Ballet Day

History of Ballet Day

 Ballet found its origins during the Renaissance throughout Italy and France, though it had yet to evolve into the form we know it today. There were no tutus, no ballet slippers, and the iconic pointe work of ballet were all things to come in the future. It found its roots in court dances, and thus incorporated the proper dance dress of women at the time, formal gowns that descended to the ankle. Unlike modern performances, the audience would join the dance as it came to a close.http://ow.ly/sjff307agtv

Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

According to National Day Calendar...

Always observed on January 31st, Inspire Your Heart With Art Day is a day to ponder how art effects your heart. Art is valued and appreciated for all sorts of reasons. 

Of the broad spectrum of art created in the world, the pieces that move us to tears or cause us to burst out in joyous laughter remain with us for a life time. Whether we are touched through music or see into an artist soul through their work, art has the power to change us, to inspire our hearts.

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day encourages us to explore the many genres of art and let it inspire us.

Baby got the Blues??

I found this  interesting article on the website Things You Didn't Know, by writer  Richard Mertz

1. Happy families
A researcher in Denmark has said that everyone with blue eyes in this world is related in one way or another. It’s been said that around 6000-10000 years ago, you’d only see brown eyes, and a DNA mutation allowing blue eyes to crop up means that all of us with blue eyes really are from the same person!

2. Alcohol frenzy!
We all like a good night out down the pub, but there’s always one that has too much to drink. However, blue eyed friends, it’s less likely to be you than your other colored eye counterparts! Studies show that blue eyed people are more tolerant of alcohol, which may be why shockingly, those with blue eyes tend to abuse alcohol more.

3. Melanin deficient
Blue eyes have less melanin in than darker colored eyes do. What does this mean though? That our eyes are more sensitive to light, and so you need to protect them more, especially from the sun’s UV rays.

4. Brown dominates blue
You may think that if you have blue eyes, and you have a child with someone who has blue eyes, then your child will have blue eyes. Wrong. Because the brown allele is the dominant allele. This also means that although blue eyed people came into the world thousands of years ago, we could just as easily leave if this were to happen enough.

5. Different colored eyes
You can list the different eye colors out there: blue, green, brown and hazel, but it’s not very often you see someone with different colored eyes. Well, Waardenburg syndrome makes it possible. Whilst this can mean you have different colored eyes, it also could be the reason for having very pale blue eyes.

6. White skin
If you’ve got areas of white skin on your body, then you might be able to blame your blue eyes. There’s a skin condition called vitiligo which causes some of your skin to lose its pigmentation, making it appear white. This can happen anywhere on your body, including your face.

7. Blue eyed mutant
It’s the mutation which happened thousands of years ago which means millions of us have blue eyes. However, some places in the world seem to be less likely to get these mutants. Around the Balkans, it’s said that 99% of the population have blue eyes, and this is also the place where it’s believed the first blue eyed person was born.

8. Blue eyed baby
You may have heard about babies being born with blue eyes, and then getting darker shortly after, but this doesn’t always happen. The eyes get darker because of the levels of melanin in the eyes, and the stage at which the melanin kicks in is different for all babies. For some, it kicks in whilst still in the womb, and for others, it’s after they’ve been born.

9. Blue eye boogie
Blue eyes are a very popular song topic. Some of these include ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ by R.E.M. and ‘Blue Eyes’ by Elton John.

10. Disorders
Blue eyes are also a symptom of ocular albinism. This affects just the eyes, and means they become very pale, as well as giving you an increased risk of developing other visionary problems. If you’ve got this disorder, you need to be really careful to ensure you aren’t too exposed to the sun’s UV rays.

11. Ethnic origins
If you’re from a line of Africans or Asians, then you’re more than likely going to have brown eyes, but it is still possible to have blue eyes. This is possible because of the way that blue is the recessive gene, and so you could go generations with brown eyes, and then out of nowhere, a blue eyed baby comes along!

