Baby Ballerina Photos in Belleville, Illinois

I've finally finished getting everything together for this portrait special. Shown below are a few shots of my daughter on the new scene. She's only two, but this scene will work well for any ballerina between 6 months and 16 years. Details and prices are shown below the images.




Baby Ballerina's Portrait Special - $65
- 15-20 minute session done on the scene shown.
- 1 8x10, 2 5x7's, and 8 wallets of your favorite pose.
- A single 4x6 print of each picture taken (aprox 15-20 pictures)
- A CD with all the images & copyrights.

These sessions will be available May 1st and 2nd at the price listed above. If you cannot make it one of these days, I can also accept appointments anytime during that last week of April for an extra $10 fee.

A limited number of sessions is available, so call now to book your appointment. Call Larissa at 618-409-1224 or email larissa@larissaphotography.com.

Extra prints may be purchased a la carte at regular prices as shown below:

4x6 - $3
5x7 - $5
8x10 - $8
wallets - $5 for 12

Rules and Exclusions:
The above session fee is for one child only. Additional children may be added at $5each.

Your child/children may wear one outfit. Additional outfits may be added at $10 each.

Costumes: I have a small supply of tutus available for the shoot. Sizes are available to fit children ages 2-6. I have toddler size 7 ballet shoes in white and pink. I have some older children/adult sizes of shoes and some real pointe shoes as well. I recommend having your child wear a solid colored onsie or leotard, even if they don't have a tutu. The tutu's can stetch to fit most children. It's the leotard part that is more difficult. If you have questions about my costume collection, please call and we can discuss what I have available. There are some really cute tutu's in my stash =). And if you're worried about your child not having shoes, ballet shoes are available at Payless for about $15.

The included print package must be ordered by May 5th which will help me as I will do my best to have everyones pictures ready before Mothers Day. Because, afterall, what would grandma like more than pictures of her adorable little grandaughter?

www.larissaphotography.com

Oakville High Senior Portaits by Belleville Photographer

James is one of our Senior Ambassadors graduating from Oakville High in 2010. He lives over in South County (St. Louis) and came over to this side of the river for his photos. He was great to work with and we came up with some pretty good shot. Check out a few of my favorites:

Edwardsville High School Senior Photos by Larissa Photography

Amanda, a 2009 Senior at Edwardsville High school, came in for her senior portraits on Friday. Check out a few of my favs from her senior session:



I would have liked to get a few outdoor shots, but as luck would have it, it was pouring out! We've got such a great yard for outdoor pictures though, so I told Amanda's mom that they could come back later when the weather was nice for a few more shots.

Thanks for the great shoot Amanda! You were really fun to work with. =)

Photo Birth Announcements for Anna....

Above: Card Front-Option1

Above: Card Front-Option 2


Above: Back of Card

Tips for Getting Your Child Photographed

Have you ever taken your child to have their pictures taken only to find yourself completely exausted after a long frustraiting shoot in which you spent rediculous amounts of time and energry trying to get just a couple decent pictures out of your cranky child? Here's a few tips that may help make your next photo experience just a little easier:

1) Schedule your appointment during a time when your child is normally in a good mood. For most children this is either in the morning or right after nap time. But everyone is different and you know your child better than anyone, so plan accordingly.

2) Make sure your child has been fed. Hungry children are cranky children.

3) Give your child Tylenal 20 minutes before their session. If your child is in pain (teething, growning pains, sinus headache), they won't do as well during their session. Since you can't always know when they are in pain it helps to give them tylenal just in case.

4) Be prepared with snacks. Bribery does help. I usually keep a good stash here at my studio, but if you go someplace else, you're likely to need this tool to coax a smile out of your little one.

5) Bring a favorite toy or "lovie". Your child will be comforted by the familiar object in his unfamiliar surroundings.

