Spring is here!

SeagullsWMIt was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.~Charles Dickens,Great Expectations

Do you feel it?  That urge to open your window in the morning just to take in that fresh air smell...the desire to open your window while driving...The inclination to walk everywhere all the time?   Yes....SPRING IS IN THE AIR!

I have always loved Spring and all the newness the season brings.  As a photographer Spring becomes even more special.  Since I photograph 90% of my sessions outdoors, Spring brings me out of hibernation and provides me with a beautiful canvas and endless opportunity for my clients to just enjoy being outdoors.

Spring Photo Sessions in NJ by Fotoplicit

Last week was a PERFECT Spring day.  The weather was warm enough to get away with wearing a light jacket and even though it was cloudy, the sun peeked through just enough to provide a bit of happiness.

For children, Spring offers the chance to explore and play!  Spring photo session by Fotoplicity I mean, how can any child resist celebrating everything the great outdoors have to offer?children portraits, NJSpring is a fantastic time to get portraits done.  The summer heat is still far off and the grass and surroundings are full of green and blooming beauty.  Kids are so excited to be outdoors after being cooped up for the winter that they are more than willing participants for a fun outdoor photo session!  Heck, they might even embrace a few poses here and there!  Spring Photo Sessions in NJ by FotoplicitSpring Photo Sessions in NJ by FotoplicitAnd how much fun when a little sass is involved?  SunglassesWMSo, why not join the bears and take advantage of SPRING!   Spring Photo Sessions in NJ by FotoplicitWeekend Sessions have already started booking up.  If you would like to book a SPRING session with me, it is important to book NOW.  You can view my availability calendar on my Contact Page.

Don't Forget Your TWEEN! (February Promotions)

Tweens.

As the mother of a 10 year old I have to say, I can't believe the drastic changes that are taking place.  My little baby is growing up in so many ways and I really just want it to STOP!  The other day I was checking my Facebook Feed when that TimeHop thing came up and showed me a picture I posted of my daughter from 3 years ago.   I was floored....Tween Timehop

In three short years, my little girl has changed SO MUCH!

THIS is a photograph I took of my daughter just the other day.  SnowDress-3WM

How did this happen?  It seems like just yesterday I was changing her diapers and now at age 10 I'm watching her transform from a child to a young adult.  I'm talking independence, exploration, a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e, and self-discovery.  And if that isn't enough, her face and body, it's transforming too.  My "little girl" is not such a little girl any more.  While it's exciting for her, it's bittersweet for me.

As a photographer I am hired to photographed so many childhood milestones (3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, 5 years, seniors), but I've found that this specific TRANSFORMATIONAL time is somewhat overlooked.

Do you have a tween? Let me ask you something...  When is the last time you had your tween's picture taken? And I don't mean with your iPhone or that weird school picture with the fake backdrop. I'm talking about a time when your child actually wore some cool clothes, did their hair, and willingly smiled?

Why has it been so long? FullSun2I get it, the tween years can be a little awkward...maybe your child is dealing with crooked or missing teeth, maybe they have braces or zits, maybe their hair is constantly in a state of disarray or maybe their clothing choice has a lot to be desired.  YES, all these things are frustrating and may have you putting off investing in professional pictures, but here is the thing.....   From crooked teeth to that ugly tee shirt -this is WHO THEY ARE, and all these things will quickly disappear before you know it and you will have no record of this monumental time in their life.

Despite what you may think, Tweens are typically the most cooperative and amazing photography subjects.  Most have not yet faced the brutal criticism that will eventually come and many are so self-confident in their choices they aren’t afraid to be themselves.  They are authentic and true.   This is absolutely one of the BEST times to invest in professional portraits.

Don't let Facebook remind you how quickly they are changing.... Take matters into your own hands and talk to your tween about booking a photo session tailored just for them.  Let them be the center of attention - I promise they'll love the experience and you will have amazing photographs that you can cherish forever.

Here are THREE Fotoplicity Session options for you to choose from....Tween Snapshot Folio

THE SNAPSHOT FOLIO SESSION (Promotional Price $450)

Fotoplicity is currently running this all-inclusive promotion for the month of February only.  Not only does it include the session but a gorgeous 5x7 Heirloom Folio Box with ten mounted prints AND digital images!   This package deal offers a savings of over $100.

Tween Winter Promotion, Photography session by Fotoplicity, Central NJ

THE ENCHANTED UPGRADE (Promotional Price $525)

If you would like to upgrade to a TWEEN ENCHANTED Session, you can get the same package with access to the Fotoplicity Wardrobe Closet and some extra session time (if needed) for an additional $75 ($525).Winter Tween Enchanted Session by Fotoplicity, Central NJ Photographer

THE SNAPSHOT ALTERNATIVE (Promotional Price $75)

Not sure about the Folio?  No worries, you can just book a traditional Snapshot Session for $75. Prints, products and digitals sold separately.  Print pricing starts at $20, Collections start at $150.FullSun2

Interested in learning more?  CONTACT ME!