Take me Home to my Childhood

I grew up in the country. I rode a school bus down dusty roads, idolized the older kids, and loved when I got to go their houses.  Jewelletta was my cousin's friend, an older girl, basketball star. Her stop was at the end of the dirt road, next to Tater Hill.  I used to play in her neighbor's creek, catch crawdads, wade around with pants rolled up. It is a great memory.

So a few weeks ago, I get a call about Senior photos. The mom's name was Jewelletta, a name I had not heard in a long time. But this kid was from Shiloh, so it couldn't be the same person. The more we talked, I though she sounded familiar. Then when we made plans for the location, I was so excited!! I was going back to a wonderful childhood place to photograph Josh and his family at his Grandmother's place close to Tater Hill.

Jewelletta was the same as I remembered, and her son and husband was great to work with. Josh has a great dry sense of humor - the kind I can connect to. What special photos these will be as they are passed down through the generations with the family property in the background.

The "Right" time for Senior Photos

Are your ready for a Senior Special at the perfect time for Senior pics? 

You haven't seen many ads from me this year about senior photos. There is s reason for that, not that I don't LOVE senior sessions - I DO!  I love the creative opportunities as a photographer, the diversity in personalities, the connection to this generation, and the revealing of gorgeous images to the seniors and their parents.

I agree that there are a few advantages to that, but let's face it - summer in Arkansas is Hot. More and more seniors want to wait until it cools down. And I totally agree. September and early October gives us the beautiful summer colors and fall wildflowers without the sweltering heat. It also gives parents a little gap in the budget before paying for graduation expenses like cap/gown and Christmas shopping takes over. 

Senior pictures should give you a glimpse into who you are, your own beauty, not what social cliques assign you to be. It should also be professional, beautiful, lit correctly, and with enough direction in your posing to make sure you look your best. (Who really knows where to put your hands or your hips?). But not so posed that it is unbelievable.

 Here it is - book your prepaid senior session in September and receive a $100 credit toward your portrait collection. 

JEEPERS!!!

JEEPERS!!!  2015 Senior Katie rocking her jeep - she can go anywhere in this thing!

Trendy Turquoise

Senior 2015 Lindsey had the perfect turquoise pendant for this shot.

Teenage Dream Senior 2015

Winner of many beauty pageants for a reason!!! Dreamy Abby Dalton - Clarksville Senior 2015

It is Spring time and everything is greening up in Knoxville, Arkansas (close to Russellville). It is time to p
ut up the hammocks and enjoy the wonderful beauty at Hardgrave Photography.
There is still time to get some last minute senior photos taken. I just had a Russellville senior call me that was waiting for pretty weather.


 

What a knock out! Chase Wilson Senior 2015

The sport of boxing is not one that most of my senior photography clients are active in. For this reason, I was so excited to get the call that Chase wanted some awesome boxing photos in his gloves and shorts. He was even kind enough to have a left over black eye from a recent match! I had the session dancing around in my mind for a few days before he came, just thinking of the possibilities.
I learned a little bit about the local boxing clubs in Clarksville and Russellville, and other nearby places. But most of all, I got the images I had been thinking about, and Chase got some awesome prints he will treasure forever.


What a knock out!  Chase Wilson Senior 2015

¡LLAMAME!

Sixteen years ago, I was reading an article one rainy afternoon about training llamas with positive reinforcement, just like I was training my dogs. I told my husband Mark about it, and he said "I always wanted a llama, and there is a farm close to Fayetteville.  So we drove up there "only to look at the llamas".  Natalia was 4 years old and she met Chim - 3 weeks old and they were the same height.  We left that day after buying 2 llamas.
Chim was a bottle fed cria, but had to stay at the farm until he was 6 months old. He is exceptionally curious and friendly with strangers. He never spits at guests or bites or kicks. He is really a very well mannered llama and loves to have his photo taken.
You can see him in the pasture between Russellville and Clarksville, right beside Hardgrave Photography studio.

¡LLAMAME!  Mi llama se llama Chim da besos a mis clientes

Ready to fly - Senior 2015

Ready to fly.  Senior 2015

The 2015 Seniors are just about ready to walk through the door from one phase of their lives into the next

PLAY BALL!!

