We Have An Announcement...

Last Thursday was a wild day at Anne Grant Photography! So much was going on - sessions, portrait presentations, getting ready for Family Portrait Month, dogs running here and there, FedEx deliveries, the usual studio fare.
As we were all caught up in the busyness of the day, the most exciting thing happened.. we had a phone call. It was from Spencer, Anne & Nolan's son, and he announced that Anne & Nolan had a grandson!
The newest member of the Grant family, Carter Spencer Grant, was born on Thursday, September 11 at about 11:30am, weighing in at a healthy 8 lbs., 14 oz. Carter's parents, Crystal & Spencer Grant are both doing well and savoring every minute with their new addition!
You will probably be seeing a lot of our newest
"model"!

Family Portrait Month at The Village Photographer

For more information on our most popular (and meaningful) promotions of the year, see the Family Portrait Month link on our website www.grantphoto.com/family.htm
This is our 4th year partcipating in this worthwhile event and we look forward to topping the past 3 years in what we can do for Operation Smile. We hope you can join us!

Family Portrait Month Is Coming

We are proud to be one of the top contributors for PPA Charities Family Portrait Month that benefits Operation Smile. Here's a video that shows the meaning behind it...
http://www.weedonphoto.com/PPACharities2008/iframe.html

Summertime and the livin' is easy!

We are having a great summer at Anne Grant Photography! We have had so many wonderful photo sessions - we're getting ready to do our special "beach" sessions at North Myrtle Beach, but if you miss out on that, we have a beach scene in our portrait park! The kids treat it just like a real beach, playing in the sand and trying to make sandcastles.





We went "on location" for this family portrait session - Family Portrait Month is coming up in September. Start thinking about getting your family together for a timeless portrait . We really love how they all have on pink! We think mom got her way on this one...









...and everyone in the studio had a blast with these adorable senior girls having a group session! They were so much fun, and they are all beautiful inside and out!


This senior session was all about singing! Our "model" loves to sing, and what better way to show off your true self than in your portrait session. We do traditional poses, too, but we love it when our clients express themselves with props they've brought along. We aim to please at Anne Grant Photography...what ideas do you have to personalize your portraits?

Hip Hip Hooray, Its Nolan's Birthday!

July 7th was a fun day in our studio! Nolan celebrated a big birthday with a lunch homemade by our own Denise Christian. She went all out - pork tenderloin, green bean casserole, squash fresh from the garden, rolls, and apple pie with ice cream! We won't reveal how BIG of a birthday it was for him, but it is a nice round number!

Nolan was surprised by Denise's thoughtfulness, and all of us got to share in his feast!

Seniors2009 on You Tube

There will be more to come...thanks for watching. -anne

BasketBALL for American Cancer Society!

As part of our committment to our community, we participated in the BasketBALL for the American Cancer Society in May. It was a real social occasion, and everyone dressed up for the event, with the exception of their shoes - the guys were supposed to wear athletic shoes with their tuxes! Some of them really took this to heart and wore basketball shorts, too, but Nolan decided to remain gentlemanly and wear pants!

The food was fabulous to eat (and to look at), there was a band for dancing, and lots of local celebrities and sports figures all helping to raise money for the American Cancer Society. (Look at these cool jerseys that were auctioned off - Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, and Josh Howard) Anne and Nolan were there for all the action, photographing the event and enjoying themselves at the same time. Anne Grant Photography also donated a portrait session and framed portrait in both the silent auction and in the live auction. It was a great event, and we are excited about being able to participate next year!

Dine Gaudio, Head Coach for the Wake Forest Mens' Basketball team, participated in the event, as did Cameron Kent, WXII news anchor. You never know, Nolan might be up there next year! Thanks to all who helped raise money for this excellent cause...

Beautiful Spring Weather!

