A few Changes...

Olyn and I always have a six month review of things in January and July. Since today is July 1st it was a day of retrospection. We have had an absolutely amazing first half of 2008 and we have added so many new offerings-- new albums, jewelry, bags, frames, composites, etc. Its almost overwhelming how many options we now have! On top of that we are busier than ever with portraits and weddings! Senior portraits are booming, we are always out doing family shoots and our baby calendar is filling up farther and farther in advance!

With growth comes some lessons and inevitably some changes. Luckily, I think they are all good changes! The two biggest changes are kind of a big deal, so they warrant a formal announcement on the blog-- starting today:

• To book a portrait session OTHER than a baby plan session or an engagement session that is part of a package, you will need to call with a credit card number to reserve a time on the calendar and you must return your signed contract within 72 hours. We had a lot of people ask us to pencil them in, only to cancel at the last minute or never return the contract. This really is unfair to our other clients who are having to wait weeks sometimes for an appointment time. To make things fair to everyone, this will be our firm new policy on bookings.
• Starting in January, we offered a viewing session for any client who would like to come into the studio to view their images for the first time. The response has been absolutely overwhelming! I had no idea it was so daunting for so many to choose their images, sizes and finishes. Now, with the wide assortment of new products, it just makes sense for all clients to come in for a viewing session. So, we are now requiring clients to come to the studio for a viewing session if they would like to use any of their product credit. Credit codes will no longer be issued for the online gallery. Also, special discounts and packages will be offered at the viewing that will not be offered in the online gallery. Not to worry-- you will still be able to share your images with your family and friends, as the gallery will still go online for 7 days after your viewing session!

We have given a lot of thought to these changes and we really feel they will enable us to better serve our clients and manage our time. We are always open to suggestions and we welcome any feedback! If you have any comments, please don't hesitate to email us at Linda@LongsPhotography.com

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

"Where Are We?"-- We have a winner!

Ok, so the ones I think will be really hard to guess are over in a matter of hours. The one that I think will easy it takes a day for someone to guess. Y'all are making this really hard for me to predict!!

Congrats to Tracy Cantella for her winning guess-- she will be receiving a $50 Long's Photography gift certificate! And the location?? It was Andrew's 228 restaurant in downtown Tallahassee! If you haven't eaten there, you are really missing out-- the food is yummy and the atmosphere is very funky and trendy. Oh and they cater too! Want more info? Go to their website at www.AndrewsDowntown.com

I am still working on the location for next month's contest shoot. If you have any ideas, suggestions, etc. please just let me know! We are also taking a waiting list of people who would like to model for the sessions. So, if you would like a free portrait session and are willing to trust Olyn and I, just shoot me an email and we will add you to the list! Linda@LongsPhotography.com

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

"Where are We??" Coming on MONDAY!

Yea! its time for another round of our "Where are We?" Contest! We have some really rocking shots to share, but I think this location will be guessed REALLY quickly. So, be sure to check the blog on Monday morning when we start this round of the contest!

In case you haven't been stalking the blog, here are the details!
We will post a handful of images on the blog and you get to guess what strange/cool/weird location they were taken in! The winner receives a $50 Long's Photography gift certificate!

The Rules:

• You must guess by entering comments on the blog post.
• One guess per person per day.
• You MUST include a way to contact you in your comment. Comments without email addresses or phone numbers will not be published.
• No negative comments will be published.
• The winning guess will receive a $50 Long's Photography gift card to use on anything the wish-- sessions, weddings, prints, etc.

Have an idea for a Where-Are-We session? Email me at Linda@LongsPhotography.com and you will have a chance to model for one of the sessions! What could be better than a free session?? :) Don't have an idea, but still want to model?? Go ahead and email me as well!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Summer Portrait Special!

So, in case you hadn't noticed, Tallahassee gets a tad warm in the summer. So much so that the moment you walk out the door, you are shining with sweat. So, we want to reward our portrait clients who choose to have their session in the early morning-- not only is the light awesome, but the temperatures are the coolest of the day.

So, for July and August any outdoor portrait session (excluding engagements and baby plan sessions), that takes place between 7am and 9:30am will receive a BONUS $25 print credit. All you have to do is schedule your session for the morning and you get free stuff!

And to illustrate the Tallahassee heat, here is Thatcher doing his daily reign of terror with the hose. Ahh... two year olds can be so easily amused! :) www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

The Golden Eagle Show

Monday was the 1st Annual Golden Eagle Country Club and Tallahassee Association of Wedding Professionals Bridal Showcase. It was honestly the best bridal show we have ever been a part of! Golden Eagle did a phenomenal job-- the food was fabulous, everything was organized and efficient and it was so great meeting the 200 brides who came in the door!

We have already received SO many phone calls for fall 2008 and spring 2009 dates! We do still have some availability for the fall, but it is getting rather limited. Spring 2009 weddings are booking rapidly as well.

If you have any questions about our packages, or you met us at the show and would like to come by the studio to chat, please just let us know!

The show really featured Tallahassee's best wedding vendors, but one booth just stood out against the rest.... :)

I was really blown away by all the decor and yummy food at the show-- it was absolutely first rate!www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Cool new feature!!

After talking with a lot of our brides, we are really happy to announce a cool new feature of our website-- a bridal registry! From the comments we received from a lot of our past clients, they already had a home and didn't really need eight toasters and fourteen crock-pots. :)

So, why not have your guests contribute to a timeless family heirloom, like your wedding album? You can upgrade to a larger album, add more pages, get a large canvas or even parent albums. Sounds a lot better than a pile of gifts you don't really want and will try to re-gift at your friends' weddings!

So, how does it work? We are activating registries for all our brides-- starting with weddings in August 2008. We have cards for you to put in invitations, or give to guests telling them how to contribute to your registry. Its super easy-- just go to www.LongsPhotography.com and click on "weddings". At the bottom of the wedding page there is a link to "registry". Guests can enter either the bride's or the groom's names to access the registry and then contribute directly by credit card online.

As always, let us know if you have any questions! Linda@LongsPhotography.com or 850.339.5799!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Less than a week until Golden Eagle Bridal Showcase!!

Ok, I already blogged about this once, but just in case you forgot... On Monday, June 9th, Golden Eagle Country Club and the Tallahassee Association of Wedding Professionals will be holding a Bridal Showcase at 6pm. This will NOT be a traditional bridal show-- the club will be all decked out as it is on wedding days. The florists are going all out to show you options for decor-- reception tables, ceremony set up, etc. There will be linen companies showing you table set ups and chair covers. And of course the caterers, cake bakers, etc. will have yummies for you to try!

The entry fee is $5 and the best part?? Your ticket gets you a free drink!! Seriously, you can't beat that! So, since I know you don't have anything else on a Monday night, come out and have a glass of wine and chat with the best vendors in town!

There will be an informational workshop by the area's leading wedding planners and also by some pretty good :) photographers-- including myself. We will have the workshops at 6:45 and 7:45, so be sure to not be too late!

If you would like more information, or if you would like to pre-register you can go to www.GoldenEaglecc.org And for more information about the areas best vendors, visit www.TAWP.org

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Changes to Wedding Packages on the Way!

This week we will be unveiling our new wedding packages-- we have made quite a few changes and we are really excited about what this will mean for our brides. We have really listened to the feedback from our past clients and based on their input, we have done a bit of restructuring to add a lot of additional value to the collections.

We are aware that a lot of brides have already met with us and are considering our services with the current packaging. The last thing we want to do is pull the rug out from under anyone, so we will allow any bride booking between now and June 15th the opportunity to choose the package that best suits her needs-- whether it is the old or the new pricing. After June 15th, we will no longer be able to honor the old pricing for any unsigned contract.

If you have any questions about the pricing, please contact me at Linda@LongsPhotography.com or give us a call at 850.339.5799!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

The Next Where-Are-We Portraits! Coming SOON!

That's right! We are getting ready to post our next "Where Are We" contest images! The images will go online Wednesday morning, so be sure to check back! We had an awesome model (thanks again, Lauren!!) in what was a really cool, difficult and hopefully hard to guess location.

