We've Photographed an Author!

Rachel Keener has been a wonderful client of ours for many years and we are proud to announce that she has now written a novel called The Killing Tree. You can catch Rachel on April 5, she'll be at Central Library on 660 W. Fifth St., at 2:30 p.m. And at Barnes and Noble at 7 p.m. on April 9, this is located at 1925 Hampton Inn Court.

Keep updated on our blog for more information, and you can also visit http://www.rachelkeener.com/ for reviews and other events for this local (Lewisville, NC) celebrity. Click on book cover photo to order her fantastic book on Amazon. You will not want to leave Crooktop Mountain!

Emergency DAFFODIL Alert!

We were taking our dogs for a walk this weekend at Tanglewood Park and as we turned the corner to go the quiet area we like to visit, we were greeted by 6 deer prancing across the road. The deer family stopped to look at us for a while, then we went a little further down the road and saw another welcome sight... the DAFFODILS! It was rainy and chilly, so we weren't even in a frame of mind to be thinking about the session we had last year with this Daffodil Princess. (Please click on images to enlarge them.)

After we did a quick check for next week's weather forecast on my iPhone, we decided that with these early Spring rains and the weather warming up later this week, that Saturday, March 21 would be the peak of the daffodils!

You will not want to miss this chance to have your portrait created in this gorgeous, painterly setting. As a matter of fact, this is may be the perfect time to have the fine art painting done that you have been thinking about!

Please call 336.766.8367 so we can set up the time that is best for you.

Third Annual Gallery Exhibit on display until April 3, 2009

It is here! Our Third Annual Gallery Exhibit is on display the entire month of March at The Lewisville Soda Shoppe. We had a wonderful turn out on Saturday for our open house. We even got to sit in Kerri's husband's orange 1970 Impala. Please go out and have a burger and fries and vote for your favorite portrait!

Tackling the Art of Photography

At the beginning of this month our studio attended the annual PPNC (Professional Photographers of North Carolina) Convention. The theme this year as you can see was Tackling the Art of Photography. We went dressed in our favorite teams gear. Nolan still loves the Panthers and is hoping for "next year." Anne chose Florida because some of the grandchildren are down there. Denise and Ben are always rooting for Da Bears!

We had a lot of fun trying out our newest football moves!

Anne and Nolan's son, Spencer, and his family also came to visit for a little bit too. We always love baby Carter time!

National Charity Model Search

Is Your Child America’s Cutest Kid?
Anne Grant ~ The Village Photographer is one of the participating studios in the National Charity Model Search to select “America’s Cutest Kid” and to raise funds for charity.

We’re looking for cute children ages 18 months to 14 years old to model for a portrait to be entered into the contest.

Models Search Special:
$25 entrance fee (payable to Make A Wish Foundation), which includes a 15 minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery. (Click on flyer image below to enlarge).

Finalists will be determined by online votes. Anyone may vote. Each vote is $1, and all proceeds from votes benefit the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. (NILMDTS.org)
Grand prize national winner will be determined from the 50 city finalists. Winners selected by photography and modeling industry experts.

If your child is selected the national winner, you’ll receive many prizes, including a $5,000 US Savings Bond and a Canon PowerShot G10 digital camera.

If you’re interested in entering your child(ren), please call the studio at 336.766.8367. For more information about the contest, go online to http://www.sandypucmodels.com/

New Cover...New Friend

We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Juawana Hall, her husband Matt and their precious little boy, Caleb while photographing them for the next cover story for Forsyth Woman.
Dr. Hall has an beautifully decorated office for her optometry practice, Hillcrest Vision...I call it the eye "spa"! As I observed her perform an eye exam on a two year old child, I enjoyed seeing how the whole process, as well as the entire office, is so "kid-friendly."
She has some of the nicest designer frames, so I hope to be getting a new pair of glasses myself soon.
As we talked, we discovered Juawana's husband, Matt is a videographer and will help us develop a brand new product line, a fusion of still images and video to create an unforgettable, meaningful experience and a fabulous art piece for your home decor. We will be unveiling this soon, so stay tuned...
We were glad to have the opportunity to see the workings of a successful business and to make new friends with the Hall family!

Look at Me and My Cool Attitude

The Expressions Limited Edition Portrait Session for April is for the trendy kids with the coole attitude. We know you're out there and want to rock your style in a trendy portrait!

Each "Expressions" event has a suggested donation instead of session fees. The one for April will be to assist the Winston-Salem Industries For the Blind with their summer camp for visually impaired children. They need craft and class supplies, so we are asking for a suggested amount of $15 (or more) Gift Card from a store that has these items (i.e. Wal Mart, Target, Michael's , AC Moore, Staples, Office max, etc.)

PPNC Mentor Program

We recently hosted a mentor program called Pro Share through PPNC (Professional Photographers of North Carolina). Anne is very involved in PPNC and has been a mentor for many years. There were eight photographers from Virginia and NC who all came to listen to a program about what we do at Anne Grant Photography to deliver top notch client service and how that has kept our business strong, even in the economic climate we are currently experiencing. We had a wonderful time and made many new friends.

Getting More in Touch with Our Creative Genius

In the beginning of February we hosted a workshop with an artist and master photographer from Boston, named Arthur Rainville. We fell in love with him when we first met him at our Fall Seminar and contacted him a couple of times to ask him questions. He sensed our enthusiasm and offered to do a smaller class with us at our studio. We learned many things from him. Anne and Denise learned each of their personal styles. We found out that Anne enjoys her portraits to be "one with nature." Denise enjoys her portraits to be based on angles. It was interesting to find out the artistic side of the beautiful portraits we create every day of our clients beautiful families.

We also all had our own modeling experience (even Cooper!)

We so much enjoy receiving more knowledge in a profession that we are so passionate about!