Irresistible Portraits: Upcoming Beach Photography

It's warm outside and we're ready to stick our toes in the sand! Our beach photography sessions start this weekend - June 4th and 5th. We have weekends throughout the summer that we offer beach sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings at Sunset Beach, NC. We wait until late afternoon, early evening to photograph so the light is PERFECT and the sun is setting!

Here are some product ideas we have for beach photography....

Our beach bag has been a hit this year (even with studio images). You can choose different colored materials to accent the images.

This is a gallery wrap collection, splitting one image into three wraps. We also offer collections with multiple images grouped together. You can save 20% on gallery wraps when you purchase them as collections. Why not have this gorgeous display in your hallway or living room at home?

Beach images were very popular for christmas cards in 2009! Everyone wants to wish a warm holiday...

Karen is also willing to travel to your beach house or a location sentimental to your family. Just give us a call and we'll see if she's available to travel during the time your family is together.

In addition to this weekend, the dates reserved for beach photography are:

July 3rd - 10th (Sunset Beach, NC)

July 23rd & 24th (Sunset Beach, NC)

August 8th & 9th (Sunset Beach, NC)

September 10th & 11th (Charleston, SC)

Good thing you kept reading... We wouldn't want you to miss this special chance to save $160! We have one session left for beach photography this Saturday, June 5th, at 7pm. If you call and mention this blog post, we'll waive the session fee for this Saturday's session. HURRY! 704.933.5600

Irresistible Portraits: Location Portrait Sessions

We've had a lot of interest in location portrait sessions lately. We're happy to explore new locations. It seems to get the creative energy flowing around here! All the locations have been gorgeous and we wanted to share them with you. Maybe you've been thinking of a family portrait at your home or at a location that's personal to your family. This may give you some inspiration to schedule the session!

This was Meredith and Ben's engagement session in Winston Salem, NC at the Graylyn International Conference Center. The architecture is BEAUTIFUL and Karen could have photographed ALL day there if we would have let her!

Karen photographed the Lanning family at their home on Lake Tillery last weekend. They photographed a variety inside and outside their home and the images are STUNNING!

The Reed family lives on their farm in Mount Ulla, NC. The kids love playing outside barefoot and the perfect place for their family portrait was there - on the farm!

Honestly, this was Karen's idea to go to an alley in downtown Kannapolis, NC for this portrait session. Madeline is a dancer at heart and after hearing her talk about dance, Karen asked her if she'd like to go to this location... just to play and see what they could come up with. Of course, she agreed and jumped at the chance! Her mom fell in love with the images and that's all she wrote....

The Blair family has been planning a family portrait for a while and definitely wanted to include Carson, their family pet of nine years. Time got away from them and they finally scheduled their family session on the same week that they were moving out of their house! (We can work with last minute changes too!)

To see more from these location portrait sessions, check out of our facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/IPbyKG.

Professional Photographers of Michigan - Essentials for Women

Karen was invited to speak at PPM's Essentials for Women conference in Petosky, Michigan a few weeks ago. She was invited to share her experiences with Focused on a Cure and fundraising through her photography business - Irresistible Portraits. At the last minute, she was given the opportunity to share her tricks and advice for photographing unique maternity and newborn portraits. She was thrilled to do both!

Here's a couple of images from the sessions she photographed during her seminar...

You can see more of the images as well as some more candids on our facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/IPbyKG.

Karen has received a lot of great feedback and even chatted with other photographers further about their future involvment with Focused on a Cure. Some photographers were so inspired that they've offered to hold fundraisers at their studios across the US and donate the proceeds to Focused on a Cure! This is HUGE for our organization!!! We'd be happy to chat with anyone who's interested in doing something similar, whether it involves photography or not! We're open to any donations! Remember, our goal is $15,000 this year!

Best of 2009

We've put together a video of our "best of 2009." As we look through the images, we see these unique, yet perfect expressions. We see our furry best friends. We see families that have become dear to us. We wanted to take the time to say thank you to all our clients. It's an honor to meet such loyal people who understand the value of photography and the meaning in what we do from day to day.

We have a busy year planned for 2010 - promotions, fundraisers, events, and celebrations. We hope that you'll celebrate 20 years of success with us!

Enjoy this video and feel free to leave comments! We love hearing your input!

Bowes Family Portraits

Thank you so much for such a great photo session Saturday. My family and I really enjoyed being together and getting to work with you.

 

 

 Irresistible Portraits truly captures the customer's vision and more!!!

 

We are so excited to view our pictures and know we will love them all. Thanks so much for all that you do!!! -Adrienne Bowes

Remembering Bryan

Dear Karen,

I would like to take this time to thank you for all you have done for us. As you know, on January 25, 2006, Tim and I lost our son, Bryan, at the age of 21. Before that time, we thought we had all of the time in the world to have family portraits made. It is my regret I thought I had a lifetime to do this. You always seem to think there will be a tomorrow. Sometimes, that is not the case.



