Skirt day??

A bit of history on the skirt, it’s far older than you might imagine! The oldest known skirt was woven from straw, and was discovered in Armenia, and was known to have been worn by men and women alike. This was just the beginning of a long and storied history of a garment to shock and amaze people throughout the world. 

So what’s a skirt you ask? Why, it’s a garment that hangs from the waist down, and can most often be identified by the fashionably challenged as “That bit of cloth what hangs from the waist down on a dress, if there were no ‘top-part’ to the dress.” source - http://ow.ly/eJEa307azeE

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.

Karlita's Quinceañera

Karlita was so beautiful in her formal Quinceañera dress. She wanted to do both indoor and outdoor photos. When it came down to ordering her wall portrait, her and her mom were torn on which to order. On one hand, the outdoor was what some of the other Clarksville girls were getting from part time photographers, so Karla wanted to be like them. On the other hand, the studio images were stunning, classic, and different than everyone else's.
Which would you have chosen?

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. 

August Seniors 50% off Session Fee

 

Seniors, Book and prepay your session in August and get 50% off your session fee.
479-885-3835
OK, so isn't it too HOT in AUGUST? You would think so, but the truth is, for your outdoor sets, we are out there and back in the air conditioning with the "buggy" so fast you will not be too hot. Evenings are cooling things off too. After school really gets started, it is so hard to find time to do anything other than school stuff. Book now, let's get this checked off your "Senior list" before it falls into the "never got around to it list".
Besides, August still has pretty summer colors, and your other "Senior" expenses have not started piling up along with the holidays.

Mothers' Day Out Graduates

Congratulations to these little graduates too!! The Mother's Day Out program at FUMC in Clarksville is one of my favorite places to photograph. I love seeing these kids grow and change from semester to semester. Many of them were in my Baby Steps Program as newborns - now they will be going to Kindergarten, and I may not see them again until they are seniors graduating High School.

Snow in Fairyland - OH NO!

Enchanted Fairyland was all set up yesterday afternoon, and as the first fairies came flying in, so did the snow. Well everyone knows that Arkansas Fairies are prone to frostbite if they get stuck on the side of the road because of slick roads on their way to Enchanted Fairyland, so we have postponed photos until next Saturday, March 7.   In rearranging schedules and adding another day, 2 more spots have opened up if you did not get an appointment. 

On the other hand....Seniors and Families that feel they can get here safely in the snow today, can come for a mini session - $99 includes session and 3 prints.

479-885-3835

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.

Featured Senior - Jordan Senior

I remember having such a fun time photographing Jordan last summer! I always love talking to teenagers that know how to hold a conversation with adults. Jordan is smart, beautiful, and really responsible. I have known her family for years, and loved visiting with her and her mom about Jordan's great grandmother's restaurant "Tosh's"  Her grandmother  made the BEST kimchee I have ever had. The funny thing is, I used to go there 2-3 times a week when I was pregnant with my own daughter - the same time Jessica was pregnant with Jordan!
I wish Jordan all the luck in the world, but I have a feeling, she won't need much luck - she will make her own.

New for Seniors of 2013

We have decided to take a fresh new approach to Seniors this year.
So we have started every senior this year with a preconsultation before we even make the photo session appointment. I need to know what the senior and parent is really looking for in their session. If it is a certian place - that place is going to look better or worse at different times of day or year. We talk about clothing and what photographs best, what to bring, what accessories they will want to remember to bring. We talk about what is important to them - what they do, sports, family, motorcycles, music, ect. It gives me a chance to think about the session and prepare so I can deliver images that will meet expectations. So many times in the past, I have ended up scheduling a second mini session because when the senior got to his/her session, and we actually got to talking, it was not the right time of day, or conditions to set up a shot they really wanted.
We also discuss what products are available, what comes in the Senior Portrait Collections, pricing and payment plans. We have bonuses available at different purchasing points, and we go over what specials are available. We also talk about eligibility to be in the drawing for a $1000 scholarship given by Hardgrave Photography.
With all this done, we can set up the photo session appointment for the the time that is going to work best for the senior's schedule. When it is time for the session itself, all the paperwork and planning are already taken care of, and we can jump right into creating amazing images.

