Things I Love Thursday

• I’ve been a fan of artist Charmaine Olivia for a few years, last night I finally broke down and bought a couple of her limited edition prints, I can’t wait to frame them and hang them up!
• Getting an e-mail from Indie Film Lab that says “Your Scans Are Ready”… which means I’ll be posting the photos from a creative styled shoot I did a couple weekends ago very soon! The photo in this post is a sneak peek of the film scans.
• Road trip to Maryland and Washington, DC this weekend with my good friend Joli - tourist things, visiting with some friends, a ballet themed photo shoot, tons of photos, and hopefully we’ll have time to hit up Ikea as well.
• Booking weddings at venues I haven’t worked yet but have always wanted to – Chateau Morrisette… Another area venue that is on my “bucket list”: Pippin Hill Farm in Charlottesville.

Anthony + Brittany | {Radford, VA Engagement Photographer}

Indie Engagement Photos at Home

When I asked Brittany about her engagement photography ideas, there were a few key scenarios that she had compiled with Anthony that she wanted included – morning tea at the kitchen table of their new home, playing banjos on the front porch, a few photos with his bike, and pictures with their furry children (2 dogs, 1 cat). We spent around 4 hours together shooting through a roll of Kodak Portra film and recording various clips of videos that I will hopefully be able to finish editing and share soon. Salted caramel hot chocolate, banjos on the porch, walks in the woods, and an adorable photo session captured on 35mm film with one of my favorite couples is kind of my ideal way to spend a Saturday.

Check back soon to see photos from their elopement at a cherry orchard a couple weekends ago. I have even asked Brittany and Anthony compiling a write up about their love story to include in their elopement post as an extra special treat.

Photos by Blacksburg, VA Alternative Wedding Photographer: Holly Cromer
Film: Kodak Portra 160
Camera: Canon Elan IIe

Baby Jack | {Christiansburg, VA Newborn Photographer}

Lifestyle Newborn Baby Photography

I love getting inquiries for newborn photography! Nothing is sweeter than a brand new baby and my own son has long outgrown those cuddly new baby days and one of my biggest regrets is not having a photographer come into my home to do a newborn session for him. Jack’s original newborn session was snowed out (thank you never-ending winter) so we had to push it forward till he was two weeks old. He was a good sport and let me get tons of beautiful photos early on in the session. He was excited about his first time in front of the camera and wouldn’t fall asleep until it was time for me to leave.

Senior Rep Program | Class of 2014

I’m looking for current high school juniors who will be part of the 2014 graduating class from local high schools to be senior reps! So if you are a member of the class of 2014 for Blacksburg High School, Christiansburg High School, Radford High School, Auburn High School, Eastern Montgomery High School, Floyd County High School, or any other high school in the area and are interested in a free senior portrait photo session please send me an e-mail with the answers to the application questions to hollycromerphoto@gmail.com

Not only do the selected senior reps get the portrait session for free and digital photos for you to share on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/etc, but you also have the opportunity to earn some other awesome rewards listed at the bottom of this post. Looking for two reps per school so make sure you have your friends apply too and you can both have your photo session happen at the same time.

Application Questions:

• First and Last Name
• Email
• Phone
• Link to your Facebook page
• Will you be graduating high school as a senior in 2014?
• What high school do you attend?
• How long have you known about us?
• How did you hear about us?
• How many people (realistically) do you think you can get to book with us?
• Why are senior portraits important to you and your family?
• What are your extracurricular activities?
• How would you best describe your personality?
• What are your favorite clothing stores?
• What are your ideas for spreading the word about booking senior portraits with Holly Cromer?
• So tell us, why do you think you would be a good Senior Rep?

Reps Receive:

• Free photo session ($175 value)
• 50 Personalized Senior Rep cards with discounts to offer friends
• Watermarked digital photos to share on your Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Etc
• Custom Facebook cover image

Referral Rewards:

• With every session booked you receive $25 off your order
• 1st referral: iPhone app filled with the images from your session
• 2nd referral: Accordion mini book
• 5th referral: Customized Wallet Box with 50 wallet prints
• 10th referral: Your entire session on a printing disk

Things I Love Friday

Wow, I just realized that it has been almost a month since I wrote a blog post! I have been very busy with bridal boudoir sessions over the past month. Sorry, I can’t share the photos with you because they are for the bride and groom’s eyes only!