Ahhh...Springtime! This darling little girl looks like a fairy amongst the daffodils! We had a wonderful time out at Tanglewood in the flowers. This is such a perfect time for outdoor portraits - the flowers are in bloom, and the the sun is bright, but it's not hot yet. There are so many opportunities for the perfect pose - we have an extensive portrait park at our studio, and we also offer to our clients "on location" sessions. So, if you have a special place in mind for your portrait, let us know and we will be glad to look into it.

May is quickly getting booked up! Start thinking now about "Beach" portraits - we have a beach scene in our portrait park, and portraits for Father's Day gifts. We'd love to see you again...

Here's What Seniors Are Saying About Anne Grant...

Our session was so much fun! Anne directed all of her time and attention towards me. My portraits looked awesome, I just wish I had brought more outfits! I would tell other seniors to look forward to having a great time ... and bring along a friend!

- Alie, West Forsyth High School

Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful viewing yesterday, the pics were all great, it was very hard to choose from all the work you did. It was also a pleasure to experience the whole session, this was new to us and Laura had a wonderful time...we can't thank you enough for all your effort and hard work.

Out thanks to Nolan as well, he's a great asset and together you both make the whole experience fun!

- Melony, Laura's Mom

Forbush High School

I felt very comfortable at my session and it was even fun! She was so in tune with what I wanted or liked, and she played that up in her photography. I liked the variety and uniqueness of each portrait. They each had a different mood, style, and atmosphere. I would definitely recommend Anne and tell them at their session not to be shy - just let your personality flow through your pictures and Anne will capture it!

-Mallory, Bishop McGuiness High School

We had so much fun with each one of these senior girls - we can't wait to see you, too! Call us at the studio to schedule your senior session soon!

Senior Spokesmodel Sessions Are Underway!

We are already having so much fun with our Senior Spokesmodels! Even if the sun isn't shining, these girls are so bright inside that the light comes from within. If we are having a "down" weather day, we can still do a great photo shoot, and you will have some amazing portraits to share and a really fun memory! If you are coming out to the studio for your session, bring your friends for props and your ipod or mp3 player so your favorite music will inspire you. We are taking spokesmodel applications through April 21st, so if you have a friend who would be interested in representing our studio, have her fill out the information on our website or give the studio a call. How do you want to remember your senior year?

Chatting with Seniors '09...

The Coffee Beanery + Anne Grant + lots of Seniors'09 = Too much fun! We had such a great time meeting all of our prospective Senior Spokesmodels '09 last Tuesday night. We have a fabulous group represented: Drama Queens, Cheerleaders, Volunteers, Debaters, Yearbook Reps, Soccer/Field Hockey/Cross Country - these girls are diverse and we love it! Our spokesmodels are going to have such a blast expressing their personalities in their portraits - some of them want to bring their cheerleading uniforms, their pets, even their boyfriends to use as "props!" Seniors are signed up from Reagan, West Forsyth, Starmount, North Davidson, Mt. Tabor, and Davie - was your school mentioned? We're still recruiting for '09, so if you've heard about our Spokesmodel program (you get a free FUN photography session, free collages for facebook or myspace, free referral cards, plus you can earn credits towards portraits or CASH or even an ipod!), but thought it was too late to become one - it's not! Fill out an application on our website or call us at the studio to schedule your information session.

My hero...

This is a late Valentine report, but anyone who knows my husband always says how nice he is. Well, he lived up to that reputation last week on Valentine's Day.
I was just finishing up with a client and as I was walking her to the door, four men in tuxes come in, gave me a rose and a card and sang "Let Me Call You Sweetheart". Nolan was on the phone when they came, but came out while they were still singing and then the quartet sang "I Love You Truly". I was teary eyed, we kissed and hugged and of course, I was so touched that he had planned this for me.
The client that was here said she was sorry she didn't get to let us enjoy that moment alone and I told her, "Are you kidding? I wish MORE people could have been here so they could see how sweet Nolan is and how much I am loved!" Hopefully, she took that warm , fuzzy feeling I had and it made her day brighter...I know it did for me!