Again, the rules: (We have made some changes so read carefully!)

• You must guess by entering comments on the blog post.
• One guess per person per day.
• You MUST include a way to contact you in your comment. Comments without email addresses or phone numbers will not be published.
• No negative comments will be published.
• The winning guess will receive a $50 Long's Photography gift card to use on anything the wish-- sessions, weddings, prints, etc.

Have an idea for a Where-Are-We session? Email me at Linda@LongsPhotography.com and you will have a chance to model for one of the sessions! What could be better than a free session?? :) Don't have an idea, but still want to model?? Go ahead and email me as well!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

June 9th

So, whatcha doing on June 9th? Its a Monday, so probably not a lot, right? Well, why not come out to Golden Eagle for a Bridal Showcase? Its a new kind of bridal show that will have the entire club decked out like a real wedding. The florists are decorating everything, they will have a ceremony area set up, there will be all kinds of linens and table decor set up, they will have LOTS AND LOTS of FREE food, and I will be giving a talk on questions to ask your photographer before you book!

Still not convinced? The entry fee is $5 and it gets you a FREE drink at the bar! Need any more convincing??? They are giving away a FREE honeymoon! How friggin cool is that?

Even if you are not getting married in Tallahassee, its a great chance to get ideas on flowers, centerpieces, linens, etc. Plus, you still get yummy food and drinks and a chance at the honeymoon!

Also, there will be doorprizes from all the vendors there-- we are giving away a FREE engagement session!

For all the details, just go to www.goldeneaglecc.org You can even pre-register and be all set to go! The vendors are all members of the Tallahassee Association of Wedding professionals-- probably the best way to plan a Tallahassee wedding is by visiting: www.tawp.org

So, see you June 9th at 6pm!!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

You're Invited!

I have been meaning to post this for ages, but of couse it got put on the back burner! I think I just might be in denial that Thatcher is turning two!! Anyways, we are having a birthday party for the coolest kid in town (sorry, I am a biased mom!) and we would love for you to come! The party is at our home, 6023 Ranch Rd. this Sunday, May 4th from 11-2.

Its going to be a blast-- we are having a big inflatable slide & an inflatable obstacle course, we are grilling out hamburgers, with juice for the kids and fun drinks for parents. So, please come over Sunday afternoon, even if its just for a few minutes-- we would love to see y'all!

A little bit of bragging

Ok, I have to pat myself on the back for a little second. Last night at the Tallahassee Professional Photographer's meeting, I won print of the month in the family category with this shot from Shannon's maternity session:
Ever since I first showed this shot on the blog, we have gotten tons of calls for similar maternity sessions, which couldn't make me happier. This is my favorite kind of maternity session-- its sexy, its intimate, its romantic and it really tells a story. I personally think that maternity portraits should be more romantic and powerful rather than just cheesing for the camera portraits. :)

I also won for album of the month with an album I created of Vanessa and Matt's Pebble Hill wedding, but I won't bore you with all the images from that one!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

WAW-- We have a winner!

Ok, so we stumped y'all for a day-- I'd call that a success! :) Amy Baas just entered a winning guess and so she will be featured in our "Where Are We?" contest next month!

Thanks again to everyone who guessed, or just emailed me wanting to know the answer. :) Olyn and I had a great time with the shoot and we are really having fun pushing ourselves creatively!

Again, if you know of a cool location, LET US KNOW! If we choose your location, there will be a happy thank you for you! ;)

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

WAW-- The Update

Thanks so much for all the guesses today! We did have a correct guess, BUT they did not follow all of the contest rules, so we were not able to accept their guess. So, keep guessing! You can check out the other comments to see what people have guessed.

If we do not receive a winning entry tomorrow, we will post a clue on Wednesday morning!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Where Are We??-- Eunice and Blake

I was shocked how quickly everyone guessed the last "Where Are We?" contest! This time, I think it may be a bit harder! Actually, Olyn thought it was so difficult no one would guess, so I have included even more images! You have to be super specific in your answer, so no "railroad track" guesses! We are looking for the name of the exact place we were!

Special thanks to Eunice and Blake for being our models. They did a phenomenal job and I had the most fun with them!
Contest Details:

• One guess per person per day
• Submit guesses by posting comments on this blog post
• You must include your email address so you can be contacted if you are the winner
• All blog comments will be revealed once each day, so if you do not see your post immediately, no need to worry
• The winner MUST be willing to accept a free couple's portrait session BEFORE May 10th. This cannot be transferred to anyone else and must be done at a location to be determined by Long's Photography. Please do not guess if you are not willing to model in the next "Where Are We?" session.
• If you are the winner, we will contact you before your post is revealed to schedule your session. If you are not willing to accept the session at that time, the prize will go to the next correct guess.
  

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

WAW... Contest Starts Tomorrow!!

The "Where Are We?" contest will start TOMORROW! Be sure to check the blog tomorrow morning when the image clues are revealed. Not only is this going to be a hard location to guess, but the images are HOT! :) Not that I am biased, of course!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

WAW... Coming Soon!

That's right! The next installment of our "Where Are We?" series will be posted on MONDAY! We are so excited and I think we might actually stump y'all for a while with this one! So be sure to check the blog on Monday morning as we post a handful of images for you to use as clues!

A reminder of how the contest works-- we will post images of a session that is taken in a non-traditional location and you get to guess where they were taken. Guesses are done by posting a comment on the blog post. The first person who correctly guesses the location will win their own portrait session- as the model for the next "Where Are We?". So, if you guess, be ready to be the winner and pose for us in an oddball place! :)

Stay tuned for the post on Monday!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Volunteering with the American Cancer Society

A lot of you know that my mom is a breast cancer survivor and I am a huge cheerleader for the American Cancer Society. I was in awe of the way the ACS helped my mom and the lengths they went to for support, caring, aid and assistance. I have never seen an organization so committed and dedicated to helping people in such a very real, practical way. I will be forever grateful to the American Cancer Society and their employees and volunteers who did so much for my mom and my family.

Last fall, it was again the anniversary of my mom's diagnosis and it is a time every year that I stop and thank God I still have her in my life. I thought back to the incredible way the American Cancer Society stood by her and how I can never repay that debt. But this year, I thought I might start trying. I am blessed in so many ways, mostly by my wonderful healthy family, but also in having a business that is so rewarding and fulfilling. So, I came up with a plan and presented it to the American Cancer Society who have partnered with me to make my plan a reality.

I am using my art and my skill to pay my debt to the ACS forward. Each month, I will spend 4 hours with a family currently fighting the cancer battle. I will document their daily life-- from eating breakfast and watching cartoons, to walking the dog and curling up with a good book. The "Day in the Life" portrait session will capture a time in their life-- both the good and the bad. It is a living history for that family and their battle. The session will include a DVD of the images so they can make prints and share with their loved ones. The sessions are completely free to the families and a small token of my gratitude to ACS.

Now, we need YOUR help. If you know of a family currently battling cancer who would like to have a "Day in the Life" session, please contact Caroline Miller with the American Cancer Society so we can include them. Caroline can be reached at 850-297-0588 ext. 3702 or by e-mail, Caroline.Miller@cancer.org. Please help us share our support and love.

If you would like to donate or volunteer with the American Cancer Society, you can also visit their website, www.cancer.org

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Composite Prints

We get a lot of questions about what a composite print is, so I thought I would share a handful of my recent faves. Composite prints are digitally designed using multiple images to create one printed piece. We can create composites of any size 11x14 and larger. They are really great for when you cannot choose just one image, for when a series of images tells a really great story, or if you are looking for something really original for your home or your child's room. We include an 11x14 composite print in our base "Watch Me Grow" plan where you can use a variety of images from a single session, or we can composite images from each of their sessions to tell the story of their first year!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

A Very Sad Announcement

I am really sad to have to post this announcement. Over the weekend I found four of our clients who have digitally obtained their images and posted them on other websites—facebook, myspace, blogs and wedding websites. I really do view my clients as friends, so seeing a friend do this really hurts. Digitally obtaining any image without explicit permission is theft—whether you take it from a website, blog or any other digital medium. It is no different than scanning images, pirating software and movies, or shoplifting. We understand that our clients want to share their images on these other websites—and we have given permission for you to use the images we post on the blog as long as the Long’s Photography logo stays untouched.

