Michael

I finally got to meet our little friend Michael today. He was the one who just moved up here from Florida after his mother died from a brain tumor about a month ago. We offered free sessions for anyone who brought in items to donate to Michael since he was coming up here with just the clothes on his back to live with his grand parents. Thanks to the response from the great community, Michael is living comfortably and has started school in the Marcus Whitman school district. Here are some photos of him that we did today, however to set the mood, you have to also picture him with a soft spoken, southern drawl.

Ambassadors Needed

Want to earn your senior portraits for free? We are looking for a few good students from each school to have their photos taken in April to help spread the word about us to their classmates before school ends.

What you'll get:
You will get two free senior portrait sessions, one now and one later in the summer to get the yearbook photo and some warmer weather photos.
You will also receive a selection of photos of our choice and other marketing materials to distribute throughout your school.
In addition to the free photos of our choice, you will earn money toward your personal photo selections for each booked referral you send us.

What you'll need to do:
You will need to collect as many names and addresses of your classmates as possible for our senior marketing program.
You will essentially be a mobile advertising campaign for Chesler Photography.

We are looking for outgoing students who are highly motivated and enjoy being photographed and having fun. If you think you have what it takes, call the studio at 585-393-9242 or e-mail Steve@Cheslerphoto.com to apply to be an ambassador. We are accepting a limited number from each school so don't hesitate.

Extreme Makeover

The inspiration we bring back with us from the conferences in Tampa and Vegas does not just revolve around images. We came back with a vision of how we want the studio to look and function. The vision is warm and inviting, comfortable and professional at the same time. It took a few months to gather our thoughts and pursue the options and here is where we ended up so far. I think the studio will always be a work in progress, just as our photography style is always in a state of evolution.

The next big step to incorporate in to the vision is to expand the studio to include a gallery where we can have shows and openings for our wedding and portrait clients. If anyone knows a good space that would make a cool gallery let me know.

The image above is an 18 panel montage created from 10x10" panels. The full piece is over five feet wide. This is displayed in our projection room where we preview client photos.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Kids Amaze Me

A few weeks back we posted about our little friend Michael who recently lost his mom to cancer and has relocated to the Finger Lakes to live with his grand parents. He was in need of almost everything. We put the word out and the community came through in force. Michael received clothes, bunk beds, a PS2 system with games and more. One story that really touched me was when one little boy heard of Michaels situation, he immediately told his mom that he wanted to give Michael all his toys. He ended up giving Michael a full tote of his Thomas the Tank wooden trains. It puts a lump in my throat with pride to live in such a great place with such amazing people.

Class of '09 MySpace Challenge

I feel I have an awesome website, thanks to Ellen from Lake Effects Web Design, as well as an awesome blog. My Myspace web page is in need of some serious work though. So here's the challenge: Any student from the Class of 2009 who submits a Myspace layout to us will receive a free set of 8 wallets with their order. Wait it gets better. The top 10 layouts will receive their session at 50% off and the winning design will receive their entire session, including any add-on session modules totally free. In addition, the winning senior will receive a web slideshow of their session set to music and published on our Myspace page. Layouts will be judged on creativity and their ability to generate traffic to the studio. We're looking for a design that will reflect our branding, logo and of course our images, so if you need any supporting material feel free to ask. The winning design will be picked on April 30, 2008. To view the current page go to http://www.myspace.com/cheslerphoto

Scenics from Red Rock

I would certainly not consider myself a landscape artist when it comes to photography. There is so much I need to learn about creating the magnificent vistas I see in Outdoor Photographer Magazine. I do realize that I am not choosing the perfect time of day for lighting, but there are so many other little tricks and details that I would love to learn. Here are some of my attempts from Red Rock Canyon. They are not bad at all, just don't expect them to be on any magazine covers in the near future.

Red Rock Canyon

On Wednesday, Amanda, Mark, Ellen and I went to Red Rock Canyon just west of Las Vegas. It was really cool even though we didn't get a chance to see any of the big horn sheep or wild horses that reside there. I personally liked the Valley of Fire better last year, but Red Rock was still impressive. Next years Senior Portrait Artists conference will be held at the Red Rock Resort just outside the canyon.

Viva Las Vegas!

It doesn't matter how many times I visit Las Vegas, I come back every time, not only exhausted beyond function, but inspired beyond belief. The WPPI conference was exceptional again. I am returning with a full head of ideas and a further renewed passion for my career. I went with Ellen and Amanda, but we also brought Amanda's husband Mark. He is not a photographer, but I have a feeling he will be very shortly. The experience he took away from the conference was a life altering "awakening" on his view of the world around him. It was so profound that words can't convey it, it must be experienced first hand. I exeperienced what he did my first year at WPPI in 2005, and to see him experience the same thing feels like I brought someone over with me into the light. It is not the light of death, but the light of life. Here are a few images from Vegas, including some of Mark and Amanda sipping some of the surreal moments that are inevitable in such a surreal place.

The sunrise image above was shot obscenely early by Ellen Chesler.

Vegas Baby!!!!!!!

I don't know what I'm still doing up. I'm heading to Vegas later today for the WPPI conference, which has become an annual tradition for Daryn and I for four years now. My sister Ellen joined us last year and this year we will also be joined by Amanda and her husband Mark. Each year I came away with something different, from huge amounts of inspiration and marketing ideas to some great new friendships. My first year there I felt like I was bowing to the stars and now I feel like I'm going back to hang with old friends. I am so thankful that I have a career that allows me to travel and experience events like this. I will be online sporadically to check my e-mail and post some of this years excitement. Sue and Kim will be in the studio this week holding down the fort. Well that's it for now. Next stop, Bally's Las Vegas.