The day I came to your studio and spoke to Renda was the day I realized we could have portraits made and still have a small part of Bryan show through. I have never been as excited as the day we came to have our pictures taken. Through discussions with you and Renda about different ideas, Tim and I brought Bryan's most prized belongings. I had never seen anyone so passionate about their work as you. It amazed Tim and I, both the effort, time, and love you showed taking those pictures reflecting our life with Bryan and the love of our family. These portraits and book will never be able to replace Bryan but through them we can remember the great times we had. They will also reflect the love we will always have in our hearts for Bryan.



I will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done. Between you, Renda, and Jessica, we felt as if we were part of a family. You all made it so easy to relax and enjoy this special time. I hope sometime in the future I can repay the favor. I know God had a hand in us meeting. It is through him all things happen and are possible. I was struggling trying to find a way to show everyone who Bryan was and with God's help and your creations this is becoming a reality.



Sincerely,
Janice Kidd

Each year, Janice collects school supplies with the help of her church, in memory of Bryan. In the upcoming year, IP will join efforts with "Bryan's Desk" to collect supplies for less fortunate children in this area. Stay tuned for more details. We look forward to being helping support this cause that was so dear to Bryan's heart during his 21 years.

Fall Fundraisers

We've held a couple fundraisers in the past few weeks. The first was for our Avon Walk. Karen photographed about 25 families on a Sunday afternoon in quick 10 minutes sessions and raised $1500 to donate to Focused on a Cure's Avon team - Digital Divas! Then last Sunday, she photographed families from Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church. This church has a group of missionaries that goes to Kenya each year. Last week's fundraiser earned $1000 towards this year's mission trip!

Here's a few of our favorites from both fundraisers...

Why would a Dove need a bridge?

Meet the Dove family - Alan, Misty, Aiden, and Addyson.



Alan was recently diagnosed with cancer of the liver and colon. His battle against cancer began in August. He has recently transferred his caring bridge site to a blog, where he keeps everyone updated on his thoughts and feelings and what's going on in his life. You'll laugh and cry at his words of wisdom. Take the time to check it out at www.dovebridge.wordpress.com.

You can check out more of their family images from their recent portrait session on our fan page at www.facebook.com/IPbyKG.

Keep Alan and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Beach Photography - July 2009

We were closed through the week of July 4th, but we scheduled a few beach sessions during that week. Renda and Tara took a day trip down to Sunset Beach, NC to photograph the Otteni family. Karen was unavailable, but we couldn't miss this chance of photographing all the extended family while they were gathered for vacation!

Sunday, Karen and Jess had the pleasure of photographing the Niblock family at their beautiful house on the waterway in Ocean Isle, NC. Karen photographed Franklin and Jessica when they were little ones, so it was really neat to photograph them now, married and in college - all grown up! Janet had one of her life long friends in town for a visit, so we had to get a few images of the ladies together - an image they'll cherish forever.

Wednesday, Zachary entertained us during the Meadows family portrait session at Sunset Beach, NC. He was determined to lay face down in the sand, so there was a little bit of bribery with Smarties. But we got some GREAT images of their family and Zachary playing in the sand.

Friday, we photographed the Motley family. Some of you might remember Renee from our first Facebook party; she sold the Thirty One gifts. Her beautiful family was staying nearby Sunset Beach, and thought it was time for a new family portrait. Karen captured some stunning family images.

We've put together a video of a few of our favorites from each beach session during our vacation week. We can't wait to show off all the images to each family. Enjoy!

Stanford Family at Sunset Beach, NC

We had our first weekend of beach photography last weekend and we have to share this one with you! Stephanie scheduled her beach portrait session in March as soon as we announced our beach photography dates (if that tells you how much she wanted these portraits!) The weekend was HOT and beautiful Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, but by Saturday evening, the clouds parted and the bottom fell out! There were thunderstorm warnings on the news. The rain was falling sideways because the wind was blowing so hard. The sky was black and we were bummed, becuase we knew how bad the Stanfords wanted these portraits.

We prayed and waited for a couple of hours and headed north to Sunset JUST INCASE our prayers would be answered. We arrived to Sunset and waited a total of 15 minutes when the sky cleared and the beautiful colors appeared in the sky. You know what we mean! After a storm, there's that calm, gorgeous look in the air. Well there it was! And we photographed for longer than planned, just because we were so excited to be out there in the first place!

Here's a sneak peek...

Thanks for your patience, Stephanie and Phil! We knew He was listening to our prayers. He just wanted to test us a little. We're so excited for you to see all the images! It was HARD to narrow down our favorites for the blog. We'll see you Friday!

Black & White Relationship Photography

We originally made this video of black and white relationship images to show a potential client, but after seeing it, we thought we'd share it with everyone!

Nothing captures emotion more than a classic black and white portrait.

Dirk, the Great Dane

Earlier this week, we photographed the Snook family. They brought both their babies - 2 legged and 4 legged! Dirk, their great dane, was their first baby and Lilly is their newest addition.

We fell in love with Dirk. He is HUGE! He greeted Millie and Luke by looking over the half door in the front room. But he didn't even have to stand on his back legs. He was tall enough to see over it!

