Tis the Season!!!

Unfortunately due to the time of year, we are taking a break from blogging.

Please check back after the New Year!

Lauren...

What an awesome day I had when Lauren came in. It was a big day for her because her friend Jordan came and had his photograph taken with her downtown and she even brought her cousin, Ellen (from out of state) to have her pictures taken, too! We did lots of variety and I have no idea how her mom, Wendy, is going to choose! I'll post some other images of Lauren and Ellen on another day. We went to Bluebridge with our new red couch, so those are hot! Check back soon!

Kellys Island visit

Not too long ago, I made a trip over to Kelly's Island for a very special senior session. The first two images are from the ferry-ride over. I met Neil & his family there on the island at their annual summer cottage and we made our way around to most of his favorite spots. One being the old ruins of the Kelly's Island Winery which has long since been abandoned. I loved what was left of the stone walls and the grapevines and the wonderful light that shone from above since there was no longer a roof. This made for some GREAT portraits! I loved everything except the mosquitoes and I'm sure his mom, Sue & dad, Kevin will attest to that since we all had to swat and smack ourselves till we were red & bitten! It was all very worth it and I would love to go back there just for the simple history of it all. If you've never been to the little island in Lake Erie, you must check it out. It has lots of good fun for the whole family. You can rent and drive golf carts around, fish, camp and eat at the restaurants on the lakefront. And of course there's the wineries! There's still time to check out Kelly's and of course there's still time for senior portraits so we hope to see you soon.

Cory on the tracks...

Before we had this much needed rain, Cory, his mom Wendy and I braved one of the hottest days of the year to get some awesome images as we walked around the Northcoast Inland Trail which, in this shot, is right next to these railroad tracks. The North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT) is a 12 foot wide, asphalt paved trail, built over the abandoned Toledo, Norwalk and Cleveland Railroad and encompasses 65 miles from Elyria to Toledo. In 1992, seven park districts agreed to develop a system connecting trails in northwest Ohio, each managed by local jurisdictions. It is a great path for walks, bike rides and of course, photographs!! Cory didn't want to be there at first, but I think once we got going he actually may have enjoyed everything but the humidity!

Good stuff!

I LOVE this image of Chelsea! Boy did we get some good stuff during our session. And at one point I looked through my lens and swore I was looking at Katie Holmes. I'm SERIOUS! It was weird! She has a great look and you can see more of her on our website...check it out.

www.openshutterseniors.com

Sweet stuff, Chelsea! Good job!

Double Digits!

I have been photographing Tyler for (whoah!) almost 10 years now as he was one of my very FIRST clients back in Fremont! We had a really fun session at Millers as he talked all about what his 10th birthday might be like. I tried to find a cute baby picture of him so that I could post a couple of them together, but you'll have to deal with this one, as time got away from me and I couldn't find it! This is me and my buddy Ty...he loves tractors, his grandpa and his new GOATS!! I absolutely love hanging out with him and believe me, he is wise beyond his years! It just kills me that he has reached those double digits!! Happy Birthday, Tyler! Thank you for letting me watch you grow up...it is such a pleasure!! luv, miss Lori

A Day at the Beach...

What an absolutely beautiful day I had with Ashley at Nickelplate Beach in Huron! Her clothing choices were perfect and this is just ONE of the incredible images we got in and around the sandy beach area. Besides this patch of wildflowers, there was a rolling meadow and of course, the Lake horizon just to name a few. Her bold color choice in this fun sundress was a great compliment to the flowers and green trees around her. Not to mention her fantastic smile which you can see when you check out more photos from the web. www.openshutter.com
Great job Ashley! ~Lori

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

I had the chance to photograph Cooper to show off just how much he's grown in the last year. I loved how he was ALL boy and just wanted to crawl and dig in the gravel and get dirty! He maintained his appearances long enough for me to get him standing up... (just the shot that his Mom wanted). Have a great One Year Birthday next week, Cooper! ~ miss Lori

EXCLUSIVE offer for Class of '09 SENIORS!

LET'S SEE WHO WANTS TO WIN A SESSION WORTH UP TO $150!!
Entrants MUST leave their full name in the comment of the blog and an email address or phone number so that we can contact you if you win. Past blog comments do not count...contest starts at 5:30pm, Thursday,July 24th and ends Sunday, July 27th at midnight. First five comments will win a set of movie tickets for the Norwalk theatre and ALL comments will be registered to win the grand prize of a Class of '09 SENIOR session worth up to $150!
Thanks for reading The Open Shutter BLOG! GOOD LUCK! ~Lori

Babies, too?

Chris is AWESOME at photographing our maternity, newborns and childrens' sessions...she is the QUEEN in this area, let me tell you! But occasionally I get the privelege of doing my fair share of this wonderful area of the business and this particular day I met a GREAT couple from Tennessee who came to town to visit their family and made an appointment for me to photograph their happy little guy, Sam. He was fun...and smaller than my average high school senior client...but I had a blast making baby noises and just being silly to someone who didn't go home and think I was weird for doing so! (That I know of.) What an honor to have someone come all that way and ask US to photograph their child. It was a pleasure! ~ Lori

It's Miah's turn!