PLAY BALL!!! Lamar Senior Baseball Player Dylanjer Choate

Love that Senior Smile

Gotta love that Smile!  Russellville Senior 2015 - Jenner Robertson

Stephen Black, Senior 2015

Looking dapper with an old stone background - Senior '15 Stephen Black 

Altus Boots - Senior 2015

Ellie was loving the cowboy boots on her location senior session. Downtown Altus, Arkansas provided a sweet backdrop for the perfect senior photos

Red Lipstick and Camo

Sporting sassy RED lipstick and CAMO - 2015 Senior Emily Little

Clarksville High School Color Guard

It was so much fun creating this team banner for the Clarksville High School Color Guard!

Diamond - NOT in the rough!

Diamond - NOT in the rough!  2015 Senior Diamond Hardee

When to do Senior Pictures???

It is the time of year I am getting a lot of calls about Senior Pictures. Here are a few thoughts I have to help you decide when is best for you, your schedule, your family, and your style.

 Traditionally, most students had them taken before school started for their senior year.  This was to make sure the photographers could get the images ready for the yearbook deadline in September.  Most schools now contract a photographer to schedule these yearbook/formal photos one or two days during the summer. This works great for the schools, but not always as personal as you might want for your special photo session. Just because you are required to use the school photographer for the yearbook photo, that does not mean you cannot choose another photographer for your personal
session.

Are you going to be super busy after school starts? This applies to a lot of athletes that have practice after school everyday, games that run late into the night. Also football gear can sometimes cause more breakouts to the skin.  If you have college classes or AP classes you might not have much flexibility to leaves school for a photo session. If you are working, it might be harder to take off work for a photo session.  In these cases, summer before school starts is definitely a better choice.

If you are wanting outdoor photos with nice green trees and grass, it is better to have them done before mid October. Wildflowers are blooming like crazy in the fields at Hardgrave Photography during the last part of September - first part of October. Even now in July, we have lots of wildflowers.

If you are wanting "fall colors" you need to plan very carefully. In our area, the colors usually do not change till the first week of November, and they are for a limited time!  Also by they time the leaves change, daylight savings time has changed and our outdoor times are much shorter - you will need to plan on taking time from school.

Keep the holidays and "senior" expenses in mind. Usually you will order your photos about a week after your photo session. After school starts, you will have homecomings, and depending on your school, other dances -some formal, others not. Traditionally, you will order cap & gown, senior trinkets, and invitations around the first part of November. 

Your "Senior Page" in the yearbook has a deadline too, usually before the Christmas break (check with your yearbook advisor). This is the page you can use some of your digital images from your professional session along with images from your childhood.

If you want snow pictures... it is almost impossible to predict a snow day in Arkansas, and you probably don't want all of you images in the snow - so if you have your session taken before then, and want snow photos, I will give you a free mini session with discount on purchased prints from the snow session.  You just have to be able to get here!

If you want to do photos now, but are a little worried about the heat - don't be. I will make sure you are kept cool and we will come back into the cool after each clothing change. You will not be walking, hiking, running (unless you just really want to, or it is part of the image). Even when we go on location away from the studio, you will be in the air conditioned van until everything is ready for you.

If you are thinking about spring photos - just be aware that it really does not get pretty outside until April, which puts you close to graduation.

If you only want indoor photos, then you don't even have to worry about the weather, only about when the timing is best for you.

I hope this helps you decide, no matter which photographer you use.

A Break for Seniors on Spring Break

A Break for Seniors on Spring Break -
30% off Portrait Collection

March 24-28 aka Spring Break  2014 Seniors will get 30% off any portrait collection with a wall portrait! Plus $10 off their session fee.
Session fees must be paid at the time of booking along with a date set for viewing and purchasing photos.

Call the studio at 479-885-3835 to book your appointment. You may pay with credit or debit card over the phone, or come by the studio to set up your session.