• Spring time…  Holy crap, what felt like the longest winter of all time has finally broken and we are finally getting some nice warm days!  And cherry blossoms, FINALLY.  I’m dying to get out and do some photos with cherry blossoms and we are limited on time so e-mail me if you are interested, especially for senior portraits. I’m filling this blog post full of 35mm film photos that are fun and springy from the last year (maybe even the year before?).
• My Bookish series was featured on two blogs a couple weeks ago: Cool Girls Shoot Film and the SWVA Artists Blog. Now that winter is almost over I need to find some inspiration and start a new creative photo project to keep myself entertained and occupied (open to suggestions, please share them in the comments).
• Body Pump… I’ve always felt like a bit of a weakling, but this class makes me feel like a bad-ass.
• Dannon’s Light & Fit Pineapple Greek Yogurt… Tastes like a Pina Colada.

If you are a bride to be, make sure you check out the guest blog post that I did for The Roanoker’s wedding publication Bridebook: “Do I Really Need a Wedding Album?”

More spring pics now:

The Sweetest Wedding Photography Special of All Time + a Complementary Wedding Photo Booth!

Psst… I have the sweetest wedding photography special of all time available for you right now! Not only will you get the all-inclusive photography package listed below, you will also get a complementary photo booth set up (standing style w/ backdrop, not the cramped old fashioned kind – including props) and a book of all of the photo booth images from your reception!

The Sweetest Wedding Photography Package of All Time Includes:
-8 hours of coverage
-2 wedding photographers
-10×10 40-Page Premium Leather Album
-Engagement Session
-8×8 14-Page Engagement Photo Book or Guest Book
-Bridal Portrait Session
-Disk of All Images with Print Release, Film Negatives, and Original Polaroids (Fuji Instax if you want to get technical)
-Online Galleries of your wedding photos, each photo session, and the photo booth to share with friends and family

Total Photography Package Value: Over $3,500
Photo Booth + Photo Booth Album Value: $449

Yep, that’s right it is a $3,949 overall value and I’m offering it up to you for $2,500 because I know planning your wedding can be hard work, I want to make it easy for you and throw everything you could possibly want into one package!  Please keep in mind that I am located in Blacksburg, VA – I’m more than willing to travel, but there might be a travel fee if you are getting married outside of my area.

Some links for you to check out:

Website, take a look over my portfolio to see if I fit your style (I shoot digital, film, and Polaroid if you didn’t catch that above): http://hollycromerphoto.com

An online gallery from a Photo Booth from last year: http://hollycromerphotography.zenfolio.com/ebphotobooth

You can get a peek at the Premium Leather Album and Engagement Photo Guest Book on my FAQ page: http://hollycromerphoto.com/#Services-Pricing-FAQ

Best of 2012 Engagements: http://hollycromerphoto.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/best-of-2012-engagement-sessions/

Best of 2012 Weddings: http://hollycromerphoto.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/best-of-2012-weddings/

Your consultation has to be booked by April 6, 2013 to take advantage of this AWESOMESAUCE offer so get on my calendar today to reserve your date at this price.

If you’ve already found a photographer, feel free to pass this offer along to an engaged friend!

“Pretty in Punk”

Punk Rock Girls

Leather jackets, ripped stockings, Chuck Taylor All Star high tops, a neon pink petticoat, and hanging out in alleyways in front of pretty street art. There is no clever story to go along with this shoot; we just went out to downtown Blacksburg, acted like fools in ridiculous punker wannabe outfits and made people uncomfortable with our bizarre behavior. Plus it was nice to finally use my pink petticoat for a shoot; it was a nice contrast against the graffiti around town.

Cameras: Canon Elan iie and Fuji Instax Wide
Film: Very expired and grainy Kodak Max 800