So, effective today, all images posted in our online gallery will be watermarked across the middle with “Copyright 2008 Long’s Photography”. It is a move I really honestly hate to make. I have always felt that watermarking images distracts from the image itself, but I feel the actions of some have given me little choice. I am sorry for the change and hope that everyone can understand why it is necessary. For those of you who have taken images, please take this as an opportunity to remove the images from your websites, blogs, etc. Maintaining a mutual respect between photographer and client is the only way to produce good work and any clients who continue to digitally obtain their images will no longer be on our client list.

Only 3 spots left in the "Family Day at Maclay"!

We have completely booked the morning slots for the family day at Maclay, but we do still have three afternoon appointment times! If you are interested in booking your session, please call as soon as possible-- we expect to book the last few spots soon!

To recap-- the portrait special will be Saturday March 22nd at Maclay Gardens. The session is $150, accomodates from 3 to 6 people and includes a $175 credit to spend on any combination of prints that you like! Sessions generally last 30-45 minutes as we walk around the gardens. Our sessions are very low-key casual and fun.

If you would like to schedule your session, call 850.339.5799 or email Linda@LongsPhotography.com!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Website and Email Troubles

Some of you may have noticed that the site and blog went down today. The webhost company had to do emergency repairs to our server which unfortunately meant that everything went down for about eight hours. The site is back up now, but the emails are still stuck in cyber space. If you need anything urgently, please call 850.339.5799. I will be returning emails just as soon as they come through!

Thanks so much for your patience!

Family Potrait Day at Maclay-- only 5 spots left!

Just a reminder that Saturday, March 22nd is Long's Photography's "Family Portrait Day at Maclay". We have only 5 spots left in our special-- a 30-45 minute family session at the gardens with a $175 credit-- all for $150. Its a Saturday and you get a BONUS print credit when you book!

A reminder of the fun fine print part... the sessions are for families ONLY. No couples, no individuals, no "just kids". The sessions require a minimum of three people, but cannot have more than six people. Because we are at Maclay, it does not include pets. You must schedule a viewing session to redeem your credit, but your images will also go online for 1 week. You must call with a credit card number to book your session-- 850.339.5799 If you have any questions, please call or email me at Linda@LongsPhotography.com

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Cute Kid Contest Winners!

Wow! We received a total of 82 entries in the cute kid contest-- 53 were girls and 29 were boys. I gave the judges all morning to vote on their favorites and we ended up with a few ties. So, since I couldn't break the ties, we are taking all 10 winners! :)

I am tremendously humbled that so many of you like our work and want us to photograph your children. As a personal thank you, anyone who entered the contest and was not named a winner will receive a BONUS $25 print credit on their next session (excluding baby plans and special offer sessions). To receive your credit, just schedule a session before April 30th!

And the winners are..... drum roll please....

Girls:
Sydney G.
Roberta C.
Alexandra H.
Riley & Kenna B.
Lacey K.

Boys:
Michael C.
Julian S.
Thomas L.
Shane L.

Winners-- I will be contacting you over the next week to schedule the session and discuss ideas. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Again, thank you to everyone!!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Family Portrait Special-- ON A SATURDAY!

So, its almost Spring and my Saturdays are getting crazy busy with weddings, but we are getting TONS of calls for family portraits and everyone wants a Saturday. So, I have blocked off Saturday, March 22nd as "Portrait Day at Maclay". We will be accepting 8 families for our special-- a 30-45 minute family session at the gardens with a $175 credit-- all for $150. Yep, I'm serious. Its a Saturday and you get a BONUS print credit when you book! Pretty cool, huh? :)

So, if you are looking to have springtime family portraits taken, be sure to call ASAP to schedule your session as we fully expect to book all eight spaces!

Ok-- the fun fine print part... the sessions are for families ONLY. No couples, no individuals, no "just kids". The sessions require a minimum of three people, but cannot have more than six people. Because we are at Maclay, it does not include pets. You must schedule a viewing session to redeem your credit, but your images will also go online for 1 week. You must call with a credit card number to book your session-- 850.339.5799 If you have any questions, please call or email me at Linda@LongsPhotography.com

Looking forward to playing at the park!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Pretty cool!

I don't enter photography competitions. I just don't. And honestly, its because I have always been afraid. Well, I take that back... I entered my high school competition when I was a freshman.. and I placed third. Since then, I have never entered any print in competition.

So, I was convinced to enter a few prints in the monthly contest held by the Tallahassee Professional Photographers Guild. And I won in two categories and placed second in a third category. :) So, here are my first winning images since high school. :)

This image of Baby Andrew took first place in the "child" category:And this image of Ashley took second place in the special event category:www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Cute Kid Contest Ends at Midnight!

We have been bombarded with entries for the Cute Kid Contest! I am amazed at the number of entries and how cute these kids are!! I am SO glad I will not be judging! So, be sure to get your entry in before tonight at midnight and be sure to check out the blog TOMORROW as we announce the winners!

Again, your child must be between the ages of 2 and 6-- you must email a recent photo along with a brief description of their personality (likes, dislikes, etc). Everything must be received by midnight tonight to qualify! :)

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Only Two Days Left in the Cute Kid Contest!

Only two days left in the Cute Kid Contest! Be sure to submit your entries before midnight on February 29th! We will be announcing the winners on the blog on March 1st, so check back!

Nominees must be between 2 and 6 years old-- to nominate your child send an email to Linda@LongsPhotography.com with their name, age, a recent photo and a brief description of their personality.

Thanks to all of those who have already submitted nominations!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Only 5 days left in the Cute Kid Contest!

Only 5 days left in the Cute Kid Contest! Wow! We have received tons of entries-- I have NO idea how we are going to decide! I have a panel of judges ready-- I have decided not to vote myself. If I had to decide... well lets say I would be doing 50 or 75 model shoots! :)

Thank you all for nominating some of the cutest kids I have ever seen! I am so excited to add some new stuff to the website, but mostly I am thrilled to go play!

So, be sure to check back on March 1st when we announce the winners! (And if you don't know what I am talking about, scroll down and read all about the Cute Kid Contest!)

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Its working! Its working!

After hours and hours of trying to fix the online galleries, they are finally working again! Woooo! :) If you were having any problems viewing thumbnails in the online gallery, just refresh your page and they should all be there now. Yippeee! A small victory for the non-geek :)

My computer is going to learn to fly

I mean it literally. This computer is about to fly... cause I am going to throw it against something hard. This week has been a total nightmare on the technology front. I have had a wide variety of server problems, which means I have spent an hour everyday on the phone with tech support.... who don't speak the same language I do. They seem to only speak in inane acronyms that noone really understands. Then, the problems with the server screwed up the online cart as I was trying to upload everyone's galleries. (Also this week, my other computer crashed, my album design software got glitchy, my mouse has decided to double click on almost everything when I single click and my new phone still isn't working!)

So, yes I am still alive. Yes, your gallery will go online soon. Yes, I know not all the thumbnails in the galleries are working. And finally, yes, it will be fixed soon or you will find me in the looney bin pulling my hair out.

Seriously, thank you so much for all your patience as I furiously work on fixing these technical issues. I know this might read as a "dog ate my homework" kind of post, but I promise that this "perfect storm" of technical disasters is real-- and extremely infuriating. So, I am off to have a glass of wine and let the server guys straighten some things out. Hopefully my next post will be that everything is fixed and I have some awesome images to show!

Cute Kid Reminder!

There are only 10 days left to enter your child in the cute kid contest! Be sure to get your entry in by the end of the month! All the details are in a post below, but to recap the contest-- we are looking for boys and girls ages 2-6 to model for us! The chosen models will receive a free session and a $50 print credit to purchase any combination of images.

We are looking to do some different stuff, so we are looking for some fun energetic kids (and also some sweet shy ones) to play! The sessions will all be scheduled in the month of March. So, if you are interested, just email an image of your child along with a very brief description of their personality, interests, etc.

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Hey... That's new!

A lot of you have already noticed the newest addition to the portraits page-- our newsletter signup! We have been working to keep everyone up to date on the newest additions and specials with the blog, but having a newsletter will reach everyone earlier and by email!

If you choose to sign up for the newsletter, you will get first crack at all of our specials and discounts before they are posted on the blog. Some specials will ONLY be offered to newsletter subscribers. So, if you are interested, head over to the portraits page and click on the newsletter link and plug in your email. :) Easy as pie! And if you ever change your mind, unsubscribing is just as easy!

Lots of new stuff is on the way, so keep checking back on the blog and the newsletter!

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

The Cute Kid Contest

Wow! I have received sooo many emails about the Cute Kid contest! And man, there are some really cute kids out there! We will be accepting nominations until the end of the month, so be sure to email your info over before its too late! :) And we need some girls-- we have gotten lots of little boys, but barely any girls! C'mon! I don't think I can get these guys to wear tutus for me! :)

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Cute Kid Model Search!

We are currently holding a cute kid model search! We are looking for boys and girls from ages 2 to 6. We will only be able to take a total of 6 models and each model will receive a free portrait session and a $50 print credit to use on any combination of prints.

To enter your child, just drop me an email with a photo of your child (any photo will do!) and a description of their personality. Linda@LongsPhotography.com Are they outgoing, artistic, athletic, shy, inquisitive, sweet or wild? If you enter your child, you must be available for a portrait session in the next 3-4 weeks and you also must consent for your child's images to be used in our online portfolio.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to nominate your child, just contact Linda@LongsPhotography.com

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Using your images....

We are so incredibly flattered to look at all the pages on MySpace and Facebook to see our clients using their images! We are happy to share the blog images for your use on your wedding webpages, MySpace and Facebook, BUT you must leave our logo on the image and not crop or alter it in any way.

Scanning prints for any reason is a violation of federal copyright law. Whether it is for your invitations, programs, webpages, etc., it is against the law and the contract you signed. If you would like an image for your webpage that is not on the blog, let me know and I will send you a web resolution image with a logo on it for no charge. If you would like to use an image with no logo, you can absolutely purchase the digital file!

We love that you are so happy with your images and we know that 90% of our clients are absolutely following the rules, but for those that might not be aware, these are the rules! :) Same rules as pirating music, software, etc.

The Boudoir Buzz!

All I can say is... WOW. The boudoir marathon last month was amazing and the number of individual boudoirs we have done recently is staggering! These are absolutely one of my favorite kinds of portraits to do and the responses from the clients have been tremendous. So, the biggest question popping up in my inbox is "When is the next marathon??" Well, due to the massive number of weddings on the schedule, we will not be able to offer a full marathon day until late summer.

BUT!!! We have decided to offer mini-marathons! Its a really cool deal. If you can gather yourself and four other ladies, we will create a marathon just for you. And the best part? The coordinating lady will get her session FREE. You can't beat free, right? And we are also bending the rules a bit-- all four ladies must purchase the same type of boudoir package, but if you decide that you would like to coordinate your own location, hair and makeup you can do so and go with the basic package.

If you are interested in coordinating your own mini-marathon, just drop me an email or give me a call!

Want Free Stuff!?

Everyone who knows me knows that I get sooo burned out shooting at the same locations week after week. Nothing against Maclay Gardens, but I have been there 10,000 times! :) So, I want to do something fun. Something new. Stretch my creative wings and create some awesome images.

We want you to be as excited about this as we are, so you get the chance to win one of these creative sessions! We will be posting images from our first session in the next few days and the first person to guess where the session was wins their own FREE session! We are calling it "where are we??" and every 4-6 weeks there will be another chance to win by guessing where a session took place. Yes, finally a reason to stalk the blog!

To play, you must post a comment on the "where are we?" blog post with your guess. The first person who guesses correctly gets their own "where are we?" couples session. The catch? If you win, you have to hand yourself over. These will NOT be sweet family portraits at the gardens. The sessions are only for couples or adult singles, you must agree to have your session anywhere we want to and you have to come to it with an open mind.

Oh, and if you have an idea of a cool location, drop me an email. If we decide to use your location, you will win too!

So, keep checking back to win!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

The new portrait procedure

So there has been a lot of talk about new offerings on the portrait side of things-- well we are starting now! The portrait process now has two stages-- you have your portrait session and two weeks later you have a viewing session here in the studio. For now, the viewing session is optional, but there will be special discounts, offers and thank yous given to those clients who choose to give us their time for the viewing session. There will be products offered at the session that will not be available online or anywhere else for that matter!

So, if we have already done your session, but your gallery is not online yet, let me know if you would like to schedule a viewing session. Everyone who has not yet had their portrait session will have an opportunity to schedule their viewing session when we met for the portraits!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Are you getting my emails??

For some reason in the past few weeks a LOT of my emails have been going to people's SPAM or bulk mail folders. So... if you have emailed me and not heard back, please make sure it is approved for my emails to go through to you. If you think your SPAM folder might have already deleted my response, please just give me a call. To the best of my knowledge, I have answered every outstanding email in my inbox. So, if you are waiting to hear from me, please follow up! :)

And if you have any ideas on how to get my email address off the yahoo, gmail, etc. SPAM lists, please let me know!!

Tallahassee Mall Bridal Show

Thanks to all the wonderful brides who came out for the 2008 Tallahassee Mall Bridal show! I really enjoyed talking with all of you and I am looking forward to working with those who have already signed contracts!

We are currently commissioned for 33 weddings for 2008, which is an astounding number to us. We are getting close to full for the spring months, but we do still have open dates for the summer and fall.

Here is a quick photo of our booth-- taken with my junky point and shoot camera!

http://www.longsphotography.com/

Tallahassee & Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Blog Problems

Hi All!
I know the blog looks really slow, but we have TONS going on right now... the blog is just acting up and won't let me post any images. Olyn and I are ready to pull our hair out about it, but we are working on it and will hopefully have new stuff up ASAP!

Studio Changes

Many of you might have noticed that we had a price restructure on January 1st—we are committed to providing the best possible service and the best products to our clients. We have also spent a good amount of time listening to client feedback and examining the lessons we have learned over the last year. So, we are making some changes!

For every session you will now be able to schedule a preview session to view your images before they go online. This time allows you to sit down with us so we can help make those difficult choices between images! We also understand how valuable your time is, so we will offer special discounts, products and other incentives to make the preview session very worthwhile to you.

We have a TON of new products on order so another trip to the studio allows you to go shopping for the latest and greatest!

We will now be offering wedding registries for our clients—so if photography or that extra nice wedding album are really what you want, we can set up an online registry so your guests can give you that instead of a crock pot!

And lastly, we have decided that working seven days a week isn’t for us. (Picture me with my hair standing on end and deep bags under my eyes!) So, we will no longer accept any portrait bookings for Sundays and Saturday portrait bookings can only be made 14 days in advance due to wedding schedules. We will accept meetings in the studio Monday through Friday from 9am until 5pm and studio shoots from 9:30 until 4:30. Location shoots can be arranged at other times, subject to availability.

http://www.longsphotography.com/

The importance of photographs...

Olyn and I were recently discussing our wedding packages and the archival DVD we include in the packages. It is so important to me that our clients have a digital backup in case anything were to ever happen to their images.

That's when it hit me... besides living things, what do people run back into a burning home for? Photographs. When people evacuate from hurricanes, they always pack their photographs. When a tornado hits an area one of the biggest losses people mention is their photographs.

It may seem like a piece of paper now, but think what value it could have to you if it is all you had from your belongings? Think of how your children will value those family photos once you are gone, or how they will look back on your wedding album 50 years from now.

So I know some of you are thinking I must be in an extra sappy mood and I probably am, but I thought I would share how I freaked myself out-- once I got poetic it then hit me that it is my job to create these images that people will risk their lives for! EEK! And you thought your job was high-pressure! :)

It is yet again another reason why I love my job and I love my clients-- they are trusting in me and my art to capture those moments for them. It is the most challenging and rewarding job I could ever imagine and one I am truly grateful for.

www.LongsPhotography.com

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and Santa brought you everything on your list! We had a fabulous time here at home and are currently drowning in wrapping paper and new toys. :) Many of you received our company Christmas card, so I thought I would share our family card here on the blog!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee & Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Price Restructuring!

Just wanted to give everyone another heads up that we will be doing a price restructuring over the holidays. All signed baby plans, weddings and portrait sessions already booked will receive the current pricing. Everything that is booked after January 1st will be with the new pricing.

We have been getting a few emails asking what the changes will be and the short answer is that we are not sure yet. Olyn and I will be evaluating all of our current offerings-- weddings, portraits, print prices, album prices, etc. so there will likely be changes across the board. Some things may be very minor, other things might be more noticable.

This is not simply a price increase-- we are working to offer more services and products and we have been listening to client requests. If there is something you would like to see added to a package, or a totally new package created, please let us know! We take client input very seriously! We are only able to do our jobs because of the support of our clients.

So, if you are looking to book a portrait session or a wedding and you really like the current pricing structure, be sure to take care of it before the changes on January 1st! :)

Holiday Hours

So, the Christmas deadlines have all passed! :) Sorry, I have to sit here grinning, as I have survived another insane Christmas rush! Stephanie, Olyn and I are all working to get your orders out to you ASAP, so you have everything in time to go under the tree.

Now that the deadlines have passed, we can start looking at the calendar for the next few weeks. Next week will be a normal week of shoots and editing. We will be completely closed starting Saturday, December 22nd through Wednesday January 2nd. This means I will only be shooting a very limited amount (already on the books) and I will only be answering email and phone calls once per day. From January 3rd through January 13th, we will be on a VERY limited schedule-- print orders will go out on a normal schedule, I will be answering emails and phone calls a few times each day, but there will be no shoots scheduled during this time.

The studio will go back to a normal schedule starting Monday, January 14th. We are now scheduling shoots for the rest of January! It should be a great time to schedule your shoot, as downtime always allows us to regroup and come back fresh with a whole slew of new ideas!

Again, thank you to everyone for an amazing holiday season for portraits-- I look forward to seeing so many of you again after the holidays!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Please Vote for Us!!

The annual Tally Awards contest is wrapping up this week and so many of you have emailed us that you voted for us! Thank you-- its such a compliment! For those of you who haven't voted, or don't know what the Tally Awards are-- go to www.EverythingTallahassee.com and register. You can vote for your favorite restaurant, hair salon, florist, etc.

This is the first year we have participated and we would really love to be named Tallahassee's favorite photography company. So, go vote and make sure that your favorite local companies are named the top in town!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

So, what's going on?

You might have noticed that the blog was a bit behind in updating and there have been a lot of announcements lately. So, I thought I would let you know what's up! We have shot 40 sessions and 2 weddings in the last few weeks and we have quite a few sessions and a couple of weddings left before the end of the year.

We are doing absolutely everything in our power to get every one's images to them as soon as possible-- from the editing to the print orders. So, if you call or email me and I seem to have lost my mind, its just the madness that is the holidays. :)

Ok.... so now for the announcements...

We are completely booked with portrait sessions through the end of the year, so we are not able to schedule any other portrait sessions until January. We still have some consultation times available, but to give our clients the best service possible, we will not be able to take any additional shooting jobs until January 10th.

Our deadline for Christmas delivery is FAST approaching! If you would like to have images in time for December 25th, your order MUST be placed by December 13th.

We will be making some changes at the beginning of the year-- some pricing may change, you will see new offerings in the shopping cart, updates to the website and hopefully a new blog by the end of the spring.

So, be on the lookout for some new and fabulous things!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Wow.... Thats a lot of weddings!

Now that the holidays are so close, we decided to give our 2007 brides a walk down memory lane. :) We have re-posted all the 2007 wedding galleries until December 13th. We wanted our brides to have an opportunity to share their images again and they can also purchase any prints they would like in time for the holidays! (Oh, and our blog stalkers can spend hours looking through thousands of images on the proofing site) :)

Which brings up an important point-- All holiday orders for prints MUST be received no later than December 13th. After December 13th, orders will be delivered after the holidays. So, if you are thinking of giving a print or two this season, be sure not t0 wait too long!

2007 has been an amazing year of weddings for us! Thank you to all of our wonderful couples for letting us have the best job in the universe!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

The 411 on Long's Photography Gift Certificates!

Ok-- so the question of the week is "Do you offer gift certificates?" Why, yes we do! :) We have gift certificates available in ANY denomination, so if you are looking to give someone a family session, a baby plan, pay for part of their wedding photography, or simply give them a gift certificate equal to a 5x7 or 8x10 print-- we can do it!

What's better? All of our gift certificates come completely wrapped and ready to go under the tree! I wish I could share some photos of the packaging, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone! Trust me-- its way cool. :)

What could be better than that?? (I know, I know... I need one of those infommerical audiences that is WAY enthusiastic! So, just add mental sound effects for me.) From now until December 20th we will DELIVER any gift certificates over $150. So, if you are worried about a gift arriving in the mail that your nosey spouse might open, or you don't have time to shop around, just give us a call and we can take care of everything.

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

A night at the fair

Last night was the opening night of the North Florida Fair. Olyn and I took Thatcher and had an absolute blast! The fair will be in town from Nov. 8 through the 18th. If you go, make sure you stop by the Star98 booth and register to win a $250 gift certificate from Long's Photography!

Ok, enough business talk-- here is our night at the fair!

Waiting with daddy for the pigs to race.

Racing pigs: Thatcher watching the pigs!

Thatcher absolutely loves animals. He routinely hugs both of our dogs-- so last night he thought the animals in the petting zoo needed hugs as well.
And this is the llama that was on the other end of the hug.

We only went on one ride, but Thatch thought it was a riot. He held onto the handles and "revved" his horse and waved to daddy everytime we went by.

We ended the night with a bag of cotton candy, which went over very well. :) It actually went all over all three of us!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee & Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

The Christmas Special

One week from today is the first day of the Christmas Card Special! We do still have a few slots available for each of the three days-- November 12, 17 and 18th.

Again, the special is $50 and includes a half hour portrait session for up to five people, online proofing and 24 custom designed 5x7 holiday cards. With online proofing you will also be able to order any prints you like to use as holiday gifts!

We have had a few questions about the holiday cards and I will be posting a few examples soon. The cards are two sided 5x7 cards. They are custom designed using a variety of your images and you have an opportunity to select the text, colors, images, etc. so that your card is truly one-of-a-kind!

Call 850.339.5799 or email Linda@LongsPhotography.com to reserve your time!

What do you think of our blog??

We want to know what you think of the blog-- your input allows us to tailor things so you get more of what you want!

So, are you happy with the number of images we put in each post?? Are there just to many, or not enough?

Want your album for Christmas??

That's right, its time again to talk about album deadlines! Woo. :) We have been given a variety of different deadlines from our album suppliers, so the easiest answer is to get your album approved ASAP! :)

If you have a draft of your album and you would like edits made, we must receive your printed draft with the edits clearly marked no later than November 5th. If you do not need any edits and you are ready for your album to be printed as is, you must get the printed draft back to us no later than November 10th. Remember, these are the LATEST possible dates you can submit designs and still have a chance at getting the album before December 25th.

Unfortunately, if you have not yet submitted your image choices for your design, we will not be able to produce your album before January. We are bumping all existing drafts to the front of the line so they can have their albums by the holidays. Once all holiday deliveries are made, we can focus on new album designs.

Thanks so much to everyone for their patience while we juggle all these designs and edits!

The Christmas Special

I know many of you have heard about the Christmas special from our mailing list, or from Tammy Webb on Star 98. We are getting lots of calls with lots of questions, so here are the details!

On November 12, 17 and 18 we will be scheduling 1/2 hour portrait sessions back-to-back all day long at Dorothy B. Oven Park or Maclay Gardens. The $50 session includes the session fee for up to five people/animals, online proofing and 24 custom designed holiday cards using your images. How easy is that!?

There are only 45 total spots and we are booking them quickly! I do expect to book in full and we will likely have a waiting list. If you would like to be a part of this special, you should reserve your spot very soon!

If the special dates don't work for your schedule, we are happy to schedule individual family sessions at our normal rates-- starting at $150 with a $150 print credit. You can still do holiday cards as well-- we do custom cards year round (holiday, birth announcement, graduation announcement and birthday invitations) for $25/dozen.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to book your session, please contact me at 850.339.5799 or Linda@LongsPhotography.com

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Monkey on the Loose!

Olyn and I did Thatcher's Halloween portraits this evening so we can send photos to his grandparents. Not that I am at all biased.... but he is seriously the cutest monkey-- EVER! Most kids at this age really aren't in to wearing a costume, but he LOVED it! He ran around the studio stomping his feet, giggling and squealing SO loudly.

Just a reminder to everyone that we will be doing kids portraits ON HALLOWEEN! Its a quick 15 minute session with online proofing and your choice of a 5x7-- only $15! Many of you have heard Tammy talking about us on Star 98 and Halloween time slots are going quickly! We would love to see you and your kiddos on the 31st-- so call and schedule an appointment!

http://www.longsphotography.com/

Tallahassee and Thomasville's Premier Wedding & Portrait Photographers

Halloween Portraits!

Just wanted to let everyone know about our Halloween promotion! On Halloween we will be offering quick 5 minute studio sessions for portraits of your child in their costume. The session is $15 per child and includes a 5x7 print and online proofing. Sessions must be scheduled in advance so that we don't have anyone waiting too long and so we can fit everyone in. We expect to fully book up, so if you are interested you should schedule your appointment early.
So, come by for candy and photos on October 31st!

Thatch was the cutest piggy last year!

www.LongsPhotography.com

The LCHS Annual Fur Ball!

If you are planning to go to the annual Leon County Humane Society Fur Ball on October 13th at the FSU University Center Club-- be sure to bid on some Long's Photography gift certificates! As a part of the Humane Society's annual fundraising event, we have donated TWO $150 gift certificates to be included in their silent auction. The certificates can be redeemed for portrait sessions, for headshots, for part of a wedding package, or to purchase prints from a past session!

Olyn and I are such animal lovers-- we really admire all the good work LCHS does for animals in our community. We only wish we could go to the Fur Ball-- we will be at a wedding in Thomasville! :)

8th Annual Fur Ball October 13, 2007 - 7pm to 10pm
Florida State University Center Club
Tickets: $50 each
For more information, visit www.LCHS.info

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee Wedding and Reception Services Magazine

Hey-- we've been published! :) I finally got to see a copy of the current issue of Tallahassee Wedding and Reception Services magazine, which has Allison and Scott's wedding as one of the feature stories. You can check out the magazine, or see their gallery in the wedding section of our website.

The wedding was held at Trinity Methodist Church, with the reception at the nearby Governor's Club. Missy Gunnels did an amazing job with the flowers and decor, while Sandy Stone created an adorable and yummy cake.

www.LongsPhotography.com

Tallahassee & Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Thanks for hanging out with us!

Last night was the big Fall University Center Bridal Show here in Tallahassee. There was an amazing turnout at the show and we had so much fun hanging out with everyone! A special thank you to all the Long's Photography brides who came by to see us and put in a good word for us with all the new brides!

For those of you who didn't make it out to the show, I just wanted to share a few quick snapshots of our booth-- you really can't do a whole lot with 6 ft of space!! :)

www.LongsPhotography.com
Tallahassee and Thomasville's premier wedding and portrait photographers

Tallahassee Bridal Show-- NEXT WEEK!

Ok-- I know a lot of you are getting antsy to attend a bridal show! We are getting 5-10 searches each week for "Tallahassee Bridal Show". :) Well, next Monday is your chance!

On Monday, September 24th at 6:30pm, the annual bridal show at the University Center Club will be held! Its always a really great show with lots of Tallahassee's best vendors-- from photographers to caterers, florists and DJs. There is even a live fashion show for you to check out some of the latest gowns.

Please if you come by the show, stop by our booth to say hello to Olyn and myself. We love meeting you and we always have a blast at the shows! As an added bonus, we will be giving away a FREE engagement session! There are lots of other great prizes too, so come hang out with us next Monday! What else do you have to do on a Monday night?? :)

www.LongsPhotography.com

Next Boudoir Marathon!

Finally! We have a date for the next boudoir marathon! We are now accepting reservations for October 14th-- there are eight available spaces, so if you are interested you need to act quickly! We are still finalizing the location, but it will be here in Tallahassee.

The $350 session includes the one hour session, location rental, professional hair and makeup services, a $75 print credit and studio proofing. If you are looking to give boudoir images to your special someone this holiday season-- this is the time to sign up! To reserve your space, you must submit a signed boudoir contract and a non-refundable $100 retainer.

We will keep everyone posted on the location and any of the details as they develop. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 850.339.5799 or email the studio!

Shopping Anyone??

That's right-- the new online shopping cart is FINALLY ready! (See I wasn't lying in all these posts!) Olyn and I are really excited about the new cart-- its a lot easier to use and has tons more options!

With the new cart you can:

1. Preview your images in black and white, sepia tone or with a variety of other effects and borders.
2. Preview and adjust the crop on your images. Want a vertical 8x10 from a horizontal image? You can now see and adjust the cropping until its exactly what you want!
3. You can now use your product credits online! Thats right-- you no longer have to email or call in your orders to use your credits! You will have an online code you can enter and it will automatically deduct the amount of your credit! (cool, right?!)
4. You can order albums online AND select the images you would like included in your album! This means that if your Mother In Law wants an album, she can take care of it herself on her computer!
5. The actual image number is below each image so there will be no more guessing which image you are referring to!
6. When you create an account, you can save your favorites and I can actually access them! On the old system your favs were saved directly to your PC and I could not access them.
7. When you create an account, you can receive reminders of gallery expirations and of any sales we are having!
8. You can purchase gift certificates online, so if you are trying to save up for an album or a portrait session, you can add Long's Photography to your gift registry!
9. You can actually zoom in on images to make sure that everyone's eyes are open in those huge group shots.
10. And most importantly-- if there is a problem I can fix it and we don't have to call a huge corporation! YEA!

If you would like to check out the cart, go to http://www.longsphotography.com/pickpic/gallery/jump.php or you can go to http://www.longsphotography.com/ and click on Proofs.

If you still had an active gallery on Photoreflect, it will still be active and will not be transferred over to the new cart! To view any of the Photoreflect galleries, go to http://www.longsphotography.photoreflect.com/

Thanks to everyone for their support on this and their patience as we switch over to the new system. If you have any problems, or see any room for improvements, PLEASE let us know!

http://www.longsphotography.com/

Stealing!?

Ok, the title probably got your attention, but I just wanted to put up a quick post about image theft. Theft may seem like a strong word to some, but at the end of the day, it really isn't that different than shoplifting from a local store. When we post images to a website or to a blog, we are sharing our work with the world, but we are not giving the world our work. Any images on the website, blog or in the shopping cart are protected by federal copyright law. If you take images off a website (or scan any hardcopy images) without permission, you are not only breaking the law, but you are actually stealing from the photographer.

I want all of our clients to enjoy their images and be able to use them in the thousands of different image applications there are out there, but they need to be done in the right way. All of our wedding packages now include digital files at the end of the contract. Most of our portrait sessions allow the option of purchasing a single digital file. So, if you want to use your images for your wedding favors, your Christmas cards, your wallpaper, whatever, there is a legal way to do it.

To thank my clients for following those rules, I do allow the use of blog images for personal websites such as Facebook or MySpace. The only thing that is required to use a blog image on another website is that the Long's Photography logo remain intact. Cropping or otherwise altering our logo will negate that permission.

Sorry for the mini-lecture, its just helps to make sure our policies are out there and that our clients are as informed as possible!!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Finally-- a method to my madness!