6) Don't bring too many clothes. Or really... don't expect your child to willingly change outfits that many times without throwing a fit. Most kids don't like having their clothes changed, so I recommending keeping the outfit changes to a minimum. One or two outfits is usually best. Make sure they're in your favorite outfit first... that way if they do get cranky when you change them, you'll at least have gotten some good pictures in the best outfit first.

7) Don't have high expectations about getting specific poses. Although you may have found some adorable poses of other children posted on the internet, you can't always expect your child to co-operate. The best thing to do is work with the child to find which poses they're comfortable with. If they give you a hard time when you try out a certain pose, don't push it or you'll end up with one very unhappy child which consequently means you probably won't get any good pictures. Flexibility is key when it comes to childrens portraits. And who knows, maybe you'll get a completely new pose that's even better than you'd hoped for.

8) Go professional. Skip any studio where you know you'll be stuck sitting and waiting for your turn. Too much time spent in a waiting room and your child will be cranky before you even start pictures. It's a better idea to schedule your appoitment with a professional studio where you know you'll get started with pictures right away.

I may add to this list later, but for now, this is my list of recommended steps you can take to ensure that you and your child have an enjoyable portrait experience.

Gift Cards - Belleville Photographer, Larissa Photography

We are now offering Gift Cards! Cards available in any amount. Call or email me to order. www.larissaphotography.com 618-409-1224 larissa@larissaphotography.com

Cards for Susan

Card Prices (for pack of 24):
4x5 card - $35
5x7 card - $40
4x6 photo card - $30
5x7 photo card - $40

Additional cards available in sets of $4 for $1.24 each.

Easter Pictures - Garden Scene Samples

Ok. I've finally taken a few pictures on the new garden scene for Easter portraits. Here's a few pictures I took of my daughter on the new scene. For details on the Easter special, scroll down to see the original post.

Thank You Cards for Jessica

The design above is good for a single-sided photo card. Prices are as follows:
4x6 - $30
5x7 - $40
Extra cards are $1 each and are sold in sets of 4.





Card Prices (for pack of 24):
4x5 folded cards: $45
5x7 folded cards: $55
Additional cards available for $6 per set of 4.

Family Collage for Marisa

Dedication Cards for Julianne

This top design is the most like the card design you had in mind, Julianne. The text is squished in that small space and ends up quite tiny and difficult to read. I would not recommend getting any size smaller than the 5x7.
The design is a slight modification (orientation change) to the sample you sent me, however, the text does fit better on the veritcle space.
And this design is a front and back card design. Above, you'll see what the front of the card would look like. And below, you can see what the back of the card would look like. By using both sides, I was able to expand the text to an easier to read size and I seperated the images so they could be larger as well.


Cards are sold in sets of 24. Prices as follows:
5x7 - $40
4x5 - $35
Additional cards available for $5 per set of 4.

Coupon for your friends....

Do you know someone who could use a new photographer? Print out the coupon below to share with your friends and family:


Those of you who have been with us for a while may have been familiar with our referral rewards program from last year. Thank you to everyone who passed out our coupons and brought us new business. Unfortunately, we will not be running the referral rewards program again this year. It was too difficult for me to keep track of who got their credit and who didn't with everyone passing out the cards. Additionally, we frequently had customers who came after a couple friends told them about our business and it was confusing figuring out who to give the credit to.

Thank you again to everyone for passing out our cards and telling your friends about our business. We still would love to have your referals and hope that you will always be so happy with your photos that you still want to tell others about us. Feel free to print out the coupon above to share with your friends and family. I'm sure they'll be glad you took the time to get this valuable coupon for them!

Easter Pictures!

It's time to start thinking about Easter pictures! Last year, I worked hard to come up with a unique Easter setting unlike anything you would get anywhere else. So I created the "Old Fashioned Park Scene" as shown below:


It was such a huge hit, that I'll be offering the Old Fashioned Park Scene again, along with a new Spring Garden Scene (sample picutures coming soon). These two will be offered one weekend - March 27th, 28th, and 29th ONLY.
The Old Fashioned Park Scene will be available Friday afternoon & evening and Saturday morning.
The Spring Garden Scene will be available Friday morning, Saturday afternoon & evening, and Sunday afternoon.