Miah came to The Open Shutter from Sandusky and was looking for something different than what her past classmates had gotten at other studios. We originally met at our Open House so I was glad to have her back in town! A trip to Miller Gardens was just the ticket for her in her bright sundress and happy smile. We captured her with her sports favorites, too, back at the studio, but this was my top choice of the day. Way to go, Miah!

A wedding celebration! Matt & Lori Fox

I am thrilled to announce that one month ago, today, I was married in a private ceremony to my fiance of almost three years, Matt Fox. We shared the day with our five children, our family and very best friends. It was the most perfect day with blue skies, sunshine and the river at our backs in a serene and storybook setting on the banks at the historic Pioneer Mill in Tiffin. I have waited a month to post photographs in order to collect the gorgeous images from my dear friends, Cheryl, Mike & Sunny who saved the day by photographing our event at let's just say 'later than I would suggest hiring someone'! "My girls" [Wendy, Chris & Judy, from here at the studio] were there of course, to help us celebrate and a great time was had by all. Thanks to all of you who've called, written or given words of encouragement, congratulations and/or contributed to our laundry soap fund! [haha!] Enjoy the photographs....these are just a few of my favorites. ~The new Mrs. Fox~
Photographs courtesy of Stone Garden Studio, Mike Osborne Photography, and Sunny Yoesting Photography.

Hello!? Anyone there?

Just wondering, as I write these and take the time to post, if anyone is reading these? There is a comment section under each post, so if you have anything to say about YOUR session or just want to chat about another session you saw, please take a minute and leave a comment. I am trying to post daily or at the very least, weekly...so check back often and say hello. That being said, here's one from Elizabeth's session when we went to Miller Gardens. We did some fun shots downtown, too, but I really liked the relaxed, summer feeling we got from this set. Summer is the time to be photographed if you are a Class of '09 senior so give us a call if you haven't already done so. Don't procrastinate! School starts in about 7 weeks people!!

Tell YOUR story...

When Bryan came to the studio's Senior Open House, I knew right away we would have some really great sessions. He was eager to set up what he knew would tell his story...sessions about him and what was important to him. His friends, his girl[friend] and baseball - (I'll let HIM tell you what order they go in! haha) And not only we did get some awesome images, we had a great afternoon doing it. What will be YOUR story? Call me (ask for Lori) to talk about your ideas and together we can come up with something unique!

NEW backgrounds!

Want to have fun, creative senior portraits? Bring a lot of variety in your clothes. Alyssa did just that and we were able to use some of our NEW backgrounds! Clothing with longer sleeves & something black is always a good idea because that goes with just about anything that we have. Patterned clothing doesn't always look the best (especially in the studio) because as you can see, most of our backgrounds are already made with bold patterns and colors. Select a shirt color that people says looks good on you and even bring items that you would consider "out of season" (sweaters, jeans, hoodies, even your ski jacket if that is 'your thing'. I have a tip sheet on our website that will give you good ideas. Check it out and call us SOON for the best senior portraits! http://www.openshutterseniors.com/?intro=0

Portrait Safari...where do YOU want to go?!

Emily took advantage of her home in the country and scheduled what we call a Senior Portrait Safari. It is the type of session where you get to pick where you want to be photographed. It should be a place that's special to you and somewhere unique. The wheat field was just ONE of the awesome spots there around Emily's house and I will post another photograph from her session on the website under Portrait Safari when I get a chance. We used several old barns and of all things, their mailbox! Tune in next week to see what's new... until then, check out the other great ideas at www.openshutter.com.

Downtown Session is still HOT!

Nicki selected a Downtown setting for her senior portraits and was able to get a casual-grunge-kinda-feel. She was a good sport while getting all sorts of passer-by-type attention, too! We walked around the downtown Norwalk area and found a couple alleys, doorways and steps to get lots of variety. Her boyfriend Patrick was a great little "reflector-boy", too! haha Thanks, Pat!

It's Miller Garden Time for Alecia!

Another great senior session, and this time we went to Miller Landscaping to photograph in their beautiful gardens. There are so many still, unfound treasures there everywhere you turn. I could shoot there everyday (and just about do) but I'm still able to find a corner or some new area to shoot in whenever I go. Alecia was all smiles, even through the heat. Way to go, girl!

Playing catch-up!

I know, I know...it's been over a month since my last post. LOTS going on with us around here and I need to play a little catch-up and show you some of our incoming 2009 Seniors that I've recently photographed. First there was Jeremy. He is an aspiring journalist and right now is doing some things for his school newspaper. He was fun to work with and I think we got some good stuff. If you don't believe me, here's what he had to say.