A Big Announcement, Confession, Promise and An Unusual Guarantee

I've been sitting on this exciting news for over a month and it has been killing me, but I didn't want to say anything until everything was finalized.

As of this week, Fotoplicity will be based out of East Brunswick, NJ.  I have rented a quaint little office in a corporate building on Tices Lane.  My office is small, but it has large windows and when I'm done with it it will have lots of personality (pictures to come soon).   I even have a parking lot and an elevator!  It's taken a lot of work to get Fotoplicity to a place where doing this made sense, but in order to take it where I want it to go this had to happen.

So what does this change?  Well, nothing .... and everything!

As far as sessions, it doesn't affect anything. Ninety percent of my portrait sessions will be held in outdoor locations while corporate headshots can be done in the office. Highland Park Snapshot Sessions will still be available, but the great news is that I will now offer them in few set locations in East Brunswick and Milltown.  Locations4

The big changes come on the service end....

My Confession

While the last year has been great in terms of expanding my brand, I feel that I have not been offering the best service possible to my clients.  Working out of my home has just not been ideal for meeting with clients resulting in limited interaction.  This is a problem because I believe that in order to capture the very best photos....the ones that have emotional value, I need to connect with my clients.  I have many clients that have been coming to me for years and I am honored to have their repeat business, the best part is the connection I have developed with them.  I've watched and documented their children's growth, learned their personalities and have created a nice bond.  I am no longer a stranger with a camera, and THAT makes all the difference.  Let's face it....putting ourselves in front of a lens can be an uncomfortable thing, but when you are familiar with the person behind the lens, the awkwardness diminishes and we tend to allow our true selves shine through.

Having this professional space will allow me several opportunities to connect with my clients.  For new clients, pre-session consultations will be available if desired and will be easy to schedule.  We can sit and chat about your session, what you want to accomplish, ideas on location and wardrobe and you can get to know one another!  These consultations are extremely important for my Enchanted Sessions which require lots of pre-planning, wardrobe selection and fittings.

Changing to this service model has also changed my pricing structure.  I now offer lower session fees that cover my time and talent for the shoot.  Prints, products, collections and digitals will all be sold separately.

My Promise

Starting today, I promise to make purchasing prints and products simple, fun and pressure free. Many photographers follow the shoot and share business model (take pictures, deliver digitals) and I feel that while this works for some specialties (events and headshots), it is not ideal for portraits.

The lack of this service didn't really hit home until my daughter broke my heart with THIS question last year.  After that life-altering conversation I realized that there really is nothing more valuable than a printed photograph and it was IMPERATIVE that I start putting some real effort into providing this service to my clients.

2015-02-10_0001People hire me to capture emotional, meaningful images and I'm going to insure that they walk out the door with a physical copy of their best image(s) - something that they can touch, feel, hang, share and see without having to turn on a computer screen.

While I can't promise to make the picture selection easy, I will make the ordering process simple through my Collection offerings.  And if I don't offer a Collection that meets your needs, we'll work together to get you what you need.

I also promise to make my service accessible to everyone by offering  interest free payment plans to help balance finances.

My Unusual Guarantee

I will never pressure anyone into buying anything.  I have a disdain for high-pressure sales people (you should see me when I prepare to buy a new car).  This shift is all about providing a service that is truly needed.

Enchanted photo by Fotoplicity, Central NJ photographerBe honest...how many photos do you have sitting on your computer waiting for you to do something with them?

You'll get to it, right?

RIGHT?

<Crickets>

THIS is exactly what I'm talking about.  And don't worry, I'm not going to hide anything from you.  You will have a full understanding of my Collections and pricing BEFORE your session.  No surprises, it's all reviewed in your pre-session consultation.  And even better, there are absolutely no purchase minimums.  You've already paid me for my session and editing time, if you only want to purchase one 8x10 print that is your prerogative!  I am going to provide you with the same service I will provide the client who purchases $1000 worth of prints and products.

Why?  Because I believe investing in your memories is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

Still not sure?   Here is the "UNUSUAL" part... If you come to your reveal appointment and do not like ANY of the photos and can't justify purchasing even one....I will refund your session fee.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I WILL REFUND YOUR SESSION FEE!   I am so passionate about this, confident in my work and believe that my pictures will become valued possessions to be passed down through the generations that I offer this guarantee to my clients.

There are very few photographers that are willing to offer a guarantee like this...but I believe the service I provide warrants such a guarantee.