Allen said Dirk topped out at 220 pounds, but has since been put on a diet! (We know what that's like!) But even at 200 pounds, he's full of love!

Here's a few of our favorite images of The Snook family!

See.... he's huge!

Head over Heels

Meet Julie and Don Shaw. They've been married just a little over a year now and wanted portraits made together. We had so much fun with these two! They were both relaxed and easy going, which made it easy to capture true emotions. You should see the way they look at each other. They're head over heels for one another!

Take a look!















Julie & Don, thanks for being so great! We had a blast with you and look forward to photographing your family portrait! BFF! (haha)

Client Showcase - The Pless Family

For our first 2009 IP newsletter, we chose to showcase the Pless family. We like to showcase families that have an inspiring story to tell. Sara and Frank have just that!

Our relationship with Karen and IP started early in 2007. I'm in direct sales and had been picked by the company to represent them in Oprah's O Magazine. Talk about thrilled and shocked beyond belief! I had to have professional head-shots done and I immediately thought of Irresistible Portraits. I had heard about their great reputation and was vaguely familiar with their work. I was so excited to be able to give them a try.

So I took my son Kendall, who was 4 at the time with me to the session. After she had captured the business shots I shyly asked her if she minded taking "just one" picture of me and Kendall. You should know that I LOVE pictures, but being Mom - I'm always the one behind the camera. She was so gracious and didn't mind at all. Kendall of course was great, and we left the studio.





When she called me back to come and view the images I was blown away. The business shots were perfect but I was in tears over the images of Kendall and I. She couldn't have had more than 5 minutes with just the two of us, but she captured his personality to a T. I knew right then and there that I would not be going anywhere else for photographs!



Kendall's 5th birthday was later that same year in June, so my husband Frank and I took him and had family photos done as well. Once again, Karen was amazing. Frank and I both really don't enjoy having our pictures taken, but she worked her magic anyway! From that session we picked out a book of various shots of Kendall and a gallery wrap for the family picture. Everybody who walks thru my door (and being the Bra Lady - that's a lot of people...) comment on what a beautiful picture it is.

Fast forward to May 2008...my sister, Lisa and I were BOTH pregnant! Lisa was expecting her first child - a daughter. And I was expecting TWINS! Identical little girls. I didn't take the opportunity to have maternity shots done when I was pregnant with Kendall, and I regretted it. So I called my sister and to IP we went. That session was SO much fun. We laughed and bared our bellies and of course had Kendall by our sides as well. Lisa was due in June, and I in September. My belly was already as big as hers!

We went back to view those images and placed our orders. And while sitting in the comfort of the studio I couldn't have imagined what was in store for our family.

Just a couple of weeks after our session I found out that my little girls were suffering from TTTS - Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. This effects an estimated 6000 babies a year, and about 80% of those die. The sad part is that this is largely due to a failure to diagnose or adequately treat the problem. Fortunately, we had excellent prenatal care and knew the girls were sharing a placenta. We knew it could be a complication.

TTTS is a disease of the placenta that affects identical twin pregnancies. Because some blood vessels are shared unequal amniotic fluid levels can result. One baby is overwhelmed by an excessive amount of fluid while the other is "stuck" to the wall in the womb. I vividly remember that ultrasound - it looked like little Madison had been shrink wrapped to the uterine wall. I went in on a Monday for that ultrasound and my little ladies were delivered by C-Section the next day - born 13 weeks early.

Elisabeth weighed 2 pounds, 2 ounces and Madison was 1 pound, 12 ounces. They were supposed to be 3 months younger than their cousin, but instead came exactly one week before. After fighting minor heart problems, infection after infection, two brain surgeries and a 75 day stay in the NICU I'm happy to report that Elisabeth Anne and Madison Gayle were able to come home by September 1st. They are little miracles and full of spunk!

For their 6 month pictures we took them to IP in December 2008. Now I was thinking - Karen is good, but what can she do with THREE little babies all at once??!! (My sister's little girl - Jacey - was also with us.) Magic I tell you! She was kind enough to tell their story on her blog and when I saw the images - they took my breath away. I'm dumbfounded at how she can even capture the personality of a tiny little baby. From their wondrous little faces to Jacey's huge dark eyes and grin - we will cherish these photos forever.

We've had portraits made at other "cheaper" places, but never again. What we love about Karen and Buddy and the rest of the IP family is the attention to details and the quality of the end result. You don't come away with "just a picture", it's a work of art that you just want the whole world to see!

Thank you so much for all that you do. From the comfort of your studio to the hand written notes that I receive each time - you will be our family photographer as long as you are in the business!

For more information about TTTS - go to www.tttsfoundation.org

More than 200 babies are lost each day to various fetal distress syndromes. For more information go to www.fetalhope.org

To read Elisabeth and Madison's story: www.caringbridge.org/visit/plesstwins

Warmly,

Frank, Sara, Kendall, Elisabeth (Ibby), & Madison (Maddie)

Sara C. Pless (704) 796-6662
"The Bra Lady"
EBW Certified Fitter
www.myessentialbodywear.com/thebralady