Check out our Youtube Channel to see more of  our senior work, then give us a call to set up a preconsult.  479-885-3835.

Featured Senior - Preston South

Walter South came to see me a few months before Preston came for his senior portrait session to discuss all that we wanted to accomplish. By the time he left, ideas were spinning in my head - I knew the basketball shot I wanted to try - and I had the perfect model for it coming in!
When Preston came in for his session, his clothes were perfectly pressed, very stylish and of his own choosing - this guy likes to look good. He even knows how to pick out the right tie - impressive.  He should fit in well with the other Electrical Engineering majors at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith campus. I am proud to say that the Hardgrave Photography $500 Scholarship will be helping Preston out a little with his college expenses.
It was obvious he and his dad were close when we did his session. I asked him about this and he said "My father inspires me the most, he has taught me everything I know from basketball to school to the littlest things about life."
Another man that has taught Preston a lot is his teacher Mr. Spillers. He said " He is a great teacher and is always willing to go the extra step to make sure you now how to do it."  Every one of our students should have at least one teacher like Mr. Spillers.

This senior year has been pretty exciting for Preston. He, along with the other Clarksville Panther Basketball team won the State Championship for the second year in a row. He said " I couldn't ask for a better way to end the season and the group of guys that helped achieve this goal will always be my brothers."
When asked about traveling abroad, touring Germany  with his "brothers" Dale Peterson, Zac Stumbaugh, Trey Norris, and Dustin McKinney -would be his first pick

Featured 2012 Senior - Tayler Scott

I first met Tayler when she came in the eighth grade to job shadow me, then I got to photograph her sister for senior portraits. Tayler was full of questions - which I love!  I hate it when I have to drag a conversation out of someone, no worry about that with Tayler.
As always happens when I don't see a girl for a few years, I am a little surprised that as seniors, they really are women, not little girls anymore. I was impressed that Tayler worked so hard at getting in college classes and really making every bit of that opportunity count. She will be entering University of Arkansas - Fort Smith in the fall with college credits already toward her degree in Business Administration. She will also be serving our country - she enlisted into the Army National Gaurd, was sworn in on October 13th and will be spending her summer at Basic Training at Ft. Lenarwood, Missouri.
As I mentioned, I also photographed Megan, Tayler's older sister that is a huge inspiration for her. Tayler said " She is a great mother, a student at UAFS, and works full time at Yeager's. I can't imagine show she does it all." 
For Tayler, Mrs. Blackmon has been "that" inspiring teacher that will go out of her way to help anyone. I think Tayler has learned from that too. I asked her if she could take a trip to anywhere, where would that be? She immediately included her friends Jackie Gray, Andrea Mefford, Abby Bryant, and Tiffany Austin to go to Italy with her to see the beautiful landscapes and get a feel for the whole Tuscan way of life.
Tayler was crowned Miss. Westside High School, which added to the excitement of these last few months of her senior year.

Featured 2012 Senior - Andrea Mefford

There is nothing that gets me more excited about a portrait session than an excited model - especially if they come to visit me before the session ever happens. After Andrea Mefford and her Grandma came to the studio to visit with me about her senior session, I was looking forward to working on all the things we talked about doing.  She left me with some ideas, and I sent her home with some things to think about too.

Andrea had gone to Westside, moved away, and came back to finish her senior year, even though that meant moving away from the two people in her family that has inspired her most - her mom Penny and her step dad Jason.  It has been a three hour drive between them this senior year, but they have made it to games to watch Andrea cheer the Rebels on.

Mr. Steve Golden has been such a big help to Andrea as a teacher. She is planning on attending the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at Arkansas Tech University - Ozark Campus.

I asked Andrea about her desires to travel and she said "If I could go anywhere, it would be to Greece."