Fort Worth Children's Photographer

Well...apparently these ice days are doing me a great service! While my husband is home, he has been tending to our son and having some "boy time", which has allowed me to spend some time on the computer catching up on edits and blogging. So...the last "snow day" we had, the Easley family braved the weather to drive all the way to Joshua from Colleyville. Now that's dedication if you ask me!

Anyway, when I first met Amy, she was about 3 months pregnant with her son Preston, and I was about 6 weeks pregnant with my son. So we immediately shared a common ground. She and Dennis recently added another member to their family...Miss Payton. Since I was on bedrest when Preston was born and didn't get the opportunity to do his newborn shoot, I was completely ecstatic to shoot Payton's. Especially since I very rarely get to take photos of little girls!

So...here is a preview of their first family shoot!

Alright my friends...need to finish some more edits before the ice melts and hubby has to go back to work.

Fort Worth Wedding Photographer

Can you believe it guys?!?! Two posts in two days! I think that's a new record for me! Anyway, I was granted permission from this gorgeous bride to post a few of my top pics from her session on the blog. Her husband-to-be is a member of facebook, so I promised not to post any on there. So Mac...if you're reading this, turn away this instant!

So...after driving around the Stockyards in Fort Worth and having no luck finding a spot to shoot (the rodeo was in town and it was CROWDED), we ended up back in Joshua, which is just south of Burleson for those of you who aren't familiar with the "Burbs".

Ashly is such a sweet individual that I've had the honor of knowing for a very long time, and has quite a special story behind the significance of her bridal gown. The dress was originally her mother's gown which she has had reconstructed to suit her own personal style. This is no ordinary "wear your mother's dress" situation. Ashly's mother Angela was diagnosed with Skin Cancer in September of 2003, and passed away in June of 2004. Since her mom is unable to be there with her physically during this special day, this dress will allow Ashly to have a piece of her mother close to her heart when she takes her vows.

As promised, here are a few of the shots from our session. I decided to only post images of her beautiful face, so as not to spoil the surprise of her customized dress. I'll post full length ones in May after the wedding!

Thanks for taking a peek at the blog today, and I'll be posting again very soon! I have a super cute, squishy baby shoot that I know you guys are just dying to see!!!

Ashley Mauldin - Fort Worth Photographer

Ok...so I am officially HORRIBLE at blogging! I know it has been months since my last post, but in my defense, I do have a toddler who keeps me very busy! That aside, the end of 2010 was extremely busy for me. In the month of October, I shot 4 weddings and several family portraits. November and December weren't much different. My schedule has been full of children's portraits, families, card designs, and a few maternity and newborn shoots. Add in a few bridal sessions and you have my last few months in a nutshell!

Over the holidays I spent some time catching up with my editing, and playing with some new equipment I received as gifts. I also recently purchased a new wide-angle lens, and I can't wait until my next opportunity to use it!

Anyway, I thought I would share my favorites from the recent months to catch you all up on what I've been doing while neglecting the blog! :-) I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Baby Dax

Ugh! I just wanna pinch those cheeks!!!!

McKenzie Family

Ok...so these guys are so awesome! Doug and Natalie are two of our closest friends, and she's also my AMAZING hairdresser! Anyway, here are my faves from their family shoot with their son Greer. By the way...in the midst of all these photoshoots, I managed to design a new logo!

I call this next image "Love Sandwich".



Little Miss Halle

I can't get over this little girl and her dimples! At her session, she was just getting over a nasty cold, but I think we managed to get some pretty cute shots, aside from the runny nose and cough. She was such a trooper!

Ok internet mongers...that is all I have time for now. I have a ton of editing to catch up on this weekend, so I will (hopefully) be posting some more previews in the next couple of days. I have an amazing bridal session that I am working on, so if I can get the bride's permission I'll be sharing a few of those. Anyway...hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and check in soon for more updates!

Daxton-Fort Worth Photographer

Hello All! Sorry again for the delay in updating the blog! After running the "Back to School Special" on mini sessions, I got extremely busy!!! I guess that's a good thing though. :-) Between running a household, being a full-time Mom, and running this photography business, I never seem to get bored. There is ALWAYS something to be done! I like being busy though, so it works for me!

Anyway...in the midst of all the madness from the mini sessions, a very dear friend of mine experienced a huge life changing event. Yes...that's right...she gave birth to her first child! So exciting right?!?! After a long hot summer of swollen fingers and toes, along with an ever growing belly...the doctor finally felt she had had enough. On Wednesday, September 1st, Christy was induced at 7am. Loads of family and friends stopped by to visit her throughout the day, but many were unable to stay until the grand finale. Luckily, my husband agreed to watch our son for the evening so that I could be at her side and document this momentous occasion. I am so honored to have been made a part of this event! I love Christy, Dustin, and their families so dearly, and I thank them as well for allowing me to share this with them. So...at 10:24pm, after 2 hours of pushing (Ugh! what a trooper huh?), Daxton Kyle FINALLY made his debut! He weighed in at 8 lbs 0 oz and measured 20 inches in length. He has the most adorable chubby cheeks and looks just like his Daddy. So...now that I have built your anticipation, here are a few of the shots I got from the night at the hospital.