You may have noticed some of the keywords that have started appearing beneath blog posts (old and new). I finally took the time to go back and label each and every post so that they are easily searchable!

So, if you are getting married at Golden Eagle, or you want to see all of our recent portraits at Maclay Gardens, you can click on the label and it will bring up all the posts that have the same label! Hopefully, this will make the blog more useful in the wedding planning process-- you can easily check out our work from different locations, see weddings that used certain key vendors, and narrow a search for a particular type of wedding.

The labels include:
Announcements
Apalachicola Wedding
Artistic Flowers
Beach Portraits
beach wedding
Blossoms Flowers
boudoir portraits
Brokaw-McDougal House
Cairo wedding
Chipley wedding
Coalson Plantation (Melhana)
Coombs House Inn
Dorothy B. Oven
Double Tree
downtown Tallahassee
Enchanted Evenings
engagement portraits
Family Portraits
FSU Alumni Center
FSU University Center Club
Ft. Walton Beach wedding
Gainesville Wedding
Golden Eagle Country Club
Goodwood Plantation Museum
Governor's Club
Headshots
Hilly Fields Florist
Jacksonville portrait
Jacksonville wedding
Katie's Cakes
Lake Ella
Leon County Civic Center
Los Robles Park
Maclay Gardens
McFarlin House
Missy Gunnels Flowers
Myra Jean's
Myrtlewood Plantation
newborn portraits
North Florida Christian Church
Panama City Beach Wedding
Parties
Personal
Quincy Portraits
Senior Portraits
Shannon Lakes Park
Shiloh Farm
South Carolina Wedding
Southwood
Specials
St. George Island Wedding
Tallahassee baby
Tallahassee Events
Tallahassee First Baptist Church
Tallahassee portrait
Tallahassee wedding
Tallahassee Women's Club
Tasty Pastry
The Cake Shop
The Retreat at Bradley's Pond
Thomasville Portrait
Thomasville wedding
Timberlane Church of Christ
Tips/Advice
Trinity Methodist Church
Trinity Reformed Church
watch-me-grow portraits
Whigam wedding
Woodbridge

As always, we are working to make things better and easier for our clients. If you have any comments or suggestions-- we want to hear them! Let us know what you like or what you don't like!

http://www.longsphotography.com/

We're on display at Dorothy B. Oven!

We now have a set of images on display at Dorothy B. Oven park in Tallahassee! You can check out our series of framed prints up in the bride's room! We are so honored that they liked our wedding work so much! I know I keep saying this, but if yall haven't been out to the park lately, you need to go check it out. The expansion and renovation looks incredible and even though I shoot portraits there all the time, I am always finding something new!

http://www.longsphotography.com/

Extreme Photography Makeover: Logo Edition!

That's right-- the makeover is underway! I think that everyone is going to like the new site- it has new galleries, new music, an integrated proofing system, an easier navigation system, etc. But I will just have to keep you in suspense a bit longer as we are working out the final kinks!

In the meantime, I wanted to share our new logo! The old logo was difficult for many people to read and I was asked many times if it was "Song's Photography"! So, goodbye old logo-- hello new logo!!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Please pardon our dust!

We are in the process of finalizing our bigger, better website! Of course, that means we are going to have some growing pains in the very near future! As we make the switch to the new site, our email may go down and the site may not be operational for a (hopefully) very short period of time.

If you are trying to reach us and you are getting no response to your email, PLEASE call us at 850.339.5799!

Thanks!

www.LongsPhotography.com

What have we been doing this week?

What have we been up to?? Well, we didn't have a wedding!! :) But don't think that means we have been relaxing and goofing off! The office has gone into overdrive! With so many weddings and portrait sessions, I have been glued to this desk! We are making our way through all the editing as well as the mountain of album designs!


We just posted our revised pricing structure online at www.LongsPhotography.com and we are in the process of getting our own online shopping cart! That's right-- no more Photoreflect! This will mean if there are any problems (there better not be!!), then I can help you-- not some strange person in never-never Photoreflect land! We are still working on the new website, but I am hoping to have something new for you to see this summer! Jeez... that's not too far away!


If you need proof of what a workaholic I have become, you can just ask Bella. We had to move a puppy bed for her into the office just so that she could nap while I work!

www.LongsPhotography.com

I love my job!!

I have been thinking about this a lot this season-- I am truly one of the luckiest people in the world. How many people truly love what they do? I spend my Saturdays with amazing couples photographing one of the most special days in their lives-- how cool is that alone??

My clients this year have been SO incredibly wonderful-- they are giving me free reign creatively, allotting lots of time for portraits, and treating me like a member of the family! The end result is creative, personal and it makes me even more inspired for the next week!

Even more than on the wedding day, my clients are becoming friends. I have to smile as I have already gotten FIVE requests for me to post Thatcher's Easter photos on the blog, and they were all from clients!! :) I want to thank you all so much for sharing so much with me-- not just your weddings but your lasting friendships. You make this job so incredibly rewarding!

So with that, let me say that you WILL be seeing some changes this year! We are working on lots of new stuff (since we don't stay busy enough with weddings and portraits)! We are working on a new website, a new online shopping cart, we are adding even more sample albums with some cool cover and page options and we have some really cool portrait specials coming up.

Again, thank you all for your friendship and support! And start posting some comments on this blog so everyone knows your out there! (Olyn is worried I am making announcements to my self!)

And to appease all his fans....

www.LongsPhotography.com

Where have we been!?

VEGAS BABY!!

For those of you who have noticed we have been MIA for the last week-- we have been in Las Vegas as part of a wedding photographer's convention. As dorky as a convention may sound, it was really cool! We had some time to shoot some models in town and we were able to watch two phenomenal photographers shoot a bride and groom out in the desert. We have so many new ideas and we are really pumped for a jam-packed Spring! Thanks to everyone for their patience while we were gone and now that we are back and trying to catch up!!

Our first shoot-- with four hours of sleep and three hours of jetlag!

We went out at night with a model to downtown Vegas!

Out in a dry lake bed-- this is what was going on while the others were shooting the models!

One Day Easter Special!!

Long's Photography will be offering a ONE day Easter portrait special! All day Sunday, March 18th, we are scheduling half hour portait sessions at Maclay Gardens. The $50 package includes the session fee for up to four people, a $50 credit to be used for any prints or products you would like and online viewing and ordering. The session cannot be used for bridal portraits.

Spaces are very limited and will fill quickly!! Call or email today to reserve your space in the one day special!

What the heck have we been doing lately!?

Ok... so the blog has been a bit slow lately, I know! But trust me, things are staying busy here in the office!! I am working furiously to finish album designs for all the brides who have submitted thier lists in the past few weeks. (Did all you Spring brides get together and plan to bombarde me at once??)

So... in the lull... I am going to give you something to look at that sooo many of you have requested to see-- MY wedding photos! I just purchased my own wedding images from my photographer. The few breaks I have allowed myself from designing albums I spent tweaking my own images in Photoshop. :)

MDA Bridal Show

Today we met so many wonderful brides at the annual MDA bridal show! It was so much fun to talk to everyone about there wedding plans and to see the new trends!

We do still have some Spring availability, but those few dates are filling quickly! The fall and winter are already coming in as well! It is so exciting to look at our calendar and see how many different locations and types of weddings we have coming up. I really think I am more jazzed about the 2007 wedding season than any other one we have done!

Getting Away

January tends to be my time off-- with few weddings and having completed all the Christmas portraits, this is the one time of the year I get to relax a bit and enjoy my weekends. This weekend we headed to Charleston, SC to spend time with my family and relax a bit.

This is the old lighthouse off Folly Beach. By the looks of it, I don't think it will be around too much longer!

Tallahasse Mall Bridal Show

I just wanted to thank all the wonderful brides who stopped by our bridal show booth today at the Tallahassee Mall. I definitely think this is the best show yet-- the vendors were amazing and there was a tremendous turnout of brides and grooms!

I hope to see some of you again (and some new faces!) at the MDA Bridal Show at the Civic Center on January 28th!

www.LongsPhotography.com

January Portrait Special!