"I came into the studio thinking that this session would be similar to other photo sessions: dull and uncomfortable. I was wrong! Lori is absolutely excellent at what she does. Her easy-going personality, attention to detail, and creative ideas made my senior session great. If you're looking for a studio that incorporates your personality and ideas into your senior pictures, then [The Open Shutter] is definitely the place!" Jeremy Wiedle, Norwalk High School

NEW WEBSITES & LOGOS LAUNCHED!!

With all of the changes around the studio, we felt we needed a change to our logo too to represent Chris (and Lori with the new senior division) in ways that were full of impact and style. We love the new looks and hope you do too. We are also thrilled to announce the launch of our new websites:

http://www.openshutter.com/ [and] for our new High School Senior Division, Lori has her own site which is: http://openshutterseniors.com/

Please hop over there and take a peek and let us know what you think! We are always interested in customer feedback and ways to make the website (or blog for that matter), more enjoyable and/or more informative. We hope you enjoy them. Please keep coming back as we have the capabilites to change them out more often. You may even see someone you know!!

Just two more ways that The Open Shutter can show our pride in the studio and the work that we do for YOU our clients!

Open House Photos

As promised, here are a few candid photos (thanks to staffer Keri Mueller) from the Senior Class Open House. Thanks again to everyone who made it over.

...more Open House photos...

Class of '09 Senior Open House...HUGE success!

Thanks to all of our guests who came for our annual Senior Open House. I was so happy with the turn-out! After the rain we had earlier in the day, I wasn't sure how attendance would be, so I was thrilled that when the sun came out, people still came! Not only did they receive a tour of the studio, yummy refreshments and got to mix & mingle with me and the rest of the staff, but they got the BEST senior session deal of the year!! I was excited to meet my new crop of fun seniors and find out how they wanted to make THEIR senior portraits different than the rest. We have one senior being photographed in the baseball dugout of their school, one at their home near their barns and one senior booked our brand new "Can't Touch This Session" which includes an entire day with me along with their very own FREE iTouch! It will come with several of their favorite poses preloaded for them to show off. How great is that?!

Thanks again everyone! I will try to load some of the photos from our evening so check back and you might see some familiar faces. And if you weren't able to come to the open house to get our early bird June special, don't worry...email me and I will send you an exclusive offer! (It ends May 23rd, so don't wait. Mention JUNEBLOG)

SENIOR CLASS OF '09 OPEN HOUSE

We are busy today getting ready for our annual Open House for the Senior Class of '09!
If you are going to be a senior, don't miss this opportunity to tour the studio, check out our slideshow and view the new props and backgrounds for the incoming class. Of course there's a "meet & greet" to see all of the great people here at the studio who want to make sure your senior portrait session is the best experience ever! Including your's truly!
So get on over here...
FRIDAY, MAY 16TH
6-8 pm
TOURS, REFRESHMENTS AND DISCOUNTS!
Book your June session AT the Open House and receive your June session at 50% off AND get 24 wallets and a Facebook[or]Myspace Image FREE!! The free items are only available when you come to the Open House, so don't pass by the chance to get the best deal of the season!
SEE YOU THERE!!
Lori

Burstin' Brains!

I can't believe that I let almost a month go by without posting. I guess because once Chris and I returned from our annual photography convention in Dayton last month, we just wanted to put all of our new-found knowledge to work and I didn't make the time for anything else! We had such a great time seeing old friends and even made some new ones. There was a huge trade-show with all kinds of the latest backgrounds, props and new technology. We also attended lots of seminars that have us bursting at the seams with new ideas! We are looking forward to a busy spring portrait season and can't wait to share the fun with you! Keep checking the blog. I promise to post more often. ~ Lori

NEW Senior video spot!

Senior psych-up time for our incoming 2009 seniors! Check back for more photos and Early-Bird Specials!

Hello everyone! This is so exciting! Welcome to our first post on the all new Open Shutter Blog. The newsletters are hot-off-the-presses and I wanted to get something up just in case someone will actually READ this!

HI ... I'm Lori. Or "Moon" as most of my friends know me. I will be the lucky one writing for the blog as Chris just has tons to do to keep us all in line! And honestly because I enjoy this stuff! So if you care to comment some time, I'd love to hear from you. Any suggestions for additional content is welcome.

So us girls have been busy little bees preparing for what we believe will be a monumental year for The Open Shutter. Our calendar is filling already with our Spring Easter Special, a trip to our annual convention for fun & learning, and of course with LOTS of other maternity, newborn and child/family portraits. And don't forget about my seniors...I am gearing up for the High School Class of 2009 & am creating new sets and backgrounds for another creative year.

And just so you get an idea of the latest happenings, here's another image from our Valentine Sessions last month. (Many thanks to my models: Cole & Olivia) and to all of the little sweethearts I met during those two days. Wishing you and YOUR special someone a warm & wonderful Valentines Day! ~ Moon