Documenting important life milestones is serious, emotional and meaningful business.

Full Service

When you hire me you are investing in a full service.  From pre-session to post-session, I'm here to help, show and guide you through it.  And while I'm taking care of all the details you can focus on the more important things in life.

When your experience is over with me, you will not only walk away with beautiful and meaningful images that you can see, feel and touch but you will have a positive feeling that you've made a smart and valuable investment in your memories.

And as for me?  I'll know I've done my job, and done it well, when you return next year!Fotoplicity Enchanted Session

Interested in seeing some of my work?  Click the links below:

CHILDREN

ENCHANTED

FAMILY

PROFESSIONAL BRANDING

The Heartbreaking Question My 7 Year Old Daughter Asked Me That Made Me Rethink & Overhaul My Business

I have two daughters....they are my everything.  Natalie is 10 years old and Melissa is 7.  What my daughter said to me that made me change the way I do business Over the past several years, my daughters have watched me grow Fotoplicity out of a passion and have been the inspiration behind many of my creative ideas.  But this past year my seven year old asked one question that made me stop dead in my tracks and re-think my entire business model.  This one question put into motion a brand overhaul that is currently taking place and I think will resonate with every Mom out there.....

One day, I was cleaning my room when Melissa came in with a sad look on her face and a little photobook in her hand.  She sat on my bed, looked at me with big puppy dog eyes and then lowered her glance down into her lap staring at the the photobook.  "Mommy?  Do you love Natalie more than me?"  My heart just about broke into a million pieces.... I sat down next to her and asked her why she would think that.  "Because you don't have any pictures of me as a baby."  The photobook she had in her hand was one I created for Natalie's one year birthday. It was kept in a pile of other little photobooks I had created before I had Melissa.  I quickly tried to console her letting her know that I do indeed have hundreds of baby photos of her....on the computer.   "But I can't see them there, I can see Natalie's on the wall, but not mine."   I did a quick inventory of the photos hanging around my house.  She was right.  All the beautifully framed baby photos were of Natalie.

How could I possibly explain that things just got too chaotic and busy with two children, work and life to find time to create photobooks or wall prints for her?  How could I justify that all those digital images hidden away on my hard drive were as valuable as the ones hanging in full display on our walls?  How could I let her know that I had every intention of printing photos of her but somehow the years have passed by and I never found the time to do so?  I couldn't.  There were no excuses, there was no answer that would make her hurt go away.  "Life got in the way" was just not going to cut it here.

Feeling completely discouraged and broken myself, I told her we would go to my computer and pull up her baby pictures.  And we did...of course it took me about 45 minutes to hook up the old hard drive, get it to work on my newer computer, shuffle through thousands of irrelevant files and sort through a ton of meaningless digital images that were blurry and crappy all to get to the few good baby photos.  The photo-hunting experience definitely took away from the feel-good moment of the memories.Flashback

Melissa's simple question and the following "digital experience" made me realize that the emotional value of a printed photograph stands undeniable.   Our digital, fast-paced lifestyles and abundance of cell-phone snapshots have devalued the most meaningful, timeless possessions of every family. Digital photographs have become expendable and offer a very short shelf life in comparison. I had a hard enough time accessing Melissa's baby photos from just a few years ago....how much more difficult will it be in 10 or 25 years from now?  Will future technology even be compatible?  Will your grandchildren care to load them up on their computer?  Will there even be computers?

Today's world moves so fast.  Moments are rarely appreciated because there is this constant pressure to move on and find the next big thing.  It took my 7 year old daughter's pain and feeling of neglect to make me realize that digital images are NOT always ideal.  Yes, they are convenient and have their place, but when it comes to emotional value....nothing compares to a high quality printed photograph. IMG_3478

I am determined to stop this cycle for every single one of my clients....even if it means printing just ONE image.

Thanks to Melissa and my broken heart, this year I have changed my session offerings from all-inclusive digital packages to lower session fees with reveal and ordering appointments.  This means that once you have your photo session we will set an appointment to sit down and review your photographs together.   We will savor and discuss each beautiful image and together we will explore some options for displaying your memories for everyone to see and enjoy.  I've put together some amazing Collections for your walls and your coffee tables to keep things simple or we can work together to customize something special. At the appointment you will be able to choose which photo or photos you want printed or included as part of a Collection.  I will then take care of the ordering details and call you when your prints arrive and you will walk away with a PHYSICAL piece of memorabilia that will last a lifetime and be handed down to your children and their children.

Oh, and I should mention that you will still be able to get digital copies of the purchased prints, so you can store them away on your hard drive (just in case), share on social media, email or print to send to distant family at your leisure.

I am making it my job to ensure that your child will never ask you why you don't care enough to print or hang their picture.