Now that we have Christmas behind us, its time to start preparing for Valentines Day! (Are you getting holiday whiplash yet??) For the month of January, we are offering a special for boudoir portait sessions! $75 session with a $25 print credit! Session times are limited, so call or email today to book your session!

Each session is tailored to the individual. The wardrobe choice is yours. These can be as conservative or as risque as you like. Our goal is to give you artful, glamorous portraits that you won't find anywhere else.

This year, get that guy in your life something he will really love-- YOU!

Time Off...

It is so wonderful to take a step back from the business so that I can rediscover why I love photography so much. Today I went on a little photo expedition so that we can finally have some artwork to hang at the new house!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!




Just a reminder that we are closed until January 2nd. We are still checking email and voicemail once each day, but we are limiting our office time. Thanks!

www.LongsPhotography.com

HOLIDAY HOURS

Many of you know that I work almost 24/7-- whether I am shooting, editing, answering calls or responding to emails. For the last three years I have worked this way to provide my clients with the best possible product in the most timely manner. Honestly, I am tired! :) I love my job and I love my clients, but for the weeks between December 15th and January 2nd, I will be spending very little time in the office so that I can enjoy Thatcher's first Christmas. Please understand that I will only be responding to email and voicemail once each day and I will only be handling shoots which are already scheduled.

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL holiday season!

Gallery Expired?? Want photos for Christmas?

To all my past brides and portrait clients: if your online gallery has expired, but you would like to order prints for Christmas we can re-post your gallery! Anyone who would like their gallery re-posted just needs to email me at Linda@LongsPhotography.com The gallery will go online again for seven days!

In order to deliver all prints by Christmas, we are enforcing a strict cut-off date! All orders must be placed BEFORE December 12! All Christmas cards must be ordered by December 5th!

Happy Christmas shopping everyone!

Why does everything break at once!?

ARGH. Well, if you have tried reaching us in the last two days, you have probably had some trouble. We made some changes to our phone plan and the tech accidentally cancelled our voicemail. Then, the server went down for LongsPhotography.net. This means that not only can you not view the site, but the email is not working.

So, if you have tried to email or call and have not gotten a response, PLEASE email or call again! And if that doesn't work... try smoke signals, carrier pigeons or bloodhounds...

www.LongsPhotography.com
www.LongsPhotography.net
(850) 339-5799

Album Reminder

Just a reminder to everyone who already has an album draft from us, you MUST give us your edits no later than OCTOBER 15th to be on track to receive your album by Christmas! If you have not yet submitted your list, or you miss the October 15th deadline, your album will likely be delivered in mid-January.

Please understand that we are doing everything we can to deliver your albums as quickly as possible, but our album manufacturers have given us very specific deadlines that we must meet.

Thanks!

Christmas Card Special!

I know, I know. Its not quite October yet, and this is my second entry about Christmas. Don't kill me! :)

We are really excited to launch our first special for Christmas card sessions! If you call to schedule your session before November 1st (the session can be scheduled for anytime before December 10th), you will receive 24 free custom Christmas cards! We are doing one-hour portrait sessions with online proofing and designing custom Christmas cards with your photos! The session is $100, with $50 in free cards!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Annual University Center Bridal Show

I want to thank everyone who came by our booth at the University Center Bridal show this week. We really enjoyed meeting you all and sharing our work. Our spring dates are quickly filling, so it looks to be a jam-packed 2007 wedding season! Thanks again!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Want your album for Christmas?

The album companies this week released their deadlines for the holiday season. While Spring is the busiest time to have a wedding, the Fall and early Winter are the prime months for album production. To promise delivery before Christmas, we must follow the following deadlines:

September 20: Final deadline to submit your list of photos for album design
October 15: Final deadline to submit any edits to your album drafts (no edits can be added after this point to receive delivery by Christmas)
November 5: Final deadline to submit your approved forms

To be fair to all our clients, we must strictly enforce these deadlines. No matter where you are currently in the design process, you must meet these deadlines to have your albums by December 25th. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding as we work diligently to get all your designs and albums out to you.

Thanks!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Website down!?

Some of you may have noticed that LongsPhotography.com and the blog have gone down recently. We were having some trouble with the web host (ARGH!), but it should all be resolved now.

In the meantime, two weddings did not make it up on the blog!

I photographed Shelley and Josh's wedding at First Methodist in downtown Cairo. The historic church really played into this southern wedding. The high school sweethearts put a lot of their personalities into the wedding, complete with University of Georgia baseball hats and groomscake!


Vendors:
Ceremony Location: First Methodist Church, Cairo
Reception Location: Cairo Country Club
DJ: DJ Porkchop
Flowers and Decor: Brenda Darsey, DaySTAR

Cat and Brad had a mixed marriage this last Saturday-- she is a Seminole and he is a Gator. Despite a bit of heat and rain, Cat was one of the most laid back brides I have ever worked with. She and Brad had a really fun loving group, which made the heat a lot more bearable!


Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Location: Golden Eagle Country Club
Flowers and Decor: Blossoms Florist
DJ: GT Entertainment
Cakes: The Cake Shop

www.LongsPhotography.com

Our New Digs!

Some of you have already been out to the new studio, but for the rest of you- HERE IT IS!

We are thrilled with the new space which not only has an outside entrance, my workspace and a meeting area, but also an indoor studio. To celebrate the move, we are offering $100 portrait sessions for children and for budoir portraits! The offer includes the sitting fee, online proofing, and a $50 credit to order any prints you like. The offer expires August 15th!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Spring Portrait Sessions!

As I sit here shivering, I know we are all looking forward to the warm spring weather. With that in mind, many of you have already booked your spring portrait sessions-- engagments, bridals, family, etc. I am really looking forward to all of them, but for those who have yet to book their sessions--

WE ARE COMPLETELY BOOKED FOR THE MONTH OF MAY! I can hardly believe it, but there are no available sessions for the entire month!

So, if you have not yet booked your date, email or call me as soon as you can so that we can fit you into the remaining slots in March and April. It starts getting really warm in June and we all know how hot July is in Tallahassee, so be sure to get your spring session scheduled as soon as you can!

www.LongsPhotography.com

The Future Home of Long's Photography!

Many of you may already know that we are in the process of building a new home and a new office for Long's Photography. We thought we should share some photos and hopefully share our excitment about this new step!

The new office will have additional meeting space and work space along with a portrait studio area. We really feel that having an indoor studio will augment our family, maternity and kids portraits.

A view of the front:

A view of the back:

The new entrance to the studio:

www.LongsPhotography.com

Bridal Shows

I really enjoyed getting to meet so many new brides at the Tallahassee Bride bridal show on January 7th at the Tallahassee mall. It is always invigorating to hear the excitment of a new bride and we honestly get as caught up in the planning mania as they do!

I am really looking forward to seeing even more new brides this Saturday, January 22nd at the MDA Bridal Show at the Leon County Civic Center!

www.LongsPhotography.com

Long's Photography blog!

Many of our current and past clients have commented recently on how they check our proofing website, to see what we have been up to. So, we decided that creating a blog would be both fun and informative. In the coming weeks you will see some of our ongoing work with information about each wedding, family or couple.

Long's Photography specializes in wedding photography in Tallahassee, Thomasville, Crawfordville, Cairo, Monticello, Havana, St. George Island, Apalachicola, as well as shooting weddings and portraits throughout Florida and the Southeast. We have photographed weddings at Golden Eagle Country Club, Melhana Plantation, Coalson Plantation, Dorothy B. Oven Park, FSU Alumni Center, FSU University Center, Maclay Gardens, St. George Inn, Coombs House Inn, Trinity Methodist Church.

Long's Photography also has an indoor studio and provides Tallahassee and Thomasville with innovative, artistic and photojournalistic portraits-- maternity, newborn, engagement, boudoir, bridal and family. Whether shooting in the studio or at one of Tallahassee's many great outdoor locations,

We look forward to sharing more with our clients and hopefully hearing back from you!

Linda Long
http://www.longsphotography.com/
Tallahassee & Thomasville's premier wedding & portrait photographers