!

Go get the download here!

(It does not contain the tracking page, because I will share that, soon! It deserves its own blog post!)

And see….I really do use it myself!!

Created by Powell Woulfe Photography to help photographers plan blog posts and promotion.

Happy Friday, everyone!! This week has been delightfully busy. I celebrated my birthday yesterday, and have been working with some amazing clients, with more to come this weekend! In particular, I am excited about  Amanda’s REVEAL coming up on Sunday. I get asked often, “What is the REVEAL? Is it just a regular proofing session?” The answer is NO! Often the REVEAL takes place in the client’s home. Usually, the whole family gathers, and you can even invite friends over, serve some snacks and make a party of it. Then, we view your slideshow set to music together. (Sometimes we watch it 2 or 3 times!) I love watching the reactions of my seniors and their family/friends. I get a lot of “ooooh!” and “I love that!”, which makes me feel great, as well as my senior. Afterwards, we go through your gallery by each individual photo, I demonstrate how to view and share your pictures via your PASS gallery, and we talk about which photos you choose for your albums, canvases, cards, etc. Personally, I think it’s a lot more fun than a regular ol’ proofing session!!

For more information, or to snag one of the few remaining spots I have available in April or May, please get in touch soon! The calendar is getting busy! 760.317.9752 or info@powellwoulfe.com

Enjoy some more peeks for Amanda//Class of 2014//Rancho Bernardo High School

Friday Fun continues!! I’d like you to meet a new Swoon Senior Spokesmodel: Amanda//Class of 2014//Rancho Bernardo High School

Check out some of her session highlights from this week in Coronado and Little Italy.  She did a fantastic job!