And, for those of you who don't like the scenes, I will also be offering the solid white background and easter props for contemporary easter pictures as well. Since the white background is available all the time, these appointments can be done anytime during our regular hours throughout the month of March and is not limited to the one weekend like the easter scenes are.

Easter Session Prices and Details:

Basic Easter Session - $25
- 15-20 minutes session done on any of the scenes listed above
- 1 8x10 of your favorite pose

Deluxe Easter Session - $65
- 15-20 minute session done on any of the scenes listed above
- 1 8x10, 2 5x7's, and 8 wallets of your favorite pose.
- A single 4x6 print of each picture taken (aprox 15-20 pictures)
- A CD with all the images & copyrights.

Discount print packages will be available, starting at $8. Extra prints may be purchased a la carte at regular prices as shown below.

4x6 - $3
5x7 - $5
8x10 - $8
wallets - $5 for 12

Please Note:
The above session fees are for one child only. Additional children may be added at $5each.

The discount print packages must be ordered by March 31st! A la carte prints may be ordered anytime, but orders placed after March 31st may not be ready in time for Easter Sunday.

A limited numer of sessions are available, so call now to book your appointment! Call Larissa 618-409-1224 or email Larissa@larissaphotography.com
This is what the background for the Garden Scene will look like. I've not got this one in yet to take sample pictures, but I will post as soon as I do. This will at least give you an idea of what the scene will look like:

www.larissaphotography.com

Baby Parts Collages

Here are a couple recent baby body parts collages:

For Kristen...


For Julianne...

And for Amanda...

Winter Wonderland Make-Up Day

For those of you who missed the Winter Wonderland Portait special, you've got one more chance. This Saturday, February 28th, I will be setting up the winter wonderland scene again. Spaces are limited, so please call or email to reserve your spot right away!


This $25 portrait special includes a 20 minute session and an 8x10 metallic print of your favorite pose! Additional images may be purchased, and, for a limited time, you may upgrade to metallic finish for FREE. Call 618-409-1224 or email Larissa@larissaphotography.com to book your appointment now! Visit our website at www.larissaphotography.com

Updates to Children's Portrait Special Schedule

Due to popular demand, I will be running the Winter Wonderland portrait special again, later this month (February). Additionally, I've moved the Easter pictures to March so everyone can have their picture orders back in time for Easter. I've also seperated the "Baby Ballerina's" from the "take me out to the ballgame" photos. Both of these two would make great Mothers Day or Fathers Day gifts.

January - Winter Wonderland
February - Valentines & Winter Wonderland
March - Easter
April - Baby Ballerinas
May - Take me out to the Ballgame
June - 4th of July Portraits (picnic)
July - Lemonade Stand
August - Summer (in overalls or sundresses outdoors)
September - Back to School
October - Outdoor Fall Photos/Halloween
November - Thanksgiving/ Indoor Fall Photos
December - Christmas

Valentines Fun

For those of you who missed the Valentines Special, it's not too late to get them done. I can do Valentines portraits anytime this month. Here are a couple valentines cuties I got to photograph a couple weeks ago...







www.larissaphotography.com

Baby Boy Birth Announcement for Tara

This 5x7 card can be ordered in a variety of finishes, including pearl, linen, matte, satin, and glossy. The first pack (24 cards) costs $40 and additional cards may be ordered in sets of 4 for $5 per set. Approximate cost per card is $1.66 and that price goes down to $1.25 each for additional cards ordered (after the first 24). Prices include envelopes.

Downtown St. Louis Engagement Pictures

We had a great time working with Will and Laura for this downtown St. Louis engagement photo shoot! I love this couples enthusiasm and engery! We shot pictures at the Arch, Keiner Plaza, the Landing, and Busch Stadium. Thanks Laura and Will! We can't wait to work with you guys again on your wedding day!