I am currently working on editing his newborn shoot, so those will be posted very soon! Once again, Thank You Christy and Dustin for making me a part of your lives and sharing this beautiful time with me! I love you both so much!

Wedding Photography Contest

Ashley Mauldin Photography is holding a contest for FREE wedding and reception coverage. Please submit an email describing your wedding theme, location, colors, and other details, for a chance to win Ashley's services at no charge. Deadline is October 1st at midnight. The most unique and creative entry wins!!!

Each entrant will receive a 20% discount on the package of their choice. It may be used on a portrait shoot or even a wedding package!




Mail entries to: ashleymauldin@sbcglobal.net
Subject: Wedding Contest

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

Why are Professional Photographers so expensive?

This article has been very well received by the photography community, and is published in the December 2009 edition of Professional Photographer Magazine.

In this digital age where everyone has cameras, scanners, and home "photo printers," we hear this all the time: How do professional (or personal) photographers charge $X for an 8x10 when they cost just $1.50 at the drugstore? Simply put, the customer is not just paying for the actual photograph; they're paying for time and expertise.

The average one-hour portrait session
First, let's look at the actual work involved:

Travel to the session
Setup, preparation, talking to the client, etc.
Shoot the photos
Travel from the session
Load images onto a computer
Back up the files on an external drive
2 - 4 hours of Adobe® Photoshop® time, including cropping, contrast, color, sharpening, and backing up edited photographs. Proof photos are also ordered.
2 - 3 hours to talk to the client, answer questions, receive order and payment, order their prints, receive and verify prints, package prints, schedule shipment, and ship.
Possibly meet clients at the studio to review photos and place order. Meeting and travel time average 2 hours.
You can see how a one-hour session easily turns into an eight-hour day or more from start to finish. So when you see a personal photographer charging a $200 session fee for a one-hour photo shoot, the client is NOT paying them $200 per hour.

The eight-hour wedding

A wedding photographer typically meets with the bride and groom several times before and after the wedding. And it’s not uncommon to end up with 1,000 - 2,000 photos, much more than a portrait session. Many photographers spend 40-60 hours working on one eight-hour wedding if you look at the time that is truly involved. Again, when a wedding photographer charges $4,000 for eight hours of coverage, clients are NOT paying them $500 an hour!
(Don’t forget that the photographer runs the wedding day to some extent. A comfortable, confident wedding photographer can make a wedding day go more smoothly.)

The expertise and cost of doing business

Shooting professional photography is a skill acquired through years of experience. Even though a DSLR now costs under $1,000, taking professional portraits involves much more than a nice camera.
Most personal photographers take years to go from buying their first camera to making money with photography. In addition to learning how to use the camera, there is a mountain of other equipment and software programs used to edit and print photographs, run a website, etc. And don’t forget backdrops, props, rent, utilities, insurance, etc!
In addition to the financial investment, photographers actually have to have people skills to make subjects comfortable in front of the camera. Posing people to look their best is a skill by itself. You could argue that posing is a more important skill than actually knowing how to use the camera. A poorly exposed photo can be saved, but a badly posed photo cannot.

The chain store photo studio

Chain stores do have their place. For a very cheap price you can run in, shoot some quick photos, and be done with it. But you get what you pay for.
Consider the time and effort that a personal photographer puts into photographs, compared to a chain store. Store sessions last just a few minutes, while a personal photographer takes the time to get to know the people, makes them comfortable, makes them laugh. If a baby is crying at a chain store, they often don’t have the time (or the patience) to wait because everyone is in a hurry.
The truth is that many chain store studios lose money. In fact, Wal-Mart closed 500 of their portrait studios in 2007 because of the financial drain. What the chain stores bank on is a client coming in for quick, cheap photos…and while there, spending $200 on other items. They are there to get you in the door.

The real deal

Professional, personal photographers are just that—professionals. No different than a mechanic, dentist, doctor, or electrician. But a personal photographer often becomes a friend, someone who documents a family for generations with professional, personal photographs of cherished memories.
Maybe we need to help clients look at it this way: A pair of scissors costs $1.50 at the drugstore. Still, most people will gladly pay a lot more to hire a professional hair dresser to cut their hair.
The added attention and quality that a personal photographer gives is worth every penny.

Conclusion

We hope that those who have taken the time to read this page will have a better understanding of why professional photographs, created by a Personal Photographer are so expensive.

Greer - Burleson Children's Photographer

First of all, I would like to apologize for my delay in updating the Blog. I was in Mexico photographing a beautiful destination wedding for Amanda and Chad...photos to come soon!

Anyway...Monday I had the priviledge of spending some time with Mr.Greer (along with his incredible parents Doug and Natalie) for his One Year photography session! It's tough to believe it's already been a year!

We decided to brave the heat and humidity and do a location photo shoot. Despite the soaring temperatures, we got some pretty amazing shots! He was such a doll and I had a great time!!! Here is my favorite shot so far: