• You'd love to have a family portrait session that fully captures who you are, how you connect, and how much affection surfaces when all the members of your family are present within the camera frame.

    We're happy to capture your family in our studio, complete with gorgeous light and minimal distractions, or in your comfy-cozy home full of familiar toys and routines. No matter where our session takes place, we'll delight in your delight. And we'll encourage you to pay attention to one another instead of the camera, because there's no 'add happy' button in Photoshop.

    We don't care whether you're barefoot or wearing fuzzy slippers, and we won't be sending over a twenty-page list of suggestions about what to wear. (We can make you look beautiful in sweat pants if you love each other.) We just want to capture your family. Your habits, your quirks, and your love. And when you view the images we've created together for the first time, we want the depth of love you feel for your family to grab you by the collar and bring tears to your eyes.

    The video below provides a peek at how portrait sessions unfold. If you have questions or would like to schedule a portrait session, click on the 'Contact' link above or call 215-206-3689. Oh -- and thanks for stopping by, lovely!

    -- Kristen & Haunani, Essential Imagery owners

    P.S. That's Kristen up in the header -- Haunani is camera-shy.

  • GRAB THE NEWSLETTER & PORTRAIT GOODIES.





Monthly Archives: April 2009

BRAND CAMP ON FACEBOOK.

I get all sorts of questions about branding from photographers & creative types, so I thought, “Huh…why not let them ask me LIVE, instead of going back and forth in e-mail?”  Better yet, what if reaching me was free, easy, and fast — like Facebook chat?  Why, what a wonderful idea!

If you have any questions about branding, the philosophy behind it, the branding process, etc, etc…you can reach me LIVE and in person on Thursday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Eastern Standard Time via facebook chat.  Of course you have to be my facebook friend, which you can do here.  Or, just search for Essential Imagery — okay?  And then, I’ll be waiting to hear from you.  (Please, please, somebody…chat with me!)

brand camp

show hide 5 comments

TWITTER FOR THE UNCONVINCED. OR FRIGHTENED.

Okay, peeps.  The world has been turned upside down since the big O entered Twitter-ville.  The most common reason I hear for not embracing Twitter is:  “No one cares about my life.  It just isn’t that interesting.”

But but but…one of the reasons I heart Twitter is just that: your everyday, mundane life is shared by many other everyday folks just trying to get by. And the sense of connectedness that comes from other ________s [insert genre: geeks, moms, crafters, photographers, fashionistas, musicians, life-lovers, business folk] in the world is rather remarkable.

Yesterday, frustrated with my cat’s early-morning antics, I tweeted:

Available: 1 disco rave cat.  Enjoys 3AM parties and soccer games with NEW earrings.

And this response from the lovely Karyn Kelbaugh made my day:  Trade you one Houdini Cat. Makes toy mice, pens & small bits of paper disappear. Also operates a dunking booth in his bowl.

Suddenly, I laughed.  And took Big Kitty off of Ebay. 

Okay, fine, it’s not necessarily about being supremely interesting, they concede.  Then peeps say: “I like Facebook so much anyway” and scoff at me.  That’s fabulous!  But some of us [ahem, not me, naturally] get so distracted by group-joining, sheep-throwing, gallery-uploading, chatting, status-updating, and fashion-war-ing that Twitter is the [relatively] simple option, here.  If you enjoy Facebook, I promise, you’ll dig Twitter.  I can’t promise the love goes the other way around.

Finally, if you like learning stuff, get a Twitter account. I’ve learned more about web 2.0, other fabulous artists, local events, and worldwide movements through my use of Twitter over the past few months than I had in the few years prior to it.  Seriously.  Sign up.  And when you do, swing by Monday to chat about some Twitter do’s and don’ts.

To wrap: connect, learn, and grow on Twitter.  To sign up for your very own account, hit up Twitter.com.  If you’re already a Twitter maniac, you can follow me  here.  Woo!

no comments

INSPIRATIONAL LINKS FOR THE IMAGE-INCLINED.

There’s a whole world of lovely eye-candy out there to be had…and stuff to try…images to make….charities to support…and and and…there’s treasure everywhere! Below, in no particular order, some of my current favorites.