Who's The Boss?

Now this really is a sweet little boy, but he had a little trouble getting warmed up to us during his portrait session. He was absolutely clear that he "didn't want to take any pictures" and when we coaxed him into the camera room, he said, "You're Not The Boss Of Me!" To that I laughed and said, "Oh, but I think I AM the boss of you!" He seemed to think that was funny and we had a great session!

Behind The Scenes...

As in any other business, there are a lot of support people that most people don't see who are very important to "making things happen". One of those people completed his life on this earth , is no longer with us and will be greatly missed. Even though we were usually out there side by side digging in the dirt when we were creating our portrait park, Craig planted most of the bushes and trees, designed the pond and laid out all the stones for the walkways with Nolan helping to lift them. I was the "back seat driver" saying "let's do this or that" and I annoyed them to no end, but Craig was always polite and worked VERY hard -sometimes we even had to MAKE him take a break!

Thank you, Craig...our memories of you and the beauty you left behind in our gardens will bring us joy for years to come!

Meet My Neighbors...

Since we moved on this end of Harper Road, we realized we were living among many of the Harper family members. We've even kept the "Harper" door knocker on the front door because it reminds us of the family that built and lived in this house before we came along. We have been told of the big family and friend gatherings that took place here over the years. Seems that Irene Harper was accustomed to feeding the whole family on holidays, special occasions and even the choir from their church. Sometimes, I just imagine the activity that might have taken place in our kitchen, in the woods around the house, in the living room where we watch TV...

Now here's the cool part...two of Irene and Andrew's sons that grew up in our house now live in the 2 houses across the street from us (the other son lives in Kernersville). One of the "boys", Richard and his wife Lynette are celebrating their 50th anniversary this month. Right after they got married they lived here with Richard's parents (and his little brothers) for several months and then...5o years later they are coming here to have their portraits made in honor of their 5oth anniversary! Honestly, I've seen their wedding photos and Richard and Lynnette still look a LOT like they did then. They haven't changed as much as Harper Road has...it was a dirt country road back then...what a difference 5o years can make.

A VIsit With Santa

We will be at Emma Jane's Childrens' Specialty Shoppe located at 324 W. Mountain Street in Kernersville on Saturday, November 17 from 12PM-4PM with SANTA... I hope you can come!

Family Portrait Month Sessions

Here's a couple of the families who made donations to Operation Smile through Family Portrait Month...Thank You!

Operation Smile

We are finishing up our 3rd Annual Family Portrait Month event. Instead of the standard creation fee, we asked for a donation to Operation Smile, a organization dedicated to treating children around the world for cleft plate and other facial deformities. Family Portrait Month is a nationwide campaign set in motion by Professional Photographers Of America (PPA) to benefit Operation Smile. Last year, PPA gave $40,000 to Operation Smile ...that is a lot of smiles since the surgery is only about $250 for each smile! This inspiring video illustrates it well.

Class of 2008

It's almost October and so far the Class of 2008 is FANTASTIC! These photos represent seniors from West Forsyth, Reagan, Calvary Baptist, Bishop McGuiness, Forbush and North Davidson.

Taking a break to make a cake!

I came to the realization that I don't have to post photos with EVERY post so I thought I could mix things up by sharing a great summer recipe I got from a friend. She didn't give me a name for it, so if you want to make up a name for it and yours is chosen, you will receive a FREE 8x10 at your next session! Just click on the Comments link at the bottom of this post.

First Step:
1 Yellow cake mix (not the "pudding" cake mix)
Add: 4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 small can Mandarin oranges w/ juice
Beat all together and put in greased 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool.

Second step:
Blend the following-
1 8 oz. Regular (not Light or fat free) Cool Whip
1 large package instant vanilla pudding
1 can crushed pineapple w/ juice
Frost cake with Cool Whip mixture and cover. Will keep in fridge for 1 week (but you'll probably eat it all before then!)