The Art of Non-Conformity.  Chris Guillebeau’s take-no-prisoners attitude toward life and his terribly articulate, rational, idealistic manifestos will get you thinking.  His goal of visiting every country in the world while selling e-books like ‘Be Your Own Travel Ninja’ will make you just a wee bit jealous.
http://chrisguillebeau.com/3×5/

Doug Boutwell’s love affair with The Salton Sea is neat to watch — like a tango, only crustier.  True to his Macguyver-geek form, he’s now perfectly lighting the imperfect remains of the long-abandoned desert gem, with stunning results.  Image credit: Doug Boutwell. http://gettotallyrad.com/blog/

shack


There’s an enchanting and meditative quality to everything found on the Soulemama blog — recipes, images, knitting patterns, thoughts, wishes, and endless craft projects.  If I ever have kiddos, I hope I handle it with the grace and insight of one Amanda Soule.
http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/

Zack Arias.  The things this man can do with a few hundred dollars’ worth of photography equipment — better yet, the things he can teach YOU to do with a few hundred dollars worth of photography equipment… Image credit: Zack Arias.
http://www.zarias.com/ & instructional DVD http://www.onelightworkshop.com/

surveil_039

The Daydream Lily blog amasses beautiful photography, projects, and ideas from all over the world.  Eye candy at its finest.
http://daydreamlily.blogspot.com/

If you dig interior design, decorating, do-it-yourself projects, gorgeous interiors, or faraway places, you need to visit decor8.  Updated multiple times Monday through Friday.
http://decor8blog.com/

For pure eye candy, little collections of photographs amassed from all over the web with an eye toward fashion…
http://thatunreliablegirl.blogspot.com/

DIY meets love at this website, which allows you to ‘heart’ images and make little collections of them for sharing later.  So addictive, and so wonderful for image-whores like me.
http://www.weheartit.com

Since the loft is orange…why not whorange?  Beautiful objects to lust after.  Many in orange.
http://www.whorange.net/

An off-the-wall pick: the enfant terrible shop.  Lovely and luxurious children’s goods are featured, yes, but it’s the most whimsical-yet-effective web design I’ve ever come across.
http://www.enfantterribleshop.com/home.php

show hide 2 comments

MEET THEMBI.

I’m shy.  No, really — if you put me in a room full of 55 dressed-to-the-nines businesswomen and tell me to ‘go network,’ I want to melt into a little puddle and slip through a drainpipe to the nearest quiet corner.

When I caught Thembi making the same ‘where’s the drainpipe’ face at a networking event, I knew we’d get along.  We chatted.  I eyed up her goods and bought some, too.  We exchanged business cards, and gab like old friends when we get together for coffee-sharing in a quiet corner.

Thembi contacted me for some updated headshots, and I obliged.  She studied America’s Next Top Model to up her fierce factor, and I perused fashion magazines to come up with simple yet edgy images.  (I hope it worked!)

thembiblog2
thembiblog1
Rock. It. Thembi.

thembiblog5
thembiblog4
For all that crazy-fierce posing that was going on…this is Thembi…such a delight.

thembiblog3
And yes, she’s wearing her own handmade, custom-designed, absolutely stunning jewelry.  Hit up her website to snag your own creation, lovely people!

show hide 1 comment

BREAKING UP WITH MY TV.

Hey there.  I’ve been on a trip through HeadcoldVille, and spent a few nights in Nyquil Central.  I’m mostly back, now, and decided to break up with my TV.

What!?  This has nothing to do with photography! Where are the cute pictures of kids!?  They’re coming, just…I need to be accountable.  My TV and I are breaking up for 1 week, minus the new episode of The Office that airs at 9 p.m. Thursday.  There’s  nothing like a big ol’ dose of headcold to make you lie on the couch and realize how utterly *pointless and mind-numbing* a great deal of TV happens to be.

I’m going to the book store.  I’m going to look at magazines and doodle with abandon.  I’m going to take photographs of non-kids and non-families.  I’m going to lie outside in the breeze.  I’m going to clean my closet.  And I’m going to do it all without any TV.

Anyone care to join me for the next week?  I’d love to have company on this sojourn into TV-free-ville!

no comments

F R E E   P O R T R A I T   G O O D I E S
  • GET FREE STUFF

    Get $125 in free portrait goods when you sign up for our newsletter!